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четверг, 25 августа 2016 г.

Ученые утверждают, что от Pokemon Go больше пользы, чем вреда



Многие «знатоки» утверждают, что компьютерные игры это вредно. Безусловно, постоянное сидение за монитором не улучшает зрение или физическое состояние игрока, а если добавить к малоподвижному образу жизни на скорую руку приготовленную пищу, то можем иметь целый набор проблем со здоровьем.

В одном из последних интервью руководитель Niantic и создатель уже известной по всему миру игры Pokemon Go Джон Хенк рассказал, что основной идеей при создании этой игры было оторвать любителей компьютерных игр от диванов и стульев и заставить путешествовать.

Судя по рейтингам игры, это ее создателю удалось, пользователю понравилось совмещать компьютерную игру с движением.

Относительно вреда или пользы Pokemon Go продолжаются постоянные споры, но недавно ученые высказались в поддержку детища Джона Хенка. Они уверенны, что от игры будет больше пользы, чем вреда, ведь большинство проблем со здоровьем происходит от малоподвижного образа жизни. Ведь еще в древности говорили: «Хочешь быть здоровым – бегай». Возможно, человечество впоследствии запомнит Джона Хенка, как первого человека, которому удалось изменить образ жизни и мировоззрение любителей компьютерных игр.

Больше информации у нас в паблике Pokemon GO Россия

суббота, 20 августа 2016 г.

Что делать, если аккаунт в Покемон го (#pokemongo) забанили?



Что делать, если аккаунт в Pokemon Go удалили?

Шаг первый: удалите приложение Pokemon Go с телефона полностью.
Шаг второй: удалите данные об аккаунте Google из браузера.
Для этого нужно зайти в Настройки браузера и найти вкладку Пароли. В Паролях ищем вкладки с надписью google.com, удаляем их. Подождите немного.
Шаг третий: скачайте приложение заново и залогиньтесь под учетной записью Google. В первый раз приложение предложит вам ввести свою дату рождения. Убедитесь, что вводите те же самые данные, что и при первой регистрации. Разрешите доступ приложению.

Как разбанить аккаунт в Pokemon Go?

Данный метод работает, но неизвестно, будет ли работать в ближайшее время. Стоит поспешить. Способ разбана удивительно прост, но займет энное количество времени. Вот точные инструкции:

Шаг первый. Найдите местный ПокеСтоп, подойдите к нему и выберите его в игре.
Шаг второй. Начните крутить кружок в центре экрана. Сделать с ним ничего нельзя, поскольку аккаунт забанен, но так надо.
Шаг третий. Закройте Покестоп. Почти готово, но стоит потерпеть.
Шаг четвертый. Повторите действия с тем же самым ПокеСтопом ровно 40 раз. Да, это много. Но оно того стоит.
На сороковом вращении ПокеСтопа учетная запись в Pokemon Go будет разбанена, а с ПокеСтопа упадут приятные бонусы.

Предупреждение: сроки работы данного способа неизвестны. Возможно, Niantec прикроет лазейку в ближайшие дни. Поэтому воспользоваться возможностью стоит поскорее. И впредь не пытаться обмануть систему, поскольку следующий бан аккаунта может продлиться на более долгий срок.

Совет: старайтесь избегать повышенного влияния системы к вашему аккаунту. Факторы, которые могут повлиять на бан учетной записи – частое использование ПокеСтопов (слишком частое), и уйма пойманных покемонов за короткий срок. Пользователи, поймавшие более тысячи покемонов за день, будут забанены обязательно.

Второй способ разбанить аккаунт в Pokemon Go

Во-первых, надо выяснить, за что действительно вас забанили. Некоторые игроки получили уведомление о блокировании учетки без использования читов и запрещенных приемов. Если ваша совесть чиста и в Pokemon Go вы играли честно, то бан может быть всего на несколько часов. Так или иначе нужно зайти на официальный сайт Pokemon Go и подать апелляцию. Техподдержка реагирует достаточно медленно, ответа придется ждать до двух недель.

Больше информации у нас в группе Покемон Го Россия 

среда, 27 июля 2016 г.

Pokemon go самые сильные покемоны



Snorlax 

Max CP: 3112 
Прирост: 45 пунктов за конфету
Выносливость: 320
Быстрая атака: Lick (10, Ghost) / Zen Headbutt (15, Psychic)
Мощная атака: Body Slam (50, Normal) / Earthquake (60, Ground) / Hyper Beam (70, Normal)
Пожалуй, один из самых сбалансированных покемонов в игре. Сонный великан обладает огромным запасом здоровья, внушительным потенциалом в нападении и отличными атаками, в том числе HyperBeam с самой большой базовой силой 70.
Snorlax отлично подойдет как для атаки, так и для обороны Гимов.

Vaporeon

Max CP: 2816
Прирост: 40 пунктов за конфету
Выносливость: 260
Быстрая атака: Water Gun (10, Water)
Мощная атака: Aqua Tail (50, Water) / Hydro Pump (60, Water) / Water Pulse (30, Water)
Vaporeon обладает более скромными характеристиками, но его куда проще получить, эволюционировав Eevee. У лисенка есть три возможных эволюции, но есть способ получить конкретную: нужно назвать его одним из трех имен, которые и повлияют на результат.
Sparky = Jolteon
Rainer = Vaporeon
Pyro = Flareon
Vaporeon отлично подойдет как для атаки, так и для обороны Гимов.

Dragonite

Max CP: 3500
Прирост: 50 пунктов за конфету
Выносливость: 182
Быстрая атака: Dragon Breath (6, Dragon) / Steel Wing (15, Steel)
Мощная атака: Dragon Claw (40, Dragon) / Dragon Pulse (50, Dragon) / Hyper Beam (70, Normal)
Dragonite и его эволюционная линейка – единственные драконы в игре, и Драконий тип атак эффективен только против них самих. Использовать ли этого милого желтого дракона с более мощными универсальными атаками или же сосредоточиться на противостоянии Драгонайтам противников – решать вам, но оба варианта могут быть полезны. Несмотря на то, что это один из самых редких монстров в игре, со временем он обязательно появится у большинства опытных игроков, нацеленных на успех.
Dragonite безусловно хорош в атаке в обоих вариантах, а вот для защиты подойдет скорее Steel Wing + Hyper Beam.

Lapras

Max CP: 2980
Прирост: 43 пункта за конфету
Выносливость: 260
Быстрая атака: Frost Breath (12, Ice) / Ice Shard (10, Ice)
Мощная атака: Blizzard (60, Ice) / Dragon Pulse (50, Dragon) / Ice Beam (50, Ice)
Lapras станет украшением любого Гима или команды атакующего тренера, так как способен с легкостью избавляться от покемонов летающего, травяного, земляного и драконьего типов. Как и Snorlax, он не имеет предыдущей формы, так что получив Лапраса, вы сможете сосредоточиться исключительно на его усилении, не тратя конфеты на эволюцию.
Высокие статы делают Lapras равно эффективным в обеих ролях.

Gyarados

Max CP: 2688
Прирост: 39 пунктов за конфету
Выносливость: 190
Быстрая атака: Bite (6, Dark) / Dragon Breath (6, Dragon)
Мощная атака: Blizzard (60, Ice) / Dragon Pulse (50, Dragon) / Ice Beam (50, Ice)
Могучий морской змей появляется на свет из невзрачного и слабого Magicarp. Но чтобы превратить ничтожную рыбу в настоящего монстра, придется попотеть: для эволюции потребуется целых 400 конфет! Впрочем, оно того стоит.
Gyarados больше эффективен в нападении, нежели в защите.

Arcanine

Max CP: 2983
Прирост: 40 пунктов за конфету
Выносливость: 180
Быстрая атака: Bite (6, Dark) / Fire Fang (7, Fire)
Мощная атака: Bulldoze (30, Ground) / Flamethrower (50, Fire) / Fire Blast (60, Fire)
Говорят, 20 лет назад, когда Pokemon Red только находилась в разработке, Arcanine должен был стать легендарным покемоном, но как-то не сложилось. Но он все еще очень силен, и сможет быть крайне полезен при осаде вражеских Гимов.
А вот оставлять его в защите не стоит, нужными качествами Arcanine не обладает.

