Monthly Archives: July 2017

United States Navy opens fire on Iranian ship as WW3 tensions mount – Daily Star

Posted: July 26, 2017 at 1:32 am

THE United States Navy has opened fire on an Iranian ship in a move that could spark World War 3.

The Pentagon confirmed shots were fired in the Persian Gulf today after the Iranian craft came within 150ft of it.

US Defense officials said the Iranian boat is thought to have been operated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

They said that despite warnings including radio calls, firing flares, and five short whistle blasts the Iranian ship carried on sailing towards the Navy boat.

The armed boat from the Islamic Republic then ceased its "provocative" actions, but is said to have "lingered" in the area.

GETTY

The USS Thunderbolt reportedly fired a warning shot at an Iranian boat in the Persian Gulf as US-Iran tensions reach fever pitch

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Patrol coastal ship USS Thunderbolt (PC 12), front, transits alongside other PCs during a formation exercise

There were several US Navy ships in the immediate area at the time of the incident today, which were carrying out routine patrol operations in international waters, US officials added.

The latest incident will raise fears of a conflict between the two countries.

In June, the US military called the actions of an Iranian vessel "unsafe and unprofessional" after it aimed a laser at a US helicopter that was accompanying a formation of American ships in the international waters of the Strait of Hormuz.

United States officials also previously accused anIranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ship of acting in an "unprofessional" and "provocative" manner when it approached an American destroyer, the USS Mahan, while it was sailing in the Persian Gulf in April.

As Donald Trump rattles his sabres at the Islamic republic, we take a look at the army he'd be up against.

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An Iranian soldier with a heavy machine gun.

As tension between the US and Iran mounts, with President Donald Trump rattling his sabres ever louder, Iranians take to the street to protest.

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Iranian people burn an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Just weeks ago, White House advisor Rudy Giuliani warned the Iranian regime poses a bigger threat to the world than North Korea.

The former New York mayor said: Iran is our biggest enemy, Iran is our fiercest enemy. It is the greatest danger to freedom in the world.

Our long term danger is Iran.

Iran [is] a bigger threat than North Korea, it is expanding into an empire. North Korea is contained.

They have more technological capability and they have what is truly an insane regime."

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United States Navy opens fire on Iranian ship as WW3 tensions mount - Daily Star

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China and Russia stage war games on EU border taunting West with WW3 threats – Express.co.uk

Posted: at 1:32 am

GETTY

A formidable Chinese flotilla has travelled 10,000 miles for the show of strength with its ally Russia.

Ten ships and the same number of aircraft descended on Europes border to take part in their provocative war games.

Among the arsenal is the Chinese Type 052D guided missile destroyer Hefei, one of the countrys most advanced warships.

And they have been joined by a Russian contingent featuring equally advanced hardware, including two Russian corvettes.

GETTY

The exercises have been met with caution by Nato members, with the Chinese ships being escorted at various points in their mammoth journey by British, Dutch and Danish crafts as it passed through the Channel and the North Sea.

Beijing made clear they were intent to impress by flaunting their military capabilities.

Naval expert Li Jie said: By sending its most advanced guided-missile destroyers, China is expressing its sincerity to Russia and also sends a strong signal to other countries who plan to provoke us.

The US and Britain are two Nato members closely monitoring the games, in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Kaliningrad, Russias heavily militarised enclave on the European mainline between Poland and Lithuania - both Nato members themselves.

The joint US European Command responded, saying: We are closely tracking Russian exercises with other participants like China.

While we support their rights to train in international commons, we expect all nations adhere to international norms and laws.

GETTY

China is expressing its sincerity to Russia

Li Jie

Recent actions by Moscow have inflamed tensions with the West and sparked fear among its neighbours who are wary of Russian aggression.

In particular the Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are worried about Russias looming shadow, which has intensified since they annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, leading to a bloody civil war.

Russias only territory within the EU, Kaliningrad has seen its weapons and defence system significantly upgraded.

Mikhail Klimentyev/TASS

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Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) and US President Donald Trump talking during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg

Also the site where the Kremlin stations its Baltic Sea fleet, the 86 square mile post has recently seen two corvettes armed with Kalibr nuclear-capable missiles deployed there in October.

They were bolstered by the addition of the Iskander nuclear-capable missiles, which will be deployed there permanently alongside S-400 air defence systems.

And anti-ship missiles are stationed near the coast.

GETTY

President Vladimir Putin and his counterpart Xi Jinxing cemented their firm friendship with a meeting in Moscow this month, both condemning the deployment of US missiles defence system THAAD in South Korea.

The pair met for the third time this year.

Yang Mian, from the Centre for International Relations at the Chinese Institute of Communications, said: The trend for the development of Chinese-Russian relations has been excellent in recent years, and favourable progress can be noted in military cooperation as well.

Earlier, the two countries conducted drills in various areas of the Pacific Ocean.

This time, the joint exercises in the Baltic Sea reflect the close cooperation between the two countries in the military sphere their mutual strategic support for one another.

In response to Russias growing military presence Nato members decided to deploy four multination battle-groups amounting to 4,500 boots on the ground.

They are primarily stationed in Poland, with Operation Summer Shield is designed as a show of strength against Russia and to dissuade it from any provocative actions.

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Psychedelics and Normality – HuffPost

Posted: at 1:30 am

The official U.S. response to classic psychedelics has been primarily a defense of existing normality. The response was aroused, for example, by the drop out kicker in Tim Learys famous motto (turn on, tune in, drop out). It was shaped by perceived links to social disarray caused by claims of equality from blacks, women, people dismissed as shiftless, and foreigners who resented intervention (such as in Vietnam).

