text
stringlengths 363
53.2k
| id
int64 0
38.8k
|
|---|---|
UPDATE 2019-05-14: the AIVD has now published an official translation of the Annual Report 2018. To state the obvious: henceforth, one probably should reference that url, not my blog.
UPDATE 2019-04-29: the AIVD sent a tweet indicating that an (official) English translation of the Annual Report 2018 will be released in a few weeks. I will add a link to it when it is available. If you have doubts or questions about any part of my unofficial translation, feel free to contact me to ask for verification — I’ll be happy to double-check for correctness / accuracy.
Below follows an unofficial translation of the Annual Report 2018 of the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (GISS, known in Dutch as AIVD). The text below is ~9200 words in total. Hyperlinks and parts between [] brackets were added by me.
Translation was done paragraph-by-paragraph via Google Translate and subsequently correcting or otherwise improving each translated paragraph (precision/accuracy matters in translation of such documents). If you have questions or suggestions/corrections, feel free to contact me.
Some points of interest:
[Related reading: Dutch cabinet’s decisions regarding the intelligence tasking of AIVD and MIVD for 2019-2022 (in Dutch: “Geïntegreerde Aanwijzing Inlichtingen en Veiligheid” aka “GAI&V” aka “GA”)]
AIVD Annual Report 2018
Table of Contents
Foreword
In front of you is the public annual report of the AIVD for 2018. The annual report offers an opportunity for us to provide insight into what we, and our two thousand colleagues, have dealt with and deal with globally every day. We hereby account for our work and offer a view of our field of work. It gives politics, press and the public a view of our activities.
In a country under democratic rule of law as we know it in the Netherlands it is, in addition to critical internal checks, essential that there is thorough external control of a service that has far-reaching investigatory powers.
Debates about us in parliament and in the media are often based on the oversight reports of the Dutch Review Committee on the Intelligence and Security Services (CTIVD). This committee was established per the Intelligence and Security Services Act of 2002 (Wiv2002). Over the past seventeen years, the CTIVD has conducted around fifty quite diverse investigations into the AIVD and has published frank, and largely public, reports on this.
In addition to the CTIVD, the new Intelligence and Security Services Act of 2017 (Wiv2017) that was enacted last year established an additional check on our work. After the minister has approved a request from us to exercise a special power, the independent Review Board for the Use of Powers (TIB) will review the legality of the minister’s decision.
The TIB and the CTIVD are strict and critical in their oversight, and rightfully so. It does not make our work easy at all times, but we as AIVD know that oversight is of great importance to us and to society.
Of course, parliamentary scrutiny also takes place. The standing committee on the Interior supervises the ins and outs of the AIVD to the extent that this is possible in public. With regard to classified and operational information, the minister is accountable to the parliamentary Committee for the Intelligence and Security Services (CIVD) for our actions.
Our work and the law do not allow us to speak openly about our activities. Also in this public annual report we cannot show the back of our tongue. Yet we are not so much a ‘secret service’ – as such you would not know about our existence – but above all ‘a service with secrets’. This is the only way in which we can recognize threats timely. The fact that two committees supervise and report on this gives us our license to operate. They ensure the legitimacy of functioning in a democracy. As a result, society can be confident that we are doing the right thing here and that we are doing it right, in the interest of national security and the democratic constitutional state.
Dick Schoof
Director General
General Intelligence & Security Service
Introduction
The AIVD has not often received so much attention as it did in the year 2018. The reason for this was primarily the new Intelligence and Security Services Act of 2017 (Wiv2017). In March of that year, the Dutch electorate was allowed to vote on that law in an advisory referendum [NOTE: advisory referendum, hence non-binding].
The new law, which entered into force on 1 May 2018, is necessary to cope with contemporary threats at a time when society in all its facets is permeated by and dependent on | 38,300 |
group. Various groups are in contact with each other or with jihadist groups and individuals abroad. In addition, there are jihadists who stand alone and live in isolation from like-minded people.
We count over 500 people as being part of the jihadist movement in the Netherlands.Several thousand people in the Netherlands sympathize with jihadist ideas without really belonging to the movement.
The jihadist movement in the Netherlands is mainly pro-ISIS, but there are also jihadists who align more with Al Qaeda. In recent years the movement has been very focused on the war in Syria and the caliphate of ISIS. More than 300 jihadis traveled to that region. Now that there is no longer a physical caliphate, that focus has decreased. There is a phase of reorientation in which the jihadists are now focusing more on spreading their teachings or ideology and on strengthening their networks.
Whether the movement becomes larger and more powerful depends on several factors. This includes the emergence of new leaders and new sources of inspiration, or issues that arise and can re-mobilize the movement. The war in Syria was such a momentum at the start of this decade. Even in the current phase of reorientation, the jihadist movement in the Netherlands is threatened, as demonstrated by, among other things, the arrests of the Arnhem network.
Unconventional means of attack
Last year, incidents took place that involved the possible use of unconventional means of attack in the form of biological substances, such as in Germany and Italy. We see that such knowledge is disseminated by including the manuals for making and using chemical agents and biological poisons in propaganda expressions.
Activities and results
In 2018 we published more than 100 intelligence reports on developments within jihadist and radical Islamic terrorism. We were able to provide the Public Prosecution Service with information about their criminal investigations via 35 official messages. In addition, we have issued official reports on this to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (8 reports), to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (3 reports) and to mayors (2 reports). We also issued a publication on the state of affairs with regard to ISIS and Al Qaeda in relation to the struggle in Syria. [FOOTNOTE 1: ‘De erfenis van Syrië, mondiaal jihadisme blijft dreiging voor Europa’, AIVD, November 2018.]
Cross-border threats require a cross-border response. International cooperation between colleges remains crucial in the fight against terrorism, as was proven again in 2018.
This collaboration is partly anchored in the Counter Terrorism Group (CTG). This is a collaboration between the security services from the EU countries plus Norway and Switzerland. The platform, based in our country, that directly shares information about jihad fighters, simplifies cooperation and contributes to gaining a better understanding of transnational and international connections.
This cooperation strengthens our intelligence position and that of the affiliated partners. Specifically, this cooperation leads to the earlier recognition, identification and arrest of potential jihadist perpetrators in Europe.
Read more at aivd.nl/terrorisme [only available in Dutch].
Radical islam
The AIVD’s investigation into radical Islam focuses on two types of threat that can arise from radical Islam. On the one hand there is the threat of further radicalization towards the (violent) jihadist ideology. On the other hand, there is a threat to the democratic legal order from an intolerant religious ideology. We are dealing here with a phenomenon that is at odds with our democratic legal order, but is still moving within the legal frameworks. Our research focuses largely on certain driving factors in the Salafi spectrum.
Unwanted foreign investments
The AIVD investigates the extent to which Islamic institutions receive financial support from abroad, including the Gulf States. This support can be accompanied by interference on an ideological level. If this foreign influence poses a threat to the democratic legal order, it has our attention. We work closely together on this issue in a European context.
Radical influence within education
The AIVD notes that radical Islamist promotors are able to position themselves strongly within the range of education for young Muslims. For example, after-school lessons in Arabic and Islam. Such educational programs are also attractive for pupils with a moderate background.
This is partly due to the fact that they often have few or no good alternatives to after-school Islamic education.
At first glance, these educational initiatives appear to be easily accessible and innocent. However, we believe that children and young adults are alienated from society by this interpretation of education and may be hindered in their participation in society. This is caused by the intolerant and anti-democratic ideas of the initiators. In the long term, this can put social cohesion under pressure and thereby undermine the democratic legal order.
In the past, only a few established mosques and educational institutions spreaded this philosophy, but the offer has now become widespread. A new generation of eloquent preachers has been trained | 38,301 |
Read more at aivd.nl/informatiebeveiliging [only available in Dutch].
A new law
On 1 May 2018 the new Intelligence and Security Services Act, Wiv 2017, entered into force. The law is a consequence of the report of the Dessens commission from 2013 that concluded that a change to the old Wiv (from 2002) was necessary because it was no longer adequate. [FOOTNOTE 5: ‘Evaluatie Wet op de inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdiensten 2002’, 3 December 2013.] In order to continue to carry out our duties, modernization of our investigatory powers was necessary. In addition, the law offers a considerable reinforcement of privacy guarantees.
Modern investigatory powers
The speed of technological developments was not taken into account in the Wiv 2002. Nowadays, everyone uses Internet applications for communication and other data exchange. This leads to data traffic that rages across the world in large quantities and with great speed via cables. Regarding communication transported “on the cable”, the old law only allowed interception based on a specific selector/characteristic of a specific person or organization.
The essence of the AIVD’s work is to make unprecedented threats visible. Without access to digital data streams, it is not possible to identify new threats. An example: if we know that digital attacks on the Netherlands are being carried out frequently from a certain part of the world and we have been able to find out via which fiber optic traffic that traffic is running, then we can investigate that data flow for characteristics that we extract from the attacks. In this way we can determine in time what the attack is aimed at, not after the malicious software has already reached the target and caused damage.
The technology for this research assignment-oriented (OOG) interception on internet cables requires extensive technical preparation. In 2018 we have therefore not yet exercised this power.
Safeguards
The use of internet technology results in large amounts of communication data, and all types of such data are mixed. This means we can potentially make bigger infringements on privacy and regarding more people.
For example, when intercepting and investigating certain data flows through research assignment-oriented (OOG) interception, there is a risk that we will also intercept traffic from people who do not mean any harm. Intercepted data that is determined to be irrelevant to our investigation is immediately destroyed. This concerns approximately 98% of the data collected.
Under the Wiv2002, the use of a large number of special powers required permission from the minister of the Interior. With the Wiv2017, after the minister’s approval and prior to exercise of powers, approval is also required from the independent Review Board for the Use of Powers. Moreover, the Wiv2017 prescribes stricter retention periods than its predecessor.
In the advisory referendum of 21 March 2018 on the Wiv2017, 49.4% of the voters voted against and 46.5% voted in favor of the law.
After the referendum, the government promised extra guarantees to address the outcome of the referendum. For example, it was promised that the consideration notes on foreign cooperation partners would be completed earlier than prescribed by the law (1 May 2020), namely before 1 January 2019. For all foreign services that we have a cooperation with, the written considerations have been completed. A consideration note assesses the extent to which a foreign counterpart and the country in question meets legal criteria and to what extent cooperation is possible.
Furthermore, wee will also ask the minister for approval on an annual basis for (further) retaining the data we collected via research assignment-oriented interception. There was no such interim assessment prescribed in the original law. We have to substantiate whether, and if so, why we still want to save them in order to determine relevance at a later date. After 3 years, the data will be destroyed regardless, except of course for the data that we have determined to be relevant to our investigation.
A policy rule is drawn up that, when requesting approval for the use of a special power, we must state explicitly how we want to use a power “as targeted/focused as possible”, in addition to the standing requirements of necessity, proportionality and subsidiarity.
The government virtually excludes that OOG interception will be used in the coming years for research into cable communication that has its origin and destination in the Netherlands [NOTE: this refers to domestic-domestic communication. Communication between Dutch citizens that takes place via foreign providers, such as Facebook and the like, travels via the US and is considered domestic-foreign communications under the Wiv2017]. An exception to this is research into digital attacks in which the Dutch digital infrastructure is abused. OOG interception may be needed to detect such threats.
Processing of medical data is permitted only if it occurs in addition to the processing of other data, that | 38,302 |
Years of austerity and state of emergency have already taken their toll on French police, but the ‘Yellow Vest’ protests seem to have been the final straw. Now Les Flics have gone on strike amid an epidemic of officer suicides.
Picture a crowd of some 20,000 people, gathered in the streets of Paris, waving banners, lighting flares, singing La Marsellaise and blowing whistles. They boo as a group of protesters is led away by gendarmes in riot gear, presumably under arrest. Some of the demonstrators are crying.
If you thought it was another Yellow Vest protest, you’d be wrong. No, this is a “march of anger” by the French police. The marchers don’t wear yellow safety vests, and their banners and flares are blue. They are the officers, sergeants, detectives and inspectors who have had quite enough and are trying to tell the government of Emmanuel Macron “no more.”
How did it come to this?
Back in 1964, the most popular film at the French box office was the comedy ‘Troops of St. Tropez,’ featuring the bumbling gendarme whose biggest headache was a group of illegal nudists at the resort’s beaches. No doubt the comedic character of Ludovic Cruchot inspired many a Frenchman – and woman – to join the police, protect and serve.
Today, however, Cruchot would be 36 percent more likely to commit suicide than a regular Frenchman. He goes on patrol in a car that breaks down with alarming frequency, to a station that’s falling apart, where he uses obsolete computers to generate an ever-growing pile of paperwork.
“Ludovic” has been on heightened alert for potential terrorists for nearly four years after a series of terrorist attacks in Paris resulted in the deaths of 130 people, most of them at a concert in the Bataclan theatre. Imagine our Ludovic as one of the responders to that scene, witnessing the carnage left behind by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorists.
Or maybe he was in Nice – just up the Riviera from St. Tropez – on July 14, 2016 when another terrorist drove a truck into the crowd celebrating Bastille Day, killing 86 and injuring almost 500 more.
Every weekend for the past 46 weeks, Ludovic is ordered to police the demonstrations of ‘Yellow Vests,’ Frenchmen disgruntled by the government’s combination of austerity and “green” taxation imposed by the Macron government. Same grievances as his own, really, but orders are orders.
Ludovic doesn’t get to spend a weekend with his family. Instead, he has to pull mandatory overtime – and not get paid for it. French police are owed 23 million hours of back pay, at latest count, but the treasury is empty.
Angry, Ludovic shoots someone’s eye out with a rubber bullet, or breaks someone’s nose with a club. This is caught on video and goes viral. Now he is a villain to the people of France, not a hero in blue.
Même lors d'une manifestation de flics, ils arrivent à commettre des violences policières. #marchedelacolerepic.twitter.com/Zdb0A9zzVh — Jean Hugon🔻 (@JeanHugon3) October 2, 2019
Every day, Ludovic takes his service weapon home. One day, he listens to his child cry as she tells of classmates taunting and bullying her for being a daughter of a cop. He sees the worried look on his wife’s face, and stares long and hard at the bottom of the empty bottle on the dining room table. Then reaches for his pistol.
Our “Ludovic” isn’t any one French police officer in particular, of course, but a composite sketch of some 50 or so who have committed suicide so far this year, according to the media and government sources. That’s one every four days, says the police union – on pace to break the grim record of 70 suicides from 1996.
“There is a deep sense of despair,” David Le Bars, secretary-general of the SCPN-Unsa police union, told AFP. That seems to be an understatement, if anything.
“We were heroes, but we’ve become zeros,” one officer told Le Parisien. Both he and his wife are on the force, and would not give their real names. They speak of long and unpredictable hours, overtime without pay, and having their three children hide the fact that their parents are police, lest they lose friends or get assaulted.
One officer from a riot police unit in northern France told AFP on | 38,303 |
In this Friday, July 12, 2019 photo a picture of Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, left, and Albrecht Ritter Merz von Quirnheim is displayed a the exhibition at the German Resistance Memorial Center inside the Bendlerblock building of the defensive ministry in Berlin. Stauffenberg was one of the leaders of the failed assassinate to Adolf Hitler one July 20, 1944. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.
BERLIN (AP) — Germany is marking the 75th anniversary of the most famous plot to kill Adolf Hitler, honoring those who resisted the Nazis — who were stigmatized for decades as traitors — as pillars of the country’s modern democracy amid growing concerns about the resurgence of the far-right.
Chancellor Angela Merkel, who will speak Saturday at an annual swearing-in ceremony for some 400 troops before addressing a memorial event, paid tribute ahead of the anniversary to executed plot leader Col. Claus von Stauffenberg and his fellow conspirators and highlighted their importance to modern Germany.
“Only if we understand our past can we build a good future,” she said.
Von Stauffenberg tried to kill Hitler with a briefcase bomb on July 20, 1944, during a meeting at his headquarters in East Prussia. Hitler escaped the full force of the blast when someone moved the briefcase next to a table leg, deflecting much of the explosive force. The plot crumbled when news spread that Hitler had survived. Von Stauffenberg and his fellow plotters were executed within hours.
The story had little resonance in the immediate post-World War II years, when many still viewed the July 20 plotters as traitors, as they had been painted by the Nazis in the aftermath of the failed assassination.
The resistance against the Nazis only came to be “laboriously accepted” over subsequent decades, said Johannes Tuchel, director of the German Resistance Memorial Center, and even in the 1980s many believed its memory would fade away. Only in 2004 did a survey show that a majority of Germans believe the resistance to the Nazis is “important for our political culture,” he added.
“Those who acted on July 20 are an example to us, because they showed that they followed their conscience and set their stamp on a part of German history that otherwise was defined by the darkness of Nazism,” Merkel said last week in her weekly video message.
Tuchel said von Stauffenberg is a “symbolic figure” of the resistance, an officer who evolved from supporting Nazi policies to becoming a ferocious opponent of the regime after Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. He acknowledged that the resistance within the German military was, in overall terms, tiny: 200 to 300 people were involved in the July 20 plot. The German military had some 8 million men under arms at the time, and only “a handful or two” of its more than 1,000 generals and admirals participated.
But the memorial Tuchel heads, in the Berlin complex where von Stauffenberg worked and was executed, seeks to display the full breadth of German resistance to Hitler’s regime after the Nazis took power in 1933.
Students in Munich formed the White Rose movement, distributing pamphlets urging “passive resistance” starting in 1942. Its leaders included siblings Hans and Sophie Scholl, who were executed in 1943 and also have become resistance icons.
Helmuth James von Moltke’s so-called Kreisau Circle started working in secret to end the dictatorship in 1940. And in 1938, carpenter Georg Elser attempted to kill Hitler and other senior Nazi leaders at an event in Munich, but was thwarted as the Nazi leader unexpectedly left the room minutes before a bomb exploded.
Tuchel conceded that, even now, there are shortcomings in historians’ knowledge of the resistance and promised more research in the coming years into the role of women who opposed the Nazi dictatorship, responding to a recent call from parliament.
This year’s anniversary comes amid a spike in concerns about rising numbers of far-right extremists in Germany, weeks after the killing of a regional official from Merkel’s party who had supported the chancellor’s welcoming approach to migrants. An extremist with previous convictions for violent anti-migrant crime has been arrested as the suspected killer.
“Today, we are obliged to confront all tendencies that want to destroy democracy — including right-wing extremism,” Merkel said in her message on the July 20 plot.
Historians worry about efforts by far-right groups in Germany and parts of the hard-line nationalist Alternative for Germany party, or Af | 38,304 |
know the frequency and baud rate, both of which are pretty common.) If you have to attempt a few different frequencies and baud rates, then the time it takes is a multiple of 29 minutes.
This is not bad, but we can do better.
(U) Initial Reduction
The first attempt at reduction is pretty obvious and is to remove the retransmission. Instead of transmitting the signal 5 times each time, only transmit it once. It's transmitted multiple times to help the receiver detect it in case of interference, but assuming there's no interference or issues receiving, this reduces the time by 5!
1771.52s / 5 = 354.304 seconds = ~6 minutes
Nice.
Now while initially testing basic brute forcing on garages, I was chatting with some #ubertooth people, and mikeryan suggested I remove the wait period between codes and see if I can send each code back-to-back.
This worked, and reduced the entire time to transmit all codes by 50%! Incredible.
1771.52s / 5 / 2 = 177.152 seconds = ~3 minutes
This is not bad, but we can do better.
(U) The OpenSesame Attack
Here's the kicker. When looking at the data we're sending, we're now sending a continuous stream of bits. For example:
(code #1) 000000000000
(code #2) 000000000001
(code #3) 000000000010
(code #4) 000000000011 and so on, which looks like: 000000000000000000000001000000000010000000000011
The question is, how does the garage receiver look at these bits? What if it's using a bit shift register?
According to Wikipedia:
In digital circuits, a shift register is a cascade of flip flops, sharing the same clock, in which the output of each flip-flop is connected to the "data" input of the next flip-flop in the chain, resulting in a circuit that shifts by one position the "bit array" stored in it, shifting in the data present at its input and shifting out the last bit in the array, at each transition of the clock input.
If this is the case, what this means is that if you prepend the real code with any amount of bits before or after, the garage won't care and will open.
Let's say our garage pin is 111111000000. If the garage uses a shift register, and we send 13 bits, "0111111000000", the garage will first test: 011111100000 (incorrect).
We would assume it will then move onto the next 12 bits (even though there is only one bit left). But no! A shift register only removes 1 bit, then pulls in the next bit.
So the garage actually tests: 011111100000 (incorrect) (chops off the first bit, then pulls in the next bit) 111111000000 (correct!)
Meaning we sent 13 bits to test two 12-bit codes instead of sending a full 24 bits. Incredible!
What's even more beautiful is that since the garage is not clearing an attempted code, a 12 bit code also tests five 8 bit codes, four 9 bit codes, three 10 bit codes, four 11 bit codes, and of course one 12 bit code! As long as we send every 12 bit code, the 8-11 bit codes will all be tested simultaneously.
Now, there must be an algorithm to efficiently produce every possible code, with overlap (to exploit the shift register) in as few bits as possible.
My main man, De Bruijn.
Nicolaas Govert de Bruijn was a Dutch mathematician who discovered just this, dubbed the De Bruijn sequence.
OpenSesame implements this algorithm to produce every possible overlapping sequence of 8-12 bits in the least amount of time. How little time?
To test every 8 through 12 bit possibility: ((2 ** 12) + 11) * 4ms / 2 = 8214ms = 8.214 seconds
We went from 1771 seconds down to 8 seconds. Even our most efficient implementation with the other reductions but without De Bruijn was at 177 seconds, more than 20 times longer. Awesome!
(U) Hardware
IM-ME
The IM-ME from Mattel is a defunct toy no longer produced, but constantly appearing on Amazon and eBay with varying prices from $12 to $100. To my knowledge, much of the reverse engineering of the LCD and keyboard is by Dave, then tools and more work on it from Travis Goodspeed including support in GoodFET, and more awesome work, including my favorite spectrum analyzer, from Michael Ossmann.
It is originally intended as a toy to communicate with friends. It uses the | 38,305 |
U lovačkoj sobi hotela Golf u međimurskom selu Donjem Vidovcu sinoć se okupilo zanimljivo društvo. Jedan za drugim, stizali su HNS-ovi načelnici iz cijelog Međimurja, saborski zastupnik HNS-a Dragutin Glavina, zamjenica župana Sandra Herman... A onda je, oko 19.45 sati, stigao i glavni gost, Radimir Čačić. Mršaviji nego ikad, ušetao je u predvorje hotela i popeo se na prvi kat, u lovačku sobu, u kojoj su bila pripremljena mjesta za 24 osobe. – O čemu ćemo razgovarati? Nemam pojma. Dobio sam SMS poruku od Sandre Herman da dođem na predblagdansko druženje. I eto me – rekao nam je, neslužbeno, jedan od HNS-ovih najdugovječnijih načelnika.
Svaki Čačićev susret s lokalnim stranačkim čelnicima na sjeverozapadu Hrvatske, gdje HNS uživa najveću podršku birača, izaziva pozornost. Čačić je predsjednik sjeverozapadnog regionalnog saveza HNS-a, u kojem ima dosta onih koji bi ga rado ponovno vidjeli na čelu stranke na državnoj razini. Naravno, kad odsluži zatvorsku kaznu.
– Želje su jedno, a mogućnosti drugo. Ne znam koliko je realno da preuzme fotelju Vesne Pusić – kaže jedan od lokalnih čelnika stranke. Na neobičnom druženju u lovačkoj sobi bili su i općinski načelnici Orehovice i Selnice Franjo Bukal i Ervin Vičević, direktorica HEP-ove tvrtke Odmor i rekreacija Karolina Juzbašić, savjetnik u Ministarstvu gospodarstva Marijan Varga, Sonja Ivoš, bivša tajnica Čačićeva kabineta u vrijeme dok je bio potpredsjednik Vlade, koja je prije nekoliko tjedana, pomalo neočekivano, izabrana za predsjednicu HNS-a grada Preloga. Zamjenica župana Sandra Herman iznenadila se kad je ispred hotela zatekla novinare.
Foto: Vjeran Žganec-Rogulja/PIXSELL
Na pitanje što se događa gore u lovačkoj sobi, rekla je da imaju tradicionalno druženje. – Organizator je ogranak HNS-a Donje Dubrave. Malo ćemo se podružiti. Ništa posebno, imat ćemo divljač-party, jela od divljači – dodala je. Nekolicina lokalnih čelnika s kojima smo razgovarali tvrde da nema govora o konspirativnom sastanku o povratku Radimira Čačića na vrh stranke. – Samo druženje, ništa više – ponavljali su kao papagaji. Oko 20.30 sati u hotel je stigao i šef međimurskog HNS-a i župan Matija Posavec, jedan od uže ekipe koju je oko sebe okupila Vesna Pusić | 38,306 |
Alt Porn Is Taking Over Brazil, One Performer at a Time
A tall, blond white woman in bright yellow negligee teases the camera in the open air of an unnamed tropical setting. As she begins to peel off the negligee and then the lingerie beneath it, her stark bikini tan lines are revealed, followed by her smooth, shaved genitals and a perfectly tanned butt. She’s soon joined by an older black man, whose dick is eventually released from his shorts and placed within her every orifice over the course of the video. Aside from her tan lines and the fact that the dialogue is in Portuguese, the scene will seem familiar to anyone with even a passing knowledge of American mainstream porn. But it was actually shot in Brazil — by the country’s biggest porn company, Brasileirinhas, with Brazilian performers. And it’s exactly what international audiences have come to expect from Brazil’s porn industry, which has been producing similar content on a large scale for decades.
Mais um filme de uma das mais aclamadas séries da Brasileirinhas: Show de Bundas 7. Só bundão gostoso.https://t.co/N3UQ9Xa9tM pic.twitter.com/16PLwrHl3C — Brasileirinhas (@brasileirinhas) November 28, 2016
Léa Santana, a researcher at the Federal University of Bahia who studies contemporary pornography, explains that according to recent data, “Brazil is the 16th-biggest porn producer worldwide, [and] the major producer in Latin America.” The country has been a major stronghold for porn since the mid-1980s, when a military-led dictatorship that had ruled the country for more than two decades — with public backing from the U.S. — was disbanded.
“In the 1970s, during the military dictatorship, there was a law against ‘material that violates moral or [good] behavior’ or ‘depicts obscene imagery,’” Santana says. But, while the military government forbade films that were overtly political, filmmaking of a lighter nature was encouraged. “The federal government believed that we had to strengthen all internal industry, including the movies,” says Santana. “[That meant] there was easy financing for production of movies, through Embrafilme,” the government’s movie production agency, which wanted to keep the public occupied. “People would go to the movies [for] fun,” says Santana. “Not to think about political problems.”
Thus, many filmmakers made movies they knew the government would approve — comedies with sexy themes and light nudity called pornochanchadas. “A lot of the porn industry [that developed later] was trained [and] employed by the pornochanchada movies,” says Santana. “Actresses and actors made their name, fame and money [in the softcore genre first].”
After the dictatorship was dismantled and democracy returned in 1985, the new Constitution of the Federative Republic Brazil guaranteed that Brazilians were “free to the expression of intellectual, artistic, scientific and communicative activity, independent of censorship and license.” This freedom of expression included the right to make and distribute hardcore porn in addition to pornochanchadas.
It also happened almost simultaneously with American pornographers gaining their own stronghold in Southern California. And early on, American audiences and filmmakers alike were entranced by the “exotic” beauty of Brazil and the possibilities its burgeoning porn industry offered. Not to mention, American pornographers were still beholden to stricter regulations about shooting licenses, public nudity and sex al fresco. In Brazil, however, many of these restrictions were nonexistent, so U.S. filmmakers were eager to capitalize on what Santana calls Brazil’s “hands-off police [policy]. There is no obstruction or control over the production of porn, since it’s made by legal, consenting adults.”
And so, a sort of porn exchange program began to emerge between the U.S. and Brazil. John Stagliano, the founder and owner of the Evil Angel porn empire, tells me, “I shot in Brazil before anyone else, in 1990. The Hi8 camera with little tapes was just out [on the market] and provided the convenience to do this. I did this off and on for years.” Profitable American porn producers like Evil Angel and Red Light District were soon flying to Brazil regularly to take advantage of what was perceived to be a sexual bounty: curvaceous women, bisexual men and transgender performers, all with few inhibitions (especially as they pertained to dance-floor orgies and anal sex). As a result, the country has come to be known to Americans as | 38,307 |
the concentrations of trace elements (e.g. Mn, Mg, and Sr) in pedogenic carbonates from the CLP are considerably lower than those of detrital carbonates derived from marine carbonate strata in source regions32, and are highly correlated with rainfall intensity33. In this study, we identified that the Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios of the FDC fractions range from 0.72 to 1.48 mmol/mol (mean = 0.98 ± 0.31 mmol/mol) and 36–140 mmol/mol (mean = 81 ± 30 mmol/mol), respectively, both of which are generally consistent with those of microcodium (typical authigenic carbonate in paleosols) in Holocene soils on the CLP (Sr/Ca = 1.08 ± 0.68 mmol/mol, Mg/Ca = 48 ± 29 mmol/mol) (Fig. 1f)33. The Mn/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios of the FDC fractions are significantly lower than the carbonate samples from potential source regions of the loess— the deserts in Northern China (Fig. 1e)32, providing additional evidence for the pedogenic origin of our bulk paleosols carbonates.
Diagenetic alterations (i.e. the dissolution and reprecipitation of fine-grained carbonates) could also affect δ13C and other geochemical signatures. However, we expect this process to have minimal influence on our carbonate samples for two reasons. Firstly, the long-term trend of δ13C derived from the FDC fractions of our paleosol samples are almost identical with that determined from δ13C of coeval calcite nodules throughout the Pleistocene, although the nodule record has a much lower resolution (Supplementary Fig. 3). Calcite nodules are usually considered to be buffered against diagenesis11,18. Notably, the Pliocene paleosol formations in the CLP also show indistinguishable δ13C and δ18O values from mm-scale micrites to massive carbonate horizons34, suggesting that the FDC could potentially be used to reconstruct pCO 2 beyond the Pleistocene. Secondly, numerous studies of paleosol carbonates from the CLP suggest that their geochemical signals are pristine and record near-surface conditions. For instance, trace metal compositions of fine-grained pedogenic carbonates from loess–paleosol sections in the CLP appear to preserve local precipitation signals33 and show high-frequency variations on orbital timescales35.
Based on field observations, micromorphology, and geochemical characteristics, we conclude that the FDC fractions used in this study are of a pedogenic origin with minimal diagenetic alteration, thus suitable for paleosol-based pCO 2 reconstructions.
Resolving S(z)
Rearranging Eq. (1) and we obtain
$$S\left( z \right) = {{p{\mathrm{CO}}_2}} \times \frac{{{\mathrm{{\delta}}} ^{{\mathrm{13}}}{\mathrm{{C}}}_{\mathrm{{a}}} - \delta ^{{\mathrm{13}}}{\mathrm{{C}}}_{\mathrm{{s}}}}}{{{\mathrm{{\delta}}} ^{{\mathrm{13}}}{\mathrm{{C}}}_{\mathrm{{s}}} - {\mathrm{1}}{\mathrm{.0044}}{\mathrm{{\delta}}} ^{{\mathrm{13}}}{\mathrm{{C}}}_{\mathrm{{r}}} - {\mathrm{4}}{\mathrm{.4}}}}$$ (2)
which provides a mathematical solution for S(z). Carbonate and SOM were measured for stable C isotopes to obtain δ13C s, and δ13C r (see the “Methods” section). δ13C a was obtained from marine carbonate δ13C10. Atmospheric pCO 2 over the last 800 ky were derived from the ice core pCO 2 record36. Together they were used to compute S(z) of the Luochuan section over the last 800 ky. To estimate the uncertainties of the back-calculated S(z), we adopted Monte Carlo random sampling simulations to propagate errors from all input parameters (Supplementary Note 1). In brief, for each sample, we randomly sampled each parameter in Eq. (2) within its error range for 10,000 times and calculated a corresponding S(z) population. We report S(z) as the median values of the results from the Monte Carlo simulations, and define the associated uncertainties using the 16th and 84th percentiles of the simulated S(z) population (corresponding to | 38,308 |
Sri Lanka was rocked by multiple bombings on Sunday, including three blasts on church services celebrating Easter.
Three of Colombo's high-end hotels were also targeted in quick succession, police and security services said.
Hospital and police sources said at least 207 people have been killed in the eight blasts across the country and hundreds more taken to hospital including foreign tourists. Follow the latest updates below. All times UTC+4
___________
23:00
The churches were full on Sunday morning as Christians in Sri Lanka gathered for one of the most important religious holidays of the year, what unfolded next would shake the nation and shock the world.
A little before 9 am, what appears to have been several suicide bombers detonated explosives at three churches across the country. Within minutes, scores were dead and hundreds wounded.
The 200-year old-year-old Roman Catholic Church of St. Sebastian's Church in the small town of Negombo north of the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo was torn apart. Images of the aftermath show the wooden pews tossed aside, rubble filling the central aisle and blood staining the walls. The blast would leave at least 62 people dead.
The scene was repeated at the church of St. Anthony's Shrine in Colombo and the Zion Church in the eastern town of Batticaloa.
N. A. Sumanapala was near the church of St. Anthony’s when the blast happened. "I ran inside to help. The priest came out and he was covered in blood," he said. "It was a river of blood."
When the initial reports came in, officials said 20 were dead and scores wounded. Within hours that had shot passed 200 with over 450 wounded.
For the full report, click here.
____________
20:23 Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed expresses his disgust
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, issued a tweet calling the bombings "cowardly", and offered his condolences to all those affected by the violence.
The bombings that claimed innocent lives in Sri Lanka represent a new wave of terrorism that affects humanity. We condemn the cowardly bombings and offer condolences to Sri Lanka's leadership and people. We need to stand firm to eradicate the scourge of terror. — محمد بن زايد (@MohamedBinZayed) April 21, 2019
____________
19:46 Dashcam footage shows St Anthony's Shrine explosion
____________
19:02 Dubai church to hold special mass for Sri Lankan community
Father Lennie Connully, who is the parish priest of St Mary’s Church, Dubai, tells The National his church will hold a special mass for the UAE's Sri Lankan community. "We will take care of them," he said. “All we can do know is listen to people, and find out who has done this and why."
The attack illustrated how countries everywhere are vulnerable to terrorism, he said. “Nobody is immune to this, and anyone can be a victim at any time," he said. “We rely on the security that is provided by the nation, we can’t protect ourselves.”
____________
18:47 UN secretary general is outraged by the attacks
The United Nations Secretary General António Guterres is outraged by the terrorist attacks on churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, his spokesman said.
"He hopes the perpetrators will be swiftly brought to justice," spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement.
"The Secretary-General expresses his deepest condolences to the families of the victims, the people and the Government of Sri Lanka, and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured. He commends the leadership demonstrated by the authorities and unity of the people of Sri Lanka in the wake of the attacks."
____________
18:42 Tourists can travel to the airport during curfew hours
Passengers flying out of Sri Lanka can still travel to the airport during the imposed curfew, but must show tickets and passports at security checkpoints.
The curfew will be in effect from 6pm until 6am tomorrow and may be extended.
____________
18:06 UAE foreign ministry advises against travel to Sri Lanka
In a tweet, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation advised UAE nationals not to travel to Sri Lanka at the present time. It also asked Sri Lankan citizens to leave and call its contact centre on 0097180044444
تهيب وزارة الخارجية والتعاون الدولي مواطني الدولة بتأجيل السفر إلى سري | 38,309 |
لانكا في الوقت الحاضر بسبب الأوضاع الراهنة، كما تطلب من المواطنين المتواجدين في سريلانكا المغادرة والتواصل مع مركز الاتصال التابع لوزارة الخارجية والتعاون الدولي 0097180044444 — وزارة الخارجية (@MOFAUAE) April 21, 2019
____________
17:30 Death toll passes 200
The death toll has risen again to 207, police say, with 450 wounded in Sunday's explosions that targeted at least three churches and three luxury hotels.
____________
16:30 Reaction from Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid
Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, condemned the attack in a tweet:
Terrorists are those who betray worshippers in their places of worship, plant fear in their hearts and try to ignite religious conflicts in societies. Our condolences to the people of Sri Lanka, to the world and to everyone who works tirelessly towards tolerance and coexistence. pic.twitter.com/w1Kw5L489N — HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) April 21, 2019
____________
15:50 Seven suspects arrested
Sri Lankan Special Task Force members raid a house in a northern suburb of Colombo following a string of bombings left more than 160 people dead. AFP
Sri Lanka's defence minister said seven suspects have been arrested following the string of Easter Sunday bombings in the country. A junior defence minister confirmed that three police officer were killed by a suicide bomber during the raid on the house in Dematagoda, northern Colombo.
Meanwhile, the death toll from the eight explosions has risen to at least 207. More than 450 people were injured in the attacks.
____________
15:20 Cinnamon hotel attack carried out by suicide bomber
A hotel official at the Cinnamon Grand hotel, one of three in the capital that were hit by explosions, said a suicide bomber blew himself up in front of people at the one of the hotel's restaurants.
"He came up to the top of the queue and set off the blast," the hotel workers said.
The nature of the other blasts has not yet been confirmed, however police said the eighth blast in a house in the northern suburb of the capital Colombo, was caused by a suicide bomber who detonated his explosives when police entered the residence to search it.
The explosion brought down the upper level of the house and killed three police officers, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
____________
15:00 Sri Lanka Easter attacks: What we know
Here's the key facts for today's bombings in Sri Lanka:
Eight bombs have targeted at least three churches and four hotels on Easter Sunday and while the death toll is rising quickly it stands at over 150 dead and nearly 400 wounded
At least four of the bombs were caused by suicide attacks.
Among the targets were upscale hotels frequented by tourists and foreign nationals. Police confirmed that 35 foreigners were killed in the attack but the vast majority of the victims were Sri Lankan nationals.
The government has blocked social media sites including Facebook and restricted WhatsApp to prevent fake news and panic. The government also imposed a curfew from 6 pm local time “until further notice”.
Flights from the UAE continue to operate.
There has been no claim of responsibility.
____________
14:40 Pope Francis: Sri Lanka Easter attacks'such cruel violence'
Pope Francis delivers the Urbi et Orbi blessing to the city and to the world from the balcony of St Peter's basilica after the Easter Sunday Mass in the Vatican. AFP
Pope Francis condemned attacks that killed at least 138 people in three churches and four hotels in Sri Lanka as "such cruel violence" and said he was close to the Christian community, hit while celebrating Easter.
"I learned with sadness and pain of the news of the grave attacks, that precisely today, Easter, brought mourning and pain to churches and other places where people were gathered in Sri Lanka," Pope Francis told tens of thousands of people in St Peter's Square to hear his Easter Sunday message.
"I wish to express my affectionate closeness to the Christian community, hit while it was gathered in prayer, and to all the victims of such cruel violence.
"I entrust to the Lord those who have | 38,310 |
JAFFA, Israel – The Scottish football team Celtic Glasgow has won praise after its fans flew Palestinian flags during a Champions League match against Israel’s Hapoel Beersheba on Wednesday, in which the Israeli team was defeated 5 to 2.
Hamas officials acknowledged the Scottish club’s gesture, and so did many Arab social media users.
Hamas commander Izzat Risheq posted a picture of thousands of Celtic fans waving Palestinian flags, saying “a deep gratitude to the fans of Celtic Glasgow for siding with Palestine when playing against a Zionist team.”
تحية وشكر لجماهير فريق سيلتك الأسكتلندي،الذي رفع الأعلام الفلسطينية في مباراته أمام فريق صهيوني أمس،تضامناًمع فلسطين pic.twitter.com/z7Zut1dA9v — عزت الرشق- فلسطين (@izzat_risheq) August 18, 2016
Sami Abdel Ghaffar tweeted: “Allah, we are stuck between strangers siding with us and brothers who are killing us. Many thanks to the Scots who flew the Palestinian flag.”
تحية وشكر لجماهير فريق سيلتك الأسكتلندي،الذي رفع الأعلام الفلسطينية في مباراته أمام فريق صهيوني أمس،تضامناًمع فلسطين pic.twitter.com/z7Zut1dA9v — عزت الرشق- فلسطين (@izzat_risheq) August 18, 2016
A pro-Mubarak Egyptian user named Jamal wrote: “All the free men of the world take their hats off to you.”