Exeggutor

Max CP: 2955
Прирост: 38 пунктов за конфету
Выносливость: 190
Быстрая атака: Confusion (12, Psychic) / Zen Headbutt (15, Psychic)
Мощная атака: Psychic (50, Psychic) / Seed Bomb (30, Grass) / Solar Beam (65, Grass)
Нелепый с виду Exeggutor имеет доступ к мощным атакам и обладает хорошими характеристиками. Но будьте осторожны, Психический/Травяной тип делает его очень уязвимым к многим типам атак.
Применять таланты Exeggutor лучше в нападении на Гимы противников.

Flareon

Max CP: 2643
Прирост: 37 пунктов за конфету
Выносливость: 130
Быстрая атака: Ember (10, Fire)
Мощная атака: Fire Blast (60, Fire) / Flamethrower (50, Fire) / Heat Wave (60, Fire)
Flareon не так универсален, как его водный собрат Vaporeon. Это один из самых доступных огненных покемонов в игре, сдоступом ко всем самым мощным огненным атакам, которые еще и заряжаются весьма быстро.
Flareon хорош в атаке, но вот в защите практически бесполезен из-за низкого здоровья.

Wigglytuff

Max CP: 2177
Прирост: 31 пункт за конфету
Выносливость: 280
Быстрая атака: Feint Attack (12, Dark) / Pound (8, Normal)
Мощная атака: Dazling Gleam (45, Fairy) / Hyper Beam (70, Normal) / Play Rough (50, Fairy)
После эволюции Jigglypuff становится Wigglytuff, но остается таким же милым. Милым и крайне надежным в обороне: большая выносливость и доступ к Hyper Beam делает его отличным защитником Гимов. А еще Фейный тип делает его полностью невосприимчивым к атакам Драконьего типа.

Pidgey

Max CP: 679
Прирост: 10 пунктов за конфету
Выносливость: 80
Быстрая атака: Tackle (12, Normal) / Quick Attack (10, Normal)
Мощная атака: Aerial Ace (25, Flying) / Air Cutter (25, Flying) / Twister (15, Dragon)
Что же в этом списке делает крошка Pidgey? Разумеется, он ужасен в бою, но его сила в количестве. Десятки и сотни отважных воробьев отправятся к Профессору и будут эволюционировать, чтобы помочь вам повышать свой уровень.




Источник: Pokemon GO в России

вторник, 26 июля 2016 г.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child gets five star reviews



Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has won five-star reviews from critics, with one describing it as "a game-changing production".

The play, written by Jack Thorne, is set 19 years after the seventh and final book in the series by JK Rowling.

It opens officially at the Palace Theatre, in London's West End, on Saturday.

Audiences have been urged to "keep the secrets" since the play began previews in early June.
Presented in two parts, the play - showing the stars of the wizarding saga as adults in their mid-30s as their own children head off to school - stretches over five hours.

'A triumph'
Daily Telegraph critic Dominic Cavendish awarded the play five stars, writing: "British theatre hasn't known anything like it for decades and I haven't seen anything directly comparable in all my reviewing days."

He said "those involved can give themselves a pat on the back", adding: "It's a triumph. Not an unqualified one - there are some quibbles - but in all key respects, it grips, it stirs, it delights."
Cavendish praises the "thrill-a-minute" stage craft which sees pupils heading to Hogwarts, at the start of the play, change into school uniforms "in the blink of an eye" as they head to the infamous Platform 9¾ to make their way to school.

The Stage also gives a five-star review, with Mark Shenton describing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - co-devised by Rowling, with director John Tiffany and playwright Jack Thorne - as a "truly game-changing production and a thrilling theatrical endeavour".

It is an "entirely original" piece of work, with "Dickensian sweep and momentum to the storytelling", writes Shenton, adding: "It earns its place on the stage, feeling distinct from both the books and the screen adaptations.

"By turns playful and gripping, disturbing and detailed, poignant and powerful, it is superb family entertainment."

Shenton also praises "the theatrical wizards who've created this stunningly-realised alternative universe deliver one coup de theatre after another".

In a nod to the Kings Cross platform number, Ann Treneman gives the play four and three-quarters stars in The Times, saying the "wizardry on display" is "out of this world".

She says the plot is complex ("there are mazes that are more straightforward") but adds: "It's a raunchless Game of Thrones with heart. Crucially, it's authentic Potter but, most importantly, it's new.
"It's not the movie of the book. It's the real deal, live in front of you, so much better than any film could be."

'Fan service'
In The Guardian, Michael Billington noted the Cursed Child will make more sense to "hardened Potterheads", but applauded Tiffany for directing a "thrilling theatrical spectacle", giving it four stars.
He praised the strong performances that meant acting was central to the story, despite the dazzling special effects, singling out Sam Clemmett as Harry's son Albus, "wonderfully quirky" Anthony Boyle as his friend Scorpius Malfoy, and the adult Harry (Jamie Parker), "authoritative" Hermione (Noma Dumezweni) and "bluntly commonsensical" Ron (Paul Thornley).

It's another five stars from The Independent, with Jack Shepherd describing it as "magical". He argues Part One should be billed as a magic show, due to the effects used, also praising its moments of comedy.

Shepherd adds: "It's quite apparent this isn't written to be either a book or a tie-in film; it's a spectacle for the theatre, one that is filled to the brim with fan service and magical imagery that will amaze."

Quentin Letts grumbles about the length of the play in the Daily Mail, noting: "There were moments I could have done with a glug of gurdyroot infusion to keep me alert."

But he admits: "Potter addicts will love it. JK Rowling is going to make (another) fortune. The West End's ornate Palace Theatre, itself a little like Hogwarts, has a hit probably for years."
Variety describes it as "spellbinding", Matt Trueman writing that it is: "The Show That Lived Up to Expectations — and Then Some."

He says the relationship between Albus and Scorpius is "the friendship of two bullied boys bound together, and it's a beautiful, tender thing", adding: "The script by Jack Thorne recognizes that rejection breeds resentment, and outsiders stew into outcasts.

"No one's born a villain, nor sees themselves as such, and where the books gave us stock baddies, Cursed Child fleshes them out."

Chris Jones, in the Chicago Tribune, says that "heretical as this may sound", the play left him "quietly lamenting that the movies were ever made".

Ben Brantley in the New York Times writes: "Like the novels that preceded it, The Cursed Child is stuffed with arcana-filled plots that defy diagrams and baldly wrought sentimental life lessons, along with anguished dives into the earnest, tortured solipsism of adolescence.

"By rights, such a combination should try the patience of any grown-up. But like Ms Rowling's books, the play vanquishes resistance."

The Harry Potter books have sold more than 450 million copies since 1997 and been adapted into eight films.

The script of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is published this weekend.

Как играть в Pokemon Go и ловить покемонов?



Как играть и ловить покемонов? 

Pokemon GO — это увлекательная игра, в которой вы сможете ловить покемонов в реальном мире и прокачивать их. Вам придется исследовать улицы и подворотни вашего города в поисках покемонов и PokeStop-локаций с дополнительными предметами. 

Когда вы будете находится рядом с покемоном, то телефон будет вибрировать. Ловить покемонов нужно стандартным «мультяшным» способом — делаем свайп-жест, при помощи которого запускаем в него покебол.

Вот так, занимаясь ловлей покемонов и поиском предметов вы достигнете 5 уровня, после которого начинается самое интересное. Вам откроются тренировочные арены — PokeGym. Здесь вы будете тренировать и качать своих покемонов, а также устраивать бои между ними. Вызвав эволюцию — вы сможете прокачать своего героя.

Если ваш Pokemon победит всех в зале PokeGym, то он станет в нем главным, а сам зал будет носить цвет его команды. Всего в игре присутствует 3 команды: красная, желтая и синяя.

Разработчики добавили режим сражения в реальном времени, но для него необходим браслет, который стоит, относительно не дорого и станет доступен в скором времени. Об этом я писал ниже.

GPS signal not found — что это?

Сама игра основана на перемещениях игрока по местности. Его координаты в игре определяются по встроенному GPS-навигатору.

Если вы получаете красное уведомление «GPS signal not found» или «Failed to detect location», тогда вам следует проверить включена ли функция GPS и провести правильность настройки — информации в сети хватает.

GPS signal not found

В настройках вашего Андроид — «Местоположение» (или Геоданные) следует выставить в «Метод обнаружения» — Высокая точность. Еще хочу заметить следующее, если вы будете лениться вставать и ходить, а использовать читы для фейкового GPS, например, тогда в игре вас могут забанить примерно на 30-40 минут.

Pokemon GO не поддерживается — почему?