My own introduction to the drug issue came from a college student when I was a teaching assistant at Stanford in a course on personality theory. It was back in the late 1960s. I was told this pill is really great, this student reported being assured at a frat party. Swallow it and get ready for a really good time. He didn't even ask what the pill was said to be, much less seek data on what it actually contained. He just swallowed. LSD was soon made illegal. (As we will see below, this was far from an ideal set and setting.)

When U.S. research on psychedelics was allowed to resume, decades later, it was largely for projects that explored medicinal uses, which aim to restore a person toyou guessed itnormality. Has most of society been afraid not only of party drugs, but also of the experience of awe? Awe is regarded as okay for the occasional mystic, who may even be elevated to sainthood (for example, Francis of Assisi, after whom the current Pope chose to be named), but it arouses suspicion when people talk to birds. Thats weird.

Nobody wants vast criminal syndicates, users do not want the risk of impure drugs (with dangerous molecules sometimes being sold as Ecstasy), nobody wants their children thrown in prison for smoking pot while good burghers drive their cars to a bar to get plastered, nobody wants to pay higher taxes to keep non-violent young people locked up, and researchers do not want prohibitions on research about amazing substances, even if they were not widely used. But anything in defense of normality.

The big question is whether were ever going to find a way to integrate awe into lives that are otherwise normal, to tolerate a regime under which people can, if they want, suspend ordinary reality in a safe and beneficial way. At least since 1954, when Aldous Huxleys Doors of Perception gave us that brilliant writers account of his trip on a classic psychedelic, explorers have tried to bridge the gap between their direct experience and the views of the majority who werent burdened by personal encounters with awe but who, with the help of the media, knew what they believed.

Huxleys spirit was put in a religious context by Huston Smith, who spoke of cleansing those Blakeian doors.

More recently, people who feel that a therapeutic trip has been one of the most important experiences of their lifetime or have found mega benefits in micro-dosing have adopted various rhetorical strategies to try to communicate their discovery. Im reminded of this attempt, which has now continued for a half century or so, by two recent books, The Psychedelic Renaissance (2012) by Ben Sessa, and A Really Good Day (2017) by Ayelet Waldman.

An English physician and researcher, Sessa adopts the strategy of identifying with his profession and searching for ways that classic psychedelics (and MDMA) can help psychiatrists reduce unnecessary suffering. At the same time, he wonders aloud why, after scorning hippies, he has adopted many of their values and insights. Then he returns to the sobriety of his status in society, his caseload, and research based on double-blind evidence.

Waldman adopts a different strategy. Professionally, she is a writer. She is also a mother of four. She suffers from depression and anxiety. She had heard that taking a tenth of a normal dose of LSD might help. She followed a protocol described by Jim Fadiman, who began researching psychedelics as a graduate student when LSD-25 was still legal. This accounts for Waldmans subtitle: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life.

Assured of a supply for a month of three-day cycles, Waldman supposedly wonders whether even a micro-dose will kill her or, if not, drive her crazy, with ghastly flashbacks. Despite having been a volunteer for the Drug Policy Alliance, which works against the war on drugs, and in spite of teaching a law school course in the area, Waldman says she started her personal experiment with fear-based stories widely held in our society, inculcated by the misinformation our government has propagated for decades. She then educates her readers with the quite different facts.

So these are the first two rhetorical strategies: identify with your audience (I thought so, too, but boy, was I mistaken) or identify with a valued profession (Im a doctor, I just want to find medicines that work).

One way to make drugs almost acceptable is to present them as potential medicines, under the control of a highly regarded corps of professionals. Can they treat PTSD, as in the studies of MDMA as an adjunct to therapy, studies conducted by the Mithoefers? Can they ease end-of-life fear, as in the project run by Charles Grob? Can they deal with addiction to alcohol and other legal drugs open to abuse?

Another strategy is to argue that, under the Constitution, liberty includes the right to alter, at least temporarily, ones own consciousness: you may not have the freedom to encourage or guide others, but an individual in our society does retain the power to decide what to put in his or her own body, especially if its been shown to be safer than substances sold and imbibed freely.

We have Jim Fadiman to thank not only for Ayelet Waldmans experiment but also for other effects of his own book, The Psychedelic Explorers Guide: Safe, Therapeutic and Sacred Journeys (2011). In contrast to my student reporting on unknown drugs handed around at a frat party, Fadiman describes how to do it right. Experienced people advise: (a) ingest a psychedelic only if you are mentally balanced, (b) get pure substances, (c) take a correct dose, (d) form a positive intention for the trip (and then be willing to let go of it), (e) find and stay in a welcoming non-clinical setting, (f) have an experienced and non-intrusive guide, (g) lie down or find a comfortable chair, (h) listen to music instead of operating machinery or communicating with people outside the room. Of course, prohibition makes it difficult to get pure substances, and current law would make any guide an accessory.

Another rhetorical strategy was inherent in the 1960s project on psychedelics and creativity led by Professor Willis Harman. This project gave a classic psychedelic to professionals who were working with resistant challenges in their fields. It discovered benefits before the project was cut off when the government decided to make LSD illegal. That was in 1968 (the same year Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot, Bobby Kennedy won the California primary and was then assassinated, and Richard Nixon nabbed the Presidency).

If creativity is not enough to win approval, how about a hypothesis about evolution of the species, that it was psilocybin that helped convert primates into archaic humans? Along with many other speculations in the course of his career, Terence McKenna explored this possibility around 1992. What was his motive? If we could import into straight society, almost as a Trojan horse, the idea that these psychedelic compounds and plants are the catalyst that called forth humanness out of animal nature, if we could entertain this as a possibility, he said, it would alter societys efforts to control and eradicate these substances.

