The right wing thinks there are more trans murderers than trans murder victims – LGBTQ Nation

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This Aug. 17, 2015 photo provided by Randall Jenson, lead advocate of the Kansas City Anti-Violence Project, shows an altar made by the friends of Tamara Dominguez during a memorial service for her at her home. Dominguez was run over multiple times and left to die on a Kansas City street. Photo: Randall Jenson, Kansas City Anti-Violence Project via AP

One thing you can guarantee about the right wing: When it comes to LGBTQ issues, it has an uncanny ability to turn reality on its head. The latest example is typically offensive. According to a new bogus report, the problem isnt transgender women getting murdered. The problem is that they are much more likely to be murderers.

The website National Justice describes the epidemic of anti-trans violence as a myth created by the controlled press as a result of transmania. The site argues that because only 24 cases of trans women being murdered have been documented by activists, the actual rate of homicide is less than half than that of the average American.

Of course, just because there are only 24 known casesdoesnt mean there have been only 24 murders.(In fact there have been at least 25, and those are just the cases that we know of.) Police often dont identify a victim as transgender, so theres no way to capture an accurate tally of the victims. Moreover, theres no national database from which to draw accurate information. Finally, some cases simply go unreported.

But in its quest to score points, the right is happy to dismiss murder victims. The low murder rate transgenders enjoy [!] is thanks to the plethora of specialized public and private employment, health, housing and other services they have in big cities, which average people have no access to, the report says.

All of which will comes as a big surprise to trans people who experience just the opposite on a daily basis.

Having identified the low, enjoyable murder rate, the article turns to the real problem: trans murderers. The report collects anecdotal stories about trans people committing crimes and somehow arrives at the conclusion that trans women are 58% more likely to be murderers than be murdered.

Its true that some murders are committed by transgender people. Its also true some murders are committed by clergy.People from all kinds of backgrounds commit murders.

But thats not the point for the right. The point is that the bigots are the real victims. Hence, the conclusion of the National Justice article:

The fact that a man is six times less likely to be killed if he takes female hormones and wears womens clothing is proof positive that its normal people who are in dire need of advocacy.

While it might be easy to dismiss an alt-right website as just another example of lunacy, the fact is that the lies those sites promulgate end up in places like Fox News. In a media environment where nothing is too crazy or too wrong to be repeated, dont be surprised if this bogus claim ends up in the national conversation all too soon.

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The right wing thinks there are more trans murderers than trans murder victims - LGBTQ Nation

If Mayor Pete Is So Smart, Why Does He Say Such Dumb Things? – City Watch

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ONE MANS OPINION-Just because I would vote for Mayor Pete does not mean I have a detached brain.

(1) Lame excuse: Mayor Pete must appeal to the left wing to win the nomination.

While this excuse may be legitimate for people of limited mental resources, a smart guy would find an honorable way to secure the nomination without kowtowing. When a candidate caters to positions that he knows are terrible, he lacks integrity and champions the notion that the nation needs more lies. Assuming Mayor Pete could win the election, now is the time for him to make integrity the foundation for his governing.

(2) Mayor Pete speaks of a yearning for reconciliation.

This naivet reflects three areas his intelligence has yet to tackle: Social Group Work, Keynesian Economics and American Political Philosophy. In that respect, he is no different than any other Dem or GOP candidate running for any office.

(3) People want blood, not reconciliation.

What Pete must do is say he will work for a centrist consensus even though neither side wants that. This fact represents a great opportunity for Mayor Pete. Heres how he could start building a centrist Congress to be his partner as President. Right now, he rejects both the extreme left and the extreme right. (This concept is not complicated. If you do not like bigotry, shun bigots.)

(4) Why Mayor Pete can reject both White Is Right and Identity Politics.

He is whiter than white so he can talk about the good things that white people have done, like the Declaration of Independence, and show how the Alt-Right stands for the antithesis of individual inalienable rights. As a gay guy, he can reject the divisive Identity Politics of Nancy Pelosi and the left wing. Most gays do want any special label; we want to be treated as individuals based on individual merit without liabilities and without special rights. No individual should face any discrimination or merit special treatment based on ascriptive status.

One thing that all GOP and Dem members have in common is that they are individuals. It is the political hacks like Pelosi and AOC who want to categorize individuals into arbitrary groups and then claim the individuals in those groups owe their allegiance to the Dems.

When the nation watches Mayor Pete reject extremist groups on the right and left after the election, the extremes will be without power. (The moderate GOP had no choice but to cozy up to the odious Freedom Caucus, as Pelosi made certain there would be no center.) President Pete will owe the extremes nothing. That means the Dems and GOP in Congress will also owe the extremes nothing. As a result, sensible Congressional members can return to yesteryear when Congress members with varying philosophies could still cooperate with each other for the good of the nation.

Now, during the primary season, Mayor Pete must lay the groundwork for his eventual governing. If he cannot do it now, why run?

(5) Keynesian Economics.

Like algebra, Keynesian economics holds true whether one understands it or not. There is one thing that probably unites all billionaires a hatred of Keynesian economics. Keynesianism does not rely on taxation to take wealth away from the super wealthy. Instead, it makes certain there are no super-duper wealthy. Under anti-Keynesian Obama, 90% of productivity increases went to the top 1%.

Complaining that the 1% does not pay enough taxes is not only closing the barn door after the horse gets out, but that horse is in another county. The best description for people who claim that the answer is tax the wealthy is a liar, liar pants on fire. The Keynesian answer is to structure the economy so that all people get a fair return on their efforts in the first place. Lets remember that the GOP and the Dems jointly presided over the anti-Keynesian demise of the working middle class.

(6) American Political Philosophy.

There is nothing more out of fashion and yet more praised in the abstract than American political philosophy. Here, Mayor Pete is at his worst. The nation was founded as a constitutional Republic which means it abhorred mobocracy. The role of the Electoral College is to make certain that the majority does not run roughshod over the minority so that California, Florida and Illinois would henceforth elect all Presidents and any cultural differences in between would be ignored.

The fact that Hillary was too self-obsessed to count electoral college votes and called the swing voters deplorables is not the fault of the Electoral College. Candidates have known since the Constitution was adopted that the point of the Electoral College was to force candidates to pay attention to smaller groups of people. In practice, it worked as designed. Hillary ignored the plight of the Rust Belt workers as she kept shoving down their throats the BS pablum about how great Obamas regressive economics had been for them. The opioid crisis began with Obamas deal with Big Pharma. Since Hillary had been Secretary of State, she used her position as the perfect foil to distance herself from the Obama-Geithner domestic fiascos and promise the white Rust Belt a New Deal a Democrat idea which she forgot.

(7) Mayor Pete should acknowledge the dangers of mobocracy.

He must realize that in a Republic, there are values more important than winning the most votes. Paying attention to the quality of life of all Americans is of paramount importance. In 2016, the Electoral College reminded us that parading to ones coronation on the backs of those who are suffering is not a winning formula.

(8) Climate Change.

What laws Congress enacts about climate change will not be decided during the election. The Presidential campaign is a disingenuous time to propose any plan of action since whatever is done will be decided by who is in power. The country can take reasonable steps on climate change after sensible people who understand science and its limitations hold sway in Congress. That means Mayor Pete must arrive in Washington with a centrist Congress who recognizes that President Buttigieg ran a campaign which freed them from the totalitarian control of extremists. Yes, he needs to reject group rights advocates of the Alt-Right which controls the GOP and the new Left which controls the Dems.

Millions of GOP Americans want freedom from their lunatic fringe, while the Dems have a growing resentment against the socialist anti-Semites who are aping the Alt-Right. If Mayor Pete wants to govern as a centrist President, then he must run a primary campaign that appeals to the moderates of both parties, rejecting the extremes on both sides. If he cannot figure out how to do that, then maybe he aint so smart after all.

(Richard Lee Abrams is a Los Angeles attorney and a CityWatch contributor. He can be reached at:Rickleeabrams@Gmail.com.Abrams views are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of CityWatch.) Photo: JStone/Shutterstock. Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.

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If Mayor Pete Is So Smart, Why Does He Say Such Dumb Things? - City Watch

Where is the Red Belly? – cedarspringspost

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Posted on 03 January 2020.

R

By Ranger Steve MuellerW

The suet feeder attracts many bird species including the Red-bellied Woodpecker. One would expect a name to indicate a prominent feature but for this woodpecker it does not. Instead people tell me they have the uncommon Red-headed woodpeckers.

The head on the adult Red-headed Woodpecker is a distinctive feature on both sexes and they have a striking wing characteristic that cinches identification. This species head is completely red on front, back, sides, and top in the adult birds. The young have brown heads during their first year that gradually change to red.

The wings have large white patches on what are called the secondary feathers. This makes the lower back look white even on young birds perched on a tree. The adults white is pure but the young have some brown barring through the white. In flight the white on the wings flashes brightly making identification easy.

The bright red head is not always as obvious as the white on the wings. Dim light in cloudy weather subdues the red color but the large white patches on wings remain obvious. The belly on this species is white.

Wheres the red on the Red-bellied Woodpecker? Their breast is gray or brownish with a slight tinge of red on the lower belly near the tail. The red is barely visible and not the good feature for identification. The head pattern is more helpful. Both sexes have significant red on the back of their heads but the sides and front are gray. The male has a red cap that continues over the top of the head that is lacking in the female.

Lack of solid color on the head helps distinguish the Red-bellied from the Red-headed. When the red color is subdued in dim light, the solid pattern verses dark and light contrast can be seen. In flight the Red-bellied has a white patch on the upper rump but it does not extend across the lower wings like it does on the Red-headed.

Red-bellied Woodpecker wings are flecked with white spots overlaying black throughout the wing. There is a sharp division of black and white on the Red-headeds wings with the upper back black and lower white.