تحية وشكر لجماهير فريق سيلتك الأسكتلندي،الذي رفع الأعلام الفلسطينية في مباراته أمام فريق صهيوني أمس،تضامناًمع فلسطين pic.twitter.com/z7Zut1dA9v — عزت الرشق- فلسطين (@izzat_risheq) August 18, 2016
I Am From the Gulf poured cold water on the celebration: “They did it to taunt the Israeli team so that they’ll be distracted, and not so much on behalf of our beloved Palestine.”
تحية وشكر لجماهير فريق سيلتك الأسكتلندي،الذي رفع الأعلام الفلسطينية في مباراته أمام فريق صهيوني أمس،تضامناًمع فلسطين pic.twitter.com/z7Zut1dA9v — عزت الرشق- فلسطين (@izzat_risheq) August 18, 2016
Prominent Palestinian columnist Abdel Bari Atwan wrote: “A forest of Palestinian flags filled the stadium of Celtic Glasgow during a match against an Israeli team. It’s a powerful message to the supporters of normalization, old and new.”
غابة من اعلام فلس� | 38,311 |
BARCELONA, Spain — After nearly two weeks of largely peaceful protests across Spain, police officers in riot gear used force to clear hundreds of protesters from a central square in the Catalan capital on Friday morning.
Officers arrived around 7 a.m. to Plaça Catalunya, where activists have been camping out for days as part of an ongoing nationwide protest over high unemployment and other political and social ills in Spain.
The police, part of a Catalan squad, used batons and compressed-air guns that fired blanks to eject people who were sitting on the ground when they wouldn’t leave voluntarily, the authorities said. A journalist with Agence France-Presse who was present at the time reported seeing rubber bullets fired as well.
Witnesses posted video and photographs online of the police hitting seated protesters.
A Barcelona blogger who writes on Twitter as Nadie also pointed to video posted on YouTube that showed that the clearing of the square was carried live on Spanish television.
This video shows a shot of some kind being fired at protesters by a police officer:
El País newspaper reported that 121 people were lightly injured, including 37 police officers, “as the result of a police charge” on the protest camp. Video posted on the Web site of 20minutos, a Spanish news site, showed the officers charging at protesters.
Citing a spokesperson for the authorities, who would not be named according to Catalan policy, Bloomberg News reported that about 300 people had been removed from the square.
Onlookers said that after the square was cleared government cleaning trucks swept through, and the possessions of the protesters, including P.A. equipment for giving speeches, were dumped inside the trucks. The authorities said that butane-gas cylinders were also removed, as a precaution; Plaça Catalunya is traditionally the site of celebrations for the city’s soccer fans, and the Champions League final, between F.C. Barcelona and Manchester United, is scheduled for Saturday.
By noon on Friday, the sweep was over, though the mood was tense; officers in riot gear remained; a police helicopter hovered overhead; and the area, near a major shopping district, was cordoned off. Activists — some wearing signs identifying them as such, or holding placards that read “resistancia pacifica,” or, peaceful resistance — sat on the sidewalk beyond the square. They held multicolored flowers and sang and chanted “No estamos solos” — we are not alone. A few tried to lighten the mood: as the afternoon grew hot, one man offered squirts of sunscreen to fellow activists, curious tourists and even the police (they declined).
The authorities said that police had left the area by 1 p.m. El País reported that protesters had returned to the square. Just a few hours after the arrival of police officers, protesters were passing out fliers decrying their behavior, and calling for people to return to the square at 7 p.m. to protest. On Twitter, an appeal went out for protesters to “bring flowers” when they returned. In the square and elsewhere in the city, there has been a nightly banging on pots and pans at 9 p.m. to show support for the movement.
Traer flores a la concentración de las 19h en Plz.Catalunya #27mcolon #bcnsinmiedo #acampadabcn #confloresalas7 Acampadabcn
Acampadabcn
Carlos Delclos, 28, is an adjunct professor of sociology at a university, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, in Barcelona. Alerted by a text message, he came to the square early this morning, to help stage a counterdemonstration as the police moved through with trucks to collect people’s belongings.
Mr. Delclos, a Spaniard who grew up in Houston and who holds dual United States-Spanish citizenship, said he was attacked by police as he sat blocking the trucks. “The riot cops would try to make way for the trucks by just hitting protesters with batons,” he said in a phone interview on Friday. “They started hitting the people on the ground. As that happened, I got up and I turned to run, and one pushed me down and I fell forward on my stomach, and then they were hitting on my back.” Mr. Delclos said he was also hit on his legs and wrist. He left the square and walked to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for bruises and a sprained wrist.
Mr. Delclos was released from the hospital in the early evening and said he planned to return to the square, where he had been regularly since the protests started nearly two weeks ago, fueled by anger at economic disparity | 38,312 |
In this tutorial, I will show you how making a really basic and simple Shopping List with filtering.
I write the code in codepen.
First, you need a container to render the React application, so in the HTML part we create a div with id "reactContainer", could be what you want :
<div id=”reactContainer”>
</div>
Then I wrote a little of SAS code, but i don't taked so mutch time.
body
background: #4abdac
width: 100vw
height: 100vh
.top
background: #fc4a1a
color: white
border: 2px solid white.wb
background: #dfcde3
Now it's the time to start writing some React code. I created just one Component, in a real application you should create some components. First, we add the constructor and the render method.
class App extends React.Component
{
constructor(props)
{
super(props);
this.state = {
todosInit: [‘100 kg Meat’,’Ham’, ‘Cheese’],
todos: [],
};
}
} render()
{
return (
<div>
<div className=”container top”>
<div className=”row”>
<div className=”col-lg-12">
<h2 className=”text-center”>Shopping List</h2>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
);
}
} ReactDOM.render(<App />, document.getElementById(‘reactContainer’));
The state todosInit is responsible to render the initial list, and todos will be storing all todos. Now we are going to add ComponentDidMount for inserting the todosInit in the todos state, and we are going to insert two methods, one to manage state changes in the input field, and other to add the new elements to the list.
class App extends React.Component
{
constructor(props)
{
super(props);
this.state = {
todosInit: [‘100 kg Meat’,’Ham’, ‘Cheese’],
todos: [],
todoText: ‘’,
message: false
};
this.updateTodoText = this.updateTodoText.bind(this);
this.createTodo = this.createTodo.bind(this);
}
componentDidMount()
{
this.setState({
todos: this.state.todosInit,
});
}
updateTodoText (e)
{
this.setState({
todoText: e.target.value
});
}
createTodo (e)
{
e.preventDefault();
this.setState({
todos: […this.state.todos, this.state.todoText],
todoText: ‘’,
});
} render()
{
return (
<div>
<div className=”container top”>
<div className=”row”>
<div className=”col-lg-12">
<h2 className=”text-center”>Shopping List</h2>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div className=”container wb”>
<div className=”row”>
<form onSubmit={this.createTodo}>
<div className=”col-lg-12 input-group”>
<input type=”text”
className=”center-block”
placeholder=”Insert here…”
value={this.state.todoText}
onChange={this.updateTodoText}
/>
<button className=”btn btn-success center-block”>Create</button> | 38,313 |
A look back at one of the most important works by an artist you've never heard of.
Georges Moustaki was an incredible singer-songwriter, but remains largely unknown outside of France. He sang of love, loneliness, and triumph in his native language, and remains a beloved figure in French musical history. 50 years on, his “debut” album (there was one before, but this is considered to be where it all started) Le Métèque remains a beautiful collection of songs that follow them in the classic French folk-pop tradition. Ripe with loneliness, comfort and a voice that makes Leonard Cohen sound like Mickey Mouse, these songs take listeners on sonic journeys across rainy European cafes and countrysides while simultaneously wrapping them in the comfort only otherwise found in their favorite pyjamas. The magic of this record lies in the perfect meld of music and lyric. Thematic concepts of travel and loneliness come together in almost sublime harmony on this record to create an atmosphere so distinctly unique, one cannot but help but be enamoured. This is a man who is so in tune with his own artistry, it is almost impossible for him to make a misstep which he rarely, if ever, does.
Released in 1969, Le Métèque remains strikingly unique while bearing a number of comfortably familiar influences. Shades of England and Greenwich Village’s folk scenes sit comfortably with Serge Gainsbourg-esque arrangements. The first side of the record opens with the mystifying “Le Meteque,” a track with devastating lyrics about feeling as lonely as an immigrant in Greece but hoping to return to a love, all delivered with a hint of hope. The song acted as a catalyst for Moustaki’s singing career. After about a decade as a popular songwriter, Moustaki penned the powerful song only to have it rejected by singers and record companies alike. This was largely due to its use of the word “meteque,” a derogatory term used to describe men of southern european origin. In his song however, Moustaki reclaims the word, and turns the song into a rally-cry for French and other European minorities. Recognizing the power of the song, Moustaki sang it himself, and after it became a hit, his singing career was off. His beautiful yet powerful words tear through the lush, tightly arranged music, but through a hole so small you would barely notice it was there. This masterful tune sets the tone for what is to come on the record and gives you an idea of what you are up against lyrically.
The second song on the record, “La Mer M'a Donné” opens with one of the greatest images of all time: “La mer m'a donné sa carte de visite pour me dire:" Je t'invite à voyager” which translates to “The sea gave me his business card to tell me: "I invite you to travel.” At this point, it’s clear that Moustaki knows what he’s doing. Alain Gouraguer’s vaguely tropical arrangement with washing cymbals and discreet xylophone coupled with Moustaki’s intimate delivery create an environment so familiar, yet so unique to Moustaki. Loneliness once again permeates “Gaspard,” the tale of a drifter who dreamed of dying in war but could find no such relief. On this acoustic guitar duet, Moustaki’s musicianship finally shines through. The song is musically timeless and seemingly could have come from the basement of the Café Wha circa 1963. It’s the melding of American folk music changes with distinctly French overtones that truly show the genius of Moustaki’s playing. Side one ends with three masterstrokes. The driving “Voyage” opens with the twangs of a sitar over a bed of strings that immediately remind you that it’s 1969. Moustaki sings of travel in a way that sounds like he is actually holding a hand out to you, inviting you personally to join him. “Le Facteur” owes more to Leonard Cohen than anyone else, with its ethereal female vocals (courtesy of Francoise Walch) and a fingerpicking pattern seemingly from Cohen’s “The Stranger’s Song.” However, all is forgiven as soon as Moustaki leaps into his upper register for the first time in a beautiful embrace with Walch’s soaring falsetto in what may well be the most sublime moment on the album. Side one closes with the beautiful instrumental “Natalia” and acts as a perfect segue into side two.
After utilizing a number of collaborators on side one, side two of this record is | 38,314 |
We celebrate the end of the year the only way we know how: through lists, essays, and mixes. Join us as we explore the music that helped define the year. More from this series
When I was a shithead high school kid playing in my first punk rock band, I’m pretty positive that my cohorts and I dedicated much more time to hanging out in a Denny’s booth sketching logos and fine-tuning our astoundingly under-researched shortlists of the record labels that would ideally release our first earthshaking longplayer than we ever dedicated to, ya know, “writing” and “practicing” songs. But strangely, I don’t think this sort of thing happened because we were “lazy.” I think it’s because, a lot of times, the brand name counts even more than the music does. And I guess we all kinda understood that, even back then.
Sure, we may all walk around our lives most of the time pretending like our choices and justifications are all pure and internally driven… but — as the introductory statements to three solid years’ worth of these Favorite Labels lists all ably point out — that shit is a straight-up hallucination. What we all really need at the end of the day is to feel assured that we’re part of a bigger story. We want those choices backed up by some weird, impossibly infallible guarantee.
On a grand scale, this whole project represents nothing less than the most utterly serious of metaphysical business: nothing and no one stands on their own. Individuals are forgotten. Lines have endpoints. Organisms wither and die. We see this. We know this. We hate this. Brands, on the other hand, endure. Those glorious abstractions known as “classifications,” “families,” “institutions,” and so on can’t be killed. In other words, we’re not just talking comfort here; we’re talking Immortality.
But even on the level of our day-to-day exploitation and/or enjoyment of culture, it holds true. For example, even now, as I try to reconstitute the narrative, some of my favorite records of 2017 didn’t just “come out.” They “came out as editions on Sean McCann’s Recital program.” As a writer, I found it downright difficult to parse and explain the evolution of certain monikers without using Hospital Productions as a scaffolding or to discuss this-or-that artist without shouting-out Posh Isolation. And I’ve got to fess up to the fact that, as a fan, I attended several shows and bought several records based on their Don Giovanni tag alone.
Is any of this compulsive brand-association particularly justified or fair? Objectively, no, I guess not. But that’s exactly the point: categorizing frail, transient little things into grand structures that transcend the worth of each of those little peons when tallied individually not only provides a nice distraction, but it also helps cocoon us — however temporarily and delusionally — in a cozy and structured-yet-flexible hammock rather than leaving us all sailing naked through the silent, freezing, soulless, limitless, and immeasurable depths of deep space at a million miles an hour.
So, um, if it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll just go head and keep clinging like grim death to all the delusional institutions I can get my mammalian hands on. In fact, here are 14 or so that you might find handy too — all new additions. Take ’em or leave ’em.
Noumenal Loom [$EGA & THE RAINBOW STREETS · TOIRET STATUS · PASCALE PROJECT] Since 2013, Noumenal Loom, run by Garrett Crosby, a.k.a. Holly Waxwing, out of Birmingham, Alabama, has been pogoing around the globe to gather together all sounds exciting and excitable. So far, the label has pepped us way up with seminal releases by aggregative electronic wizards Foodman, Giant Claw, and Seth Graham, while concurrently winding down with gentle albums from the lovably chill likes of Tuluum Shimmering and Angel Dust Dealers. Their 2017 roster opened with an addictively danceable cassette from DJ Voilà, and whether the label has been exploring techno, funk, smooth jazz, or muzak, it’s been an idea of bodily movement that has unified all of this year’s tapes and albums. We’ve window-shopped with Haha Mart and loosened into a swaying groove with Jasper Lee and Earthly. Bouncy | 38,315 |
The Korean culture critic Chin Jung-kwon called Ode to My Father “a low-class tearjerker”. It’s currently the fourth highest-grossing film in South Korean cinema history.
You should watch Ode to My Father, the 2014 South Korean melodrama which is the basis of the Salman Khan-starrer, Bharat.
When we talk about films from other countries, there’s usually a strain of “Look, even <insert name of country> makes such great films. But we keep making masala movies.” Well, Ode to My Father is a timely reminder that the foreign films at the major festivals are only one side of the coin. Not every South Korean filmmaker is a Park Chan-wook, a Lee Chang-dong, a Kim Ki-duk, a Bong Joon-ho. Some of them, like (Ode to My Father director) Yoon Je-kyoon, are just their versions of Ali Abbas Zafar, detested by critics but embraced wholeheartedly by audiences. The Korean culture critic Chin Jung-kwon called Ode to My Father “a low-class tearjerker”. It’s currently the fourth highest-grossing film in South Korean cinema history.
You should watch Ode to My Father because it will give you pause the next time you accuse our mainstream cinema of being too sentimental, or emotionally manipulative. Take the opening stretch, which details the separation of a family during the Korean War: as a boy, the protagonist lets go of his sister’s hand, and loses both the sister and their father, who goes looking for her. This drama plays out against the backdrop of the Hungnam Evacuation of 1950, where thousands of commoners in what would come to be called North Korea are whisked away to the south by the US Navy.
Look at the background score. As the boy, the protagonist, walks towards the sea, we hear a mournful cello, and when the camera whips around and shows us the American ships, the percussion shatters our ears. Every step of the way, we are being instructed how to feel. (“Like in our movies,” I might add.)
As the masses move towards the sea, the dialogue “explains” everything beforehand, so there’s no confusion about the stakes. The protagonist’s mother says, “Oh no, the Chinese must be right behind us.” A voice from behind adds, “The Chinese have entered Hungnam.” On one of the ships – where tanks, mortar and munitions have taken up all the space – a subordinate pleads with his superior: “General! I beg you. Please have mercy on these people. If you leave them like this, there’s only death left for them.” Compare this scene of chaos with the burning of Atlanta stretch in Gone with the Wind, from 1939, and you’ll see not a fraction of that craft. Ode to My Father doesn’t strive to be art. It just wants to tell a story in a way that tugs at the audience’s heart strings, and if that means cutting away, periodically, to wailing infants, then so be it. (“Like in our movies,” I might add.)
As you can probably see, I’m not the greatest fan of Ode to My Father – but I’m glad people are talking about it (if only in the context of an Indian film). It’s important to know that the art-house/mainstream divide exists everywhere. When we think of Swedish films, we think of Ingmar Bergman and his austere, soul-lacerating dramas – especially the trilogy that began with Through a Glass Darkly, continued with Winter Light, and ended with The Silence. But what if I named a more recent trilogy that the Swedes really loved, and made monster hits of! What if I told you their names were Män Som Hatar Kvinnor, Flickan Som Lekte Med Elden and Luftslottet Som Sprängdes! What if I told you the English translations of these names are The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest!
Of course, mainstream fare can be well-made, too – but the staggering success of a very simple-minded melodrama like Ode to My Father tells us something I’ve long believed. The average audience does not care about craft or performances or nuanced screenplays. They want to look at stars. They want scale. They want to be engaged in a broad way. They want to laugh. They want to cry. And they don’t care if some snooty | 38,316 |
Home » Archief » Sinterklaas is fascisme
[17.11.2018]
Sinterklaas is fascisme
Peter Breedveld
Scène uit: Adventures of Zatoichi
In de film Borat zijn we getuige van een jaarlijkse traditie in het Kazachse geboortedorp van hoofdpersoon Borat Sagdiyev, The Running of The Jew. Die doet erg denken aan het stierenrennen in Pamplona, alleen rennen de Kazachse mannen niet weg voor een stier maar voor een afschrikwekkende karikatuur van een Jood, met haakneus, scherpe tanden, satanische geitenogen en alles.
De Running of the Jew is fictief, maar in Nederland hebben we een echt bestaande variant erop: Zwarte Piet, een karikatuur van de zwarte mens en een vrolijke herinnering aan de transatlantische slavenhandel, waar vooral ook Nederland goed aan heeft verdiend. Een sublimatie van de witte angst voor de zwarte man.
Inmiddels zou het iedereen duidelijk moeten zijn dat Zwarte Piet racisme is, met afschuwelijke consequenties voor zwarte Nederlanders, voor zwarte kinderen ook. Maar behoudens een enkele progressieve gemeente en organisatie die Zwarte Piet heeft afgeschaft of een paar cosmetische aanpassingen aan Zwarte Piet heeft toegebracht, weigert Nederland af te rekenen met deze achterlijke en giftige folklore.
Politie doet niks
Integendeel, bewindslieden zetten zich schrap en de politie, die vorig jaar vrolijk samenwerkte met de Blokkeerfriezen van Jenny Douwes en Wierd Duk, heeft vandaag al een bus vol demonstranten van Kick Out Zwarte Piet, die op weg is naar de intocht in Den Helder, tegengehouden. Knokploegen stonden klaar om de bus met demonstranten om te kiepen, de politie stond erbij en deed niets.
De bus is weeromgekeerd en een D66-politicus tweet triomfantelijk dat Kick Out Zwarte Piet “buiten de grachtengordel niets te zoeken heeft.”
In Den Haag heeft burgemeester Pauline Krikke de demonstranten naar een plek gestuurd waar niemand last van ze heeft. “Want de magie van het kinderfeest moet blijven bestaan”, krokodillentraant Krikke.
Burgemeesters voor geweld
PSV-hooligans dreigen demonstranten in elkaar te slaan in Eindhoven, eerder al dreigden NEC-supporters hetzelfde te doen in Nijmegen, en ze kregen daarbij de warme morele steun van burgemeester Hubert Bruls. “Ik ben het nooit eens met hooligans van NEC, maar ik ben wel blij dat zij inderdaad ook wel snappen dat dit een goed standpunt is”, aldus de burgervader.
Mark Rutte neemt eveneens stelling tegen Kick Out Zwarte Piet in plaats van tegen de fascisten die haar bedreigen met geweld.
De pers laat zich natuurlijk niet onbetuigd. “Zwarte Piet is genoeg aangepast”, vindt het programma EenVandaag, dat ter onderbouwing zwaait met een onderzoek onder 40.000 Nederlanders. Het Algemeen Dagblad dramt in een reportage dat de Zaandijkers er ond | 38,317 |
昨今は人工知能（AI）ブームだ。
これは、ディープラーニングによりAIの学習能力が飛躍的に向上したことがきっかけだろう。
それに、AIの権威であるレイ・カーツワイル博士が、まもなく（博士は2045年と予想）訪れるというシンギュラリティ（技術的特異点）により、AIが人間の知能を越えて、AIが自らAIをアップデートし始めるというからなんともSFチックだ。
そのような事態になれば、もはやAIにとって人間はエネルギー供給さえしてくれれば良いという存在になってしまうかもしれない。
このようなAIが登場すれば、彼らに働かせて我々人間はのーんびり暮らせばいいじゃないか、などと楽天的に考えてしまうが、AIは悪魔だ、いや神だ、といった意見が出てきているので穏やかではない。
イメージ画像は「 Thinkstock 」より引用
■AIは悪魔的な独裁者になる？
だいたいSFの世界では、AIが進化するとロクでもないことになるというのが定番のストーリーだ。人類はAIに支配され、その生死もAIにコントロールされる。そうなれば、「もはやAIは神ではないか」と考える人が現実に登場してもおかしくはない。
しかし、神どころか悪魔的独裁者だと警告するのが、世界的に有名な実業家のイーロン・マスク氏だ。
彼はドキュメンタリー作品『Do You Trust This Computer?』の中で次のように語っている。（英文はいずれも 「BUSINESS INSIDER」 より）
「もし、ある企業や小さな集団が神のような超知能を開発したら、それらは世界を支配できるだろう」
“If one company or small group of people manages to develop god-like superintelligence, they could take over the world,”
「悪魔的な独裁者といえどもいつかは死んでしまう。しかしAIは永久に死なない。要するに不死身の独裁者ということだ」
“At least when there’s an evil dictator, that human is going to die. But for an AI, there will be no death? it would live forever. And then you would have an immortal dictator from which we could never escape.”
しかもマスク氏は、カーツワイル博士のように2045年などというのんびりとした予� | 38,318 |
Não há um único sinal, nem uma única inscrição, a indicar que quem passa pela rua de Coimbra desenhada a partir do modelo da Sorbonne, em Paris, está a caminhar por uma zona que foi classificada Património da Humanidade em Junho de 2013.
A cidade assinala neste fim-de-semana os cinco anos da inscrição pela UNESCO do conjunto Universidade, Alta e Sofia com um programa de eventos culturais, o Sons da Cidade. Mas se na Alta a afluência de visitantes é notória, com o conjunto patrimonial da Universidade de Coimbra (UC) a bater máximos de bilheteira de 2013 para cá, na Rua da Sofia o cenário é outro.
A artéria rasgada em 1535 para que ali fosse instalada a Universidade de Coimbra (plano que acabou por não se concretizar) não sente o efeito da classificação. Quem vai de passagem não tem maneira de se aperceber da importância do edificado. “A maior parte das pessoas nem percebe porque é que a Rua da Sofia é um dos perímetros classificados. A rua é ilegível do ponto de vista do seu valor patrimonial”, afirma ao PÚBLICO o arquitecto e professor universitário Walter Rossa. Para alterar essa realidade, seriam necessárias várias medidas, desde a introdução de sinalética sobre o seu legado enquanto património à transformação radical das suas funções, para que pudesse deixar de ser “uma via rápida”, refere o também titular da cátedra UNESCO Diálogo Intercultural em Patrimónios de Influência Portuguesa.
Foto Na Rua da Sofia, o impacto da classificação da UNESCO é mínimo CARLA CARVALHO TOMÁS/ARQUIVO
“Na verdade hoje não é uma rua, é uma estrada”, reconhece a presidente da Associação RUAS – Recriar a Universidade, Alta e Sofia, Clara Almeida Santos. A sinalética, refere a responsável por esta associação que foi criada para salvaguardar, promover e gerir o património classificado, ficou a cargo da autarquia, uma vez que será instalada em espaço público.
O presidente da Câmara Municipal de Coimbra, Manuel Machado, adianta que a sinalética se encontra prevista no Plano Estratégico de Desenvolvimento Urbano, estando “para breve” o contrato de financiamento. Questionado pelo PÚBLICO sobre o facto de terem passado cinco anos desde a classificação, o autarca responde: “Isto não é carregar num botão e sai tudo.” A pedonalização parcial da Sofia, diz, depende de outra empreitada, a da Via Central, que poderá escoar o trânsito que hoje passa pela rua património. No entanto, essa futura via, cujo primeiro troço está a ser construído, está por sua vez dependente do Metro Mondego, um processo que se arrasta desde a década de 1990 e que ainda não tem prazo de conclusão.
No centro da Rua da Sofia, o restaurante Cova Funda não tem sentido uma maior afluência de turistas. “Não se nota nada”, responde ao PÚBLICO Nicolau | 38,319 |
Kansainvälinen muuttoliike seurauksineen on iso ja tärkeä asia globaalisti ja Euroopassa ja Suomessakin. Aiheesta on viime päivinä käyty paljon julkista keskustelua. Sekä joidenkin poliitikkojen että muutamien tiedotusvälineiden toimesta on joillekin saattanut syntyä sellainen kuva, että Suomessa olisi todella paljon maahanmuuttajia, että Suomeen muutettaisiin juuri nyt erityisen paljon ja että maahanmuuttajien joukossa olisi ennen muuta turvapaikanhakijoita. Todellisuudessa tilanne on koko lailla päin vastoin.
Tuon tässä kirjoituksessa esille joitain tuoreimpia tietoja maahanmuuttajista Suomessa ja maahamme kohdistuvasta muuttoliikkeestä. Käytän hyväksi ennen muuta OECD:n tuoretta Migration Outlook -julkaisua, joka tarjoaa mahdollisuuden kansainväliseen vertailuun. Suomea kannattaa näissä asioissa verrata ennen muuta muista Pohjoismaista Ruotsiin, Norjaan ja Tanskaan sekä Alankomaihin ja Belgiaan. OECD:n julkaisun verkkoversiosta pääsee käsiksi tässä kirjoituksessa hyödynnettyihin excel-taulukoihin.
Vuonna 2017 Suomessa oli noin 356 000 ulkomailla syntynyttä henkilöä, jotka muodostivat 6,5 prosenttia koko väestöstä. Kuten alla olevasta kuviosta näkyy, ulkomailla syntyneiden osuus on mainituista kuudesta maasta selvästi pienin. Itse asiassa Euroopan unionissa ei ole kovin monta maata, jossa maahanmuuttajien osuus väestöstä olisi yhtä vähäinen kuin Suomessa. Käyttämässäni lähteessä ei ole tuoreita tietoja kaikista OECD-maista, mutta todettakoon, että vastaava prosenttiosuus oli vuonna 2016 tai 2017 Islannissa 13,9, Irlannissa 17,0, Sloveniassa 16,8 ja Sveitsissä 29,3. Ja jos maahanmuuttajien lapset eli niin sanottu toinen sukupolvi otettaisin huomioon, ero Suomen ja kuviossa näkyvien maiden välillä kasvaisi entisestään.
Kuvio 1. Ulkomailla syntyneiden osuus väestöstä Alankomaissa, Belgiassa, Norjassa, Ruotsissa, Tanskassa ja Suomessa 2005-2017, %. Lähde: OECD.
Kuviosta paljastuu samalla, että Suomi ei ole ottanut näitä viittä muuta maata erityisen paljon kiinni viime vuosina. Näin on, vaikka mukana on kaksi ”tiukan maahanmuuttopolitiikan” maata, Tanskan ja Alankomaat, ja vaikka Suomi aloitti 1980- ja 1990-luvun taitteessa koko lailla nollasta mitä tulee maahanmuuttajien määrään ja osuuteen väestöstä maassamme. Matalan lähtötason vuoksi parin viime vuosikymmenen muutos vaikuttaa kuitenkin meillä dramaattisemmalta kuin monen muun maan kehitys.
Alla oleva kuvio havainnollistaa, | 38,320 |
Sisäministeriö ja Maahanmuuttovirasto odottavat, että ensi syksystä eteenpäin perheenyhdistämishakemusten määrä kasvaa Suomessa.
Maahanmuuttovirasto pyrkii syksyyn mennessä purkamaan viime vuoden loppupuoliskolla syntyneen turvapaikkahakemusten ruuhkan. Sen jälkeen on odotettavissa perheenyhdistämishakemuksia.
– Maahanmuuttoviraston pitkän aikavälin arvio on ollut se, että yhtä kohti tulee kolme, ylijohtaja Jorma Vuorio sanoo Uudelle Suomelle.
Yhtä myönteistä turvapaikkapäätöstä kohden tehdään siis keskimäärin kolme perheenyhdistämishakemusta. Tyypillinen esimerkki on siis neljän hengen perhe, joista yksi saa turvapaikan tai oleskeluluvan Suomesta. Muut kolme hakevat pääsyä Suomeen perheenyhdistämisen kautta. Vuorio kertoo, että hakemuksia voi olla yhtä Suomeen muuttavaa kohti enemmänkin, jopa 20.
– Ensi syksystä eteenpäin arvioidaan, että noin vuoden sisällä tai lyhemmässäkin ajassa voisi tulla 30 000 perheenyhdistämishakemusta, tai jopa enemmänkin, Vuorio kertoo.
Sisäministeriö tiedottaa valmistelevansa ulkomaalaislain muutosta, jonka tavoitteena on tiukentaa perheenyhdistämisen edellytyksiä. Taustalla on EU:n perheenyhdistämisdirektiivi.
– Jatkossa sekä kansainvälistä suojelua saavilta että Suomen kansalaisilta edellytettäisiin turvattua toimeentuloa ennen kuin perheenyhdistämishakemus voitaisiin hyväksyä, ministeriö kertoo.
– Ulkomaalaislakia muutettaisiin niin, että turvattu toimentulo olisi perheenjäsenen oleskeluluvan myöntämisen edellytys aina niissä tilanteissa, joissa perheenkokoaja on saanut oleskeluluvan Suomesta nk. toissijaisen suojelun perusteella, ministeriö kertoo.
Toissijaisen suojelun perusteella voidaan myöntää oleskelulupa, vaikka turvapaikan saamisen edellytykset eivät täyty. Oleskelulupa voidaan myöntää, jos henkilöä uhkaa kotimaassa tai pysyvässä asuinmaassa kuolemanrangaistus, teloitus, kidutus tai muu epäinhimillinen tai ihmisarvoa loukkaava kohtelu tai rangaistus.
– Sen sijaan tilanteissa, joissa perheenkokoajalla on pakolaisasema (kiintiöpakolainen tai turvapaikan saanut), turvattua toimeentuloa ei edellytettäisi, jos perheenjäsenet hakevat oleskelulupaa kolmen kuukauden sisällä pakolaisaseman myöntämisestä. Kolmen kuukauden aikaraja tulee suoraan EU-direktiivistä ja on EU-jäsenvaltioita velvoittava pakottava suoja, jolla pyritä | 38,321 |
clutch moments. The Panthers just had to win this game.
The Panthers were down 21-10 when DeShaun Foster scored on a 33-yard touchdown run. Inexplicably, John Fox called for a two-point conversion and the Panthers failed to convert. But fate smiled upon the Panthers, and they scored again to lead 22-21. Another two-point try was attempted and it failed again. At this point, I was happy to be leading, but I had a sinking feeling that the missed conversion attempts would haunt us. After the Patriots scored and made their two-point conversion, we needed a touchdown to tie. Miraculously, the Panthers scored and kicked the extra point to tie the game with 1:08 left. I was shaking my head though thinking about the two missed points and how we should be up 31-29 at this point. Then, the worst thing happened. John Kasay kicked the ball out of bounds on the kickoff. We gave Brady the ball on the 40-yard line with the game tied. I knew the game was over, and I left the room to listen from behind the wall.
The Panthers just don’t have seasons like this. Imagine if Valvano’s Wolfpack had lost, if Rudy never suited up for his senior game, if Gene Hackman’s team lost the final game in Hoosiers. That is what this game felt like, the what-should-have-been for this team. This should have been our moment. Maybe this will be the year this changes.
— Jason Sanders
* * *
ARIZONA CARDINALS
Super Bowl XLIII Feb. 2, 2009 | Steelers 27, Cardinals 23
My dad has had season tickets for the Cardinals since they moved to Arizona, and his 21 years of suffering were finally rewarded in the lottery to be able to purchase two tickets for the Super Bowl game at face value. Everyone said the Cardinals had no business being in the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl. This was the year they won the NFC West with a 9-7 record and hosted the 11-5 Atlanta Falcons in the wild-card round. The Cardinals worked their way through the Falcons, Panthers and Eagles to reach their first (and only) Super Bowl.
Game day in Tampa Bay was sunny and warm—a gorgeous day for a Super Bowl. After a slow start, the Cardinals were matching the effort of the Steelers and had turned the momentum in their favor near the end of the first half. With a first-and-goal from the onw-yard line, the Cardinals were going to head into the locker room at halftime either tied at 10 or with a 14-10 lead (after falling behind 10-0). But Kurt Warner tried to force the ball inside to Anquan Boldin, and a 100-yard interception return by James Harrison gave the Steelers a 17-7 halftime lead. Unbelievable. A little boy behind me started crying, “I wish we were Steelers fans.” The adults around him chuckled (but understood, and winced a little.)
Then things started clicking for the Cardinals, and we pulled to 20-16. Finally, the most gorgeous play in Cardinals history. We were sitting in the top section around midfield, so we could easily see the play develop—Larry Fitzgerald splitting two defenders to get open in the middle of the field, and Warner hitting him perfectly in stride for a 64-yard touchdown pass. 23-20 Cardinals lead! Up to that point I hadn't seriously expected anything other than a Steelers victory. This was a new feeling—I think it's called euphoria.
But we know how this one ended. After the Cardinals’ go-ahead touchdown, Big Ben narrowly avoided a huge sack deep in Steelers territory early on the final drive, and then led his team to the win. The Cardinals outplayed the Steelers in the biggest game in franchise history, and outscored them 23-6 in the first 29:20 of the two halves. Unfortunately, the halves are 30 minutes long, and the Steelers scored 14 points in those last 40 seconds. I went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows when the Steelers came back and won, and I'm just a fan—I can't imagine how the players must have felt. I picked up a “Cardinals Super Bowl Champions” shirt for $5 on my way back to the car and spent the next three hours stuck in a parking garage. Perfect end to the day.
— Bryan Barreras
* * *
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
Super Bowl XL
Feb. 5, 2006 | Steelers 21, Seahawks 10
Super Bowl XL is easily the worst loss in Seahawks history. It is more accurately described as a crime, rather than a mere loss. Up to 2005, losses were expected Sunday fare for Seahawks fans. Decades of futility preceded the | 38,322 |
Nouris utspel efter hjärnsläppet
Av: Fredrik Jönsson, Oskar Månsson
Publicerad: 12 juli 2014 kl. 18.45
Uppdaterad: 12 juli 2014 kl. 19.03
”Jag ångrar ingenting – jag skulle ha gjort det igen”
1 av 13
Emin Nouri är inte ångerfull efter att ha sparkat ned Nabil Bahoui.
– Han måste lära sig visa respekt. Mycket fegt, respektlöst, så in i helvete, säger Nouri.
– Det var en liten bröllopspresent till Martin, han gifte sig i går. Leder vi med 3-0, och jag får samma läge igen, så gör jag samma sak igen, svarar Bahoui.
Det blev kaosartade slutscener mellan AIK och Kalmar. På stopptid sparkade Emin Nouri ner Nabil Bahoui bakifrån – och blev utvisad.
Flera spelare, ledare och tränare blev upprörda och rök ihop.
Bahoui tyckte det var rätt att Nouri visades ut.
– Han fick rött kort, ganska normalt. Jag sa till honom att gå ut, säger han till C More.
”Jag ångrar ingenting”
Emin Nouri var inte ångerfull när han mötte den samlade pressen.
– Man måste lära sig visa sig lite mer respekt. Det är 93:e minuten, han börjar göra någonting, jag vet inte vad han försöker bevisa eller vad han tror. Jag tappar huvudet, jag ångrar inte någonting. Mycket fegt, respektlöst, så in i helvete, säger Nouri.
Vad var respektlöst?
– Att han börjar trampar bollen med knäna, hit och dit. Vad spelar vi?
Du menar att han showar?
– Jag vet inte vad han gör? Det är inte fotboll. Han kan visa lite mer respekt. Det står 2-0, matchen är över. Jag blir förbannad, och ångrar ingenting. Jag skulle göra likadant igen.
”Liten bröllopspresent till Martin”
Bahoui tycker inte att han var respektlös i den situationen.
– Absolut inte, absolut inte, det tillhör ju fotbollen. Sen kan han ta bollen från mig om han tycker det är respektlöst. Jag får en spark och en boll i huvudet, han förtjänar att bli utvisad. Fast jag tyckte han borde fått rött direkt, säger han.
AIK-spelaren berättar att ”showen” var för Martin Mutumba, som gifte sig i går.
– Jag har inte så mycket att säga, det är det enda sättet för honom att stopp mig. Det var en liten bröllopspresent till Martin, han gifte sig i går. Så jag tänkte det var dags för show för honom också, synd att det slutade som det gjorde, säger Bahoui, som hade gjort samma sak igen.
– Alltså, jag har inte så mycket att säga. Vi � | 38,323 |
Baobab is one of many informal settlements in the capital and provided a lifeline to refugees who fell out the system.
Rome – An informal refugee camp in Rome which opened at the height of the crisis in 2015 was evacuated on Tuesday, sending several vulnerable people onto the streets as winter sets in.
Located in an empty car park near one of Rome’s main train stations, the Baobab camp would normally host around 300 people, mostly transiting for a few days or months.
While the eviction had been expected for weeks, around 150 people were still at the camp on Tuesday morning when police vans surrounded and closed the area.
Some residents loaded suitcases and plastic bags with their belongings onto police vans before being driven away to a police station for identification.
While the Rome municipality offered places in reception centres to some of the refugees, not everyone will have a place to go after bulldozers finish clearing their tents.
“We have been negotiating with the municipality for the past week,” said Andrea Costa, one of the activists running the camp. “We thought they’d take a few more days as we were promised 120 places. Up to this morning, the number of people relocated was 65.”
According to the Rome municipality, 75 people were assigned alternative accommodation this past week, meaning at least dozens have nowhere to go.
Camps in Rome host 3,500 of at least 10,000 refugees and migrants living mostly in abandoned buildings without basic infrastructure [Ylenia Gostoli/Al Jazeera]
Originally set up to deal with the high number of arrivals to Italy, in recent years Baobab had become a transit place for refugees who fell out of the reception system, were never offered a place, or were sent back to Italy under the Dublin regulation – which allows European countries to return asylum seekers to the country where they first registered. There were also a handful of homeless people, including Italians, at the camp.
Said* (not his real name), an Egyptian man in his fifties who has lived in Italy for 20 years, dragged his few belongings on a shopping trolley down the street leading out of the camp. Some of the bags contained goods he sells without a license on the streets of Rome.
He has been homeless for the past 10 years after personal difficulties, and said he was heading to the municipality’s social services to see if they could find a temporary solution.
“There’s no place for all of us, not just from Baobab. You go there and they tell you, come back tomorrow,” he said.
Baobab is one of many informal settlements in the capital, which hosts 3,500 of at least 10,000 refugees and migrants living mostly in abandoned buildings without basic infrastructure, according to an MSF report published earlier this year.
The Baobab camp was aimed at refugees who have fallen out of the reception system [Ylenia Gostoli/Al Jazeera]
While some may have been denied international protection, others are simply waiting for their application to be examined and would have the right to housing.
“It is absurd that the municipality is not able to find a place [in reception centres] for a few hundred people, it is absurd to continue to fan citizens’ fears,” Costa said. “Rome won’t be a better place tonight.”
Costa added that a team of volunteers, lawyers and medics was ready to meet the migrants and refugees upon their release from the police station.
While lacking basic infrastructure, Baobab was run by volunteers who took care of daily food distribution and provided language classes, legal assistance, and medical help through NGOs.
Salvini’s threat
It is the twenty-second time the camp is dismantled since it was opened.