In contrast to proposing bold but unprovable theories, recent researchers looked at neurological data, gathered in large part by methods not yet available when classic psychedelics became widespread in the U.S. For example, Robin Carhart-Harris at Imperial College in London used magnetic resonance imagining to map effects in the brain.

Data about spiritual experience was reported in research led by Professor Roland Griffiths at Johns Hopkins, as expressed in the classic paper, Psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences The investigators focused not on an illness that was to be alleviated but rather on an enhancement of ordinary life.

To summarize the rhetorical strategies cited here:

There are other rhetorical strategies, but these are enough to illustrate the persistence and ingenuity of people who are still seeking, after a half century of prohibition, to bridge the gap between firm beliefs of the general public and data developed, against official resistance, by research both here and abroad.

When fear is aroused, as in the war on terror, good public policy is swept aside and we tend not to look at facts.

In the case of psychedelics, what will work? We are encouraged to be patient, as was Martin Luther King, Jr., by white colleagues at the time of the Montgomery demonstrations. In response, King asked whether the time since the Civil War was long enough to wait.

The prohibition against psychedelics has lasted about half a century. Critics of the fear-response decry the losses: the healing that has been lost, the abuse of liberty, the loss of research, of creativity, of experiences of awe.

One of the U.S. organizations that has worked persistently and ingeniously during most of this period of prohibition has been the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), founded by Rick Doblin, a graduate of Harvards Kennedy School. MAPS has held conferences on psychedelic science, sponsored research here and abroad, published a newsletter, and tried to educate the political establishment.

Other leading organizations include the Heffter Research Institute, which gathered key academics in this field, Amanda Feildings Beckley Foundation in the U.K., Bob Jesses Council for Spiritual Practices, the archives at Purdue University (Psychoactive Substances Research Collection), and the Vaults of Erowid.

On the model of cannabis, perhaps it would be helpful to establish medical uses, then move on to what is called recreational use, a term that refers to all uses not controlled solely by physicians but freely available to the public. The term recreational is prejudicial like the term drugs, which fails to distinguish between classic psychedelics and addictive or otherwise harmful drugs, such as heroin.

For example, there is nothing recreational about the experience of awe or of wonder. The term trivializes what can happen. Drugs are taken not only to get high or cure a health condition, but also to take a holiday from the confines of ordinary reality, as in studying a textbook, buying a house, raising children, serving as a professional, and so forth. What if, instead of an ill-conceived and unworkable prohibition, we focused our ingenuity on making the opportunity for good trips part of a normal life?

One pioneer who sketched this possibility was Gordon Wasson, a U.S. banker who made a famous trip to a tribal area of Mexico and experienced a psilocybin mushroom ceremony with a local shaman, and wrote about it in Life magazine (in1957, a few years after Huxleys book). What was his first reaction after the mushroom took effect? I felt awestruck.

Later he co-authored a book, The Road to Eleusis (1978), working with Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who synthesized and then, in 1943, discovered the mental effects of LSD, and with a professor of classics named Carl Ruck. They proposed that the ancient ceremony at Eleusis included a psychedelic. (No one knows for sure because the participants were sworn to secrecy.) The point is, the ritual was not counter-cultural but part of the culture, not for everybody, but not considered a challenge to the dominant way of life.

Perhaps our culture will accept the value of psychedelics through demonstrations of their usefulness in alleviating suffering, through medical applications. But it was observers such as Wasson who understood that their most extraordinary value was experiencing awe and that this opportunity could become part of a normal life.

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Album Review || Kyau & Albert Matching Stories – EDM Identity

Posted: at 1:29 am

Few pioneers of trance music still produce artist albums with the quality and emotion that Kyau & Albert deliver.

The German duoKyau & Albert have been DJing and producing for over 20 years together with an impressive discography of trance music. Matching Stories marks their fifth artist album release containing 14 emotional dance music tracks that are perfect therapy for the heart and soul. The album is a journey through the joys and heartbreaks that we experience as humans.

Ralph Kyau and Steven Moebius Alberts Matching Stories is worth the listen for any trance fan. The album is out now pick up a signed CD with lyrics booklet or stream Matching Stories on all major digital outlets. Dont forget to subscribe to Kyau & Alberts monthly podcast, Euphonic Sessions, to listen to their top trance track picks.

Memory Lane starts off the album with soothing vocals and melodies that bring us back to powerful nightclub memories. The build up releases into a dance floor hit that feels like classic Kyau & Albert tracks such as Are You One Of Us? and A Night Like This. The next track, Mein Herz, flawlessly transitions between German and English lyrics by Steven with heartbeat-like bass. The vocals transcend either language; you can identify with the heartbreak one feels after expressing interest in someone. About The Sunoriginally debuted at ABGT150 in Sydney, Australia and has been updated to match the album listening atmosphere and fits perfectly.

Matching Stories features several collaborations, including Love Letter from the Future featuring vocals by Adaja Black. The song delivers heart-wrenching vocals in the breakdown that will bring tears to any trance family member. The synths that follow are uplifting and empowering, even though its not traditional 138BPM. Bring You Back with Jeza has haunting vocals that I can best describe as Kyau & Alberts take on the track by Armin van Buuren feat. Sharon den Adel In and Out of Love. Finally, Sleeping Lions featuring In Gray combines funky bass with powerful synths and sultry vocals for this feel-good track.

Bring You Back with Jeza has haunting vocals that I can best describe as Kyau & Alberts take on the track by Armin van Buuren feat. Sharon den Adel In and Out of Love. Finally, Sleeping Lions featuring In Gray combines funky bass with powerful synths and sultry vocals for this feel-good track.