Less obvious features help with identification. The bill on the Red-bellied is dark but is silvery gray on the Red-headed. The nine species of woodpeckers in Michigan have dark upper tail feathers but some have white outer feathers. Both the Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers outer tail feathers are white with a helpful difference for separating the two. There are black flecks on the underside across the white feathers on the Downy and the Hairys is pure white. When the Downy spreads its tail feathers while standing on a suet feeder or tree, some black flecking can be seen on the outer most upper tail feathers. The Hairy is larger than a Downy.

Five of the nine Michigan woodpeckers are common in our region. The approximate order from most common is Downy, Red-bellied, Hairy, Northern Flicker (yellow-shafted), and Pileated. Depending on the neighborhood habitat, that order might differ. Flickers are not frequently seen in winter and the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is usually only noticed during spring and fall migrations. The crow sized Pileated is present all year where there are larger trees and they often frequent large upland forest or extensively forested lowland floodplains.

Behavior in nature niches is important for recognizing species. With considerable practice varied calls help separate species even when not seen. Most helpful is the rhythm of head-banging on a tree, house, or sound resonating surface. Speed and loudness of woodpecker pounding helps. It also varies with the work being done. Territorial tree pounding sounds different from that of birds searching for insects hidden under tree bark.

Downy Woodpeckers are more likely on smaller branches than Hairy Woodpeckers that choose larger branches when working. Northern Flickers and Red-bellied woodpeckers, that are about the same size, choose different habitats. Flickers are often found in open areas feeding on ants while the Red-bellied almost always feeds in forests. Michigan woodpeckers nest in hollow trees. Take notice of details to hone your observation skills.

Natural history questions or topic suggestions can be directed to Ranger Steve (Mueller) at odybrook@chartermi.net Ody Brook Nature Sanctuary, 13010 Northland Dr. Cedar Springs, MI 49319 or call 616-696-1753.

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Where is the Red Belly? - cedarspringspost

This ‘You’ Star Admits They Were Completely Blindsided by That Shocking Season 2 Plot Twist – Showbiz Cheat Sheet

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*You Season 2 spoilers ahead*

If youre like us, you completely devoured Season 2 of Netflixs You in record time and are now trying to wrap your head around every crazy thing that just took place.

In addition to Joe Goldbergs stalker ways, fans were quick to talk about the huge plot twist towards the end ofthe season that rendered everyone speechless.

Season 2 of You was filled with so many twists and turns that our heads are still spinning.

Viewers watched as Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) traveled to Los Angeles from New York to start a whole new life and escape the wrath of his presumably-dead ex-girlfriend.

While Joe tried to leave his obsessive serial killer ways behind him and start fresh, he sets his eyes on a new love interest in LA and get this, her name is actually Love (Victoria Pedretti).

Just like in Season 1, Joe develops an unhealthy infatuation with Love and will stop at nothing to make her fall in love with him.

But as history repeats itself, the former book store clerk runs into a few hurdles along the way, one of them being his ex-girlfriend , Candace Stone, coming back into the picture. (If you dont want us to spoil Season 2 for you, avert your eyes.)

During the Season 1 finale, Candace (Ambyr Childers) made her grand debut after it was believed that Joe had killed her following their tumultuous romance.

Not only does her appearance take Joe completely by surprise, it also leaves him scared for his life, which results in him packing up and heading out west.

Throughout Season 2, viewers get to learn a little bit more about the woman who wants to expose Joe for everything he is. One of the biggest revelations we came across was that Joe didattempt to kill Candace and though he thought he succeeded, he left her still breathing.

Instead of leaving her old life behind, Candace decides to seek out Joe in LA and stop him from hurting Love.

While Candaces plan was going pretty well in the beginning, the plot twists of all plot twists had to go and happen.

In episode 9, the red-headed beauty is finally able to show Love the type of person Joe really is by exposing her to his ultra-creepy storage unit lair.

While Candace thought shed finally taken down her maniac ex, Love goes ahead and kills her, shocking viewers as well as Childers.

During a recent interview with Glamour, the actress opened up about the unexpected plot twist and admitted that she too was shocked by Loves sinister ways.

She plays this beautiful, vulnerable, sweet, broken human being, Childers told the outlet back in December 2019. When she killed Candace in the end, its just like, I dont think people are going to see that coming. You dont. What you think is because Candace is back, somehow shes going to figure a way out to get Joe back. And, yeah, she does in little ways, but ultimately you cant put up a fight against him. Thats just the way it is.

While Candace made a valiant effort to finally destroy Joe Goldberg, whos to say someone else wont pick up where she left off?

With Joe having made many enemies and with Loves true colors finally showing through, fans are already certain that Season 3 of You will bea crazy ride.

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This 'You' Star Admits They Were Completely Blindsided by That Shocking Season 2 Plot Twist - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

The Big Read Girl In Red: "World domination. That’s what I want" – NME Live

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Marie Ulven, aka Girl In Red, bounces down the canal path into the artsy and industrial Hackney Wick cafe, baggy skater jeans dragging along the floor. In the midst of a whirlwind day of press as she wraps up her European tour, the 20-year-old Norwegian is excited as fuck just at the prospect of ordering a hot chocolate. It stands to reason then that her enthusiasm at the prospect of world domination is off the scale. All the shows are sold out! she beams. Its fucking lit!

Her energy is both infectious and totally understandable. Her first London show at Camden Assembly in January 2019 was to around 200 people, but on this November night shell end her year at the sold-out Electric Ballroom with a crowd of 1,500. Across two EPs Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 her self-produced, honest and arresting lo-fi anthems of teenage anxiety, everyday depression, queerness, lust, heartache and confusion have amassed millions of streams, legions of fans and approval from the likes of Billie Eilish and The 1975s Matty Healy. But that was just 2019. Its 2020 that shes calling The Year Of World In Red.

We can see it too. Thats why were kicking off the NME 100 2020 our tips for the years essential new artists with Girl In Red. With massive tunes, religiously rowdy gigs, and a dedicated young fanbase hanging on to her shameless message of fun, progress and acceptance, shes the hero that the decade needs and one to win over indie kids across the planet. Among the peers of her generation rewriting the rulebook of what it is to be the rockstar, 2020 is hers for the taking.

Girl In Red, shot for NME. Photos by Fiona Garden

Born in the quiet North West Norwegian town of Horten in 1999, Ulven enjoyed her childhood with her sisters and divorced parents, curious about music but more obsessed with The Simpsons and fingerboarding (the latter is an obsession that still consumes her to this day more on that later but you can check out some footage of her fingerboard battling as a youngster below). Still, she sensed that she wanted to be a superstar, a pirate, or a pirate superstar.

At 12 she was gifted her first guitar, and four years later, inspired by The Smiths and other cool bedroom artists, started releasing her own songs on Soundcloud in her native tongue and under her real name. You can still find Marie Ulven material on Spotify that shows the embryonic elements of the Girl In Red sound, but she insists that her early music was not good. To prove her point, she gets her phone out and plays us some. We dont speak Norwegian too well, so we ask her to translate.

Youre running away from me / Far away ahead, youre turning around she says with a shrug and a cringe. That song was about a boy. Since I started releasing all my Girl In Red music, Ive pretty much been out. My first song for the project was I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend, which was totally about a girl.

Girl In Red, shot for NME. Photos by Fiona Garden

Girl In Red came to be in 2017 after Ulven realised she was in love with her best friend and tried to find her at a concert. She spotted her wearing a red sweater and texted her the words girl in red. Nothing came of it, but that feeling of romance and excitement tinged with a little longing set out the direction for Girl In Reds music from that moment.

As Girl In Red, Ulven sees no need to code her thoughts and feelings. Theyre pretty direct, and thats what her fans buy into. Theyre so pretty it hurts / Im not talking bout boys / Im talking bout girls / Theyre so pretty with their button-up shirts, she sings on the bristling rush of Girls, while on the tender We Fell In Love In October she recalls days lost to smoking cigarettes on the roof and vows You will be my girl / You will be my world.

The first time NME spoke to Ulven was during her first US tour last April, where shed already found an audience so devoted that theyd just run right up and scream in my face. She was already changing and saving lives. I have a bunch of queer kids following me because they see themselves in me and the lyrics, because they need that direct ability to relate to something, she told us. I have people messaging me all the time to say like Yo, I came out to your song, or Im in the car right now and I just played Girls in front of mom and I told her Im gay.

Girl In Red, shot for NME. Photos by Fiona Garden

Back in London, she tells us how her fanbase is growing larger and louder by the day.

How does it feel seeing more and more of your fans in the flesh, instead of just streaming numbers?

Ill see two million streams on my new song, which is awesome but its also this number that I cant understand. To see 1,000 people in front of you singing to that song is when it really gets cool.

How would you describe your relationship with your fans?

Right now, I feel like its really healthy. In the beginning, I think I got too close to some people. Not in a weird way, but they would pour their entire emotional life onto me and I would try to help them and give advice and stuff like that. Eventually, I realised that I dont have enough emotional capacity to also take care of all these other people.

Girl In Red, shot for NME. Photos by Fiona Garden

But theres a little more distance now?

Im in some group WhatsApp chats and still connect with them, but its not like Im a shrink to them. It feels more healthy to me now. I still get a lot of messages from people asking me to help them, but I try to stay away from that kind of stuff because I know that its harmful for me. I wish I could help everybody, that would be ideal. Now its really good and I feel really close to everyone I meet. Everyones like, We wanna grow with you! and Im like, And I love you!

Do you feel as if anything is out of bounds when writing a song?

I dont feel like that. I think that everything I experience is pretty normal stuff. Its not like Ive killed somebody and am trying to hide it. I have a song called Dead Girl In The Pool, but thats not actually about killing anybody. My fans are genuine, and we connect because Im honest and real with them.

Maries publicist tells us to wrap up so they can Uber it across town to soundcheck in Camden. We bundle in to continue the interview, and wind through North London joking about how showbiz all this seems and how the paparazzi could chase us at any second. Ive never understood that whole side of the press, she says, recalling how being playlisted by Billie Eilish saw a Norwegian tabloid suddenly writing about her. I was like, Oh now they care! she laughs.