The Italian railway company, which owns the land, had recently started building a fence around the camp as part of a plan to turn the area into a public park.
“It has been weeks that [far-right Interior Minister] Matteo Salvini and others in the governing coalition attack Baobab directly as one of those examples to persecute ‘accomplices’ of the migrants,” Costa told Al Jazeera.
Riportare legalità, ordine e sicurezza, quartiere per quartiere.
Dopo #Baobab arriveranno a Roma altri sgomberi: 4 edifici pericolanti e 23 interessati da iniziative giudiziarie.
Non ci fermeremo, questo è solo l'inizio, qui come in tutta Italia.#dalleparoleaifatti pic.twitter.com/ShR5lb | 38,324 |
The new WhatsApp Glitch
May 04, 2018
You may have received a message like this recently
If you touch the👇black point then your whatsapp will hang
⚫ 👈🏻 t-touch here
Explanation
If you touch the👇black point then your whatsapp will hang
⚫<200e><200f><200e><200f><200e><200f><200e><200f><200e><200f><200e><200f>[...] 👈🏻 t-touch here
200E is the code for LEFT-TO-RIGHT MARK
200F is the code for RIGHT-TO-LEFT MARK
Why ~6000?
Do it yourself
# -*- coding: utf-8 -*- ltr = u'\u200E' rtl = u'\u200F' ltr_rtl = ltr + rtl print(ltr_rtl * 1000) $ python3 ltrrtl.py | xclip $ # all left to do is to paste your clipboard in WhatsApp Web
� | 38,325 |
Adesso dico questa cosa che mi fa sembrare quello che va contromano in autostrada: ma tutta la letteratura degli scorsi giorni su “i giornali non hanno capito Trump/i giornali hanno sottovalutato Trump” è basata su una balla, ed è diventato un pigro format del giorno dopo motivato appunto da pigrizia e conformismo di analisi, e da ricerca di capri espiatori e bersagli da criticare (e non sono sospettabile di indulgenza nei confronti degli errori dei giornali).
I giornali non avevano capito Trump un anno e mezzo fa, sottovalutando la sua candidatura quando avvenne: ma questa discussione l’abbiamo già fatta e messa in archivio da un pezzo. Almeno da questa primavera i giornali di tutto il mondo hanno seguito e coperto i successi crescenti di Trump con enormi spazio e attenzioni: quelli americani sono stati persino accusati di averlo sopravvalutato, Trump, e aiutato. E per le settimane precedenti le elezioni tutti gli allarmi sui giornali – che sono stati continui, enfatici – su una possibile rimonta di Trump, sono sembrati persino esagerati: è vero che probabilmente erano spesso dettati più dall’inclinazione al sensazionalismo che da una reale conoscenza esatta (che non aveva nessuno) ma questo non cambia che sia ridicolo oggi sostenere “non era stata prevista”. (Il direttore del Foglio oggi lo scrive di nuovo per sfottere i giornali americani, ma confonde gli endorsement con le previsioni: e i primi casomai sono stati incentivati dalle previsioni preoccupate, non dalle previsioni a favore di Clinton).
Quello che è successo – e questa è la smentita più importante alla narrazione schematica per cui nel giro di una notte si è rovesciata un’idea dell’America, che gli sciocchi avrebbero immaginato clintoniana e invece era trumpista (“L’America di Trump”) – è che nel giro di una notte, rispetto alle previsioni si è spostata una piccola ma decisiva quota di voti.
Come già sapete tutti, intanto, Clinton ha avuto più voti di Trump: nell’ordine dell’1% dei voti finora, ma si fanno ipotesi che la differenza possa crescere (non sono ancora stati completati i conteggi). Ma soprattutto, i voti che hanno permesso a Trump di vincere negli stati in bilico che hanno fatto da ago della bilancia sono davvero pochi (naturalmente, pochi quanto bastano):
This election was effectively decided by 107,000 people in these three states. Trump won the popular vote there by that combined amount. That amounts to 0.09 percent of all votes cast in this election.
Quindi tutto quello che state leggendo da giorni sull’incapacità dei giornali – e di tutti noi scemi che non stiamo ammettendo di non avere capito niente – di “capire” Trump, è frutto della scelta dello 0.09% degli americani che hanno votato. 107mila persone, non sono poche, in assoluto: ma ad avere rovesciato il racconto delle elezioni e del mondo è lo 0,09% degli americani che hanno votato (lo 0 | 38,326 |
Hooru Banner (Set2 #216)
4 Seat of Order (Set0 #51)
Not a deck that really changed a ton in terms of actual cards, but the additions that we did get could be incredibly impactful. Many people aver very excited about Strategize, and I am one of them. One of the most important advantages of Strategize in a deck like Hooru is that we are now allowed to run a few more situational card, like Rain of Frogs or Unseal. This situational package is probably a little too unfocused right now, but a shell like this could be exceptional if it is tuned properly.
Grenadin
4 Combust (Set1 #392)
4 Grenadin Drone (Set1 #5)
4 Torch (Set1 #8)
4 Combustion Cell (Set3 #7)
4 Devour (Set1 #261)
4 Grenadin Bellower (Set3 #214)
2 Into the Furnace (Set3 #9)
4 Spark Hatcher (Set3 #12)
4 Assembly Line (Set1 #29)
3 Madness (Set1 #267)
2 Recycler (Set3 #269)
2 Devious Drone (Set3 #227)
4 Scraptank (Set1 #391)
2 Stonescar Scrapper (Set3 #236)
3 Gearcruncher (Set3 #46)
7 Fire Sigil (Set1 #1)
4 Granite Waystone (Set3 #1)
6 Shadow Sigil (Set1 #249)
4 Crest of Chaos (Set3 #268)
4 Stonescar Banner (Set1 #419)
Everyone’s favorite tribe of suicidal robots! A lot of people pointed to Gearcruncher as an exciting pay off for Grenadin from the moment it was spoiled, and I for one am still excited about its possibilities. Playing the event I was actually quite impressed with Combustion Cell. Though that environment was not optimal for it for a lot of reasons, the new ranked ladder is probably a little friendlier. Scarp Heap and Toppletower didn’t quite make the cut, but they are certainly interesting. Recycler is probably loose, but I wanted a cheap way to give Gearcruncher overwhelm, and this works.
JPS Feast-Caller
3 Sabotage (Set1 #252)
4 Seek Power (Set1 #408)
2 Annihilate (Set1 #269)
2 Lightning Storm (Set1 #206)
4 Strategize (Set3 #165)
2 Unseal (Set3 #167)
2 Vanquish (Set1 #143)
4 Vara’s Favor (Set0 #35)
4 Slay (Set2 #236)
4 Wisdom of the Elders (Set1 #218)
2 Deathstrike (Set1 #290)
2 Rindra, the Duskblade (Set3 #277)
3 Steward of the Past (Set1 #287)
4 Harsh Rule (Set1 #172)
4 Jotun Feast-Caller (Set3 #187)
3 Black-Sky Harbinger (Set1 #385)
1 Azindel’s Gift (Set1 #306)
3 Justice Sigil (Set1 #126)
4 Primal Sigil (Set1 #187)
4 Shadow Sigil (Set1 #249)
2 Seat of Order (Set0 #51)
2 Crest of Vengeance (Set3 #264)
2 Seat of Vengeance (Set0 #55)
4 Crest of Cunning (Set3 #267)
4 Seat of Cunning (Set0 #62)
This deck idea came from conversations with LightsOutAce and some of the others in RNG chat. What if JPS became a deck based entirely around Feast-Caller? All you do it kill stuff, protect Feast-Caller, and draw cards? All you need are like 2 turns of attacking with Feasty before the game spirals out of control for your opponent. I have loaded the deck up with basically as much removal as possible, as well cheap interaction in the form of Sabotage and Unseal. A deck like this will totally depend on the other things happening in the format, but this is much more powerful than it looks initially.
Dinosaurs
4 Permafrost (Set1 #193)
4 Twilight Hunt (Set3 #59)
4 Evelina, Valley Searcher (Set2 #48)
4 Sau | 38,327 |
14th Street...
kcur.org/generation-listen-kc
KCUR's Generation Listen KC group exists to connect young Kansas Citians to the people, places and things that make Kansas City an exciting place to be.
https://www.avclub.com/please-listen-to-bella-hadid-talking-about-shoes-like-a-18193...
13 hours ago - Who remembers the 2009 horror movie Orphan? Spoiler alert: The evil little girl in it turns out to be a 33-year old woman with a condition that...
virginradio.co.uk/radioplayer/live/virginradio.html
VirginRadio UK Music - Listen live now!
https://www.964eagle.co.uk/listenagain/
Sat 7th Oct at 2pm. Morning Matt from The Peter Gordon Breakfast Show brings you the best bits from the last week. 4h 4m. 1 day ago. 4 weeks left to listen...
https://ury.org.uk/live/
The sound of silence. Radioplayer's trying to play this station, but there may be a mis-match between this stream, and your device. You can try updating Flash or...
www.chriscountry.co.uk/radioplayer/
Listen Live; Last 10 Songs; Just played... Contact us... You're not getting the full Radioplayer experience in this browser. Change cookie settings, or upgrade to...
www.telegraph.co.uk/.../jamie-carragher-joins-telegraph-sport-listen-total-football/
22 hours ago - Telegraph Sport has announced Jamie Carragher as its new football columnist and contributor.
https://www.bl.uk/events/listen-140-years-of-recorded-sound
The British Library 'Listen: 140 Years of Recorded Sound' Exhibition in London celebrates the British Library Sound Archive. Learn more about the history of...
www.derbyquad.co.uk/creative-wellbeing/listen-love-learn.aspx
Listen, Love, Learn is a creative stay-and-play activity for parents and under 5's every Tuesday 12-3pm. Each week there is a creative activity which connects to...
https://play.google.com/music?authuser
Free radio for everything you do. Store 50000 tracks from your personal collection. Subscribe for on-demand access to 40 million songs and offline listening.
www.harboroughfm.co.uk/listen/
Ways to listen to HFM. Across South Leicestershire and North Northamptonshire tune in on 102.3 FM...or listen online here. Clicking the link or listen live button...
https://www.penguin.co.uk/ladybird/watch-and-listen/
Watch and Listen. Videos, audio books and podcasts for little eyes and ears. Videos. Preparing for the first day of school with Ladybird. Video. Preparing for the...
https://www.englishlistening.com/
Listening is a natural way to learn a language. We offer a very easy way to learn English: Just Listen. Enjoy!
https://www.vagalume.com.br › Pop › B › Beyoncé
Beyoncé - Listen (música para ouvir e letra da música com legenda)! Listen, / I am alone in a crossroads / I'm not at home, in my own home / And I've tried and...
https://www.blf.org.uk/take-action/campaign/listen-to-your-lungs
Listen to your lungs. Feeling short of breath from time to time is healthy and normal – but sometimes it can be a sign of something more serious.
nginx.org/en/docs/http/ngx_http_core_module.html
limit_rate_after lingering_close lingering_time lingering_timeout listen location log | 38,328 |
Miraculous recovery? Or was Fabian Johnson sandbagging a bit when he begged out of the CONCACAF Cup? The No. 2-ranked player in the ASN 100 played another 90 minutes on Wednesday.
BY Nick Kariuki Posted
October 23, 2015
11:00 AM SHARE THIS STORY
Borussia Monchengladbach has now played two games since the U.S. national team’s 3-2 loss to Mexico and Fabian Johnson has played every minute of both. Going into the weekend Johnson was deemed “questionable” by interim manager Andre Schubert because of the thigh issue that saw him subbed out of the CONCACAF Cup. Despite this, the midfielder went the distance in Gladbach’s 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, as Klinsmann expected. The only American currently playing in the Champions League then played out the 0-0 draw with Italian champions Juventus on Wednesday. Needless to say it was a quick turn around and Johnson’s role in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers seems like the next big question Klinsmann will have to answer.
has played every minute of both. Going into the weekend Johnson was deemed “questionable” by interim manager Andre Schubert because of the thigh issue that saw him subbed out of the CONCACAF Cup. Despite this, the midfielder went the distance in Gladbach’s 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, as Klinsmann expected. The only American currently playing in the Champions League then played out the 0-0 draw with Italian champions Juventus on Wednesday. Needless to say it was a quick turn around and Johnson’s role in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers seems like the next big question Klinsmann will have to answer. Eintracht Frankfurt’s Timothy Chandler came on as a substitute in the 52nd of Saturday’s Bundesliga match. Chandler was previously sidelined for close to a month after undergoing surgery on his meniscus.
came on as a substitute in the 52nd of Saturday’s Bundesliga match. Chandler was previously sidelined for close to a month after undergoing surgery on his meniscus. Rubio Rubin underwent surgery on Wednesday to treat a stress fracture in his foot. The forward was set to undergo the surgery this week and is looking at a return to the field after the winter break.
underwent surgery on Wednesday to treat a stress fracture in his foot. The forward was set to undergo the surgery this week and is looking at a return to the field after the winter break. Alejandro Bedoya is still struggling to find full fitness after the virus that ruled him out of the Mexico match. Despite returning to training at Nantes during the week, the midfielder was not included in the squad that faced Caen on Friday.
is still struggling to find full fitness after the virus that ruled him out of the Mexico match. Despite returning to training at Nantes during the week, the midfielder was not included in the squad that faced Caen on Friday. Greg Garza Tweeted an update on his recovery last week:
Second surgery went great. Can't wait to be back on the field again. God is great! / Segunda cirugía salió perfecta. Listo por regresar! — Gregory Garza (@gmgarza24) October 14, 2015
The 24-year-old’s loan spell at Atlas was marred with an injury to his right hip. He faces up to five months out.
Kellyn Acosta has missed FC Dallas’s last two games due to a groin injury and it seems like he may be held out of the match against the San Jose Earthquakes. “He’s doing very well, but I think the way that things are going right now or the way things went last week, we could pace him a little bit more and then wait,” Dallas coach Oscar Pareja told Dallas Soccer News. “So this week is looking very good and we’ll see at the end of the week what we come up with, but he’s coming along. [Resting him this weekend] is in the back of my mind, yeah.”
has missed FC Dallas’s last two games due to a groin injury and it seems like he may be held out of the match against the San Jose Earthquakes. “He’s doing very well, but I think the way that things are going right now or the way things went last week, we could pace him a little bit more and then wait,” Dallas coach Oscar Pareja told Dallas Soccer News. “So this week is looking very good and we’ll see at the end of the week what we come up with, but he’s coming | 38,329 |
jiksi kuin puurtajiksikaan.
Niinpä “rajoja” peräänkuuluttavia haastatteluja, somepäivityksiä tai kirjoituksia löytyy netistä yhdellä napinpainalluksella mitaton määrä. Sen sijaan kohtuukestoisen surffailun jälkeen en löytänyt yhtäkään mielipidekirjoitusta tai asiantuntijapuheenvuoroa, jossa olisi puolustettu vapaata kasvatusta.
Missä rajattoman kasvatuksen puolustajat oikein luuraavat? Eikö sen pitänyt olla laajalle levinnyt vitsaus, nykykasvatuksen syöpä? Jos ylivapaata kasvatusta suositaan siinä määrin, että se yksin on kyennyt tärvelemään kokonaisten sukupolvien mahdollisuuden vastuulliseen aikuisuuteen, niin miksi törmään vain sen äänekkäisiin vastustajiin, mutta en juuri koskaan sen intohimoisiin kannattajiin?
Vapaa kasvatus on keksitty vihollinen
Näyttää vahvasti siltä, että vapaa kasvatus toimittaa keskusteluissa niin sanotun olkiukon virkaa.
Mitä tarkoittaa olkiukko? Oletetaan, että chattikumppanini Skorpioni -77 puolustaa ympäristöverotuksen kiristämistä ja minä vastustan sitä. Päästäkseni peitsentaitossa niskan päälle turvaudun alhaiseen temppuun: melskaan siitä, että Skorpioni -77 haluaa vain valtion varastavan ihmisten ja yritysten viimeisetkin rahat. Sivuutan hänen maltilliset ja järkevät perustelunsa ja keskityn kaikin voimin murskaamaan niistä omin päin kehittelemäni yksinkertaistukset, karikatyyrit tai väärennökset. Ne ovat helpompia kumota kuin Skorpionin todellinen kokonaisargumentti, joka – sikäli kuin tunnen sen vanhan ketun – on tosiasioiltaan pitävä, hyvin perusteltu ja vivahteikas.
Olkiukosta on myös toinen muunnelma. Siinä sekä vastustaja että hänen väitteensä ovat tekaistuja. Tämä on erityisesti vainoharhaisten konservatiivien suosima konsti – tyyliin “tasa-arvoista avioliittolakia ajavan hankkeen takana on kulttuurimarxilaisten salaliitto, joka propagoi homojen asiaa juurruttaakseen pedofilian vaivihkaa osaksi perhearkea”. Kumpaakaan ei tietenkään ole olemassa, ei salaliittoa sen enempää kuin sen oletettua piilotavoitettakaan, joten kyseessä on loppuunviljelty olkiukko.
Kumpaa olkimiesversiota vapaata kasvatusta vastaan melskaava keskustelu enemmän muistuttaa?
Ehkä ei sittenkään jälkimmäistä tapausta, vaikka aika lähellä se onkin. Vapaalla kasvatuksella on nimittäin ainakin ollut pu | 38,330 |
ä. Se kai nyt on pelkästään hyvä asia. Se toki hankaloittaa joistakin arjen tilanteista selviämistä: lapsia ei saa tekemään toivottuja asioita niin ripeästi kuin huoltaja haluaisi.
Mutta eikö tämä hinta ole pieni? Pitkällä tähtäimellä lapsista todennäköisemmin tulee enemmän ihanteidemme ja arvojemme kaltaisia. Ja sitä kaikki toivovat. Se, joka sanoo haluavansa, että “lapsestani tulisi erilainen kuin minä”, kavaltaa vain, että romanttinen individualismi on yksi hänen ideaaleistaan.
Auktoriteetin valtakauden lyhentymisen perussyylle – sille, että vanhempien ulottumattomissa oleva maailma tulee lasten elämään yhä aikaisemmin – ei taas yksityisten kasvatusponnistelujen avulla voi mitään. Jos asiantilaan haluttaisiin radikaali muutos, poistettavien asioiden listalle ilmaantuisivat muun muassa netti ja tiede, ja koulutetun keskiluokan keskuudesta on tietääkseni tihkunut vähänlaisesti aloitteita niiden hävittämiseksi maailmankartalta.
Kasvatuskeskustelusta puuttuu politiikka
Koulutettu keskiluokka, totisesti! Olen tähän saakka keskittynyt siihen, mitä kasvatuskeskusteluissa tyypillisesti, tai ainakin usein, sanotaan. Mutta keskusteluita lukiessa huomio kuitenkin väkisinkin kiinnittyy myös siihen, kuka niitä käy. Vastaus on selvä: toki se kirjoittamiseen, lukemiseen ja itsepohdintaan koulituin kansanosa.
Keskustelijoiden sosiologisella taustalla on merkittäviä seurauksia sen kannalta, mitä keskustelussa sanotaan, mitä siinä pidetään itsestäänselvänä, mistä siinä huolehditaan ja mitä siinä toivotaan.
En tarkoita nyt keskiluokalla ansiotulotilastojen keskivaiheille osuvaa väkeä. Ymmärrän keskiluokalla väestöryhmää, jolla menee sen verran hyvin, että sillä on varaa helliä omia, yksityisiä unelmiaan. Esimerkiksi 1800-luvun porvari unelmoi omaisuutensa kasvattamisesta ja siitä, että esikoispojasta tulisi kamreeri kolmannessa polvessa. Tuon ajan työläisellä ei taas ollut elinolosuhteidensa parantamiseksi muuta mahdollisuutta kuin järjestäytyä joukkovoiman osaksi. Kyseinen porvari kuului siis keskiluokkaan, kyseinen työläinen taas ei.
Koska nyky-Suomessa on laaja peruskoulutus, paljon korkeakoulutettuja ja kurjuusköyhälistöä globaalissa vertailussa verrattain vähän, täällä on myös suuri keskiluokka. Unelmansa privatisoinut kansankerros on la | 38,331 |
aja. Kasvatuskeskustelijoiden sosiologinen tausta ruokkii siksi keskustelua, josta kasvattamisen sosiologinen tausta enimmäkseen puuttuu.
Selviämisvinkit syövät keskustelun sosiaalipolitiikasta, kauhistelu korvaa kapitalismianalyysin.
Keskusteluissa kasvatuksen oletetaan lähtökohtaisesti tapahtuvan pelkästään neljän seinän sisällä. Siellä vanhemmat taistelevat pitääkseen maailman loitolla tai sopeutuakseen sen muutoksiin parhaalla mahdollisella tavalla. Perheet suodattavat asiantuntijatietoa ja jakavat vertaiskokemuksia, mutta vain yksityisten elämänratkaisujensa tueksi, omistusasuntojensa uumenissa, kukin erikseen.
Kasvatuskeskustelujen yhteiskunta on turhakkeiden, teknologian ja markkinoinnin maailma. Se ei ole sosiaaliluokkiin jakautunut todellisuus eikä muuttamisyritysten kohde, se ei ole poliittinen maailma. Luokka- ja toimeentulokysymyksiä ei ole. Rikkaiden ja köyhien kasvatusongelmat näyttäisivät olevan tismalleen samat. Kaikilla perheillä on laajasti ottaen samanlainen elämäntilanne, samat huolet, samat haasteet, samat toiveet.
Miten estää lasta näkemästä mainosten alastonkuvia tai, vielä kiperämmin, miten estää lasta saamasta joulun alla vihiä lelu- ja pelimarkkinoiden kalliista ja väkivaltaa tihkuvista uutuuksista? Päiväkotiretkellä tarjoillaan valkoista pullaa ja teollisia mehuja, mitäs nyt tehdään? Koulu kohtelee erityislasta epäherkästi, mitäs te olette opettajalle semmoisessa tilanteessa sanoneet? Onko teidän lapset koukussa siihen Fortniteen? Onkos muutkin harkinneet osa-aikatöihin siirtymistä, voisi katsos keskittyä lapsiin paremmin?
Juurikaan ei keskustella päiväkotijärjestelmän turvaamisesta tai uudistamisesta, sen sijaan lähipäiväkotien eroavaisuuksia vertaillaan kernaasti. Selviämisvinkit syövät keskustelun sosiaalipolitiikasta; kauhistelu korvaa kapitalismianalyysin; Wilma-valittelu vie tilan opetussuunnitelman kritiikiltä.
Tällainen vanhempien niksi-Pirkka on hieno asia, mutta ujoinkin baby step yhteiskuntapoliittisten kannanottojen suuntaan jää siltä jo lähtöjään ottamatta. Poliittisen ulottuvuuden puuttuessa kasvatuskeskustelu uhkaa typistyä pelkäksi individualistisen keskiluokan paineenpäästöksi.
Mikä on lopputulos? Maailma, johon ei edes periaatteessa yritetä vaikuttaa, kostetaan lapsille rajoina.
Tuomas Nevanlinna
Viitteet:
1 | 38,332 |
The last two Ayats of Surah Baqarah are two of the most important verses of the Quran. Every verse is precious and important, but sometimes, you get verses like this that have so much importance attached to them by Allah (ta’ala) Himself.
We highlight some of the benefits of these last two verses, according to the narrations from the Prophet (SAW) himself, and hopefully, this inspires you to take these verses as a companion in your daily life.
The last Two Verses of Surah Baqarah (also called “amana Rasul”)
ءَامَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ كُلٌّ ءَامَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَـئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لاَ نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ وَقَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ ﴾
لاَ يُكَلّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ رَبَّنَا لاَ تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَآ إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تُحَمّلْنَا مَا لاَ طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَآ أَنتَ مَوْلَـنَا فَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَـفِرِينَ-
“The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. (They say,) “We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers ـ and they say, “We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all).”(286)
Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. “Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us; our Lord! Put not | 38,333 |
28 826 18 LAST WORD W/ L. ODONNELL MSNBC 10:00 PM 60 0.28 2,746 19 TENDER TOUCHES ADULT SWIM 12:45 AM 15 0.28 525 20 LIGA MX L: TOLUCA / AMERICA UNIVISION DEPORTES 7:30 PM 152 0.27 584 21 ESPN ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY: 30 FOR 30:THE LAST DAYS OF KNIGHT ESPN 7:30 PM 120 0.26 791 22 SPORTSCENTER PRIME L ESPN 7:00 PM 30 0.26 634 23 IMPRACTICAL JOKERS TRUTV 10:00 PM 30 0.26 495 24 BEAT B.FLAY FOOD NETWORK 10:00 PM 30 0.25 911 25 CASE THAT HAUNTS ME, THE INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY 11:00 PM 60 0.25 1,052 26 LIVE PD: POLICE PATROL A&E NETWORK 9:30 PM 31 0.25 1,000 27 SPORTSCENTER EARLY L ESPN 6:00 PM 60 0.24 557 28 FLIP OR FLOP ATLANTA HOME AND GARDEN TV 9:00 PM 30 0.23 959 29 NBA TIP-OFF TURNER NETWORK TELEVISION 8:00 PM 14 0.23 671 30 DAILY SHOW COMEDY CENTRAL 11:00 PM 31 0.23 744 31 COLD VALLEY: N/A INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY 9:00 PM 120 0.22 1,008 32 FLIP OR FLOP ATLANTA HOME AND GARDEN TV 9:30 PM 30 0.22 1,115 33 INSIDE THE NBA TURNER NETWORK TELEVISION 1:13 AM 64 0.22 458 34 HOUSE HUNTERS INTL HOME AND GARDEN TV 10:30 PM 30 0.22 1,075 35 ANDERSON COOPER 360 CNN 8:00 PM 60 0.21 1,383 36 HOUSE HUNTERS HOME AND GARDEN TV 10:00 PM 30 0.21 1,034 37 BUTTERBEANS CAFE NICKELODEON 12:30 PM 30 0.21 746 38 ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT CNN 7:00 PM 60 0.21 1,195 39 LIVE PD: POLICE PATROL A&E NETWORK 9:00 PM 30 0.21 881 40 SPECIAL RPT W/BRET BAIER FOX NEWS CHANNEL 6:00 PM 60 0.20 2,311 41 TUCKER CARLSON TONIGHT FOX NEWS CHANNEL 8:00 PM 60 0.20 2,589 42 11TH HOUR W/B. WILLIAMS MSNBC 11:00 PM 60 0.20 1,986 43 SPORTSCENTER 12AM L ESPN 12:05 AM 65 0.20 398 44 FIVE, THE FOX NEWS CHANNEL 5:00 PM 60 0.19 2,462 45 CUOMO PRIME TIME CNN 9:00 PM 60 0.19 1,327 46 HANNITY FOX NEWS CHANNEL 9:00 PM 60 0.19 2,504 47 ALL IN W/ CHRIS HAYES MSNBC 8:00 PM 60 0.19 2,150 48 AROUND THE HORN ESPN 5:00 PM 30 0.19 463 49 CNN TONIGHT CNN 10:00 PM 60 0.18 1,087 50 CNN TONIGHT CNN 11:00 PM 60 0.18 852 51 SPORTSCENTER 1AM L ESPN 1:10 AM 50 0.18 363 52 SITUATION ROOM CNN 5:00 PM 60 0.18 1,120 53 HIGHLY QUESTIONABLE ESPN 4:30 PM 30 0.18 435 54 SITUATION ROOM CNN 6:00 PM 60 0.17 1,043 55 TMNT: OUT OF THE SHADOWS: TMNT: OUT OF THE SHADOWS NICK-AT-NITE 9:00 PM 150 0.17 648 56 STORY, THE FOX NEWS CHANNEL 7:00 PM 60 0.17 2,034 57 AMC MOVIE AMC 6:00 PM 60 0.17 460 58 LIVE PD: POLICE PATROL A&E NETWORK 12:03 AM 28 0.17 521 59 HIGH NOON (9AM PACIFIC) ESPN 4:00 PM 30 0.17 361 60 INGRAHAM ANGLE, THE FOX NEWS CHANNEL 10:00 PM 60 0.17 1,842 61 HARDBALL WITH C. MATTHEWS MSNBC 7:00 PM 60 0.16 2,019 62 BEAT W/ARI MELBER MSNBC 6:00 PM 60 0.16 1,900 63 IJ: AFTER PARTY TRUTV 10:30 PM 30 0.16 333 64 AMERICAN PICKERS HISTORY 10: | 38,334 |
This Week in Legacy: A Big Week of Results
This Week in Legacy legacy Reanimator Punishing Maverick Miracles Grixis Delver Death & Taxes Elves BR Reanimator Aluren Jeskai Landstill Slivers Mono-Red Sneak Attack Manaless Dredge
Hello everyone! Welcome again to This Week in Legacy. This week we'll be covering a huge amount of events that have gone on: Eternal Extravaganza 5, European Eternal Weekend, and the recent SCG Legacy Classic in Milwaukee. That's a lot of sweet data to look at and a lot of sweet lists to look at! Furthermore, I have a brief discussion of a tournament I went to, piloting a not-so-conventional deck.
Let's dive in.
Eternal Extravaganza 5
Eternal Extravaganza, held in Baltimore, Maryland, brought us a Top 8 below:
You can find the lists here.
Most of these lists were relatively normal. I'll summarize a few notes about the stockier builds that made the Top 8:
The winning Miracles list of Sam Roukas was a non-Mentor (in the main) build similar to what we saw last week, while Peter Villarubia's list was more of the stock build featuring two Mentors main. And then eighth-placing Scott Waldrin placed with the four Mentor build that has been making the rounds; indeed, the whole spectrum of Miracles lists were exhibited, excluding the Joe Lossett-style Legends list.
Two Grixis lists also made Top 8; these were relatively stock lists, though one featured a Ceremonious Rejection in the sideboard, certainly a nod towards the Eldrazi's plaguing the world.
The Death & Taxes list featured Recruiter of the Guard as a one-of, and had one Sanctum Prelate in the main, with a second in the side. Instead, Thalia, Heretic Cathar took up three slots. It seems these choices are the crux of Death & Taxes decision-making these days — cut down on the grindy tutor package for more redundancy of curving into turn three Heretic Cathar, or simply exclude her. Perhaps both avenues are viable.
The Infect list also featured was relatively straightforward too, though a Meekstone in the sideboard is a spicy one.
$ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00
UB Reanimator found its way to the Top 8 too. This list was very much a throwback to "classic" lists, unlike what I featured last week, though Collective Brutality did find a place as a sideboard option:
This list looks really tight and streamlined. I'm also a big fan of the two-of Hapless Researcher, as his inclusion is similar to how Insolent Neonate has been finding his way into the Black-Red lists to increase the density of looting effects, smoothing some otherwise janky-looking draws. Reanimator in particular had an incredible week, as we'll soon see, and I think people should be more than ready for these graveyard decks. Some Leyline of the Void may be a recommendation.
$ 0.00 $ 0.00
It seems that this Top 8 is relatively dull, actually. Until you see Mark Strassman's finish with the most awesome of fair decks. Punishing Maverick takes the stage at seventh place, and what a sight it is to behold, complete with mana dorks of all shapes and sizes (Dryad Arbor, Deathrite Shaman, Noble Hierarch and Birds of Paradise), a dinky three-and-a-half color mana base (complete with Dark Depths combo, of course), along with a Worship in the sideboard. Very, very, cool. I'm sure Mark ate up a lot of fair decks on the day, with his Fires and big creatures beating up on Delver and Eldrazi.
In general, Maverick seemed to have a steady resurgence over the past few months, really carving its niche as still a solid deck in the format that can take down tournaments.
Next, we'll move onto European Eternal Weekend.
European Eternal Weekend
The European Eternal Weekend went on during the 22nd-23rd and that of course meant a big Legacy event! Before we look at that, the Bazaar of Moxan site has a nice metagame breakdown of the entire event:
The breakdown is... Pretty vague, with Delver varieties and three-color good stuff decks lumped into categories. Nonetheless, Delver, Miracles, Eldrazi, Shardless, and Death & Taxes were certain to be what were found in bountiful amounts around the room.
Looking at the breakdown of the Top 8:
Find all the lists here | 38,335 |
, profit jumps from at least 5-6 times to over 10 times’. Due to their works’ exclusion from advertisements and promotional events, blacklisted artists have to go through enormous economic losses, with Michii losing at least $9,100 from the unfair contract which Lezhin told her to think as a donation for the company.
As for EunSong, Reversi was always within top 10~20 in all-age webtoons during the first season and maintained 1st place in the science-fiction genre for over a year. However, since her writing regarding the improvement of Webtoon writer’s labor conditions on social media, from roughly May until December 2017, Reversi was not once included in any promotional events nor was it on the Featured page or genre recommendations. Even when Season 2 started after a 3-month hiatus in July, no such announcement was made.
Not only that, EunSong had to work on her series without an assigned editor after being told by her previous editor that, ‘No editor here in Lezhin Comics wants to work with you’. Since then, many artists, authors, and platform users have boycotted the platform with several artists in Lezhin declaring an indefinite hiatus on their works.
While Lezhin has denied the existence of the blacklist in the beginning, SBS released an exclusive report on January 2018 alongside with public evidence of a leaked internal email which referred to the authors above and their works to be excluded from the main page and any promotional works.
You can read their individual statements here: EunSong; Michii.
원고 늦으면 ‘지각비’…블랙리스트로 작가 관리 오늘밤 8시 뉴스에 오늘 시위와 레진 불공정행위에 보도되었습니다. 레진 한희성 대표가 ‘블랙리스트’를 직접 지시한 증거가 공개 됐네요. pic.twitter.com/nWMLzkogb2 — 외주 표준단가 정착을 위하여 #metoo (@creative_2017) January 11, 2018
Furthermore, even though there are writers not listed in this blacklist, they experienced similar disadvantages for no clear reason especially if their work was extremely popular. For example, Lee Aru’s work, ‘Window to Window’ during its serialization was one of the top webcomics in its overall popularity and had sales of tens of million wons.
Once it ended, she got an offer from another company and she wanted to reuse the characters from the published work in Lezhin Comics. Upon checking her contract and confirming again and again with her editor and the relevant department, they mentioned that it was fine as long as the title and contents were different. However, once the new work was published, Lee Aru was contacted by the editor who stated that she had violated their contract, which she then refuted that there is no such clause in her contract.
The next day, her work was moved from ‘Ongoing’ to ‘Completed’ even though usually popular works remain in the ‘ongoing’ section for about a year after its completion. Her works wasn’t even included in the bestseller or recommendation list as well as promotional events.
Lezhin’s Official Statement: https://social.lezhin.com/2018/01/30/lezhin-comics-statement-concerning-recent-allegations/
6. Lezhin terminated contracts without any notice
On January 2018, Lezhin announced its termination of contract with EunSong and Michii, notifying readers that their works will became unavailable on the platform after 6th February, though purchased works will remain available. Both authors were not informed, and were made aware through the media.
During the Forum for Fair Webtoon Ecosystem Formation, reporters were sent a short news release that that Lezhin will be starting legal action against two authors | 38,336 |
Cars technical specifications DataBase for sell
More than
270
Brands More than
2600
Models More than
6900
Generations More than
37500
Specifications What is Car DataBase API? Car DataBase API is an API service based on bulk download of XML. It contains of an extensive amount of over 37500 separate detailed automotive technical specifications – structured around more than 2600 car models, divided in over 6900 different generations. This helps our prospects choose only the sections they need, without paying for unnecessary information. Along with the vehicles specifications, Car-DataBase API also offers the ability for the customer to obtain car images. To get an idea of what the vehicle database consists of (year, make, model and all other details), please check https://www.auto-data.net/en/allbrands. You may also find the daily updates of our database listed there. A team of experts are constantly updating the information on a daily basis via multiple credible sources – manufacturing companies, retailers and experts in the fields. Since our seat is in the heart of Europe, more than half of our car specifications are about European cars. We are currently working on expanding the range through adding information about American and Asian made vehicles. Download our PDF presentation What languages do you support? We offer our data in 14 languages: English, Български, Русский, Deutsch, Italiano, Français, Español, Ελληνικά, Türkçe, Română, Suomi, Svenska, Norsk, Polski. When you place an order, you have to specify the default language for your access. If you need the data in multiple languages - when you get your access, just add GET param in your link with language code to download the data in chosen language: English - en;
Български - bg;
Русский - ru;
Deutsch - de;
Italiano - it;
Français - fr;
Español - es;
Ελληνικά - gr;
Türkçe - tr;
Română - ro;
Suomi - fi;
Svenska - se;
Norsk - no;
Polski - pl. Example: https://api.auto-data.net/?code={your code here}&lang=fi Who can benefit from using Car DataBase API? Developers – whether professionals or enthusiasts with an idea, Car DataBase API is the ultimate tool to accomplish your goals with minimal efforts.
Any car-related businesses – car insurance companies, fleet management companies, car dealers and retailers, body shops, parts companies, repair shops and etc. Car DataBase API is the perfect provider of accurate and easy to integrate in the business model web solution.
Everyone interested in the field of cars. Our API could be the best source of knowledge. What kind of information is included in the Vehicle API?
In its essence Car DataBase API represents table with multiple fields, containing different technical parameters of various vehicles. They are sorted in 8 main categories and additional detailed subcategories, sometimes depending on whether they are or not available for the selected vehicle.
1. General Information: Brand
Model
Generation
Modification (Engine)
Powertrain Architecture
Year of stopping production
Year of putting into production 2. Internal combustion Engine: Power
Model engine
Position of engine
Engine displacement
Maximum engine speed
Torque
Fuel system
Turbine
Valve train
Position of cylinders
Number of cylinders
Bore
Stroke
Compression ratio
Number of valves per cylinder
Engine oil capacity
Coolant capacity
Fuel type 3. Performance: Maximum speed
Acceleration 0 – 100 km/h
Acceleration 0 – 200 km/h
Acceleration 0 – 300 km/h
100 km/h – 0
200 km/h – 0
Fuel consumption(economy) – urban
Fuel consumption(economy) – extra urban
Fuel consumption(economy) – combined
Emission standard
CO 2 emissions
emissions Permitted trailer load with brakes(8%)
Permitted trailer load with brakes(12%)
Permitted trailer load without brakes 4. Body type: body type
Seats
Doors
Length
Width
Width with mirrors folded
Width including | 38,337 |
Ken Quarrie and his Kicking Model Posted by Andy McGeady on Thursday, July 17, 2014 · 8 Comments
The second in a series on place kicking analysis in rugby union. The first featured the work of Jurie Nel.
It was February and still early in the morning in Ireland, where I am based. Having nursed two cups of tea through the Skype chat to New Zealand, I was scanning my notes and hearing them in Ken Quarrie‘s measured, deliberate voice.
“All models are wrong.”
It’s an odd thing to pop out when you read back your notes after a long conversation with NZ Rugby’s Senior Scientist. In his mid forties, he is part of a small but efficient team within NZ rugby that analyses many aspects of the game. And not just at test level. He says he enjoys his job.
And, yes, all models are wrong. But necessarily so. We’ll get to that.
A Ten Year Kicking Study
We’d been talking about place kicking in rugby as Quarrie’s research paper on the subject “Evaluation of goal kicking performance in international rugby union matches”i had been published a short time before. The study analysed ten years of place kicking data from test matches worldwide and, having been publicised by NZ Rugby, there had been some media interest in the results in both the northern and southern hemispheresii. It included rankings, y’see. Easy fodder for journos.
The Quarrie/Hopkins Model’s Top Test Kickers, 2002-2011
2002: Andrew Mehrtens
2003: Jonny Wilkinson
2004: Percy Montgomery
2005: Dan Carter
2006: Dan Carter
2007: Chris Paterson
2008: Stephen Jones
2009: Chris Paterson
2010: Morne Steyn
2011: Morne Steyn
Why 2002-2011? Why not earlier, later, or longer? The answer is that after the 2011 World Cup NZ rugby was changing their data provideriii. ‘It was a nice, neat place to draw a line under that data and say “Ok, this is what we’ve got”. And it seemed sensible to do it for a decade rather than 11 or 12 years’, said Quarrie.
Distance is Everything. Well, Almost Everything.
When looking at the results of the research performed by Quarrie and Hopkins it’s easy to see the significance of distance as a factor in kick difficulty at test level. Once the kick distance goes beyond 35m or so the likelihood of success drops really, really quickly.