Trace was featured on the A State of Trance 2017 album and is perfectly placed in Matching Stories. While simplistic in its lyrics, the combination of the track along with the vocals packs a powerful feeling found in Kyau & Alberts emotional dance music. The middle of the album transitions into experimental tracks with funky and groovy sounds. Spren is the most creative and steps out of the sound you typically hear from the duo, including additional German lyrics found on the album. Changes continues the experimental segment of the album and is a track I hope to hear in a club lounge soon.

What Youre About to Burn hits with groovy house vibes paired with Stevens poetic voice. DeLorean brings us back to the future with its leading funky bass lines and then brings us back to euphoric trance vibes for the rest of the track.

Standout track Gamla Stan features vocals by Madeleine Wood and is a collaboration with Francesco Sambero. The catchy piano paired with the driving bass sound was perfectly made for dark and memorable trance nights in clubs. In addition, the breathtaking production on the track Wanderlust rivals Ferry Corstens Gouryella alias; it wouldnt be surprising if he were to feature the song in upcoming sets. Rounding out the album is Meteorite and is a chill track full of space, wonder, and relaxation, perfect for the album outro.

The tracks on the album range from their emotional trance classic sounds to experimental new favorites. There are very few left in the scene that produce true artist albums that are conceptually realized and cohesively sound. Listen to Matching Stories at home for personal listening and then make sure to catch Kyau & Albert at a club or festival near you.

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Music is an integral part of Drews life, whether its listening to trance or house while working or at a festival. Hes always out to discover new and exciting sounds. When video games RollerCoaster Tycoon and Unreal Tournament were the hot new games, one of his friends that he knew through the community forums introduced him to trance on Digitally Imported and he soon fell in love with trance, happy hardcore, hardstyle and other fast BPM (beats per minute) genres.

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Edap Tms S.A. (NASDAQ:EDAP) Downgraded to Hold at Zacks … – The Cerbat Gem

Posted: at 1:27 am

Edap Tms S.A. (NASDAQ:EDAP) Downgraded to Hold at Zacks ...
The Cerbat Gem
Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Edap Tms S.A. (NASDAQ:EDAP) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on ...
In Volatile Markets Do Analysts Think You Should Buy EDAP TMS ...The De Soto Edge

all 3 news articles »

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Edap Tms S.A. (NASDAQ:EDAP) Downgraded to Hold at Zacks ... - The Cerbat Gem

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Trivascular Technologies (TRIV) & Stryker Corporation (SYK) Critical Review – Stock Observer

Posted: at 1:27 am

Stryker Corporation (NYSE: SYK) and Trivascular Technologies (NASDAQ:TRIV) are both medical companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, dividends, valuation, earnings, profitabiliy and analyst recommendations.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Stryker Corporation and Trivascular Technologies, as provided by MarketBeat.

Stryker Corporation presently has a consensus price target of $139.21, suggesting a potential downside of 4.69%. Given Stryker Corporations higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Stryker Corporation is more favorable than Trivascular Technologies.

Dividends

Stryker Corporation pays an annual dividend of $1.70 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.2%. Trivascular Technologies does not pay a dividend. Stryker Corporation pays out 38.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Trivascular Technologies has raised its dividend for 6 consecutive years.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

74.3% of Stryker Corporation shares are owned by institutional investors. 7.4% of Stryker Corporation shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Stryker Corporation and Trivascular Technologies net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Stryker Corporation and Trivascular Technologies gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Stryker Corporation has higher revenue and earnings than Trivascular Technologies.

Summary

Stryker Corporation beats Trivascular Technologies on 9 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Stryker Corporation

Stryker Corporation is a medical technology company. The Company offers a range of medical technologies, including orthopedic, medical and surgical, and neurotechnology and spine products. The Companys segments include Orthopaedics; MedSurg; Neurotechnology and Spine, and Corporate and Other. The Orthopaedics segment includes reconstructive (hip and knee) and trauma implant systems and other related products. The MedSurg segment includes surgical equipment and surgical navigation systems; endoscopic and communications systems; patient handling, emergency medical equipment, intensive care disposable products; reprocessed and remanufactured medical devices, and other related products. The Neurotechnology and Spine segment includes neurovascular products, spinal implant systems and other related products. The Companys products include implants, which are used in joint replacement and trauma surgeries, and other products that are used in a range of medical specialties.

About Trivascular Technologies

Trivascular Technologies, Inc. is a medical device company developing and commercializing technologies to advance minimally invasive treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). The Ovation System, the Companys solution for the treatment of AAA through minimally invasive endovascular aortic repair, or EVAR, is a stent graft platform, providing an alternative to conventional devices. It is designed to specifically address many of the limitations associated with conventional EVAR devices and expand the pool of patients eligible for EVAR. The Company is developing Ovation iX iliac limbs for use with both its Ovation Prime and its Ovation iX and Alto aortic bodies, which are in development. Trivascular is developing Ovation iX aortic bodies for use with both its Ovation Prime and its Ovation iX iliac limbs. The Company is developing an aortic body that together with the iliac limbs makes up the Ovation Alto stent graft.

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Trivascular Technologies (TRIV) & Stryker Corporation (SYK) Critical Review - Stock Observer

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FC Cincinnati falls 2-0 to La Liga’s Valencia CF in international friendly – WCPO

Posted: at 1:26 am

CINCINNATI -- FC Cincinnati could not hold up for a full 90 minutes against Spanish giant Valencia CF but walked away from the international friendly feeling satisfied with the experience.

Valencia, one the biggest clubs in Europe, scored two second-half goals to beat FC Cincinnati 2-0 in front of 23,114 fans at Nippert Stadium as part of its preseason trip to North America.

