Numerous keys for Sniper Elite 3 have been invalidated and their owners left practically empty handed after Steam and developing studio Rebellion discovered they were stolen and then re-sold to other vendors.

Rebellion is offering the "Target Hitler" DLC extension as a make-good for those affected, but as far as the full game, they're being told to contact the reseller and demand a refund. Neither Rebellion nor Steam are offering that.

Rebellion, in a forum thread now stretching more than 700 comments, explicitly held the resellers blameless. "One of our PC retail distributors informed us that some of their allotted Steam keys were stolen," Rebellion wrote. "We believe these keys were then resold to multiple companies, with no payments going to either Valve or the retail distributor."

Rebellion informed Steam of this, and Steam revoked these keys.

"We have in no way targeted any specific vendors (who may have also thought these keys were legitimate)," Rebellion added, "just this one set of keys."

Rebellion is facing a storm of angry responses on the game's Steam page as well as the studio's Facebook page. The most it's offering is the DLC, on the understanding that some may have preordered these keys and, therefore, if they lose the game they would also lose "Target Hitler," which for now is available only as a preorder incentive.

Buyers of the revoked keys have until July 4 to claim that DLC.

"All we can suggest if you have been affected is to please contact your vendor and first ask for a replacement key, and then contact us for the free pre-order DLC if you are successful," Rebellion wrote.

Polygon has contacted Rebellion for additional comment and will update this story if any is provided.


We offered a charity bet to all of the main party leaders, and the only one to take us up was Nigel Farage. He’s had his £500 on Soll at 20/1, with any proceeds going to the RNLI.

Funnily enough, that was the horse I was planning to back. Not sure whether to be pleased or not that Nigel agrees with me. I ought to point out that I don’t remember backing a Grand National winner since the 1980s.

For political science groupies, the selection has to be Bob Ford at 50/1. I don’t think the horse was named after Manchester University’s Rob Ford, co-author of the excellent UKIP study Revolt on the Right, but I could be wrong.

If you fancy a bet, you can find the latest odds on the big race here.


After last month’s insane/awesome issue, Nailbiter returns with a story that reveals quite a bit about the series’ mythology. Is it good?

Nailbiter #23 (Image Comics)

Observations

If you’re a deadbeat foster parent, then you kind of deserve having Finch and Crane bust into your house with their guns drawn.

A trip down memory lane with Edward Warren: Come for the nightmare-inducing childhood drawings, stay for the revelations.

When Edward Warren says things are about to get weird, you can count on it being an understatement.

Poor Edward. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but maybe he actually does deserve some sympathy…

…and I immediately retract that statement.

Speaking of feeling bad for people (and changing my mind), it’s nice to see this character again. Not sure the rest of the Nailbiter cast is going to feel the same way.

Is It Good?

If executed incorrectly, a multiple thread cliffhanger is a recipe for narrative frustration/disaster. Lucky for us, we are in the wonderfully capable hands of Josh Williamson, who crafts an ending to Nailbiter #23 that is both perfectly paced and exhilarating.

Most of the issue is spent with Edward Warren slowly revealing things about himself to Alice. In the hands of a lesser writer, this could have turned into a massive exposition dump. Instead, Williamson ties Warren’s story perfectly into what has come before while simultaneously leading us on a bizarre trip into one of the darkest (and strangely well-lit) corners of Buckaroo.

Meanwhile, this journey of discovery is juxtaposed with Finch and Crane’s mad dash to find Alice. Adding to the desperation of the search is their attempt to make sense of the evening’s brutal violence. Throw in a meeting between Finch and Marigold–along with Crane alluding to an even more improbable upcoming alliance–and you’ve got a couple of riveting plot lines to follow.

And as if all that weren’t enough, the issue’s coda brings a major character back into the fold in a very big way. Admittedly, I wanted to scream at Williamson when he cut away from the Warren/Alice revelations, but the final page more than made up for it.

As usual, Mike Henderson’s artwork is outstanding. He and colorist Adam Guzowski do a fantastic job rendering the issue’s many location and mood changes. I also love the way Henderson draws the returning character so differently from how we got used to seeing him/her before. As good as he is at drawing gore and scary guys in armor, Henderson’s ability to portray a character’s emotions and mental state might be his greatest strength.

There’s not a whole lot of action for Henderson to draw this issue, but Williamson’s great dialogue and carefully rationed revelations more than make up for it. ‘Bound by Blood’ is turning out to be a perfect example of why Nailbiter is one of the best comics being published right now.


Juancarlo Parkhurst, owner of Lina’s Diner and Bar, with some of his crew members in the restaurant’s kitchen. Photo by Mike Diegel.

Silver Spring’s newest restaurant, Lina’s Diner and Bar, will officially open Tuesday, May 30.

“We opened up last Thursday, so this entire run, Thursday through Saturday is what we consider our soft open,” said Juancarlo Parkhurst. “We’ll be closed for the Monday holiday and then we’ll start Tuesday with lunch, dinner as well as happy hour.”

Parkhurst started cooking in college about 20 years ago to pay the bills, he said. He also cooked during a brief stint in law school, which he said he hated. He switched to the front of the house, working in various restaurants in New York City and South Beach, then went back to cooking, eventually moving back to New York City. He’s been living in the Silver Spring area for about 12 years.

“My most recent stint was as a general manager opening up RPM Italian,” he said, an upscale Italian restaurant in Mount Vernon.

The inspiration for Lina’s comes from his childhood experience going to a diner in New York City in the Meatpacking District that he said, “just blew my mind, it was such a cool place. You were seated next to transvestites, prostitutes, business people. It was open 24 hours a day. It was really kind of what I guess New York was in the 80s and 90s.”

What always intrigued him about that restaurant, he said, was that it was a diner but with a strong French influence. By going to other places in the city over the years, the bistro idea just got ingrained in him, Parkhurst said

He’d started looking at the location (8402 Georgia Ave.) and talking to the landlord eight years ago before actually jumping out on his own with Lina’s. He spent about two and half months renovating the space to get ready for the opening.

The diner is named after his daughter, 10-year-old Carolina. The outdoor patio is named Sam’s Garden after his son (which also explains why the section of the menu listing burgers and such is labeled “Samwiches”).

“It’s a very small, kind of recognizable comfort food menu,” he said about the offerings. “Obviously, we have strong classics.”

Those dishes include steak frites, a double cheeseburger, an omelette in the French style (“a little loose on the inside”), pork belly poutine, grilled bratwurst, and a Croque Monsieur or Madame among other items. The restaurant will also start offering daily specials, including a fish of the day.

The clientele during the soft open “has been a really interesting mix,” he said. “I’ve had young families, I’ve had young professionals, I’ve had kind of all walks of life over the last week and a half. It’s kind of what I wanted to go for—very much going back to that experience I had as a child.

“You can’t be everything to everyone,” Parkhurst continued, “but I hope it’s a comfortable space for a lot of people.”

Lunch at Lina’s will run from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and then reopen at 5 for dinner. Monday through Thursday, the kitchen will be open until 10 p.m. and the bar open until 11, and open one hour later for each on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant does not accept cash, only credit and debit cards.

(Editor’s note: Lina’s Diner and Bar’s website will go live next week.)

One of the pieces off artwork on the walls is a caricature by a local artist of Parkhurst’s daughter Carolina, for whom the diner is named. Photo by Mike Diegel.

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Don't be expecting Oculus Rift support for the PS4 or Xbox One any time soon.

The Oculus Rift is making waves in the world of PC gaming as of late, trying it's best to provide gamers with the VR device we have been dreaming of since Tron. Even in the prototype stage, support for the device is constantly growing among PC developers, but Sony and Microsoft have seemingly shown very little interest. Talking to Tech Radar, creator Palmer Luckey says that's fine, explaining that the next-gen consoles are still too limited for his vision anyway.

"Consoles are too limited for what we want to do. We're trying to make the best virtual reality device in the world and we want to continue to innovate and upgrade every year - continue making progress internally - and whenever we make big jumps we want to push that to the public."

He says that his main problem with consoles is that after they are released, they are locked into a certain spec for a very long time. "Look at the PCs that existed eight years ago. There have been so many huge advances since then. Now look at the VR hardware of today. I think the jump we're going to see in the next four or five years is going to be massive, and already VR is a very intensive thing, it requires rendering at high resolutions at over 60 frames a second in 3D."

"We're seeing games that are already saying they're gonna run in 720p on next gen so they can barely hit 60 in 2D," he continues, no doubt referencing the "resolutiongate" controversy. "It's hard to imagine them running a VR experience that's on par with PC."

When asked if Luckey lumped Valve's upcoming "Steam Machines," (AKA, the Steam Box) in with his "consoles" statement, he is a bit more optimistic. "We're good friends with Valve," laughs Luckey, "We're great friends with them."

Source: Tech Radar


In the history of TV—all 75 years of it—there has never been a time when so much content has been so readily available to watch.

