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Want to be entertained? These apps will do the job! – BestTechie

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Danzig

From time to time, we all feel bored and in need of something to do. When that happens, theres one thing that most of us turn to our smartphones and devices! If your number one port of call when life gets dull is your tablet or iPhone, youll need to know the best apps to keep you engaged and entertained for as long as you need! The good news is that theres plenty of great apps these days that are sure to stop boredom in its tracks! Here are just a few of the top choices.

There isnt anything quite like a strategy game to make sure your brain is working to its full potential! If youre feeling bored, a game such as 2048 or Flow Free could be just the app you need to help keep your mind active until the boredom passes! Flow Free may seem like an easy game which requires the player to connect up the matching colors using pipes to create a flow. Yet youll find that it isnt as simple as it might seem once you start playing!

Meanwhile, the game 2048 is just as frustrating but engaging in equal measure. Youll be using all of your math skills to swipe the tiles and reach the total of 2-48 before the game comes to an end!

One way to beat the boredom is to wager on a favorite casino game. The good news is that theres an app thats perfect for you. The BetMGM Online Poker free app allows players to indulge in a favorite pastime, so whether youre a total novice at poker or whether youre a card shark, youll find this app the perfect way to enjoy a flutter from your sofa.

One of the best ways to pass the time and beat boredom is to talk to other people and apps like OpenTalk and Anonychat could be just what youre looking for. They allow you to talk randomly to strangers all around the world, even keeping your own identity secret if you wish so you can say whatevers on your mind.

Are you feeling frustrated? If youre looking for an app that you can download to relieve your tension and stress, the Bubble Wrap app is exactly what you need. Its the virtual answer to the real thing and you can pop it in numerous virtual ways to wind down.

Do you love finding fun new content that you can enjoy in your down time? Then StumbleUpon is the perfect app to download. Itll give you all kinds of exciting art, news, articles, photos, quotes, tips, memes and videos to enjoy essentially, it brings you the top trending things on the web with just one click.

If you love to show off your amazing knowledge, the QuizUp app could be just what youre looking for. It allows you to engage with others within the worldwide trivia community and to answer a host of questions on all kinds of subjects.

Do you think of yourself as an artist? Then Sand Draw Sketch is a great app choice for you. Download this app and you can draw in virtual sand, and play on a virtual sandy canvas!

If youre feeling bored you might as well try learning something new to stave off the boredom. Why not learn the skill of a new language instead of vegetating? Duo Lingo is a free app which will help you to learn new languages in your downtime. With more than 20 languages to pick from, you can take lessons and tests which will develop and improve your abilities.

Did you ever wonder what you might look like if your hair was shorter or a different color? If youd like to know how youd look with a complete makeover but without investing in expensive makeup and hair products, the Perfect 365:One-Tap Makeover app is the one for you. Just upload an image of yourself to begin experimenting!

Many of us enjoy looking a new memes and laughing at them, but why not make some of your own? Download the Meme Generator Free app, and explore your sense of humor with funny memes made using different fonts and images!

Do you love food more than anything else in the world? Then try to foodies version of Tinder -Tender! This free to download app enables food lovers all over the world to connect easily with one another and to post images of successful meals and favorite recipes. When you like something youve seen, just swipe it and you can save the recipe! Its never been easier to plan the perfect dinner menu!

Sometimes, its hard to remember how we coped before we had tablets and smartphones, but thanks to the latest advanced technology and cutting edge apps, its now possible to stave off boredom anywhere and at any time. Whether youre waiting, queuing or just at a loose end, youll find plenty of apps to keep you occupied, whether you love playing games, betting, chatting, drawing or cooking! Youre sure to find an app in this comprehensive list to suit your preferences!

Study: Just Three Years of Vaping Increases Lung Disease Risk – Futurism

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Danzig

A first-of-its-kind health study has yielded bad news for e-cigarette users and even worse news for those who both vape and smoke conventional cigarettes.

On Monday, a team from the University of California, San Francisco, published the results of the first long-term study focused on the relationship between e-cigarettes and respiratory illness in theAmerican Journal of Preventive Medicine.

For the study, they analyzed data collected as part of a study called the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH), which tracked the tobacco usage of more than 32,000 American adults from 2013 to 2016, noting any new lung disease diagnoses they received.

The UC San Francisco team looked at people who had no reported lung disease at the beginning of the PATH study and found that vaping alone increased their chances of developing chronic lung disease by about a third over the course of the studys three years.

We concluded that e-cigarettes are harmful on their own, researcher Stanton Glantz said in a press release, and the effects are independent of smoking conventional tobacco.

Using traditional cigarettes made a person 2.6 times more likely to develop lung disease, so it would seem that vaping is comparatively safer than smoking, as some vape manufacturers have claimed.

The problem, though, is that the vast majority of e-cigarette users dont fully give up smoking cigarettes and using both forms of tobacco more than triples a persons risk of developing lung disease.

Switching from conventional cigarettes to e-cigarettes exclusively could reduce the risk of lung disease, but very few people do it, Glantz said. For most smokers, they simply add e-cigarettes and become dual users, significantly increasing their risk of developing lung disease above just smoking.

Study: Just Three Years of Vaping Increases Lung Disease Risk - Futurism

Astronomers May Have Been Wrong About The Milky Way’s History – Futurism

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Danzig

Rewriting History

A new image of the center of the Milky Way has astronomers rewriting the history of our galaxy.

Thats because the image, which reveals new information about 700,000 stars near the galaxys core, contradicts scientists assumption that new stars are constantly forming in that region, CNET reports. Rather, it suggests that star formation in the galactic center occurred mostly in our galaxys infancy before dying down for most of its life.

Existing scientific dogma holds that there was a more constant stream of star formation, but the new data suggests that 80 percent of stars in the region were created during the first high-activity period.

The Very Large Telescopes new survey found that the center of the Milky Way sprang back to life and began rapidly churning out new stars again about a billion years ago, accordingto research published Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy.

This burst of activity, which must have resulted in the explosion of more than a hundred-thousand supernovae, was probably one of the most energetic events in the whole history of the Milky Way, lead author Francisco Nogueras-Lara of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy said in a press release.

But other astronomers arent quite ready to rewrite history one new paper isnt necessarily enough to overturn everything they know. Monash University astronomer Michael Brown, who didnt work on the study, told CNET that the particularly-complex methodology of the new research didnt fill him with confidence.

I find the evidence presented tentative rather than absolutely compelling, he said.

READ MORE: This unreal image of the Milky Ways center could rewrite galactic history [CNET]

More on the Milky Way: The Milky Ways Supermassive Black Hole Just Did Something Wild

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Astronomers May Have Been Wrong About The Milky Way's History - Futurism

Newly Discovered Blinking Space Lights Could Be Signs of Aliens – Futurism

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Danzig

Flashing Lights

With rare exception, stars die in one of two ways: they either slowly transition into white dwarfs or quickly explode as supernovae.

But some stars appear to temporarily die without a whimper or a bang they just disappear from the night sky and then appear again later and the scientists behind a newly published study believe this strange phenomenon could have one of two explanations: were either witnessing something brand new in astrophysics or seeing signs of alien activity.

On Thursday, the scientists involved in the Vanishing and Appearing Sources during a Century of Observations (VASCO) project published their first study in The Astronomical Journal, a prestigious and peer-reviewed publication. It details their hunt for objects that appeared in surveys of the night sky dating as far back as the 1950s, but that no longer appear in modern surveys.

That hunt turned up a hundred red objects that have blinked in and out of existence over the past 70 years.