Shes the woman thats dominating the whole world, she says of Eilish. I met her when I was at a festival in Belgium. Shes just killing it.

And how about that shout-out from The 1975s Matty Healy? He took a picture of a poster that I was on and commented with a little heart, swoons Marie. I was like, Wow! He knows I exist! My sister messaged me like, WHAT?! WHY IS MATTY HEALY TALKING ABOUT YOU ON HIS INSTA STORY?

Girl In Red, shot for NME. Photos by Fiona Garden

As the journey continues, Marie begins quizzing NME about the travel logistics of Taylor Swifts London Boy, before professing her love of Swift albums Red and 1989. All the while, shes practising a pretty great mockney accent and working the word mandem into almost every sentence.

After soundcheck we nip outside the Electric Ballroom to find an army of teenagers whove been queuing for hours on this freezing Tuesday afternoon. Screaming and waving rainbow flags, they form a line that snakes around the block. When they pile into the venue they quickly clean out the merch table, then the real party begins the show is as far from bedroom music as it comes, with a moshpit, flags flying and Marie sailing over their heads crowdsurfing. A few kids fall down and get carried out, but good vibes remain. This isnt just a show its a community.

A few weeks later, we catch up again at a photoshoot in Willesden Junction. Hows it goin, mandem? she greets us. It seems to have caught on. After that show, I was just like MANDEM! MANDEM! Now its becoming a problem. Its becoming more of a part of my daily life.

During the shoot, Marie swoons along to The Japanese Houses 2019 album Good At Falling (Im obsessed with this record, she says, I listen to it every day on the road), crushes on her PRs dog, Larry, and makes the most of the curved, ramp-like edges of the room to pull off some of her best fingerboard moves. Remember those tiny, palm-sized skateboards that were big in the 00s? Marie wants to bring them back. Honestly. This new one that I bought in Berlin was 140. No regrets! she beams, proudly showing off her new board. She plans to start selling official Girl In Red fingerboards on her merch stand, too.

Girl In Red, shot for NME. Photos by Fiona Garden

Whats it like making these songs in your bedroom and then taking them out to bigger and bigger venues?

Thats super, super weird. From being home and living with my sister in this normal sort of life to seeing people outside the venues losing their shit just at me walking by I never thought anyone would do that with me. I never thought Id be that person where someone is like, Oh, I want your sweaty towel!

With your music being so raw and full of energy, do you get pissed off when people pass it off as being cute?

Ive seen a few things calling my music cute bedroom songs. Im like, What the fuck are you talking about? My single Bad Idea slaps ass! Its a rock n roll tune! Its a pop song! I dont really care what people label my music as. As long as they like it. Labels dont really mean anything. Its what you feel about the song that matters.

Yeah, Bad Idea is about as real as it gets

Thats a pretty direct song. Nobody asks me what that song is about because everybody knows. When I wrote it, I saw these red colours in my head and was just seeing me and some other girl going at it. I just wanted this really intense video of these two girls doing something that they probably shouldnt because its not a good idea in the long term. I like that song, it goes so hard live. Thats fun.

How does it feel to read that youre a queer spokesperson for your generation?

Im not. I just happen to like girls, make music and have a platform. That doesnt mean Im saying, Yo, I know everything about queer culture, and now Im always gonna speak about it and its gonna be right. I dont think people think of me as some kind of sensei who knows everything about being queer and queer history. All I can do is say from my perspective and think about how it might be from other perspectives, but right now I dont even know what Im saying. Still, when someone is hateful and homophobic Im like, Youre wasting your time honey! We are gonna win this representation war!

Admitting that theres still not enough queer representation in pop culture in 2020, Ulven wants art to normalise the conversation. We need more queer art and movies, she tells us. Lets get rid of terms like coming out and just make it normal. If there is going to be a wave of work to reshape and modernise perspectives in all fields, its going to come from Generation Z who are already shifting the boundaries of what it is to be and how to become a pop star. Look at Billie Eilish, Clairo, Cuco, Beabadoobee, Conan Gray, King Princess, and Snail Mail all born in the late 1990s and early 2000s, all self-made stars via the internet and who speaking directly to their own generation about unique experiences and shared values.

Girl In Red, shot for NME. Photos by Fiona Garden

I think with artists like Billie Eilish, Clairo, King Princess and myself if Im allowed to put myself in that people are getting into it because you can see that its real and that they mean it, says Marie. No ones trying to be something that theyre not.

She continues: Maybe were all just chillin and vibin. Were all just doing what we want, and maybe its the way were doing it. Theres an authenticity.

Its the generation thats fighting to be heard, in no small part thanks to teenage climate change activist and icon-in-the-making Greta Thunberg. Legend! shouts Marie at the mention of her name. She is leading the biggest revolution of our time right now. Shes going to be in the history books like Martin Luther King.

If theres a political element to Girl In Reds music, she claims that its her existence as an artist that sees her fighting for representation, rather than singing about it. I would rather write about feelings, she admits. Feelings are universal. I dont want to write a song about politics, I dont want to write a song about the right to love. I just want to write about loving.

Girl In Red, shot for NME. Photos by Fiona Garden

After our interview, Marie will fly home for some much-needed time off during which she plans to spend taking photos, drinking coffee, finding ways to avoid mindlessly scrolling Instagram and yes, fingerboarding. Theres also the small matter of finishing her debut album which she hopes to have out by autumn 2020. Quizzed about the records progress she pulls out her phone and asks Do you wanna hear the best chorus Ive ever written in my life?

Sure! Why not?

What follows is an embellished take on the Girl In Red sound, with summery hip-hop beats bouncing over post-punk guitars and yes a chorus that absolutely slaps. I feel like this is going to be the first song on the record, she tells us.

She plays us another demo with the working title of Love You Stupid Bitch that has a catchy, love-struck refrain: The perfect one for you is me.

Fresh sonic directions aside, Marie tells us that her new songs are turning out to be very grown up and very dark. This is an artist who thrives on real life drama to act as her muse. I need to find a girl that can break my heart and then do some stuff. I need to experience something. I need to start living.

Girl In Red, shot for NME. Photos by Fiona Garden

Despite craving a little more heartache, Girl In Red is pumped by whats around the corner and were convinced 2020 will be her year. As is she. World In Red, man its coming, she concludes. World domination, thats what I want.

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The Big Read Girl In Red: "World domination. That's what I want" - NME Live

Into the Archives: On Letters from Hollywood – lareviewofbooks

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JANUARY 2, 2020

WHILE ON THE SET of Anthony Manns 1954 film The Far Country, Jimmy Stewart was approached by an old man who wanted to compliment him on his work in an earlier movie. The man couldnt remember the title or release date, but there was one scene that stood out for him, which he proceeded to describe. The film, Stewart realized, was Come Live with Me, from 1941; and while the man had forgotten the title, a small part of the story had stuck with him for over a decade. As Stewart later told Peter Bogdanovich, movies seem to give people little tiny pieces of time that they never forget.

Any film historian will appreciate Stewarts observation, especially those who have had the privilege of working in film archives around the world. There is no better access to those little tiny pieces of time than flipping through original documents written by the great performers, producers, writers, and directors. Of course, not everyone has the opportunity to take that journey until now. Letters from Hollywood: Inside the Private World of Classic American Moviemaking, edited and annotated by Barbara Hall and Rocky Lang, escorts readers through the history of Hollywood by way of the personal letters of famed Hollywood legends.

Each letter is presented exactly as it sits in its archival folder. Many letters are typed, but many others are handwritten (though the editors have kindly typed them up for us, since the aged cursive is often difficult to decipher). With each new exchange comes a brief overview of the parties involved, which adds useful historical context. The journey begins in the early days of Hollywood, in 1921, two years before the famous Hollywoodland advertisement sign was built.

The first letter is from renowned illusionist Harry Houdini, soliciting business from Adolph Zukor, an executive with Famous Players-Lasky (a precursor to Paramount). Houdini was sure that his latest film, The Man from Beyond (1922), would rival the excitement of D. W. Griffiths Way Down East (1920) the film where Lillian Gish dangerously rode an ice floe down a river. The letter was to no avail, however, and Houdini wound up distributing the film himself.

That same year, Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle, recently released from jail, sent a letter to studio executive and personal friend Joseph Schenck. Arbuckle hosted the infamous 1921 Labor Day weekend bash in San Francisco where actress Virginia Rappe was raped (she would die shortly thereafter). In this letter, written in longhand, Arbuckle maintains his innocence while understanding the difficult position he had put the studio in. While Arbuckle was never convicted of the crime (two trials ended in hung juries and the third finally acquitted him), he never returned to his previous stardom.

Another letter a 1922 thank-you note to Zukor comes from Mabel Normand, a silent-film comedienne who had starred alongside Arbuckle and Charlie Chaplin. Mabels wit is on full display, complete with her special brand of self-deprecating humor (Lest I forget to tell you about my hair it is exactly like Sid Graumans). The letter opens with her lightheartedly promising that, if Zukor doesnt read the letter, she will never again see any of his movies. Her words leap off the page, just as her performances jump from the screen into the audiences hearts.

Other amusing letters include MGM executive Irving Thalberg firing the notoriously difficult director Erich von Stroheim for insubordination and actor Ronald Colman outlining his reservations about the talkies. Readers familiar with Stroheims tendency to drive studio heads crazy will not be surprised by Thalbergs stern dismissal. Another humorous missive features Henry Fonda writing to director William Wyler, after his daughter was born, to assure the famous director that Jane is ready for work because her father was an actor. Wyler responded in jest, informing Jane that Henry Fonda was never an actor.