GALLERY:International friendly with Valencia ends in 0-2 defeat for FC Cincinnati

FCC used 22 players, including giving forward Omar Cummings one last appearance before retiring to a position with the club's front office, and sustained a barrage of attacks by Valencia before finally breaking down in the 62nd minute.

Here's a look at the top 9 takeaways from the match:

1. A good experience for all

This match was never about winning, although though both teams obviously wanted to come away victorious.

Although FC Cincinnati had a lot to gain with a good result, the match likely meant more to Valencia, which is about three weeks from its La Liga season opener and still figuring things out under new coach Marcelino Garcia Toral. With the win, Valencia improves to 3-1 this preseason as it seeks to improve from a 12th place finish last year.

For FC Cincinnati, it was mostly about giving players a chance to compete against a high-quality opponent and perhaps learn a little more about some players who haven't played a lot of minutes this season.

"It's not very often when you lose a game it's OK to smile," FC Cincinnati coach Alan Koch said. "We all hate losing but tonight was more than winning and losing. It was obviously a great experience for our entire group. It was (22) players we got to play and we managed to get some good minutes for guys that played a lot and managed to get some minutes for guys that haven't played that much. I was happy with how the entire group embraced tonight."

2. Breaking down

FC Cincinnati's defense held up for more than an hour before finally breaking down to allow a goal.

Valencia midfielder Dani Parejo had been sending long balls into the attack all night with many opportunities waived because of offside calls, but it finally worked in the 62nd minute when Nando managed to stay onside for a far-post strike at the corner of the 6-yard box. Parejo set him up with a tidy pass over top of the FC Cincinnati defense and Nando curved the shot past reserve goalie Dallas Jaye.

RELATED:FC Cincinnati will get unique language experience when playing Spain's Valencia CF in friendly

Valencia had a series of similar tries late in the first half: One that Alvaro Negredo put into the net as the offside flag waived and a couple that negated Simon Zaza shots. FC Cincinnati midfielder Aaron Walker had made a goal-line clearance to keep the game scoreless just a few minutes before Valencia finally found the net.

Zaza added an insurance goal moments before the final whistle sounded, beating third-string goalie Dan Williams one-on-one for an empty netter.

3. Mixed lineups

As expected, both clubs held back some stars but didn't completely deny fans the sight of some regular standouts.

FC Cincinnati sat scoring leaders Djiby Fall and Danni Konig and rested the likes of Harrison Delbridge, Austin Berry, Justin Hoyte, Kenney Walker, Corben Bone and Matt Bahner for at least most of the game, but still started goalie Mitch Hildebrandt and forward Jimmy McLaughlin, as well as Kadeem Dacres and Aodhan Quinn, who were regular starters early in the season. Newcomers Kyle Greig and Sem de Wit got their first starts, while Josu Currais, the lone Spanish native on the squad, reportedly was unavailable with a swollen knee.

"The players that played a lot showed why they have been playing a lot, and some of the players that haven't played that much showed they should be given an opportunity, which is great because it creates healthy competition," Koch said.

Valencia didn't even bring its biggest name player on its North American tour, as Luis Nani stayed behind, but otherwise the visiting club played a good number of regulars for much of the game. Well-known goalkeeper Neto joined Zaza and Parejo as some of the more exciting players to watch.

Because it was a friendly, both teams were able to use as many subs as desired.

4. A test of possession

FC Cincinnati has not faced an opponent like Valencia before, and the La Liga squad brought a highly technical, quick-paced possession game.

Though Valencia had many opportunities in the first half, FC Cincinnati still managed to take away the ball a few more times than the visitors would have liked. Eventually, however, the superior team adjusted and the Orange and Blue couldn't keep up.

Valencia outshot FC Cincinnati 14-5 and had nine corner kicks compared to the home side's three. FC Cincinnati finished with a total of five saves.

"Valencia is an amazing team," Koch said. "There is a reason they are the club they are and they play in the league they do. You could see their team was a little rusty. It's their preseason, and that's to be expected, but you could also see individual moments that were sheer brilliance and it showed the difference obviously between playing in La Liga and playing where we're playing at this time."

FC Cincinnati midfielder Marco Dominguez said the quick pace of the game was challenging but he and his teammates just tried to keep things "simple" and that allowed FC Cincinnati an opportunity to be competitive overall.

5. See you later, Omar

Cummings, who played briefly in just three league games this season, announced his retirement Sunday night and was recognized in a halftime ceremony in which he was presented with a framed jersey.

The former University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati State forward then took the field to start the second half for one last appearance on the field and played 28 minutes. Cummings will be joining the FC Cincinnati front office in a role working with its youth academy and community initiatives.

"Cincinnati has given me so much, from an education from college to the opportunity to play soccer here in the city. To move on and get the opportunity to be drafted by Colorado and move on to a professional career and to finish my career in Cincinnati has been a joy," said Cummings, who was drafted 31stoverall by the Colorado Rapids in 2007 and went on to become Rookie of the Year that season.

Cummings hasn't been the same physically since his 2016 campaign ended with a knee injury in late August and said he considered retiring then but gave himself six months to recover. Had he not been ready by the preseason, he would have quit then, he said.

Still, he had played just 37 minutes prior to his arrival off the bench Monday, and Cummings said the emotions of the end of his career started to build during warmups.

Last season, he scored four goals, including one game-winner against Toronto FC, to go along with five assists to finish tied for third on the team with 13 points.

6. Strong game, weaker crowd

Attendance didn't come close to last summer's special against English Premier League club Crystal Palace, which holds the all-time Ohio soccer record at 35,061, but maybe that's a sign of how spoiled fans here have been this season.