Study co-author Martin Lpez Corredoira noted in a press release that the VASCO team hasnt found any direct evidence linking the lights to extraterrestrial intelligence but the studys abstract implies that the authors arent ruling out the possibility, either.

The implications of finding [vanishing and appearing sources] extend from traditional astrophysics fields to the more exotic searches for evidence of technologically advanced civilizations, they wrote.

READ MORE: Unexplained Lights in Sky Could Be Alien Structures or Communication Lasers, Scientists Say [The Independent]

More on aliens: Penn States SETI Center Could Legitimize Alien Research

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Newly Discovered Blinking Space Lights Could Be Signs of Aliens - Futurism

End of the world: This futurist has some grim news for the middle class – MarketWatch

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Danzig

This figure is the end of the world for the average people. It reflects a rather depressing picture: The state and the economy are advancing by storm but the workers are almost not benefitting from this progress and are left behind. It is almost a catastrophe.

Thats Dr. Roey Tzezana, a future studies researcher at Tel Aviv University and a research fellow at Brown University, referring to the growing gap between labor productivity and wages, as seen in this chart:

In other words, as automation continues to render jobs obsolete, the divide between the rich and everybody else will only continue to grow, and the middle class as we know it will cease to exist. Such a scenario will create a society of extreme pockets of wealth and those who can barely get by.

And thats a problem for everybody, he said.

It doesnt match the ideas of democracy because democracy is based on the middle class, Tzezana told Haaretz. It is harder for workers from the lower class to vote in an intelligent manner and make intelligent decisions. It is a situation that over time does not enable the continuation of democracy as we know it.

He used an example of a factory with 1,000 workers scaling back to just 100 by keeping those with high-level skills to operate the machines that replace the lower-level workers, who are then relegated to service jobs at markedly less pay.

This is not the problem of just one or two people, Tzezana continued. When a lot of people experience this drop, we are talking about an economic crisis: It is not just a problem only for those who cant pay their mortgages 60% of the sales of most companies are to the general public and if the public cant afford to buy a new computer, the entire economy enters a crisis.

To listen to more from Tzenana, check out his TED Talk:

Go here to see the original:

End of the world: This futurist has some grim news for the middle class - MarketWatch

Scientists Spot One of the Most Distant Galaxies Ever: MAMBO-9 – Futurism

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Danzig

Star Light

Scientists just observed a new galaxy for the first time, and at 13 billion lightyears away, its one of the most distant galaxies spotted to date.

The galaxy, MAMBO-9, isnt setting any long-distance records. Scientists have found galaxies at similar and even greater distances from us. But MAMBO-9 is nearly as old as the universe, CNN reports, so the new finding could help astronomers reveal more information about the earliest days of the cosmos.

MAMBO-9 is only about 970 million years younger than the universe itself, according to research published Wednesday in The Astrophysical Journal. Thats an unfathomable length of time for humans, but a mere blip in the cosmic calendar.

The new discovery presents a rare opportunity to watch a galaxy form. Light from MAMBO-9 that just reached Earth which portrays things that actually happened 13 billion years ago reveals a vast cloud of dust that will someday form into new stars and exoplanets.

We expect 100 times more stars than dust, lead researcher Caitlin Casey from the University of Texas at Austin told CNN. But MAMBO-9 has not produced that many stars yet, and we want to find out how dust can form so fast after the Big Bang.

READ MORE: Meet MAMBO-9, one of the most distant galaxies to ever be observed [CNN]

More on space: Something Very Strange Seems to be Synchronizing Distant Galaxies

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Scientists Spot One of the Most Distant Galaxies Ever: MAMBO-9 - Futurism

Russia Is Working on Its Own Plan to Blow up Killer Asteroids – Futurism

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Danzig

Space Rocks

Russian space agency Roscosmos is creating a center devoted to monitoring meteors, comets, and asteroids to ensure they dont collide with Earth even it means having to blow them up in space.

As part of the creation of a monitoring system and information support for the safety of space activities in near-Earth space, we plan to launch the Russian Center for Small Celestial Bodies, whose main task will be to detect and track celestial bodies approaching Earth, Igor Bakaras, a senior official at Roscosmos subsidiary TsNIIMash, told Russian-owned news agency Sputnik.

Pakistani news agency UrduPoint News has reported that officials are expected to approve the center in mid-2020. It will go online shortly after and then remain in operation until 2030.

Russia also recently announced plans to build a series of telescopes on the Moon to help it track potentially hazardous space rocks, so it seems likely the new center will play a role in bringing that effort to fruition.

Before Russia can blast any dangerous asteroids out of the sky, itll need to do a lot of research. To that end, Bakaras told Sputnik that Russian scientists are currently exploring a variety of ways to destroy or redirect a space rock heading toward Earth, including through the use of satellites, rocket engines, and solar sails.

At present, work in these areas is limited largely to theoretical research and the mathematical modeling of various countermeasures, Bakaras said and that research could be key to saving the planet if an asteroid does make its way toward Earth.

READ MORE: Russia Working on Means to Destroy Dangerous Asteroids Hurtling Toward Earth [Sputnik]

More on asteroids: Russia Wants to Build an Observatory on the Moon

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Russia Is Working on Its Own Plan to Blow up Killer Asteroids - Futurism

Check Out This Hypnotic Array of Colossal Storms on Jupiter – Futurism

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Danzig

Trypophobia

Even putting its Great Red Spot aside for the moment, Jupiter is a bizarre place covered in gigantic, swirling storms.

NASA recently discovered another storm this one the size of the United States on the planets south pole, joining an array of six others that were already swirling around in abeautiful hexagonal pattern, according to an agency press release.

NASA first observed the new storm when the space agencys Juno spacecraft flew past the south pole in late November.

The flyby, which marked the 22nd time Juno checked up on Jupiter, was actually a bit of an evasive maneuver: NASA had to reroute Juno to keep it from dying in an eclipse that would have blocked its solar panels and ended the mission.

We realized that the orbit was going to carry Juno into Jupiters shadow, which could have grave consequences because were solar powered, Juno principal researcher Scott Bolton said in the release. No sunlight means no power, so there was real risk we might freeze to death.

Lo and behold, first thing out of the gate on the other side, we make another fundamental discovery, he added.

READ MORE: NASAs Juno Navigators Enable Jupiter Cyclone Discovery [NASA]

More on Jupiter: Scientists: Jupiters Great Red Spot Isnt Dying After All

Check Out This Hypnotic Array of Colossal Storms on Jupiter - Futurism

Virgil Abloh Merges Fashion and Futurism with the Louis Vuitton Men’s 2054 Collection – Ocean Drive Magazine

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Danzig

Imagined by Artisitc Director Virgil Abloh, Louis Vuitton Men's 2054 is a luxury lifestyle ready-to-wear collection built for the great unknown.

Fashion has long flirted with futurism. What began as a cutting-edge movement among early-20th century painters and sculptors quickly swept over the design studios and runways of Milan and Paris. It played out as a celebration of everything new, urban and industrialfabrics, designs, colors and cuts that reflected movement and speed.

But what exactly is futurism now that we are living in the future? It is here, in Louis Vuitton Mens 2054 capsule collection: 14 pieces made of 100% water-repellent technical fabrications with transformable features and multifunctional values. In the collection, Artistic Director Virgil Abloh revisits the idea of compressomorphosisfirst introduced in his pre-fall 2019 collection. The term applies to garments accessorized with wrapper bags into which they can be entirely compressed for travel purposes. For instance, the back pocket of an oversized coat unrolls into a life-size tent raised with included tent poles, the coats back-zip adornment transforming into the tent door; a padded over-shirt with multiple zips for adaptation compresses into its own back pocket and morphs into a pillow native to trekking.

