Jul 17
Kristin Calabrese on the ImageBlog
Posted in: Today's ChiliThese are three in-progress paintings of holes with reference photos on my studio wall.
Jul 17
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio made good on his promise to appear on “The Colbert Report” last night, where he was promptly pressed on his agenda for the city as 109th mayor.
“You want to bring us back to the 80’s,” Colbert insisted. “The bad days of the squeegee men, the rampant crime, and leg warmers.”
De Blasio defended the leg warmers as “not so bad,” and then touted the progressive, “inclusive” narrative that’s become a staple of his income inequality-fighting administration.
“You mean socialist,” the host retorted, citing de Blasio’s previous work for the Sandinista party. “You’re a communist.”
Focusing on more current issues, Colbert then asked about the looming Long Island Rail Road strike — which some critics say is enough to force de Blasio to cancel his upcoming 10-day vacation in far-off Italy.
“Are you sending in the Pinkertons with the truncheons to give them a taste of Daddy Warbucks?”
“The Long Island Rail Road is under the jurisdiction of Governor Cuomo,” de Blasio answered. “He’s working very hard to come to a resolution.”
Colbert mocked, “Not my problem! Not my problem!”
Watch the full clip above, in which the pair also discuss the trickle-down economics of Colbert’s money bucket, universal pre-K for “freeloading miscreants,” child labor, and de Blasio’s predecessor.
Jul 17
NEW YORK (AP) — The three evenings started innocently enough: The cardiologist says he and a woman who introduced herself as a nursing student went to dinner and, on one occasion, a concert at Madison Square Garden.
They ended, he says, in a drug-induced blur. Dr. Zyad Younan alleges his companion, Karina Pascucci, and three other women drugged him into a semi-conscious state and charged more than $135,000 to his credit card at the behest of the well-known New York City strip club Scores.
Younan sued Scores and the women Wednesday, countering a lawsuit the strip club filed against him in May after he challenged the charges late last year as fraudulent. He claims he has no memory of being at the club and never authorized the charges.
The Holmdel, New Jersey resident wants Scores’ lawsuit against him tossed and he wants the club and women to cover unspecified damages, court costs and attorney fees.
It’s the latest legal chapter in a tawdry tale that made national headlines in June when New York prosecutors indicted the women and a club manager on grand larceny, assault, forgery and other charges.
The five were also accused of targeting a banker, a hedge fund executive and a real estate attorney in a credit card scam during the last four months of 2013.
All told, prosecutors say, they racked up charges worth about $200,000.
A woman who answered the phone at Scores on Wednesday said the club had no comment. Lawyers for Pascucci and two other women could not immediately be reached.
Pascucci’s lawyer, Patrick Parrotta, said after her arrest that she was a college student with no criminal record who worked as a waitress at Scores in Manhattan but never stripped there.
Helen Wu, a lawyer for defendant Marsi Rosen, said Wednesday: “This alleged victim has a case of buyer’s remorse and my client is innocent.”
Younan alleges in his lawsuit that Scores participated in the scheme — “the club handles the money,” he says Pascucci texted him two days after their last encounter — and that it pressured the women to coerce him into paying up with a barrage of messages and calls.
“I don’t need to speak with swindlers,” Younan says in one reply to the collection calls, according to the lawsuit. To Pascucci, he says he wrote: “You are a manipulative, conniving thief. Please do not call me.”
The 41-year-old Younan says in the lawsuit that the collection calls turned into public disparagement. Scores representatives, he says, told New York media in April that he had an “insatiable” appetite for the club and was “coherent until he saw the bill.”
Jul 17
Who even knows what to call it? The Iraq War or the Iraq-Syrian War would be far too orderly for what’s happening, so it remains a no-name conflict that couldn’t be deadlier or more destabilizing — and it’s in the process of internationalizing in unsettling ways. Think of it as the strangest disaster on the planet right now. After all, when was the last time that the U.S. and Russia ended up on the same side in a conflict? You would have to go back almost three-quarters of a century to World War II to answer that one. And how about the U.S. and Iran? Now, it seems that all three of those countries are sending in military hardware and, in the case of the U.S. and Iran, drones, advisers, pilots, and possibly other personnel.