But with the average cable package now topping $103, according to Leichtman Research Group, and a new wave of direct-to-consumer services, viewers have more choices than ever in how they watch, via over-the-top, or OTT, services.

“The key advantage to launching a stand-alone service is growing their audience beyond the traditional pay-TV ecosystem,” said Glenn Hower, a senior media analyst at the Dallas-based research firm Parks Associates.

About 82 percent of TV households nationwide subscribe to some form of pay-TV service, according to Leichtman. That’s down 5 percent from 2011. As consumer behavior changed, and the technology got better, TV programmers took notice and started going over the top.

CBS All Access was one of the first to launch in October 2014. It now has almost 1.5 million subscribers paying $5.99 a month for CBS shows as well as exclusive programs like The Good Fight and the upcoming Star Trek. HBO Now was the first premium direct-to-consumer service. It launched in April 2015 and now has more than 2 million subscribers paying $14.99 per month.

CBS

And while those platforms serve a wide audience, the new trend is niche.

This month, Turner launched Boomerang, an ad-free streaming service that comes with access to thousands of hours of cartoons including the entire Hanna-Barbera, Looney Tunes and MGM libraries.

Another streaming player, WWE Network, is built for fans of professional wrestling.

“Back in 2012 and 2013, we started doing research among our fans, and we found out pretty quickly that WWE fans were consuming a lot of digital content online, about five times the national average,” WWE chief revenue and marketing officer Michelle Wilson told Adweek. “So while we were originally going down the path of launching a linear TV network, when we saw this data the light bulb went off for us and we felt this was an opportunity for us to go direct to our consumers.”

WWE only ranks behind Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and MLB.TV in total paid subscribers, according to a 2016 report from Parks Associates. Showtime is No. 9 and CBS All Access is No. 10 in total subscribers, per that same report.

“We like calculated risks and we were willing to take the risk for the revenue upside and for the opportunity to drive more engagement,” said Wilson. “We felt streaming provided the greatest long-term transformative growth for WWE on a global basis.”

The three-year-old WWE Network, which can be viewed with services like Roku and Apple TV, now has nearly 2 million paid and free trial subscribers across the globe. The service is $9.99 a month.

While the standalone streaming model has been a hit for WWE, not every company sees the need to go over the top, whether on its own or with the new streaming bundles from the likes of AT&T’s DirecTV Now, Dish’s Sling and Google’s YouTube, as well as offerings from Hulu and PlayStation Vue.

Bob Bakish, CEO of Viacom, which includes networks like Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV and the soon-to-launch Paramount Network, says signing on with a streaming service may increase viewers, but won’t always make economic sense.

“If you think about all these guys that have launched they’re all essentially the same,” said Bakish. “What I mean by that is they’re all about 40 bucks. They’re all based on broadcast and sports. And if you talk to the CEOs of any of them, they’ll tell you the same thing, which is we can’t make any money, which is probably code for we’re losing money on a variable basis.”


US Paving the Way for Massive First Strike on North Korea Nuclear and Missile Infrastructure

The emerging Chinese super powers North Korean Proxy continues to accelerate towards being able to punch a hole through the US Military Empires encirclement of China as every other day brings North Korea a step closer towards it's primary objective of hitting and destroying the US Military base on Guam, home to over 10,000 troops and 160,000 US citizens, and which as the following map illustrates is just 1 of 400 US military bases in Asia for the express purpose of encircling and containing China.

The latest news is that of a successful H-bomb test, though western scientists are reporting that the detonation registering on the richter scale was more on par with a 100k device rather an H-bomb that one would expect to have been several orders of magnitude more powerful. Still a 100k device would more than capable of destroying the US military base on Guam, in fact would be powerful enough to destroy most of the infrastructure of any of worlds major the cities.

In response to which US Defence Secretary James Mattis stated that the US is considering military options towards eliminating the North Korean nuclear threat. Including warning of a 'massive military response' if North Korea attacks any US interests, and that Trump was being briefed on each of the "many military options" for dealing with the North Korean nuclear threat.

"Our commitment among the allies are ironclad. Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming."

"We are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea, but as I said, we have many options to do so."

Earlier President Trump had warned of halting trade with any nation that does business with North Korea, which is primarily aimed at the $500 billion of goods imported annually from China.

Ultimately the US objective is for North Korea to be taken over by South Korea, whilst for China it is the opposite objective.

So the trend towards war with China remains in motion as I warned of in my in-depth analysis in the Trump Reset series that concluded BEFORE Donald Trump took office of why the US was inevitably trending towards War with China and therefore to understand why events such as a bellicose North Korea are happening one needs to look through prism of the world’s TWO global military and economic super powers. The United States as the defacto global super power, and the emerging Chinese super power that ultimately seeks to displace the United States with its own military and economic global empire.

So that there is no confusion, a war that will likely involve the use of nuclear weapons is INEVITABLE as I iterated in my latest video analysis that concerned the role that the North Korean proxy was playing as China attempts to punch a hole through the ring of US military bases encircling China and its inevitable nuclear war consequences.

https://youtu.be/a-bS0oWewgw (Note the video is unavailable on some devices such as mobile phones).

In respect of which the US looks set to use at least a dozen tactical nuclear weapons on North Korea to neutralise their missile and nuclear infrastructure.

Other videos in the Trump Reset - War with China series:

Delirium - Why Trump Won the Election

My first video in this series was in the immediate aftermath of the US election and explained why Trump won.

The Putin Doctrine

My second video concerned Trump following the "Putin Doctrine", one of there being no difference between that which is truth and that which is fiction.

Will the CIA Assassinate President Trump?

The prospects of the risk of President Trump going against the interests of the US military industrial, intelligence and corporate complex, such as being friendly towards Russia and dismissive of NATO and US intelligence that risks the CIA moving once more to remove a 'rogue' president from office, the last being 1963.

Trump vs the Deep State that Hides in Plain Sight

The "Deep State" best describes the invisible labyrinth of power which truly controls the United States no matter which party is in power against which a President Donald Trump will find himself doing battle against as his first press conference illustrates where Trump let rip into the mainstream press (CNN) as he reacted to the CIA's leaking of another MI6 dodgy dossier to the mainstream press, calling it all 'Fake News', fake intelligence by something that could have come out of Nazi Germany.

And neither should it be forgotten that there are two other nuclear weapon proxies in the region, India for the US and Pakistan for China. Which as the North Korea theatre continues to escalate then soon could also be engineered towards threatening postures in the interest of each of the super powers interests i.e. India / China border skirmishes etc.

Ensure you are subscribed to my always free newsletter and youtube channel Ensure for my forthcoming vides in the War with China series.

By Nadeem Walayat

http://www.marketoracle.co.uk

Copyright © 2005-2017 Marketoracle.co.uk (Market Oracle Ltd). All rights reserved.

Nadeem Walayat has over 30 years experience of trading derivatives, portfolio management and analysing the financial markets, including one of few who both anticipated and Beat the 1987 Crash. Nadeem's forward looking analysis focuses on UK inflation, economy, interest rates and housing market. He is the author of five ebook's in the The Inflation Mega-Trend and Stocks Stealth Bull Market series that can be downloaded for Free.

Nadeem is the Editor of The Market Oracle, a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication that presents in-depth analysis from over 1000 experienced analysts on a range of views of the probable direction of the financial markets, thus enabling our readers to arrive at an informed opinion on future market direction. http://www.marketoracle.co.uk

Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any trading losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors before engaging in any trading activities.

Nadeem Walayat Archive

© 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.


The past few days, it seems like every member of the media has been all over the attempt to conflate the Occupy Wall Street movement and the Tea Party. One person who’s not getting in the act, though? Glenn Beck. It’s unsurprising considering that Beck really, really likes the Tea Party and really, really doesn’t like Occupy Wall Street.

And so, today on his radio show, Beck had fairly negative things to say about one such person making those connections; Jon Stewart.

After playing clips of Stewart asking how the protesters are not like the Tea Party, Beck claimed he couldn’t fit all the reasons in even the two hour running length of his GBTV show.

After accusing the OWS crowd of wanting to murder and cannibalize rich people, Beck went onto Stewart personally.

“You know, Jon Stewart, I have absolutely no respect for you. You are not a thinking man at all.”

So Glenn Beck and Jon Stewart don’t see eye to eye on the issue. I will say this, that’s one way the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street are exactly, 100% identical.

Listen to the clip below:

(h/t)

Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com


I have been tattooed twice, say, the usual-machine-way and I’m not sure when I started the decision to have a traditional tattoo at least once. It appealed to me so much because it was raw and real. Then some friends went up the mountains to have their tattoos done manually, known as pagbabatok, by famous Whang Od (if you don’t know yet, it’s pronounced as Fang-Od). So I researched more about the traditional art, Whang-Od, and how to get there, through blogs and friends. So if you’ve read the title, I’m not really getting into those details. You can find tons of info in any search engine so go ahead and do that.