Censorship problems are discussed in an alarmed correspondence from Atlanta censor Zella Richardson, writing to Hollywood censor Jason Joy about the 1932 film Red-Headed Woman. In the letter, Richardson calls the films star Jean Harlow a hussy while assuring Joy that this is the first time she has ever used the word. Such letters show the prudishness of some viewers at the time, as well as their frustration over Hollywoods willingness to tackle controversial themes such as adultery. Letters from Hollywood also includes a lengthy memo detailing the censorship issues surrounding the classic film noir Double Indemnity (1944).

Also included are a few important, if rather infuriating letters, such as Dorothy Arzner trying to drum up work from Preston Sturges in 1944 after other offers to dried up. Arzner directed many important Hollywood films in the 1920s and 30s, but she found it difficult to sustain her career in an increasingly male-dominated profession. Very few women directed for Hollywood studios in the 1940s, with Ida Lupino (also a successful actress) being the exception that proved the rule. Even more maddening is a letter from Fox production head Sol Wurtzel telling actress Madge Bellamy to lose weight. Editors Hall and Lang place next to this letter a cover from a 1929 issue of Photoplay featuring Bellamy, with a headline that reads Diet, the Menace of Hollywood.

In another significant letter, Samuel Goldwyn refuses to give Orson Welles free rein on a picture, regardless of Welless argument that he has already proven himself on stage and on radio. Yet RKO studios would indeed give Welles complete control of his first Hollywood film, Citizen Kane, in 1941. Later in the book, we read Hollywood gossip queen Hedda Hopper dishing on an early screening of Welless movie, calling it foul.

In the late 1930s, Universal Studios founder Carl Laemmle wrote a letter pleading with Wyler to help the Nazis victims in Germany. You can feel the desperation in his words, as he knew intimately the dangers that were growing in Europe. The mogul spent the last years of his life fighting to help the victims of Hitlers Final Solution. Laemmle would not live to see Charlie Chaplins satire of fascism The Great Dictator (1940), though he would have thoroughly enjoyed it. One person who did see that movie was acting coach Constance Collier, who promptly wrote a response to Hedda Hopper. After discussing the overwhelming audience appreciation for Chaplin, Collier writes that [h]e is the uncrowned king of the world and I think the message of the picture will have a deep and vital effect on every one who sees it.

Letters from Hollywood compellingly shows why film historians love spending so much time in the dusty archives. Barbara Hall and Rocky Lang have produced a joyous collection that permits readers to experience the thrill of flipping through primary documents. The collection furthers the tradition that the late Rudy Behlmer popularized in books like Memo from David O. Selznick (1972), Memo from Darryl F. Zanuck (1993), and Inside Warner Bros. (1985). Behlmer understood the joys of digging through film archives, and he worked to share the fruits of that process with film enthusiasts around the world. Anyone who has spent time in an archive knows the droves of stories that remain untold and the wealth of underappreciated material calling out for reexamination.

Chris Yogerst is assistant professor of communication in the department of arts and humanities at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. His next book, Hollywood Hates Hitler! Jew-Baiting, Anti-Nazism, and the Senate Investigation into War Mongering in Motion Pictures, will be published in September 2020 by the University Press of Mississippi.

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Into the Archives: On Letters from Hollywood - lareviewofbooks

‘What a heads-up play!’: Colin White’s game-tying goal against Tampa disallowed, but should it be legal? – The Athletic

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First there was Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 FIFA World Cup final. Then, Andrew Shaw in double overtime in Game 2 of the 2015 Western Conference final.

Now add Senators forward Colin White in a Saturday night matchup between the Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning to the shortlist of head-butt controversies in sports this millennium. (Editors note: If this feels melodramatic, its supposed to be. Just go with it.)

Less than 20 seconds after Tampas Tyler Johnson scored the go-ahead goal in Saturdays game, White tied the game 4-4. Or so he thought.

With just over a minute left in the third period, Thomas Chabot entered the zone and passed the puck to White in front of the net. His initial shot hit the crossbar and popped up in the air; White used his head to redirect the puck past Curtis McElhinney for what the Senators momentarily thought was the game-tying goal.

The referee immediately called no goal, and the call was upheld...

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'What a heads-up play!': Colin White's game-tying goal against Tampa disallowed, but should it be legal? - The Athletic

This Stunning Restomod of One of AMGs Baddest Benzes Is Heading to Auction – Robb Report

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Back in the late 1980s, one of the premier muscle cars money could buy was a thundering Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC 6.0 Wide-Body from AMG. Insanely powerful, insanely expensive and, with only 50 or so examples ever built, insanely rare.

At the upcoming Russo and Steele collector car auctionrunning January 15 through 19in Scottsdale, Ariz., a stunning tribute to the legendary Wide-Body Benz coupe will go under the hammer, with an impressive $250,000 to $300,000 estimate.

A restomod 1989 Widebody Mercedes 560 SEC Coupe. being offered by Russo and Steele.Photo: Courtesy of Russo and Steele.

Based on a pristine 1989 560 SEC with just 32,000 miles on the clock, the car was given a total, ground-up restoration by Southern Californiabased Bespoke Motors, which included a complete, one-off Wide-Body body kit re-created in carbon fiber.

In addition to those iconic, bulging front and rear fenders, AMG-replica front and rear lower fascias and spoilers were also molded in carbon, along with carbon rocker panels.

The one-off automobile has only 32,000 miles on it.Photo: Courtesy of Russo and Steele.

To complete the unmistakable look of an original Wide-Body, AMGs super-wide, polished monobloc alloys were reproduced. Then, the entire car was painted in that sinister shade of Mercedes-Benz Blauschwarz metallic black and every piece of chrome trim blacked-out.

Open one of those huge, vault-like doors and its hard not to be wowed by the period-correct, body-hugging Recaro bucket seats trimmed in gorgeous, hand-stitched red leather. The restorers also created a unique Gray Zebra wood veneer for the door panels and dash, and sourced a period-correct AMG Momo steering wheel.

The car features Recaro bucket seats trimmed in hand-stitched red leather.Photo: Courtesy of Russo and Steele.

As part of a full mechanical rebuild, the car comes with new coil-over suspension, bigger brakes (front and rear), and a bespoke stainless steel high-flow exhaust.

The dash, door panels and period-correct AMG Momo steering wheel dressed in a Gray Zebra aesthetic.Photo: Courtesy of Russo and Steele.

If theres a major shortcoming with the car, however, its that it retains the stock 5.5-liter V-8 from the 560 SEC. The crowning glory of the Wide-Body was AMGs conversion to a heavy-metal 6.0-liter V-8 with new AMG-designed cylinder heads, twin overhead cams and 32 valves.

This modified V-8 took max power up from the standard 238 hp to an impressive, for the time, 385 hp. Even more formidable was the engines ability to produce twice the torque of the original 5.5 at half the engine speed. It was a monster, giving the car swifter acceleration than a Lamborghini Countach.

The lack of the latter will likely turn-off purist bidders, though the cars stunning restoration and conversion to a carbon-fiber Wide-Body look should excite lovers of the eras Mercedes muscle.

The example on offer has a new coil-over suspension, bigger brakes and a bespoke high-flow exhaust.Photo: Courtesy of Russo and Steele.

As for the estimate being as high as $300,000, that could be a stretch. At last Februarys RM Sothebys Paris auction of the Youngtimer Collection, an original 1989 Wide-Body 6.0 with just 27,731 kilometers sold for $338,972. But then a similarly original car auctioned by RM Sothebys at Amelia Island last March fetched $179,200.

Continued here:

This Stunning Restomod of One of AMGs Baddest Benzes Is Heading to Auction - Robb Report

Minister arrives late to meeting, sees red over absentee officials – The Hindu

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The Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) review meeting held here on Friday turned out to be a stage for district in-charge Minister V. Somanna to assert his authority over officials and repeatedly proclaim his 40 years of experience in politics.

The Minister turned up late by an hour and, after a perfunctory apology, took up the role of a schoolteacher and called out the names of the heads of 29 departments who were supposed to attend the meeting.

As the Minister began reading out their names as if to mark their attendance, the hapless officials stood up to signal their presence and introduced themselves. Mr. Somanna sought to know their designation and rank, and whether they were district-level officials.

At least three department heads were absent, and taking umbrage to this, the Minister sought an explanation from their assistants who had been deputed to attend the meeting. In one case, the department head was out of town following the death of a relative. But Mr. Somanna instructed the deputy to call the official over phone and later spoke to him from the stage to ascertain whether he was indeed speaking the truth.

Another official was absent as he had to attend court proceedings. Mr. Somanna lashed out at the deputy and said, Ask your boss to come to the meeting immediately. The court case can always be adjourned. He then instructed the deputy to leave the meeting hall.

PWD engineers were conspicuous by their absence and an incensed Mr. Somanna asked for an explanation. On learning that they were in Bengaluru to attend a meeting called by Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol, Mr. Somanna immediately called the latter, first to ascertain whether such a meeting had indeed been convened and then to express his ire over it. He asked Mr. Karjol to relieve the district-level officials from Mysuru so that they could return to the city and attend the meeting, which he said would go on till 6 p.m.

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Minister arrives late to meeting, sees red over absentee officials - The Hindu

Are the US and Iran headed for war? – GZERO Media

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On Thursday night, President Donald Trump ordered the US military to assassinate Qassim Suleimani, a man widely considered Iran's second most important leader. Following the successful strike, fury has erupted in Iran. Threat levels have escalated in both Tehran and Washington. Are the US and Iran headed for war?

Let's take a step back.

Some will accuse Trump of "wagging the dog" to divert attention from the free flow of impeachment-related accusations against him in Washington and play tough guy for a political base that backs the use of American military power, particularly against enemies like Iran.

But before Americans indulge in a reflexive partisan response to this event, take a look at the man US forces just killed. Suleimani was leader of the Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. In that role, he has launched both military and terrorist attacks on Americans and US allies across the Middle East.

Trump, like many US presidents before him, has warned that the US will act forcefully against those who kill Americans. Suleimani and the Iran-backed militia groups he leads inside Iraq are responsible for recent attacks on the US Embassy in Baghdadand for a recent attack on US forces in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk that killed an American contractor and wounded US soldiers.