The name is a nod to 1854, the year the house was founded, and signals a fusion of the past, present and future. In other words, its clienteles uniform 200 years from its point of origin. The future is now.

Pieces in the Louis Vuitton Mens 2054 collection range from $6,535 for the 3-in-1 parka to $920 for the 3D effect T-shirt, all at Louis Vuitton Design District.

Photography by: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Stare Into the Brutal Maw of This Barbarous Neutron Star – Futurism

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Danzig

Imaging Pisces

For the first time, NASA managed to map the entire surface of a neutron star (read: the cosmic carcass of a massive star after it detonates in a massive supernova explosion).

The neutron star, J0030+0451 is found within the Pisces constellation. Its only 16 miles wide, according to Astronomy, but still has at least 1.3 times the mass of our Sun. By using NASAs x-ray-measuring satellite NICER, scientists managed to construct a map of unprecedented detail, helping them build out their (and our) understanding of the universe like never before.

The discovery, described in a new series of papers published in The Astrophysical Journal, took about a month to assemble with NASAs supercomputers. Compiling the various recordings and measurements from this project into a coherent map was such a complex task that it wouldve taken about a decade to do on a standard computer, according to Astronomy.

Its unclear what exactly what scientists want to use the new map for. NASA announced plans to recreate the map with more neutron stars, Astronomy reports, but in the meantime, its worth taking a minute and just appreciating how cool this astronomical accomplishment is.

READ MORE: Astronomers map a neutron stars surface for the first time [Astronomy]

More on neutron stars: Scientists Have Learned Why Neutron Stars Shine So Bright

Stare Into the Brutal Maw of This Barbarous Neutron Star - Futurism

Middle Eastern Nation First to Buy Drone Armed With Machine Gun – Futurism

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Danzig

Before the end of the year, Turkey will become the first nation to get its hands on a brand new military drone equipped with a machine gun.

Its called the Songar, and it can carry 200 rounds of ammunition. A New Scientist story notes that the drone is accurate enough to hit a human target with every bullet fired from 200 meters (656 feet) away a devastating level of accuracy in the already troubling space of drone warfare.

Songar is the work of Turkish electronics firm Asisguard, and according to the companys website, a human can control the drone from a distance of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). Using a single controller, they can operate up to three Songars simultaneously during the day or at night, looking through the devices cameras and deciding when to fire their guns.

Asisguard equipped the drone with two systems designed to address the issue of recoil affecting accuracy. One uses a group of sensors that accountfor variablesranging from a targets distance to the current wind speed. The other uses robotic arms to manually move the gun as needed to counteract the recoil.

Songar isnt the first machine gun-equipped drone weve seen, and its easy to see why the devices appeal to militaries: with an armed drone, a soldier can attack the enemy while staying out of harms way.

But as more and more armed drones emerge, it seems like just a matter of time before militaries decide to remove human operators from the equation altogether. In fact, that may already be happening as United States Defense Secretary Mark Esper accused China in November of selling autonomous killer drones to nations in the Middle East.

So, while the drones that Asisguard plans to sell to Turkey later this month might require a human operator, theres a chance the next armed drones the nation adds to its arsenal will be autonomous and thatll be when things get really scary.

READ MORE: Turkey is getting military drones armed with machine guns [New Scientist]

More on drones: New Warfare Drones are Small as a Quadcopter

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Middle Eastern Nation First to Buy Drone Armed With Machine Gun - Futurism

Change or have change happen to you, says futurist – RealAgriculture

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Danzig

Be the change or be changed, saysNikolas Badminton, futurist and TechTour alumnus.

What does that mean for agriculture? Well, according to Badminton, it means that farmers are either going to have to adapt and evolve their practices, technology, and equipment, or someone else willing to do so will be the one farming and not them.

Its perhaps a strong message for an industry steeped in tradition like agriculture, but history shows that farmers have always been able to adapt, change, and move forward. The rate of that change and the costs associated with it is increasing, however, and farmers are going to have to be nimble in the face of rapidly advancing technology, urbanization, and social shifts.

According to Badminton there are some key areas of advancement that farmers need to pay attention to and adapt with. These are:

All of these areas have big money behind them for research and development, and change is happening at a rapid pace. That said, Badminton doesnt agree with those that are calling for a very abrupt end to how much of the worlds protein is raised as livestock.

Data, too, is already re-defining how most businesses operate and farming is no different. Sensor technology is growing in leaps and bounds, he says, and its this data that will shape technology and push change.

We shouldnt be scared of the opportunity. Yes, we need to work out the business casebut lets pilot projects, lets see what can work, he says, If farmers evolve, theyll flourish, if they dont, businesses will move in and do the work required, Badminton says.

Hear more about what Badminton sees happening and not happening in agriculture in the next 10 years:

Related: What will farmers do when they no longer drive tractors?

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Change or have change happen to you, says futurist - RealAgriculture

Survey Finds That Water Is Common Around Exoplanets – Futurism

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Danzig

Yeah, Got That Water

After surveying 19 exoplanets, a University of Cambridge-led research team found 14 had water vapor in their atmospheres more than theyd expected. The amount of water vapor, meanwhile? Less than theyd anticipated. Yet: These new insights could go a long way toward narrowing our hunt for extraterrestrial life.

Its important to know about even the most remote presence of water elsewhere [given] that water is a key ingredient to our notion of habitability on Earth, project leader Nikku Madhusudhan said in a press release,

For their survey results of which were published on Wednesday in The Astrophysical Journal Letters the researchers gathered spectroscopic data on the 19 exoplanets using numerous telescopes, including Hubble and Chiles Very Large Telescope.

Using that data, they were able to estimate amounts of various chemicals in the exoplanets atmospheres and hope to do the same for additional exoplanets in the future.

We look forward to increasing the size of our planet sample in future studies, Madhusudhan said. Inevitably, we expect to find outliers to the current trends as well as measurements of other chemicals.

READ MORE: Water common yet scarce in exoplanets [University of Cambridge]

More on exoplanets: Exoplanet Water Worlds Could Hold Unfathomably Deep Alien Oceans

Read the rest here:

Survey Finds That Water Is Common Around Exoplanets - Futurism

Shriram Lagoo had courage to stick with the unconventional – The Hindu

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Danzig

Dr. Shriram Lagoo, who passed away on Tuesday aged 92, ruptured the complacency of the Marathi stage with his intelligence, logic and virtuosity. His contemporaries, many of them luminaries, describe him a complete actor who plumbed the depths of his roles to depict characters with subtlety.

His passion towards theatre coupled with his discipline, hard work and continual innovation of his craft throughout his nearly six-decade career invites comparison with the Holy Trinity of the English stage: John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, whilst his experimental roles echo exponents of the American method school of acting like Montgomery Clift and Marlon Brando.

I met him first in the early 1960s when I was 19, and he was playing an extremely demanding role in a play by Vasant Kanetkar I was immediately struck by his marvellous voice modulation and the brilliance of his application of logic to his craft, filmmaker Dr. Jabbar Patel told The Hindu. He observed how Dr. Lagoo had the method actors attitude towards humanity with the quest for truth forming the analytical base of the characters he essayed.

He was a keen observer of theatre in the West and diligently studied the greats of the British stage, as well as the American method actors. But his favourite was Paul Muni, the great 1930s actor of such films as The Life of Emile Zola and The Good Earth, said Dr. Patel.