I told my family and friends about my plans to go and they were all like, am I sure, can I handle the pain, it’s too risky and dangerous, blah blah.

Days before our trip to Kalinga, we visited a friend who’s had his “batok” last year and has visited Buscalan many times already. Aside from the usual warnings of the dangerous road and rough trek, he mentioned, “Pero eto ang pinakamadumi na tato ah. Hanggang ngayon pag pinipisil ko yung tato ko, may lumalabas eh.” (“This is the dirtiest tattoo. Even now, when I pinch it, something comes out.”) I asked him if he ever had it checked by a doctor, he said no, simply because it will defeat the purpose of having it done traditionally. Also he was a friend of the group Tado was with on the way there, so he knew the people who died to take this journey, may they rest in peace, that’s why he asked me if I still wanted to go. You can also discover in blogs that though Whang Od changes the pine needle to use per person, she does not change the cloth she uses to wipe over the skin of those getting their tattoos. Even if you give her a new one to use, she won’t allow it. The ink to be used is the soot from her cooking-ware mixed with water.

Honestly, knowing all these didn’t even shake my desire to go there. I have decided before I knew.

I was ready to go alone, but my friend Keisha wanted to go too, so we went together. We also happen to meet Kuya Paolo along the way who’s heading to Buscalan. You can read about our trip here.

So, yes, you already (hopefully) know the process is cringe-worthy. They don’t give you anesthesia. For me, it was 20 times more painful than machine tattoos, and I’d like to believe I have a strong pain tolerance. I managed not to cry or scream though, concentrating on the plants around and savoring the feeling of what the elders in the tribes have felt. Kuya Francis Pa-in, our guide, also told us stories. The pain was too much to bear for some that there were cases when the person peed, fainted, and yes, even pooped. In these instances, Whang Od won’t continue with the tattoo even if you insist, she can always tell if the person can or can’t bear it. Also for women on their dreaded time of the month, it is not advisable since it can be more painful or for whatever reason I don’t know. Ask your doctor. Don’t worry too much though, Keisha was on hers when she got tattooed and she’s fine. Her tattoo just bled profusely more than mine though I’m not sure if it’s the position or her condition that time. I earnestly hope what I’m saying doesn’t discourage you if you happen to plan to go.

After we’ve been permanently branded a traditional Buscalan art, I was more than overwhelmed. I was exhilarated. I have never felt more alive and proud. The throbbing wasn’t so unbearable after. They just put coconut oil on it and said we didn’t have to put anything after. It looked like pointillism and it was swelling more than my previous tattoos after an hour. We were allowed to take a bath that afternoon, but getting it wet a day after wasn’t advisable since it might affect the natural scattering of the ink. The following day, about four inches of my arm was swelling in length, and an inch more in terms of width.

I could not lower my hand because the blood flows down and it throbs like hell so I held it up all the time. This wasn’t the case for Keisha though, again, it might vary by the tattoo’s position. That’s when I understood what Kuya Francis said about tattoos on the legs and feet are so painful after because the blood flows down and you can’t really put them up unless you’re lying down. My wrist kept throbbing when my hand was down for at least a week.

The soot ink started to form solid lines. I also observed that it looked and peeled like a normal wound, except the dried skin was black. Well, it’s really a wound after all. It was my personal choice not to put antibiotic or anything on it because I wanted it to be as genuine as the tradition.

When my tattoo started to look out of hand though, I was slightly worried since nobody said that it would look so scathed after a week. People would stare at it with judging looks, like they were telling me I made a very unwise decision getting it. I didn’t really care. And those who inquired were taken aback upon hearing the story behind it. Although I admit, it gets pretty tiring to explain yourself to everyone.

Thankfully, Keisha’s tattoo looked the same. So we tried to find out more about the healing process of this kind of tattoo and nothing in the internet mentioned it. So we just resorted to letting it heal naturally.

On the third week I decided it was safe to put moisturizer on it since the wound was closed and was just repairing the skin, which was really, really itchy by the way. I applied RestoraDerm, since I use it when my skin gets too dry. It works wonders and it did work its wonder on my healing tattoo.

The skin didn’t look too dry and it peeled faster, leaving a grey tint, like ash. It was still embossed though. I thought this was finally how the color was going to look like since the ink used was really soot. I consistently put the lotion every morning after bathing and before I go to sleep at night. Keisha told me she put on a regular lotion so I made her try RestoraDerm as well. She said it works better and the itching lessened, but a normal lotion will do.

My tattoo still peeled and it looked like it had blackheads on the fourth week. I admit I always picked on it. I completely don’t recommend doing this though. When the excess skin came off, there were visible holes on my arm where the needle went through. It started to flatten as well but the skin was still unsmooth because of the irregularity the holes bring. Still, it looks healed now. My own eyes tell me that it’s infection free.

Now the lines are obviously not perfectly straight, but that’s the beauty of it. It wasn’t made by a machine. It is purely done by the hands of a 95-year old Kalinga tattoo artist, with pine needle and soot as her tools, and almost a century’s worth of experience. I carry this art, traditionally only for the most brave and beautiful.

All details mentioned were my own experiences and choices. I decided to share them since I found no other blog saying what happens AFTER you get your batok.

So for those of you who are attempting to get your tattoos from Whang Od and are wondering about the risks and joys, you’re welcome. Though I earnestly discourage you to go there if you just want to look cool. Revere the art, the artist and the culture.

Feel free to share how you managed your batok or if you have any questions on the comments below. 🙂

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Town hall erupts in jeers after GOP official lies about ACA ‘death panels’ Constituents weren’t having it.

Town hall erupts in jeers after GOP official lies about ACA ‘death panels’.

(Credit: CNN screengrab)

Confronted with talking to constituents about health care, these GOP lawmakers chose to hide Members of Congress are fleeing from concerned constituents. (thinkprogress.org)

By Zack Ford

Politifact’s 2009 “Lie of the Year” was brought back from the dead during a Saturday town hall hosted by Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL)—and the mostly pro-ACA crowd wasn’t having any of it.

Bill Akins—chair of Pasco County, Florida’s Republican Party—told the roughly 250 people in attendance that his problem with the Affordable Care Act is that “there is a provision in there that anyone over the age of 74 has to go before what is effectively a death panel.”

As soon as the words “death panel” left Akins’ mouth, the crowd erupted in boos, jeers, and chants of “liar, liar.”

“It’s in there folks. You’re wrong!” Akins replied, falsely, as Bilirakis tried to restore order. Akins then calls the angry crowd “children.”

As CNN’s Eric Bradner reported from the event, Bilirakis heard from a man who said his daughter has a genetic disease is still alive because of the ACA and a doctor who reported seeing fewer self-paying patients since the ACA became law.

But Bilirakis— who describes himself as a “staunch opponent of Obamacare” on his website—persisted in making his case that people should have the “choice” to be uninsured.

“You gotta have choice, ladies and gentleman,” he said. “People should have the opportunity to pay for their own plan based on their own needs.”

Bilirakis held a town hall on the Affordable Care Act last weekend, too. At that event, like the one on Saturday, he was confronted by a crowd mostly opposed to repealing the ACA.

As ThinkProgress wrote on the occasion of Bilirakis’ previous town hall, his willingness to meet with his constituents “sets him apart from other Republican members of Congress, several of whom have recently fled constituent town halls in order to avoid dealing with crowds of pro-Obamacare demonstrators.”

Another opponent of the ACA, Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA), recently said he doesn’t want to hold town halls because “since Obamacare and these issues have come up, the women are in my grill no matter where I go.”

Republican members of Congress haven’t yet decided how to deal with the ACA, if at all, but all of the options they’ve considered for replacements would create more problems than they’d solve.

Studies indicate repealing the ACA could cost 32 million people their health insurance, reduce U.S. job growth by al-most 1.2 million in 2019, and result in between 27,000 and 36,000 preventable deaths each year.

Zack Ford Follow LGBT Editor at ThinkProgress.org. Gay, Atheist, Pianist, Un-apologetic “Social Justice Warrior


Surveillance footage captured a man robbing the TCF Bank branch at 4930 N. Milwaukee Ave. View Full Caption Bandittracker.com

CHICAGO — Police said they arrested a man suspected of robbing a bank in Jefferson Park Sunday morning.

A man robbed the TCF Bank branch at 4930 N. Milwaukee Ave. about 11:20 a.m., according to the FBI. He told tellers he had a weapon but never showed one, according to the FBI.

He fled the building with an undisclosed amount of money, but cops caught up to a suspect matching his description about 10 minutes later, said Officer Janel Sedevic, a police department spokeswoman.

The 36-year-old man was arrested but had not been charged as of early Monday afternoon, authorities said.

Sedevic said no one was hurt in the robbery.