Since World War I, the region that became Iraq and Syria has been a magnet for the meddling of outside powers of every sort, each of which, including France and Britain, the Clinton administration with its brutal sanctions, and the Bush administration with its disastrous invasion and occupation, helped set the stage for the full-scale destabilization and sectarian disintegration of both countries. And now the outsiders are at it again.
The U.S., Russia, and Iran only start the list. The Saudis, to give an example, have reportedly been deeply involved in funding the rise of the al-Qaeda-style extremist movement the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Now, facing that movement’s success — some of its armed followers, including undoubtedly Saudi nationals, have already reached the Iraqi-Saudi frontier — the Saudis are reportedly moving 30,000 troops there, no doubt in fear that their fragile and autocratic land might someday be open to the very violence their petrodollars have stoked. Turkey, which has wielded an open-border/safe haven policy to support the Syrian rebels fighting the Bashar al-Assad regime, including ISIS and other extremist outfits, is now dealing with kidnapped nationals and chaos on its border, thanks to those same rebels. Israel entered the fray recently as well, launching airstrikes against nine Syrian “military targets,” and just to add to the violence and confusion, Assad’s planes and helicopters have been attacking ISIS forces across the now-nonexistent border in Iraq. And I haven’t even mentioned Hezbollah, the Jordanians, or the Europeans, all of whom are involved in their own ways.
Since 2003, Dahr Jamail, a rare and courageous unembedded reporter in Iraq, has observed how this witch’s brew of outside intervention and exploding sectarian violence has played out in the lives of ordinary Iraqis. It couldn’t be a sadder tale, one he started reporting for TomDispatch in 2005 — even then the subject was “devastation.” Nine years later, he’s back in “A Nation on the Brink” and the devastation is almost beyond imagining.
Jul 17
5th Circuit Thumbs Its Nose at U.S. Supreme Court in Racial Preferences Case
Posted in: Today's ChiliThe U.S. Supreme Court is the nation’s highest court. No lower court can supersede a Supreme Court decision, and not even Congress or the president can change, reject or ignore a ruling by the Supreme Court. No state government can do so either. In fact, unless and until a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court is overruled by the Supreme Court itself, or by the American people acting collectively through the Constitution’s article V amendment process, what the Supreme Court says goes.
The recent two-to-one decision by a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upholding the University of Texas at Austin’s use of racial preferences in its admissions program indicates that the two judges in the majority, Patrick E. Higginbotham and Carolyn Dineen King, have forgotten this basic tenet of American law. After all, on June 24, 2013 the Supreme Court vacated and remanded this same panel’s prior decision in Fisher v. University of Texas on the ground that the panel impermissibly deferred to the University on the dispositive question of whether race was being used in too heavy-handed a fashion in the admissions program.
Although the Fifth Circuit panel gives lip service in its latest ruling to the Supreme Court’s instructions to review the University’s admissions program with — in the panel’s words — “more exacting scrutiny,” it simply repeats its previous mistake of deferring to the University too much. The dissenting judge, Emilio M. Garza, points this out repeatedly in one of the most persuasive lower court opinions I have ever read.
For example, as Judge Garza makes clear, what the Supreme Court actually instructed the Fifth Circuit panel to do on remand was afford the University “no deference” at all with respect to its assertion that its chosen “means … to attain diversity are narrowly tailored to that goal.” Succinctly put, the University was required to explain “with clarity” what it meant by the “critical mass” of minority students that it was endeavoring to enroll. It failed to do so.
Instead, the University offered the predictable sorts of dissemblings that colleges and universities typically offer when they are trying to convince reviewing authorities that their illegal admissions programs aren’t illegal. As Judge Garza aptly put it, “At best, the University’s attempted articulations of ‘critical mass’ before this court are subjective, circular, or tautological.”