Dr. Lagoos control over his craft, coupled with his intelligence, can only be rivalled by the legendary theatre pioneer Sombhu Mitra, he said. His voice had a great ring of melancholy and sadness. It was showcased to devastating effect in iconic roles consisting of long soliloquies like Udhwasta Dharmashala, where he essayed an embattled Marxist and in Kanetkars Himalayachi Saavli, where he made for a peerless Maharashi Karve, the renowned social reformer, says Dr. Patel. He said he was in awe of the late thespians 25-minute soliloquy as Socrates in Surya Pahilela Manus a role he tackled when he was well over 70 years of age.

Fondly recalling their days at Punes Caf Good Luck in the Deccan area, Dr. Patel spoke of Dr. Lagoos warmth. We used to meet there regularly, and he used to regale me with his stories and ideas over tea and bun maska we dubbed the place Good Luck University, said Dr. Patel, who directed Dr. Lagoo in Marathi films such as Samna (1974) and Sinhasan (1979). Both films featured the titans of Marathi screen and theatre: Dr. Lagoo and Nilu Phule. When Saamna, which dealt with grassroots corruption, was entered in the 25th Berlin International Film Festival, I recall the thunderous applause that greeted the performances of these two legends after the curtains came down, Dr. Patel said.

According to actor-director Amol Palekar, Dr. Lagoo was the Last of the Romans. He was a giant in retrospect, one realises what a stupendous actor, director and producer he was. On the one hand, he was a superstar of the commercial stage with his celebrated performances in plays like Natsamraat which ran to 400-500 performances. On the other, through his Rupaved Pratishthan, Dr. Lagoo produced only experimental plays. It took tremendous courage to achieve that, says Mr. Palekar.Speaking of Dr. Lagoos vision and commitment to theatre, Mr. Palekar said he admired the late actor most for his rationalism. He was an avowed atheist and despite enduring unending criticism, he had the guts to declare, Let God be retired, on a public platform He suffered censure, but he stood firmly by his principles and views, he said.

A sampling of three famous and controversial plays: Gidhaade, Garbo and Udhwasta Dharmashala, demonstrate Dr. Lagoos versatility and the complexity he brought to his craft, said Mr. Palekar.

In Vijay Tendulkars Gidhaade (Vultures), Dr. Lagoo, along with the plays producer Pandit Satyadev Dubey, fought a long and bitter battle with the censors. In the end, the two fought it with such conviction and courage that they succeeded in changing the rules of the game and virtually overhauled the Censor Boards diktats, said Mr. Palekar.

As an actor, Dr. Lagoo never flinched from controversial and taboo topics as in Garbo, which dealt with female sexuality, he said. His roles in the motion pictures were no less stellar as a young person, I was privileged to work with him closely and learn so much from him. The affection that he showered on me is to be cherished, said Mr. Palekar.

On the actors humility, Mr. Palekar recalled how he directed Dr. Lagoo in the Marathi version of Edmond Rostands classic 19th century play Cyrano de Bergerac in the mid-1970s in Mumbai. While directing him, I pointed out a few shortcomings in his gait and walk he listened to me patiently and with such humility and then embraced me and said: Why didnt I meet you before It is incredible that such a great actor as he had the capacity to accept objective criticism, says Mr. Palekar, who performed with Dr. Lagoo in films as Ankahee and Gharonda.

Dr. Lagoos connect with social activism was seen in his close association with the late rationalist Dr. Narendra Dabholkar and the pivotal role he played in the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (MANS). In 2000, well before the advent of gender activists, several activists, socially committed theatre and film artistes and grassroots leaders led by Dr. Dabholkar, Dr. Lagoo and farmers leader N.D. Patil had marched from Pandharpur to Shani Shingnapur to combat the ban on women entering temples.

While he was undoubtedly one of the greatest of all actors to grace theatre, he was an even greater individual and humanist. His social activities helped entrench MANS throughout Maharashtra. What is admirable is that a man with such a popular following fearlessly expressed and stood by unpopular beliefs throughout his life. He never compromised on them, says Dr. Hamid Dabholkar, son of the late Dr. Dabholkar.

Dr. Lagoos last rites will be performed on December 20. The thespian will be given a State funeral.

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Shriram Lagoo had courage to stick with the unconventional - The Hindu

How in the world did we get here? | TheHill – The Hill

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Danzig

Historians will write about this day, when the House of Representatives voted for just the third time in history to impeach a president. But history does not simply explode, it unfolds. The Dark Ages did not just happen, the Renaissance Era did not just dawn, and the Industrial Revolution did not just spark. Defining moments in history do not occur spontaneously. Their foundations are laid by disparate actors, crises, and movements.

When future generations look back at the state of our world, with the impeachment of Donald TrumpDonald John TrumpWhite House counsel didn't take lead on Trump letter to Pelosi: reports Trump endorses Riggleman in Virginia House race Lisa Page responds to 'vile' Trump attacks: 'Being quiet isn't making this go away' MORE in America and the sweeping victory of Boris Johnson in Britain, these events will most likely not appear sudden or surprising. They will instead be understood as a public response to frightening trends like global terrorism and financial inequality, a public response that will, over time, be accepted or rejected by the citizenry.

The impeachment vote today was triggered by two distant events that occurred on September 11, 2001 and September 15, 2008 that forever changed the world. The fall of the Twin Towers robbed America of its sense of security, as two oceans no longer protected us from dangers abroad. An anxious public was fertile ground for sensational journalism, and media outlets like Fox News capitalized on this. The cable networks made it seem like beheadings and Ebola would soon reach our shores.

The overwhelming fear stoked by politicians and reporting driven by ratings led us to a dangerous cycle of bungled foreign policy, sustained global terrorism, and xenophobia. Our catastrophic decision to plunge into the war in Iraq, propelled by anxiety and bad information, prolonged and complicated the war in Afghanistan. Mismanagement helped create the Islamic State, which fueled a refugee crisis that flooded Europe. The refugee crisis was met with alarm, and that alarm was translated into a sense of nationalism by European leaders like Viktor Orban in Hungary and Nigel Farage in Britain. A startling sequence was activated, in which many leaders encouraged the worse public impulses for political gain.

Meanwhile, the 2008 recession triggered by the fall of Lehman Brothers rattled our financial security. This radical economic change left working people with perpetual anxiety. Globalization, automation, and migration rapidly altered the job market. People woke up to neighborhoods whose landscapes transformed overnight, with fewer brick and mortar retailers, bookstores, and supermarkets. Suddenly people were told not to take a taxi, but order an Uber. At the same time, mechanisms to regulate our economy had failed us. Unchecked greed proved less than good. The middle class, the great stabilizing force in United States history, shrank and shriveled. This again created a panicked public eager for change.

In 2016, escalating frustration and fear mongering won the presidential election. Candidate Trump took advantage and used exaggeration to link Hillary Clinton to the wealthy elite, accusing her of rigging the economy against the working class, while falsely portraying himself as an outsider and a foil to the big banks. Trump spewed flagrantly racist language to blame immigrants for upheaval in the job market and fueled fears about domestic terrorism. A Democratic Party propelled by rationalism and five point proposals fell out of sync with an electorate moved by gut instinct.

In 2019, the latest victory for populism happened in the British election. But this does not guarantee the success of the movement it represents. The electorate in America is not Trumpian. It is swerving in search of the government it wants. In 2008, the electorate voted for change by electing Barack Obama as president. In 2010, it voted for change by electing a Tea Party Republican Congress to check him. In 2012, it voted for change by reelecting Obama to check the Tea Party Republican Congress. In 2014, it voted for change by adding more Senate Republicans to check Obama. In 2016, it voted for change by electing Trump in repudiation of both parties. In 2018, it voted for a Democratic House majority in repudiation of Trump.