Eric (34) is the eldest brother with the highest education. He has his eye on increasing profits, improving customer service, and expanding the tow-truck fleet (currently at a whopping 3 trucks) in order to make a push into the huge Toronto market. Secretly, Eric’s come home after botching a transportation company merger in Saskatchewan.

Jon (31) has been working at Bill & Sons Towing since he dropped out of high school in Grade 9. Jon sees himself as the rightful heir to running the family business, and believes Eric has swooped in with his ‘fancy college degree’ to take something that doesn’t belong to him. Highly resistant to change, Jon sees no point in expanding the business or improving customer service.

Tony (30) is the undeniable screw-up of the family. Whether it’s “cleaning out” towed vehicles, or running insurance scams, Tony will do anything to stuff his wallet. Yet for all the trouble he causes, he’s a huge asset as an all-round utility man; he’s a skilled tow driver, mechanic, and locksmith.


A Manhattan nail salon owner defended her customers and store from an armed robber on Wednesday night. Annie Sheng, who owns Peony Nails Spa at 542 LaGuardia Place, just down the street from Washington Square Park, says it started when a man wearing a cap and a plaid shirt in her store around 8:30 p.m.; WABC 7 reports that besides Sheng, there were 10 customers, two children and her staff in the store.

Sheng asked him if he needed any help and that's when he threatened her for the money. She told ABC 7, "He came my way and said, don't talk I have a gun, give me your money."

As he approached her behind the cash register counter, Sheng said the robber reached for his gun, so she acted: "I see him try to go get it and I push it [his arm] and just push him," shoving him in the body and then shoving the gun down his pants.

The robber walked out of the store, and Sheng followed him to the door and then called the police:

Sheng, who told reporters she wasn't scared, is 5'4" and about 120 pounds. The attempted robber is about 5'11" and 160 pounds. Police say the suspect "fits the description" of a man wanted for other armed robberies at nail salons, according to the Post.

Her 10-year-old daughter said, "She should have done it but at the same time, it was dangerous."


This election year has been absolutely unprecidented, even for people who have no real interest in politics. The television tells us that one of the two most untrusted, disliked candidates in living memory will become our next President- while simultaniously mocking and berating those who challenge the validity of this "representative democracy". Red-baiting, rampant corruption proven by email leaks, and mainstream denial- how the hell do we fix this?

The key to understanding the chances of real change lies in recognizing that the most important variable in that equation is us. Life isn't a tv channel or Facebook feed to get updates on; it must be interactive for any success to occur. Think of Bernie's groundbreaking campaign- did we all just wait to see the results? Or did we make it happen? Yes, we were driven by enthusiasm and hope back then, which is now (quite purposely) in short supply...

It's not all our fault- this purposely widespread and worsening poverty gives us no time or energy to do much more. Our "education" trains us to be disciplined robots, skilled mostly at consuming, following orders, and fighting with each other over petty personal differences without ever grasping the bigger picture. That self-destructive cognitive dissonance is also a primary cause for this country's (profitably medicated) rampant depression and mental illness.

A lot of the issue is our successful creation of a "viewer" society, where the majority lives off the media's narrative for their reality checks instead of actually making anything happen. Reality is external, somewhere else, something that you get updates on from Twitter. In our Coke-or-Pepsi mentality, any healthy skepticism about the credibility or motive of 'news' is mitigated by the choice of different flavored networks- 'lesser evil' narratives become "truth".

Then add to that all of the indoctrinated divisive thinking perpetuated by over-hyped labels, categories, and blatant scapegoating. Community spirit and true patriotism is disintegrating, being replaced by every-citizen-for-themselves desperation which breeds populace infighting instead of cooperative pride. The establishment's version of society is just another corporate product that we were lured into, then became a stranglehold monopoly at all our expense.

What both Bernie and Trump had in common was the idea that we don't have to be willing victims to it. But while Bernie's approach was civil, gentlemanly revolution built around equality and integrity, Trump's was empowerment of belligerent non-conformity and disrespect as a blunt anti-status quo tool. Thus, we Berners largely considered the Trump crew to be ignorant and chaotic; the Trumpers called Bernie and his fans weak, establishment, and "cucks".

As is the reality in just about every polarized situation, neither are entirely correct... and neither entirely wrong.

What Trump's crew has right is that we are the victims only because we allow ourselves to be, following the polite rules even when completely, irrefutably unacceptable. We've just been held hostage long enough in an undemocratic system that our own rights and freedoms are things we no longer personally defend, just wait and hope desperately that others will- yet our lives, laws, and opportunities are dictated to us, worsening, and we have proof it's rigged.

It's completely valid; however, when framed in a mob mentality with a fairly universally distasteful leader, it's easily condemnable, thus easily dismissable, thus susceptible to the current mainstream media tactic of "Trump says that the elections are rigged, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? Because if you do, you must support TRUMP. How can anyone be so anti-American? PEACEFUL TRANSITION OF POWER, SAUSAGE BEING MADE, now here's more celebrities!"

In a capitalist land of scheming dishonesty, where respectful integrity can be perceived as a fatal disadvantage in business, life, and politics, Trump fans picked their well-qualified challenger. Consistency and trustworthiness came second to the justified anger and hatred toward the smug, elitist establishment "left". Under that completely untrue false-progressive flag, dismissal of the Democratic party also easily included their 'socialist' alternative candidate.

What Bernie's political revolutionaries had right is that populace unity is absolutely essential, and finding common ground is always more powerful and productive than finding differences to fight among ourselves over. His example was that respectful dialogue, even (or especially) with those with opposing views, could be done using merely facts, not incivility and cheap personal shots. He taught an entire generation what the words "civil servant" could mean.

The contrast left many Berners logically analyzing everything and everyone with their now validated "unrealistic ideological purity", including the ridiculously over-covered Trump campaign. They saw the violence, heard all the cavalier rhetoric, and summarily dismissed Trump and his fans as irrational, dangerous fools. While Hillary must indeed be stopped, exchanging one ego-driven con artist for another wasn't just irrational, but a moral antithesis.

In my view, both were doing the best they could under ugly circumstances to work for the common greater good- end of this neoliberal tyranny, recognition of the ugly reality for the majority, and swift accountability for those who orchestrated and profited off this corporate takeover and subversion of our democracy. Those are the overlapping goals I firmly believe we must build on to take our country back; surely it far outweighs what might divide us all?

The rich, duplicitous political actors have taken over both controlling political parties, replacing representation 'of the people, by the people, for the people' with representation 'of the sponsors, by the corporate media, for the elite agendas' - which by their greedy nature and forced perpetuation must continuously run contrary to our own rights, freedoms, and any hope of sustainable quality of life. This affects us all, regardless of our personal political views.

What most people have lost sight of is that a political party is merely a tool, not an identity. Protecting our futures and say in governance cannot be effectively nor ethically handled through empty slogans, high-dollar lobbyists, or focusing on trivialities while atrocities get effectively normalized. Successfully clouding this fact has allowed most political opinion and direction to become just dictated and assimilated, instead of generated and represented.

How about instead of teams or details, we unite in basic ethics? I know we've been taught "winning by any means" justifies dishonesty and spin for the greater good, but this bad logic is the same one being utilized by those we must overcome. Lowering ourselves to their level only evens the playing field to where sheer power and money win. By outdating our integrity, we've unfortunately turned reality into just another opinion to be argued away or ignored.

We must face our reality; neither minority-yet-controlling party represents or protects us. Equal justice under the law is a bad joke. Native Americans are now being arrested trying to stop more oil dumping into our water. Families in places like Flint are being poisoned by their own crumbling infrastructure. Our bloated military, bigger than the next several largest combined, are now bombing seven different countries while most of us drown in poverty and debt.

One candidate still in this race is fundamentally opposed to every single one of these issues. Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party has spoken out but largely not been heard, buried under verifiably skewed polls and the childish, distractionary soap opera drama our mainstream media has chosen to focused on instead. We have a true "none of the above" third party solution available to 48 states- plenty to collectively say to the reigning duopoly, enough is enough.

There's a good chance that voting will still be rigged- bring it on. Bernie's run helped us prove that the DNC ran a completely fixed race, with every kind of manipulation and collusion possible being used. His mass appeal and turnout forced them to expose their own criminality in covering it up. Why not do it again? Make the whole damn country light up Green, see how well they can manipulate that with the whole world watching and reporting it closely.

So what are our "chances" of real change happening? That's up to us- all of us- and whether we can lay down our arms against fellow countrymen to finally effectively overcome the domestic terrorism of oligarchic oppression. I urge everyone to talk openly with your friends, families, strangers, anyone who will listen. Let's create informed voters. Let's beat these guys at their own game. Let's stop just complaining, and start actively organizing a truth offensive.

After all, America historically finds greatest unity and patriotic pride when facing its biggest threats; surely this one qualifies?


It’s the weekend all 7s fans look forward to every year, the biggest party on the circuit. Here are ten stars to watch out for among the many on show.