In short, Trump drew a red line. Iran crossed that line, more than once. Iran's supreme leader tweeted that Trump "can't do anything" about it; Trump proved him wrong. Military machismo aside, Suleimani is a man of war who has killed Americans, and Iran walked directly and deliberately into this mess.

Yes, Donald Trump has run an often erratic foreign policy, including in the Middle East. (See the endless confusion about status of US forces in Syria. Heck, see the unilateral decision to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal that got this whole cycle of escalation started.) But his actions say he wants to bring US troops home from the Middle East, not kick off another endless Middle East war that will cost the US dearly in blood and treasure.

There's another reason to believe all-out war will be avoided: Iran's leaders are angry, but they aren't irrational. They know their regime can't survive an unlimited confrontation with a military superpower.

So, if neither Trump nor Iran's leaders want war, what is there really to fear from this event?

Plenty.

First, Iran must retaliate for the killing of Suleimani. This is a man who answered directly to Iran's supreme leader, not its president. This assassination, though it occurred inside Iraq, is a strike at the heart of Iran's regime.

Iran will probably attack US ships in the Persian Gulf, and there will be attacks on US soldiers inside Iraq. Trump has shown that, while he would rather reduce than expand the US presence in a region far less important to the US than it was even a decade ago, he will attack Iran. In other words, it's one thing to say that neither side wants war. That doesn't mean they won't stumble into one.

But the bigger problem for Trump may come from the government of Iraq. That's where the US and Iran have done most of their fighting in the recent past. Thanks to the toppling of Saddam Hussein, Iraq is now a democracy. A raucous one, to be sure, but it's a genuine democracy. As in Iran, the clear majority of Iraqis are Shia Muslims. And though Shia in Iraq and Iran don't always share common interests, the current Iraqi government is much more closely aligned with Iran than with any other government. It needs Iran's money and its military support, and while Western powers come and go from the Middle East, Iraq knows Iran will always be its neighbor and must be accommodated.

That's why the Iraqi government will now sharply increase pressure on US forces to leave Iraq once and for all. While Donald Trump might want to pull US troops back, he won't respond kindly if he believes they're being pushed.

Nor will Trump appreciate the hedging from some US allies. French President Emmanuel Macron appears to agree with Russia's Vladimir Putin, according to a statement from the Kremlin, that the killing of Suleimani "could seriously worsen the situation in the region." In addition, the Saudis, the closest US ally in the Arab Middle East, may begin to wonder how long Trump can be relied on to protect Saudi interests against Iranian attack if things get hot.

There's another worry inside Iraq. Suleimani was the leader of the various militia groups that have carried out many acts of violence there. Temporarily without a leader, and furious over his death, some of them may act on their own against US forces, with or without explicit backing from Tehran.

But the ultimate wildcard here is Donald J Trump. He is a commander in chief who acts impulsively. Reportedly, neither US congressional leaders nor US allies were warned in advance of the strike on Suleimani.

And this is an election year in the United States. Trump knows this is the year Americans will render their judgment on his presidency. No president wants to appear weak, but Trump has built his personal and political brand on toughness and decisive action. How will he respond when Iran kills more Americans? When Iraq sends him an eviction notice? When he hears criticism from Europe or from Democrats?

The cameras are on. The spotlight is hot. The world is watching.

No one rational wants all-out war. But that's no guarantee that, as the temperature rises, cooler heads will prevail.

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Are the US and Iran headed for war? - GZERO Media

JONES: Anticipation already building for 2021 IIHF World Junior in Edmonton and Red Deer – Edmonton Sun

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Bob Nicholson, the man most responsible for the event becoming the phenomenon it has become, is pumped in several different directions as the 2020 IIHF World Junior heads to the medal round.

As the Oilers executive who succeeded in securing the 2021 world junior for Edmonton and Red Deer, Nicholson believes hes about to oversee a phenomena equal to or perhaps surpass the most ballistic hosting of the event in history.

Thats one Bob Nicholson. But there are two others.

Theres the Bob Nicholson who is the vice president of the IIHF. And theres the Bob Nicholson, the former head of Hockey Canada who took the event from crayons to perfume.

Im just excited, he said Wednesday as he contemplated whats about to happen in Ostrava and what he expects to happen in Edmonton.

At the Czech-Canada game on New Years Eve they said the building was packed with 75 per cent Canadians and next year were going to hold it right back in Edmonton where we set records in 2012.

This is when the numbers go crazy and people get excited. Our priority lottery draw ends at 11:59 p.m. Sunday and we have plenty of reasons to be optimistic.

Were trending really well. And this is the period when in 2012 it exploded and were confident its going to do exactly the same. If you want to go to the games you definitely need to get into the draw to have a chance to get a ticket.

The bonus this time is Canada has a good young team and there are going to be a lot of returning players, added Nicholson of the team in Ostrava.

When Alberta last played host to the championship, more than 175,000 entries were received for the priority lottery draw.

The tournament sold out a year out in 2012 and were trending with very similar numbers again this time around. Given the entries weve already received for the 2021 priority draw, we are very much on the same pace, said Nicholson.

Percentage-wise going into this final stretch were at almost exactly the same identical position we were in 2010. Were at 97 percent.

In Ostrava, the 2020 IIHF World Junior playoff rounds begin Thursday. In Edmonton, the final countdown to a total and complete 100 per cent sellout of the 2021 World Junior shifts into overdrive at the same time.

Understand one thing, though. This is when it happens. And it hasnt happened yet.

Theyre extremely happy with being at 97 percent of where they were at this point going into 2012, especially considering that they have the Red Deer market in exchange for the Calgary market. But the thing is that approximately 60 percent of the priority draw sign-ups came within these last five days for the 2012.

What they want fans to understand right now is that entering the priority draw during the remainder of this week is their only way to secure tickets.

You should know that they used the same template with the priority draw again to make sure it was a fair system both locally, regionally, nationally and world wide.

The front of the line fans, of course, were the season ticket holders of the Oilers, Flames, Oil Kings and Hitmen in 2012. In 2021 they are the season ticket holders of the Oilers, Oil Kings and Red Deer Rebels.

That has been very comparable, said Nicholson.

Edmonton offers two ticket packages of eight games each involving five preliminary pool round games including two Canada games.

Package A features Canada games including Boxing Day and New Years Eve plus Canadas quarter-final and semifinal round if they arent eliminated early. Package B includes non-Canada quarterfinal and semifinal games but gets you the gold medal game.

The Red Deer package features three price ranges $490, $625 and $725 and features twice the number of games (either 16 or 17) including two pre-tournament games involving Canada, 10 preliminary games, two quarter-finals and either two or three relegation round games depending on whether a third and deciding game of the best of three series will be required.

Fans can register at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets until Sundays deadline of 11:59 p.m. Each priority draw winner will have the right to buy up to four tickets.

When it comes to Edmonton-Red Deer 2021, the focus will also very much be on Ostrava. The final order of finish will determine which nations will compete in Group A in Edmonton and Group B in Red Deer. The teams in Canadas group will play in Edmonton.

You get the idea. Theyre down to the real action in Ostrava 2020 AND in Edmonton for 2021.

tjones@postmedia.com

@byterryjones

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JONES: Anticipation already building for 2021 IIHF World Junior in Edmonton and Red Deer - Edmonton Sun

The Current Heads of Apple TV+ Should Be Terrified – Gizmodo

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Apple just entered an exclusive partnership with Richard Plepler, one of the chief architects of HBOs last two decades of success. According to the New York Times, Pleplers new production company has a five-year exclusivity deal with Apples TV+. If Apples entertainment executives arent worried about what the incoming titans arrival means for their jobs and the platforms future yet, they probably should be. At least from where Im sitting.

For some context, here, Plepler departed his role as chief executive of HBO last year following AT&Ts acquisition of Time Warner. At the time, it was reported that Plepler found the merger minimized his autonomy, as AT&T bosses stepped in and immediately started tinkering with HBOs highly successful entertainment model. Reports last year detailed a new regime under which the business model would be closer to Netflixs than HBOsnamely, churning out more content instead of necessarily good content.

Plepler left after nearly three decades at HBO. But AT&Ts loss was evidently quickly interpreted to be a potential gain for Apple TV+. In many respects TV+ competes more directly with HBO than it does other streaming competitors. Apples own executives have described TV+ as a sort of antithesis to Netflix.

According to a New York Times interview with Plepler about the move, Apples Eddy Cue reached out to the former HBO head soon after he left HBO last February. Those talks landed Plepler at the company with a five-year producing role for series, documentaries, and films produced for Apple TV+. Cue, who oversees Apples services business, including TV+, previously brought on Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlich to oversee the TV+ division over two years ago.

Plepler told the Times that a condition of his arrival at Apple is that Van Amburg and Erlich were game. This makes sense on Pleplers part, given that corporate dust-ups appear to be the driving force behind his leaving HBO. Based on Pleplers statements to the Timesspecifically that all he wants to do is run my own little PT boatthat probably also involved ensuring some creative autonomy for his direction.

But Pleplers Apple dealto be clear he is not running TV+, just contributingalso feels significant in light of the reception of Apples new tentpole service. TV+ just hasnt popped on the cultural landscape like Apple might have wanted. And there were issues early on, like axing a show based on Dr. Dres life because it was too violent, and canceling one about Richard Gere on a shooting spree because it wasnt friendly enough.

But the initial launch of TV+s 2019 slate is where the real problem lies. Despite The Morning Shows Golden Globe nods, the showApples biggest bet for its debut content offeringsgenerated mixed reviews, as did much of Apples other original content. It didnt get anywhere near the attention that it, in theory, should have.

For All Mankind, the platforms science fiction drama series about the space race from Hugo- and Emmy Award-winning showrunner Ron Moore, made nowhere near the splash it should have. Yet itis exactly the kind of weird, alt-historical series that should have been a contender during awards season.