Crystal Palace -- a team that has never finished higher than third in the EPL -- was the big event last year, while Valencia had to compete with a deep U.S. Open Cup run and an upcoming U.S. Women's National Team game drawing dollars from Cincinnatians' pockets.

RELATED:FC Cincinnati friendly with Valencia CF not selling tickets quite like Crystal Palace did last year

For some added perspective, Valencia's friendly against North American Soccer League club New York Cosmos drew just over 15,000 in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Still, the crowd reflects an apparent lack of knowledge to the significance to bringing a club from La Liga, winners of the last four Champions League titles.

Perhaps if the friendly was on a Saturday like last year it would have done better, but then again, fans came out in droves for midweek games against two Major League Soccer clubs that in all reality are much less competitive than Valencia, which is the third most supported in Spain and one of the biggest clubs in Europe.

Monday's crowd was the fourth best out of all matches this season at Nippert Stadium, topped by the home opener against St. Louis and two U.S. Open Cup games against MLS clubs.

7. Building a following

The reason international clubs such as Valencia travel to North America for preseason games is to build their brand and following overseas. It worked well for Crystal Palace last year, which seemed to gain some fans and, at the very least, name recognition it might have lacked on a large scale here before the match.

However, the relationship with Valencia might not come out as strong from this one. Fans seemed discouraged Sunday when the club canceled an open training and autograph session and then created more confusion by announcing via Twitter that it would instead just be pushing practice back -- to the same time as the scheduled VIP event. Valencia sent a few players to the event, while others practiced, but the session was closed and there were no other opportunities made public for fans to meet the team.

Despite any disappointment for fans Sunday, both sides expressed positive impressions from the experience.

"What a joy for our fans to see some big-time players," Koch said. "I can say personally I will be following Valencia more this year than I would have, so it made it unique from that perspective. Getting to interact with their players and coaches, we all do the same thing. ... I'm excited to see how they do this season."

Toral said his club felt well-respected by fans. Time will tell if Valencia was in fact able to win over some fans with its magisterial possession game and technical skill.

8. Valencia's take on FC Cincinnati

Valencia coach Toral said the turf was a big adjustment for his team, but in terms of the atmosphere, FC Cincinnati provided an experience comparable to his club's La Liga season.

With what he saw on a Monday night, FC Cincinnati has a bright future.

"I know in a short period, the main goal is for FC Cincinnati to get to MLS and that's what I really hope they will achieve," he said through a translator. "I think it's really important, with what I've seen tonight, on a Monday night the stadium was as full as it was. That really shows the engagement of the fans here, and that's really a good thing. I wish them all the best."

9. Up next

FC Cincinnati will take the day off Tuesday and return to training Wednesday in preparation for Saturday's home United Soccer League game against Rochester Rhinos.

Cincinnati heads into that match sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Division, while Rochester is seventh, four points back. The Orange and Blue are five points out of first, a position held by Charleston, which has played one less game.

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CF Industries Terminates Tax Benefits Preservation Plan – Business Wire (press release)

Posted: at 1:26 am

DEERFIELD, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CF) today announced that its Board of Directors has terminated the tax benefits preservation plan (the Plan) that it adopted on September 6, 2016. The Plan was designed to preserve the companys ability to utilize its net operating losses and certain other tax assets that were primarily related to accelerated tax depreciation of the companys capacity expansion projects, which were placed in service in 2016. The Plan was originally scheduled to expire on September 5, 2017.

In June, CF announced that it had received federal tax refunds of approximately $815 million due to the carryback of certain federal tax losses from the 2016 tax year to prior periods. The receipt of the federal tax refunds was earlier than CFs previously stated expectations for the third quarter of 2017.

Stockholders were well-served by the tax benefits preservation plan as it protected the companys ability to utilize its tax losses and receive $815 million in federal tax refunds, said Stephen A. Furbacher, chairman of the board, CF Industries Holdings, Inc. With the earlier-than-expected receipt of these tax refunds, the Plan has served its intended purpose and the Board believes that it is in the best interests of the company and its stockholders to terminate the Plan at this time.

About CF Industries Holdings, Inc.

CF Industries Holdings, Inc., headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, through its subsidiaries is a global leader in the manufacturing and distribution of nitrogen products, serving both agricultural and industrial customers. CF Industries operates world-class nitrogen manufacturing complexes in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, and distributes plant nutrients through a system of terminals, warehouses, and associated transportation equipment located primarily in the Midwestern United States. The company also owns a 50 percent interest in an ammonia facility in The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. CF Industries routinely posts investor announcements and additional information on the companys website atwww.cfindustries.comand encourages those interested in the company to check there frequently.

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BART officials withholding crime surveillance tapes for ‘fear of racial stereotyping’ – Fox News

Posted: at 1:25 am

The transit system that serves San Francisco is under fire for refusing to release video from surveillance cameras that captured several recent train attacks by gangs of young black riders.

Assault, robbery and rape are up 41 percent over last year on the vast train system known as BART, or Bay Area Rapid Transit. But several recent attacks by gangs of young men has the agency under public scrutiny. One victim is suing to warn riders of the risk they face when riding BART.

BART OFFICIALS UNDER FIRE FOR WITHHOLDING CRIME SURVEILLANCE VIDEOS TO AVOID RACIAL STEREOTYPES

"Approximately 30 of them invaded our car. They beat and robbed a number of individuals," said Rusty Stapp, who was returning home with his wife and 19-year-old daughter. "They jumped on me, and began kicking me in the ribs. The individuals (police) saw on video were repeat offenders. They knew who they were. They had them in the system."

Yet BART refused to release the video, claiming several of the alleged gang members might be under 18.