The Supreme Court knew this, and that is precisely why it vacated and remanded the case in the first place. It is profoundly disturbing that Judges Higginbotham and King are letting the University play the same game all over again. (Judge Garza finally recognized what the University was up to, which is why he switched from ruling for the University in the original appeal to ruling against it on remand.)
Which leads to the most important question of all: What happens next? Abigail Fisher, the plaintiff in the case, issued a statement immediately after the Fifth Circuit panel’s most recent decision in which she insisted that she remained “committed to continuing this lawsuit even if it means we appeal to the Supreme Court once again.”
She shouldn’t be forced to do that, but unfortunately she probably will be. Of course, it’s not completely unheard of for lower courts to misunderstand or, on rare occasions, deliberately ignore the express instructions of the U.S. Supreme Court. If the nation’s highest court does agree to hear Fisher’s appeal for a second time, I strongly suspect that she will win as she did the first time. The Supreme Court can’t fail to notice that there’s a big difference between affording the University “no deference” at all and permitting the University to prevaricate its way to victory in litigation.
Perhaps this will end up where Ms. Fisher wanted it to end up in the first place: with the nation’s highest court declaring once and for all that the Constitution requires that colleges and universities assess applicants as individuals rather than as members of racial or ethnic groups. She has reason to be optimistic: it was only a few months ago that the Supreme Court ruled six-to-two that the people of Michigan may amend their state constitution to forbid any consideration of race altogether because colleges and universities can’t be trusted to use it modestly and because at least some lower courts don’t seem to care that they don’t.
Jul 17
Tiger Woods Finishes 1st Round Strong, But Rory McIlroy Leads At British Open
Posted in: Today's ChiliHOYLAKE, England (AP) — On a day when Tiger Woods made an impressive return to the majors, Rory McIlroy got off to another blistering start at the British Open.
Now, can McIlroy keep it going? The two-time major champion took advantage of prime scoring conditions to shoot a 6-under 66 on Thursday, putting him in what has become a familiar position: the first-round lead.
McIlroy has played the opening round in a cumulative 55-under par this year, including three 63s and a course-record 64 at last week’s Scottish Open. But he’s failed to win any of those events, largely because of what he calls his “second-round thing.”
His total score on Fridays — 15 over.
Woods is just happy to be playing after back surgery kept him out of the first two majors of 2014. He got off to a shaky start with bogeys at the first two holes. Down the stretch, he looked more like the player who romped to victory the last time golf’s oldest major was held at this course along the Irish Sea.
Playing the back nine in 4-under 33, Woods finished with a 69 that put him right in the midst of a bunch of red numbers. He rolled in a 30-foot putt from the fringe at No. 11, sparking a run of five birdies in six holes.
For the early starters, it couldn’t have been better day for scoring — mild and sunny, with only a slight breeze rippling the flags. It was a far cry from 2006, when Woods won on dry, fiery course that made the grass more brown than green. This time, Royal Liverpool was lush and relatively soft after intermittent rain on Wednesday.
Matteo Manassero made only one bogey and also shot 33 after the turn, taking advantage of a quirk in the course which puts three par-5s in the closing nine. He birdied them all for a 67.
He wasn’t the only Italian off to an encouraging start. Brothers Edoardo and Francesco Molinari opened with matching 68s.
“I saw the leaderboard,” said Francesco, the younger of the siblings. “But it’s a tough course, so you have to focus on what you are doing rather than the others are doing — even if it’s your brother.”
Also at 68 were Spain’s Sergio Garcia and a pair of Americans, Jim Furyk and Brooks Koepka. Sweden’s Robert Karlsson, Marc Leishman of Australia and Japan’s Koumei Oda were tied with Woods and Ricky Fowler another shot back.
“I didn’t play fantastic, but the course is out there to make some birdies on,” said Karlsson, who teed off in the first group of the day at 6:25 a.m.
He described the breeze as “tricky,” but acknowledged it wasn’t much of a defense against those going out in the morning.