Также пару слов хочу сказать про проблему, когда пользователь хочет установить игру, но получает уведомление — «Не поддерживается на вашем устройстве».

Просмотрите требования Покемон ГО к устройствам, что бы понять подходит ли к игре ваш смартфон:

Оптимизирован под смартфоны — с планшетами совместимость не гарантируется.
Операционная версия Android 4.4 — 6.0
Не совместима с устройствами без поддержки GPS и поддерживающими только Wi-Fi
Системные требования: не менее 2Гб оперативной памяти.
Возможны проблемы с установкой на устройства, использующие процессоры Atom от Intel.
Приведенный список может изменяться с выходом обновлений игры.


Источник: https://new.vk.com/pokemon_go_russia_fans

France church attack: Priest killed by two 'IS soldiers'



An 84-year-old priest was killed and four other people taken hostage by two armed men who stormed his church in a suburb of Rouen in northern France.

The two attackers, who said they were from the so-called Islamic State (IS), slit Fr Jacques Hamel's throat during a morning Mass, officials say.

Police surrounded the church and shot dead both hostage-takers. French media named one of them as Adel K.

One of the hostages is in a critical condition in hospital.

President Francois Hollande, visiting the scene, in Saint Etienne-du-Rouvray, said the attackers had committed a "cowardly assassination" and France would fight IS "by all means".

Pope Francis decried the "pain and horror of this absurd violence".

UK Prime Minister Theresa May branded the attack "sickening" and offered her condolences to the people of France.

The suspect named as Adel K, aged 18, is reported to have been in custody and then placed under a control order, and had tried to enter Syria twice.

Police special forces raided a house in the suburb in the aftermath of the attack, and French prosecutors earlier said one person had been arrested.


The attack happened during morning Mass at the historic church, situated in a quiet square of St-Etienne-du-Rouvray.

A nun, who identified herself as Sister Danielle, said she was in the church at the time.
"They forced [Fr Hamel] to his knees. He wanted to defend himself, and that's when the tragedy happened," she told French media.

"They recorded themselves. They did a sort of sermon around the altar, in Arabic. It's a horror".
She said she managed to flee as they were preparing to kill him.

Elite police units, specialised in hostage-taking, surrounded the church.



President Hollande said the attackers claimed to be from the self-styled IS before they were killed by police as they came out of the church.

Three of the hostages were freed unharmed, but one remains in a critical condition, said French interior ministry spokesman Pierre-Henri Brandet.

'We will not be afraid': Adam Fleming reports from the scene

This quiet suburb, a few miles from the cathedral city of Rouen, is quieter than usual after this morning's horrific events. The heavily armed police have set up a large cordon around the church; a row of white tents - presumably for forensics officers - obscures the view. The nearby supermarket is closed and its car park is being used by journalists rather than shoppers.

Locals seem shocked, but not in a dramatic way. A man told me how he had conducted christenings, marriages and funerals for years alongside Father Hamel. He showed me a set of keys - keys for the church. "When I heard the news of his death, it was like being hit on the head from above. I just want to go to the church but I can't," he said.

A priest from a neighbouring parish, who also knew Fr Hamel, passed through on his way to conduct his own mass. His message tonight will be that this is not an attack on the Catholic Church - it is merely the latest symbol of French life to be targeted.

And the mood of some here was summed up by a woman cycling past the waiting media, who shouted to no-one in particular: "We will not be afraid."

Electronic tag
Within hours of the attack, the IS-linked Amaq news agency, said "two IS soldiers" had carried out the attack.
Few details are yet known about the attackers, but Mohammed Karabila, a local Muslim leader, told the Associated Press that one of them had been "followed by police for at least a year and a half". That person is believed to be Adel K.

The French ITele website said he had tried to reach Syria in May 2015 but was turned back at the Turkish border.

According to the report, he then spent nearly a year in prison before being released in March, on condition he wear an electronic tag and move back in with his parents.

'Treasured' priest
Residents of St-Etienne-du-Rouvray reacted with shock and sadness to the killing of Fr Hamel, a well known figure in the community.

"My family has lived here for 35 years and we have always known him," said Eulalie Garcia.
"He was someone who was treasured by the community. He was very discreet and didn't like to draw attention to himself."

Pensioner Claude-Albert Seguin told AP: "Everyone knew him very well. He was very loved in the community and a kind man."

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has expressed his horror at the "barbaric attack" and said: "The whole of France and all Catholics are wounded. We will stand together."

The Archbishop of Rouen, Dominique Lebrun, who was attending a Catholic gathering in Poland, said: "I cry out to God with all men of goodwill. I would invite non-believers to join in the cry.
"The Catholic Church cannot take weapons other than those of prayer and brotherhood among men."
France is still reeling from the Bastille Day attack in Nice earlier this month, when a lorry was driven into celebrating crowds by Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, killing more than 80 people.


Demi Lovato on mental health at DNC: 'We can do better'



Anyone who had underrated (rated, rated) Demi Lovato needs to watch the speech she gave Monday at the Democratic National Convention.

Nick Jonas' current touring partner opened up about her experience with bipolar disorder and made a plea for universal health care.

"Like millions of Americans, I am living with mental illness, but I'm lucky," Lovato told the crowd in Philadelphia. "I had the resources and support to get treatment at a top facility. Unfortunately, too many Americans from all walks of life don't get help, either because they fear the stigma or cannot afford treatment."

The Cool for the Summer singer reminded the audience of the possible dire outcomes if medical attention is not received.

"Untreated mental illness can lead to devastating consequences including suicide, substance abuse and long-term medical issues," she said. "We can do better. Every one of us can make a difference by getting educated on this epidemic and its frightening statistics and by breaking the stigma."

She urged politicians to make health care accessible to all and expressed why she was Confident in Hillary Clinton.

"I stand here today as proof that you can live a normal and empowered life with mental illness," Lovato said. "I'm proud to support a presidential candidate who will fight to ensure all people living with mental-health conditions get the care they need to lead fulfilling lives. That candidate is Hillary Clinton."

This is not the first time that the entertainer who turns 24 in August, has spoken candidly about her mental health.

In 2011, Lovato sat down with Robin Roberts and talked about her journey. She spoke about becoming bulimic after her peers bullied her and called her fat.

She also said she was just 11 years old the first time she cut herself. "There were some times where my emotions were just so built up, I didn't know what to do," Lovato, then 18, said. "The only way that I could get instant gratification was through an immediate release on myself."

After she hit a dancer, those close to her staged an intervention, and she went to Illinois' Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center to get help. There, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which was a surprise to Lovato, but began to make sense when she reflected on her childhood.

"I was actually manic a lot of the times that I would take on workloads," she said. "But then I would come crashing down, and I would be more depressed than ever."

Lovato also said she began to understand why she started having suicidal thoughts at age 7.

After her diagnosis, Lovato became an advocate for mental health and a spokesperson for the Be Vocal: Speak Up for Mental Health campaign.

"I knew that there were two options," Lovato told Women's Health last year. "I could either not talk about my stint in rehab and hope that it went away, or I could talk about it and inspire people to get help for their issues, as well, so that’s exactly what I did."


воскресенье, 24 июля 2016 г.

Leaked DNC emails reveal the inner workings of the party’s finance operation



In the rush for big donations to pay for this week’s Democratic convention, a party staffer reached out to Tennessee donor Roy Cockrum in May with a special offer: the chance to attend a roundtable discussion with President Obama.

Cockrum, already a major Democratic contributor, was in. He gave an additional $33,400. And eight days later, he was assigned a place across the table from Obama at the Jefferson Hotel in downtown Washington, according to a seating chart sent to the White House.

The 28-person gathering drew rave reviews from the wealthy party financiers who attended.

“Wonderful event yesterday,” New York lawyer Robert Pietrzak wrote to his Democratic National Committee contact. “A lot of foreign policy, starting with my question on China. The President was in great form.”

The details of the high-dollar event were captured in the trove of internal DNC emails released last week by the site WikiLeaks that has riled the party as delegates gather in Philadelphia to nominate Hillary Clinton.

Internal discussions of the May 18 event with Obama and other aggressive efforts to woo major donors reveal how the drive for big money consumes the political parties as they scramble to keep up in the age of super PACs.

The DNC emails show how the party has tried to leverage its greatest weapon — the president — as it entices wealthy backers to bankroll the convention and other needs. At times, DNC staffers used language in their pitches to donors that went beyond what lawyers said was permissible under a White House policy designed to prevent any perception that special interests have access to the president.