CECIL AFRIKA

The Blitzbokke came oh so close to taking the spoils in Tokyo, and one wonders if they might have had their star playmaker been fit to partake. One of the very best players South Africa have ever produced in the shortened version, Afrika is a fabulously gifted footballer with superb skills from both hand and foot, and his return is a big boost to the squad with the series title on a knife edge. Alongside Justin Geduld and Branco du Preez, coach Neil Powell has three dynamite sparks capable of weaving magic, but there’s no question whose name will be first on the team sheet.

ANDREW AMONDE

Paul Treu might not have Humphrey Kayange to call on, but he does have another talismanic figure up front to lean on for some much-needed inspiration. The Kenyan captain was one of the few to stand out of his countrymen in what has a mediocre effort in Tokyo. Tall and limber even though heavily armored with muscle, Amonde is a powerhouse runner with excellent offloading skills who is more than happy to lower the shoulder when his team needs some hard yards.

DANNY BARRETT

A recent graduate of the famed UCal Golden Bears program, the big back rower is more rugged than what one might expect from someone out of San Francisco. After some eye-catching displays in the ARC tournament he’s been thrown in at the deep end in the IRB circuit, to which he has responded superbly. Somewhat ungainly but deceivingly quick, his trademarks are a piston-like fend (as Canadian Harry Jones can attest to) and thumping tackles that leave even the spectators wincing.

BEN LAM

Gordon Tietjens has a habit of turning prospects into world beaters, and had this dynamo from Auckland not been injured for the entirety of the ITM Cup he might already be plying his trade in Super Rugby, but instead he is regaining his fitness on the circuit once more. The nephew of current Connacht coach and former Manu Samoa legend Pat Lam has a strong pedigree and stronger strides. Formerly a hulking winger, he is now found more often in the midfield, sucking in defenders and creating space for the likes Sherwin Stowers and George Tilsley out wide.

EMOSI MULEVORO

There are at least a half dozen genuine stars one could pick out from the defending champions, names like Pio Tuwai and Samisoni Viriviri, but the man who stole the show in Tokyo was the Navy representative from Kadavu. With captain Osea Kolinisau occupying the flyhalf position, Mulevoro has had to fight off the quicksilver Waisea Nacuqu for the scrumhalf spot. Blessed with lightning acceleration and dancing feet that would make his illustrious predecessors proud, don’t be surprised to see him shine again at So Kon Po.

MARTIN RODRIGUEZ

Followers of Argentine rugby might recognize a familiar name among their contingent, one more often associated with the pink jersey of Stade Français than that of the Pumas 7s side. After featuring heavily in the World Cup he has struggled with injury for the past couple seasons and finding game time harder to come by, Rodriguez has returned to Rosario to revive his career, and is hoping to restore some confidence with a return to the faster code. Strongly built and with good footballing skills, he’ll hope his experience rubs off on some of his younger teammates this weekend.

JAMES RODWELL

England’s ginger giant plays his 50th tournament in Hong Kong, adding another stamp on his accomplished international career that began in Dubai in 2008 and also includes two 7s World Cups and a Commonwealth Games. The aerial specialist is approaching his 30th birthday but remains in peak physical condition and one of the premier support players on the circuit. Six years is a lengthy career in this competition, but his old teammate Simon Amor will be hoping he can get a couple more from one of his on-field lieutenants.

CONOR TRAINOR

The dynamic midfielder looked set for stardom after scoring two tries against the All Blacks at the World Cup, but injuries and university obligations have slowed his progress. With both now behind him, the 24 year old has turned his focus to international rugby, starting with 7s, in the hopes of earning a professional contract. In this version he usually lines up at prop, but it’s his running and distribution skills that have helped propel a surging Canadian side from also-rans to regular cup quarter finalists.

VIRIMI VAKATAWA

You could be forgiven for thinking that the Racing Métro flyer was playing for another country, he is after all a Fijian age-grade international, but he has instead opted to wear the tricolors of his adopted nation like that of another recent residency ‘poach’, Noa Nakaitaci. Whether or not one agrees with the policy, his talent and potential to step up to the senior side are not so debateable. A three-quarter in XVs, he lined up at prop for France in Tokyo and his strength and balanced running have the eyes of the selectors already.

LEE WILLIAMS

Wales lost one of their playmakers in Rhys Jones to injury in Tokyo, but have thankfully regained the services of another. Williams is one of their few top-class 7s exponents, the last remaining member of the World Cup winners, and his speed of foot and thought will be a major boost to the side. On top of his talents he also assumes the captaincy, a role not foreign but a challenging one in light of his team’s struggles this season.


An incorrect court order issued against the founder of Megaupload has been declared “null and void” by a New Zealand judge. The legal bungle could lead to the return of the internet tycoon’s multi-million dollar fortune.

New Zealand police reportedly made a procedural error and applied for the wrong kind of restraining order. As a consequence internet mogul Kim Dotcom, formally known as Kim Schmitz, was not afforded the opportunity to defend himself prior to the seizure of his assets eight weeks ago by the police.

The Judge presiding over the case, Justice Judith Potter said on Friday that the order carried no “legal effect” and the case would have to be re-evaluated, the NZ Herald reports.

Potter said she would soon rule on whether the mistake meant the internet mogul should get his property back.

Kim Dotcom’s legal defense team had previously challenged the restriction order, calling it unlawful and demanding that their client’s assets be released.

Accused on multiple accounts of internet piracy, Dotcom was arrested by the New Zealand authorities on January 19. During the subsequent police raid on his mansion, millions of dollars of assets were confiscated, among them bank accounts, properties, jet-skis and dozens of cars.

It also coincided with the shut-down of the file sharing website Megaupload on grounds of copyright violation.

The seizure left Dotcom without any funds to mount a legal defense.

The internet tycoon was released on bail on February 22 and is currently awaiting extradition to the US, where he will be put to trial for charges of copyright infringement, racketeering and money laundering.

Megaupload was one of the top 20 visited sites on the internet and constituted four percent of the overall internet traffic. The US department of justice believes that its owners earned over $175 million in illegal revenues by selling ads and subscriptions on the site.

A provisional court date for Dotcom’s extradition hearing has been set for August 20.


45User Rating: 4 out of 5

Review title of Alex Not bad, it can be better though

So far its a pretty good emote app, however its missing a few things, one of the big ones are a better way of looking through them, worded categories, and a accent color option, other small ones are a custom option, and adding some missing emotes. Worded categories are pretty self explanatory, instead of icons have them sorted by words like Happy, Angry, Sad, Surprised, Smug, and Other, Favorites can stay a star icon though. The layout is kind of an eyesore to look through, and on some displays it can cause the "dot illusion" , It would be nice if the boxes were bigger and also have a list view instead of tiled. The last thing would be the accent color, currently its only blue, and uses a light theme, a dark theme and accent color would fix this. So its pretty good but like I said it can be better, its missing some other emotes like ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ , (งツ)ว, but those could probably be added later or fixed if there was a custom option.


Friday on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” White House aide Kellyanne Conway pointed to the negative political discourse on social media playing a role in the shooting at a Republicans practice for a congressional charity baseball game earlier this week.

That shooting critically injured House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), who is recovering in a Washington, DC hospital.

Conway said, “I really would ask people to think about the hateful rhetoric. This man, this shooter the other day, didn’t hate baseball, He hated Republicans, and his social media feed was a complete anti-Trump, anti-Republican screed. For those particularly in the media who are so obsessed with the president’s social media postings, why isn’t everybody looking inside a little bit at what they’re posting and what they’re saying? Nobody is responsible for this shooting except the shooter. There is no question about that. But at the same time you can oppose policies, but with some such hateful charged rhetoric that active resistance becomes armed resistance in the case of this lone gunman.”

She continued, “Look at Twitter, If I were shot and killed tomorrow, half of Twitter would explode in applause and excitement. This is the world we live in right now. It’s terrible. Again it is one thing for people to say I disagree with you on the health care repeal, on taxes or national security plans, but you can’t attack people personally in a way and think that tragedies like this won’t happen.”

She added, “This is also the natural by-product you have after images of the president being shot in rapper’s video, or being assassinated in a production there in New York City, or a picture of a severed head. All of that is a toxic stew. Again there is no one to blame but the shooter here, but the calls for tamping down, there should also be some introspection there.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN


Updated on May 5 at 8:29 a.m. ET

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has stepped down after a power struggle with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“I decided that for the unity of the (ruling party) a change of chairman would be more appropriate,” Davutoglu said. “I am not considering running at the May 22 congress.”

He will remain in office until then. The move allows Erdogan to tighten his grip on power. The two men have clashed since Davutoglu became prime minister. As Bloomberg explains:

Erdogan ran Turkey for more than a decade as prime minister and has sought to maintain his tight grip on power even after moving up to the presidency, traditionally a largely ceremonial office, in 2014. His handpicked successor Davutoglu has struggled to assert his own authority.