So when a player like Francois Steyn can expand that range by a significant amount it’s worth noting. His kicking percentage was a poor 59% but when the rankings were adjusted for distance Steyn jumped up the rankings considerably, given the range from which he was called upon to kick compared to everybody else.
How does that ranking “bump” happen? Through the dataset as a whole, players kicked at a 72% success rate (increasing to 73% for those with nine or more attemptsiv). “Where we see Morne Steyn kicking 87%, he’s kicking 87% where the average player gets 73%” said Quarrie.
So far, so good. Morne’s more accurate.
But what about his namesake Frans? He of the siege gun boot?
“His average attempt was 49m while the overall average was around 32m. So what’s happening is his predicted scores are essentially being wound up because the kicks are going to be easier as you move in closer”, Quarrie told me. “We can estimate what he would be doing at the easier ranges based on his success further out given what everyone across the entire sample tends to do”.
Apart from the kicker rankings Quarrie and Hopkins also produced stadium difficulty rankings. But is the difference between two grounds really noticable?
“The differences between stadiums is small”, Quarrie told me. “There was only a 10% range over the whole lot. I think between the best and the worst, yes, you do notice a difference. You probably notice a 10% difference but you probably wouldn’t notice a 1 or 2 % difference, maybe even a 3 or 4 % difference. You’ve got to watch a lot of rugby before you would notice anything there”.
A Right-Footed Test Kicker Has No “Wrong” Side
One result that surprised me was that there was effectively no difference for a right footed kicker taking a kick from either the left or right side of the field | 38,338 |
. Individual kickers, yes. But taken as a group right-footed kickers kicked 72% from either side. It was different for left footers, with 76% accuracy from the right hand side of the field and 73% from the left.
“You would expect a left footer to be more successful on the right side of the field because typically, if they’re not hitting the ball perfectly sweetly, it tends to move a little bit left to right – i.e. they curve it a little bit to their own right side.” said Quarrie. “But we didn’t see that with the right footed kickers.”
These are not huge differences, but he said the results for right footed kickers had surprised him.
The Context of Importance
Why is kicking important? Of the total points scored in the 582 international matches included in the study, goal kicks accounted for 45%.
How Points were scored in International Rugby 2002-2011
53% Tries
45% Place Kicks
2% Drop Goals
It might seem obvious, but three points scored in a tight game with a couple of minutes left is different than those same three points scored while 40 points up (or down) with 20 minutes to go. A kick “importance” factor was calculated using the scores at the time of the kick as well as the amount of time remaining in the match.
Clutch Kickers
1 James O’Connor
2 Morne Steyn
3 Stirling Mortlock
4 Gonzalo Quesada
5 Olly Barkley
That element of context provides an extra bit of depth to an analysis, especially when one considers the associated individual pressures that come with the job of place kicker. It’s clear from talking to Quarrie that a key driver for this research was to look beyond the immediately obvious factors of angle and distance.
Quarrie’s dataset contained 6,769 kick attempts from 2002-2011, a time period that happened to coincide with a large chunk of Dan Carter‘s test career. Carter had 563 attempts in the study, compared to just 11 for Leigh Halfpenny.
Most Kicks in the Study
563 Dan Carter
405 Stephen Jones
352 Ronan O’Gara
291 Jonny Wilkinson
265 Chris Paterson
Very handy for publicising by New Zealand Rugby but, Quarrie assured me, entirely coincidental. “It would have been interesting to get the likes of Neil Jenkins and Andrew Mehrtensv through the better part of his career in there as well” said Quarrie. “And likewise Halfpenny in the last year or so”.
What if we could go back to the metronomic Jenkins? And Eric Elwood? To John Eales and Hugo Porta?vi
Games change over time, with the relative importance of what is measured changing accordingly. In the NFL, nobody would reasonably compare the passing stats of a quarterback from the 1970s with those of today’s pass-happy league where quarterbacks are cosseted like goalkeepers. Context is everything. But where rugby place kicking is concerned it would certainly be of interest to many to see the stats from past players compared to present. The ability to make that kind of historical comparison can provide data-rich sports like baseball and cricket with an element of barstool debate that is hard to replicate in other games.
But stats are not everything.
Ranking Goal-Kicking, Not Players
There is a danger, when looking at players through stats, that one ignores the rest of their game. “There are a range of factors that are considered when selecting players”, said Quarrie, “of which, if you are a goal kicker, goal kicking is one. But there are a whole lot of other factors that come into play when people are making decisions about who to pick and who’s going to take what roles in games.”
Irish Test Kickers 2002-2011 (raw success rate / adjusted)
David Humphreys (81%/76%) – 113 attempts
Ronan O’Gara (71%/74%) – 352 attempts
Paddy Wallace (77%/73%) – 22 attempts
Jonathan Sexton (60%/68%) – 62 attempts
Take Jonathan Sexton, for example. The Irish and Lion fly half is not the most consistent marksman that has strode this planet, although he has improved since those early international daysvii. But when one looks at his combination of attacking and defensive skills he is one of the most rounded players in rugby. When the rest of his game is so potent you can get by with his being an average Test | 38,339 |
quarterback to score more than 15.8 fantasy points against them all year, it’s hard to see the Ravens defense changing while at home during a playoff game. Knowing the Titans want to run the ball a ton and that Tannehill has finished with 27 pass attempts or less in seven of the last eight games, Tannehill is off limits in cash games. Even taking chances in tournaments doesn’t make much sense when you know that Ravens’ opponents averaged a league-low 57.6 plays per game combined with their limited efficiency through the air.
Lamar Jackson ($8,400): Will the fact that he hasn’t played in a game for two full weeks matter? Some say he may be rusty while others say it’s best to keep him fresh and healthy. The Titans are a much better matchup than the Patriots would’ve been, as they’re a team that’s allowed nine different quarterbacks to rush for at least 17 yards, including 53 of them to Jameis Winston. If you read the Tannehill notes above, you’d know that no quarterback has finished top-16 against the Ravens since Week 4. Well, against the Titans, there’ve been just four quarterbacks who didn’t finish top-16 against them all season. Those quarterbacks were Kyle Allen, Jacoby Brissett, Baker Mayfield, and Joe Flacco. Three of those games were earlier in the season when they still had Malcolm Butler available (went to injured reserve after Week 9). The Titans opponents have averaged 66.0 plays per game while the Ravens have averaged 66.5 themselves, which are both high numbers. With Mark Ingram maybe not 100 percent and Jackson fully rested, you should be expecting massive rushing totals out of him. The Titans haven’t generated much pressure this year (ranked 12th-worst) and have generated a sack on just 6.7 percent of dropbacks. When you combine his rushing totals with the fact that we’ve seen 10-of-16 quarterbacks throw multiple touchdowns, and five of them throw for 300-plus yards against the Titans, Jackson is a must-play on a four-game slate. He’s your cash game quarterback and someone you should have plenty of exposure to in tournaments as well.
RBs
Derrick Henry ($8,200): If you faded Henry last week, well, let’s just say it didn’t go great. He racked-up a massive 35 touches for 204 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots who just didn’t have an answer. In fact, there’s been no team who’s had the answer against this run-game as of late. He’s now scored at least 24.9 DraftKings points in seven of his last eight games, including 32.5 or more in three of them. The Titans are going to ride-or-die with Henry. If the Ravens have had a weakness this year, it’s been against the run, though they haven’t been bad or anything. Take a look at the comparison to the Patriots, who were just dominated by Henry last week.
Team Avg Rnk Att RuYds RuTD Rec Tgts ReYds ReTD Patriots 15.8 1 300 1217 1 70 97 518 2 Ravens 19.0 4 296 1309 11 60 77 454 1
As you can see, the Ravens were a lot more giving than the Patriots during the regular season, particularly when it came down to the red zone. The 4.42 yards per carry they’ve allowed ranked as the 10th-most in football, while the miniscule 6.97 PPR points per game they allowed through the air to running backs was the second-best mark in the NFL. So, in short, they’ve been much more friendly to two-down backs rather than receiving ones. This matchup appears to be right up Henry’s wheelhouse. The only issue here would be lack of plays for his offense overall, as the Ravens opponents have averaged a league-low 57.6 plays per game, and that’s led to a league-low 22.3 touches per game for running backs as a team. If the Titans can’t keep the Ravens offense off the field, we could be looking at limited opportunities for Henry. While they did keep Tom Brady and the Patriots offense off the field, asking them to do that against Lamar Jackson is a different story. Henry is someone you probably want to play with the way this matchup aligns, but if you’re predicting a big Ravens win, he may disappoint.
Mark Ingram ($6,700): It seems as if Ingram will be a go this weekend, as John Harbaugh said he was on track to play prior to last weekend. When Ingram suits up, we know what his role is by now. He’ | 38,340 |
temi molto cari ai Repubblicani conservatori – quelli sugli impiegati federali e i fondi alle ONG che si occupano di aborto – mentre il terzo, quello sul TPP, era dato per scontato da settimane, dopo che Trump aveva promesso di abolirlo più volte durante la campagna elettorale (l’accordo era di fatto morto, dato che Obama l’aveva negoziato ma il Congresso a maggioranza Repubblicana si era già rifiutato di ratificarlo). Secondo il Financial Times, inoltre, Trump dovrebbe annunciare anche i piani per rinegoziare l’accordo commerciale North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) con Canada e Messico, entrato in vigore nel 1994 e molto criticato da Trump in campagna elettorale; non è chiaro se lo farà nella forma di un ordine esecutivo.
Il resto
Reince Priebus, il capo dello staff della Casa Bianca, ha detto che Trump avrà «una settimana piena», e in effetti oltre agli ordini esecutivi farà anche cose più concrete: lunedì mattina ha incontrato diversi imprenditori per parlare di lavoro, mercoledì incontrerà i leader dei Repubblicani sia della Camera sia del Senato, mentre venerdì incontrerà a Washington il primo ministro britannico Theresa May, che sarà il primo leader straniero ad essere ufficialmente ricevuto dalla nuova amministrazione. May ha detto che lei e Trump parleranno di NATO, Siria e commercio internazionale. Martedì 31 gennaio, inoltre, Trump incontrerà alla Casa Bianca il presidente messicano Enrique Peña Nieto, che aveva già incontrato in campagna elettorale durante una sua bizzarra visita in Messico.
Busy week planned with a heavy focus on jobs and national security. Top executives coming in at 9:00 A.M. to talk manufacturing in America. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 23, 2017
Molti degli incontri e dei provvedimenti di Trump, almeno in questa settimana, hanno a che fare con il lavoro e il commercio. Nel discorso di insediamento, così come in molte altre occasioni durante la campagna elettorale, Trump ha annunciato una nuova politica di protezionismo per i lavoratori e le aziende americane: il ritiro dal TPP e la sospensione delle assunzioni per il governo federale, i nuovi negoziati sul NAFTA e gli incontri con gli imprenditori sembrano andare in questa direzione.
Ma nei primi giorni di Trump c’è stata e ci sarà anche parecchia politica estera: ed è stata significativa la scelta di invitare May, il primo ministro del paese che sta per compiere probabilmente la scelta più protezionista disponibile lasciando l’Unione Europea, così come la scelta di avere una lunga conversazione telefonica col primo ministro israeliano Benjamin Netanyahu, avvenuta domenica. Alcuni consiglieri di Trump, fra cui l’ambasciatore americano in Israele scelto dalla sua amministrazione, hanno legami con la destra radicale israeliana. In seguito alla telefonata il capo dell’ufficio stampa alla Casa Bianca Sean Spicer ha fatto sapere che l’amministrazione ha iniziato a considerare l’idea di spostare l’ambasciata americana da Tel Aviv a Gerusalemme: una decisione molto controversa a causa della | 38,341 |
the monuments of history are said to be what carry the memory of deeds. Succession [series] comes by derivation from sertis, a wreath of flowers bound together successively. [...] On the use of history. The histories of nations do not deprive readers of useful things. For many wise men included in their histories past deeds of men for the instruction of the present, so that through history the reckoning of past ages and years is understood, and by the succession of consuls and kings many necessary things are made known." [Isidore of Seville, Etymologies [Etymologiae, 630]. In Kelley, op. cit., p. 141]. Bede (673-735). ‘For if history records good things of good men, the thoughtful hearer is encouraged to imitate what is good: or if it records evil of wicked men, the good, religious listener or reader is encouraged to avoid all that is sinful and perverse, and to follow what he knows to be good and pleasing to God. Your Majesty is well aware of this: and since you feel so deeply responsible for the general good of those over whom the divine Providence has set you, you wish that this history may be better know both to yourself and your people. But in order to avoid any doubts as to the accuracy of what I have written in the minds of yourself or of any who may listen to or read this history, allow me briefly to state the authorities upon whom I chiefly depend.’ [Bede, A History of the English Church and People [Historia ecclesiastica gentis anglorum, ca. 731]. In Kelley, op. cit., p. 174]. Otto of Freising (d. 1158). "Thus, I think, has been the purpose of all who have written history before us: to extol the famous deeds of valiant men in order to incite the hearts of mankind to virtue, but to veil in silence the dark doings of the base or, if they are drawn into the light, by the telling to place them on record to terrify the minds of those same mortals." [Otto of Freising, The Deeds of Frederick Barbarossa [Gesta Friderici imperatoris, 1145]. In Kelley, op. cit., p. 199]. ***** "Even so great a king of the Persians, Ahasuerus or Artaxerxes, although he had not attained to the knowledge of the true light through the worship of the one God, yet, realizing by reason of the nobility of his soul that this was of profit to royal grandeur, commanded that the yearbooks which had been written during his own reign or under his predecessors be examined, and so he gained glory thereby, his purpose being that the innocent should not be punished as if he were guilty and that the guilty should not escape punishment as though he were blameless. [...] For you know that all teaching consists of two things: avoidance and selection. [...] So also the art of the historian has certain things to clear away and to avoid and others to select and arrange properly; for it avoids lies and selects the truth." [Otto of Freising, The Two Cities: A Chronicle of Universal History to the Year 1146 A.D. [Chronica sive Historia de duabus Civitatibus, 1145]. In Kelley, op. cit., p. 202-204]. Dino Compagni (ca. 1264-1324). "The remembrance of the ancient histories has long stirred my mind to write the events, fraught with danger and ill-fitted to bring prosperity, which the noble city, the daughter of Rome, has for many years undergone, and especially at the time of the Jubilee of the year 1300. However, for many years I excused myself from writing on the ground of my own incompetence, and in the belief that another would write: but at last, the perils having do multiplied, and the outlook having become so significant that silence might no longer be kept concerning them, I determined to write for the advance of those who shall inherit the prosperous years, to the end that they may acknowledge that their benefits are from God, who rules and governs throughout all ages." [Dino Compagni, The Chronicle of Dino Compagni [Cronica, 1312]. In Kelley, op. cit., p. 197]. 5. The Renaissance and the Baroque Juan Luis Vives (1492-1540). "Hence it appears that History took its rise at once with that of men, because it was thus expedient for the human race. It is well to learn the course of history from the beginning of the world or a people continuously right through their course to the latest time for, then, all is more rightly understood and more firmly retained than if we read it in disconnected parts, in the same way that in a description of the whole world, land and sea are placed before the eyes at a glance. For | 38,342 |
thus it is easier to see the face of the world and the arrangements of its parts one by one, and to understand how each is placed. [...] Thus we should do as far as the diversity in writers will permit us, by employing the method of chronology, than which nothing is more apt and suitable in the study of history." [Juan Luis Vives, On Education [Introduction ad sapientiam, 1524]. In Kelley, op. cit., pp. 257-258]. Francesco Guicciardini (1483-1540). "Some men write discourses on the future, basing themselves on current events. And if they are informed men, their writings will seem very plausible to the readers. Nevertheless, they are completely misleading. For since one conclusion depends upon the other, if one is wrong, all that are deduced from it will be mistaken. But every tiny, particular circumstance that changes is apt to alter a conclusion. The affairs of this world, therefore, cannot be judged from afar but must be judged and resolved day by day... To judge by example is very misleading. Unless they are similar in every respect, examples are useless, since every tiny difference in the cause may be a cause of great variations in the effects. And to discern these tiny differences takes a good and perspicacious eye... […] Past events shed light on the future. For the world has always been the same, and everything that is and will be, once was; and the same things recur, but with different names and colors. And for that reason, not everyone recognizes them –only those who are wise, and observe and consider them diligently." [Guicciardini, History of Italy [Storia d’Italia, 1540]. In Kelley, op. cit., p. 298]. Francesco Robortello (1516-1567). "If the historian must take into account this whole long sweep of years, it is clear that he must be knowledgeable about all of antiquity, so far as it pertains to customs, to ways of life, to the building of cities, to the movements of peoples. Let Thucydides serve as our example. In book six he offers a very thorough and precise account of the antiquity of the cities and peoples of Sicily. And since the remains of old buildings and the inscriptions cut into marbles, gold, brass, and silver can help us greatly when we try to gain knowledge of ancient times, he must also master them. In book six Thucydides – for why we do need to depart from the authority of this outstanding historian? – uses a marble inscription that was placed on the citadel as a monument for posterity to prove that Hippias was the tyrant of Athens and had five children, which many others recorded differently." [F. Robortello, Disputatio on history [De historica facultate disputatio or De arte historica, 1548]. In Anthony Grafton (2007). What is History? The Art of History in Early Modern Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 24]. Philipp Melanchthon (1497-1560). "But this is the true history of the world, in which the msot powerful kingdoms and monarchies have succeeded one another in a certain order, and the world has never declared their power as it has in this age. Therefore we shall divide this period into four monarchies. For God seems to have wanted to keep the world in operation with a certain fixed from of control, so that a sense of shame and honor would be conserved, and the evil punished, and to that end he created monarchies. But monarchies exist where one man has the highest power, to conserve peace and make law. But monarchies of this kind were so powerful that other kings – even when they lived outside them – could not resist or oppose them. And there were only four of these monarchies in a certain fixed succession. First the Kingdom of the Assyrians, after them the Persians ruled, then the Greeks, and finally the Romans. And God has raised Germany to the peak of this empire in these last times, before all the other nations". [J. Carion and P. Melanchthon. Chronicorum libri tres [Paris: Cavellat, 1557], 14. In A. Grafton, op. cit., p. 171]. François Baudouin (1520-1573). "I would prefer that writers narrated only those thing that they saw, and in which they took part. Polybius professes that he desires this above all in history; and the ancients clearly demanded it". "What a certain Florentine tried to do in the last century to sections of Livy's history, for his own utility and that of his fellow Italians, we should do all the more intensively in universal history, especially where the matter deserves it, and a reasonable comparison comes to mind. Finally, the historical hypothesis should yield, so | 38,343 |
those who were not such, have taken care however to appear such in their writings". [Bolingbroke, op. cit., p. 28. In A. Grafton, op. cit., p. 254]. Giambattista Vico (1668-1744). "By means of these principles of ideas and tongues, that is by means of this philosophy and philology of the human race, he develops an ideal eternal history based on the idea of providence by which, as he shows throughout the work, the natural law of the peoples was ordained. This eternal history is traversed in time by all the particular histories of the nations, each with its rise, development, acme, decline and fall. Thus from the Egyptians, who twitted the Greeks for being always children and knowing nothing of antiquity, he takes and puts to use two great fragments of antiquity. One of these is the division of all preceding time into three ages: the age of gods, the age of heroes, and the age of men. The other is their reduction of the languages spoken before their time to three types, coeval respectively with the three ages. First, the divine, a dumb language of hieroglyphics or sacred characters. Second, the symbolic, consisting of metaphors as the heroic language did. Third, the epistolographic [demotic], consisting of expressions agreed upon for the everyday uses of life." [Vico, The Autobiography of Giambattista Vico [Vita di Giambattista Vico, 1735-1741]. In Kelley, op. cit., p. 476]. Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet, 1694-1778). "History, n.f., is the account of things represented as true, as contrasted with fable, which is the account of things represented as false. There is history of opinions, which is only the collection of human errors; a history of the arts, perhaps the most useful of all, when it joins the knowledge of the invention and progress of arts to a description of their working; and natural history, improperly called history and actually an essential part of physical science. The history of events is divided into sacred and profane. Sacred history in an account of divine and miraculous operations by which God was formerly pleased to guide the Jewish nation and today guides our faith. I shall not pursue this respectable matter. [...] On the certitude of history. All certitude which is not from mathematical demonstrations in only extreme probability. There is no historical certitude. [...] Of Cicero’s maxim about history, that the historian should never tell anything false, nor hide the truth. The first part of the precept is incontestable, but we must examine the other. If a truth can be of some use to your state, your silence is condemnable. But supposing that you write the history of a prince who has given you a secret, should you reveal it? Should you tell posterity what you would be wrong to tell one man? Does the duty of the historian outweigh a larger duty?" [Voltaire, "Histoire", in [Denis Diderot], Encyclopédie [1751-1772]. In Kelley, op. cit., pp. 442, 445-446]. David Hume (1711-1776). "Mankind are so much the same, in all times and places, that history informs us of nothing new or strange in this particular. Its chief use is only to discover the constant and universal principles of human nature, by showing men in all varieties of circumstances and situations, and furnishing us with materials from which we may form our observations and become acquainted with the regular springs of human actions and behaviour." [Hume, Enquiries Concerning the Human Understanding and Concerning the Principles of Morals. [1748-1751, 1777]. In Haddock, B. A. (1980). The Idea of History. London: Edward Arnold, p. 88]. Edward Gibbon (1737-1794). "That history is a liberal and useful study, and that the history of our own country is best deserving of our attention, are propositions too clear for argument, and too simple for illustration. Nature has implanted in our breasts a lively impulse to extend the narrow span of our existence, by the knowledge of the events that have happened on the soil which we inhabit, of the characters and actions of those men from whom our descent, as individuals or as a people, is probably derived. The same laudable emulation will prompt us to review, and to enrich our common treasure of national glory: and those who are the best entitled to the esteem of posterity, are the most inclined to celebrate their merits of their ancestors. [...] The English will be ranked among the few nations who have cultivated with equal success the arts of war, of learning, and of commerce." [Gibbon, An Address. In Kelley, op. cit., p. 461 | 38,344 |
]. Nicolas de Condorcet (1743-1793). "Were we to confine our observations to an enquiry into the general facts and unvarying laws which the development of these faculties presents to us, in what is common to the different individuals of the human species, our enquiry would bear the name of metaphysics. But if we consider this development in its results, relative to the mass of individuals co-existing at the same time on a given place, and follow it from generation to generation, it the exhibits a picture of the progress of human intellect. This progress is subject to the same general laws, observable in the individual development of our faculties; being the result of that very development considered at once in a great number of individuals united in society. But the result which every instant presents, depends upon that of the preceding instants, and has an influence on the instants which follow. This picture, therefore, is historical; since, subjected as it will be to perpetual variations, it is formed by the successive observation of human societies and the different eras through which they have passed. It will accordingly exhibit the order in which the changes have taken place, explain the influence of every past period upon that which follows it, and thus show, by the modifications which the human species has experienced, in its incessant renovation through the immensity of ages, the course which it has pursued, and the steps which it has advanced towards knowledge and happiness. From these observations on what man has heretofore been, and what he is at present, we shall be led to the means of securing and of accelerating the still further progress, of which, from his nature, we may indulge the hope. Such is the object of the work I have undertaken; the result of which will be to show, from reasoning and from facts, that no bounds have been fixed to the improvement of the human faculties; that the perfectibility of man is absolutely indefinite; that the progress of this perfectibility, henceforth above the control of every power that would impede it, has no other limit than the duration of the globe upon which nature has placed us. The course of this progress may doubtless be more or less rapid, but it can never be retrograde; at least while the earth retains its situation in the system of the universe, and the laws of this system shall neither effect upon the globe a general overthrow, nor introduce such changes as would no longer permit the human race to preserve and exercise therein the same faculties, and find the same resources. [...] Everything tells us that we are approaching the era of the grand revolutions of the human race. What can better enlighten us as to what we may expect, what can be a surer guide to us, amidst its commotions, than the picture of the revolutions that have preceded and prepared the way for it? The present state of knowledge assures us that it will be happy. But is it not upon condition that we know how to assist it with all our strength? And, that the happiness it promised may be less dearly bought, that it may spread with more rapidity over a greater space, that it may be more complete in its effects, it is not requisite to study, in the history of the human mind, what obstacles remain to be feared, and by what means those obstacles are to be surmounted? Condorcet, N. de (1795). Outlines of an Historical View of the Progress of the Human Mind [Esquisse d'un tableau historique des progrès de l'esprit humain, 1793]. London: J. Johnson, pp. 2-5 and 19. Herder (Johann Gottfried von Herder, 1744-1803). "In order to feel the whole nature of the soul which reigns in everything, which models after itself all other tendencies and all other spiritual faculties, and colours even the most trivial actions, don not limit your response to a word, but penetrate deeply into this century, this region, this entire history, plunge yourself into it all and feel it all inside yourself. Then only will you be in a position to understand; then only will you give up the idea of comparing everything, in general or in particular, with yourself. For it would be manifest stupidity to consider yourself to be the quintessence of all times and all peoples." [Bernard, F.M., ed., Herder on Social and Political Culture (Cambridge 1969, p. 182). In Haddock, op. cit., p. 96]. 7. Nineteenth Century Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859). "In the philosophy of history, the moderns have very far surpassed the ancients. It is not, indeed, strange that the Greeks and Romans should not have carried the science of government, or any other experimental science, so far as it has been carried in our time; for the experimental sciences are generally in a state of progression. They were better understood in the seventeenth century than in the sixteenth. But | 38,345 |
this constant improvement, this natural growth of knowledge, will not altogether account for the immense superiority of the modern writers. The difference is a difference, not in degree, but of kind. It is not merely that new principles have been discovered, but that new faculties seem to be exerted. It is not that at one time the human intellect should have made but small progress, and at another time have advanced far; but that at one time it should have been stationary, and at another time constantly proceeding. In taste and imagination, in the graces of style, in the arts of persuasion, in the magnificence of public works, the ancients were at least our equals. They reasoned as justly as ourselves on subjects which required pure demonstration. But in the moral sciences they made scarcely any advance. During the long period which elapsed between the fifth century before the Christian era and the fifth century after it, little perceptible progress was made. All the metaphysical discoveries of all the philosophers, from the time of Socrates to the northern invasion, are not to be compared in importance with those which have been made in England every fifty years since the time of Elizabeth. There is not the least reason to believe that the principles of government, legislation, and political economy, were better understood in the time of Augustus Caesar than in the time of Pericles. In our own country, the sound doctrines of trade and jurisprudence have been, within the lifetime of a single generation, dimly hinted, boldly propounded, defended, systematized, adopted by all reflecting men of all parties, quoted in legislative assemblies, incorporated into laws and treaties." Macaulay, T. B. "History", 1828. [In Macaulay, T. B. (1844). Essays, Critical and Miscellaneous. Philadelphia: Carey and Hard, pp. 60-61]. Hegel (Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, 1770-1831). "That world history is governed by an ultimate design, that it is a rational process... this is a proposition whose truth we must assume; its proof lies in the study of world history itself, which is the image and enactment of reason." "World history is the record of the spirit's efforts to attain knowledge of what it is in itself. The Orientals do not know that the spirit or man as such are free in themselves. And because they do not know that, they are not themselves free. They only know that One is free.... The consciousness of freedom first awoke among the Greeks, and they were accordingly free; but, like the Romans, they only knew that Some, and not all men as such, are free.... The Germanic nations, with the rise of Christianity, were the first to realize that All men are by nature free, and that freedom of spirit is his very essence." "World history... represents the development of the spirit's consciousness of its own freedom and of the consequent realization of that freedom." [Hegel, Lectures on the Philosophy of World History [Vorlesungen über die Philosophie der Weltgeschichte, 1837]. In Nisbet, H. B. (Trans.) (1974). Lectures on the Philosophy of World History: Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 28, 54, 138]. Alessandro Manzoni (1785-1873). "History may truly be defined as a famous War against Time; for she doth take from him the Years that he had made Prisoner, or rather utterly slain, and doth call them back into Life, and pass them in Review, and set them again in Order to Battle. But those braw Champions, that in such Lists doth reap the Harvests of Palms and of Laurels, may carry off in their Nief only the most pompous and grandiloquent of their Spoils, embalming in their Inks the Enterprises of Princes and Powers and such qualified Personages, and embroidering with the most delicate Needle of Wit the Threads of God and of Silk, that form a perpetual Tapestry of glorious Actions." [Manzoni, A. (1972). The Betrothed [I promessi sposi, 1827-1841]. London: Penguin Classics, p. 19, “Foreword”]. ***** "It might not be out of place to mention that history sometimes also uses the verisimilar, and can do so harmlessly if it uses it properly and presents it as such, thereby distinguishing it from the real. It can do this without impairing the narrative unity, for the simple reason that the verisimilar does not really try to become part of the narrative. It is merely suggested, advanced, considered, in short, not narrated on the same level as or melded with real facts, as is the case in the historical novel... When the mind becomes aware of information that arouses its interest but that is fragmentary or lacking crucial details, it tends to invoke | 38,346 |
power, germinal power. Without the latter the former disappears, both in world events and in the sphere of ideas. At every moment something new can begin, something whose sole origin is the primary and common source of all human activity. Nothing exists entirely for the sake of something else, nothing is entirely identical with the reality of something else. But still a deep inner coherence penetrates everywhere, and no one is entirely independent of it. Beside freedom stands necessity. It consists in what has already been formed and cannot be destroyed, which is the basis of all new activity. What has already come into being coheres with what is coming into being. But even this continuity itself is not something arbitrary to be merely accepted, but it has come into existence in one particular way, and not another. It is, likewise, an object of knowledge. A long series of events –succeeding and simultaneous to one another– linked together in this was constitute a century, an epoch..." [Ranke, Weltgeschichte [1886], IX, part 2. In Gadamer, H. G., op. cit., p. 202]. 8. Twentieth Century Benedetto Croce (1866-1952). "History, therefore, not only may not separate facts into good and bad and periods into progressive and regressive, but only begins when the psychological conditions that permit such antitheses have been overcome and substituted by an act of the spirit that tries to discover what function the fact or period that was earlier condemned has played in the development of history; or what it has brought to that development, and thus produced; and, since all facts and periods are productive in their way, not only is none of them to be condemned in the light of history, but are to be praised and venerated." [Croce, B. (1927). Teoria e storia della storiografia. Bari: Laterza, p. 78. In Gladfelder, H. (1993). “Seeing Black: Alessandro Manzoni between Fiction and History”. MLN, vol. 108, no. 1, p. 67.] ***** "If the course of history is not a movement from evil to good, nor an alternation of good and evil, but a movement from good to better; if history must explain and not condemn; it will pronounce only positive judgments, and will forge chains of good, closely linked and secure enough to prevent the insertion of the smallest link of evil or the opening of empty spaces." [Croce, B. op. cit, p. 75. In Gladfelder, H., op. cit., p. 68.] Marc Bloch (1886-1944). "No one today, I believe, would dare say, with the orthodox positivists, that the value of a line of research is to be measured by its ability to promote action. Experience has taught us that it is impossible to decide in advance whether even the most abstract speculations may not eventually prove extraordinarily helpful in practice. It would inflict a strange mutilation upon humanity to deny it a right to appease its intellectual appetites apart from all consideration of its material welfare. Even were history obliged to be eternally indifferent to homo faber or homo politicus, it would be sufficiently justified by its necessity for the full flowering of homo sapiens." [Bloch, M. (1992). The Historian’s Craft [ Apologie pour l'histoire ou Métier d'historien, 1941-1949 (posthumous]. Manchester: Manchester University Press, p. 8]. ***** "For history in not only a science in movement. Like all those which have the human spirit for their object, this newcomer in the field of rational knowledge is also a science in its infancy. Or to explain more fully, having grown old in embryo as mere narrative, for long encumbered with legend, and for still longer preoccupied with only the most obvious events, it is still very young as a rational attempt at analysis. Now, at last, it struggles to penetrate beneath the mere surface of actions, rejecting not only the temptations of legend and rhetoric, but the still more dangerous poisons of routine learning and empiricism parading as common sense. In several of the most essential problems of method, it has passed beyond the first tentative groupings, and that is why Fustel de Coulanges and, even before him, Bayle came very near the truth when they called it ‘the most difficult of all sciences." [Ibidem, pp. 11-12]. José Ortega y Gasset (1883-1955). Man has no 'nature;' he has history. His being is not one but many and manifold, different in each time and each place. [...] Man is historical in the sense that he has no actual and immutable constitution but assumes most varied and diverse forms. History, in the first instance, signifies the | 38,347 |
which is ultimately the only way of evoking man that is open to us since we are unable to relive what they lived, is not possible unless the historian is vitally 'interested' in those values and has a deep affinity for the task. Not that the historian should share the faith of his heroes; in that case he would seldom write history but rather apologetics or hagiography. He must, however, be capable of granting their faith hypothetically, which is a way of entering into the problematic of that faith while at the same time "suspending" or "neutralizing" it and not looking upon it as an actually professed faith. The suspended and neutralized adoption of beliefs of past men is the sympathy proper to the historian; it adds the crowning touch to what was called earlier the imagination of another present by means of temporal projection. Accordingly, this temporal projection is also an extension into another subjectivity which is adopted as a center of perspective. The necessity for these springs from the historian's radical situation: he is a part of history not only in the sense that the men of the past are part of the same humanity. History is therefore one of the ways by which men'repeat' their belonging to the same humanity; it is a sector of the communication of minds which is divided by the methodological stage of traces and documents; therefore it is distinct from the dialogue wherein the other answers, but is not a sector wholly cut off from full intersubjectivity which always remains open and in process." Ricoeur, P. (1992). History and Truth [Histoire et vérité, 1955]. Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press, p. 29. Ferdinand Braudel (1902-1985). "This book is divided into three parts, with each part being an attempt to explain one aspect of the whole. The first is an inquiry into a history that is almost changeless, the history of a man in relation to his surroundings. It is a history which unfolds slowly and is slow to alter, often repeating itself and working itself out in cycles which are endlessly renewed. I did not wish to overlook this faced of history, which exists almost out of time and tells the story of man's contact with the inanimate, nor when dealing with it did I wish to make do with one of those traditional geographical introductions to history, which one finds placed to such little effect at the beginning of so many volumes, with their brief reviews of the mineral deposits, the types of agriculture, and the local flora, none of which is ever mentioned again, as if the flowers did not return each spring, as if the flocks were frozen in their migrations, and as if the ships did not have to sail on an actual sea, which changes as the seasons change. Over and above this unaltering history, there is a history of gentle rhythms, of groups and grouping, which one might readily have called social history if the term had not been diverted from its full meaning. How did these deep-running currents affect the surface of Mediterranean life? That is the question I set myself in the second part of my book, looking successively at economies and states, societies and civilizations, and finally attempting to show, in an effort to clarify my own conceptions of history, how all these forces from the depths came into play in the complex arena of war. For war, as we know, is not an arena governed purely by the actions of individuals. Lastly comes the third part, concerned with traditional history, history, so to speak, on the scale not so much of man in general as of men in particular. It is that history which François Simiand calls 'l'histoire événementielle', the history of events: a surface disturbance, the waves stirred up by the powerful movement of tides. A history of short, sharp, nervous vibrations. Ultrasensitive by definition, the slightest movement sets all its gauges quivering. But though by its nature the most exciting and richest in human interest of all histories, it is also the most perilous. We must beware of that history which still simmers with the passions of the contemporaries who felts it, described it, lived it, to the rhythm of their brief lives, lives as brief as are our own. It has the dimensions of their anger, their dreams, and their illusions. In the sixteenth century, after the true Renaissance, there came a Renaissance of the poor, the lowly, all avid to write, to speak of themselves and others. All these precious records give a somewhat distorted view, invading that lost time and taking up an excessive amount of space in it. A historian, reading some papers of Philip II as if he were in his place and time, would find himself transported into a bizarre world, missing a dimension. A world of vivid passions, certainly, but a blind world, as any living world must be, as ours it, oblivious of the deep currents of history, of those living waters on which our frail barks are tossed like Rimbaud | 38,348 |
:For the zombie with a similar name, see Walrus Rider.
海象僵尸
(translation: Walrus Zombie) Becomes a slope for Ski Zombie Almanac statistics Toughness Dense Speed Speedy In-game statistics Absorbs 300 damage Weakness (prioritizes zombie) First seen Frostbite Caves - Day 18 海象僵尸一直对自己的体重不满意，于是它给自己制定了一个计划：每天跑步五公里。可是当他开始实施这个计划的时候，他发现自己忽略了一个严重的问题：他没有脚……没有脚怎么能跑“步”呢？他想了很久也没有解决这个问题，于是他决定在没有解决这个问题之前无限期搁置这个计划…… Walrus Zombie has always been dissatisfied with his body weight. He gave himself a weight loss program: run 5 kilometres a day. But when he tried it, he noticed a serious problem: he had no legs, so how could he "run"? He thought about it for a long time, and still not solving the problem, so he decided to postpone the plan until he had solved the problem...
Walrus Zombie (海象僵尸; pinyin: hǎixiàng jiāngshī) is a zombie encountered in Frostbite Caves in the Chinese version of Plants vs. Zombies 2. Ski Zombie uses Walrus Zombie as a slope to jump past the player's plants. The Walrus Zombie also creates an Ice trail that speeds up the aforementioned zombies, similarly to Zombonis and Zombie Bobsled Teams, and prevents plants from being planted on them. It is an environment modifier.
Contents show]
Almanac entry
TOUGHNESS Dense SPEED Speedy 海象僵尸 Walrus Zombie 体力耗尽后会趴下来休息。 海象僵尸一直对自己的体重不满意，于是它给自己制定了一个计划：每天跑步五公里。可是当他开始实施这个计划的时候，他发现自己忽略了一个严重的问题：他没有脚……没有脚怎么能跑“步”呢？他想了很久也没有解决这个问题，于是他决定在没有解决这个问题之前无限期搁置这个计划……
海象僵尸 (Walrus Zombie) TOUGHNESS: Dense
SPEED: Speedy 体力耗尽后会趴下来休息。 海象僵尸一直对自己的体重不满意，于是它给自己制定了一个计划：每天跑步五公里。� | 38,349 |
Abstract Recent evidence suggests the existence of Pre-Hispanic fisheries in savanna areas of the Amazon basin. How these fisheries may have functioned is still poorly known. Although many studies have drawn attention to how Pre-Hispanic inhabitants of these savannas managed to deal with excess water, little attention has been paid to understanding how large and permanent populations were sustained during long periods of drought. In the Llanos de Mojos, one of the largest savannas in South America, the landscape is greatly affected by the impacts of annual, seasonal flooding and inundations, alternating with a dry period that can last 4–6 months. The fishing practices in this area were studied on the basis of analysis of more than 17,000 fish remains recovered at Loma Salvatierra, a monumental mound located in an interfluvial area 50 km from the Mamoré River and occupied between 500 and 1400 AD. In Loma Salvatierra, a network of circular walled ponds connected to a system of canals has been identified, raising questions about a possible use of these structures for fishing. The exceptional conservation of the bone material has enabled precise taxonomic identification of more than 35 taxa, the richest fish spectrum thus far documented in the Mojos region. The dominant fish, swamp-eels (Synbranchus spp.), armored catfishes (Hoplosternum spp.), lungfish (Lepidosiren paradoxa), and tiger-fish (Hoplias malabaricus) are characteristic of shallow and stagnant waters. Our work documents the first zooarchaeological evidence of a dryland, interfluvial fishing system in the Bolivian Amazon that incorporates distinct species and fishing practices, demonstrating that these regions contain year round resources. Research is taking its first steps toward understanding landscape modifications, fish environments, and specific cultural technologies employed on this and other lowland neotropical savannas that differ from those for fishing in open waters and rivers.