Top aides also get involved in wooing contributors, according to the emails. White House political director David Simas, for instance, met in May with a half-dozen top party financiers in Chicago, including Fred Eychaner, one of the top Democratic donors in the country, the documents show.

Laws and ethics
White House officials said Obama’s attendance at DNC events is well within the law and the administration’s own ethics policies.

“As presidents of both parties have done for decades, President Obama takes seriously his role as the head of the Democratic Party,” White House spokeswoman Jennifer Friedman said in a statement. “To this end, the President participates in a range of events to raise awareness and support for the party, and to outline his priorities for making progress for the American people, in line with federal election and ethics laws.”

The leaked emails reveal the relentless art of donor maintenance that undergirds the system: the flattery, cajoling and favor-bestowing that goes into winning rich supporters. It’s a practice that the party fundraisers themselves often find dispiriting.

“He’s just awful and if I could have him sitting outside of the room, I absolutely would have,” a DNC finance staffer said of one Florida donor attending the May 18 event with Obama.

DNC finance officials did not respond to requests for comment. A party spokesman said the DNC had “revolutionized online fundraising and worked to rein in the influence of special interests” during Obama’s time in office. The spokesman said the DNC, while seeking to broaden its donor base to keep up with the Koch brothers and other wealthy conservative interests, had taken steps to “prevent any improper attempt to influence government policy.”

The DNC and its Republican counterpart have both stepped up their hunt for huge checks since a series of legal changes in 2014 gave them leeway to collect expansive contributions for new accounts to pay for building, legal and convention expenses.

The top-tier donor package for this week’s Democratic National Convention required a donor to raise $1.25 million or give $467,600 since January 2015, according to a document in the emails. In return, a contributor got booking in Philadelphia at a premier hotel, VIP credentials and six slots at “an exclusive roundtable and campaign briefing with high-level Democratic officials,” according to the terms.

Those perks were aggressively pushed to donors this spring as DNC staffers worked to try to pay for the party’s share of the convention, a tab that had been covered by public funds in previous years.

When Pietrzak, who had already given his annual maximum to the party, expressed interest in attending the May 18 event with Obama, a party staffer responded to her colleague: “No chance of getting more $ out of them, is there? Push the convention packages as an incentive?”

Pietrzak and other donors did not respond to requests for comment.

The emails also show the intensive efforts to get corporations to sign on as sponsors of the convention’s host committee — a reversal from 2012, when Obama prohibited such donations.

Last year, the DNC, in consultation with Clinton’s campaign, also decided to reverse a ban on donations from the PACs of corporations, unions and other groups.

After those limits were lifted, DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and other top party officials showered corporate lobbyists with calls, emails and personal meetings seeking convention support and PAC contributions to the party, according to a spreadsheet logging the contacts.

In one May email, a DNC finance staffer asked whether the conglomerate Honeywell could get a hotel room in Philadelphia for a $60,000 donation to the host committee.

“This is $60k we definitely wouldn’t get otherwise and Honeywell is the biggest PAC contributor in the country,” she wrote, adding: “They’re definitely a bit pissy about our PAC policy flip flop and that offering this gesture would definitely help our relationships with them for later in the election cycle and for years to come.”

The chance to build the event around the president in May set off a race inside the DNC finance office to recruit new donors.

“Have at it with Potus. Prefer at a hotel. No pacs and no lobbyists,” finance director Jordan Kaplan wrote to one of his deputies, Alexandra Shapiro, at the beginning of the month, adding: “This will probably be our only event in May. Lot of eyes on this one.”

“Wow! Really?” she responded excitedly, adding three applauding emoji.

Shapiro passed along the message about the event to her colleagues: “New money is the priority so if you have folks that are sitting on their max out, this may be a way to get them in,” she wrote.

Before the invitation was sent, an associate at Perkins Coie, the DNC’s outside law firm, weighed in with a caution on the language.

“Let’s remove the word round table on page 2 at the top (‘$33,400 — Round table discussion guest’),” Ruthzee Louijeune emailed Scott Comers, the DNC’s finance chief of staff. “As you know, WH policy restricts the use of language that gives the appearance that contributors can pay for policy access to the President.”

A place at the table
But the emails show several instances in which DNC fundraisers pitched donors with promises of a “roundtable” chat with Obama. On May 6, the southern finance director emailed ­Cockrum, the Tennessee donor, about packages available for the Philadelphia convention.

“If [you] were willing to contribute $33,400 we can bump you up a level to the Fairmont,” he wrote, referring to a luxury hotel. “Additionally, your generous contribution would allow you to attend a small roundtable we are having with President Obama in DC on May 18th or a dinner in NYC on June 8th.”

On the afternoon of the event, the place of honor, at Obama’s side, went to New York philanthropist Phil Munger. Kaplan noted to Shapiro in an email that Munger was one of the largest donors to Organizing for Action, a nonprofit group that advocates for Obama’s legislative agenda.

“It would be nice to take care of him from the DNC side,” Kaplan wrote, adding: “He is looking to give his money in new places and I would like that to be to us.”

DNC officials said there are no discussions with the nonprofit organization about its donors, noting that Munger’s support to the group is disclosed online.

Before the event, Simas, the White House political director, received a briefing from the DNC on what to expect of the contributors attending.

“They are interested in a conversation focused on business and economic concerns but many are also committed to education and social issues,” the memo read.

The next day, Shapiro told her colleague that the event had been a success.

“Q&A went well, very foreign affairs focused,” she wrote. “Dick got two questions in and Bill Eacho was very pleased with his seat. He seemed very open to the idea of doing something for us in the future, too. Thank you again for your help on this one! We raised a good chunk of change which was nice for a change (sorry for the pun, I had to).”

Original: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-the-democratic-partys-scramble-for-big-money/2016/07/24/0f02b56c-51c0-11e6-b7de-dfe509430c39_story.html

Valentina Shevchenko hands Holly Holm another loss at UFC Chicago



Valentina Shevchenko stunned Holly Holm on Saturday night at UFC Chicago, unanimously outpointing the former UFC champion.

Fighting for the first fight since losing the belt to Miesha Tate at UFC 196, Holm had losing scores of 49-46 from the judges.

Her stunning knockout of then-champ Ronda Rousey in Australia at UFC 193 catapulted Holm (10-2) into the spotlight of mixed martial arts, but she followed with the back-to-back losses.

Shevchenko (13-2) put herself in the mix to contend for the women's bantamweight title at 135 pounds that is held by Amanda Nunes, who she lost to in March at UFC 196.

Holm knocked Shevchenko to the mat with a quick hook early in the first round as Shevchenko quickly got back to her feet. Shevchenko had a takedown late in the round.

In the third round, after Shevchenko got in a few jabs, Shevchenko caught Holm's leg on a kick attempt and took her down. Shevchenko had another takedown and kept Holm (10-2) on the mat for the rest of the round as she landed punches.

Shevchenko may get another shot at Nunes, who dismantled Tate for the belt at UFC 200.

In the co-main event, Edson Barboza won in a unanimous decision over Gilbert Melendez in a lightweight fight.

Barboza (18-4) began to take control late in the second round. Melendez attempted a kick, but Barboza caught Melendez's leg and took him down. Barboza had Melendez (22-6) pinned to ground as he landed a series of punches, but Melendez was saved by the bell.

Barboza scored with the judges on a number of kicks to Melendez's left knee in the third round as the judges scored the fight 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 in favor of Barboza.

Barboza backed up his last win against former lightweight champ Anthony Pettis

Melendez, who hasn't fought since June 13, 2015, losing a split decision to now-champ Eddie Alvarez, has lost his last three fights.

Felice Herrig (11-6), born in Chicago, submitted Kailin Curran (4-3) in the strawweight division with a rear-naked choke at 1:59 in the first round. Herrig, bounced back from an April 2015 loss to Paige VanZant.

A welterweight fight between Hector Urbna and George Sullivan was scrapped after Sullivan voluntarily disclosed information to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. According to a UFC release, out of caution, Sullivan was removed from the fight as the USADA conducts an investigation into the matter.

Earlier in the card, Eddie Wineland (22-11-1) dropped Frakie Saenz (11-4) in a bantamweight fight with a right counter punch in the third round to win by technical knockout.

Darren Elkins (22-5), fighting 50 miles from his hometown of Portage, Indiana, overcame an illegal knee from Godofredo Pepey (13-4) to win in unanimous decision at 145 pounds.