“I’ll take this tricky,” Karlsson said.
After his opening shot settled safely in the fairway, Woods ran into trouble when his next swing sent the ball into one of the treacherous pot bunkers. His wedge out of the sand scooted through the green and led to bogey. At No. 2, the three-time Open champion knocked a long putt about 6 feet past the hole, then missed the comebacker to take his score to 2 over.
Woods took advantage of the only par-5 on the front side for his first birdie. Then, the 14-time major winner rolled in a long putt from the fringe of the green at No. 11 for another, which sparked a run of three straight birdies. After another bogey at the 14th, set up by an errant tee shot into the hay, Woods bounced back with two more birdies.
Woods has gone six years without a major title and this season was interrupted by back surgery on March 31. He missed the Masters for the first time, and then the U.S. Open, before returning three weeks ago at Congressional. He missed the cut by four shots, though he was happy that he felt no pain.
Woods’ threesome included Sweden’s Henrik Stenson, who is among four players with a shot at replacing Adam Scott at No. 1 in the world if he wins. The others are Justin Rose, Bubba Watson and Jason Day.
Woods was No. 1 when he took three months off to heal his back. Now he’s seventh.
The last three Open champions have all been in their early 40s. Koepka, a 24-year-old American who began his pro career in Europe, wants to end that streak.
“I hope someone in their 20s wins,” he said. “I hope it’s me.”
___
Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963
Jul 17
Scientists Unearth 520-Million-Year-Old Sea Creature With Well-Preserved Brain
Posted in: Today's ChiliA spectacularly well-preserved sea monster that once prowled the oceans during the Cambrian Period has been unearthed in China.
The 520-million-year-old creature, one of the first predators of its day, sported compound eyes, body armor and two spiky claws for grabbing prey.
The fossils of the new species were so well preserved that the nervous system and parts of the brain were still clearly defined. [Cambrian Creatures: Photos of Primitive Sea Life]
Cambrian explosion
Before the Cambrian Period, which lasted between 543 million and 493 million years ago, most life resembled simple algae and stationary jellyfishlike creatures, but during the Cambrian explosion, a period of rapid evolution when biodiversity exploded, swimming sea creatures with compound eyes, jointed legs and hard exoskeletons emerged.
A spectacularly preserved creature, dubbed Lyrarapax unguispinus, was unearthed in China. The 520-million-year-old sea creature was so well-preserved that parts of its brain and nervous system were clearly defined.
The period also saw the rise of an iconic group of shrimplike creatures known as anomalocaridids. These ancient sea monsters were the top predators of the Cambrian seas, and sported bladed body armor and a cone-shaped mouth made of concentric plates. Some of the biggest of these bizarre creatures could grow to be up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) long.
But most anomalocaridid specimens paleontologists found have been poorly preserved, making it difficult to know precisely where they fit in the tree of life, said study co-author Peiyun Cong, a researcher at Yunnan University in China.
Some scientists thought anomalocaridids belonged to a group that split off before the most recent common ancestor of all living arthropods, while others thought the animals were part of a group called chelicerates that includes spiders and scorpions. Still others thought anomalocaridids had converged upon similar features to those of modern arthropods but didn’t evolve from the same lineage, Cong said in an email.
Well-preserved specimens
In the last several years, the researchers unearthed three spectacularly preserved specimens of a new species of anomalocaridid in fossil sediments in China. The sediments had frozen these creatures in time so perfectly that the entire nervous system, as well as the gut and some muscles, were still visible.
The creature, dubbed Lyrarapax unguispinus, was about 6 inches (15 centimeters) long.
“The three known specimens may represent immature stages of the animal, so it might be larger,” Cong wrote in an email to Live Science.
L. unguispinus had a tail that looked a bit like that of a lobster, and two giant pincers for grasping prey. As it grew, the creature molted, shedding its outer cuticle.
Closest relatives
Based on its brain, which lacks some of the characteristic features found in chelicerates, the creature likely shared more similarities with a group known as velvet worms, Cong said.