Davutoglu’s authority had been weakened recently after party leadership stripped the prime minister of some powers. Before a meeting between the two leaders late Wednesday, Erdogan alluded to their tensions. He said, according to the Hurriyet Daily News, “What matters is that you should not forget how you got to your post.”


Roughly ten days before worlds I built a strange deck that I nearly decided to run for worlds. Ultimately, I decided to go ahead and play the light side deck I had been playing for over a month (write up about that deck here). Since worlds though, I’ve been playing the ‘experimental’ deck. I thought my only regret from worlds was not running a second Falcon objective set in the deck I took to worlds… but man, now I have two regrets!

Not only do I have a whole lot more fun with this deck, it actually seems to be working much more consistently against the ‘good decks’ that I expected to see at worlds. I would think it was a fluke, but it’s been doing well against players I consider to be top level players.

The more I play the Star Wars LCG though, the more I’m learning to ‘unlearn what I have learned’ about card games. In particular, the way I value a card is drastically different in this game. If the structure of objective sets wasn’t enough, add in the fact that you can draw four or five cards just about every turn and card value is drastically different.

So, what does all of this have to do with this strange deck I built before worlds? Everything, of course!

The deck I built isn’t necessarily seeking a particular advantage, but has a lot of cards that play well with each other. I often have turns where I have to sit for a few minutes just to figure out what I want to do, primarily because there are so many ways to use the cards in my hand. This is very unlike my Jedi deck, where the right move is generally obvious. This makes using the deck a lot more fun and playing against it all the more maddening. When you do so much with so little, it can really catch your opponent off guard.

This deck is honestly the combination of several cards I’ve been looking at for quite some time. It all started with everyones favorite stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder, in the guise of a rebel card: Han Solo.

Aren’t You a Little Short for a Stormtrooper?

Searching through your deck for a card is, arguably, the most powerful effect in any card game. Well, maybe outside of a free resource that generates three resources instantly…

So, for the first time in the Star Wars LCG we get a search effect and it comes on a Rebel Han Solo with solid stats. Since you don’t need to win an edge battle, you can often force your opponent into a situation where if they block and win the edge battle, you get to search your deck for a card and they had to focus down a defender. Or, you can also just win the edge battle and clean up most defenders.

Of course, searching your deck is only as important as the cards you can go get, so when I first saw the Rebel Han Solo my brain immediately starting thinking of Rebel cards I could want to get on command. My list looked something like this:

– Rebel Assault (Defense of Yavin 4 or Mobilize the Squadron)

– Home One (The Rebel Fleet)

– Princess Leia (Fleeing the Empire)

– A New Hope (Decoy at Dantooine)

This list has two of my favorite cards that I rarely use: Princess Leia and A New Hope. This is when things began to really start working as far as the deck concept. I didn’t like the idea of basing the deck around Han alone, as I might never even see him.

However, if I also have Princess Leia. who becomes insanely better when you can control when she leaves play, now I have four characters I can draw into that all my leave play effects work well with. Add in Bright Hope that comes with the Rebel Han that removes a token of any type from itself when another friendly unit leaves play, and you have lots of reasons to have characters leaving play. This is not to mention Sith damage decks that find ways of removing lots of units just about every turn!

Where things really took off though, was the fact that these two objectives (Fleeing the Empire and Decoy at Dantooine) really solved my problem of consistently getting these characters to leave play through You’re My Only Hope, A New Hope, and Fall Back. Han’s objective, Evacuation Procedure, also packs a removal effect. So at this point, the core of the deck is:

2 x Evacuation Procedure

2 x Fleeing the Empire

1 x Decoy at Dantooine

Now, on to the junk.

Hunk of Junk

The rest of the deck really fell together after this. In any deck that has a decent number of characters in it, Asteroid Sanctuary has to be considered. The thought of attacking with the Falcon, triggering the ability to drop in Han, and then attacking with Han just seemed way too good to pass up. The Falcon also interacts fantastically with Bright Hope, forcing a leave play with the Falcon each turn can make Bright Hope do some serious work.

I would be remiss if I didn’t include at least a single Rebel Assault in a deck that let’s me search for Rebel cards, so Defense of Yavin 4 is at minimum a one of. Considering I’ve already got two Falcon and two Bright Hope in the deck, the objective itself has become a huge part of this deck. Playing the Millenium Falcon for 2 or 3 resources can just ruin your opponent. This also gives me two of each Y-Wing, Red 2, Rebel Assault, Hidden Outpost, and Astromech Droid Upgrade (wonderful with Bright Hope).

So now the deck is shaping up and looks like this:

Affiliation: Smugglers and Spies

2 x Asteroid Sanctuary

2 x Defense of Yavin 4

2 x Fleeing the Empire

2 x Evacuation Procedure

1 x Decoy at Dantooine

With one objective slot left to get to ten objective, the final slot could easily go to any Smuggler or Rebel Objective. To be honest, this final slot is anything but decided at this point. There are several options here. On my consideration list is:

Renegade Squadron Mobilization – This objective seems too good for the deck to not include. For starters, the objective itself pairs with A New Hope amazingly. I’ve had games where I draw 4-5 cards off of playing A New Hope. It also features Renegade Squadron, which is a great card. It’s especially great with Princess Leia being captured so often in this deck and it likely that Defense of Yavin 4 is on the board. The other really amazing synergy here is Echo Caverns. A great card in it’s own right, when Evacuation Procedure is out it becomes insane. Being able to use it on you and your opponents turn is just sick.

Raise the Stakes – The objective and the Blockade Runner give the deck quite a bit of added punch. I could live without the Bothan Spy and the Smuggling Compartment, but an additional Cloud City Operative and Swindled are fantastic. The Swindled is a great option for getting Leia to leave play when you need her to and for triggering Bright Hope if necessary. Of course, bouncing a Royal Guard isn’t ever awful either!

Trust Me – I think any time I start Smugglers, this objective is on my list. The objective itself is great against Sith and Lando in a Falcon deck can bring the pain. It has a few cards you don’t want however, so it’s certainly not at the top of the list.

At the moment, I think there are just too many synergies not to use Renegade Squadron Mobilization in this deck. So, on to the deck list:

Affiliation: Smugglers and Spies

2 x Asteroid Sanctuary

2 x Defense of Yavin 4

2 x Fleeing the Empire

2 x Evacuation Procedure

1 x Decoy at Dantooine

1 x Renegade Squadron

The deck might not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts.

Cards Are Cards

While the list may not look like much, I dare you to try the deck a few times. I can literally have nothing on the board and generate an unimaginable amount of damage. You have to know the various options of the deck to really see it’s beauty, so I recommend trying it when you have time to take the game slow and consider your options. It’s really quite insane just how many options the deck presents each turn.

In the end, what I continue to learn about Star Wars is that the value of each card is drastically lower than in most other games. This has a lot to do with the draw mechanic, but also because so much more of this game happens outside of the stats that what is on a card. How you attack, with which units, and in which order makes all the difference. The player skill involved in using the tools at your disposal appropriately is immense. Even if a card doesn’t seem all that great at first, give it a try. It may not be tall enough to be a stormtrooper, but it might end up being quite a bit better than you think.

I’ve seen quite a bit of ‘conventional’ wisdom being developed in this game and I think Star Wars is way too young to be developing hard and fast rules for decks and what is viable. If you play this game, I implore you to not settle for conventional wisdom, to experiment with objectives people aren’t using, and to push the limits of what is possible in this game. Don’t believe the all powerful they. We’ve got several months until Store Championships and regionals roll around, so this is a fantastic time to give objectives a try that don’t look that great on paper.

Until next time, I’ll be seeing if I can’t find a way to make a viable Scum deck… As always, may the Force be with you.

Zach


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For the second day in a row, a handful of activists visited Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty's office to ask questions about the investigations into the police killings of Tanisha Anderson and Tamir Rice.

And for the second straight day, they said, they were told to "come back tomorrow."

The activists, which included Joshua Stephens, Don Bryant and two others, showed up at McGinty's office in the Cuyahoga County Justice Center about noon Wednesday, hoping to find out when a grand jury will hear evidence in the two November deaths involving Cleveland police.

"We just feel like (McGinty) is intentionally dragging his feet," Stephens said in a phone interview.

The quest began Tuesday, when four protesters sat in McGinty's office for close to an hour. McGinty's spokesman, Joe Frolik, told the group that if they came back Wednesday, McGinty might have time to meet with them, Stephens said.

In the people's office of Cuyahoga Cty, Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty waiting for two police officers to be arrested for the murder of Tamir Rice, 12-year-old gunned down in Cleveland, 6 mm onths ago. Join us, we got peanut butter n jelly sandwiches. Posted by Don Bryant on Tuesday, June 16, 2015

A Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Deputy asked the four protesters who showed up at the office Wednesday to leave immediately, Stephens said. The deputy said the group could be arrested for trespassing, arguing the office was a place of official business and they had no business there.