In one of the more exciting fights of the card, Jason Knight won in a split decision over Jim Alers in a bloody featherweight fight that featured three rounds of the two exchanging takedowns and blows to the face.

Knight (17-2), who was verbally taunting Alers during the fight, withstood a right uppercut from Alers with 45 seconds left in the third round to go on his way to win his first career UFC fight. The decision was not popular with some in the crowd as boos rang out as ring announcer Bruce Buffer read the results. 

суббота, 23 июля 2016 г.

Someone already caught all 142 Pokemon in America



Someone has already managed to find every single one of the 142 Pokemon characters in Pokemon Go that are roaming the US, but that doesn’t mean that person is done hunting. In all, there are 151 animals that are waiting to be caught, including a few rare ones that have yet to make an appearance in the game.

As you can see in the following image, Reddit user ftb_hodor caught 142 beasts already — and that was no easy feat. It takes plenty of patience and a whole lot of walking to get them all. And even then, you might not be able to hunt down some of the more fickle Pokemon in the game.

As Phone Arena reports, the New Yorker did it in two 50-hour weeks of work. He had to hatch 303 eggs and trace Pokemon over 95 miles on foot. In all, he collected 4269 Pokemon, which is impressive to say the least. It’s also insane, considering the fact that the game was only released a little over two weeks ago, on July 6th. Since then, Pokemon Go has launched in more than 30 markets, most recently Japan.

That means ftb_hodor still has nine more Pokemon to collect — the rarest of the rare — so it will be a while until he can find them.

And don't forget online tool for PokemonGO hack PokeVision

Someone turned the best Pokemon Go hack into an online tool every player needs PokeVision



A few days ago, we told you that a few bright developers managed to pull location data out of Pokemon Go and turn it into a Google Maps-based tool that could tell you where Pokemon pop up near your location. Although anyone could use it, the hack required quite a bit of tinkering to make it work, and even some light coding, which made it somewhat difficult for most people to use.

However, since then, someone put all that data into one handy and very user-friendly tool that can be used to discover Pokemon near your location. All you have to do is load a website and you should see Pokemon appear around you on a map.

Called PokeVision, the site lets you type your address and offers a Google Maps-like interface that shows you where nearby Pokemon are located. You see their names pop up, as well as a countdown timer marking their availability at a specified location. That means you can get instant results with the tool, and make your hunting more efficient.



Yes, no matter how you explain the tool, this would probably be considered by most people to be cheating. But it shouldn’t ruin the game for those people who don’t have the time to patrol real-life locations for Pokemon Go content.

Unfortunately, due to its popularity, PokeVision’s servers can go down. Not to mention that Pokemon Go servers are also down following the massive launch in Japan. That means you might not get it working just yet.

(Don’t forget you can always tell if the Pokemon Go servers go down by visiting this website.)

Finally, it’s unclear whether Niantic will somehow kill this cheat in an upcoming update. So, assuming you get it to work, you’d better take advantage of it as soon as you can.

пятница, 22 июля 2016 г.

Schießerei in München Was ist bisher bekannt?



Um kurz nach 18 Uhr gab es erste Meldungen von einer Schießerei im Olympia-Einkaufszentrum in München. Die U-Bahn in München stellte den Verkehr komplett ein, Züge fahren den Münchner Hauptbahnhof nicht mehr an. Was ist bisher bekannt? Ein schneller Überblick, den wir laufend aktualisieren.

Was ist passiert?

Am frühen Abend gab es erste Berichte über eine Schießerei in oder am Olympia-Einkaufszentrum (OEZ). Die Schießerei begann nach Angaben der Polizei bei einem Schnellrestaurant am Olympia-Einkaufszentrum. Es sei um 17:52 Uhr losgegangen, sagte Thomas Baumann, stellvertretender Sprecher des Polizeipräsidiums. Von dort habe sich die Schießerei dann weiter in eine andere Straße und in das Olympia-Einkaufszentrum verlagert.

Das OEZ und die Umgebung wurden geräumt. Das OEZ ist mit 135 Geschäften eine der größten Shopping-Malls in München. Es liegt im Norden der Stadt, im Stadtteil Moosach mitten in einem Wohngebiet - zwei U-Bahn-Stationen vom Olympiastadion entfernt.

Wichtiger Hinweis der Polizei zur Schießerei in München
Die Polizei ruft dazu auf, keine Videos oder Bilder online zu stellen, die den Tätern Informationen über das aktuelle Vorgehen der Einsatzkräfte geben könnten.
Gibt es Opfer?

Nach Polizeiangaben gab es mindestens fünf Tote und mehrere Verletzte. Der BR und die Nachrichtenagentur AFP berichten von sechs Toten.

Was ist über den Hintergrund der Schießerei bekannt?

Hierzu gibt es bislang keinerlei gesicherte Erkenntnisse. Kurz nach der Schießerei hatte eine Polizeisprecherin gesagt, man gehe von einem Amoklauf aus. Inzwischen spricht die Polizei von einem "Terrorverdacht".  Die Landeshauptstadt München rief einen "Sonderfall" wegen einer "Amoklage" aus.

Gab es einen oder mehrere Schützen?

Man gehe von mehreren Tätern aus, die auf der Flucht seien, sagte ein Polizeisprecherin. Die Täter waren Zeugen zufolge mit Gewehren ausgerüstet. Es soll sich um drei Täter handeln.

Welche Folgen gibt es an anderen Orten der Stadt?

Die Münchner Polizei hat die Bürger dazu aufgerufen, ihre Wohnung möglichst nicht zu verlassen. "Meiden Sie öffentliche Plätze in München. Die Lage ist noch unübersichtlich", schrieb die Polizei über Twitter.


Der Verkehr von U-Bahn, Straßenbahn und Bussen wurde auf Anweisung der Polizei eingestellt. Wann die Maßnahme wieder aufgehoben werden könne sei derzeit noch völlig unklar, sagte ein Sprecher der Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft. Die S-Bahn fährt in den Außenbereichen der Stadt noch, in der Innenstadt wurde der Betrieb eingestellt.

Der Hauptbahnhof der bayerischen Landeshauptstadt wurde evakuiert. Der Zugverkehr wurde komplett eingestellt" Die Züge aus allen Richtungen würden vorzeitig an Bahnhöfen im Umland gestoppt, so ein Bahn-Sprecher. Am Flughafen München läuft der Betrieb normal.

Die Polizei rief dazu auf, die Autobahnen auf dem Weg nach München zu meiden bzw. zu verlassen, um anfahrenden Einsatzfahrzeugen auf dem Weg nach München die freie Durchfahrt zu ermöglichen.

An mehreren Orten der Stadt gerieten Menschen in Panik - so auch am Stachus, einem der zentralen Punkte in der Innenstadt. Die Münchner Polizei stellte inzwischen aber klar, dass es hier einen Fehlalarm gab.

Original: http://www.tagesschau.de/inland/muenchen-schiesserei-103.html

Ivanka Trump Reaches Out To Women, Urges Support For Them In Workforce



Donald Trump has not had a good record with women this campaign, but on Thursday night his eldest daughter, Ivanka, described her father as a champion of working women and mothers.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump takes the stage on the final evening of the Republican National Convention.

Introducing her father at the Republican National Convention — her biggest stage yet — Ivanka, 34, praised Trump's business sense and ability to "see potential in others," and she offered personal anecdotes about his character as a father.

A businesswoman in her own right, Ivanka Trump described the presidential nominee's record of hiring women before similar companies did.

"My father values talent. He is colorblind and gender neutral," she said to applause. "When Donald Trump is in charge, all that counts is ability, excellence and effort."

Ivanka, herself a mother, described the current wage gap for women, particularly for moms.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump delivers his nomination acceptance speech to conclude the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

"As president, my father will change the labor laws that were put in place at a time when women were not a significant portion of the workforce," she said. "And he will focus on making quality child care affordable and accessible for all."

This is perhaps more typically a Democratic talking point, but as she noted at the beginning of her speech: "Like many of my fellow millennials, I do not consider myself categorically Republican or Democrat."

Next year, Ivanka will be releasing her second book — one focused on women in the workforce. In the announcement on her website last month, she wrote, "If you ask me, there's nothing more incredible than a woman who's in charge of her own destiny—and working daily to make her dreams a reality."

She is thought to be one of her father's most influential advisers, a person who can persuade him to hire or fire someone. She has also become one of his most forceful surrogates this election.

Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, delivers a speech during the final evening session of the Republican National Convention.

The big question is, can Ivanka persuade some female voters to support her father?

Libby Wuller, who recently attended a party hosted by RightNOW Women's PAC, which works to get Republican women into office, said in an interview before Thursday night's speech that although she is no fan of Donald Trump and his rhetoric about women, she is impressed with Ivanka.

"She's intelligent; she's strong-willed; she has an entrepreneurial spirit. Being a young woman working in the startup space, these are qualities I admire in her," Wuller said. Despite liking those qualities, however, Wuller said it's not enough to make her cast her vote for Donald Trump.

Barbara Sears, a Republican state representative in Ohio, is not sure whether she likes Trump personally, but she plans to vote for him.

However, another young woman, Larissa Martinez, said Ivanka could influence this campaign. "I think she could actually help her father and her father's operation when it comes to outreach to women because I think there's a lot of Republican women that identify with some of the balances with family versus professional," she said. "She's very eloquent, she speaks very well and I think that she could help mold the way he talks to women."

At a town hall in Cleveland, Isabel Reid said she is not sure she will vote for Trump, but she does appreciate that Ivanka is one of his close advisers. "She comes off as being intelligent, a smart businesswoman, and someone who's more informed than her father," Reid said.

This goodwill for Ivanka may prove to be a powerful political weapon for her father. And while she might not be able to flip votes, she could very well solidify support for him.

Original: http://www.npr.org/2016/07/21/486944210/how-ivanka-trump-could-prove-to-be-her-fathers-most-powerful-weapon

Video Depicts iPhone 7 Mockups in Gold, Rose Gold, and 'Space Black'



Another video has emerged online showing probable mockups of iPhone 7 units, but this time viewers are given a better idea of what the new handset might look like in three colors that Apple may offer this September.

The video was posted to YouTube channel ConceptsiPhone yesterday and shows the iPhone 7 in Rose Gold, Gold, and what the titling calls "Space Black".

The mockups depict the now familiar design expectations such as protruding camera, repositioned antenna bands, and no headphone jack, but it's the "Space Black" reference that stands out as a curiosity this time around.

Rumors in June pointed to the possibility that Apple was readying a darker variant of its traditional Space Grey color, described by one source as "close to black, though not quite black". This so-called "new, darker shade" was thought to more closely resemble the look of the "space black" stainless steel Apple Watch, which is darker than the "space gray" aluminum Apple Watch Sport.

However, earlier this month, alleged photographs of Apple's proposed iPhone 7 colorways stuck to showing the company's typical four variants of Rose Gold, Space Gray, Gold, and Silver, similar to the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.

The "Space Black" variant depicted in the latest video does look darker than a typical iPhone 6s Space Grey unit, but the poor lighting makes identification a guessing game, and it could be just as likely that the unusual naming convention is simply a botched amalgam of previous rumors.

On the other hand, Apple has used different shades of "space gray" and "black and slate" across its device lineups over the years. The iPhone 6s and iPad Pro, for example, each have a lighter shade of "space gray" compared to the iPhone 5s and original iPad Air respectively.

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are expected to be officially unveiled by Apple in the fall. In addition to the aforementioned features, the smartphones are expected to have faster Apple A10 processors, 32GB of base storage, improved waterproofing, and faster LTE and Wi-Fi.


четверг, 21 июля 2016 г.

'Lights Out' Review: I Love You but I've Chosen Darkness



Why do we still get scared at thing that go bump in the night? At the movies, I mean. Lights Out, the feature-length (well, 80 minutes) film version of a horror short that went viral online, allows Swedish filmmaker David F. Sandberg to earn his stripes as a director in the big leagues. It was horror master James Wan (Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring) who gave Sandberg the go-ahead for a $5 million feature.

He does a solid job of raising hell. With screenwriter Eric Heisserer fleshing out a 146-second short, Lights Out provides the reliably smashing Maria Bello a chance to dig into the juicy role of Sophie, a mother who keeps driving away the men in her life — not to mention her children. Insomniac daughter Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) has long ago moved out of the spookily-shaded family dump to an apartment in downtown Los Angeles. Now Rebecca's 10-year-old stepbrother Martin (Gabriel Bateman) wants to head for the hills, or in this case, her apartment. His father (Billy Burke) has died at work for reasons unknown and Mom sees dead people. Make that one dead person: Diana (Alicia Vela-Bailey), a social outcast who did time with Sophie years ago in a mental institution. She's is a real chatterbox, and harmless enough ... until the lights go out. Then Diana starts death-dancing around the house like a spider hunting for a fly, namely anyone who gets in the way of her and Sophie. Turn on the lights, Diana's gone. Turn them back on, it's Halloween!

Predictable stuff, energized by some spiffy scare effects from cinematographer Marc Spicer who works wonders with underlighting. But the on/off tricks would grow tiring without actors who perform well beyond the call of fright-house duty. Bello makes a sympathetic figure out of a loving mother who thinks Diana is something she's conjured out of her own subconscious. Her scenes with the skilled Palmer have a touching quality that suggest a real mother-daughter relationship grown toxic. It's these two actors who make something hypnotic and haunting out of a movie built out of spare parts.

Original: http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/lights-out-movie-review-w429972

Apple Car's Rumored 2020 Launch Target May Have Slipped to 2021

In an in-depth profile about Brian, Kevin, and Michael Sumner, three brothers said to be working on the Apple Car, The Information reports that Apple's rumored 2020 target for launching the much-rumored electric vehicle, codenamed Project Titan, may have slipped to 2021.

The group has run into challenges, say people briefed about aspects of Titan along with other reports. Its top executive left in January, a sign that things there weren’t going well. One person who worked briefly with the Titan team was told during their tenure at Apple that the company had been trying to deliver a vehicle by 2020 but the target slipped to 2021.

The report refers to the January departure of Apple VP of Product Design Steve Zadesky, who was believed to be leading Apple's electric vehicle development efforts since 2014, as one of multiple challenges that may be pushing back the target date for launching the vehicle. Tesla CEO Elon Musk previously said the so-called Apple Car is unlikely to be ready by 2020, calling it a "missed opportunity."

With seemingly another three to five years of research and development ahead, Apple's roadmap could change. Last September, for example, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Apple Car was labeled as a "committed project" with a prospective 2019 shipping date. Tesla, meanwhile, has sold the Model S since 2012 and received some 400,000 pre-orders for its lower-priced Model 3 due in 2017.

The bulk of Apple's electric vehicle development is believed to be underway in Sunnyvale, California, a short drive from the company's Cupertino headquarters. Apple has reportedly recruited hundreds of engineers from Tesla, Ford, GM, Samsung, A123 Systems, Nvidia, and elsewhere to work on the project, said to have been approved by Apple CEO Tim Cook in 2014.

Southwest Airlines travel nightmare should be easing



Southwest Airlines says it has fixed the computer glitch that caused what the carrier called a "major outage" Wednesday and forced Southwest to cancel or delay hundreds of flights, reports CBS Dallas.

But the station says the backlog will have Southwest playing catch-up Thursday.

The Dallas based airline released a statement early Thursday saying, "Flexible rebooking accommodation will be available to customers once our systems are fully functional. Customers who are booked to travel Thursday, July 21, should check flight status information on Southwest.com and plan to arrive to the airport early, as long lines may occur."

Southwest Chief Communication Officer Linda Rutherford said I a tweeted video, "We know we've disappointed customers ... and we're really, really sorry about that. It's unacceptable to us. ... We know there are long lines at the airport and we really appreciate everyone's patience.

Southwest began having intermittent problems with several computer systems after an outage around 2 p.m. Central time.

Southwest briefly held planes at its gates, according to spokesman Brad Hawkins. Even after those planes resumed moving, delays piled up over the next several hours.

By late Wednesday night, the airline tweeted that it was still manually checking in passengers.

For about three hours, visitors to Southwest.com couldn't buy tickets, check in for flights, or check their flight's status. The site appeared to be working again by late afternoon, then crashed again.

Shortly before 10 p.m. Central time, Southwest said the outages had caused 600 to 700 canceled and delayed flights. Tracking service FlightStats Inc. put the numbers much higher - 400 cancelations and 2,000 delays.

Anxious customers tweeted to Southwest that they couldn;t check in for flights.

Leah Boyd and her husband, Matt, were flying to Providence, Rhode Island, but were held up at the Baltimore airport for three hours by mechanical issues with two different planes.