This zigzagging shows us the degree to which change is responsive rather than rapid. Only when a movement and its consequences have come into the public eye do we choose to reject the status quo and move ahead with an alternative. Confronted by a future we do not care to contemplate, we are forced to consider how we got here and how to correct our course.

Steve IsraelSteven (Steve) J. IsraelThe Hill's Campaign Report: 2020 Democrats trading jabs ahead of Los Angeles debate The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by AdvaMed - House panel expected to approve impeachment articles Thursday Nancy Pelosi knows she needs to protect the Democratic majority MORE represented New York in Congress for 16 years and served as the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from 2011 to 2015. He is now the director of the Institute of Politics and Global Affairs at Cornell University. You can find him on Twitter @RepSteveIsrael.

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What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imaginatio… – ChristianityToday.com

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Danzig

Imagine there is a heavenits easy if you try.

That may not be the way John Lennon and Yoko Ono wrote the song, but in a way we cant blame them; Lennon and Ono were merely people constrained by the view of a modern age.

Today we tell our children, just use your imagination, in a way that betrays our dismissive attitude toward imagination. And why not? Imagination is not deep thinking, it is fantasya faerie romance that serious people, especially Christians, need not spend much time on.

Countercultural icons like Lennon and Ono embraced the concept of imagination because it gave them the freedom to paint a picture of something that cannot exist in our world. In doing so, imagination of this kind reached the end of the line.

There is more to imagination than fantasy. In fact, the church and its theology need imagination more than ever in the history of our world. Yet, as theologian Kevin Vanhoozer notes, we suffer today from imaginative malnutrition.

What is imagination? And why does the church and its theology starve for it today?

Imagination is not something that comes readily to mind when we open our Bibles. Before prescribing a hearty diet of imagination, some may say, The Bible is about real thingsfaith, love, sacrificenot idle human pursuits such as imagination. Others may wonder, Doesnt the Bible speak negatively of imagination in a few places?

Does the Bible talk about imagination? Not in any modern English version. But thats only half the story.

In all English versions, the word imagination only shows up notably in the King James Version (Genesis 6:5; Psalm 2:1; Romans 1:21), as well as in Bibles from that time period such as the Bishops Bible (1568). The word does not occur in Wycliffes Bible, the earliest English translation of the Bible from the late 14th century. And it doesnt occur in modern English translations after the King James Version, created in the early 17th century.

Before we look down on the King James Version, Luthers translation of the Bible into German in the mid-16th century also contains a word close in sense to our word imagination. All of these versions occur in a close time period. Confusion or conspiracy?

The meaning of imagination was changing. The Luther Bible, the Bishops Bible, and the King James Version came about in an age where the winds of philosophical change had blown. Swept away were the ideas held by Thomas Aquinas and John Duns Scotus that undoubtedly influenced the thoughts of John Wycliffe; these new English versions were birthed in the age that produced the likes of Francis Bacon and Ren Descartes. Their perception of how people interacted with the world was brand new.

Francis Bacon, writing around the time as the King James Version, is indicative of this shift. Bacon believed that our imagination is tied to and limited by the physical senseswhat we see, touch, and taste. But imagination is a pleasure of the mind in Bacons words; it occurs when the mind links senses and experiences in a way not in the order of the natural world. And what does Bacon believe links our senses and experiences correctly ordered? Reason.

In Pauls powerful opening to his letter to the church in Rome, he explains how the invisible attributes of God are visible in the natural world, if people cared to look. Instead, people became vain in their imaginations as the KJV renders it. In early 17th century lingo: People chose to perceive the world through the falsity of imagination instead of the truth of reason.

John Lennon, welcome to the 17th century.

From there, Descartes created further separation between imagination and reason. In the 18th century, David Hume argued that unreasoned and unprovable ideas are fictions of the imagination. And by the 19th century, William James directly equates imagination with fantasy, which is why when my daughter Violet brings me her finely wrought colored scribbles, I pat her on the head and pronounce for all to hear that she has a good imagination.

Theres more to imagination than mere fantasy. What Hume doesnt grasp is what Plato already understood.

Plato may be the oldest philosopher in the Western tradition to reflect at length on imagination. He believed there were three instances of imagination that intruded on the minds of people. In one sense imagination is the ability to conceive new ideas out of old material. This is close to what we today call fantasy. When a great writer imagines faraway planets, she is conceiving of new worlds and new civilizations, but only in such a way as it relates to our old world and old civilization here on earth. It is new, but only to a degree.

In a second sense, Plato found that imagination is the ability to craft old ideas into new ideas. This is what we today might call reconceptualizing. When a great writer imagines a contemporary person loving others who are political enemies, he is crafting a new way of living, but only in such a way that is faithful and true to the original idea (Matt. 5:44).

This second type of imagination is what we long to return tofinding old truth in new expressions. It is what the modern master of true imagination J. R. R. Tolkien calls the power of giving to ideal creations the inner consistency of reality. It is the power to explain truth that defies simple explanation. Another master, Jesus, does this with his parables.

Let me give you a simple experiment you can try for yourself: Go and tell someone today why you chose to follow Jesus. Its a very old idea, and you will need to tap into your imagination to make it fresh for your audience.

Lets revisit the question: Does the Bible talk about imagination? Yes, it does.

John the Evangelist was an accomplished storyteller. His two main books, a gospel and an apocalypse, have attracted untold readers for two millennia. He natively understood what scriptwriters today tell their students: Show, dont tell.

John didnt write about imaginationhe imagined Gods engagement and invited us to be a part of it. Toward the end of his gospel, John recounts Jesus personal vision of the future for John and Peter. One to death and one to life. These are images that only become clear when lived out in close obedience and faithfulness to God. John and Peter are really no different from you and medisciples who follow the same yesterday and today and forever truth of God in a brand new direction in their unique time and place (Heb. 13:7).

Jesus also didnt speak about imaginationknowing Gods message, he applied imagination and taught it to his disciples. Jesus parables use both types of imagination to make his descriptions of Gods work more real than any reality any human can know. The kingdom of heaven? Human empiricism and rationalism are of little value here, but we hear the words of Jesus and know the kingdom is like a grain of a mustard seed. Even if we have never held a mustard seed in our hand, we get a glimpse of the kingdom by tapping into Jesus imagination.

From prophecy to apocalypse, from parable to origin story, the Bible speaks in a language brimming with imagination. For those with imaginations, let them imagine.

Back to Plato: There is a third instance of imagination, rarely discussed. Plato makes this remarkable admission: In moments of ecstatic vision, the imagination becomes the privileged recipient of divine inspiration. When God illuminates, we imagine.

We get a sense for what Plato means when we read the weird parts of the Biblethe prophetic and the apocalyptic. If we are tempted to think of Johns apocalypse as merely a kind of fantasy, we misunderstand it completely. Instead, it is exactly what Plato anticipated: a vision birthed of divine inspiration. Arguably, it is the most truly imaginativein all senses of the wordwork ever created.

The history of human philosophy from Plato to William James teaches us this: Imagination, rightly understood, is a way of knowingit sits between our senses, our experiences, our memory, and our heart, our intellect, our will. In order for us to know God well, and know our world well, we must engage our imaginations to inform our thinking and our actions.

We live in a world saturated with imaginationimagination of the fantasy sort. From virtual reality to sociopolitical echo chambers, we are awash in continual fantasies created by the world around us.

Many critical issues we face today are of the same form as those faced by previous generations of Christians: worshipping God effectively, loving our neighbors, living justly, building healthy family relationships, and making disciples. By using imagination, the church can develop a fresh voice on these issues while staying true to the cumulative wisdom of Scripture and the church over the last two millennia.