Once the group explained they were asked to come to the office, the deputy agreed to let them stay for a few minutes, until they found out if they could meet with McGinty, Stephens said.

A few more deputies showed up, and the process repeated.

Eventually there were five sheriff's deputies to the four protesters. Stephens said the protesters were not chanting, and were not combative with the deputies.

Stephens exchanged some texts with Frolik, who eventually asked the group to come back Thursday. The group decided to leave, and three deputies followed them into the elevator and out of the building.

"It was really overkill," Stephens said.

Frolik offered a different account of what happened Tuesday. He said he asked the group to leave Tuesday because the office has a small waiting area reserved for victims, witnesses, attorneys and others who have appointments.

"I offered cards to the people who were here and told them how to email me to request an appointment," Frolik said. "One person took the card. No one emailed."

Frolik said he was not in the office when the group showed up again Wednesday, but said he asked the sheriff's deputies to ask the group to leave if they didn't have an appointment.

Sheriff's department spokesman John O'Brien did not return a message seeking comment.

The group's move comes days after McGinty's office released hundreds of pages of partially redacted investigative material collected by sheriff's deputies probing the death of Tamir. Cleveland police officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback shot Tamir in Cudell Recreation Center Nov. 22, after they responded to a report of a person with a gun.

A Cleveland judge found probable cause that Loehmann and Garmback should be charged for their respective roles in the shooting.

The group is also concerned about the status of the investigation into the death of Anderson, who died Nov. 13 while in police custody. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide, and that the mentally ill woman who suffered from obesity and heart disease was restrained during her arrest.

Cleveland police handed their investigation of Anderson's death to McGinty's office in February, Frolik told Northeast Ohio Media Group at the time. McGinty has said his office will present both cases to a grand jury, but has declined to say when.

"We just want some kind of vague time frame," Stephens said.

Frolik stuck to that no comment Wednesday, saying it would violate state rules of procedure to discuss grand jury proceedings, including when a grand jury may hear a specific case.

He said his office is still reviewing both the Tamir Rice investigation and the Tanisha Anderson investigation, and declined to comment further.

Stephens said the group is has not decided whether to show up Thursday, for fear of the same outcome.

"That seems to be the universal response from (McGinty's) office to questions about Tamir's case," he said. "Come back tomorrow."

Update: Frolik said he returned one text message to Stephens, telling him he was in a meeting. He denied telling the group to come back Thursday.


Laureate International Universities has donated between $1 million and $5 million to the Clinton Foundation. | Getty Bill Clinton’s pay at for-profit education company topped $17.5 million

Bill Clinton was paid more than $1 million in 2015 by Laureate Education, a global operator of for-profit colleges, according to tax returns released today by Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

The new figure brings the former president’s total compensation from Laureate to more than $17.5 million for his five-year role as an “honorary chancellor.” His role consisted of advising the company on educational matters and traveling to campuses across the world to speak to young people. Clinton ended his position at Laureate in April 2015 after Hillary Clinton launched her bid for the White House.

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Laureate International Universities, the company’s international arm for which Clinton worked, has donated $1 million to $5 million to the Clinton Foundation, with a new contribution made as recently as the second quarter of this year, according to records posted on the foundation’s website.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has criticized Hillary Clinton’s connection to Laureate. Trump has accused her of having "laundered" money through Laureate while she was secretary of state — a charge that has been discredited by fact-checkers. House Republicans have asked the feds to investigate the Clintons’ ties to Laureate.

Laureate says that its international operations represent the largest global network of degree-granting universities in the world, enrolling more than 1 million students across 28 countries. In the United States, the company owns Walden University, a Minneapolis-based online school that the Education Department has placed on a list of colleges that officials are more closely monitoring because of concerns over its “financial responsibility.”

Laureate is in the process of going public. It filed for an initial public offering last fall.


UNICEF and the WHO stated that they halted a measles vaccination program in northern Syria after at least 15 children who received the vaccination have developed severe symptoms about an hour after they received the vaccination and died.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a joint statement, announcing the immediate halt of the vaccination campaign, stating:

“UNICEF and WHO have been shocked and saddened to learn of the deaths of at least 15 young children in Idlib, Syria. … The death of the children occurred in areas where a measles immunization campaign had been underway”.

Abdullah Ajai, a physician who administered the vaccinations at a medical center in Jarjanaz, Idlib, said, according to AP, that the children demonstrated signs of “severe allergic shock” after being given the second round of the shots. The second round of vaccination was launched in Idlib and Deir Ez Zour on Monday.

The children were all well below two, reports Reuters, adding that some of the children suffocated to death due to severe swelling. Abdullah Ajai commented on the situation:

“There was shouting and screaming, it was hard for the parents. You get your child vaccinated and then you find your child dying, it’s very hard”.

At least 15 children have died after receiving the measles shot, although the actual number may turn out to be higher than that. According to reports from rights groups and reports from areas controlled by armed insurgents, the number could be as high as 34 or 50; that is, some hundred percent more than has thus far been reported by the UN.

The WHO stated that it would be sending in a team of experts because it is vital to establish the precise cause of the children’s deaths. Both the WHO and UNICEF state, however, that they are hopeful to resume the vaccination campaign as soon as possible.

While the WHO and UN bodies like UNICEF continue pushing for vaccination programs worldwide, they have largely failed at addressing fundamental vaccine safety issues.

In 2013 the Islamabad City Hospital reported that it began receiving a large number of cases with measles. Over 50% of those who were brought to the hospital had previously been vaccinated.

The figures substantiated British reports about a 30-year-long cover-up of serious vaccine safety issues. In 2014 a fully vaccinated person in New York, USA, didn’t only catch the measles after being vaccinated but infected others.

Vaccine safety issues, which the WHO according to many experts fails to address appropriately, include, among others; documented correlations between vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders including autism; pharmacological vaccine safety studies sponsored by big pharma and other conflict of interest; incestuous relationships between vaccine makers and e.g. the Centers for Disease Control in the USA; flouting ethics and violations with vaccine trials in India.

Measles belong to a cohort of childhood diseases against which one is immunized for live after coming down with them during childhood. A growing number of vaccine safety concerns prompt a steadily growing number of independent experts to question the benefit of vaccines against e.g. mumps, rubella or measles and calls for the need to give first priority to independent, ethical trials.


Do you consider yourself to be fairly familiar with the Debian Linux distribution? I thought I was familiar with it enough to know its origin and history, how its name was derived and that Richard Stallman, the Father of the Free Software movement, uses a Debian derivative (gNewSense) for his own personal computer. There's one significant piece of the Debian puzzle that I didn't know about: Its Constitution.

It has a Constitution and well-defined leadership roles. It also has well thought out rules of engagement, problem resolution and overall structure. I sincerely applaud the creators and successors who've pushed Debian into the mainstream for the past 17 years. Yes, 17 years--can you believe it?

When I first heard about Debian, I was working in a small IT support group for about 400 developers and their support staff. I ran an early version of Red Hat Linux on a clandestinely obtained computer in my cubicle. About three dozen of the organization's hardcore developers had access to it. They did some of their development with it and requested, through their management, that I construct and deploy some real server hardware for them using Linux.

Red Hat was OK with them but one java developer preferred something called Debian.

I said, "What is Debian?" To which he responded, "Well, if you think that Red Hat is the Porsche-driving rich kid, then Debian is sort of your poor cousin once removed."

It sounded absolutely intriguing to me. Maybe it was his description or maybe it was because Dan was one of the smartest people I've ever known. In any case, my love affair with Debian started that fateful day in the summer of 1996.

I obtained another computer, through less than savory means, and did an over-the-network installation of Debian. Even in 1996, it had an impressive number of software packages available for it (about two GB, if I recall correctly). I installed everything, which, I believe, used to be an option.

We never managed to secure real server hardware for the developers but the two systems ran for more than a year. That was until my quiet little gig as developer support was snatched away and I was whisked back under the larger umbrella of corporate support. Such activities are known in the corporate world as "reorganization" and it's always in the best interest of the employees at the bottom of the food chain.

Debian and its derivatives are always my favorite Linux distributions in any list I create. Its Constitution further drives home that high praise.

A truly democratic Linux distribution.

I like it. A lot.

It's too bad that large corporations don't take a lesson from Debian and its intelligent design. Not only does it, the collective Debian development community, create perhaps the best Linux distribution currently available but it does it in a democratic and thoughtful way.

To the Debian Team:

If you ever start your own country, I'm in.

Thanks to the Debian Team, Ian Murdock and all of you who support Debian by using it.

What do you think of Debian and its Constitution? Do you think it's the correct way to setup and manage a worldwide group of developers?