"Especially when (a crime) is involving juveniles as these last two incidents have, the police department makes the determination that there is not a public interest in sending all that information out," said BART spokesman Taylor Huckaby.

But Debora Allen, one of nine BART directors, said the agency is concealing the real reason putting political correctness over public safety.

"They want to withhold the video release for fear of creating racial stereotyping," Allen told us last week.

BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT: DOZENS OF OAKLAND TEENS REPORTEDLY STORM TRAIN, ROB RIDERS

She cited a July 7, 2017, internal memo to BART directors. The agency said it would not issue a press release on a similar mob attack in June because it would "paint an inaccurate picture of the BART system as crime ridden."

It would also "unfairly affect and characterize riders of color, leading to sweeping generalizations in media reports and a high level of racially insensitive commentary," the memo said.

Allen questioned BART Assistant General Manager Kerry Hamill about that explanation, saying "I don't understand what role the color of one's skin plays in this issue. Can you explain?"

Hamill responded that members of the media only wanted to sensationalize the story and were only interested in ratings and clicks.

"If we were to regularly feed the news media video of crimes on our system that involve minority suspects, particularly when they are minors, we would certainly face questions as to why we were sensationalizing relatively minor crimes and perpetuating false stereotypes in the process, said.

Allen told Fox News she was disappointed to read the memo.

Race should play no role, she said. With respect to the video, I think it is important for the riding public to see some of the ways people steal and assault people on the trains."

Stapp appeared last week before the BART board to complain.

"I think if you were truly committed to (public safety) there would be a lot more interaction with the public, like making the video available of these incidents," Stapp said.

Stapp is seeking to sue BART for $3 million for gross negligence.

"It's the closest I've ever been to feeling like I might die," he told Fox News.

Paul Justi, Stapp's attorney, said BART should release the surveillance videos.

Others said there is a fine line between privacy and protecting the public.

"We have a lot of videos in this district" admitted Board Director Joel Keller. "There is this balance between privacy and openness."

A decision on releasing crime video is expected next month.

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SharkFest to Sharknado: Nat Geo’s experts on pop culture evolution … – SYFY WIRE (blog)

Posted: at 1:23 am

When Matt Hooper shows up in Amity Island to help out with its shark situation in Jaws, Mayor Vaughn questions the oceanographer's intent as a ploy to get his name in National Geographic. Though Jaws lore states Hooper did eventually get on the cover of the prestigious magazine, he is still outfinned by shark biologist Dr. Greg Skomal and photojournalist Brian Skerry.

Two big fish in the shark world, the guys have been friends for more than two decades but approach their shared love of the 400-million-year-old creatures in different ways.

A National Geographic Photography Fellow (with his work being included in the magazine's 50 Greatest Photos of All Time), Skerry has hunted sharks for the best shots. He snapped photos of the great white breaching the water in epic fashion for a bite to eat but also shoots to highlight the evolutionary beauty of sharks, especially of their fins. Skerry has a new book of photos, simply titled Shark, and a special titled Mission Critical: Sharks Under Attack as part of National Geographics wildlife SharkFest programming block on the Nat Geo WILD channel, which kicked off Sunday and continues through this week.

Meanwhile, Skomal has been in the field since 1983 and tagged more than 108 Atlantic great white sharks since 2009. Skomal is a senior fisheries biologist with Massachusetts Marine Fisheries since 1987 and currently heads up the Massachusetts Shark Research Program (MSRP).

Together, Skomal and Skerry are part of a public relations campaign to improve the public's understanding of sharks and convince the mainstream of their importance to the planet in maintaining a balanced marine ecosystem. They each contribute to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy in Chatham, Mass., on Cape Cod that educates through interactive exhibits of the large residents (probably a couple dozen, at the least) who swim in the waters off Cape Cod as preferred feeding grounds. The Conservancy is also behind the Sharktivity smartphone app that allows users to track tagged great whites in global waters.

Skerry and Skomal joined me at the Conservancy to talk about their efforts as well as how popular culture such as Jaws influenced them ... and helped create a problem. They also discuss how modern entertainment can be both helpful and damaging for the perception of sharks in real life.

And yeah, because we're SYFY, we totally talked to these shark nerds about the relevance of Sharknado. And, spoiler, they dig it.

Within the first few minutes of talking with each of you, you brought up Jaws. How did that movie lure you into the science of sharks and the photography of them?

Brian Skerry: I can only say that when Jaws came out, I was 14 or 15 years old. I was always interested in the ocean, so it didn't take much to entice me. I went on opening night, in the fifth row in Worcester, Massachusetts. I just loved it. It was bigger than life, and these guys became heroes of mine. Hooper was a cool, smart, irreverent scientist studying sharks.

Greg Skomal: It was a great inspirational film for me for all the same reasons. I was fascinated by sharks as a young kid, and grew up on Long Island Sound, where it wasn't the most pristine body of water. So everything I knew was coming from books and Cousteau. And the movie Jaws. I am often quoted as saying guys like us got pushed into the water instead of scared away from it.

And yet it demonized sharks.

Skerry: Even though it demonized sharks, we weren't thinking back then. We didn't know what we know today. It inspired a generation of researchers. It certainly inspired me. If I had been better at math, I probably would have been a scientist. I wanted to be Matt Hooper but ultimately became Quint!

Skomal: There was a documentary a few years ago called How Jaws Changed the World and how it inspired a lot of scientists, engineers, photographers, and filmmakers.

Jaws author Peter Benchley said he couldn't write the shark as a villain today but would instead be the victim because of man's decimation of the shark population. He seemed to express some regret for Jaws and its impact of shark populations.