Is there a limit to the call to be imaginative? Yes. A fresh voice does not mean a new voice. Instead, it means using well the two types of imagination that we already see in use in the Bible: taking up old truth in new forms and living in a fresh way under the power of Gods Spirit.

Yet we face a world today that is accelerating away from the familiar issues faced by generations past. Science and technology bring a brave new world that requires a brave new Christians witness.

Should we use new technology such as a gene drive to cause the extinction of anopheles gambiae, a malaria-carrying mosquito species? Should we cause the de-extinction of woolly mammoths, and let those and other species repopulate the earth?

Should we edit the genes of babies, changing the human species? Should we self-edit our own genes, changing who we are? Should we alter the physical makeup of our bodies to become faster, smarter, more beautiful, more female, more male, more amphibian, more not?

It is our responsibility to engage in theological exploration of such imagined future, contends theologian Karen ODonnell, as part of our service to the public, both in the ecclesial community, and beyond.

To paraphrase Plato, we are best equipped to speak wisdom to these new challenges through moments of Holy Spirit illumination, during which our imagination becomes the privileged recipient of divine inspiration. And to paraphrase Tolkien, imagination gives us the power to bring the creations of human fantasy in line with the inner consistency of divine reality.

Lets look at an example: When we read about people biohacking their bodies, it is easy for us to engage our imaginationin Platos first sense, imagination as fantasy. We imagine a fantasy of what biohacking is, and we come to a conclusion about it. If so, we have only used the least important part of our imagination. What we want to do is engage the other two more important parts of our imagination: reconceptualizing the eternal truth of Gods message to people about what it means to be human in a new way, and awaiting a moment of inspiration from Gods Spirit to show us what biohacking might look like within the reality Scripture imagines.

As a result of the Enlightenment, we have expected God to inspire us only through our reason and our experiences. When we take off these filters, and we read the parables of Jesus, the writings of Johnin fact, much of the Biblewe begin to see that God wants to inspire our imaginations as well. When our imaginations are infused by the Spirit of God, we better see who God is and the challenges of the world around us.

With holy imaginations, we can see heavenits easy if we try.

Douglas Estes is associate professor of New Testament and practical theology at South University. He is the editor of Didaktikos, and his latest book is Braving the Future: Christian Faith in a World of Limitless Tech.

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What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imaginatio... - ChristianityToday.com

Alliance Party defeats DUP in first declared result in Northern Ireland – Belfast Telegraph

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Danzig

Alliance Party defeats DUP in first declared result in Northern Ireland

BelfastTelegraph.co.uk

The staunchly pro-Remain Alliance Party has taken Northern Irelands first Westminster seat in a major setback for the DUP.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/alliance-party-defeats-dup-in-first-declared-result-in-northern-ireland-38780711.html

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/article38780708.ece/59c8e/AUTOCROP/h342/bpanews_25921351-e1fd-46dc-b151-ac5fb2095e0e_1

The staunchly pro-Remain Alliance Party has taken Northern Irelands first Westminster seat in a major setback for the DUP.

Deputy leader Stephen Farry cruised to victory with a majority of almost 3,000 votes in the affluent Belfast commuter constituency of North Down.

The seat had been a key target for the DUP after outgoing independent unionist MP Lady Sylvia Hermon decided not to run again.

Mr Farrys victory provides further evidence of the so-called Alliance surge, coming as it does after a series of positive elections for the middle-ground cross-community party.

The result landed another blow to the DUP on what is shaping up to be a very disappointing election for the unionist party.

The predicted Conservative majority at Westminster will see the party lose its influential position as Westminster kingmaker while North Down is unlikely to be its only electoral setback in Northern Ireland.

The DUP also looks destined to lose its seat in South Belfast to the SDLP and it appears party deputy leader Nigel Dodds is in grave danger of losing his North Belfast seat to Sinn Feins John Finucane.

Sinn Fein sources are confident Mr Finucane has triumphed, a result that would represent a huge psychological defeat for unionism in the regions most hotly contested battleground seat.

Meanwhile in Foyle, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood looked well positioned to win the seat from Sinn Fein.

Mr Farry hailed his resounding vote as a blow against Brexit and pledged to work in Westminster to frustrate the EU exit.

We believe that there is no such thing as a good or sensible BrexitStephen Farry

This is a victory for the values that this constituency has been known for for many years, those of moderation, rationalism and inclusion, he said.

He added: They have come together behind a single cause, of sending out a very powerful message that the North Down area wants to Remain.

We believe that there is no such thing as a good or sensible Brexit.

Indeed, all forms of Brexit are damaging to the UK and to us in Northern Ireland and in particular the Boris Johnson deal.

The DUP is vehemently opposed to Mr Johnsons Brexit deal, claiming it will create economic borders down the Irish Sea and weakened Northern Irelands place within the union.

Long-standing DUP MP Sammy Wilson, who is on course to retain his East Antrim seat, insisted his party could still secure changes to the agreement despite the predicted Tory majority.

Obviously wed have preferred to be in a situation we were in the last parliament where we did have the influence and where it was fairly marginal, however for the country it probably wasnt a great thing because no decisions could be made, he said.

I still wouldnt be totally dismayed insofar as a big majority could actually mean that Boris Johnson can go in and be fairly bullish with the EU when it comes to negotiations, and if he does do that then many of the problems the current deal is going to cause Northern Ireland could disappear.

The election comes ahead of the latest bid to resurrect the crisis-hit institutions at Stormont.

Ahead of an anticipated round of negotiations on Monday, Sinn Fein vice president Michelle ONeill said: Whatever the results, Sinn Fein will be in the talks on Monday morning to work to secure a genuine power-sharing executive which is credible and sustainable to deliver good government and properly resourced public services to all.

Sinn Fein will continue to represent people where it matters and stand up against Brexit.

Turning to West Tyrone, Sinn FeinsOrfhlaith Begley retained her seat as was expected.

Describing it as an election of a generation, Ms Begley said that the people of the border constituency have made their views on Brexit heard.

The 27-year-old is the first woman to hold the seat, which has been in the hands of Sinn Fein since 2001.

Speaking after her win, she said: People have been very energised in terms of this campaign and people came out in their thousands to reject Brexit but also to reject Tory austerity.

They sent a very clear message that they see their future in a new Ireland for all.

Sinn Fein has made its voice count where it matters, in terms of Brussels, we have been there, in Dublin and we also travel to London on a regular basis.

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Alliance Party defeats DUP in first declared result in Northern Ireland - Belfast Telegraph

For Johnsons Tories, the collapse of public trust isnt a problem its an opportunity – The Guardian

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Danzig

After a chaotic and surreal campaign, there was a comforting familiarity about the rituals of election night. Tories will rehearse their favourite fairytale that the party of Thatcher has finally rediscovered its 1980s mojo while Labour retreats to its own comfort zone, of bitter internal feuding. But amid all this drama, there is a danger that we might forget how deeply abnormal the Conservative election campaign has been, and how frighteningly unfamiliar the impending government could be.

The winning campaign strategy was simple: to make this the second referendum, to make it as exhausting as possible, and to make sure Labours offer of yet another referendum look more exhausting still. The Tories blank policy agenda beyond passing the existing Brexit deal in January was aimed directly at a group of voters who dont trust politicians, dont believe government can help them, and are done with listening to liberal elites bickering over the precise number of hospitals the Tories will or wont build.

For todays Conservatives, the collapse of trust in institutions isnt a problem its an opportunity. Get Brexit done, like Donald Trumps build a wall, was not a policy pledge so much as a mantra to identify with, for those who think the establishment is a stitch-up.