Citation: Prestes-Carneiro G, Béarez P, Shock MP, Prümers H, Jaimes Betancourt C (2019) Pre-Hispanic fishing practices in interfluvial Amazonia: Zooarchaeological evidence from managed landscapes on the Llanos de Mojos savanna. PLoS ONE 14(5): e0214638. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0214638 Editor: Sergi Lozano, Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), SPAIN Received: November 14, 2017; Accepted: March 18, 2019; Published: May 15, 2019 Copyright: © 2019 Prestes-Carneiro et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Data Availability: The raw data used in this paper’s analysis and conclusions are contained in Table 1. Primary documentation of topographic features appear in Figure maps. The data provided in S1 Table are not central to the article but provide extra information on the variability of collection procedures. Funding: This paper is part of the first author's doctoral thesis conducted at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris, in the UMR 7209 “Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: pratiques, societés et environnements” of the CNRS. Funding for this research was granted by the PhD grant (CAPES-BEX0910/14-7) of the Brazilian Research Agency (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil). Extra funding for fieldworks were provided by the UMR 7209 and the Société des Amis du Museum (France). Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Introduction The analysis of bone remains can be a window to reconstruct part of the functioning of managed landscapes such as pre-Hispanic fisheries. Advances in Amazonian archaeology have demonstrated that the major rivers of the Amazon basin and most of its tributaries, such as the Napo, Madeira, and Tapajós Rivers, were densely populated during the first millennium AD [1–3]. Aquatic resources (fish and reptiles), extremely abundant in such areas, constituted the main components of Pre-Hispanic economies [4,5]. In interfluvial areas, however, the access to aquatic resources is less evident, availability of fish is conditioned by strong seasonal constraints and the acquisition of animal protein constitutes, therefore, an issue still under investigation [6–9]. The issue of subsistence of societies living along major rivers versus societies settled in interfluvial areas constitutes a debate held by many scholars since the early 1950´s. Steward (1948) [ | 38,350 |
://www.aporrea.org/actualidad/n310882.html
[5] Edgardo Lander, Santiago Arconada Rodríguez, « Venezuela : un barril de pólvora », Nueva Sociedad, mai-juin 2017, n°269, pp.25-26.
[6] Edgardo Lander, « La asamblea constituyente madurista », Brecha, le 4 août 2017, disponible sur : https://brecha.com.uy/la-asamblea-constituyente-madurista/
[7] « Maduro ordena revisar votos de trabajadores de la Administración Pública y beneficiarios de programas sociales », aporrea.org, le 18 juillet 2017, disponible sur : www.aporrea.org/actualidad/n311644.html
[8] « Stalin Pérez Borges: « La ANC debe crear condiciones para un nuevo Estado verdaderamente democrático y participativo » », aporrea.org, le 4 août 2017, disponible sur : https://www.aporrea.org/actualidad/n312522.html
[9] « Un muerto y 3 heridos tras ataque armado de colectivos en Catia », El Nacional, 16 juillet 2017, disponible sur : http://www.el-nacional.com/noticias/politica/muerto-heridos-tras-ataque-armado-colectivos-catia_193477
[10] Thomas Posado, « L’État régional du Bolívar au Venezuela. Reflet du désalignement entre le gouvernement chaviste et le mouvement ouvrier », Mouvements, n°76, 2013, pp.105-116.
[11] Pasqualina Curcio, La mano visible del mercado. Guerra económica en Venezuela, Caracas, Ed. Nosotros Mismos, 2016.
[12] Fernando Coronil, El Estado mágico. Naturaleza, dinero y modernidad en Venezuela, Caracas, Ed. Nueva Sociedad, 2002, p.99.
[13] Edgardo Lander, « Venezuela. L’implosion d’un pays rentier », alencontre.org, juillet-août 2016, disponible sur : http://alencontre.org/ameriques/amelat/venezuela-limplosion-dun-pays-rentier-i.html et http://alencontre.org/ameriques/amelat/venezuela/venezuela-limplosion-dun-pays-rentier-ii.html
[14] Emiliano Teran Mantovani, « Orinoco al extremo : la Faja Petrolífera y el Arco Minero, extractivismos de alto riesgo », Extremas. Nuevas fronteras del extractivismo energético en Latinoamérica (sous la coordination de Hernán Scandizzo), Oilwatch Latinoamérica, 2017, pp.74-81.
[15] « Sinfonía de un Desfalco a la Nación: Tocata y fuga… de Capitales », aporrea.org, le 8 septembre 2014, disponible sur : www.aporrea.org/contraloria/n257348.html
[16] Fonds Monétaire International, Prespectivas económicas – Las Américas : Historia de dos ajustes, Washington, 2017, p.53, disponible sur : http://www.imf.org/es/Publications/REO/WH/Issues/2017/05/10/wreo0517#Chapter2
[17] Eva Golinger, El Código Chávez : Descifrando la intervención de los EE.UU. en Venezuela, Caracas, Questión, 2005
[18] http://www.ned.org/where-we-work/latin-america-and-caribbean/venezuela
[19] « El Gob | 38,351 |
é, des groupes se mobilisent dans la rue et dénoncent un gouvernement autoritaire ayant impulsé l’Assemblée Constituante pour se maintenir au pouvoir coûte que coûte en dépit d’une impopularité croissante. Par exemple, le Partido Socialismo y Libertad adopte le slogan « Fuera Maduro«, participe à la « consultation populaire » de l’opposition. Autres exemples, Marea Socialista et la Liga de Trabajadores por el Socialismo maintiennent une indépendance à l’égard des deux camps, essayant avec difficultés d’incarner une voie alternative pour les classes populaires vénézuéliennes.
L’effondrement d’un modèle économique rentier
Que Nicolás Maduro se maintienne au pouvoir ou s’en aille, qu’un gouvernement d’union nationale soit mis en place ou pas, la situation économique des classes populaires vénézuéliennes demeure préoccupante. Le gouvernement promeut une explication de type complotiste, celle d’une « guerre économique », ourdie par les anciennes élites en quête de revanche, spéculant contre le processus révolutionnaire bolivarien et accaparant les produits de première nécessité[11]. L’exécutif accuse également ceux qui revendent les produits subventionnés de l’autre côté de la frontière, appelés bachaqueros. Ce terme réunit des réalités très différentes, de la famille qui essaie de trouver des solutions individuelles à sa survie au malfaiteur à la tête d’une juteuse affaire générant des dizaines de milliers de dollars de bénéfices. Pour éviter ce détournement des produits subventionnés, le gouvernement a décidé la création de Comités Locaux d’Approvisionnement et de Production (CLAP) qui mènent directement les produits aux bénéficiaires. Cette mise en place individualisée est accusée de représenter une dérive clientéliste dans l’attribution des programmes sociaux.
À partir de la découverte de l’or noir, il y a près d’un siècle, les investissements ont délaissé l’agriculture pour l’extraction de pétrole[12]. Depuis cette date, l’économie du pays est rentière, dépendante du pétrole qui représente plus de 95 % des exportations du pays, les premières réserves mondiales prouvées[13]. Si Hugo Chávez a redistribué une partie des richesses aux plus modestes, il n’a pas diversifié les sources de revenus. Prisonnière de cet extractivisme, l’économie vénézuélienne subit de plein fouet la chute des cours du pétrole depuis l’été 2014.
Dans une fuite en avant désespérée, début 2016, le gouvernement Maduro a publié un décret dit de « l’Arc Minier de l’Orénoque », qui confierait 112 000 km2 soit 12 % du territoire national à des dizaines de multinationales étrangères (chinoises, russes mais aussi occidentales comme la Gold Reserve canadienne) pour l’exploitation d’or, de diamants, de fer, de coltan, de bauxite et autres minéraux[14]. Ce projet contredit l’affirmation de souveraineté nationale sur les sous-sols, proclamés dans la Constitution promulguée au moment de l’accession d’Hugo Chávez au pouvoir. L’Arc Minier de l’Orénoque doit son existence | 38,352 |
Restul de 10% din cei 2% aplicati fondului de salarii, adica 0,2% va merge tot la buget si va fi folosit, spune Misa, pentru achitarea contributiilor sociale ale salariatilor companiilor care au intrat in insolventa.Ministrul a precizat ca proiectul este deja pe circuitul de avizare si va intra in vigoare de la 1 ianuarie.Misa a spus ca, de la 1 ianuarie, contributiile sociale vor fi de 35% la angajat si de 2% la angajator. Acest lucru inseamna ca guvernul, dupa ce a mutata toate contributiile sociale in sarcina angajatului, a mai instituit o astfel de contributie si pentru angajator.Ministrul a insistat de mai multe ori ca, prin noul sistem al contributiilor, nu numai ca vor creste salariile angajatilor, dar nu va fi un efort suplimentar din partea angajatorului.Misa a afirmat si ca a existat si pana acum o taxa de 0,25%, in baza legii 200/2006 pentru un fond de sprijinire a salariatilor pentru care angajatorul nu plateste contributii si ca aceasta este redusa prin noile prevederi la 0,2%, adica o zecime din noua contributie de solidaritate de 2%.
"Contributia pentru solidaritate sociala nu este o taxa noua, ci o contributie sociala corelata cu masura privind reducerea numarului contributiilor sociale si cu necesitatea asigurarii prestatiilor sociale de care beneficiaza salariatii in conformitate cu principiile care stau la baza sistemelor de asigurari sociale, cum ar fi principiul contributivitatii si cel al solidaritatii sociale. Contributia se plateste la bugetul de stat si se datoreaza de catre angajatori la fondul brut de salarii", se arata intr-un comunicat transmis joi de reprezentantii Ministerului Finantelor.
Banii astfel colectati sunt destinati alimentarii Fondului de garantare pentru plata creantelor salariale si asigurarii necesarului pentru plata prestatiilor din domeniul asigurarilor sociale de care beneficiaza salariatii, cum ar fi indemnizatiile pentru somaj, indemnizatiile primite pentru concediile medicale sau cheltuielile pentru accidente de munca si boli profesionale. Nivelul contributiei este stabilit astfel incat sa asigure necesarul pentru plata prestatiilor sociale de care beneficiaza salariatii.
In ceea ce priveste Fondul de garantare pentru plata creantelor salariale, obligativitatea constituirii acestuia este instituita prin Legea nr. 200/2006 privind constituirea si utilizarea Fondului de garantare pentru plata creantelor salariale, cu modificarile ulterioare, care transpune Directiva Consiliului nr. 80/987/CEE privind apropierea legislatiilor statelor membre referitoare la protectia salariatilor in cazul insolvabilitatii angajatorului, publicata in Jurnalul Oficial al Comunitatilor Europene (JOCE) nr. L283 din 28 octombrie 1980, cu modificarile aduse prin Directiva Parlamentului European si a Consiliului nr. 2002/74/CE, publicata in Jurnalul Oficial nr. L270 din 8 octombrie 2002.
Din Fondul de garantare pentru plata creantelor salariale se asigura plata salariilor in situatia in care angajatorii intra in insolventa, in limita a 3 salarii medii brute pe economie pentru fiecare salariat, se | 38,353 |
ils ont fini par marquer deux essais pour sceller la victoire.
Ce fut une grande expérience pour moi, car c’était la meilleure équipe que j’ai jamais jouée.
En 2015, c’était génial de jouer contre la France à nouveau, mais ils nous ont pris beaucoup plus au sérieux et ils ont gagné facilement.
Jouer contre Wesley Fofana, c’était incroyable, tellement il est si habile et si fort.
Quelle a été ta motivation pour venir jouer en France?
Jouer au rugby ici, bien sûr, son niveau, et le beau temps (sic) sont les deux raisons principales, mais c’était aussi de découvrir votre culture.
Les Français sont très accueillants et désireux de m’aider, et je suis impatient de l’apprentissage de la langue et du mode de vie.
Je suis vraiment impatient d’avoir aussi du temps hors du terrain à Vannes pour partager votre culture..
C’est un très bel endroit avec plein de gens sympathiques.
Comment as tu été reçu à Vannes?
Ici, ça a été incroyable. Pour la première nuit, tous les gens étaient très disposés à m’aider.
Mes coéquipiers ont été formidables, ça a été un excellent moyen d’apprendre à les connaître rapidement, et je me suis senti de suite faire partie de l’équipe.
Je suis impatient de me retrouver sur le terrain avec eux, et de jouer pour tous les supporters à La Rabine.
Tu es un Canadien de l’Ouest, de Vancouver, tu seras un français de l’Ouest, un Breton, comment trouves tu la Bretagne?
Les Canadiens pensent que le Sud de la France est le meilleur endroit, mais le peu de temps passé ici m’a montré le contraire.
Il y a tellement de culture et les caractéristiques du paysage sont très agréables.
Et puis profiter de la mer en été, c’est vraiment génial!
Interview en Anglais
Conor, how a Canadian’s is set in rugby, instead of hockey or baseball? Ice hockey is what life revolves around in Canada. I played when I was younger, but didn’t like that you couldn’t play the whole game and instead had to play in shifts. Rugby is a very small sport in Canada, but it attracts some amazing athletes who I’ve had the pleasure to play with. I started when I was 14 because my high school offered it and all my friends were playing. I was the smallest in my grade so I was hesitant to play. You’re a player at 7, but also at 15, what is the big difference between these two rugby? The two biggest difference is the skill of 15’s and the fitness of 7’s. Since I have been playing mainly 7’s I am much smaller than I could be, but I can run forever. Training for 7’s involved a lot of running and fitness. In 15’s though you play in much tighter spaces and have less time to think. Your skills have to be perfect and your decision making has to be very quick. You can play center or wing, what are your characteristics to these two positions, and what type you like to play rugby? Both positions are centered around strong ball running and I like to make this my best quality. At center you are trying to draw as many defenders as possible to give the wings space to run and score. Defensively you have to be able to tackle big centers running straight at you and also able to tackle wingers and fullbacks trying to run around you. Being both strong and fast as well as a good tackler are vital to the position. As a winger you just have to play off your teammates to try to find a gap to score and defensively give the | 38,354 |
and since then, a whole lot has gotten more absurd and nightmarish and, if anything, the world of Invader Zim doesn’t seem as outlandish as it did. That’s maybe really sad, right?Gizmodo: Invader Zim was always meant to be a darker, and relatively more mature show for a slightly older demographic, but the way we think about animation aimed at young people has shifted somewhat since the original series aired on Nickelodeon. How’d that shift influence your storytelling when you began working on Enter the Florpus?Vasquez: More so than dark subjects, the concern was more for how much friendlier and sensitive shows can be now. Invader Zim doesn’t come from a mentality of showing how open and sensitive people can and should be. I’m not even complaining about shows that tackle the more nuanced, understanding behaviours as some of them are beautiful shows!It’s just that Invader Zim is designed as a nightmare place, a world of terrible people doing terrible things in a terrible place, and not as a celebration of cruelty but as a celebration of recognising what is messed up and being able to laugh at it. I guess I’ll know if I stayed true to the spirit of my own universe if people tell me what an awful human being I am for putting this nonsense out into the world in this day and age.Gizmodo: Knowing what you know now about working in the animation space, what (if anything) would you do differently if you were trying to get something like Invader Zim off the ground today?Vasquez: I don’t know how to do anything any way other than my own. Pitching Invader Zim today would be a lot like pitching it back then, and hoping the person I’m pitching to gets it and knows we’re not trying to ruin the world and that sometimes a kid getting his eyes pulled out of his head is hilarious.Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus hits Netflix on August 16.###From DB - Dublagem Brasileira O elenco de vozes principal, com Vágner Fagundes, Wendel Bezerra e Rodrigo Andreatto foi mantido.Estreia amanhã na Netflix a animação Invasor Zim e o Florpus (Invader Zim: Intro the Florpus), um resgate da série produzida pela Nickelodeon, que originalmente teve duas temporadas transmitidas entre 2001 e 2006 nos EUA.No Brasil, a série original foi exibida pela primeira vez pelo canal Nickelodeon e reprisada na Nick at Nite nas madrugadas dos finais de semana.A dublagem, para alegria dos que acompanharam o desenho, acabou mantendo o elenco principal de dublagem original da animação, com Vágner Fagundes dando voz ao personagem Zim, Wendel Bezerra interpretando o GIR e Rodrigo Andreatto dublando Dib.Uma mudança significativa foi na voz da personagem Gaz que agora recebe a interpretação de Flora Paulita. Na dublagem da série original, feita pela Álamo, a voz da irmã do Dib teve a atuação de Eleonora Prado com substituição de Márcia Regina.Nessa nova história, Zim aparece para começar a próxima fase do seu plano alienígena para conquistar a Terra, seu adversário Dib Membrana quer desmascará-lo de uma vez por todas.###From Polygon Invader Zim, one of Nickelodeon’s most bizarre and beloved animated series from the early 2000s, is back with a new Netflix special: Enter the Florpus. The series holds a special place in the cartoon canon as the one of the weirdest, most horrific, and arguably most beloved series of the early millennium. In the years since it was last on the air in 2006, the series’ infamy hasn’t faded.Nickelodeon brought back series creator Jhonen Vasquez for Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus nearly 20 years after the original cartoon aired on Nickelodeon. After catching up with him last year during San Diego Comic-Con, Polygon picked Vasquez’s brain over email about returning to the series, maintaining its characteristic flavor, and the ironic proliferation of Zim merch across the past decade.Polygon: Invader Zim is back | 38,355 |
Een consensus wordt niet afgedwongen en nog minder geframed. Over alle politiek belangrijke zaken wordt in de ministerraad beraadslaagd. In de ministerraad wordt er beslist bij consensus. Dat betekent dat iedere minister akkoord moet gaan met de voorgenomen beslissing, zonder dat er daarover echt wordt gestemd. Die consensus is een noodzaak voor de samenhang van de regering. De ministers moeten samen de consensus uitdragen en verdedigen. Wie dat niet doet is niet solidair. Men kan niet tegelijk in en buiten de regering staan.
Solidair zijn houdt echter meer in. Dat betekent ook dat men geen beslissingen voorstelt waarvan men weet dat daarover geen consensus bestaat, want dan schuift men in feite de regel van de consensus opzij en laat men de meerderheid gelden. Consensus kan niet worden afgedwongen, dat is nog maar eens bewezen. Het stond in de sterren geschreven dat het Migratiecompact voor één regeringspartij moeilijk lag of dat alleszins zou kunnen worden. Het voorwenden dat er daarover wel een voldoende consensus zou geweest zijn, lijkt dan ook meer op framen. Een eerste minister die zich verschuilt achter een schijn van consensus, kan geen regering leiden. Als de consensus schijn is, is de regering dat ook.
In de diplomatie wordt er nogal eens wollig en met gespleten tong gesproken. Om zoveel mogelijk landen mee te krijgen speelt men met woorden. Het is een ‘compact’, geen verdrag. De compact is niet formeel bindend in het internationaal recht, maar het is wel een politiek engagement. Die retoriek staat bol van het ‘diplomatees’ en werkt vervreemdend. De spraakgebruikelijke betekenis van ‘compact’ is volgens de Oxford English Dictionary een contract of een overeenkomst tussen twee of meer partijen. De Amerikaanse Grondwet (artikel 1, sectie 10) verbiedt zelfs de staten om zonder instemming van het Congres een compact te sluiten onder hen of met een vreemde mogendheid. In de ‘Duck-test’ is het Migratiecompact dus een verdrag, punt aan de lijn (I fit looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck: als het eruitziet als een eend, zwemt als een eend en kwaakt als een eend, dan is het waarschijnlijk een eend). Het Migratiecompact is een sluipend verdrag. Het is deze double-talk die de cohesie in de regering in het gedrang gebracht heeft.
‘Marrakesh vaut bien une messe anticonstitutionelle’
Volgens de Grondwet zijn er hoogstens 15 ministers (artikel 99). De eerste minister niet meegerekend, moeten er evenveel Nederlandstalige als Franstalige ministers zijn, dat is dus 7/7. Die regel geldt ook voor een ontslagnemende regering. De drie N-VA ministers hebben de regering verlaten. Zij hebben intussen ook hun ontslag gekregen met een Koninklijk Besluit. Daardoor zijn er maar vijf Nederlandstalige ministers meer in de regering en is de regering niet grondwettig samengesteld. Een ongrondwettig | 38,356 |
The IDF conducted a staged evacuation of “wounded” soldiers from a military vehicle struck Sunday by a Hezbollah anti-tank missile just inside Israel’s border with Lebanon, sources confirmed.
After the armored vehicle was struck Sunday afternoon, the army dispatched a helicopter to the scene and two apparently bleeding and bandaged soldiers were filmed being evacuated.
Lebanese media subsequently began reporting of a successful operation by the terror group, which struck several military targets.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up
The Iran-backed terror group quickly took responsibility for the missile strikes, saying in a statement that its fighters “destroyed an ‘Israeli’ military vehicle on the Avivim barracks road [in northern Israel] and killed and injured those in it.” Hezbollah even made a point of saying it did not interfere with the medical evacuation operation.
The IDF initially declined to comment further on the operation, and only a few hours later said that there had been no casualties in the attack. Shortly after the IDF chopper evacuated the apparently wounded soldiers to Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center, they were released without receiving any medical care, the hospital said.
Later Sunday evening, after Israel carried out extensive strikes in Lebanon in response to the missile attack, it emerged that the two “wounded” soldiers had in fact been part of a staged rescue operation planned ahead of time, sources said. Israel apparently hoped that Hezbollah, thinking it had inflicted casualties, would conclude that it had retaliated sufficiently for a pair of Israeli strikes on Hezbollah and Iranian targets late last month, and hold its fire.
(נדרשתי לצייץ מחדש) תרגיל ההונאה שצהל נקט אחה״צ: המסוק לא פינה פצועים כי לא היו פצועים. הפינוי המוסק כולו תוכנן מראש כפעולת הונאה, שמטרתה לגרום לחיזבאללה לחשוב שהצליח לפגוע בחיילים. שימו לב לרמת ההפקה pic.twitter.com/EYWuUNdt2p — רועי שרון Roy Sharon (@roysharon11) September 1, 2019
The staged evacuation followed Hezbollah’s firing of several anti-tank guided missiles that hit an army base as well as the military APC.
Military sources said that the vehicle was empty when it was struck, but that soldiers had been inside half an hour earlier. IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus initially said that the APC had been painted with a red Jewish star, identifying it as an ambulance, but later retracted the claim and clarified that the vehicle had been used as an ambulance but was not marked as such.
This wasn’t the first time the IDF had employed an apparent psychological warfare tactic in the latest flareup with Hezbollah. Last week, Lebanese media spotted an IDF jeep parked along the northern border with mannequins in uniforms inside.
Ali Shoeib, who works for Hezbollah’s Al-Manar news network, published photographs of several IDF jeeps parked near the Lebanese border, in which dummies appeared to be sitting in the front seat.
The IDF has been known to use mannequins in this fashion, placing them in bunkers or sniper’s nests in an effort to trick its enemies into thinking that these positions are full of soldiers and thus serve a deterrent effect.
The army had declined to comment on the matter.
In response to Sunday’s attack, the Israeli military said its artillery cannons and attack helicopters fired approximately 100 shells and bombs at Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
Conricus said the IDF considered the “tactical event on the ground” to be over as of Sunday evening, but that the larger strategic threat posed by Hezbollah on the border remained. The IDF remained on high alert Sunday evening, officials said.
Reacting to the incident at the opening of a Honduras diplomatic office in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted that no Israelis were so much as “scrat | 38,357 |
hektara staklenika sa hladnjačom.
– Lomimo se da li ići u taj projekt samo zbog ljudi, jer nema tko raditi – kaže Filakov.
Ali, kad vidi Stipo da su sinovi i kćer za, da žele raditi, onda zna da smisla ima.
– Valjda će se naći tržište, valjda će se nešto preokrenuti. Nema bez rada napretka. Moja otac je uvijek govorio da je zemlja vrijednost, bogatstvo. Svi smo bili zaljubljeni u tu zemlju – priča Filakov.
Mali će teško
Putnik namjernik sluša, pa se malo čudi koječemu, recimo brojkama koje se spominju. Sve zvuče veliko, i to da se godišnje na grijanje troši pola milijuna kuna, baš kao i to da se godišnje proizvede 250.000 kila paprika i 500.000 rajčice. Filakovi su veliki proizvođači, pa će nekako. Mali će teško.
– Nekada su u Baranju dolazili nadničari iz Hecegovine i Dalmacije. Meni je drago da danas svi imaju, ali nešto nije normalno ako mi više nemamo. A rekli su, bogata zemlja. Gdje je kvaka? U čemu je problem? Puno razmišljam gdje griješimo. Možda je u nama problem. Možda ne radimo dobro. Mora početi svatko svakom plaćati. Ne može bez plaćanja. Samo to i nema problema. Zadnji smo u lancu, a moramo sve platiti. Mnogi su od nas izrasli uz Konzum, ne bi se ni mi širili da nismo imali neku sigurnost. Ali, veće su to neke igre. Nekad ih dokučiti ne mogu. Nitko ne kaže što će sutra bit’ i ljudi se boje. Mali dobavljači su na rubu. Ljudske su to sudbine. I što prije netko kaže što će biti, svima će biti lakše. Ova neizvjesnost ne može dugo trajati. Ne smije – veli Filakov.
Na odlasku pokazuje nam trafostanicu od 250 kilovata što stoji kraj staklenika. Sami su izgradnju platili HEP-u da imaju struje u staklenicima, 450.000 kuna ih je koštala, a onda su je HEP-u poklonili. Pričao je to Filakov i kolegi u Nizozemskoj, to kako je do struje došao.
– Herr Filakov, nema šanse da vi tako uspijete, rekao mi je prijateljski Nizozemac – prisjeća se Filakov.
Za cijelog dana sunce se pojavilo nije. Zato je dojmova mali milijun, makar se sve svodi na jednu nerješivu zagonetku. Dok gledaš sva ta polja samo se pitaš kako to uopće može propasti!? U taj čas na radiju informacija da su dobavljači odlučili u Konzum dostaviti samo kruh i ona da se Todorić obratio naciji priopćenjem. Automobil | 38,358 |
man answers in the affirmative. The friend is incredulous. For ten thousand dollars? The man says yes; the friend pushes further. Really? Paid in cash? The man says, Well, no, but they gave me two beautiful cats, worth five thousand each!
If you know someone who’s emigrated from a Latin American country to Miami, or the child of such immigrants, chances are they’ve lived in Hialeah. Starting in the 1960s, exiles were drawn by the thousands to jobs at the manufacturing plants and clothing factories in the area.
A famous Cuban-American lyric goes:
Si tú pasas por mi casa (If you pass by my house)
Y tú ves a mi mujer (And you see my wife)
Tú le dice que estoy en Hialeah (Tell her that I’m in Hialeah)
Trabajando en factoria (Working in a factory)
Por culpa de Fidel! (Because of Fidel!)
It might be Castro’s fault that so many Cubans ended up working in the factories of Hialeah, but then the city’s success can also be attributed to him. Years of consistent immigration and the embargo have transformed Hialeah into Little Havana’s pragmatic, no-frills sister, a border town within the larger border town of Miami. Now it is the fifth largest city in Florida and nearly 95 percent Hispanic; it serves as ground zero for much of the merchandise purchased by Cuban-Americans to bring back to their relatives or be sold on the black market. The city’s micro-economies breathe in sync with the shortages that have dragged on in Cuba for the last fifty-seven years.
Serafin Blanco, a short, bald man with a silver goatee, came to the US from Cuba as a teen in 1967. He found work in Hialeah’s garment plants, and in 1980 started selling deeply discounted clothing directly from factories; the majority of his clients were the rafters coming from Cuba who needed cheap goods for their new lives in Miami and for the relatives they left behind. His stores were so successful he opened several, the most popular of which is a 40,000 square-foot cheap goods bazaar called ¡Ñooo Que Barato!, which loosely translates to Daaamn That’s Cheap! (Their tag line can be translated as: The name says it all.) Blanco later expanded the brand with a number of specialized vendors, including ¡Ñooo Que Cache! (Daaamn That’s Fancy!) and ¡Ñooo Que Baby Cache! (Daaamn That’s Fancy Baby!) for higher-end items.
My dad, who has lived in the area on and off since before I was born, revels in giving outsiders tours of Hialeah in a grinning, “Look at us Cubans, aren’t we kooky” sort of way. ¡Ñooo Que Barato! is always on the tour. I’m very much my father’s daughter—collector of stories, forager of sale racks—and ¡Ñooo Que Barato! is one of my favorite places in Miami. A reviewer on Yelp likened it to “your abuela’s old closet if it were an industrial warehouse.” Guarding the store is a life-sized statue of San Lazaro rising up out of a plastic container full of dollar donations. Inside, army-green industrial fans hang from the rafters, pirouetting the price tags. Imitation Levi’s at $17.99; guayaberas, the light, button-down shirt preferred by Cuban men of a certain age, at $7.99; refurbished laptops for $150.
Some of the most popular items at ¡Ñooo Que Barato! are the white collared shirts and burgundy pants and jumpers Cuban children are required to wear to school. The government provides each child with just one or two uniforms a year and they don’t sell them anywhere, so you couldn’t buy more even if you had the money. If you were a parent who didn’t have someone in Miami to send you extra uniforms, you’d potentially have to wash and iron the same outfit five nights a week, about 180 nights a year. Blanco’s discount stores sell a few thousand uniforms annually at $5 each. The labels on them read hecho en la yuma (made in the Yuma), “Yuma” being Cuban slang for the United States.
Given that, since 2009, Cuban-Americans have been traveling back home as often as they like, carrying thousands of dollars worth of merchandise in their suitcases each trip, it | 38,359 |
open bar and food stations, ten international themed celebrations, all five of the Nationals racing presidents, multiple DJs and bands including Gonzo’s Nose. The event will also feature DC’s largest balloon drop and other surprises. Tickets start at $112 and doors open at 8 p.m. Omni Shoreham Hotel: 2500 Calvert St. NW, DC; www.thingstodoDC.com
Back in the Day: 90’s New Year’s Eve Bash
NW, DC. Try something different this New Year’s Eve with the Back in the Day ‘90s themed celebration at Panache. Party like it’s 1999 as a DJ spins your favorite ‘90s jams like Jay-Z, Biggie and a little Britney. Tickets start at $30 and include an hour open bar and catered appetizers from 9 – 10 p.m., tables start at $500. Doors open at 9 p.m. Panache: 1725 Desales St. NW, DC; www.newyearsevedc90s.com
NYE at Recessions
NW, DC. Celebrate 2016 at Recessions where you can get too much for your money! Tickets start at $70 and include an open bar with top self liquors and a delicious food buffet. There will be karaoke, dancing in a laid back atmosphere with a free champagne toast at midnight and free party favors. Doors at 9 p.m., group rates available. Recessions: 1823 L St. NW, DC; www.recessionsdc.com
NYE 1980s Throwback Thursday at RFD
NW, DC. Ring in the New Year at RFD 1980s style! Get your swatch watches and spandex on and come party like it’s the ‘80s. No cover, ‘80s drinks, Miller High Life Champagne Toast and classic ‘80s cuisine. ‘80s movies on the tube and all the hits playing on the speakers! RFD will show you why the 1980s won’t be like the 1980s anymore!!! RFD: 810 7th St. NW, DC; www.lovethebeer.com
New Year’s Eve Blowout 2016 at Rock & Roll Hotel
NE, DC. The Rock & Roll Hotel annual New Year’s Eve party is just around the corner! Rock & Roll Hotel is excited to announce some new additions to the party as well as three DJs. The party features all three floors, two massive dance floors with live DJs all night and an open bar. There will also be a photo booth and passed hors d’oeuvres from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Rock & Roll Hotel: 1353 H St. NE, DC; www.ticketfly.com search Rock & Roll Hotel
Prost! A New Year’s Eve Party
NW, DC. DJ Travis Skinner will spin dance music and local live band the Gunners Perry will play covers. Tickets start at $85 and include a full open bar all night long, access to the schnapps bar featuring rare German schnapps and fruit brandies and passed heavy hors d’oeuvres throughout the night. There will be a midnight champagne toast and passed pastries. There will also be a late night snack provided by BonChon! Doors open at 9 p.m. Sauf Haus Bier Hall & Garten: 1216 18th St. NW, DC;www.prostnyeparty.eventbrite.com
New Year’s Eve 2016 at Scarlet Oak: Bliss
SE, DC. Bliss NYE finds a new home at the brand new Scarlet Oak in booming Navy Yard (just a stone’s throw from Nationals Park). Enjoy a one-hour open bar and Scarlet Oak catered appetizers in this upscale venue. Dance to the hottest beats provided by DJ Lil Deville. This is Scarlet Oak’s first New Year’s Eve, so it will be an epic night. Tickets start at $32 and doors open at 9:30 p.m. Scarlet Oak: 909 New Jersey Ave. SE, DC;www.newyearsdc.net
New Year’s Eve at Southern Hospitality – A New Day
NW, DC. A New Day returns to Southern Hospitality for the ultimate New Year’s Eve throw down. Enjoy a one hour open bar and appetizers on two floors with two of DC’s hottest DJs. Add a heated outdoor tented patio to the mix, and you have one of DC’s best parties. Tickets start at $30, and tables start at $500 for 6 people. Doors open at 9 p.m. Southern Hospitality: 1815 Adams Mill Rd. NW, DC; www.newyearsevedc | 38,360 |
Breitbart News Senior Editor-at-Large Peter Schweizer, author of the new best-selling book Secret Empires: How the American Political Class Hides Corruption and Enriches Family and Friends, joined SiriusXM host Rebecca Mansour on Monday’s Breitbart News Tonight to discuss his research into the deep business ties between the Chinese communist government and the family of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s wife, President Trump’s Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao.
“This is unprecedented to have a Senate majority leader and a Cabinet officer in a federal government position to have a family that is this closely tied to a foreign rival,” Schweizer said.
In a Monday article for Breitbart News, Schweizer revealed details of the latest business deal involved the family of McConnell’s wife, Trump’s Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. “They bought ten massive ships from the Chinese government since Elaine Chao became our transportation secretary. This would appear to be a conflict of interest,” said Mansour.
LISTEN:
Schweizer explained in his article article:
Foremost Group, which is owned by Sec. Elaine Chao’s father and Sen. McConnell’s father-in-law James S.C. Chao, signed contracts with a subsidiary of the state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) for four bulk cargo ships in June and September 2017. In December 2017, Chao’s company signed another contract with state-owned CSSC at Foremost’s New York office for two massive 210,000-ton ships. James S.C. Chao and two of Elaine’s sisters were in attendance. So, too, was the Consul General of China in New York, as well as representatives from the CSSC. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Then on January 31, 2018, Foremost Group ordered four more 210,000-ton ships from CSSC. Angela Chao, sister to Sec. Elaine Chao and Foremost’s Deputy Chairman, said she expects cooperation between the two entities to extend into the future. In January 2017, Angela Chao joined the board of the state-owned Bank of China.
Schweizer told Breitbart News Tonight that the terms of the Chao family’s business deal with China remain largely mysterious. The ships are massive dry-goods carriers capable of transporting large quantities of raw materials.
“The Chao family has rather extensive contracts with the Chinese government,” he noted. “These ten ships were purchased. We don’t know the purchase price. They could have gotten a sweetheart deal for them. We don’t know how the ships were paid for. We know in the past that when the Chaos have purchased ships from the Chinese government, the Chinese government has often financed the purchase of those ships, which is a pretty rare development.”
“We don’t really know any of the terms related to these vessels, other than the fact that they announced them, and that these ten ships will increase the fleet of the Chao family’s shipping company by 50 percent,” Schweizer continued.
“This is a major expansion of the company. This company goes back decades, but it’s during the first year of the Trump administration with Elaine as the transportation secretary that the Chinese government has decided to do this deal with the Chao family. Of course, that raises all kinds of questions about the financial ties between the McConnell-Chao family and the Chinese government, and what that might mean for policies or potential votes that might take place in the U.S. Senate,” he said.
Schweizer cited the globalist belief that robust trade brings countries closer together politically, and said that lofty principle applies in a much less healthy fashion to political elites as well.
“That’s one of the main contentions I make in Secret Empires, that the Chinese government is seeking commercial ties, lucrative deals for the families of American politicians precisely because they believe it will lead those politicians to be less critical of the Chinese government,” he said.
“In the case of Mitch McConnell, that is absolutely true,” he charged. “He came into the U.S. Senate in the 1980s from Kentucky. We had, of course, the Tiananmen Square massacre that took place. Mitch McConnell was probably the most critical U.S. senator on China in the midst of that massive human rights violation.”
“And yet, in 1993 his family began very lucrative ties with the Chinese government. In December of 1993 he traveled to Beijing, China with his father-in-law – that would be Elaine Chao’s father James Chao – as guests of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation. As the name implies, that is a company owned by the Chinese government. They are, in fact, one of the | 38,361 |
ja äänenä mediajulkisuudessa”.
Siksi sillä, mitä professori Korhola sanoo, on merkitystä. Ja siksi hänen avoin luentonsa (video) vaatii perusteellisen kriittisen tarkastelun. Teen sen alla.
Pahoittelen heti tekstini pituutta, mutta tämä on yksinkertaisesti suoraa seurausta arvioimastani esityksestä. Huomautettavien asioiden määrä on yksi osa sanomaani. Samoin pahoittelen tekstini poukkoilevuutta, vaikkakin uskon, että juuri siten juttuni rakenne tekee hyvin oikeutta alkuperäisen esityksen sekavuudelle. Detaljina mainittakoon, että käyttämissäni siteerauksissa esiintyvät kursivoinnit ovat minun niihin lisäämiäni.
Toteanpa tässä vielä senkin, että olen kuluneena vuonna kirjoittanut vain sangen kriittisiä blogeja; ennen Himasen ja Castellsin kirja-arviota esimerkiksi ilmastonmuutoksen pysähtymiskohusta. Näiden joukkoon tämä on taas yksi lisää. Mielelläni kirjoittaisin välillä positiivisemmistakin ilmiöistä, mutta varsinaisesti työskentelen tällä haavaa aivan muunlaisten tehtävien parissa ja olen siksi tullut tarttuneeksi vain niihin asioihin, joiden ei yksinkertaisesti voi antaa mennä. Korholan luento kuuluu tähän ryhmään.
Mutta, aloitetaan.
1. Luvassa metatason hölmöilyä?
Korhola avasi esityksensä juhlavasti siteeraamalla taloustieteilijä Paul Krugmania:
”Kuuntele harhauskoisia. Kyseenalaista. Uskalla olla hölmö. Yksinkertaista, yksinkertaista.”
Tämän tutkijanohjeen hän oli poiminut Krugmanin nobel-palkintopuheesta. Se olkoon johtotähtemme.
Sitten Korhola selvitti oman luentonsa luonnetta ja kertoi puhuvansa ”tavallaan metatasolla”. Mitä tämä sitten tarkoittaakaan. Minä tulkitsen ilmoituksen niin, että näin hän yksinkertaisesti antoi itselleen luvan puhua vähän mistä sattuu ja mitä sattuu.
2. Jopa 9 miljardia kuollutta! – tapaus Schellnhuber
Korholan luennon ensimmäinen varsinainen viesti kuului, että ilmastonmuutosta systemaattisesti liioitellaan. Hänestä liioitteluun sortuvat (muut) tutkijat, media ja poliitikot, mistä touhusta sitten saatiin ”todisteita” pitkin luentoa.
Yhtenä suuren luokan liioittelijana Korhola siteerasi Potsdamin ilmastovaikutusten tutkimuslaitoksen johtaja Hans Joachim Schellnhuberia, jonka mukaan ”jos maapallon lämpötila nousee 5 astetta, vain miljardi ihmistä voi selviytyä”.
Tämä oli ilmeisen p | 38,362 |
öyristyttävä väite, koska: ”Jokainenhan tietää, että tällainen ei perustu mihinkään tutkimukseen, eikä voi edes perustua. Eihän tällaisesta voi mitään lausua. Meillä ei ole minkäännäköisiä kantteja mennä ennustamaan, mitä tapahtuu ihmiskunnalle. Ja annettaisiinko me tuosta niinkuin 8–9 miljardin ihmisen kuolla pois?”
Niin, on tietysti totta, että absoluuttista varmuutta siitä, mitä mahtaa tapahtua 5 astetta lämpimämmässä maailmassa, ei tietenkään voi olla – ennen kuin se on koettu. Mutta, toisin kuin Korhola väitti, kyllä asiaa tutkia voi – ja on tutkittukin. Schellnhuberin esitys esimerkiksi perustui Science-lehdessä vuonna 1995 julkaistuun Joel Cohenin tutkimukseen Väestönkasvu ja maapallon kantokyky, jota oli päivitetty nykytiedon mukaiseksi.
Ja eikö ylipäänsä ole erinomaisen tärkeää yrittää arvioida 5 asteen skenaarion merkitystä? Sen mukainen maailma kun on nykyisten ilmastoennusteiden mukaan ihan mahdollinen. Minä ainakin arvostan moisia pohdintoja – ja mieluiten juuri tutkijoilta, kiitos.