Part of the issue with this seriesas with virtually all of Apples content offeringsis that Apples typical shroud-of-mystery and tight-lipped approach to its product rollouts is fundamentally at odds with how you make people give a shit about entertainment. There was virtually zero buzz about these respective shows prior to launch because we knew nothing about them. All viewers knew prior to launch day, based on rumors, was that Apple TV+ amounted to nothing more than an expensive NBC. That weve still heard little about its 2020 lineup doesnt exactly help its cause.

For a company that hopes to position itself as a kind of taste-making kingpin for news, entertainment, and music, its thin slate of content upon launch hinted that Apples own hubris may have impeded its ability to meet the expectations it had fanned for viewers and critics.

Mark Duplass, who stars as Chip in The Morning Show, said as much in a recent interview this week. I think Apple knows this now, but they didnt do a very good job of welcoming critics into the process because theyre used to keeping their product secret, When youre dealing with critics, you dont keep secrets, Duplass told The Hollywood Reporter during a red carpet review for Bombshell. The critics did not like that, and I think they lashed out a little bit.

As The Hollywood Reporter noted, theres a pretty big discrepancy between audience and critical reception of that series in particular. (Your feelings on Duplasss show may depend, in part, on your individual response to it using a real national tragedy as the backdrop for a cringe-worthy plot device.) But theres no doubt the platform as a whole could use some work, and theres a reason that so many other of Apples debut series were snubbed for their own awards nods.

The deal with Plepler feels like a desire to alter course for Apple. Plepler did tell the Times explicitly that he does not want to run anything again and instead wants to focus on producing. Still between TV+s muted debut and his deal, if I were running TV+ right now I might be worried.

More here:

The Current Heads of Apple TV+ Should Be Terrified - Gizmodo

Cruise secrets: Never pack this unlikely thing in cruise luggage – it could be unlucky – Express

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Cruise ship holidays are growing in popularity as they appeal to more and more people. An advantage of cruises is that you are less limited when it comes to luggage allowance. However, there are still a number of dos and donts when packing luggage for a cruise.

However, the concerns surrounding bananas arent entirely old wives tales.

In the 1700s it was noted that ships which transported bananas were often wrecked or lost at sea.

What was the reason behind this strange power of the curved yellow fruit?

The explanations for why bananas spell trouble are varied.

DON'T MISS

One reason is that poisonous spiders would stow away among bananas and poison the crew.

Another is that because bananas emit ethylene as they ripen, this causes other fruit and vegetables nearby to go rotten.

This, in turn, would result in the crew going hungry - and increasing the chances of trouble brewing.

In reality, modern health and safety rules and superior food storage render these fears null on cruise ships these days.

Continued here:

Cruise secrets: Never pack this unlikely thing in cruise luggage - it could be unlucky - Express

Winter in the garden – Cyprus Mail

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Winter in the garden - Cyprus Mail

Looking back at 2019 in the Tonganoxie community – The Mirror

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There were notable moments throughout 2019 for the Tonganoxie area, but many seemed to happen in the final months of the year.

Heres a look at a few of those top stories:

A new Caseys for Tonganoxie

The new Caseys General Store will be opened in October.

The store officially opened at 6 p.m. Oct. 17.

Tonganoxies newest Caseys is about two blocks south of the former store, with the new locale being south of the U.S. Highway 24-40 and Kansas Highway 16 intersection on the west side of the road.

The current store closed at 11 p.m. Oct. 16, with the kitchen closing at 2 p.m. that day.

This is the third Caseys to be built in Tonganoxie. All three have been constructed in the same proximity.

The first location was on the northwest corner of U.S. 24-40 and K-16 where the optometry office of Richard Dean and Katie Volk now stands. The current was then built a block north.

The landscape near the new Caseys is expected to continue to change, as a residential development in the area is in the works.

Battle of the Brains

A handful of Tonganoxie Middle School students made history with a big accomplishment in December.

The TMS proposal of Step Right Up was named the 2019 Burns & McDonnell Battle of the Brains winner.

The students won $50,000 for the schools science, technology, engineering and math department. Plus, the students will work with engineers to create a replica a $1 million replica of their proposal.

The exhibit likely will open around January 2021 at Science City.

Tonganoxie Middle School students and their teachers celebrate learning the news that TMS was one of the Top 20 Finalists for this years Battle of the Brains. TMS teachers Tracey Waldeier and Steve Bartlow, along with students Lucy Graveman, Ella Pruitt, Jameson Breitzman, Lauren Glynn, Caleb Hodges, Wesley Johnson and Joshua Duvall made up the winning team.

Various news outlets interviewed the students before a big welcome happened later that day outside TMS. Fellow students lined the drive to the schools main entrance to welcome the team back home. Team members also spoke before the school board at the boards December meeting.

The TMS team won out of a field of 840 proposals involving 7,250 students from 270 schools in 50 school districts.

Making history on the gridiron and the course

The Tonganoxie High football team won 10 games for the first time in a season this year.

The Chieftains also won two playoff games in the same year for the first time and finished the regular season undefeated for the second time in three season. THS ended the season two games short of playing for a state title.

The THS boys cross country team placed third place in the state in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history. The squad also recorded a third straight regional title, the programs best string of regional titles since Tonganoxie won four consecutive regional titles from 1989-92.

More firsts at THS

The Tonganoxie High wrestling team had its first individual state champion in Korbin Riedel. The school got its second not long after when Connor Searcy won gold for Tonganoxie in February at the Class 4A state wrestling championships in Salina. Searcy will try to win another title this year, while Grayson Sonntag will look to get another state medal himself. Sonntag placed third at state in 2019.

Big election year

New school, new commission district, new commissioner.

Tonganoxie voters passed a $51.4 million bond issue that will overhaul the current THS campus. The September mail-in ballot passed by 93 votes.

Leavenworth County also appointed its first commissioner for the new Fifth District in Mike Stieben.

The Tonganoxie Republican won the four-person race with 654 votes. Tonganoxie Independent David Frese, who in November would be elected Tonganoxie mayor, finished second a mere 33 votes behind Stieben.

Frese replaces longtime Mayor Jason Ward, who opted not to run for re-election. He served for 14 years, first as a council member and then mayor.

Turf time

Tonganoxie came together to raise money for field turf that was installed in time for fall season.

Pledges from residents and businesses raise nearly $400,000, with the district paying $250,000.

Construction of new Tonganoxie Public Library

By the end of 2019, the new Tonganoxie Public Library was built.

Interior work still needs to be done in the new year before it can open in March 2020. The project is expected to be finished in February, with move-in coming in March.

The $3.75 million project is coming to fruition thanks to a 20-year 3/4-cent sales tax Tonganoxie voters approved in 2017. The tax replaced a 10-year tax of the same rate that funded the Tonganoxie Water Park.

Linwood tornado

A massive EF-4 tornado caused roughly $26 million in damage to Linwood and other parts of Leavenworth County in May.

Nearly 130 homes in the county were damaged, with 44 of them completely destroyed. Along with that were 159 "accessory structures, such as out buildings and, the most noticeable structure on television media coverage that day, the Free State Growers greenhouses. The tornado leveled that campus, which sits across Kansas Highway 32 from Linwood to the north.

McLouth High basketball heads to state

The McLouth High boys basketball team went 18-6 in 2018-19, and with that ended a sizable state basketball drought.

MHS won the Class 2A substate at Valley Heights to qualify for the state tournament in Hays. It was McLouth's first state appearance in nearly 60 years, as the Bulldogs last went to state in 1960.

An additional 159 accessory structures such as out buildings and an industrial center, were totally destroyed.

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Looking back at 2019 in the Tonganoxie community - The Mirror

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These Breakthroughs Made the 2010s the Decade of the Brain – Singularity Hub

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I rarely use the words transformative or breakthrough for neuroscience findings. The brain is complex, noisy, chaotic, and often unpredictable. One intriguing result under one condition may soon fail for a majority of others. Whats more, paradigm-shifting research trends often require revolutionary tools. When were lucky, those come once a decade.

But I can unabashedly say that the 2010s saw a boom in neuroscience breakthroughs that transformed the field and will resonate long into the upcoming decade.

In 2010, the idea that wed be able to read minds, help paralyzed people walk again, incept memories, or have multi-layered brain atlases was near incomprehensible. Few predicted that deep learning, an AI model loosely inspired by neural processing in the brain, would gain prominence and feed back into decoding the brain. Around 2011, I asked a now-prominent AI researcher if we could automatically detect dying neurons in a microscope image using deep neural nets; we couldnt get it to work. Today, AI is readily helping read, write, and map the brain.

As we cross into the next decade, it pays to reflect on the paradigm shifts that made the 2010s the decade of the brain. Even as a boo humbug skeptic Im optimistic about the next decade for solving the brains mysteries: from genetics and epigenetics to chemical and electrical communications, networks, and cognition, well only get better at understanding and tactfully controlling the supercomputer inside our heads.

Weve covered brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) so many times even my eyes start glazing over. Yet I still remember my jaw dropping as I watched a paralyzed man kick off the 2014 World Cup in a bulky mind-controlled exosuit straight out of Edge of Tomorrow.

Flash forward a few years, and scientists have already ditched the exosuit for an implanted neural prosthesis that replaces severed nerves to re-establish communication between the brains motor centers and lower limbs.

The rise in BCIs owes much to the BrainGate project, which worked tirelessly to decode movement from electrical signals in the motor cortex, allowing paralyzed patients to use a tablet with their minds or operate robotic limbs. Today, prosthetic limbs coated with sensors can feed back into the brain, giving patients mind-controlled movement, sense of touch, and an awareness of where the limb is in space. Similarly, by decoding electrical signals in the auditory or visual cortex, neural implants can synthesize a persons speech by reconstructing what theyre hearing or re-create images of what theyre seeingor even of what theyre dreaming.