A newly discovered species of Cambrian creature, dubbed Lyrarapax unguispinus (on right), shows some similarities in its nervous system to a modern-day group known as velvet worms (shown on left). In both, nerves from the frontal appendages link to ganglia in front of the optic nerve and connect to the main brain mass in front of the mouth. (Instead of feelers, the ancient creature had grasping claws).
Still, the new results can’t pinpoint where on the tree of life these ancient sea monsters go, Cong said.
But no matter what group they belonged to, by the end of the Paleozoic Era, about 251 million years ago, the last anomalocaridids went extinct, Cong said.
Follow Tia Ghose on Twitter and Google+. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.
- In Images: A Filter-Feeding Cambrian Creature
- Image Gallery: 25 Amazing Ancient Beasts
- Dangers in the Deep: 10 Scariest Sea Creatures
Copyright 2014 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Jul 17
'The Giver' Star Brenton Thwaites Initially Thought He Was Too Old To Play Jonas
Posted in: Today's ChiliOn the cusp of becoming a household name, Brenton Thwaites lent his talents to this summer’s “Maleficent” and “The Signal.” Come Aug. 15, longstanding fans of Lois Lowry’s acclaimed novel “The Giver” will find Thwaites stepping into the shoes of the story’s protagonist, Jonas, in the much-anticipated film adaptation. Directed by Phillip Noyce (“Patriot Games,” “Salt”) and co-starring Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep, “The Giver” provides 24-year-old Thwaites with his first big-screen starring role. A month away from the movie’s opening, HuffPost Entertainment caught up with the Australian actor via email to find out what it’s been like to arrive at this moment.
Millennials have such a rich connection to “The Giver” as a novel. When did you first discover the book?
I hadn’t read the book prior to being cast in the film. I read it after being offered the role. At first I was a little concerned that Jonas was too young for me to play him. Ultimately in the script rewrite, I saw he was older and felt it was an opportunity to play him.
What might surprise fans of the novel most upon seeing the movie?
The sci-fi element of the Community is featured a little more in the film than in the book. I think that’s a pretty addition.
You starred opposite Angelina Jolie at the start of the summer, and by the end you’ll appear with Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges. What sort of acting tutorials or life advice (direct or implicit) have you picked up from those greats?
Having the chance to work on such incredible projects with a cast of such talent and experience presents an enormous potential to learn. It was wonderful and surreal and yes, of course I was continually picking up lessons and from all of those experiences, including Jeff and Meryl, whether they were intending it or not.
Fans were distraught when the movie’s first trailer lacked the novel’s signature black and white. Were there any kinks to work out with how to construct a movie that shifts between B&W and color?
When the film opens, Jonas does not know what color is. He sees more as he learns more. I had to start with basic questions such as ‘What would it be like to discover color for the first time? Funny? Beautiful? Scary? Confusing?’ Then when we were shooting scenes where Jonas sees colors, I tried to find parallels to real things in my life that bring up these feelings.
What aspect of society would you miss most if you lived in the Community?
COFFEE.
Jul 17
Police in Raleigh, North Carolina, have arrested two twin sisters on prostitution charges.
Sarah and Katelyn Lothrop, both 19, have been charged with aiding and abetting prostitution. Sarah Lothrop was also charged with simple assault.
Jul 17
It looks like Amazon is getting geared up to offer a new unlimited reading and audio service called Kindle Unlimited. The service was tipped by a cached URL dug up from somewhere deep within the web. Along with the cached link comes what appears to be an official landing page that shows some of the benefits of Kindle Unlimited.
The service would cost $9.99 monthly and have over 600,000 books that subscribers could read as long as they pay the monthly fee. The service is also tipped to have access to thousands of audio books.
Those audio books would include a bunch of new releases as well considering Amazon owns Audible. This sounds like a great deal for $10 per month if you are a big reader of eBooks or like audio books.
[via TechCrunch]
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