Toinen vastaavan arvion tulevasta väestöromahduksesta antanut tutkija on muuten geotieteilijä James Lovelock kirjassaan The Revenge of Gaia (2006). Ketään Lovelockia syvällisemmin maapallon toimintaa ymmärtävää ihmistä en pysty kuvittelemaan.
Sen sijaan sitä, millä tavalla se, että me emme varmastikaan ”antaisi” 8–9 miljardin ihmisen kuolla pois, toimii Korholan järkeilyssä todisteena Schellnhuberin tarjoilemaa karmivaa tulevaisuudenkuvaa vastaan, en ymmärrä alkuunkaan. Onko tämän olettaman puolesta ehkä jotain tieteellistä näyttöä?
Jännittävää on sekin, että aivan luentonsa loppupuolella, Schellnhuber-kritiikin jäätyä jo unholaan, Korhola sitten loihe opettamaan, että ilman muuta kaikki varteenotettavat ilmastoennusteet pitää ottaa huomioon: ”oikea tapa olisi varmaan lukea tämä [ilmastoennusteiden] koko range ja opettaa ihmiskuntaa elämään riskien maailmassa”. Siis kyllä vai ei?
Todettakoon nyt tässä vielä sekin, että Korholan Schellnhuberin suuhun laittama sitaatti ei ole sanatarkka, eikä edes lauseen tarkka. Onneksi keskeinen ajatus on sentään oikeansuuntainen.
3. Kaikista tulee kannibaaleja! – tapaus Turner
Samassa yhteydessä Korhola irvi aikoinaan televisioyhtiö CNN:n perustaneelle Ted Turnerille, joka on vuonna 2008 tv-haastattelussa todennut, että | 38,363 |
�.
Täytyy? No, ei tietenkään täydy – totesit sen jo itsekin! Ajanjakso on vielä merkityksetön!
Kuviossa vinoraidoitetut lyhyen aikavälin lämpötilahavainnot eivät kunnolla osu malliennusteiden haarukkaan, vaan jäävät ali. Kuvakaappaus: YLE.
Mutta, niin tai näin, tekemänsä oivalluksen perusteella Korhola sitten ilmoitti, että kyseinen ”aukko voi olla ilmastoherkkyys” eli käytännössä se, kuinka paljon hiilidioksidi maapalloa lämmittää. Hänestä hiilidioksidin vaikutus on pikemminkin ”haarukan alarajalla kuin ylärajalla”.
Toisin sanoen, tekemänsä merkityksettömään pohja-aineistoon perustuvan oivalluksen takia Korhola on valmis laittamaan uusiksi ilmastotieteen keskeisen suureen. Näin helposti hän heittäisi romukoppaan valtaosan kaikesta siitä tiedosta, mitä hiilidioksidista kasvihuonekaasuna on saatu vaikkapa laboratoriomittauksin ja paleoklimatologisin havainnoin.
Lisäksi – arvaatteko jo? – Korhola liioitteli pahanpäiväisesti Fyfen ryhmän tutkimuksen merkitystä ilmastotuntemuksen aukon paljastajana. Tosiasiassa heidän analysoimansa ilmastomallit ovat nimittäin pitkän aikavälin malleja. Ne laskevat maapallon ilmastonmuutoksia useiden kymmenien vuosien ja aina parin sadan vuoden päähän. Se mitä ilmastossa tapahtuu parinkymmenen vuoden jaksoissa on niille pitkälti pelkkää taustakohinaa.
Fyfen ryhmän tutkimuksesta olisi kyllä löytynyt kuva myös siitä, miten ilmastomallit suoriutuivat tämän varsinaisen pitkän aikavälin laskentansa hoitumisesta. Se kertoo, että ajalla 1900–2012 mallit onnistuivat tehtävässään täydellisesti (kuva alla, suorat viivat).
Musta vinoraitainen alue kertoo mallien pitkän aikavälin (1900-2012) laskeman lämpenemistrendin ja punainen suora viiva toteutuneen trendin. Taustalla näkyy vastaavasti lyhytaikaisempaa vaihtelua. Lähde: Fyfe et al., Nature Climate Change, 2013.
Samassa kuvassa toki näkyy myös se, kuinka viime aikoina ennuste hieman eriää mittaushavainnoista, mutta kuten todettua, tämä on sinänsä epärelevanttia (kuva yllä, aaltoilevat käyrät).
Toki aina entistä paremmat ja täsmällisemmät mallit olisivat kivoja, mutta kyllä nämä nykyisetkin varsinaisen hommansa hoitavat.
Sitä paitsi, Korholan idolin, Paul Krugmanin, opastus yksinkertaistamisesta liittyi nimenomaan mallintamiseen. Krugmanin erityisalaa | 38,364 |
keskipitkän aikavälin muutoksia ja opasti yleisöään näin: ”Puhutaan ilmastojärjestelmän sisäisestä vaihtelusta, ja esimerkiksi ilmastomalleissa on todella vaikea ottaa tätä huomioon, koska me ei tiedetä sen säännöllisyyttä, jaksollisuutta, eikä tiedetä mikä sitä ohjaa ja ajaa. Kumpi on kana ja kumpi muna. Vaikuttaako ilmastonmuutos näihin järjestelmän sisäisiin fluktuaatioihin vai toisinpäin.”
Korholan valitsema viesti on valtava sääli, sillä tokihan monista menneistä vaihteluista tiedetään paljonkin. Tiedetään tapauksia, joissa globaalin mittakaavan muutos on aiheuttanut nopeampia ja paikallisempia ilmastoreaktioita, ja tiedetään tapauksia, joissa paikallinen nopea muutos on johtanut globaalin skaalan heijastusvaikutuksiin. Välillä ensin tulee muna, välillä kana. On surullista, että nyt professoritasolta yleisölle tarjoiltiin ennemmin sekasortoa kuin, että olisi avattu maapallollamme vaikuttavia, äärettömän kiehtovia mekanismeja.
14. Suuri loppuhuipennus
Luennon noin 54. minuutin paikkeilla alkoi loppuhuipennus. Jos olette jaksaneet tähän asti, niin pitäkäähän hatuistanne – ja logiikan rippeistänne – kiinni.
Ensin Korhola omien ilmastoherkkyyspohdintojensa innoittamana totesi ilmastokysymyksestä näin: ”Me tarvitaan vielä hirveästi paljon lisää tietoa. Kaikki ei ole ollenkaan vielä niin selvää kuin kuulutetaan”.
Sitten, tasan yhtä minuuttia ja 40 sekuntia myöhemmin, hän oli tätä mieltä: ”Meillä on täysin riittävä tieto ollut itse asiassa jo ensimmäisestä IPCC-raportista lähtien, että ihminen muuttaa ilmastoa. … Siis tietoa on ihan tarpeeksi, että me voidaan toimia.”
Siis on vai ei? You tell me.
Niin tai näin, lopuksi Korholan antoi ohjeensa sen suhteen, miten ilmastotutkimus ja -tutkijat asettuisivat keskustelussa oikeille paikoilleen ja kommunikaatio-ongelmat ratkeaisivat. Opastus kuului: ”Asiantuntijaelimien funktio, tarkoitus, ei ole kertoa yleisölle, että mitä pitäisi tehdä, vaan mitä voitaisiin tehdä”.
Hyvä, hyvä. Sovitaan näin. Mutta kyllä tässäkin on perustavanlaatuinen ristiriita sen kanssa, että aivan luentonsa aluksihan Korhola nimenomaan – aina turhautumispisteeseen asti – kantoi huolta siitä, että tutkijoiden ”viesti ei mene perille”, eiv | 38,365 |
ZZVII Game bought on IG Let's start by saying best game ever!!! The game offers many hours to play on quests, side missions card games and etc...The story line is amaziing and the cutscenes are amazing...The graphics also look great!
100 1 0 Review by TropicalMuffin (read 40 reviews) Witcher 3 is a game that lets you be whoever you choose. Your decisions actually have a huge impact on the story. Results of your very own choices are not for a few different dialogues. In fact your choices create a new atmosphere of relationships between many various characters.
The story is absolutely phenomenal and it is also where the game shines at most. Sure, the environment is good, but there is no chance it's perfect. Bugs are unfortunately unavoidable. With animation errors and bugs I don't see the world worth to be immediately fully explored. Repetitive undiscovered tasks are swarmed in almost every location imaginable, therefore it is not necessary to explore the world before taking quests. Take your quest first and explore the world for the undiscovered tasks then, that way you can actually have fun and complete your quests at the same time.
At first I didn't like it. To me it felt like every open world game that is doomed with its repetitive combat system and missions. However as soon as I start investing more hours into the game I got immediately hooked on by its adventurous story. I wanted to know what happens next, I wanted to know how my "relationship" with other characters evolves. Game does that well, hence why I couldn't stop playing the game for a whole week.
For the combat system to be fun you need to study your enemies. Investigate their weaknesses, then apply specific oils to your sword, use various bombs or simply abuse attack & dodge technique (but using that technique you will get nothing but a damage sponge match).
Try to overcome the game's first experience as I know it is not the strongest perk of the game. After some hours you will most likely be addicted to the game and will not make a single step out of your room. Story, characters, enemies, soundtrack, etc.
A lot of missions
Main story playtime is about 70ish hours
Gwent
Open world maps Bugs, animation errors, etc.
100 0 0 Review by Kimi Game bought on IG Before I watch movie I wanted to play game and game is awesome. I met a lot of brilliant characters. The map is beautiful and you will have a lot of things to do before you will be bored of this game. The game is unique :) story
graphics
100 4 0 Review by gamer-045579 It's hard to find anything bad about this game. It's immersive, fun to play, and full of brilliant characters and rich lore. On top of this, the choices you make in dialogue can have massive impacts on what happens- e.g you can choose who rules the islands of skellige through a side quest! And that's not even mentioning the amazing soundtrack, gorgeous graphics and stellar cast.
10/10 best game I have ever played amazing story, long but everything feels important
extremely immersive
detailed and rich world with great lore (from the books, which I'm reading now)
writing and voice acting is stellar, even in the most obscure side quests
good combat and progression system, lots of potential for different builds and a massive page of potions you can brew if anything, i find it annoying that the game world is mostly unaffected at the end of the game, and the effects of many big choices you make aren't shown in the open world.
100 0 0 Review by italiangamer (read 2 reviews) Game bought on IG i'm having a lot of fun with this game i like the gore feacture, i like removing body parts from the enemy, i still didn't finished the game and i have like 40 hours in it. there are a lot of secondary mission. you have to make choice that change the going of the campain good story
fun some game braking bug.
100 1 0 Review by StepanZarsky Game bought on IG Výborná hra ve všech ohledech, příběh jsem si neskutečně užil a doslova jsem se do Geralda zamiloval. Problém nastává když přidáváte na obtížnosti. Hra na nejvyšší obtížnost se velice podobá např. hře Dark Souls. VAROVÁNÍ: Nehrajte to na nejtěžší obtížnost, je to zk | 38,366 |
urvená mrdkovin vyjebaná píčovina, rupnou vám nervy, prasknou vám cévky, mrdka v košíku. Good game Nothing
100 5 0 Review by UnitedGamers (read 72 reviews) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the final chapter in the saga of Geralt of Rivia. It is an action-adventure, open world RPG by the renowned Polish studio CD Projekt Red. As you may have guessed by now, you play as a Witcher, a monster hunter capable of superhuman strength and reflexes having undergone mutations. Our protagonist Geralt is on a journey to find his adopted daughter Ciri, who has been missing for years. He must reach her before the Wild Hunt, a group of ethereal warriors trying to find her for her secret powers. Geralt is aided by a wide cast of friends and acquaintances including Yennefer and Triss, his lovers at points in life, Dandelion and Zoltan. The game has adult themes and requires a certain level of maturity to truly appreciate the intricately woven stories.
The game has many positives that it would be impossible to list them all but I shall try to shortlist the most remarkable ones. To start off, the game is set in a gorgeous world, that you are free to explore, that feels truly alive. From the icy mountains of Ard Skellige to the marshes of Velgen to the City of Novigrad, the different areas in the game have a distinct feel with their own culture and atmosphere. The devs have shown a lot of attention to the tiniest of details to make the world feel real. If you block a pedestrian’s way for too long; they get annoyed. It starts raining, and you see people run for some cover. You can even hear people sneezing and someone else shouting “bless you” at them. There are also tons of easter eggs for you to find in this massive world. You can find a prison akin to the one that contained Tyrion Lannister in the Game of Thrones series. Fan of Doctor Who? Well, you can find the Weeping Angels statues in the game, where they actually move each time you turn around! As for graphical fidelity, even 3 years after release, the game looks as good, if not better, than most AAA games that came out this year. Now that’s everything about the eye candies in the game.
What can you actually do in the world? Well, A LOT! There are several quests, both main story and side quest. The care taken to craft even smallest of the side quests can be felt. You may even end up confusing side quests with main quests due to their depth and how some of them tie up with the main story. Each quest will give you several ways to tackle them and can even have several endings. which may end up impacting the final ending as well. You can also take up witcher contracts from notice boards to slay different kinds of monsters plaguing the villagers. And if you ever feel tired from the adventures, you can just roam around the game world challenging bar owners and shopkeepers to a game of Gwent, a card game that is now a standalone game of its own. If you take your time and try to finish as many quests as possible, then you will easily have 100+ hours of content in front of you. Even if you choose to rush through the game, you will have 50+hours to enjoy here. The skill tree also allows for different playstyles, depending on which skills you decide to buy and equip. You can invest your points into combat, magic or alchemy, with each offering a slightly different playstyle. These skills can further be enhanced by various mutagens. In the Blood and Wine expansion, you can also develop mutations that grant you further customization options. All in all, the variety of quests and skills allow you to play through the game differently giving it a fair degree of replayability.
So what about the negatives? Well there aren’t many, and the few ones that I have are just nitpicks. The one that comes to mind is that the combat, along with movement, feels a bit clunky and lacking. You can tap the move key and Geralt will sort of lunge forward 3-5 step. This just feels heavy and not at all smooth, unlike the rest of the game. You can even get stuck because of smallest of bumps since you can’t jump during combat. This becomes a problem when fighting in closed space. Furthermore, In higher difficulties, there aren’t many combat paths that are viable; most notably, Alchemy-centric build isn’t a viable option in higher difficulties, preventing the combat from providing a true RPG experience.
Personally, I enjoyed my time with the game, but I had to | 38,367 |
ig geiles Spiel.
Bin eigentlich nicht der Fan von solchen Spielen, aber das hat mich es überzeugt!
Die Grafik ist einfach Bombe, und die Story erst.
Es lässt sich echt einfach bedienen und auf jeden mal ein Blick wert. Grafik
Gameplay
Story Nothing
100 3 0 Review by Arantir Game bought on IG This is best game I have ever played.!! I have spend countless hours in this fantasy world and it's still not enough just starting the HOST expansion and can't wait to deal with the invincible douchebag. Story
Combat
Evrything else :D It's really addictive
100 0 2 Review by DextY (read 2 reviews) Game bought on IG 90 hrs still not all quest completed still enjoying it i dont know what to say so many characters left omg what will i do just talk about somethine it is good game fun game never thought that i will play witcher.
100 1 0 Review by sixseptimus Marvelous game with interesting story, perfect gameplay and scenes. I loved playing it for months. I specially enjoyed hearts of stone and blood and wine DLC. I feel a bit sad because this is the final sequel. I wish a PREQUEL, please!! gameplay
story
graphics a bit bugy
100 1 0 Review by _RsR_ (read 2 reviews) Game bought on IG Um dos melhores jogos de todos os tempos, simplesmente perfeito :D
Não percas tempo e compra já o jogo que não vais te arrepender da aventura que vais experienciar no mundo do The Witcher!
Obrigado CD Projekt por este jogo épico Gráficos; Banda Sonora ; Jogabilidade
Mapa aberto com imenso detalhe
As escolhas dos diálogos altera o rumo da historia podendo criar imensos finais diferentes
Historia simplestemente fantastica
Vozes dos atores Sem modo online
90 5 2 Review by Ryusennin (read 7 reviews) Game bought on IG The Witcher 3 is easily the single best game of the last three years. Apart from a couple of jewels like Bloodborne, the "PS4 generation" has been notoriously poor in original games and rich in lazy PS3 ports. This RPG runs great on PS4 and even greater on PC. It also features the two best DLCs in the history of DLCs (especially Blood and Wine). Ubisoft and co look completely silly compared to what CD Projekt achieved this gen. Don't pass it up. Massive, immersive
Gorgeous graphics and music Too short (150 hours)
100 1 0 Review by Orchidia92 Game bought on IG The Game is awesome!!!! Don't wait! Buy it! I get my copy game instantly after buying it so IG is a rly good site for buying the games. I am very happy to play finally The Witcher 3 game with expansion pack. History
Graphic
Gameplay
100 1 0 Review by Lazygenius Game bought on IG Great game. One of, if not the best game I ever played. Worth every penny. The story is interesting, the characters are also worth remembering. Choices from previous games also matter (but not it a big way), so anyone can play and understand 95% of the story. But the game provides the lore in the when reading about characters. All in all, a very good game for series newcomers and veterans. Great story
varied missions (each monster takes different techniques to defeat)
impresive game length
Great graphics none I can think of.
100 2 1 Review by Portal2Master98 (read 2 reviews) Game bought on IG One of the best games i have ever played. I've played normal version without DLCs at my friends computer and i knew that i need this game. I bought GOTY edition because all the DLCs you get are really worth it. Story
Characters
Game mechanics
Everything Nothing
100 2 2 Review by Craig Game bought on IG Truly a magnificent game, purchased it for my Xbox One when it first released and was hooked on the beautifully written quest and voice acting, paired with the uniqueness of every character. but due to working long hours, my time playing the game was virtually not there, so I sold it and later regretted it, due to the game being so damn awesome.
So when I hear the game of the year edition was out, I couldn't give it | 38,368 |
a miss, and I am not dissapointed, The game in ultra settings is just beautiful, the story and quests are immersive, and the world is enormous.
To summarise: There are a big variety of meaningful side quests to glide through, the action is engaging and challenging, the visuals are breath-taking and the characters are immersive. 10/10. Visuals
Combat mechanincs
100 2 1 Review by TotalKoshmar Game bought on IG Best Game of all time. Bethesda and Bioware should learn from Cdpr. Truly a masterpiece game, I hope cdpr makes another witcher title. I played trough this game 3 times already that says a lot how good this game is, not many games these days make u wanna play the game this much. Stuning world 10/10
Gameplay 10/10
Story 10/10
Combat 8/10 Sometimes buggy but there isn't anything that the patches won't fix
100 1 2 Review by Allernoty Game bought on IG Great game for everyone. If you have time and good grafic card, then you can savor this game for real. Just read all conversations in game wich belong to the story and im 100% sure you gonna like this game same as i do. game-play
game-time
grafic
story
fights Horse riding / horse call
grafic requirements
100 3 3 Review by Itsuka99 Game bought on IG It's truly a masterpiece!
When I first started playing The Witcher 3 I was a bit nervous if I'd like it, because I have never really liked any RPG games other than Skyrim. But once I got in the game and saw the beautiful landscape of Kaer Morhen, I knew i would love this game, and so I did! Well written story, and plenty of side quests
Beautiful graphics
Huge map
NAKED LADIES AND SEX
Just buy it already! Not really any cons, a few bugs there and there but they're not game breaking
90 1 15 Review by gamer-0bc2d4 Game bought on IG This game is taking over my existence... now its time to buy the dlc :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
100 1 2 Review by Timpez (read 2 reviews) First couple hours are pretty hard. If you are starting to play this game, i give you couple tips.
1. Meditate to get heal back instantly
2. when level up, take heal mutation to get 500 vitalis
3. learn to fight with sword. Its very important to perry!
4. Read information about enemy who you are against
5. Improve your fighting skills. Dodge, perry, and make sure you yous your level up points to be more powerfull attacks. Fights Horse fights
Horse bugs in enviroment
100 2 2 Review by Sevf Game bought on IG This game is taking over my existence... now its time to buy the dlc :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) Immersive AF NOTHING
100 1 1 Review by DEVILDOX (read 2 reviews) Game bought on IG One of the best games i ever played, and i play since games like asteroid so yeah this is a game that make your time worth this game is amazing and immersaive, it feels like you are playing an online game at all time, sometimes it feel even more populate than online mmorpg even dough this is an offline game Amazing Graphics | 38,369 |
philosophy and public law at the UCLA School of Law (JD, 2001, Order of the Coif). The University of Cambridge presented him with an earned LLD in 2015 for his work in legal theory.
Jeremy Jennings is an English political theorist and Professor of Political Theory at King's College London. He received his doctorate from the University of Oxford, and then taught at the University of Swansea (1979-1995), the University of Birmingham (1995-2005), and Queen Mary University of London (2005-2013). He served as Head of Department in Birmingham and at Queen Mary, was Vincent Wright Professor at the Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques in Paris in 2006 and was also a visiting fellow at the University of Columbia Research Centre in Paris. Jeremy holds a visiting professorship with the Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques. He edited Liberty Fund’s edition of Destutt de Tracy's Treatise on Political Economy (2011), edited with Aurelian Craiutu a volume of Alexis de Tocqueville's writings on America after 1840 (CUP, 2009), and Revolution and the Republic: A History of Political Thought in France since the Eighteenth Century (2011).
Chandran Kukathas has the Chair in Political Theory and Head of Department at the London School of Economics. He completed his BA in History and Political Science at the Australian National University and his MA in Politics at the University of New South Wales before going on to a DPhil in Politics at Oxford University. He has taught at the Royal Military College, Canberra; Oxford; the Australian National University; the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy; and the University of Utah, where he held the Neal Maxwell Chair in Political Theory in the Department of Political Science. He is the author of The Liberal Archipelago: A Theory of Diversity and Freedom (Oxford University Press, 2003).
David M. Hart received a Ph.D. in history from King's College, Cambridge on the work of two French classical liberals of the early 19th century, Charles Comte and Charles Dunoyer. He then taught for 15 years in the Department of History at the University of Adelaide in South Australia before joining the Liberty Fund as Director of the Online Library of Liberty Project in 2001. He is currently the Academic Editor of Liberty Fund's six volume translation of the Collected Works of Frédéric Bastiat. He is also editing for Liberty Fund a translation of Molinari's Conversations on Saint Lazarus Street: Discussions on Economic Laws and the Defence of Property (1849). Recent works include co-editing with Robert Leroux two anthologies of 19th century French classical liberal thought: French Liberalism in the 19th Century: An Anthology (London and New York: Routledge, 2011) and in French, L'Âge d'or du libéralisme français. Anthologie. XIXe siècle (The Golden Age of French Liberalism) (Paris: Ellipses, 2014). On his personal website <http://davidmhart.com/liberty> David has a considerable number of resources on 19th century classical liberal thought.
Additional Reading
LEAD ESSAY: Jacob T. Levy, "Rationalism, Pluralism, and the History of Liberal Ideas" [Posted: May 2, 2016]↩
In Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom I argue for the existenceof a deep and recurring tension within liberal theories of freedom, between on the one hand a family of views concerned with the risk of tyranny posed by the modern, centralized and centralizing, Weberian state, and on the other a family of views that see the graver threats to liberty as arising from customary, local, religious, traditional, and decentralized authority. To put it another way, the first approach sees intermediate groups—from the family through churches and voluntary associations to local and provincial government—as sites of freedom, wherein free persons live their various lives according to their various choices, and as bulwarks protecting us against state power. The second, by contrast, sees such groups as real or potential sites of local despotism, and trusts to the rationalizing force of the modern state to check the power of local and internal elites, of personalistic domination, and of the obscure and conservative rules associated with group life. I refer to the first view as pluralist liberalism and the second as rationalist liberalism: both liberal, because both concerned with the protection of freedom, but divided by competing analyses of where the greater social threat to it lays.
I describe these as competing liberal social theories of power. I don’t think that they necessarily differ on basic moral questions; in particular, I don’t think that they genuinely differ on any question like “are individuals morally primary?” or “do groups have rights?” Those, I argue, are red herring debates. On | 38,370 |
The Linux system call interface is a single instruction: int 0x80. All system calls are done via this interrupt. To make a system call, eax should contain a number that indicates which system call is being invoked, and other registers are used to hold the arguments, if any. If the system call takes one argument, it will be in ebx; a system call with two arguments will use ebx and ecx. Likewise, edx, esi, and edi are used if a third, fourth, or fifth argument is required, respectively. Upon return from a system call, eax will contain the return value. If an error occurs, eax will contain a negative value, with the absolute value indicating the error.
The numbers for the different system calls are listed in /usr/include/asm/unistd.h. A quick peek will tell us that the exit system call is assigned the number 1. Like the C function, it takes one argument, the value to return to the parent process, and so this will go into ebx.
We now know all we need to know to create the next version of our program, one that won't need assistance from any external functions to work:
; tiny.asm BITS 32 GLOBAL _start SECTION.text _start: mov eax, 1 mov ebx, 42 int 0x80
Here we go:
$ nasm -f elf tiny.asm $ gcc -Wall -s -nostdlib tiny.o $./a.out ; echo $? 42
Ta-da! And the size?
$ wc -c a.out 372 a.out
Now that's tiny! Almost a fourth the size of the previous version!
So... can we do anything else to make it even smaller?
How about using shorter instructions?
If we generate a list file for the assembly code, we'll find the following:
00000000 B801000000 mov eax, 1 00000005 BB2A000000 mov ebx, 42 0000000A CD80 int 0x80
Well, gee, we don't need to initialize all of ebx, since the operating system is only going to use the lowest byte. Setting bl alone will be sufficient, and will take two bytes instead of five.
We can also set eax to one by xor'ing it to zero and then using a one-byte increment instruction; this will save two more bytes.
00000000 31C0 xor eax, eax 00000002 40 inc eax 00000003 B32A mov bl, 42 00000005 CD80 int 0x80
I think it's pretty safe to say that we're not going to make this program any smaller than that.
As an aside, we might as well stop using gcc to link our executable, seeing as we're not using any of its added functionality, and just call the linker, ld, ourselves:
$ nasm -f elf tiny.asm $ ld -s tiny.o $./a.out ; echo $? 42 $ wc -c a.out 368 a.out
Four bytes smaller. (Hey! Didn't we shave five bytes off? Well, we did, but alignment considerations within the ELF file caused it to require an extra byte of padding.)
So... have we reached the end? Is this as small as we can go?
Well, hm. Our program is now seven bytes long. Do ELF files really require 361 bytes of overhead? What's in this file, anyway?
We can peek into the contents of the file using objdump:
$ objdump -x a.out | less
The output may look like gibberish, but right now let's just focus on the list of sections:
Sections: Idx Name Size VMA LMA File off Algn 0.text 00000007 08048080 08048080 00000080 2**4 CONTENTS, ALLOC, LOAD, READONLY, CODE 1.comment 0000001c 00000000 00000000 00000087 2**0 CONTENTS, READONLY
The complete.text section is listed as being seven bytes long, just as we specified. So it seems safe to conclude that we now have complete control of the machine-language content of our program.
But then there's this other section named ".comment". Who ordered that? And it's 28 bytes long, even! We may not be sure what this.comment section is, but it seems a good bet that it isn't a necessary feature....
The.comment section is listed as being located at file offset 00000087 (hexadecimal). If we use a hexdump program to look at that area of the file, we will see:
000000 | 38,371 |
num dw 0 ; e_shentsize dw 0 ; e_shnum dw 0 ; e_shstrndx ehdrsize equ $ - ehdr phdr: ; Elf32_Phdr dd 1 ; p_type dd 0 ; p_offset dd $$ ; p_vaddr dd $$ ; p_paddr dd filesize ; p_filesz dd filesize ; p_memsz dd 5 ; p_flags dd 0x1000 ; p_align phdrsize equ $ - phdr filesize equ $ - $$
After all, bytes are bytes!
$ nasm -f bin -o a.out tiny.asm $ chmod +x a.out $./a.out ; echo $? 42 $ wc -c a.out 84 a.out
Not bad, eh?
Now we've really gone as low as we can go. Our file is exactly as long as one ELF header and one program header table entry, both of which we absolutely require in order to get loaded into memory and run. So there's nothing left to reduce now!
Except...
Well, what if we could do the same thing to the program header table that we just did to the program? Have it overlap with the ELF header, that is. Is it possible?
It is indeed. Take a look at our program. Note that the last eight bytes in the ELF header bear a certain kind of resemblence to the first eight bytes in the program header table. A certain kind of resemblence that might be described as "identical".
So...
; tiny.asm BITS 32 org 0x08048000 ehdr: db 0x7F, "ELF" ; e_ident db 1, 1, 1, 0 _start: mov bl, 42 xor eax, eax inc eax int 0x80 db 0 dw 2 ; e_type dw 3 ; e_machine dd 1 ; e_version dd _start ; e_entry dd phdr - $$ ; e_phoff dd 0 ; e_shoff dd 0 ; e_flags dw ehdrsize ; e_ehsize dw phdrsize ; e_phentsize phdr: dd 1 ; e_phnum ; p_type ; e_shentsize dd 0 ; e_shnum ; p_offset ; e_shstrndx ehdrsize equ $ - ehdr dd $$ ; p_vaddr dd $$ ; p_paddr dd filesize ; p_filesz dd filesize ; p_memsz dd 5 ; p_flags dd 0x1000 ; p_align phdrsize equ $ - phdr filesize equ $ - $$
And sure enough, Linux doesn't mind our parsimony one bit:
$ nasm -f bin -o a.out tiny.asm $ chmod +x a.out $./a.out ; echo $? 42 $ wc -c a.out 76 a.out
Now we've really gone as low as we can go. There's no way to overlap the two structures any more than this. The bytes simply don't match up. This is the end of the line!
Unless, that is, we could change the contents of the structures to make them match even further....
How many of these fields is Linux actually looking at, anyway? For example, does Linux actually check to see if the e_machine field contains 3 (indicating an Intel 386 target), or is it just assuming that it does?
As a matter of fact, in that case it does. But a surprising number of other fields are being quietly ignored.
So: Here's what is and isn't essential in the ELF header. The first four bytes have to contain the magic number, or else Linux won't touch it. The other three bytes in the e_ident field are not checked, however, which means we have no less than twelve contiguous bytes we can set to anything at all. e_type has to be set to 2, to indicate an executable, and e_machine has to be 3, as just noted. e_version is, like the version number inside e_ident, completely ignored. (Which is sort of understandable, seeing as currently there's only one version of the ELF standard.) e_entry naturally has to be valid, since it points to the start of the program. And clearly, e_phoff needs to contain the correct offset of the program header table in the file, and e_phnum needs to contain the right number of entries in said table. e_flags, however, is documented as being currently unused for Intel, so it should be free for us to reuse. e_ehsize is supposed to be used to verify that the ELF header has the expected size, | 38,372 |
but Linux pays it no mind. e_phentsize is likewise for validating the size of the program header table entries. This one is checked, but only in 2.2 kernels after version 2.2.17. Earlier 2.2 kernels ignored it, as does 2.4.0. And everything else in the ELF header is about the section header table, which doesn't come into play with executable files.
And now how about the program header table entry? Well, p_type has to contain 1, to mark it as a loadable segment. p_offset really needs to have the correct file offset to start loading. Likewise, p_vaddr needs to contain the proper load address. Note, however, that we're not required to load at 0x08048000. Almost any address can be used as long as it's above 0x00000000, below 0x80000000, and page-aligned. The p_paddr field is documented as being ignored, so that's automatically free. p_filesz indicates how many bytes to load out of the file into memory, and p_memsz indicates how large the memory segment needs to be, so these numbers ought to be relatively sane. p_flags indicates what permissions to give the memory segment. It needs to be readable (4), or it won't be usable at all, and it needs to also be executable (1), or else we can't execute code in it. Other bits can probably be set as well, but we need to have those at minimum. Finally, p_align gives the alignment requirements for the memory segment. This field is mainly used when relocating segments containing position-independent code (as for shared libraries), so for an executable file Linux will ignore whatever garbage we store here.
All in all, that's a fair bit of leeway. In particular, a bit of scrutiny will reveal that most of the necessary fields in the ELF header are in the first half - the second half is almost completely free for munging. With this in mind, we can interpose the two structures quite a bit more than we did previously:
; tiny.asm BITS 32 org 0x00200000 db 0x7F, "ELF" ; e_ident db 1, 1, 1, 0 _start: mov bl, 42 xor eax, eax inc eax int 0x80 db 0 dw 2 ; e_type dw 3 ; e_machine dd 1 ; e_version dd _start ; e_entry dd phdr - $$ ; e_phoff phdr: dd 1 ; e_shoff ; p_type dd 0 ; e_flags ; p_offset dd $$ ; e_ehsize ; p_vaddr ; e_phentsize dw 1 ; e_phnum ; p_paddr dw 0 ; e_shentsize dd filesize ; e_shnum ; p_filesz ; e_shstrndx dd filesize ; p_memsz dd 5 ; p_flags dd 0x1000 ; p_align filesize equ $ - $$
As you can (hopefully) see, the first twenty bytes of the program header table now overlap the last twenty bytes of the ELF header. The two dovetail quite nicely, actually. There are only two parts of the ELF header within the overlapped region that matter. The first is the e_phnum field, which just happens to coincide with the p_paddr field, one of the few fields in the program header table which is definitely ignored. The other is the e_phentsize field, which coincides with the top half of the p_vaddr field. These are made to match up by selecting a non-standard load address for our program, with a top half equal to 0x0020.
Now we have really left behind all pretenses of portability...
$ nasm -f bin -o a.out tiny.asm $ chmod +x a.out $./a.out ; echo $? 42 $ wc -c a.out 64 a.out
... but it works! And the program is twelve bytes shorter, exactly as predicted.
This is where I say that we can't do any better than this, but of course, we already know that we can -- if we could get the program header table to reside completely within the ELF header. Can this holy grail be achieved?
Well, we can't just move it up another twelve bytes without hitting hopeless obstacles trying to reconcile several fields in both structures. The only other possibility would be to have it start immediately following the first four bytes. This puts the first part of the program header table comfortably within the e_ident area, but still leaves problems with the rest of it. After some experimenting, it looks like it isn't going to quite be possible.
However, it turns out that | 38,373 |
there are still a couple more fields in the program header table that we can pervert.
We noted that p_memsz indicates how much memory to allocate for the memory segment. Obviously it needs to be at least as big as p_filesz, but there wouldn't be any harm if it was larger....
Secondly, it turns out that, contrary to every expectation, the executable bit can be dropped from the p_flags field, and Linux will set it for us anyway. Why this works, I honestly don't know -- maybe because Linux sees that the entry point goes to this segment? In any case, it works.
So, with these facts in mind, we can reorganize the file into this little monstrosity:
; tiny.asm BITS 32 org 0x00001000 db 0x7F, "ELF" ; e_ident dd 1 ; p_type dd 0 ; p_offset dd $$ ; p_vaddr dw 2 ; e_type ; p_paddr dw 3 ; e_machine dd filesize ; e_version ; p_filesz dd _start ; e_entry ; p_memsz dd 4 ; e_phoff ; p_flags _start: mov bl, 42 ; e_shoff ; p_align xor eax, eax inc eax ; e_flags int 0x80 db 0 dw 0x34 ; e_ehsize dw 0x20 ; e_phentsize dw 1 ; e_phnum dw 0 ; e_shentsize dw 0 ; e_shnum dw 0 ; e_shstrndx filesize equ $ - $$
The p_flags field has been changed from 5 to 4, as we noted we could get away with doing. This 4 is also the value of the e_phoff field, which gives the offset into the file for the program header table, which is exactly where we've located it. The program (remember that?) has been moved down to lower part of the ELF header, beginning at the e_shoff field and ending inside the e_flags field.
Note that the load address has been changed to a much lower number -- as low as it can be, in fact. This keeps the value in the e_entry field to a reasonably small number, which is good since it's also the p_memsz number. (Actually, with virtual memory it hardly matters -- we could have left it at our original value and it would probably work just as well. But there's no harm in being polite.)
And so...
$ nasm -f bin -o a.out tiny.asm $ chmod +x a.out $./a.out ; echo $? 42 $ wc -c a.out 52 a.out
... and so, with both the program header table and the program itself completely embedded within the ELF header, our executable file is now exactly as big as the ELF header! No more, no less. And still running without a single complaint from Linux!
Now, finally, we have truly and certainly reached the absolute minimum possible. There can be no question about it, right? After all, we have to have a complete ELF header (even if it is badly mangled), or else Linux wouldn't give us the time of day!
Right?
Wrong. We have one last dirty trick left.
It seems to be the case that if the file isn't quite the size of a full ELF header, Linux will still play ball, and fill out the missing bytes with zeros. We have no less than seven zeros at the end of our file, and if we drop them from the file image:
; tiny.asm BITS 32 org 0x00001000 db 0x7F, "ELF" ; e_ident dd 1 ; p_type dd 0 ; p_offset dd $$ ; p_vaddr dw 2 ; e_type ; p_paddr dw 3 ; e_machine dd filesize ; e_version ; p_filesz dd _start ; e_entry ; p_memsz dd 4 ; e_phoff ; p_flags _start: mov bl, 42 ; e_shoff ; p_align xor eax, eax inc eax ; e_flags int 0x80 db 0 dw 0x34 ; e_ehsize dw 0x20 ; e_phentsize db 1 ; e_phnum ; e_shentsize ; e_shnum ; e_shstrndx filesize equ $ - $$
... we can, incredibly enough, still produce a working executable:
$ nasm -f bin -o a.out tiny.asm $ chmod +x a.out $./a.out ; echo $? 42 $ wc -c a | 38,374 |
the planet, this was a guy who could bring a dash of that elusive ‘winning mentality’ – a player who had won six consecutive Scudetti and been to two of the last three Champions League finals. He was immediately handed the Milan captaincy.
As with the rest of the side, early performances had been encouraging, but on Sunday he was all at sea. Bonucci lost track of Immobile at the back post on Lazio’s second goal, and seemed to get caught in no man’s land on the third as well. For the fourth he was nowhere to be seen, having been caught up the pitch attempting to support the attack.
Gazzetta dello Sport named him the worst player on the pitch, with a rating of four out of 10. That might have been taking things a bit far, but this was not a good day at the office. At times Bonucci was guilty of getting drawn out of position in a bid to cover for team-mates’ mistakes, but in other moments he was simply losing his one-on-one battles.
He has not forgotten to defend overnight, of course, and none should doubt that better days lie ahead. Having Alessio Romagnoli back to full fitness will be a boon – permitting Montella to move beyond his current 4-3-3 and experiment with a three-man defence similar to the one that Bonucci was part of most often in Turin.
These are still early days for a project with grand ambitions. If Rome was not built in a day, then Milan cannot be restored to the pinnacle of world football in a single summer, either. Nevertheless, a defeat this heavy cannot be shrugged off completely. Sharp improvement is required if this team hopes to weather further storms that lie ahead.
Talking points
• Just the five goals for Fiorentina as they blitzed Verona at the Bentegodi. That scoreline, it must be said, owed a lot to the hosts’ deficiencies but after defeats to Inter and Sampdoria this was a timely result for a young Viola team, featuring the 22-year-old Giovanni Simeone (son of Diego) and the 19-year-old Federico Chiesa (son of Enrica) in its front line. This might not be the strongest Fiorentina side we have seen in recent years, but with five other players under 26 in the starting lineup at the weekend, it is certainly a young one, and it will be interesting to watch it develop.
• And while you’re waiting for that to happen, maybe just stop for the next year to admire Jordan Veretout’s free-kick.
ACF Fiorentina BRA (@AcfFiorentinaBr) Você que não viu o Golaço de Jordan Veretout, Confere ai essa Pintura:#ForzaViola pic.twitter.com/ntLj74Edfp
• Another round of games, another round of VAR conversations. Claudio Gavillucci had initially awarded Inter a free-kick when João Mário was brought down by SPAL’s Francesco Vicari on the edge of the box, but replays showed pretty quickly that this should have been a penalty. So why did it take five minutes for the referee to reach the same conclusion? I’m still inclined to call these teething problems which should improve over time, but I can see why people get frustrated.
• The game was Inter-SPAL. And the sponsor on SPAL’s shirt?
Andrea Motta (@neoandrea) #InterSpal: it's funny to see this sponsor today on #Spal's shirt. #SerieA pic.twitter.com/8d0tMQD0sa
• Wins for Inter, Juventus and Napoli mean those three remain level at the top on maximum points. Sampdoria were denied the chance to keep pace after their game against Roma was postponed due to rain in Genoa.