For now, most BCIsespecially those that require surgical implantsare mainly used to give speech or movement back to those with disabilities or decode visual signals. The brain regions that support all these functions are on the surface, making them relatively more accessible and easier to decode.

But theres plenty of interest in using the same technology to target less tangible brain issues, such as depression, OCD, addiction, and other psychiatric disorders that stem from circuits deep within the brain. Several trials using implanted electrodes, for example, have shown dramatic improvement in people suffering from depression that dont respond to pharmaceutical drugs, but the results vary significantly between individuals.

The next decade may see non-invasive ways to manipulate brain activity, such as focused ultrasound, transcranial magnetic or direct current stimulation (TMS/tDCS), and variants of optogenetics. Along with increased understanding of brain networks and dynamics, we may be able to play select neural networks like a piano and realize the dream of treating psychiatric disorders at their root.

Rarely does one biological research field get such tremendous support from multiple governments. Yet the 2010s saw an explosion in government-backed neuroscience initiatives from the US, EU, and Japan, with China, South Korea, Canada, and Australia in the process of finalizing their plans. These multi-year, multi-million-dollar projects focus on developing new tools to suss out the brains inner workings, such as how it learns, how it controls behavior, and how it goes wrong. For some, the final goal is to simulate a working human brain inside a supercomputer, forming an invaluable model for researchers to test out their hypothesesand maybe act as a blueprint for one day reconstructing all of a persons neural connections, called the connectome.

Even as initial announcements were met with skepticismwhat exactly is the project trying to achieve?the projects allowed something previously unthinkable. The infusion of funding provided a safety blanket to develop new microscopy tools to ever-more-rapidly map the brain, resulting in a toolkit of new fluorescent indicators that track neural activation and map neural circuits. Even rudimentary simulations have generated virtual epilepsy patients to help more precisely pinpoint sources of seizures. A visual prosthesis to restore sight, a memory prosthesis to help those with faltering recall, and a push for non-invasive ways to manipulate human brains all stemmed from these megaprojects.

Non-profit institutions such as the Allen Institute for Brain Science have also joined the effort, producing map after map at different resolutions of various animal brains. The upcoming years will see individual brain maps pieced together into comprehensive atlases that cover everything from genetics to cognition, transforming our understanding of brain function from paper-based 2D maps into multi-layered Google Maps.

In a way, these national programs ushered in the golden age of brain science, bringing talent from other disciplinesengineers, statisticians, physicists, computer scientistsinto neuroscience. Early successes will likely drive even more investment in the next decade, especially as findings begin translating into actual therapies for people who dont respond to traditional mind-targeting drugs. The next decade will likely see innovative new tools that manipulate neural activity more precisely and less-invasively than optogenetics. The rapid rise in the amount of data will also mean that neuroscientists will quickly embrace cloud-storage options for collaborative research and GPUs and more powerful computing cores to process the data.

First, brain to AI. The physical structure and information flow in the cortex inspired deep learning, the most prominent AI model today. Ideas such as hippocampal replaythe brains memory center replays critical events in fast forward during sleep to help consolidate memoryalso benefit AI models.

In addition, the activation patterns of individual neurons merged with materials science to build neuromorphic chips, or processors that function more like the brain, rather than todays silicon-based chips. Although neuromorphic chips remain mainly an academic curiosity, they have the potential to perform complicated, parallel computations at a fraction of the energy used by processors today. As deep neural nets get ever-more power hungry, neuromorphic chips may present a welcome alternative.

In return, AI algorithms that closely model the brain are helping solve long-time mysteries of the brain, such as how the visual cortex processes input. In a way, the complexity and unpredictability of neurobiology is shriveling thanks to these computational advancements.

Although crossovers between biomedical research and digital software have long existedthink programs that help with drug designthe match between neuroscience and AI is far stronger and more intimate. As AI becomes more powerful and neuroscientists collaborate outside their field, computational tools will only unveil more intricacies of neural processing, including more intangible aspects such as memory, decision-making, or emotions.

I talk a bunch about the brains electrical activity, but supporting that activity are genes and proteins. Neurons also arent a uniform bunch; multiple research groups are piecing together a whos who of the brains neural parts and their individual characteristics.

Although invented in the late 2000s, technologies such as optogenetics and single-cell RNA sequencing were widely adopted by the neuroscience community in the 2010s. Optogenetics allows researchers to control neurons with light, even in freely moving animals going about their lives. Add to that a whole list of rainbow-colored proteins to tag active cells, and its possible to implant memories. Single-cell RNA sequencing is the queen bee of deciphering a cells identity, allowing scientists to understand the genetic expression profile of any given neuron. This tech is instrumental in figuring out the neuron populations that make up a brain at any point in timeinfancy, youth, aging.

But perhaps the crown in new tools goes to brain organoids, or mini-brains, that remarkably resemble those of preterm babies, making them excellent models of the developing brain. Organoids may be our best chance of figuring out the neurobiology of autism, schizophrenia, and other developmental brain issues that are difficult to model with mice. This decade is when scientists established a cookbook for organoids of different types; the next will see far more studies that tap into their potential for modeling a growing brain. With hard work and luck, we may finally be able to tease out the root causes of these developmental issues.

Image Credit: NIH

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These Breakthroughs Made the 2010s the Decade of the Brain - Singularity Hub

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Rita Oras 4th Talent Show Judging Gig Just ANOTHER Cash Grab? – Talent Recap

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Rita Ora has made a name for herself on TV talent shows over the years, and we arent surprised shes back for another. From those big red spinning chairs to a spot next to Simon Cowell, shes done and heard it all. But, as she comes to her 4th role as a judge, should we be a little more suspicious of her countless roles on different talent shows?

SIMON COWELLS RESPONSE TO THE MASKED SINGER UK THREAT

Rita Ora has appeared as both a host and a judge on some of TVs biggest talent shows. She began to learn the ropes at The Voice UK alongside Ricky Wilson and will.i.am in 2015. A year later, she found herself alongside Cowell and Cheryl on The X Factor before getting herself a role as a host on US show, Boy Band.

THE MOST VIEWED AGT AUDITION OF ALL TIME!

As the new year has rolled around, Rita will be making her debut on The Masked Singer UK. The brand new show will hit UK screens for the very first time this week. Other big celebrities joining the judge lineup include talk show king, Jonathan Ross and comedian, Ken Jeong. All we can say is brace, because this show is about to cause a storm!

However, as Rita takes to yet another show, we have some unanswered questions. Every show that Ora has ever appeared on, shes only ever lasted one season. She joined Cowell on his most shocking season of X Factor to date, beginning the ultimate purge of The X Factor ratings and even then, it wasnt enough to earn herself a second year. Is Rita actually fond of the role as a TV judge or is the money too much to resist? Let us know what you think in the comments!

Theres really not long to go before TMS UK begins on ITV, so heres a teaser of all the acts we can expect this weekend. Masked Singers include The Duck and The Unicorn! You can see all the new singers in their own individual promo on The Masked Singer Twitter page!

Im a huge fan of The Masked Singer I cant wait for it to come to the UK and get started.

FUNNIEST COMEDIANS OF THE DECADE ON BGT

Eager to find out more about this brand new show coming to ITV on Saturday? Take a look at this Talent Recap Show episode on The Masked Singer US. Mel and Kyle host, giving their top 3 predictions!

The Masked Singer UK airs this Saturday on ITV at 7pm (UK time) and on demand on the ITV Hub.

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Rita Oras 4th Talent Show Judging Gig Just ANOTHER Cash Grab? - Talent Recap

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Time to move on: How to rework Pokemon Gos TM system – Pokemon GO Hub

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Hello Trainers! When Pokemon Go first launched in 2016 it became evident very quickly that we were missing a lot of major features that we all were very used to having in the main series games. One of those features was the ability to change a move we didnt want to a move that we did. That functionality was eventually bestowed upon us in the form of fast TMs and charge TMs. Finally, we had a way to update the moves of our Pokemon, no longer would your perfect maxed out Gyarados be stuck with Twister as a charge move.

These new TMs came with a catch, they are completely random. For anybody whos ever felt the frustration of having to use multiple TMs to change a single move, its very clear that Pokemon Gos TM system is in need of a major overhaul. Dont get me wrong, having TMs is way better than not having them at all, and their introduction was a huge leap forward. However, with the upcoming Pokemon Battle League, the ever-growing PVP community and the increase in moves being introduced into the game the perfect time to overhaul the TMs in Pokemon Go is now.

So lets go through a few ideas, ways that Niantic could overhaul the way TMs work in Pokemon Go to make them more efficient, easier to use, and less hair-pullingly frustrating. Well weigh the pros versus the cons, my thoughts on the idea and then rate each idea with a ranking. If you need a refresher on how TMs currently work, check out our article about it here.

Lets get into it.

*Disclaimer These are all ideas that Ive collected through research throughout the internet, each idea Ive seen posted multiple times.

First, well talk about the moves that are regularly available under the current TM system. This excludes any Community Day exclusive moves, and any legacy moves.

Next, well talk about the moves that are not regularly available under the current TM system. These are moves trainers cant TM onto their Pokemon because they are what are called Legacy moves. Moves that Niantic has removed from a Pokemons move pool, or moves that were only available during a limited-time event such as raid days or Community days.

I think we can all agree, that pretty much any of the solutions Ive laid out here would be an improvement over what is currently in place. Some are much better than others, and each of them has their drawback. I dont think that anything that Niantic puts into place will make everybody happy, or solve all the problems the current system has.

Do you have a potential solution that I didnt list? Which of the ideas do you think is the best one? Do you have Pokemon that you wish had a legacy move?

Id love to hear your feedback on this subject in the comments, (and any TM horror stories as well). Hopefully one day Niantic hears our pleas and reworks the TM system. Until then, keep grinding those raids and as always, stay safe out there.