They finally boarded a plane, but after sitting at the gate for nearly an hour passengers were asked to exit because of the technology outage, Boyd said. Then the pilots reached the end of their shifts, so passengers waited for a replacement crew.

The Boyds ended up canceling their reservations and planned to drive to Rhode Island on Thursday instead. Leah figured it would be hard to find seats on another flight.

"I've never seen so many people in the terminal," she said. "All these people are going to be flying standby."

Airlines have sprawling, overlapping and complicated technology systems, and even brief outages can cause thousands of passengers to be stranded for hours.

Last October, an outage caused about 800 Southwest flights to be delayed and forced employees to issue tickets and boarding passes by hand. The airline blamed a software application, and it recovered in about a day. United Airlines and American Airlines both had computer problems last summer but fixed the problems within a day.

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co. carries more passengers within the United States than any airline. However, it is far smaller than American, Delta and United when international traffic is included.

Original: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/southwest-airlines-travel-nightmare-should-be-easing/

One Direction Breakup: Liam Payne Signs Solo Deal



First Zayn Malik went out on his own. Then Harry Styles became an actor. And now we’re losing Liam Payne.

So that leaves Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan. But they’ve also moved on, Horan has a promising golf career and Tomlinson is a father.

Liam Payne of One Direction announced his post-1D plans on Twitter today. He signed with Capital Records for a solo deal.

The Mirror obtained a statement from the former boy band heartthrob:

I’m really happy to have signed to such a prestigious label as Capitol Records UK. Capitol Records has an amazing history stretching right back before even Frank Sinatra and I’m really looking forward to becoming part of their story.

According to Mirror, Nick Raphael, president of Capitol Records UK, said, “Capitol Records UK are incredibly excited to be working with Liam…It’s not often you get the chance to sign such a talented and ambitious 22 year old who has already conquered the world.”

Payne will head into the studio soon, says Mirror.

In February 2016, multiple outlets confirmed that Styles left the band’s management, Modest Management, to forge a solo career. The Sun confirmed the news:

He will now be managed by close friend and top US agent Jeffrey Azoff, with the pair even discussing investing in a new Hollywood management company.

A high up music insider revealed to The Sun that “Harry is done with One Direction. He wants to completely disassociate with the band and that includes any professional connection…His new team will be about launching him as a solo superstar by around this time next year so the work is starting now.”

Last month, Mirror reported that Styles had possibly signed a contract with Columbia Records.

And he’s also acting; right now he’s filming a Christopher Nolan film about World War II called Dunkirk. It’s set to release in July 2017, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Malik launched a solo career last year and released his first solo album in March 2016, Mind of Mine.

Not shortly after Malik left the band, the group went on a hiatus. In January 2016, Us Weekly confirmed that the hiatus was permanent and the band was “splitting,” so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to fans that many of the members have moved on.

Fans are mourning the loss of their favorite band on Twitter with the hashtag #OneDirectionIsOverParty, with Payne’s exit further proof that One Direction is never ever getting back together.

Listen to Tiffany Trump’s Forgotten Pop Song

Tiffany Trump’s Forgotten Pop Song

Like many 17-year-olds in 2011, Donald Trump’s daughter Tiffany had musical aspirations. Specifically, she wanted to be a pop star. Trumps tend to go into the family real-estate business, but at the age of 17, Tiffany appeared to take more after her mother, actress Marla Maples. She recorded a pop song called “Like a Bird,” which remains the extent of her music career. It’s extremely Auto-Tuned, so it’s hard to tell what Trump’s voice actually sounds like, but the bleary melody and synth effects will probably get stuck in your head for at least the next few hours.

Trump talked about her life and musical aspirations in a 2011 segment on Oprah’s show Where Are They Now?. The package is about the unknown Donald Trump offspring who grew up on the West Coast with her mother, making her experience very different from that of her half-brothers’ and sister’s. Trump notes that she and Maples are very close because “she did raise me as, like, a single mom.” The segment shows Trump and Maples doing everyday things like playing tennis and cooking dinner. Trump also looks at pictures of her half-siblings, remarking on how different their life must be in New York City, where her dad is “like, the center of the city.”

Then, we get to the music. We see Trump in the recording studio, pretending to sing “Like a Bird” for Oprah’s cameras. There’s no way a voice with that kind of echo sound could naturally emerge from a human mouth, so we’re not watching musical history being made. That’s fine, though, because Trump is surprisingly down to earth about her foray into pop.

“I love music, it’s always been a big passion for me. It’s more of a hobby right now, but we’ll see in a couple of years if I actually do want to take it to the next level—to a professional level. But right now my priority is focusing on school and getting into a good college.”

That’s exactly what Trump did after “Like a Bird” was released. She attended the University of Pennsylvania, from which she graduated in 2016. She double majored in sociology and urban studies, and her father told People in 2014 that she was getting straight As. Her post-Penn plans are unknown, but Tiffany Trump was launched into the national spotlight last night when she spoke about her father at the R.N.C. in Cleveland.

Trump’s pop career appears to have started and ended with “Like a Bird,” but you can still buy her first and only solo outing on Amazon.


среда, 20 июля 2016 г.

Apple Facing Class Action Lawsuit for Offering Refurbished Replacement Devices Under AppleCare+

AppleCare+

Apple is facing a new class action lawsuit, levied today by customers in California who are unhappy that their iPhones and iPads were replaced with refurbished devices under Apple's AppleCare or AppleCare+ warranty plan.

Filed by Vicky Maldonado and Joanne McRight, the lawsuit, first shared by Cult of Mac, accuses Apple of failing to provide replacement devices that are "equivalent to new in performance and reliability" as stated in the company's terms and conditions.

Both plaintiffs purchased replacement devices under AppleCare protection plans and were given refurbished devices rather than new devices, which they claim is a violation of the aforementioned line in the AppleCare Terms and Conditions.

The Apple Plans purport to provide consumers with Devices that are "equivalent to new in performance and reliability." What that phrase means is 'new' as refurbished devices can never be the equivalent to new in performance and reliability. Plaintiffs allege that it means refurbished. Refurbished is synonymous with the term "reconditioned," that is, a secondhand unit that has been modified to appear to be new for all purposes relevant to this litigation.

"New" means a Device that has never been utilized or previously sold and consists of all new parts. The word "refurbished" appears only once in the AppleCare+ terms and conditions even though the printed booklet is 33 pages long.
The plaintiffs claim they were deprived of the "use and value" of their original devices when Apple replaced them with refurbished devices, suffering an economic loss in the amount of the cost of the AppleCare plans, the loss of value of their original non-refurbished devices, and the purchase cost and replacement cost paid to Apple.

Apple is being accused of breach of contract, breach of warranty, concealing information from the public, deceptive marketing, violating labeling requirements, and unfair competitive practices. The lawsuit covers all customers who purchased an AppleCare or AppleCare+ plan for an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch after July 11, 2011.

The plaintiffs are seeking damages, attorneys fees, an order that would prevent Apple from replacing damaged or defective iOS devices with refurbished devices in the future, updated AppleCare+ terms and conditions, and an option to get a refund for a broken device instead of a repair.

What do you think about it?

пятница, 15 июля 2016 г.

The Mets’ Rise And Fall With Doc Gooden And Darryl Strawberry



By most measures, 1983 was yet another miserable summer in New York for what had become the National League’s worst franchise. The Mets finished dead last in the NL, 23 games out of first place, and came in under 70 wins for the seventh consecutive season. Worse yet, ace pitcher Tom Seaver, easily the Mets’ best player to that point in franchise history, was snapped up by the White Sox after the season because general manager Frank Cashen neglected to protect him from inclusion in the free-agent compensation pool.

But 1983 also had bright spots. In addition to the midseason acquisition of 1979 NL co-MVP Keith Hernandez, the Mets had in their minor-league system a pair of prospects who would soon dramatically improve the team’s fortunes. Those players — outfielder Darryl Strawberry and pitcher Dwight “Doc” Gooden — are the subject of a 30 for 30 documentary that premieres tonight on ESPN, and their story highlights how quickly superstar phenoms can help remake a franchise in tatters.

It also underscores how, just as quickly, everything can evaporate.