• It was interesting to see how Massimiliano Allegri shuffled his deck before Juve’s Champions League game against Barcelona this week. Wojciech Szczesny made his debut in goal, while Blaise Matuidi and Douglas Costa both got their first starts for the club as well. In the end, though, things still got a lot more straightforward for the Bianconeri once Paulo Dybala had come on to replace the latter member of that trio.
• Rodrigo Palacio: better at American football tackling than the Milan native who made his (otherwise highly successful) NFL debut on Sunday night.
Results: Atalanta 2-1 Sassuolo, Benevento 0-1 Torino, Bologna 0-3 Napoli, | 38,375 |
“Zindagi ko badalne mein Waqt nahi lagta
Par Waqt badalne mein Zindagi lag jati hai!”
Times have changed! The Indian political landscape and narrative have undergone a radical transformation ever since Modi brought BJP to victory in 2014. Delhi and Bihar notwithstanding, results from the latest assembly elections confirm the trend that started with the general elections in 2014 - of BJP slowly expanding its national footprint, the Congress dramatically losing vote share and regional parties emerging as principle opponents to the BJP. These three factors have completely changed the political landscape in the country.
Nationalisation of the BJP
Not so long ago the BJP was labelled as a Hindi-belt party, and the Congress prided itself on its pan-India presence. Today, it is a different story. With 13 states under its belt, the BJP’s footprint is now visible in all four corners of the country. What it needs to do now is to consolidate and build on its gains, particularly in areas like Kerala and West Bengal, while maintaining dominance in its traditional bastions.
It was virtually unimaginable in 2013 that this would happen.The Modi magic has not only brought the BJP to power at the centre, it has also ensured BJP’s spread to hitherto unchartered waters. Modi will, perhaps, go down as the foremost political figure in BJP’s history who took the party to the zenith of political dominance.
Regionalisation of the Opposition
The shifting of the centre of gravity towards BJP and the consequent weakening of the Congress effectively makes the regional parties the main challengers to BJP’s dominance. And there are quite a few. If Arvind Kejriwal was the giant killer a year ago, Nitish Kumar became the toast of the town six months ago, and now Mamata Banerjee is the flavor of the season. And we haven’t yet come to the forthcoming elections in UP.
What is clear is that the gradual weakening of the UPA (or what remains of it). DMK, NCP, IUML have stagnated. The Left’s dalliance with the Congress has been a disaster in Bengal. With the Congress no longer remaining the pole for opposition, regional parties will venture out to be lead players. Can they arrive at a common platform? Unlikely if we go by earlier evidence. But if Nitish could go with Lalu in Bihar and the Left with Congress in Bengal, anything is possible. Pursuit of power scores over ideology, especially when survival is at stake.
Marginalisation of the Congress
Perhaps the most trending news today is the marginalisation of the Congress. As if the decimation at the centre was not enough, it is slowly bleeding to death in the states. The real bad news for the Congress is the latter. First, in our federal polity, foothold in important states ensures relevance at the centre. The decreasing footprint of the Congress reduces its leverage at the national level, thereby allowing multiple regional players to fill that space. Second, lack of regional footprint reduces the ability of the party to perform electorally at the national level. It is indeed a vicious cycle that the Congress is likely to endure – decreasing leverage at national level will affect regional image and weak regional performance in turn will affect national electoral prospects.
This is also the reason that the Congress will find it difficult to fight back – it has not invested in local leadership. This will prove to be the fundamental factor for its bleak future. The culture of the Congress has revolved around the hegemony of the Gandhi family, which extracted more political (and financial) capital from states than it provided. It will take years before it is able to start cultivating local leaders again. But does it have the time?
Key Lessons from these Polls
There are four key takeaways for political parties from these state elections (and those before).
Politics is a long term game. BJP didn’t get Assam just like that. It was in the works for years. Mamata’s dominance in Bengal was built over decades. Credible local leadership is the most basic ingredient for victory. All the recent state assembly elections are testament to this fact. You ignore this principle at your own peril – compare the Delhi and Bihar duds for BJP with that in Assam. Or Mamata versus Who? in Bengal. Alliances matter. But only when the alliances have credible faces backing it. The JD(U)-RJD-Congress alliance in Bihar had strong personalities like Nitish and Lalu to manage the inherent contradictions; the Left-Congress alliance in Bengal had none. The secularism game spawns a counter-minority mobilisation. It’s fine as long as the game yields rich dividends as it did for the Congress, the Left and some regional parties for decades; but if overdone it can be debilitating. UP in 2014, Assam in 2016 reflect a reverse Hindu polar | 38,376 |
It’s hard to know when a piece of software has been sufficiently tested. Code coverage metrics are a partial answer. Basically, a coverage metric is a function that maps each execution to a set of coverage targets. For example, if we are performing function coverage, then the universe of targets is comprised of functions from the source code (or object code) and an execution covers every function from which it causes at least one statement or instruction to execute.
Can a bug hide from function coverage? This isn’t hard:
void foo (void) { if (!x) bug(); }
As long as foo() is called with x having a non-zero value, the function will be covered but the bug will not fire. We can fix this particular problem by tightening up the coverage metric, for example by insisting on statement coverage, where each statement in the program is a separate coverage target.
Let’s talk now about branch coverage, which insists that every conditional branch executes both ways. This is very similar to statement coverage except that it fixes a major hole in statement coverage where you can get 100% coverage without executing the false condition of any conditional that lacks an else branch.
Branch coverage is interesting because it’s about the strongest coverage metric that makes sense in practice. We can easily define metrics that have more coverage targets, such a path coverage, but achieving full coverage is extremely difficult and also it forces us to confront hard questions about the feasibility of paths. Here’s a page that provides a quick overview of the common and some no-so-common coverage metrics.
The rest of this piece is a partial list of ways that bugs can hide from branch coverage, and also some discussion of how we might go about finding these bugs.
Bug-Hiding Strategy #1: Concurrency
Hiding a bug using multithreading is really easy. For example:
void called_by_thread_1 () { p = NULL;... do something quick... p = q;... do something slow... } int called_by_thread_2 () { return *p; }
Assume that p is an atomic variable and that q is never NULL. We can easily get full branch coverage without testing the case where called_by_thread_2() dereferences a null pointer, and in fact that odds are this is what will happen. Concurrent programs want specialized coverage metrics; here’s a paper that I like.
Bug-Hiding Strategy #2: Math Overflow
This code looks innocent:
int average (int x, int y) { return (x+y)/2; }
But unfortunately, on a platform with 32-bit ints, average (1000000000, 2000000000) returns -647483648, despite the fact that the actual result is perfectly representable in 32-bit two’s complement. The problem is that the intermediate value x+y overflows. This is undefined behavior in C/C++. In practice we expect wrapping behavior from this kind of overflow, but even wrapping produces the wrong answer here.
Common test coverage metrics, including very difficult ones like path coverage, do not help us find math overflow bugs. One possibility would be to add overflow checks to the source code and then aim for branch coverage, but this is horrible. One could also add overflow checks using the compiler and then aim for branch coverage of the object code; this probably only makes sense in conjunction with test-case generation tools such as Klee.
The real solution to math overflow bugs is systematic documentation and enforcement of constraints on integer values, supported by a tool such as Frama-C. For example, the average() function would be preceded by this annotation:
/*@ requires x + y <= INT_MAX; */
Adding x and y inside the annotation does not cause overflow problems because integer operations in the annotation language are the mathematical ones, not the C ones. The problem with writing these annotations is that it is very hard work.
Bug-Hiding Strategy #3: Loop Error
There is much potential for hiding bugs inside loops:
int factorial (int n) { assert (n < 13); int f = 1; do { f *= n; n--; } while (n>0); return f; }
This code looks pretty good and, in fact, it returns the correct result for 0<n<13. The assertion protects against integer overflow on 32-bit machines. The remaining interesting case is n=0, for which this function is wrong: it returns 0 instead of 1. Branch coverage doesn’t help find this kind of bug.
Test coverage for loops is tricky; some sources recommend forcing each loop to execute 0 times, 1 time, and more than once, when possible.
Bug-Hiding Strategy #4: Lookup Table | 38,377 |
The PCG extended generators allow you to create RNGs that do party tricks.
Before we get into talking about the party tricks, let's review a little background.
k-dimensional Equidistribution A common use case for a random number generator is to provide points in a k-dimensional space, for some k. Any good RNG ought to be well distributed across k dimensions (i.e., there should be no pattern to the k-tuples we see), but some users would prefer a much stronger property: that over the full period of the generator, every possible k-tuple will occur, and they will all occur the same number of times. This property is known as k-dimensional equidistribution. Let's look at why this might be a desirable property. There is a saying that if you had an infinite number of monkeys typing on an infinite number of typewriters, they would produce all the great works of literature (and an inconceivable amount of dreck, too). We can cast that scenario into the world of random number generation. Suppose we have a generator that outputs 32-bit values (i.e., four bytes), and we grab its output in chunks of 16384 values at once. Each chunk will thus be 64 KB in size. If we demand that the generator be 16384-dimensionally equidistributed, we can know that all possible 64 KB sequences of data must show up eventually over the full period of the generator, which must be at least 216384×32 = 2524288. Within that immensely huge collection of outputs lies every valid 64 KB zip file, some of which will contain great literature such as Hamlet. Thus, to make the saying more accurate, you don't need an infinite number of monkeys (k-tuples) to produce the works of Shakespeare—2524288 is ample. An argument for k-dimensional equidistribution goes like this: Suppose you bought a lottery ticket every week—how would you feel if you discovered that the clerk at the store was handing you a fake ticket and pocketing the money because, at 259 million to one, you were never going to win anyway. You might, rightly, feel cheated. Thus as unlikely as any particular k-tuple might be, we ought to have a real chance, however remote, of producing it. An argument against providing k-dimensional equidistribution (for large k) is that infinitesimal probabilities aren't worth worrying about. You probably aren't going to win the lottery, and your monkeys won't write Shakespeare. But what if rather than blindly search for Shakespeare, we manufacture a generator that is just on the cusp of producing it. With the PCG family, that's possible!
64-Dimensional Party Tricks If a 32-bit generator is 64-dimensionally equidistributed, it will produce every possible 64-tuple of 32-bit integers. We can, in fact, consider it to be a uniformly distributed 2048-bit generator—every possible string of 2048 bits (or 256 bytes) will appear somewhere in its output. That means that the generator will eventually produce the all-zeros 64-tuple, the (1,2,3,4,5,…,64) tuple, but also (if we see these tuples as 256-byte strings) every tweet that can ever be written, numerous complex and interesting programs in the binary lambda calculus, and it will even generate a plethora of tiny-but-useful Linux utilities and some pretty cool graphical demo programs. Unfortunately, between every useful/recognizable artifact, there will be a huge amount of completely random-looking junk. At a very rough (but very generous!) guess, we would have to wade through an impossibly huge 21024 tuples before we would come to anything interesting, and if we were looking for a particular 64-tuple, we'd need to skip about 22047 tuples before we'd chance upon one we were looking for. But instead of searching for the interesting stuff, it's possible to contrive a generator that's just about to produce something interesting. And the PCG family provides a mechanism that makes it easy to do just that. For example, the pcg32_k64 generator with the internal state 6364136223846793005 5046067853215729949 13800261714138603451 399896088 3486423007 3246597219 4150796805 1457473286 103149001 1454810315 2369898655 180913161 3639874284 2985789973 2683455688 84209159 3378778619 788411401 567529281 1244825732 2177833963 195255923 2894214500 1568355479 1559627362 1710915263 3512047102 1209749930 1884366766 2037204943 4266728772 9080 | 38,378 |
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................| 000001d0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................| 000001e0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................| 000001f0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 |................| 00000200 5b ca ba 47 b6 d4 92 c3 ba f1 34 76 b2 11 3c 6f |[..G......4v..<o| 00000210 50 21 5e 38 f1 9d 5c 57 0a 64 3c 1e e1 24 91 3c |P!^8..\W.d<..$.<| 00000220 ae bb cd ec d7 15 81 f6 c0 aa 5a 4f db af b6 a3 |..........ZO....| 00000230 68 47 d4 31 e9 3e 88 e3 f7 84 ca 85 2a a4 d2 5d |hG.1.>......*..]| 00000240 93 fb 40 f2 aa a8 bb c4 a0 df 45 b1 8b 08 e5 ed |[email protected].....| 00000250 9c 08 6b a0 b5 ef c5 fc 3a 58 31 86 59 51 a2 1c |..k.....:X1.YQ..| 00000260 77 7b 38 c3 94 08 9c 56 19 7d 8e 13 23 9f c5 fd |w{8....V.}..#...| 00000270 d4 42 3b 78 8c 5e f4 b9 f5 62 c3 12 ed 05 bc 7a |.B;x.^...b.....z| 00000280 b8 ad 55 87 46 99 2a d0 4e c7 b5 da 64 09 5d a6 |..U.F.*.N...d.].| 00000290 fa c8 e8 c4 64 01 7c 3e 2b b7 23 a6 1d ed 75 4f |....d.|>+.#...uO| 000002a0 e6 13 82 5a fe a4 d8 4e 80 df bc 52 1a 06 31 52 |...Z...N...R..1R| 000002b0 14 3b b1 09 45 23 be 2a 0d ee 8a 48 76 37 97 12 |.;..E#.*...Hv7..| 000002c0 87 61 aa 90 9b fa 8f 10 56 fa 00 b0 7e 51 25 ef |.a......V...~Q%.| 000002d0 25 b5 24 30 26 b2 77 c7 b7 25 11 71 4b 0c 0e 66 |%.$0&.w..%.qK..f| 000002e0 37 86 9d e3 fb 3a 1f a3 ff a4 b8 88 77 1c 9f 0f |7....:......w...| 000002f0 90 32 74 e5 4b 5f 42 62 32 7d f6 6c 2f 6e 3b 38 |.2t.K_Bb2}.l/n;8| This hex dump shows three 64-tuples. The middle (all zeros) one is insanely unlikely to find purely by accident, but the ones either side are just as unlikely, each one has a probability of 1 in 22048. But we weren't finding it by accident, we found it because we set up the generator so that it was just about to find it. Of course, there was nothing special about the all-zeros tuple. This pcg32_k64 generator 6364136223846793005 18229966379671291743 3080518731360262058 1720944944 432085256 164919839 3279400193 3664508459 1259284856 3971311073 32898496 1736123209 2781149096 315608947 2110629600 428954957 1646422668 4056717213 366951233 2902166596 4011607104 422547446 878473022 1908729292 2750914239 3148092510 1736075020 2773223631 866169378 1099849907 1961071182 2275775463 2111724403 3665144425 4277577646 4243877966 4104562137 770186120 1946142260 3042053536 1973887130 3758193630 4239953883 1331949016 1449939955 166741979 453090144 107864 | 38,379 |
Staff Attack X 325 780 Absolute: Staff Attack 785 864
Lahn Before Change After Change Standing Attack Damage Standing Attack Damage Moondance I 57 114 Moondance II 69 138 Moondance III 104 187 Moondance IV 127 229 Moondance V 150 240 Moondance VI 174 278 Moondance VII 197 335 Moondance VIII 221 376 Moondance IX 244 390 Moondance X 267 401 Absolute: Moondance 502 502
Berserker Before Change After Change 1,2 Hit(s) 3, 4 Hits Extra Hit 1,2 Hit(s) 3, 4 Hits Extra Hit Elastic Force I 89 96 356 392 Elastic Force II 95 101 361 418 Elastic Force III 100 108 113 380 380 440 Elastic Force IV 107 113 129 407 407 471 Elastic Force V 113 120 135 429 429 497 Elastic Force VI 130 128 155 468 468 558 Elastic Force VII 144 137 172 490 490 618 Elastic Force VIII 165 145 180 528 528 653 Elastic Force IX 192 159 199 576 576 697 Elastic Force X 235 174 245 611 611 776 Ultimate: Elastic Force 278 189 291 639 639 826 Absolute: Elastic Force 416 312 499 832 832 915
Fixed the issue where the previous effect would be duplicated when teleporting from a certain NPC while in Awakening weapon combat mode.
Class-specific effects have been noted in the skill tooltip of Rage Absorption (Innate) skills. Effects has been added to the skill tooltip of Rage Absorption (Common) skills. Fury Transfer skill description has been revised: Black Power >> Black Spirit's Rage
Fixed the issue where an abnormal Bound effect would be applied intermittently after performing Grapple on a character.
It has been changed so that character selection will now be possible on standby or during Emergency Escape mode with a Fishing Rod equipped.
The option to choose between HP Bars (Custom HP Bar and Remastered HP Bar) has been added.
Fixed the issue where resetting Enhanced Skill would sometimes deactivate Learn button in the Skill Enhancement window.
The system message that is displayed upon activating/deactivation Black Spirit's Rage skill using [Alt + B] has been changed likewise: Upon Activation: Black Spirit's Rage has been activated. You can use skills that consume Black Spirit's Rage. Upon Deactivation: Black Spirit's Rage has been deactivated. You cannot use skills that consume Black Spirit's Rage.
[All Male Classes]
Fixed the graphical awkwardness that appeared in the thigh part when equipping both Martillo Swimsuit and Epheria Marine Armor together.
Fixed the issue where a white light would follow the character around after performing the skill Flow: Slashing the Dead.
Description of skills that use Black Spirit’s Rage will now be displayed in a separate window. In addition, Black Spirit Rage mark has been added to the skill icons of some of the skills that will be applied with new Black Spirit’s Rage skill. Please keep in mind however that the Black Spirit’s Rage skills are not currently available and will soon be updated.
Description regarding how to perform extra hit and skill damage has been added to the tooltip of the skill Evasive Explosion Shot.
Fixed the graphical glitch that occurs when equipping Rocaba Armor together with the Le Vladian Underwear.
Description of skills that use Black Spirit’s Rage will now be displayed in a separate window. In addition, Black Spirit Rage mark has been added to the skill icons of some of the skills that will be applied with new Black Spirit’s Rage skill. Please keep in mind however that the Black Spirit’s Rage skills are not currently available and will soon be updated.
Fixed the certain hit sound effect (for example skills like Feral Rage) issues of the Berserker.
Description of skills that use Black Spirit’s Rage will now be displayed in a separate window. In addition, Black Spirit Rage mark has been added to the skill icons of some of the skills that will be applied with new Black Spirit’s Rage skill. Please keep in mind however that the Black Spirit’s Rage skills are not currently available and will soon be updated.
Fixed the graphical awkwardness in the rear part when moving backwards while crouching with the Checked Beige Underwear on.
Fixed the graphical glitch in the left ankle while having Cavaro Underwear on.
Fixed the graphical awkwardness in the rear part when moving backwards while crouching with Cavaro Underwear on.
Fixed the graphical glitch in the left thigh while crouching with Cavaro Underwear on.
Damage of the following skills for the Witch and Wizard has increased.
Skill Name Before Change After Change Fireball I 322 483 Fireball II 413 537 Fireball III 504 605 Fireball IV 595 655 Lightning I 279 419 | 38,380 |
Suomalaiset käyttivät kyselyn perusteella vaihtoehtoisia hoitomuotoja yhtä paljon muiden pohjoismaalaisten kanssa.
Suomalaiset käyttivät kyselyn perusteella vaihtoehtoisia hoitomuotoja yhtä paljon muiden pohjoismaalaisten kanssa. AOP
Tutkijan mukaan vaihtoehtoisia hoitomuotoja pitäisi tutkia paljon enemmän ja täysin eri tavalla.
Voiko tietynlaisella ruokavaliolla ehkäistä syöpää, onko uupumus seurausta matalista rautavarastoista tai mitä hyötyä on sinkistä flunssan hoidossa? Tämän tyyppisiin kysymyksiinon etsitty vastauksia syksyllä perustetussa Vastalääke-yhdistyksessä.
Turkulainen lääketieteen opiskelija Tatu Han on yhdistyksen puheenjohtaja ja omien sanojensa mukaan hänellä on ollut viime syksystä asti aika haipakkaa. Yhdistyksen tarkoituksena on kumota perättömiä terveysväittämiä ja etsiä niihin tieteelliseen tutkimukseen perustuvat vastaukset.
Kysymyksiä on tullut lyhyessä ajassa kymmeniä. Ne noudattelevat pitkälti sosiaalisessa mediassa ja ylipäätään terveydessä puhuttavia aiheita, kuten ruokavaliota tai rokotteita.
Hanin mukaan ihmiset haluavat hoitaa itseään kaikin mahdollisin tavoin, eikä pelkkä lääkärissä käynti enää riitä.
– Halutaan ottaa itse asioista selvää ja päätöksenteko omiin käsiin. Se on sinänsä hienoa, mutta on ikävää, jos sen seurauksena usko tieteeseen heikkenee, sanoo Tatu Han.
Vaihtoehtohoitojen käyttö vähentynyt
Tampereen, Turun ja Helsingin yliopistojen yhteisessä hankkeessa tutkitaan vaihtoehtohoitoihin ja rokotekriittisyyteen liittyvää lääketiedekriittisyyttä Suomessa 1900-luvun alusta tähän päivään. Alustavien tutkimustulosten perusteella vaihtoehtohoitojen käyttö ei ole viimeisen kymmenen vuoden aikana lisääntynyt, vaan päinvastoin vähentynyt.
Esimerkiksi rohdosvalmisteiden, aromaterapian ja vyöhyketerapian käyttö on tutkimuksen mukaan vähentynyt tilastollisesti merkitsevästi.
– Vuonna 2018 vastaajista noin 20 prosenttia oli käyttänyt jotakin vaihtoehtohoitoa. Vaihtoehtohoitojen käyttö on vähentynyt 10 vuoden aikana, mutta melko laajasti niitä edelleen käytetään ja niille koetaan olevan tarvetta, sanoo tutkija Pia Vuolanto Tampereen yliopistosta.
Tieto perustuu Taloustutkimuksen vuosina 2008 ja 2018 toteuttamiin kyselytutkimuksi | 38,381 |
Forcepoint recently published a whitepaper related to how DanderSpritz/PeddleCheap communicates with malicious implants. This is a follow-up blog post related to evasions used in DoublePulsar and DanderSpritz.
Most of the following material is reiteration of work done by other researchers (see References below), where the evasions are explained in more detail. Also included is some material on evasions related specifically to DanderSpritz/PeddleCheap, taken from our recently published white paper. At the end of this post we provide a list of tools from the Shadow Brokers dumps that appear to perform some level of evasion.
In summary, we will look at the following evasions:
Custom extensions of the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol.
Concealing valid responses as error messages.
SMB port reuse.
Overlapping TCP packets
Port rotation
Port knocking
Presenting binary data as an image
Evasions in DoublePulsar
FuzzBunch is a framework from the April 2017 Shadow Brokers leak. It can be used for uploading an executable to a victim that has been backdoored with DoublePulsar. For uploading an executable to DoublePulsar, FuzzBunch uses the SMB protocol. Communication starts with a standard SMB handshake, and then continues by using DoublePulsar-specific extensions to the SMB protocol.
DoublePulsar extends the SMB protocol by using SMB subcommands that are reserved but not implemented in the standard SMB protocol, as well as by assigning a special meaning to certain SMB fields. The following SMB fields are used for DoublePulsar-specific purposes: timeout, multiplex ID, signature, and session setup parameters. Although some rudimentary encryption is added on top, this custom extension of the SMB protocol is an evasion technique that essentially hides the malicious traffic in plain sight.
In the case of FuzzBunch uploading an implant to DoublePulsar, the communication looks like this:
A host infected by DoublePulsar does not open any new ports, making DoublePulsar very stealthy. Traffic interacting with DoublePulsar is cleverly disguised in the form of unimplemented SMB calls, and DoublePulsar even replies with STATUS_NOT_IMPLEMENTED. At the same time the SMB port keeps providing service for any benign use of the SMB port. This is an innovative technique.
Timeout indicates Command
The timeout value is used in any SMB request to indicate what DoublePulsar command to execute. The sum of the bytes ANDed by 0xff gives the command:
command = ((t) + (t >> 8) + (t >> 16) + (t >> 24)) & 0x000000ff
DoublePulsar accepts the following commands:
0x23: ping
0xc8: execute
0x77: kill
Multiplex ID increment indicates Status Code
According to the normal SMB protocol, the SMB Multiplex ID should be the same in the request and response. However, if DoublePulsar is installed, the Multiplex ID is incremented by a certain amount in the response, giving status codes back to FuzzBunch:
0x10: success
0x20: invalid parameters
0x30: allocation failure
Signature contains XOR key and architecture
In an SMB ping response, an XOR key can be calculated from the SMB signature according to the following formula:
xor_key = (2 * sig ^ (((sig & 0xff00 | (sig << 16)) << 8) | (((sig >> 16) | sig & 0xff0000) >> 8))) & 0xffffffff
Another piece of information given out in the signature of the SMB ping response is the architecture of the target. If the last four bytes are 0x00000000, then the architecture is x86, otherwise it is x64.
The SMB signature (and thus the XOR key) is not static, but instead varies over time.
Session setup parameters contain XOR key
When sending a file to execute to DoublePulsar, an XOR key is included in the upload request. The XOR key is in the last four bytes of the session parameters to the SESSION_SETUP SMB subcommand. It is the same XOR key that was obtained in the signature field of the SMB ping response.
Example interaction with a DoublePulsar backdoor
To make practical use of the DoublePulsar backdoor, an executable that does something useful needs to be uploaded. Here we’ll look at an example interaction with a DoublePulsar backdoor and point | 38,382 |
Share
Tweet
Pin
Email 51 shares
Once favourite haunts of aristocrats, writers, poets and louche libertines, many of Europe’s coffee houses have a colourful history. Where better to sample of a slice of Europe’s bygone past than one of the beautifully preserved historic cafes? From fancy Art Deco to one of Amsterdam’s oldest brown cafes here are 15 of the best historic cafes in Europe…
La Closerie des Lilas, Paris – best for literary history
La Closerie des Lilas is the perfect place to visit on Paris weekend breaks. A former philosopher’s favourite, the cafe is known for its rich history of hosting such heroes of literature and art as Ernest Hemingway, Henry Miller, Apollinaire, Cézanne and Picasso. Every Tuesday night great thinkers, artists and poets would pile into La Closerie and mull over the latest theories, sharing their work and their ideas. Fans of Hemingway will most certainly want to visit the lush secluded terrace where the great author spent endless hours scribbling out his work. Hemingway lived a mere stone’s throw from the café and his favourite place at the glistening mahogany bar is marked with a well-polished brass plaque bearing his name.
Café New York, Budapest – best for most beautiful
Café New York, Budapest is often mentioned as one of the most beautiful cafes in Europe – if not the world – and if you happen to vist you’ll probably agree. Renowned for being the place to meet for early 20th century artists, today it’s also a restaurant offering both traditional and Italian dishes to locals and tourists alike. The décor is suitably lavish with elaborate and decorative traditional pieces combined with more contemporary elements. Grab yourself a seat at one of the mirrored tables you may be lucky enough to experience a short performance from the local actors who frequently tread the boards at this popular café.
Cafe New York 1073 Budapest, Erzsebet korut 9-11, Hungary
Café Central, Vienna – best for classical music
With its marble pillars, a glistening array of chandeliers and sweeping ceilings Café Central in Vienna is a fabulous example of early 19th century architecture. Nestled within a grand expanse of a historic palace it has long been associated with intellectuals since its opening in 1876. Most European cafés have used the idea of a Viennese café as a template, and the Café Central is probably the most superb example of them all. If refined elegance stirs you then you must visit this beautiful place, afternoons are particularly pleasant as they offer live classical music recitals. As you can imagine the acoustics are incredible.
Majestic Café, Porto – best for Art Noveau
Fans of Art Nouveau will adore the glorious Majestic Café, Porto which exhibit’s a stunning façade, exquisite interiors and a delightful winter garden. Famed for its Belle Epoque atmosphere it is perhaps one of the most photographed and aesthetically pleasing cafés in the world, let alone in Europe. The architecture was executed by the exceptional Joao Queiroz. As well as the beautiful surroundings the café boasts a rich calendar of cultural activities throughout the year.
Rua Santa Catarina 112, 4000-442 Oporto, Portugal
Cafe Chris, Amsterdam – best for interesting locals
Amsterdam is famous for its ‘Brown cafes’ so called for their dark but cosy wooden interiors and the nicotine-stained walls and ceilings. Cafe Chris – established in 1624 – is said to be the oldest “Brown Cafe” in the city. A truly historic landmark located in the attractive Jordaan area, people come for the genuinely old interiors and probably also to meet a handful of colourful local personalities.
Bloemstraat 42, 1016 LC Amsterdam, Netherlands
You may also be interested in cool hotels in Amsterdam
Caffe Torino, Turin – best for glamorous past
Turin is actually the first place in Europe where coffee fever first took hold and the Italian city is still home to a thriving cafe culture. Another café that can claim a Belle Epoque atmosphere is the attractive Caffe Torino, Turin first opened in 1903. Clustured amongst the other coffee houses on Piazza San Carlo, Caffe Torino certainly stands out with its rich velvet furnishings, expanses of wood and homely fireplaces. The café has welcomed a whole host of famous names including Ava Gardner, Alcide De Gaspari and pianist Ludovico Einaudi. Boasting a heated terrace since the 1950s, it also has a refined restaurant which adds to its charm.
Piazza San Carlo, 204, | 38,383 |
Trẻ sơ sinh nằm điều hòa có tốt không là thắc mắc chung của nhiều phụ huynh. Bởi thời tiết nóng bức sẽ khiến các bé quấy khóc, khó chịu. Tuy nhiên, nếu thường nằm trong phòng có điều hòa thì sức khỏe của bé cũng sẽ bị ảnh hưởng ít nhiều. Vậy, trẻ sơ sinh nằm điều hòa có tốt không? Cùng Viknews Việt Nam tìm hiểu vấn đề này thông qua bài viết bên dưới nhé!
Trẻ sơ sinh nằm điều hòa có tốt không – thắc mắc chung của nhiều bậc phụ huynh
Về vấn đề trẻ sơ sinh nằm điều hòa chúng tôi không thể khẳng định có tốt hay không vì điều hòa cũng có mặt lợi và hại. Nếu biết cách sử dụng, điều hòa được xem như một vị cứu tinh trong mùa hè nóng bức. Ngược lại, việc lạm dụng điều hòa trong nhiều giờ liền cũng như sử dụng thiết bị này sai cách có thể ảnh hưởng nghiêm trọng đến sức khỏe thậm chí là tính mạng của trẻ.
Trẻ sơ sinh nằm điều hòa tốt
Vì thời tiết nóng nực, nhiệt độ cao sẽ ảnh hưởng ít nhiều đến sức khỏe của các bé. Cụ thể như:
Mắc các bệnh về da: Nổi rôm sảy hay mẩn đỏ là các bệnh ngoài da thường gặp ở trẻ vào mùa nóng. Nguyên nhân chính là do ảnh hưởng của thời tiết | 38,384 |
độ thích hợp
Nhằm hạn chế tình trạng cảm lạnh, viêm phổi ở trẻ. Cách tốt nhất chúng ta nên chú ý điều chỉnh nhiệt độ điều hòa phù hợp. Theo khuyến cáo của các chuyên gia thì nên để nhiệt độ điều hòa thấp hơn nhiệt độ ngoài trời tối đa 7 độ. Ví dụ bên ngoài đang 40 độ thì chúng ta nên điều chỉnh điều hòa 33 độ.
Không nên cho bé nằm điều hòa quá 4 giờ
Việc ở trong phòng điều hòa quá lâu có thể ảnh hưởng đến đường hô hấp của trẻ. Khiến cổ họng của trẻ bị khô, đau họng, viêm phổi… Do đó, tốt nhất nên cho trẻ ra ngoài sau 4 giờ trong phòng điều hòa. Bạn cũng có thể mở cửa phòng, tắt điều hòa để không khí được lưu thông. Tránh bí bách, hầm bí không tốt cho việc hô hấp của trẻ.
Vệ sinh điều hòa định kỳ
Có rất nhiều gia đình không có thói quen vệ sinh máy điều hòa. Vô tình tạo nơi ẩn nắp lý tưởng cho các loại nấm mốc và vi khuẩn gây bệnh. Chúng có thể tấn công và gây bệnh cho người lớn lẫn trẻ nhỏ. Do đó, bạn nên vệ sinh điều hòa định kỳ mỗi tháng để đảm bảo sức khỏe cho cả gia đình.
Tăng cường cho con bú
Các mẹ hãy cho trẻ bú thường xuyên hơn để phòng tránh tình trạng trẻ bị m� | 38,385 |
Funk
Post-rock ambient metal. First half of CD is more aggressive and metal, then it progresses to be more experimental and ambient.
Warm, minimal, organic, found sound, ambient techno
Minimal, emotive, atmospheric, clicky, techno, house, and dub.
The new sound of vintage electro music with today's rythmes and melody.
Emo, electronic, organic, groovy, addictive energy...
Floating effortlessly between the realms of dark brooding ambience and swirling ethereal goth-pop.
Sounscape Electronica with a New Wave flair - rhythmic, cinematic, ambient and eclectic. Free will? Predestination? Fate Sensation.
From hypnotic sunrises, through echoeing subway tunnels, to down-tempo office cubicles, and out to lunch in cut-time, JAVA DAYZ travels a melodic urban work day filled with thought provoking Trance rhythms and Hip Hop break beats. A must have with coffee.
Street Theater is a collection of remixed and redone versions of existing songs from Feathermerchants first two records. Folk-dream rock
Etheral electronica; a collaborative effort between this artist and a host of Minneapolis talent
Ambient Downtempo punctuated by electronic soul. Think of it as the soundtrack to the memories of a disturbing, yet pleasant dream, fading slowly upon waking.
Electronic, positive,original with interesting sounds.
With echoes of Pink Floyd, Ozric Tentacles, Phil Thornton, this is instrumental music ranging from ambient thru electronic, New Age, Ethnic & Rock. Eclectic.
J.S. Bach on synthesizers! If you like "Switched-On Bach" and "Clockwork Orange" than you will love this album.
An organic mixture of soothing cello and electronic sounds.
Chamber goth pop. Haunting like Low, melodic like Red House Painters.
Music from a glowing trailer park arcade that doesn't exist.
Flipside is an outstanding Danish/Swedish chill-out duo. Already accepted and invited by the indisputable Premier league of chill-out: Café del Mar, Buddha Bar and The Big Chill. Their debut cd "Inside" sounds like nothing else in Scandinavia.
Cool, smooth and relaxing chill-out from one of the leading chill-out acts in Scandinavia.
A fine blend of three-quarters classic Tangerine Dream with one-quarter progressive rock.
Formbank is a quirky, oblique and charming poly-rhythmic beat based electronica project.
Electronica layered, synthetic sounds creating an ambience of the underwater world. Evolution occurs as scrambled vocals and synths reverberate and become obscured. Dark & mysterious, exciting & enticing, full of acoustical serenity.
Ambient music that cuts deep, with distant echoes of Tangerine Dream, Massive Attack, Jean Michel Jarre...
The perfect soundtrack for the Summer of 2005. Epic lo-fi symphony that takes you through a day in a summer city. Electronica from north.
Ambient, Trip-Hop. An interesting fusion of Ambient and Avant-garde.
Ambient soundscapes of a place that no longer exists. Electronica meets New Age, minimalism meets melody.
Not Your Party Store Silly Sound Effects CD. This CD Has Dark Cinematic Soundscapes That Haunt Your Soul. Great For Fans of Haunted Attractions, Gothic / Horror Fans, Halloween Enthusiasts, and Fans of Original Score Music.
Not Your Party Store Silly Sound Effects CD.This CD Has Dark Cinematic Soundscapes That Haunt Your Soul. Great For Fans of Haunted Attractions, Gothic / Horror Fans, Halloween Enthusiasts, and Fans of Original Score Music.
Not Your Party Store Silly Sound Effects CD. This CD Has Dark Cinematic Soundscapes That Haunt Your Soul. Great For Fans of Haunted Attractions, Gothic / Horror Fans, Halloween Enthusiasts, and Fans of Original Score Music.
Not Your Party Store Silly Sound Effects CD. This CD Has Dark Gothic Horror Cinematic Soundscapes. Perfect for Halloween Enthusiasts, Horror Fans, Fans of Orginal Film Scores and ANYONE Who Is Into the Bizzare & Twisted.
High quality melodic electronic music
Une musique instrumentale très rafraîchissante, pour une ballade sans frontières entre le Jazz, le Classique, le New age, le Symphonique, l'Oratorio, le Calypso, l'Ethnique et le Sacré
A selection of ambient soundscapes weave this celestial tapestry, perfect for meditation | 38,386 |
.3%) and Q2 equal to 0.421. The score plot of the PLS-DA showed a clear separation between control, 0.25 µg BPA, and 25 µg BPA, as well as between 0.25 µg BPA and 25 µg BPA (Figure 3A). The median of 46 buckets was significantly different according to the Kruskal–Wallis test, corresponding to three metabolites discriminating the three BPA-exposed groups, eight metabolites discriminating between 0.25 µg BPA and 25 µg BPA, and five metabolites separating control and 0.025 µg BPA from 0.25 µg BPA and 25 µg BPA (Table 2). For more specificity, pairwise comparisons were carried out between the 0.025 µg BPA group and all other groups, which led to the separations displayed in Figure 3B–D and further detailed in Table 1. When comparing 25 µg BPA samples with control samples, endogenous metabolite variations induced by BPA exposure showed increases in taurine, glutamate, and glutathione, as well as decreases in lactate, glucose, cholines, and glycogen (Table 1).
Figure 3 Two-dimensional PLS-DA score plot of integrated 1HNMR spectra of PND21 liver extracts. (A) PLS‑DA results for all four treatment groups [control, n = 11; 0.025 µg BPA, n = 11; 0.25 µg BPA, n = 13; 25 µg BPA, n = 14 (first and second latent variable of three components: R2Y 48.3% and Q2 = 0.421]. (B) PLS‑DA results for control and 0.025 µg BPA (one component: R2Y = 89.7% and Q2 = 0.822); red and green lines indicate ± 3 SD and ± 2 SD, respectively. (C) PLS‑DA results for 0.025 µg BPA and 0.25 µg BPA (three components: R2Y = 99.5% and Q2 = 0.896). (D) PLS‑DA results for 0.025 µg BPA and 25 µg BPA (three components: R2Y = 99.4% and Q2 = 0.950).
PND21 brain. The four-group comparison generated a PLS-DA model with three latent components, characterized by a faithful representation of the data (R2Y = 78.9%) and a good cumulative confidence criterion of prediction (Q2 = 0.564). The score plot of the PLS-DA showed a correct separation between controls and all BPA groups (Figure 4); 101 variables had a VIP value > 1.5, and the median of 76 buckets was statistically different according to the Kruskal–Wallis test, corresponding to 21 metabolites. Taken separately using pairwise comparisons, all groups could be discriminated from each other (Table 2). Endogenous metabolite variations between 25 µg BPA and control showed an increase in glutamine, glycine, and aspartic acid, and a decrease in cholines, glutamate, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (Table 1).
Figure 4 Two-dimensional PLS-DA score plot of integrated 1H NMR spectra of PND21 brain extracts from control (n = 11), 0.025 µg BPA (n = 11), 0.25 µg BPA (n = 13), and 25 µg BPA (n = 14) groups (first and second latent variable of three components: R2Y = 78.9% and Q2 = 0.564).
Discussion
Developmental exposure to BPA affects the reproductive system and fertility, alters brain development and behavior, disrupts glucose homeostasis, and may contribute to the development of obesity and metabolic syndrome (Alonso-Magdalena et al. 2010; Cabaton et al. 2011; Richter et al. 2007; Ryan et al., 2010). In the present study, we examined whether a novel approach based on metabolomics profiling could detect subtle changes in the metabolome following BPA exposure at low to very low doses, and whether metabolic profiling could reveal differences that persist beyond the end of the exposure period. The BPA doses used in this study correspond to 1/2,000 to 1/2,000,000 of the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) for BPA (European Food Safety Authority 2006; U.S. Food and Drug Administration 2008), and the time of BPA exposure coincided with critical periods of development (GD8 to PND16).