Two other ingredients were necessary. First, a rightwing big tent needed constructing, one that spreads all the way from Matt Hancock in the centre-right out to Tommy Robinson on the far right. Johnson repeatedly did just enough to communicate to former Brexit party voters that he was on their side. For the desperate men and women (but mostly men) living in the abandoned economic regions of the Midlands and north, for whom only a Trump figure would be enough to draw them to the polls, Johnson performed that role adequately. For well-off elderly voters, who had been seduced by Faragist visions of national identity, Johnsons dog whistles hit home. Study his apologies for past Islamophobic comments, and youll notice that theyre never apologies at all they are affirmations of his right to say what everyone is thinking.

Rebranded as the peoples government, there is no reason to expect it will embrace normal democratic scrutiny or opposition

Second, Johnsons media profile and contacts were leveraged to the hilt. By the end of the campaign, he was performing a kind of Jeremy Clarkson role obliterating any democratic dialogue or interrogation by dressing up as a milkman or driving a forklift truck. Boris began life as a construct of the Daily Telegraph and Have I Got News For You, but now exists as a genre of social media content. Unlike in the heyday of broadcast and print media, propaganda now has to be lively and engaging in order to work.

And so the election was not won by an ordinary political party, with policies, members and ideology. It was won by a single-issue new-media startup you might call it Vote Boris fronted by a TV star, which will now unveil a largely unknown policy agenda.

The 2016 referendum result, together with the Boris phenomenon, have created a Trojan horse, within which lurks who knows what. But the chances of it offering anything transformative to the former Labour voters of Blyth Valley or Bolsover, beyond the occasional culture-war titbit, are minimal.

One thing we do know is that the Vote Boris campaign was funded by hedge funds and wealthy British entrepreneurs just as they donated heavily to Vote Leave. But who knows what they get in return? It also seems safe to assume, on the evidence of Johnsons first few months in office, that his administration will be hostile to many basic norms of the constitution and the liberal public sphere. Meanwhile, a triumphant Dominic Cummings will have his eye on a drastic transformation of Whitehall and regulators, inspired by exotic forms of rationalism, game theory and the libertarian right.

If the new Johnson government sustains its unprecedented relationship with the media of the past six weeks threatening public service broadcasters, excluding the Daily Mirror from its campaign bus, seamless coordination with the conservative press, using Boris to distract from every unwelcome news item then it will be virtually impossible for it to be held to account for what it does. And having already rebranded itself as the peoples government, there is no reason to expect it will embrace normal democratic scrutiny or opposition.

A combination of Brexit, decades of neglect and political alienation in Labours heartlands, the new digital media ecology, and hints of frightening illiberalism could conspire to produce a form of democracy that looks more like Hungary or even Russia than the checks-and-balances system of liberal ideals. Its not that democracy will end, but that it will be reduced to a set of spectacles that the government is ultimately in command of, which everyone realises are fake but that are sufficiently funny or soothing as to be tolerated.

This may sound paranoid, but it is merely an extrapolation from the trends that are already in full sway. Just like Trump, Johnsons capacity to make headlines and change the subject means we can quickly forget how much damage he has already done, in less than six months instead we are locked in a perpetual present, squabbling over the details of what hes doing right now. Its important to keep track. Challenging this juggernaut will be a far larger and more complex project than anything Her Majestys opposition can do alone.

William Davies is a sociologist and political economist

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For Johnsons Tories, the collapse of public trust isnt a problem its an opportunity - The Guardian

American actor and film producer William Bradley Pitt Celebrate Their Birthday Today – Feature Weekly

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Danzig

William Bradley Pitt (conceived December 18, 1963) is an American on-screen character and film maker. He has gotten various honors and assignments including an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award as maker under his own organization, Plan B Entertainment.

Pitt previously picked up acknowledgment as a rancher drifter in the street motion picture Thelma and Louise (1991). His first driving jobs in huge spending preparations accompanied the dramatization films A River Runs Through It (1992) and Legends of the Fall (1994) and blood and gore movie Interview with the Vampire (1994). He gave widely praised exhibitions in the wrongdoing spine chiller Seven and the sci-fi film 12 Monkeys (both 1995), the last acquiring him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and an Academy Award assignment.

Pitt featured in Fight Club (1999) and the heist film Oceans Eleven (2001) and its continuations, Oceans Twelve (2004) and Oceans Thirteen (2007). His most noteworthy business triumphs have been Troy (2004), Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005), World War Z (2013), and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). Pitt got his second and third Academy Award selections for his driving exhibitions in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) and Moneyball (2011). He delivered The Departed (2006) and 12 Years a Slave (2013), the two of which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and furthermore The Tree of Life (2011), Moneyball, and The Big Short (2015), which were all assigned for Best Picture.

As an open figure, Pitt has been refered to as one of the most persuasive and influential individuals in the American media outlet. For various years he was refered to as the worlds most alluring man by different news sources, and his own life is the subject of wide attention. In 2000, he wedded entertainer Jennifer Aniston; they separated in 2005. In 2014, Pitt wedded on-screen character Angelina Jolie. They have six youngsters together, three of whom were embraced universally. In 2016, Jolie petitioned for a separation from Pitt, which was concluded in 2019.

Pitt was conceived in Shawnee, Oklahoma, to William Alvin Pitt, the owner of a trucking organization, and Jane Etta (ne Hillhouse), a school guide. The family before long moved to Springfield, Missouri, where he lived respectively with his more youthful kin, Douglas Mitchell (brought into the world 1966) and Julie Neal (brought into the world 1969).Born into a traditionalist Christian household,they was raised as Southern Baptist and later oscillate[d] among rationalism and skepticism. Pitt currently expresses that he was simply being insubordinate and that he clingto religion. Pitt has portrayed Springfield as Imprint Twain nation, Jesse James nation, having grown up with a ton of slopes, a great deal of lakes.

Pitt went to Kickapoo High School, where he was an individual from the golf, swimming and tennis teams.they took an interest in the schools Key and Forensics clubs, in school discusses, and in musicals. Following their graduation from secondary school, Pitt joined up with the University of Missouri in 1982, studying reporting with an emphasis on advertising.As graduation drew closer, Pitt didnt feel prepared to settle down. He adored moviesan entryway into various universes for me and, since films were not made in Missouri, he chose to go to where they were made. Two weeks shy of finishing the coursework for a degree, Pitt left the college and moved to Los Angeles, where he took acting exercises and worked odd jobs.They has named his initial acting legends as Gary Oldman, Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke.

John Flint has interest in writing, Flint contributed to the school's newspaper and its humor magazine, eventually becoming the publication's editor, also he worked on some of social networking website. john is a best-author, he wrote number of books in his career and presently he is news editor on featureweekly.com

American actor and film producer William Bradley Pitt Celebrate Their Birthday Today - Feature Weekly

How Bargersville hopes to keep its charm amid record growth and I-69 extension – IndyStar

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Danzig

Jason Mueller knows that as long as his familylives in the Center Grove school district, there's no escaping growth. It's part of the deal when living in a popular area20 miles south of Indianapolis.

But earlier this year, the Walnut Grove Elementary PE teacher decided it was time to leave the "hustle and bustle" of Greenwood and relocate to the slower side of Center Grove: Bargersville.

"It's just getting super-duper crowded onthe north side," Mueller said.

Bargersville offered a place with "less traffic, less people" and the same beloved schools that draws so many to the area. Center Grove was among the 25 highest-performing school districts in the state on the 2019 ILEARN tests and has received an A accountability grade for the past two school years.