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Time to move on: How to rework Pokemon Gos TM system - Pokemon GO Hub

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MURDER IN ’47: Monsters, boozehounds and battered women – Toronto Sun

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Freddie Bussey was a carnie from Regina.

Hed drift into a town, then hed drift out.

Bussey could have gotten away with one of the most heinous murders of the 1940s, but he couldnt keep his mouth shut.

On the outskirts of Owen Sound on Sept. 21, 1947, Betty Playford, 11, went out to play with neighbourhood kids.

By 11 p.m. the popular little girl had not returned. She and a pal reportedly got soaked in the rain and stripped off, dancing naked in the late summer rain.

Then she disappeared.

Betty Playford, murdered my a monster.

OPP detectives found the body at 9:30 the next morning. She had a fractured skull and there was an attempted sexual assault.

And true to form, Bussey hit the road after defiling and killing Betty. But no one accused the man of being a Mensa calibre intellect.

On a whim, Bussey told a Montreal Star reporter he was Betty Playfords killer.

Just five months after his murder trial, the drifter was taken care of by Canadas apparatus of death.

Bussey died swinging from the hangmans rope on Feb. 4, 1948.

***

Beneath the happiness of the post-war years when soldiers, sailors and airmen came home was a sewer. POSTMEDIA

Most of Canadas soldiers, sailors and airmen had returned home from the killing fields of Europe, Asia and the high seas.

They were ready to settle down to life in the suburbs with a white picket fence, a steady job at GM or the railways, and a wife and kids.

These men would build Canada into an international powerhouse admired around the world.

But the country still tied tightly to the United Kingdom and the crown had a sewer lurking just beneath the surface.

Film noir classic Dark Passage was in the theatres.

In 1947, Canada sent five men to the gallows, with another dozen dead men hanged in 1948.

In the Ontario Archives, almost every OPP murder investigation in the year 1947 is listed. Here are a few of them. They are not all top of the page stories.

All are tragedies in their own right.

MARY MASEAU

On Feb. 9, 1947, the OPP was alerted to the death of Mary Maseau at Fox Lake in the Espanola district. She had been beaten to death by her sister at the home of one Wilbert Guay. Her sister, Laura Nahwegeshik, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months at the Ontario Reformatory. It isnt clear why Maseau was murdered.

CHARLES MARTIN

Charlie Martin was being held in a Moose Jaw jail by the RCMP when he said he had a tale to tell. He implicated himself in the double murder of Joseph Grant and Marcel Duchesneau near Schreiber. The slayings had not even been reported to cops. The dead men were working at a mining prospect called the Antelope Mine. Martin confessed Grant had $1,200 on him. Charlie Martin was convicted and was hanged on Jan. 8, 1948.

JOSEPH M. SHERK

Joseph M. Sherk, 73, was found shot to death in his Haldimand County home on March 4, 1947. Asmall combination safe located in another room in the house had been opened and the contents scattered about the room. Its believed Sherks murder went unsolved.

ROBERT TODD

Robert Todd, 72, lived alone in a shack near Kirkland Lake. The hermit had not been seen in a while and cops were called. They found his remains under the floorboards. He had been beaten to death. John Gagne was arrested in Sherbrooke, QC, convicted and sentenced to hang. He swung on Jan. 14, 1948.

ALBERT RICHER

Geraldton taxi driver Albert Richer was shot and killed on April 20, 1947. His body was discovered on a highway east of town. His taxi was found in Hearst the next day. Richer had been shot. An intensive investigation failed to ID the killer. The slaying remains unsolved.

JOHN STARCHUK

Farmer John Starchuk, 72, was found knifed to death on April 23rd, 1947, in Essex County. Nick Stoyan, 70, of the same address, was found to be suffering from knife wounds to the throat in an obvious suicide attempt. The two oldtimers had been boozing for three days and bad feelings developed. Stoyan was found unfit to stand trial.

FREDERICK DESJARDINS

Frederick Desjardins had escaped from the notorious St. Johns Training School for Boys. He was found dead north of Kingston on May 7, 1947. Fellow escapee Victor Martin, 14, was charged with murder. The two boys had escaped and broke into a store, stealing a rifle, money and food. Martin told cops he killed Desjardins but his statement was not admitted at trial. Court heard Martin was a feral child with little education and the mental age of 10. He was acquitted andtransferred to the Training School for Boys at Guelph.

SIDNEY F. HALL

CIBC night security guard Sidney F. Hall was shot to death by robbers on June 7, 1947, at a branch in Middlesex County. He squeezed off at least two shots at the bandits. His murder remains unsolved.

MAX VON MATT

Max Von Matt was waiting for his mother to bring him breakfast. The 31-year-old was told to get it himself. He shot her in the chest. Matt was deemed insane and locked up at her majestys pleasure.

Her accused killers walked.

VELAIR VANDEBELT

On June 21, 1947, Velair Vandebelt, 23, was a nurse at the Lady Minto Hospital in Cochrane. That night she attended a party with five friends at a cottage outside town. It is quite evident a good deal of drinking took place, one detective noted, adding there was a good deal of banter and horseplay going on. The nurse wanted to stay for the weekend with the two men. And then she disappeared. Her body was found in the bush. She had been strangled and her skull was fractured. Rocco Sisco and Roger Gauthier were charged with the murder, but the charges were dismissed.

Troubled Henry Cada murdered his sister Ida. The two reportedly had an incestuous relationship.

IDA CADA

U.S. Army vet Henry Leo Cada, 28, of River Rouge, Mich. confessed at the home of a Kent County doctor he had murdered his sister. The body of Ida Cada, 21, was found in a barn loft down the road. Her jugular vein had been slashed. According to cops, an unnatural love existed between them. The two eloped to Canada. The family had a history of insanity and Henry Cada was locked away forever.

CLAYTON COTTRELL

Clayton Cottrell a reported wife abuser had his head blown off by his long-suffering spouse Edna on July 27, 1947, at their Muskoka home. Not only did Edna live in terror for herself, she worried herself sick about hubbys licentious intentions towards his young daughters. On his last night, he came home drunk and sex crazy towards the girls, so mom took him off the board. Not guilty.

Toronto taxi driver Ralph Margeson left, was murdered along the QEW.

RALPH MARGESON

Ralph Margeson was a hard-working cab driver who was shot to death on Nov. 11, 1947. His body was found just north of the QEW. Despite police efforts, the killer was never found.

LETSON FAMILY

On Dec. 28, 1947, cops came upon the grisly scene of a quadruple murder-suicide near Kitchener. Dead was Walter P. Letson, found with a .12 gauge shotgun between his legs. Also dead were Percy Letson, 28, Hugh Letson, 45, Mary Letson, 45, (wife of Hugh), and Wilson Letson, 42. Walter had been keeping company with a woman named Eleanor Springer, 18, who had recently transferred her affections to Wilson Letson. Walter Letson met them when they came home from a party and began the massacre.

ISABEL CORNISH

Isabel, 16, was in trouble. The Bruce County teen was pregnant. A post-mortem revealed she died from an illegal abortion. George L. Murphy was charged with manslaughter by means of committing an abortion. He was sentenced to seven years in the Kingston Pen.

bhunter@postmedia.com

@HunterTOSun

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MURDER IN '47: Monsters, boozehounds and battered women - Toronto Sun

Trade negotiators have missed a deadline to help protect fish stocks – The Economist

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IN 2015 WORLD leaders signed up to a long list of sustainable development goals, among them an agreement to limit government subsidies that contribute to overfishing. Negotiators at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) were told to finish the job by 2020. They have missed their deadline.

Overfishing is a tragedy of the commons, with individuals and countries motivated by short-term self-interest to over-consume a limited resource. By one measure, the share of fish stocks being fished unsustainably has risen from 10% in 1974 to 33% in 2015. Governments make things worse with an estimated $22bn of annual subsidies that increase capacity, including for gear, ice, fuel and boat-building. One study estimated that half of fishing operations in the high seas (waters outside any national jurisdiction) would be unprofitable without government support.

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Trade ministers were supposed to sort it all out at a WTO meeting in December in Kazakhstan. But the meeting was postponed till June, and big political deals are rarely struck remotely. Moreover, the murky nature of subsidies for unregulated and unreported fishing makes their work unusually difficult. Governments do not have lines in their budget that say subsidies for illegal fishing, points out Alice Tipping of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, a think-tank.

Negotiators are trying to devise a system that would alert governments to offending boats, which would become ineligible for future subsidies. That is tangling them up in arguments about what to do when a boat is found in disputed territory, how to deal with frivolous accusations and how to treat boats that are not associated with any country offering subsidies.

When it comes to legal fishing of overfished stocks, it is easier to spot the subsidies in government budget lines, but no easier to agree on what to do about them. America and the European Union, for example, have been arguing over whether to allow subsidies up to a cap, or whether to ban some subsidies and take a lenient approach to the rest. The EU favours the second option, arguing that where fisheries are well-managed, subsidies are not harmful. To others this looks like an attempt to ensure any eventual deal has loopholes.

Further complicating matters is a long-running row about how to treat developing countries. All WTO members agree that some need special consideration. But as an American representative pointed out at a recent WTO meeting, 17 of the worlds 26 most prolific fishing countries are developing ones. That means broad carve-outs for them would seriously weaken any deal.

China, both the worlds biggest fisher and biggest subsidiser of fishing, has proposed capping subsidies in proportion to the number of people in each country who work in the industry. But it is the world leader here, too, with 10m at the last count (in 2016). Other countries fear such a rule would constrain China too little.

Apart from the fish negotiations, almost nothing is happening at the WTO. Ms Tipping thinks this could be helpful, since the issue will not end up hostage to other, even more fraught, trade rows. But it also deprives negotiators of their most useful tool. Usually, trade talks make progress because the ambitious parties coax the foot-draggers forward by offering concessions on other matters. Now, though fish are on the table, the accompanying bargaining chips are off the menu.

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Trade negotiators have missed a deadline to help protect fish stocks - The Economist