Strawberry was the first of the Mets’ two whiz kids to reach the majors, early in that otherwise ill-fated 1983 season. When he arrived from AAA Tidewater on May 6, the Mets were 6-15 and 10 games out of the NL lead. Things would get worse before they got better. During his first month in The Show, Strawberry hit just .164 and struck out once every 2.5 at-bats. But five weeks into his career, he finally started to figure out big-league pitching: From June 7 onward, Strawberry posted a .936 OPS (on-base plus slugging) — better than eventual league MVP Dale Murphy. After the season, Strawberry was named the NL’s Rookie of the Year.

Gooden didn’t make his debut until the following season, but he quickly proved to be Strawberry’s equal as a prospect. In his first two months of major-league action, Gooden struck out 73 batters, one of the highest totals ever in a pitcher’s first nine career starts:

PLAYERTEAMIPERAWHIPBBSO
Kerry WoodCHC53.13.041.142785
Herb ScoreCLE72.02.881.294582
Jose DeLeonPIT71.02.030.922780
Stephen StrasburgWSH54.12.321.071575
Hideo NomoLAD57.02.841.263475
Masahiro TanakaNYY64.02.390.97873
Dwight GoodenNYM51.13.681.252573

Only includes pitchers for whom their first nine games were starts.

And he was just getting started. Those strikeout-happy first two months actually were the worst stretch of Gooden’s rookie year; he would post a 2.27 ERA from June onward and finish the season second in the voting for NL Cy Young and first in the Rookie of the Year race. Gooden’s rookie campaign was so dominant that, according to FanGraphs’ wins above replacement, it was the most valuable debut season by any player — pitcher or otherwise — since 1901:
WAR
YEARPLAYERAGETEAMBATTINGPITCHINGTOTAL
1984Dwight Gooden19NYM0.28.38.5
2001Albert Pujols21STL7.20.07.2
1939Ted Williams20BOS7.10.07.1
1911Pete Alexander24PHI-0.47.26.8
2015Kris Bryant23CHC6.50.06.5
1977Mitchell Page25OAK6.20.06.2
1943Lou Klein24STL6.10.06.1
1942Johnny Pesky22BOS6.10.06.1
2001Ichiro Suzuki27SEA6.00.06.0
1949Don Newcombe23BKN0.35.65.9
Thanks to another 25-homer, .800-OPS season from Strawberry and a strong performance by Hernandez (who finished second on the team — and 14th among NL hitters — with 5.7 WAR), the 1984 Mets ended the season with 90 victories, a 22-game improvement over the previous year.
It was the start of a turnaround unlike just about any in modern baseball history. If you’d taken those ghastly 1983 Mets and built a simple regression model predicting how many games they’d win over the next five seasons — based on things like how many WAR they had on the roster (not many); how young their batters and pitchers were2 (not very); and the size of the market in which they played (large, but cramped by the crosstown Yankees’ slice of the New York media pie) — you’d have guessed the Mets would win about 77 games per season from 1984 to 1988. In reality, they averaged 98 wins a season over that span, the second-biggest positive differential between forecast and fact since the NL adopted the 162-game schedule in 1962:
paine-doc-and-darryl-3
Those five seasons were the apex for Doc and Straw. Strawberry had the effortless power and discerning eye of a young Reggie Jackson. He could also run, swiping at least 25 bases every season from 1984 to 1988. Among a stellar class of young outfielders in the mid-to-late 1980s that included Barry Bonds, Rickey Henderson, Tim Raines and Tony Gwynn, Strawberry was staking his claim near the top of the list.
Gooden, meanwhile, was a monumental talent, at his peak one of the most dominant pitchers this side of Pedro Martinez. In 1984 — at age 19! — Doc’sfielding independent pitching (FIP) was 1.69, still the seventh-lowest(relative to the league) ever in a single season. He followed that up with a 1.53 ERA as a 20-year-old, the 12th-lowest (again, relative to league average) ever recorded in a season.
It was one of the most masterful stretches by a pitcher ever, and it helped Gooden produce the 20th-best pair of back-to-back WAR seasons by a pitcher in major league history, all before his 21st birthday. It also included the bulk of a magical 50-start span that stretched from late in the 1984 season into early 1986, during which Gooden allowed an infinitesimal 1.38 ERA, struck out 4.6 batters for each one he walked and led the Mets to a 41-9 record when he took the mound.
During that five-year run, the Mets won at least 90 games every year, breaking the mythic 100-win barrier twice. They won the World Series in 1986 and came within a game of going to another in 1988. And Doc and Darryl were the driving forces. They finished 1-2 on the team in WAR over that span and became the 20th-most-productive pair of teammates under age 26 in baseball history.
YEARTEAMPLAYER 1CAREER WARPLAYER 2CAREER WARTOTAL WAR
1913DETTy Cobb63.4Donie Bush21.384.7
1958MILEddie Mathews45.2Hank Aaron28.473.6
1914BOSTris Speaker48.0Joe Wood25.073.0
1958NYYMickey Mantle61.2Andy Carey11.272.4
1941NYYJoe DiMaggio46.0Joe Gordon22.468.4
1922STLRogers Hornsby57.5Austin McHenry10.367.8
1913WSHWalter Johnson45.8Clyde Milan21.467.2
1921NYYBabe Ruth57.7Bob Meusel8.065.7
1977TEXBert Blyleven53.0Jim Sundberg11.764.7
1962CINFrank Robinson43.4Vada Pinson20.864.2
1914WSHWalter Johnson53.8Chick Gandil10.464.2
1935NYGMel Ott53.6Hal Schumacher10.564.1
1957NYYMickey Mantle52.4Bill Skowron11.363.7
1934PHAJimmie Foxx55.9Pinky Higgins7.463.3
1912PHAEddie Collins36.4Frank Baker26.663.0
1913PHAEddie Collins45.4Jack Barry17.062.4
1929NYYLou Gehrig40.2Tony Lazzeri20.961.1
1985NYYRickey Henderson41.8Dave Righetti17.259.0
1932NYGMel Ott33.2Freddie Lindstrom25.558.7
1988NYMDwight Gooden33.8Darryl Strawberry24.958.7
Best under-26 combos in MLB history
Ages as of July 1 of the season in question.
SOURCE: FANGRAPHS
With Gooden and Strawberry blossoming into megastars, the Mets seemed poised to build on their ’86 Series victory and form a full-blown dynasty. But the duo’s on-field accomplishments were masking a variety of personal demons — issues that would ultimately derail their careers and dash New York’s hopes of long-term dominance.
Gooden and Strawberry were both products of alcoholic fathers; Darryl’s was abusive, Doc’s was relentlessly overbearing. And practically from the start of their pro careers, the two plunged into their own cycles of violence and substance abuse. Both men built an ugly legacy of violence against women. Gooden missed the Mets’ 1986 World Series parade because of drugs and tested positive for cocaine the next spring, the opening entries in a long list of personal problems. Strawberry clashed with teammates and spent multiple stints in rehab for drug and alcohol addiction. Goodencontemplated suicide; Strawberry relapsed into drug use even after recovering from cancer. They became the faces of decadence, wasted talent and the full range of cultural pathologies attached to star athletes in the roaring 1980s.
For a time, both players were able to perform well despite the personal turmoil. (Each was able to produce at least 6.5 WAR — the mark of a strong All-Star or borderline MVP — in 1990, even as their off-field lives were crumbling.) But ultimately, neither player’s career lived up to the expectations set in their early careers. Depending on which WAR variant you use, Gooden’s career total fell about 10 wins shy of what could have been expected from similar players as a young pitcher. Likewise, Strawberry missed the career WAR totals of his comparables by 22 wins.
Just as the emergence of Gooden and Strawberry fueled the Mets’ surprising turnaround after the 1983 season, their twin downfalls contributed to the Mets’ collapse in the early-to-mid 1990s. After the 1990 season, when Doc and Darryl led New York to a 91-71 record in their last year together, the same next-five-years prediction model from above would have expected 87 wins per year from the Mets’ 1991-95 seasons. Instead, the team averaged 73 victories over that span, the 17th-biggest shortfall of the 162-game era.
Strawberry bolted to the Dodgers as a free agent in November 1990 and made the All-Star team his first season in LA, but he was never the same again. Gooden stuck around in New York for a few more years before a drug suspension cost him the entire 1995 season and ended his tenure with the club. And the Mets had the worst record in baseball from 1991 to 1996.
It was a stunning collapse for all parties involved and a reminder of how fragile a gifted core of young superstars can be. Just as quickly as extraordinary talent can breathe new life into a flagging franchise, it can also pave the way for disappointment, leaving a generation of fans wondering what might have been.