Skerry: He never apologized for it. He shouldn't have. Also, he made a fortune! I got to be friends with him late in his life and he talked about knowing what he knew later in life, he couldn't have written Jaws. He spent much of his late life working for the conservation of sharks. So I think we've all had this evolution.

Skomal: Peter was too hard on himself. If you look at where shark populations went in the '70s and '80s -- they crashed and it really correlates with the development of the Mursaline-Pelagic longline of fisheries, which had nothing to do with Jaws. Because of the growing market for shark fins and the movement of fishermen from traditional ground fish fisheries, sharks became a target group of species that the National Fisheries Service promoted as an underutilized resource ... so a lot of fisherman geared up and went into it. It was a massive expansion of commercial fisheries.

Skerry: And to that point, part of the demand for shark-fin soup was a growing middle class in places like China. As the middle class grew, they wanted to do what the emperor did and they started eating shark-fin soup.

Why are sharks such great movie monsters?

Skomal: Hey, if you look at statistics, they do occasionally bite and kill people! So, it's one of those monsters living in an environment foreign to us. Even when we get in the water, you take precautions. Imagine a monster living in a place you don't normally go.

Skerry: Benchley talked about that. He inadvertently tapped into this primal fear humans have of being eaten by a wild animal, especially in this place that's an alien environment. A human being is going to be terrified of getting eaten by a bear or lion, but we see cute pictures of grizzlies with their cubs and we make stuffed animal and want to hug them. But a great white shark is still enigmatic.

Brian, you mentioned if there was a 20-foot-long truck-sized predator on land, we'd know everything about it. So, even though the research is growing, the mystery of this thing underwater contributes to our primal fear?

Skerry: Absolutely. The work Greg has been doing the last few years in the Cape is the first ever. There is almost no data on Atlantic white sharks. How can it be, in the 21st century, the largest predatory fish in the ocean that's inspired myth and tales, we know almost nothing about? We don't know where they come from, where they go, where they have their pups, where they're mating. The work here is the first steps in the process.

Greg, if I could give you the answer to one scientific mystery about white sharks, what would it be?

Skomal: A segment of our shark population -- once they get to be about three, three and a half meters long migrates out to the Mid-Atlantic as far out as the Eastern Atlantic. It follows the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and dives down to depths as great as 3,000 feet every day through a very broad temperature range. None of us know what they're doing! We want to know what they're doing. Everybody is trying to figure out what these big migrations mean for these sharks we think of as being more coastal.

Is the conversation about sharks within popular culture and great whites a good thing?

Skerry: I think the conversation is a good thing. But where it gets off the rails is when popular culture takes a turn into bad fiction. If your intent is to scare people, and demonize a population of animal, I don't necessarily think that's a good thing. I want to demystify sharks, but don't want to portray them as house pets. They're not kittens. There are dive operators out there that will tell you that you can hug a shark. That's absurd. They are predators, and having a clear understanding of what they are is fine.

Programming like SharkFest is a good thing. But having a documentary called "Great White Serial Killer" or whatever is not good. So many sharks are being killed each year, and it's unnecessary. We don't have an appreciation for their value to the planet. As long as we see them as pests, it's a short stretch to eradicate them.

Skomal: We live in a very different time than when we saw Jaws. My science gets out there through social media. Scientists now have more direct contact with people. But sharks are always going to be exploited. I don't know if it's to demonize, but it's all about making money. I don't mind a show that's obviously entertainment and so unrealistic people look at it as almost comical. I don't like documentaries that portray sharks as demons. I am old-fashioned when it comes to a good natural history documentary, which means factual.

Where is the line between harmless entertainment and problematic demonization?

Skomal: There's Sharknado on one end, which I think of as entertainment. And you have a National Geographic article, or published paper, at the other end of the spectrum. Then the lines blur with the mockumentary. You're coming across as telling the truth, and you're not. You're demonizing an animal. Discovery has been guilty of that. Megalodon is a very good example. People walked away from that show and thought, "That's real."

Skerry: I had an exhibit at the Smithsonian. Right next to my exhibit was a true megalodon jaws. There was a 12-year-old boy looking at it who asked if I'd ever seen one. I said, "No, they're extinct." And he says, "No, they're not." I get into this conversation with a 12-year-old kid convinced I was an idiot because I didn't know megalodon were still out there swimming in the ocean! That doesn't serve us well. It's really about truth. We live in a world where "fake news" has exploded, and people trying to change our point of view through manipulation. We need sources of truth in the world we can go to as a beacon. That's what National Geographic is trying to do by remaining a scientific, truthful organization.

Since you brought up Sharknado, what are your thoughts about it in relation to shark education?

Skomal: I've seen two of them. It's Saturday morning stuff with my kids. I actually had The Weather Channel call me out and do a funny interview when the first one came out. They asked, "Is it possible this could happen?" No! But I enjoy it. It is entertainment. I don't look at them critically. Sharks flying around, eating people, and people cutting themselves out of sharks is so absurd, it's entertaining. It engages people. Maybe there is a 6-year old who types into Google, "Can sharks fly?" and learns something.

Skerry: It is not that different than Greg and I being inspired by Jaws. A lot of people said Jaws was bad for sharks, but at the end of the day, it inspired a generation of researchers. That is not a bad thing. If there is some kid out there who sees Sharknado and gets jazzed about sharks, maybe his entry to that world is through a weird portal but ultimately he or she becomes a great shark researcher, or storyteller about the ocean. I don't want to be quick to take a highbrow attitude about anything that isn't pure truth. As long as you know it's fake.

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SharkFest to Sharknado: Nat Geo's experts on pop culture evolution ... - SYFY WIRE (blog)

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