Factors that affect fetal growth are also associated with the postnatal growth rate and with adult body weight in humans as well as in laboratory animals (Barker 2004; Coe | 38,387 |
. Additional manual segmentation using a digital pen and tablet resolved finer detail throughout the head including cortical folding and deeper brain structures. Geometric models of sponge electrodes (5 × 7 cm) and HD electrodes (12 mm diameter) were created as computer-aided design (CAD) files and incorporated into the image volume (Truong et al., 2012). The resulting volumetric image data was then converted into meshes using adaptive voxel-based meshing algorithms (Simpleware Ltd, Exeter, UK). The meshes were imported into an FE package (COMSOL Multiphysics 4.3, COMSOL, Inc., Burlington, MA, USA) where electrostatic physics were applied (Datta et al., 2009). The Laplace equation with purely conductive properties was solved for electric field (Miranda et al., 2006; Wagner et al., 2007; Datta et al., 2009) and the following isotropic electrical conductivities were assigned (S/m): skin: 0.465, fat: 0.025, skull: 0.01, CSF: 1.65, gray matter: 0.276, white matter: 0.126, air: 10−15, saline-soaked sponge or conductive gel: 1.4, electrode: 5.99 × 107. Current density corresponding to 1 mA total current was applied at the anode(s), as is typically used for tDCS, and ground applied to the cathode(s). All other surface boundaries, primarily skin in contact with air, were considered electrically insulated. The entire model workflow preserved precision beginning from the 1 mm3 resolution MRI to the induced cortical electric field maps (Bikson and Datta, 2012). Stimulation electrodes for all the montages were positioned in accordance with the 10–20 or 10–10 EEG landmarks as is used in typical tDCS administration.
Five montages were simulated:
• M1-SO: 5 × 7 cm sponges with anode positioned vertically over 10–20 location C3 and cathode positioned horizontally on the contralateral-supraorbital, approximately over 10–20 location Fp2.
• DLPFC (F3-F4): 5 × 7 cm sponges with anode and cathode positioned vertically over 10–20 locations F3 and F4 respectively.
• Cz-Oz: 5 × 7 cm sponges with cathode positioned horizontally over 10–20 location Oz. Anode is centered on the vertex, Cz, with the length of the pad parallel to the line from ear to ear.
• HD-tDCS 4 × 1: 12 mm diameter disk electrodes with the anode centered on 10–20 location C3. Cathodes (4) surround the anode 90° apart at a “4 × 1 ring” radius of approximately 75 mm. Explicit cathode locations were 10–10 locations Cz, F3, T7, and P3.
• H.O.P.E. HD-tDCS 2 × 2 (Donnell et al., 2015): 12 mm diameter disk electrodes with two anodes and two cathodes positioned posterior to anterior across the face/head region of M1. Explicit 10–10 anode locations are C3 and C5. Cathode locations are FC3 and FC5.
Results
The neuroanatomical current distribution and the strength of the predicted electric current peaks related to conventional and High-Definition-tDCS (HD-tDCS) montages are illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, respectively.
FIGURE 1
Figure 1. Three different conventional tDCS montages are illustrated (first column, from the top to the bottom): M1-SO motor (cortex-supraorbital), DLPFC (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex bilateral) and Cz-Oz (vertex-occipital cortex). Electric field maps generated in outer cortical regions and inner structures (insula, cingulate gyrus, thalamus and brainstem) are illustrated in the next five columns (from the left to the right).
FIGURE 2
Figure 2. Electric field maps produced by two methods of high-definition (HD)-tDCS: HD-tDCS 4 × 1 and H.O.P.E. HD-tDCS 2 × 2 (first column from the top to the bottom) in outer (second column) and inner structures (third to sixth, from the left to the right).
M1-SO
The frontal lobe received a larger amount of current when compared to other cortical structures. Nonetheless, the current spread over several regions. Peaks of current density and in turn electric field (0.68 V/m) occurred in the PFC, including parts of the superior, middle and inferior frontal gyri, bilaterally. In addition, the current flowed to the premotor cortex (PMC), | 38,388 |
more significant effects in the MCC and PCC, while the M1-SO and DLPFC montages preferentially reached the ACC and the anterior MCC. Previous neuroimaging studies reported changes in the cingulate cortex of migraine patients, mostly in the ACC and MCC (Weiller et al., 1995; Kim et al., 2008; Schmidt-Wilcke et al., 2008; Valfre et al., 2008; May, 2009) but also in the PCC (Kim et al., 2008). Furthermore, the results of a recent investigation suggest that changes in metabolite levels occur in the PCC of patients with chronic pain, including migraine (Fayed et al., 2014). Thus, the decrease of pain found in migraine patients after M1-SO tDCS (DaSilva et al., 2012) could be explained not only by the stimulation of the cortical regions beneath the electrode and indirect activation of more remote regions, but also by a direct effect in the ACC and/or anterior parts of the MCC. On the other hand, the positive results reported with Cz-Oz in migraine (Antal et al., 2011; Siniatchkin et al., 2012; Viganò et al., 2013) could be linked to the direct effects of tDCS in the posterior parts of the MCC or even PCC. Noteworthy, the presence of highly conductive intracerebral artery (which is assigned the conductivity of CSF) directly under the CZ pad provides a preferential conduit for currents to travel into medial brain regions. This likely explains the increased current flow in the posterior cingulate, thalamic nuclei and brainstem when using the Cz-Oz montage. Thus, Cz-Oz could be effective in migraine, not merely because of its action at the occipital (visual) cortex, but also due to its direct influence in medial structures related to pain processing and analgesia, such as the cingulate and thalamus. The thalamus is an important area for pain (Derbyshire et al., 1994; Hsieh et al., 1995; Iadarola et al., 1995; Casey et al., 1996; Vogt et al., 1996; May et al., 1998; Peyron et al., 1998; Petrovic et al., 1999; Rocca et al., 2010) as well as placebo effect (Wager et al., 2007; Zubieta and Stohler, 2009), and the pulvinar has been recently linked to migraine mechanisms (Moulton et al., 2011; Maleki et al., 2012; Schwedt et al., 2013). However, while thalamic current flow was detected in all montages (particularly in the pulvinar), robust levels of electric current were only detected with conventional montages compared to lower levels that occurred with HD-TDCS.
Despite the valuable information provided by modeling studies, it is still not possible to precisely define the extent to which the strength of the electric current correlates to the clinical effects reported with tDCS, as the mechanisms whereby nervous tissue is stimulated by this method are not completely understood. It has been hypothesized that tDCS effects derive from neuronal membrane polarization, which is determined by the electric field generated (Dmochowski et al., 2011). Moreover, evidence from TMS studies indicates that nervous system stimulation takes place at the electrical field peaks (Amassian et al., 1994; Wassermann et al., 1996; Krings et al., 1997; Boroojerdi et al., 1999; Miranda et al., 2003). Nonetheless, further studies are necessary to establish the mechanisms by which tDCS acts at the central nervous system.
Conclusion
The present study provides information on the electric current flow generated by different conventional and HD-tDCS montages applied for migraine/pain control. Five montages were analyzed (M1-SO, DLPFC, Cz-Oz, 4 × 1 HD-tDCS and 2 × 2 HD-tDCS) and all produced significant results. Nevertheless, an increased focality occurred with HD-tDCS. As this study demonstrates, the neuroanatomical approach, based on computational models, is crucial to define the neural networks directly modulated by each type of tDCS montage applied for pain investigation and relief. It is important to emphasize that the single subject models used for this study provide data on broad variations in current flow patterns that are expected to generalize. However, this information ultimately contributes to a broader comprehension of the neurophysiologic aspects as well as central pain mechanisms targeted by tDCS. In the future, the combination of brain-modeling analysis with the evaluation of specific functional and/or structural neuroplastic changes related to pain could contribute to identify the most appropriate tDCS montage to treat each chronic pain disorder.
Author Contributions
AFD and MB mentored, conceived, designed, obtained funding and coordinated the study. They also drafted | 38,389 |
As my Vegan Berlin Guide is one of my most popular posts, I frequently get asked for recommendations of where to stay in Berlin. I’ve lived in Berlin since 2011, so it’s not something I often think about. So, I scoured the internet and endless reviews to come up with some good options to combine with my knowledge of Berlin’s best areas. I hope it helps narrow your choice amongst the thousands of options out there! I’ve also included the vegan places within walking distance.
If you want your own private room, be sure to look through both the hostels and the apartments. Some of the hostels are only private rooms or have nice private room options, too.
Stayed somewhere great that’s not on this list? Send me a message and let me know!
Where to Stay in Berlin – Neighborhoods
I get asked this question a lot, and the answer is that there is not ONE correct answer for where to stay in Berlin. Berlin is huge, and it doesn’t have one center. The public transportation is very good. As long as you are not far from a station, you’ll be fine wherever you are. Even those of us living in Berlin tend to divide ourselves by neighborhood. Each area has its benefits, but they tend to have different reputations:
Charlottenberg – Kurfürstendamm is Berlin’s high street where you’ll find the shops like Gucci, Prada, etc. Also stuff like H&M, Urban Outfitters and Forever 21. Tourists flock to this area to shop. Besides that there’s the more livable Kantstraße area, lined with pre-war buildings and classy establishments.
Friedrichshain – The punk area of the city. Tons of cafes and shops line Simon-Dach-Straße. Tourists have also caught onto this street, but there’s still lots of nice bars and restaurants here, including the Saturday market at Boxhagener Platz.
Kreuzberg – There’s a couple areas of Kreuzberg. The Oranienstraße area near Görlitzer Bahnhof and Schlesisches Tor has lots of hip places, restaurants, bars, etc., but the kind of hip that tourists have caught on to. It’s sorta halfway between Neukölln and Prenzlauer Berg. I spent my entire first year in this area before retreating to places where I could actually get a seat in a bar on a Friday night. The Bergmannstraße area is a more yuppie part of Kreuzberg, near the stations Mehringdamm and Gneisenaustraße. Tons of good cafes, a few less babies.
Mitte – There are two parts of Mitte. There’s Alexanderplatz, which is Berlin’s “center”. Potsdamer Platz is another big touristy/business spot in Mitte, where you’ll find the Mall of Berlin. This is filled with tourists and nothing really that interesting (to me). Hackescher Markt area going down to Weinmeisterstraße is the more hip, boutique shopping district. The area near Rosenthaler Platz is where all the start-ups have congregated, so you’ll get a younger, hip, vaguely tech start-up kinda crowd here.
Neukölln – Hipsters. It’s Berlin’s Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Unique, hip bars, scattered third-wave coffee shops, plus a pinch of grime. Most mainstream tourists don’t seem to make it this far, so you can still get a seat in the bars on the weekend.
Prenzlauer Berg – Yuppie area. Think Berlin’s Park Slope or Berkeley. Lot’s of nice cafes, boutiques, organic shops, and babies. Big market with outdoor karaoke at Mauerpark on Sundays.
Schöneberg – The Nollendorfplatz area is the historically gay men section of the city. There are sections of Schöneberg (and Charlottenberg) that are the “old money” parts of Berlin. The Akazienstraße area is super nice with load of cafes and little shops. Hauptstraße is less fancy, but has lots of grocery stores, Turkish market, etc.
Wedding – Wedding has been Berlin’s up-and-coming area for awhile. Here you’ll find cool spots scattered and hidden around corners rather than staring you in the face. For example, there’s a new LGBT bar called Moritz, that makes their own tonic, and one of the first spots craft beer was ever served | 38,390 |
, player); marks.AddRange (cards); } return marks; }
The “GetMarks” method creates a List of all candidate cards that match the specified Mark of a target. It begins by getting a List of players that match the mark’s alliance flags, and then loops over the players, appending each player’s cards from each of the matching zones.
List<Player> GetPlayers (Target source, Mark mark) { var card = source.container as Card; var dataSystem = container.GetAspect<DataSystem> (); var players = new List<Player> (); var pair = new Dictionary<Alliance, Player> () { { Alliance.Ally, dataSystem.match.players[card.ownerIndex] }, { Alliance.Enemy, dataSystem.match.players[1 - card.ownerIndex] } }; foreach (Alliance key in pair.Keys) { if (mark.alliance.Contains (key)) { players.Add (pair[key]); } } return players; }
The “GetPlayers” method knows how to produce a List of Player objects that match the “Alliance” of a given “Mark”. The resulting list could potentially be anywhere from 0 to 2 players depending on the bit mask used. Note that the “Ally” and “Enemy” are chosen based on the perspective of the “Card” rather than by which player is the current player. This can be an important issue, because a card’s ability can be potentially “triggered” even if its owning player is not the active player.
List<Card> GetCards (Target source, Mark mark, Player player) { var cards = new List<Card> (); var zones = new Zones[] { Zones.Hero, Zones.Weapon, Zones.Deck, Zones.Hand, Zones.Battlefield, Zones.Secrets, Zones.Graveyard }; foreach (Zones zone in zones) { if (mark.zones.Contains (zone)) { cards.AddRange (player[zone]); } } return cards; }
The “GetCards” method knows how to produce a List of Card objects that match the “Zones” of a given “Mark” for a given “Player”. Note that unlike the Player indexer, this method will always build a new list that contains all of the cards in all of the compatible zones that had been specified.
Game Factory
You know the drill (I hope). We added a new game system, so we need to add it to the game container in the factory’s Create method:
game.AddAspect<TargetSystem> ();
Card System
We will need to update the Card System’s refresh method. We will want to pass a “ControlModes” parameter based on the mode of the current player because we want targeted cards for the A.I. to only be considered playable if they match a “preferred” mark mode. We also need to apply the “Auto Targeting” feature of our new system before we attempt to validate whether or not a card can actually be played.
public void Refresh (ControlModes mode) { var match = container.GetMatch (); var targetSystem = container.GetAspect<TargetSystem> (); playable.Clear (); foreach (Card card in match.CurrentPlayer[Zones.Hand]) { targetSystem.AutoTarget (card, mode); var playAction = new PlayCardAction (card); if (playAction.Validate ()) playable.Add (card); } }
Player Idle State
Now we need to update the “Enter” method of the Player Idle State so that it passes along the control mode of the current player to our CardSystem’s Refresh method:
public override void Enter () { var mode = container.GetMatch ().CurrentPlayer.mode; container.GetAspect<AttackSystem> ().Refresh (); container.GetAspect<CardSystem> ().Refresh (mode); if (mode == ControlModes.Computer) container.GetAspect<EnemySystem> ().TakeTurn (); this.PostNotification (EnterNotification); }
Click To Play Card Controller
Our current input flow requires a user to click a card to preview it, and then click again to confirm and play a card. Now that we have added manual targeting, our flow will need to be modified for any card that requires a target. We will be adding two new states for this.
private class ShowTargetState : BaseControllerState { public override void Enter () { base.Enter (); owner.StartCoroutine (HideProcess ()); } | 38,391 |
switched to using the native and events under the hood, which more closely match React’s existing behavior and sometimes provide extra information. Capture phase events (e.g. onClickCapture ) now use real browser capture phase listeners.
These changes align React closer with the browser behavior and improve interoperability.
Note Although React 17 switched from focus to focusin under the hood for the onFocus event, note that this has not affected the bubbling behavior. In React, onFocus event has always bubbled, and it continues to do so in React 17 because generally it is a more useful default. See this sandbox for the different checks you can add for different particular use cases.
No Event Pooling
React 17 removes the “event pooling” optimization from React. It doesn’t improve performance in modern browsers and confuses even experienced React users:
function handleChange ( e ) { setData ( data => ( {... data, text : e. target. value } ) ) ; }
This is because React reused the event objects between different events for performance in old browsers, and set all event fields to null in between them. With React 16 and earlier, you have to call e.persist() to properly use the event, or read the property you need earlier.
In React 17, this code works as you would expect. The old event pooling optimization has been fully removed, so you can read the event fields whenever you need them.
This is a behavior change, which is why we’re marking it as breaking, but in practice we haven’t seen it break anything at Facebook. (Maybe it even fixed a few bugs!) Note that e.persist() is still available on the React event object, but now it doesn’t do anything.
Effect Cleanup Timing
We are making the timing of the useEffect cleanup function more consistent.
useEffect ( ( ) => { return ( ) => { } ; } ) ;
Most effects don’t need to delay screen updates, so React runs them asynchronously soon after the update has been reflected on the screen. (For the rare cases where you need an effect to block paint, e.g. to measure and position a tooltip, prefer useLayoutEffect.)
However, the effect cleanup function, when it exists, used to run synchronously in React 16. We’ve found that, similar to componentWillUnmount being synchronous in classes, this is not ideal for larger apps because it slows down large screen transitions (e.g. switching tabs).
In React 17, the effect cleanup function also runs asynchronously — for example, if the component is unmounting, the cleanup will run after the screen has been updated.
This mirrors how the effects themselves run more closely. In the rare cases where you might want to rely on the synchronous execution, you can switch to useLayoutEffect instead.
Note You might be wondering whether this means that you’ll now be unable to fix warnings about setState on unmounted components. Don’t worry — React specifically checks for this case, and does not fire setState warnings in the short gap between unmounting and the cleanup. So code cancelling requests or intervals can almost always stay the same.
Additionally, React 17 executes the cleanup functions in the same order as the effects, according to their position in the tree. Previously, this order was occasionally different.
Potential Issues
We’ve only seen a couple of components break with this change, although reusable libraries may need to test it more thoroughly. One example of problematic code may look like this:
useEffect ( ( ) => { someRef. current. someSetupMethod ( ) ; return ( ) => { someRef. current. someCleanupMethod ( ) ; } ; } ) ;
The problem is that someRef.current is mutable, so by the time the cleanup function runs, it may have been set to null. The solution is to capture any mutable values inside the effect:
useEffect ( ( ) => { const instance = someRef. current ; instance. someSetupMethod ( ) ; return ( ) => { instance. someCleanupMethod ( ) ; } ; } ) ;
We don’t expect this to be a common problem because our eslint-plugin-react-hooks/exhaustive-deps lint rule (make sure you use it!) has always warned about this.
Consistent Errors for Returning Undefined
In React 16 and earlier, returning undefined has always been an error:
function Button ( ) { return ; }
This is in part because it’s easy to return undefined unintentionally:
function Button ( ) { < button /> ; }
Previously, React only did this | 38,392 |
What forces move the tectonic plates of the Earth's surface? A team of geophysicists drawn primarily from two CNRS laboratories used a 3D simulation of our planet to answer this 50-year-old question.
The surface of the Earth—the lithosphere—is divided like a giant puzzle into rocky plates that move in relation to one another. This phenomenon, which is referred to as plate tectonics and is unique in our Solar System, ceaselessly changes the face of our planet: it is behind continental drift, the formation of mountain chains, volcanic activity, and earthquakes.
An enigma stretching back half a century
An important question remained unanswered since the late 1960s and the emergence of the theory of plate tectonics: what forces are responsible for the movement of these famous plates? Two different points of view have emerged in the scientific community in an attempt to solve this mystery. For some, the geological dance of plate tectonics is driven by SubductionFermerphenomenon in which an oceanic plate moves beneath another tectonic plate of lower density. zones, in which oceanic plates slip beneath nearby plates and sink into the underlying mantle. During this process, the weight of one falling plate would be enough to pull the rest of the plate, thereby setting it in motion.
Others believe it is caused by the movement of material in the lower mantle known as convection: the heat released by the depths of the Earth lifts the deepest rocks toward the surface, which cool and settle back down. This moving matter "rubs" against the lithospheric plates, thereby dragging them.
A supercomputer to better see the Earth's past
For the first time in 50 years, a team of researchers from two CNRS laboratories, the Laboratoire de géologie de l’École normale supérieure (LG-ENS) and the Institut des sciences de la Terre (Isterre), along with the University of Rome, have finally settled the debate. Using a 3D simulation created after nine months of calculations on a supercomputer, the geophysicists have shown that the movement of tectonic plates is actually the result of both of these phenomena at once, and that their relative contribution has evolved during the Earth's geological history.
Until present, the only solution available to scientists to better understand plate movement was to analyse the data collected from the Earth (satellite data, studies of rocks, seismic data). The only problem is that this data does not stretch sufficiently far into our planet's past, because tectonic plates are constantly recycling. Oceanic plates are created near oceanic ridges, where material from the mantle solidifies before sinking into the mantle in subduction zones. As a result, very little of the oceanic lithosphere dates back more than 180 million years, whereas the Earth is 4.5 billion years old!
1.5 billion years simulated
Nicolas Coltice from LG-ENS, Laurent Husson from Isterre, and their colleagues therefore chose a different strategy enabling them to virtually study plate movements over a much longer period of time. To do so the researchers created a 3D digital model of a fictitious planet with properties similar to those of the Earth. The simulation, which was conducted using a supercomputer, traced the evolution of this virtual planet's surface over 1.5 billion years, a time interval that is long enough to identify the causes of plate movement.
This is not the first time that geophysicists have used virtual planets to better understand the dynamics of our Earth, although this simulation is the most fully developed to date, for a number of reasons. The first is in terms of resolution. Like in a weather model, researchers divided their digital planet into no less than 50 million cells—cubes measuring 25 kilometres (km) on each side—across the entire volume of the lithosphere and mantle (up to an approximate depth of 3,000 km). This extremely fine division is, incidentally, why the simulation required nine months of calculations, which involved the identification of a series of parameters for each cell at each stage in time—every 5,000 years—during the entire 1.5 billion years simulated.
A reduced and realistic model of the Earth
The second is in terms of its realism. "We very faithfully modelled the mechanical behaviour of rocks from the lithosphere and mantle, which is to say how they are deformed when they are subject to stress. This simulation is the culmination of five years of work," explains Coltice.
The geologists now had to determine the initial temperature for each cell in this virtual globe, in such a way as to initiate the convection movements of material inside the mantle, as described by the laws of fluid mechanics. The simulation then followed the evolution of these convective movements, as well as their effects on the deformation of the surface. The researchers watched as structures with characteristics comparable to | 38,393 |
either Shift + C on keyboard or R1 + R2 on a controller, the challenges are broken down into sections that are ordered based on progression.
You should access all the sections you can and hit Square or Z on Keyboard to view detailed information followed by your normal confirmation button. This will claim a bunch of tasks which are just 'Read This' giving you a boost of free items including cheques used below.
Hunter Rank 2
Zeny and Box Space
With your urgent complete you will automatically move up to HR2 upon returning to town. You will also be greeted by the instructor who will upgrade your house allowing you to get a partner and give you a stack of GCP tickets.
At this point you should access one of the boxes and sell around 150 of the Cheques the game threw at you from Hunter Guide, this can be done by choosing Sell from box and then Items 出售持有物 > 道具 and then choosing the Yellow Ticket named 波爾多卡牌櫻 and selling around 150 of them. This will put you at 7.5 million and let you buy all the things and upgrades you need going forward.
Don't worry about selling so many items, they exist only to be sold and you will get hundreds more from the Hunter's Guide tasks across HR1-7
After getting money you should go to the Shop NPC (Pink Guildie) to buy Power and Armour Charms and Box Upgrades.
Section 1 基本(回復道具等) Powercharm, 36,000z (力量之護符) Armor Charm, 24,000z (守護之護符) Section 2 書籍（調合書等） Book of Storage 1, 1,500z (收納高手·技之書) Book of Storage 2, 5,000z (收納高手·力之書)
If you want to go more in depth with items you could also buy stacks of things like Potions etc. in section 1 but this will be covered properly at HR5 as you shouldn't really need much until then.
Caravan Gem
The Caravan Area or Pallone is located next to the town entrance, you should enter this area and obtain your Caravan Gem as soon as possible after hitting HR2.
This can be done by simply entering the Caravan area and talking to Kashira, the woman near the Bonfire. After talking to her you will have a new icon next to your name of a random colour, this is your Caravan Gem.
This gem adds a new option to your equipment box under 變更裝備 > 裝上獵人珠技能, initially this will only have Recovery Items Up (醫療術) which you should equip when you get a chance, this increases the power of Potions and Mega Potions to 1.10x their original healing amounts.
Partners
At this point you should get a partner. To get one, enter the bar on the stairs of the town.
After entering talk to the waiter NPC in blue at the counter.
This will enable contracted NPCs to accompany you on quests and allow you to start on your own Human NPC companion. To get a partner you simply need to talk to the Legendary Rasta with the weapon type you want them to use. Tonfa and Swaxe will need to be unlocked separately at G Rank later. If you're not sure what weapon one of the Legendaries are using interact with them and choose the second option to see their gear.
The best choices in terms of AI and actual DPS are Dual Swords or Sword and Shield. Great Sword is also not too bad but the other available choices have AI that is pretty stupid and will spend more time doing nothing than attacking monsters.
On talking to the NPC with the weapon type you want you should simply choose 伙伴 which will prompt you to start the Partner creation process. First, you will be prompted to select a gender:
Hover for Chinese Male
Female 男
女
And then a personality type (Male on left, Female on right):
Hover for Chinese Hot Blooded / Energetic
Callous / Callous
Delicate / Serious
Bad / Naïve
Refreshing / Tempermental
Manly / Focused
Magnificent / Introverted 熱血 / 有朝氣
| 38,394 |
冷酷 / 冷酷
纖細 / 認真
不良 / 天真
清爽 / 有氣質
性情中人 / 專一
浮誇 / 內向
You will then need to confirm your decisions. Gender cannot be changed without paying real money for restyle points or recreating the Partner. Name and Personality can be changed with specific rare items. Personality only dictates what manner of speech your partner has and will not really matter too much.
After going through these options you will need to head to your House where you will be greeted by the NPC you talked to in order to choose their weapon and you will be able to customise them in the same way you created your character originally.
If you mess up something while creating your partner you can cancel them by talking to the cat next to the bar, this will completely delete your partner and allow you to start over changing name, gender and personality. If you simply want to customise face or voice you can also use Premium Restyle Points from the Item Shop (costs real money).
Partners have a lot more to them than mentioned here but you can pretty much ignore it all until you hit G Rank unless you are intending to spend a lot of time at HR5. When you hit G Rank check the House and AI Companions > AI Companions > Partners.
Felyne Partnyaas
Partnyaas are Felyne companions similar to those found in MHFU and MHP3rd. They can be managed in the same area as Halks are (ho to your house, and choose the Heart Icon) area. To hire a Partnyaa you simply need to talk to the Halk and My Support Manager (the only human in the zone) and choose his Partnyaa option, this will put you into Airou Creation mode:
There are five tabs for this which let you customise aspects of your partnyaa, they are:
Pattern (花紋類型), Eyes (眼睛類型), Ears (耳朵類型), Fur Colour (毛色類型) and Tail (尾巴類型)
After confirming your choice of visuals you will be asked to name your Partnyaa and they will appear on the island over the bridge. You can have 1-2 Partnyaas initially (2 if you are in a Guild, 1 if you are not.) and gain the option to get more when one is at Rank 300
There is more information in the House & AI Companions section covering Partnyaas. If you want to ensure the fastest clearing of initial quests you may want to go into options (選項) followed by NPC Options (NPC同行設定) and move your Partnyaa (伙伴喵) to lowest priority to stop them coming on quests and replacing a normal NPC.
HR2 Quests
The HR2 keys are pretty straightforward, the only notable thing is that in the Rathian hunt you will want to head to Area 6 and wait as Area 10 is inaccessible to hunters at night in the jungle.
Hunter Rank 3
House and Transcend
At this point you can buy a second house expansion in the books section (重建高手·錢之技) of the Pink NPC's Store, this will further expand your box capacity. You will also unlock the Transcend System; a customisable time based buff that allows you to augment your hunter's abilities. Similar to Wystones in 4U transcend appears as a usable item with your other consumables, unlike the wystone however the Transcend state starts with little charge and has to be powered up over time on quests.
Transcend starts as a slight increase to elemental and raw damage and gets fairly powerful over the course of the game. Full details are in the dedicated Transcendsection.
Lunchboxes & Newbie Guild
You can join a newbie guild as the game wants you to at this point, simply talk to the guild manager and answer positive to all his prompts and he will railroad you into joining a guild.
After you do so you can enter the guild hall next to him and buy several useful food items that will allow you to get +50 health and +25/+50 stamina on every quest.
Section 1 基本(回復道具等) Spirit Mushrooms, 980z (鬼� | 38,395 |
comprise dans la réunion des lignes latérales raccordant les trottoirs des côtés opposés de la voie publique et mesurée à partir des bordures des trottoirs ou, s’il n’y a pas de bordures, à partir des côtés de la chaussée;
b) section de chaussée qui, à une intersection ou ailleurs, est nettement délimitée par des panneaux, des lignes ou autres marques sur la chaussée pour le passage des piétons. («crosswalk»)
«permis de conduire» Permis délivré en vertu de l’article 32 qui autorise à conduire un véhicule automobile sur une voie publique. («driver’s licence»)
«poids brut» Poids combiné du véhicule et de la charge. («gross weight»)
«registrateur» Le registrateur des véhicules automobiles nommé en vertu de la présente loi. («Registrar»)
«règlements» Les règlements pris en application de la présente loi. («regulations»)
«remorque» Véhicule tracté sur une voie publique par un véhicule automobile, à l’exception d’un matériel agricole, d’une maison mobile, d’un autre véhicule automobile, ou d’un dispositif ou d’un appareil qui n’est pas conçu pour transporter des personnes ou des biens, et tracté, mû ou actionné temporairement sur cette voie publique, et à l’exception aussi d’un side-car fixé à une motocyclette. La remorque est considérée comme un véhicule distinct ne faisant pas partie du véhicule automobile tracteur. («trailer»)
«rémunération» S’entend notamment du taux, de la rétribution, du remboursement ou d’une récompense quelconque qui ont été payés, qui sont payables, qui ont été promis, qui ont été reçus ou qui ont été demandés, directement ou indirectement. («compensation»)
«route à priorité» Voie publique ou section de voie publique désignée comme telle par le ministre ou par règlement municipal et pourvue d’un panneau d’arrêt ou de cession du passage conformément aux règlements du ministère. («through highway»)
«route principale» S’entend en outre d’une route secondaire et d’une route tertiaire désignées en vertu de la Loi sur l’aménagement des voies publiques et des transports en commun. («King’s Highway»)
«sous-ministre» Le sous-ministre des Transports. («Deputy Minister»)
«stationnement» En cas d’interdiction, immobilisation d’un véhicule, occupé ou non, à l’exception de l’immobilisation provisoire durant le temps nécessaire pour permettre le chargement ou le déchargement de marchandises ou la montée ou la descente de passagers. («park», «parking»)
«terre-plein central» Section de voie publique construite de façon à séparer la voie destinée à la circulation dans un sens de celle qui est destinée à la circulation dans l’autre sens au moyen d’une barrière ou d’une bande pavée ou non pavée, creuse ou surélevée, qui a été mise en place pour empêcher le passage d’une voie à l’autre. («median strip»)
«tracteur agricole» Véhicule automoteur conçu et utilisé principalement | 38,396 |
One of the first things you learn in Chinese is to say hello. But do you also know how to say goodbye in Mandarin? Knowing how to say goodbye is just as important as knowing how to say hello, yes, no and thank you in Chinese. In fact, knowing how to take leave from someone is part of the basic Chinese you need to master. So, let’s look at 10 frequently used and useful ways to say goodbye in Mandarin!
How do you say goodbye in Mandarin?
Today, we’re going to see 10 different ways to say “goodbye “in Mandarin. All these expressions you’ll discover here are very common and interesting to know. They each come with a little explanation so you can be sure you’re using the right goodbye in Chinese each time!
#1
再见
zài jiàn
Goodbye; See you
再见 is the most common and standard way to say goodbye in Mandarin. You can use this expression with everybody and in all sorts of situations. 再见 literally means “See you again”, as it’s composed of the character 再 zài, which means “again” and of the character见 jiàn “to see”. That being said, you can still use 再见 if you’re not planning on seeing the person ever again.
#2
拜拜
bái bái
Bye-bye
The most frequent and easy way to say goodbye in Mandarin is going to sound very familiar to you: it’s 拜拜, which means “bye bye” and is pronounced just like in English! It’s casual and informal, but don’t worry, almost all the people use it in China now. 拜拜 was first used in Taiwan, but you’ll hear it used everywhere that speaks Chinese now.
As the word 八 (8), pronounced bā sounds close to “bye”, you’ll sometimes see 拜拜 written as 88 online. So if someone writes 88 to you, you know now what they mean!
See you soon: Using 见 to say goodbye in Chinese
The following ways to say goodbye all have something in common: they all use 见! As you saw before, 见 means “to see”. It’s therefore not surprising that it’s used a lot in expressions to say goodbye, especially when you plan on seeing the person you’re saying goodbye to again.
#3
一会儿见
yī huǐ er jiàn
see you later/in a while
#3 bis
回头见
huí tóu jiàn
see you later
When you want to say “see you later”, two expressions you can use are:
一会儿见. Here, 一会儿 yīhuǐ er means “a little while”, so 一会儿见 very simply means “see you in a little while”.
or 回头见. 回头 literally means “to turn one’s head around” and figurately means “later” so, combined with 见, 回头见 means “see you later”.
#4
明天见
míng tiān jiàn
see you tomorrow
When the day is over and you want to say “see you tomorrow” to your classmate or colleague, you can say 明天见！This expression is very easy to use in Chinese, and good to know when you want to say goodbye to someone till a specific date.
#4 bis
周一见
zhōu yī jiàn
see you on Monday
To say to someone “see you” at a specific date, all you need to do is follow this pattern:
[Specific Date] + 见
For example: If you put the date 周一 in front on 见, you get: 周一见 – See you on Monday, since 周一 is Monday.
#5 再联系
zà | 38,397 |
Emmanuel Macron shows Europe is getting tired of propping up incompetent and greedy African nations.
Europe is in a fun place now.
We have European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker struggling with nightmares about sad third-world migrants not being allowed to flood Europe; then there’s Angela Merkel beset by long and tedious discussions with German party leaders in hopes of forming a coalition government. Britain meanwhile has returned to its favorite hobby of getting triggered by Donald Trump’s Twitter activity and trying to find a legal way to ban him from the UK. In the midst of this, French President Emmanuel Macron maintains his own fair piece of the media’s attention with some newsworthy adventures from his trip in Africa.
Macron is currently on a tour of four African nations, trying to initiate a lasting solution to the slave trade that has sprung up in Libya as a result of masses of migrants getting stuck due to heightened Libyan security measures cutting back on human smuggling activity in the Mediterranean. As a result, Italy for example has seen a 67% decrease in migrant arrivals since July.
On November 28th, Macron surprised the world when he appeared to lose his temper during a speech at Ouagadougou University in Burkina Faso, a former French colony that gained independence in 1960. Admitting that European colonization had committed indisputable crimes in Africa, he then added that today, however, France’s paternalistic approach to African nations had to end.
According to RT:
The tradition of African nations reproaching France in case if something goes wrong should also be broken, he said, adding that the students spoke to him “as if he were a president of Burkina Faso” when complaining about the poor state of the university. “Sometimes you talk to me like I’m still a colonial power,” the French president said. “But I do not want to deal with electricity in universities in Burkina Faso,” Macron added, smiling. Apparently warmed up by a mix of laughter, applause and whistling in the audience, he carried on. “It is the work of the president [of Burkina Faso],” he said, pointing at president Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who was listening to Macron’s speech from the same stage. At this point, Kabore suddenly stood up and left the room. “He’s leaving… Stay there! So, he went to repair the air conditioning,” Macron shouted after the African state leader.
Beautiful. A prime illustration that demonstrates the essential problem with African-European relations. To top it off, during Macron’s visit in Burkina Faso, gangs of protesters flocked to the streets, burning tires while carrying signs that read “Down with imperialism!” and “French troops – out of Burkina Faso, out of Africa.” The convoys of France’s delegates were pelted with stones, and riot police had to intervene by spraying tear gas on the unruly mobs.
#Repost EN CE MOMENT A #OUAGADOUGOU
Des étudiants gazés à l'université Ouagadougou, manifestent contre l'arrivée d'Emmanuel Macron. pic.twitter.com/ZlTqyfDcg2 — DANSOU Romuald (@229_romuald) November 28, 2017
Believe me, there is nothing more that European citizens would like than to leave Africa alone. How wonderful the world would be if Africans could live without constant military and financial aid from the West. No more white supremacy, no more cultural appropriation. The problem is African nations have an unpleasant habit of devolving into total disease-infested dens of chaos if left to their own doings. On the one hand, Africans despise Europeans for historically colonizing them and innovating upon their rich natural resources, and on the other hand they desperately crave the level of civilization under which Western nations peacefully live and govern. They want that which is not in their capacity to create. They want the shiny things, they want the gibs. Africa will always either succumb to being ruled by a higher civilization (think China) or seek to destroy a higher civilization out of eventual resentment.
Aside from insulting Burkina Faso’s leader, Emmanuel Macron also had a few choice words about who’s really responsible for the Libyan slave trade.
“Who are the traffickers? Ask yourselves – being the African youth – that question. You are unbelievable. Who are the traffickers? They are Africans, my friends. They are Africans. Ask yourselves the question. It’s not the French who are the traffickers, it’s the Africans. So everyone should understand the responsibility, and we’ve started to do that, to dismantle them. But stop the argument saying | 38,398 |
Top Rank, one of the most powerful combat sports businesses in the world, has held discussions about selling.
That is according to the company’s founder Bob Arum, who told Business Insider inside his office at Top Rank HQ in Las Vegas, that he has held discussions with Endeavor, Liberty Global, and even DAZN.
It could be the largest fight sports sale since the UFC sold for $4.025 billion in 2016.
Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
LAS VEGAS – One of boxing’s most powerful men, the 88-year-old promoter Bob Arum, has told Business Insider that he has had discussions about selling his historic fight firm Top Rank.
Arum founded Top Rank almost 50 years ago in 1973. The company has become synonymous with elite, championship boxing as Arum has organized fights featuring Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar de la Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, and Manny Pacquiao.
Should a sale materialize, it would be the most high-profile acquisition in combat sports, if not all sports, since the mixed martial arts (MMA) firm UFC was sold for $4.025 billion deal in 2016.
“Anything is for sale,” Arum told Business Insider at his office on the second floor of Top Rank HQ, which is a few miles south of the Las Vegas strip.
Top Rank HQ is inside a large building. The company name is embedded in marble as you walk through the entrance. At the reception desk, you can see the company’s fight library archived in chronological order through the glass. It is inside a fireproof room to protect the 10,000 fights which Top Rank owns and digitized for prosperity.
Arum’s office is upstairs. He has a Louis Vuitton heavy bag weighted to the floor, and Louis Vuitton gloves are inside an open cabinet. He told us that Karl Lagerfield designed the punching bag – it is one of five in existence.
Lees ook op Business Insider €50.000 bij je ouders lenen voor een verbouwing: familiebank kan gunstig zijn, maar kunnen pa een ma een boeterente opleggen als het misgaat?
Foto: The Top Rank fight library and Bob Arum with his office punching bag.sourceBusiness Insider / Alan Dawson
This is what is available to buy, for the right price:
One of the most powerful companies in all combat sports
Big-name athletes under contract – Terence Crawford, Tyson Fury, and Naoya Inoue are Top Rank fighters
Intellectual property – Top Rank has footage of a prime Muhammad Ali and other fight material which it leases
Debt-free Las Vegas real estate – Top Rank owns multiple buildings outright, including a gym near the strip
This is who has been discussing a deal, according to Arum:
The Hollywood talent agency Endeavor
The NASDAQ Telecomms firm Liberty Global
The market-disrupting OTT subscription sports streaming service DAZN
Arum is seemingly courting a similar deal to the one which saw UFC sold to WME-IMG, now known as Endeavor, four years ago. Dana White remains at the forefront of the UFC, while many people with key positions before the sale, continue to fulfill prominent roles for the company today.
Top Rank, meanwhile, is a family business. Arum may be its face, but president Todd Duboef, his stepson, has been a key driver for the company’s broadcast deal with ESPN+, as well as its global-facing strategies.
“Anything is for sale if I can stay alive in the business,” Arum, 88, told us, adding it would “absolutely” be the biggest combat sports asset on the market since the UFC sold four years ago.
“They [the UFC] did very well,” Arum said. “Dana White still has a big role in that company. He’s the spokesperson, Lawrence Epstein is the president [he’s the senior executive vice president and the COO], and [vice president of regulatory affairs] Marc Ratner is still there.
“So, yeah … of course, if you’re going to invest that much money in an enterprise, you’re going to keep the people. You don’t want to go in and start it from the get-go.”
Duboef scored a 7-year deal with ESPN
Foto: Todd Duboef plays a huge role for Top Rank.sourcePhoto By Ramsey Cardy / Sportsfile via Getty Images
One of Duboef’s recent | 38,399 |
Subsets and Splits