Kobe Bryant has been among the most culturally relevant players in the NBA for nearly all of his 17-season career. When not winning championships or scoring titles (and often when doing so), Bryant has been one of the more divisive stars in league history, earning criticism for perceived selfishness and nevertheless standing out as one of the most talented and committed players the league has ever seen. No matter what he does, people notice it.

It should not come as a great surprise, then, to learn that the younger generation of NBA players looks up to him. As revealed in the annual survey of rookies conducted by John Schuhmann of NBA.com, Bryant is the most common favorite player of this season's incoming class of NBA rookies (via PBT). Here's the voting breakdown from the 36 participants:

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1: Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers -- 21.2 percent

2: LeBron James, Miami -- 15.2 percent

T-3rd: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City & Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas -- 12.1 percent

T-5th: Kevin Garnett, Brooklyn & Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers -- 9.1 percent

Others receiving votes: Carmelo Anthony, New York; Vince Carter, Dallas; Tim Duncan, San Antonio; James Harden, Houston; Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio; Steve Nash, L.A. Lakers; Dwyane Wade, Miami

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As Schuhmann notes elsewhere, Kobe supplanted LeBron at the top of this list, although it's a little surprising that the Lakers icon doesn't win every year. While James is undoubtedly the best player in the NBA right now, the 19- and 20-year-olds entering the league have never really known an NBA without Bryant serving as a massively important representative of the league. It stands to reason that, even if many players were on the anti-Kobe side, enough would love him that he would win this award until he retires. When LeBron is 35, we would expect him to cast the same sort of shadow over a generation of players.

This vote is a testament to Kobe's impact, as well as a useful reminder of the sheer force of his accomplishments. Seventeen years after his arrival in the league, Kobe is still relevant enough to top a list of favorite players. No matter what, he keeps himself on people's minds.

Oh, and nabbing that No. 1 spot can't only be a matter of being in the league for a long time. If that were the case, Vince Carter wouldn't have been another receiving votes.


A male cheerleader almost cost his side victory in a recent game between Pittsburgh and Louisville after he rushed onto the court to celebrate a dramatic late slam dunk only to commit a technical foul.

The Louisville cheerleader rushes onto the court after Kyle Kuric’s slam dunk (Pic: YouTube)

Apparently convinced Kyle Kuric’s dunk had sealed victory for Louisville, the cheerleader rushed onto the court and hurled the ball in the air in celebration.

The referees were less than impressed with his actions though and with five tenths of a second remaining on the clock awarded Pittsburgh two free throws for a technical foul for delaying play.

Ashton Gibbs proceeded to sink the two throws but missed with a half-court shot that would have tied the contest and sent it into overtime. Instead, Louisville edged the game 62-59.

Commenting on the almost catastrophic intervention by the cheerleader, Louisville coach Rick Pitino joked: ‘The male cheerleader is coming to an end. It was good while it lasted. It was fun. Now we’ll try another sport for him.’

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He added: ‘No, I’m sure it was unintentional, but you could actually lose a game that way. Hopefully he’ll learn the rules of basketball next time.’

Watch the male cheerleader in action below:


Kayla Harrison, the two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo, will begin a mixed-martial arts career in the World Series of Fighting.

The move is not a surprise. Harrison has been talking about becoming an MMA fighter since she became the first American woman to win a judo gold at the 2012 London Olympics. After she won her second gold this summer in Rio she said she was retiring from judo and hinted at transitioning into an MMA career.

Harrison told the website MMAjunkie that she will fight in the World Series of Fighting and also become a commentator for the network starting on 31 December.

USA's Kayla Harrison wins second straight Olympic judo gold Read more

“I just want everyone to be excited and expect big things from me,” she told MMAjunkie. “This is only the beginning. I’m excited for this new chapter. I’m excited to commentate. I’m excited to be a brand ambassador and help the World Series of Fighting grow their organization as well as help me grow myself as a fighter and a brand myself.”

Harrison, 26, has a gregarious, outgoing personality that will help her as a broadcaster and the possibility of being more than just a fighter seems to have driven her decision to join the WSOF. She had long been rumored to be a prospect for the UFC, given her friendship with the organization’s top female fighter, Ronda Rousey. Harrison and Rousey trained together as rising Olympians before the 2008 Games (an event Harrison missed out on) and the two have stayed in touch since. Back in March, Harrison said she considered Rousey a “frenemy.” She said then that Rousey had encouraged her to pursue an MMA career but Harrison moved slowly toward her decision. She already understood many of the judo and jiu-jistu moves but had done little sparring and was unsure how she felt about taking punches.

In 2012 Harrison became an American Olympic star as she excitedly celebrated her first gold. She has become a strong voice against abuse after telling the story of how a judo coach sexually abused her. Her Rio celebration was more muted but still enthusiastic perhaps because she knew it was her last chance at another Olympic medal.

She will begin her WSOF career with commentary before eventually moving to an actual fight.


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Billionaires Red Bull want to buy a football club in England – and ‘give it wings’ to make it big, writes Alan Nixon in the People.

The Austrian-based energy drinks firm are on the look-out for a suitable club, with Anglophile coach Ralf Rangnick, sporting director of Red Bull Salzburg, heading the search.

As well as current Austrian league leaders Salzburg, Red Bull already owns clubs in Germany, New York, Brazil and Ghana.

The company’s sporting assets also include two Formula One teams: Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso.

Now coach Rangnick, who almost got the Everton job in the summer, has been tasked to find a club in England for their latest move into ownership.

An insider in the deal said: “Red Bull want a team to take into the Champions League. It is the only market they have not reached yet. Ideally this would be in the London area, but both Everton and Liverpool interest them too because it would not take much to get them to that level.

“They have looked at the Championship, but you can spend fortunes there and not make any progress.”

Rangnick, an English-educated German, has a good knowledge of the game and is looking at several options. He would also oversee the purchase and running of the club.

News of Red Bull’s interest is spreading rapidly and there should be no lack of willing sellers.

The company’s Formula One success, with Sebastian Vettel taking them towards a fourth straight title, has put them on the map, but buying a club in the ‘home’ of football could be their biggest coup yet.

And taking it into the Champions League is the ultimate aim for one of the biggest sports-backing firms in the business.

Teams which could be lined up

EVERTON Bill Kenwright has been looking for a respectable buyer for his club for years. The fact Ralf Rangnick nearly got the job and knows the club helps. Only snag – Red Bull Everton?!?

LIVERPOOL The American owners have pumped in millions and will want a big return on their investment. Genuine worldwide appeal. Red Bull Liverpool does have a ring.

CRYSTAL PALACE Red Bull would really give the Eagles wings. London, near airports, very appealing. Would not cost much, but needs a big spend. Red Bull Crystal Palace is a mouthful.

WEST HAM Owners who are always open to approaches. New home at the Olympic Stadium makes them appealing too. Red Bull West Ham? Not so crazy.

LEEDS The Yorkshire club has history, a huge fan base and owners who would sell at the drop of a hat. Red Bull Leeds United? Why not?


Donald Trump fans in the Hudson Valley are being offered free tattoos to show their support for the Republican presidential candidate.

It's one thing to put a lawn sign on your yard or a bumper sticker on your car. But what about permanently inking your body with your favorite candidate's face? A Hudson Valley tattoo parlor is offering up their services to Trump supporters who want to show just how dedicated they truly are.

Doyle and his business partner, John Newell, say that they believe in Trump's message and want to give other supporters a way to display their solidarity with the Republican candidate.

Sean Doyle is an eight-year veteran of the Marine Corps and part owner of Anarchy Tattoo. Doyle and his business partner, John Newell, say that they believe in Trump's message and want to give other supporters a way to display their solidarity with the Republican candidate.

Doyle revealed to us that he was never much into politics before Trump came along. In fact, At 33 years old, this will be the first time Doyle casts a vote in a presidential election. The former Marine told us that politicians have always sounded like a broken record to him, saying the same things over and over without any real message.

Trump's business experience, straightforward talk, support for the troops and ideas about foreign policy all appeal to Doyle. In fact, he was the very first person to receive Trump ink at Anarchy Tattoo. The photo above is of Sean's leg. Newell, on the other hand, is still deciding between a tattoo of Trump Tower, a Trump train or The Donald's face. Another challenge for Newell is finding room on his body for the ink, which is already pretty much full of tattoos.

The biggest hurdle for customers getting a Trump tattoo is the fear that their candidate might not actually win. According to Doyle, those who worry about "tattoo remorse" can take comfort in knowing that Newell is extremely talented at covering up unwanted tattoos. The business owner says his tattoo artistry could easily transform Trump into a "zombie Trump or cover him up with a tiger or a rose." As for Doyle; win or lose he'll be keeping his Trump tattoo, honoring who he calls a "man of the people."

For those of you interested in getting your free Trump tattoo, you can visit Anarchy Tattoo on Route 6 in Slate Hill. Operating hours, directions and contact information are all available on their website .