It's a slower, quieter life in the old farming town, but as Mueller knows, it is not devoid of growth. In fact, growth iseverywhere in Bargersville.

Drone footage shows Saddle Club subdivision, one of several new residential developments off County Road 144 in Bargersville.(Photo: Stephen J. Beard and Joe Tamborello/IndyStar)

What began as a small plotwith 150 residentsin 1850 has grown to over 18.5 square miles of land and more than 7,700 people. And much of that change is recent, resulting from large annexations between 2005 and 2011 when the town's area grew to nearly 15 times its size.To accommodate the growth, residential development has spiked. Just in 2019, 167 single-family building permits have been issued.

That boom will almost certainly get louder as the small town undergoes yet another transformation: the Interstate 69 extension. The interstate, which will replace Ind. 37 from Martinsville to Indianapolis, will run through the northwest corner of Bargersville. A large interchange is planned at Ind. 144, the town's east-west artery.

As town leaders and residents prepare for what's to come, there's one question at the forefront: How will this small town retain its charm during atime ofgame-changinggrowth?

"That's definitely one of the challenges that we've identified right now," Bargersville Town Manager Julie Young said. "And we're trying to find that right balance of having growth and still respecting our roots and where we've come from."

Like so many small-town Main Streets,Bargersville's is quaint and charming. There's a post office, a town hall and a police department.Grain elevators bookend the town center, and a railroadcuts through the middle of Main Street both symbols of the town's history.

Bargersville began as a small community with a general store, post office, church and school.Then in 1908, theIndianapolis Southern Railroad laid tracks running parallel with SR 135. Not long after, D.W. Rapp hopped off the train at Bargersville and decided toopen a grain elevator. The area became known as New Bargersville, and an era of growth began.

A quiet downtown Bargersville at Baldwin St. and Harriman Ave., is seen, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019. With the expansion of I-69, the Bargersville area will be growing. A more modern Taxman Brewery is seen at right.(Photo: Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar)

Nearly 170 years later, after annexation, population spikes and significant residential redevelopment, Rapp's grain elevator still towers over Main Street. Beyond downtown, winding country roads still lead to sprawling corn fields and tattered barns.

"One of the things that I hear frequently is that it still has a small town character," Young said."That agricultural heritage hasn't gone away."

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John Richardson, whose great-great-grandfather settled in what later became Bargersville, is proof that the town's heritage is in tact. Richardson grew up on the farm his ancestors founded, growing soybeans and corn. After a 35-year hiatus to teach English in New Albany in Southern Indiana, he moved back into the househis great grandparents built in 1880.

He was drawn back by 600 acres of family farmland and the barn that since 2005 has been home toMallow Run Winery, the only winery in Johnson County. It's become a modern staple of Bargersville, and a reminder of its roots.

"That was one of my motives in moving back," Richardson said. "To... preserve some of the rural atmosphere."

The Bargersville that people have come to love may face its biggest challenge yet. Work to convert Ind. 37, which connectsthe town to Indianapolis, into I-69 is expected to start in winter or spring 2021, according to Indiana Department of Transportation spokesperson Natalie Garrett.

Once the I-69 extension from Martinsville to Indianapolis is completed in 2024, people will be able to get to and from Bargersville more quickly, strengthening its central location between Indianapolis and Bloomington.

But it also means residents will lose access points to a major artery. Right now, drivers can access 37 from Whiteland, Banta, Travis and Stones Crossing roads, and 144. Once it's converted into I-69, the only access point will be 144, where INDOT will put an interchange. There is a planned service road to run alongside 69 from 144 to Stones Crossing roads.

Drone footage shows the future I-69 interchange ay State Road 37 and County Road 144 in Bargersville.(Photo: Stephen J. Beard and Joe Tamborello/IndyStar)

"So simply how they get to work will change," Young said. "And so with those changing traffic patterns that will have an impact on which areas are ripe for development, whether that be commercial or residential."

The interchange is expected to bring commercial development like restaurants and, Richardson with Mallow Run Winery hopes, hotels. The closest hotels are 20 to 25 minutes away in Greenwood or Franklin.

"Im assuming that there will be one or two hotels built at the 144 interchange, and that will be a great benefit for us," Richardson said.

Reduced travel time and more development will bring in more visitors and residents, which means local roads will have to carry more traffic. State Road 135 between 144 and Whiteland Road, for example, is expected to see almost triple the traffic, according to the Johnson County I-69 Corridor plan adopted by Bargersville.

The town is in the process of securing funding for a traffic corridor study to prioritize local road work in anticipation of I-69.

Young said keeping the town's character will hinge on how and where development rolls out. The town's 2040 comprehensive planis meant to set priorities and guide leaders. A draft of the plan is expected to be ready by January.

"Many people see that (I-69) as it's a once-in-lifetime opportunity for the community," Young said. "But it'svery important to get it right because it will have an impact and it's up to us to plan appropriately so it will be positive."

The signs of change in Bargersville are just as eye-catching as the idyllic farms. Along 144, hundreds of new homes rise as more dirt is turned over for the next development.Since 2015, the town has issued 592 single-family building permits. That's more than twice as many issued in the five years prior.

Mike Duke is another Bargersville son who was raised onthe land. Like so many others, he wants Bargersville to keep its small-town feel, but he also has a stake in its growth.

As the owner of Duke Homes, a custom-home developer, Duke plays a part in the town's future. The way he sees it, he'd rather it be a local developing the land than an outsider. Would an outsider think to develop a subdivision built around agriculture? Maybe not, but Duke did.

Property with an old barn is seen for sale by Duke Homes Realty in Bargersville on 144, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019. The Bargersville water tower is seen in the background. With the expansion of I-69, the Bargersville area will be growing.(Photo: Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar)

Aberdeen is an upscale, gated subdivision under development off of Morgantown Road. Inspired by his childhood in Bargersville, Duke designed Aberdeen to include agricultural elements, like a community garden and neighborhood farm animals.

"We love the area," he said. "And we just want tomake itsomething where... our future generations will love to be here aswell."

Back on Main Street, which grew sleepy after neighboring Greenwood opened a shopping center in the 1960s, there are signs of change, too. Perhaps the most telling is Taxman Brewing Co. on Harriman Avenue, just around the corner from town hall.

Before owners Leah and NathanHuelsebusch opened the brewery and restaurant in fall 2014, even some on their own teamhad doubts about the locale.

"We heard 'why Bargersville?' so many times," LeahHuelsebusch said.

Leah and her husband saw the potential. With a median household income of over $80,000, there ismoney to be spent in Bargersville. The problem isthat there aren't many places in town to spend it, pushingresidents to places like Greenwood or Indianapolis.

"Taxman Brewing, when they moved in, really put the town on the map," Young, the town manager, said. "(I've) heard from a lot of folks from the north sidethat knew Bargersville because of Taxman."

Since opening Taxman, the Huelsebuschs have had to expand the kitchen to meet the demand.

"We are very busy in our Bargersville location," Huelsebusch said.

They now have two more locations one in downtown Indianapolis and one in Fortville. Huelsebuschsaid the Bargersville brewery has something special. It's where people go to sit with their neighbors and meet new ones.

"They come into Taxman, they sit in the bar or sit at the table and it's so common that I see them chatting with the table next to them," she said. "They don't know each other, but all of the sudden, they do."

As the town grows,Huelsebusch said it's the people that will keepBargersville, Bargersville.

Contact IndyStar reporter Elizabeth DePompei at 317-444-6196oredepompei@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter: @edepompei.

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How Bargersville hopes to keep its charm amid record growth and I-69 extension - IndyStar

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