text:
Groups and Organizations, Adventurer Groups, Nazarick
Faction Information
漆黒
Shikkoku
Momon
Adventurer Group
E-Rantel
Debut Information
Overlord Chapter 5
Overlord Episode 5
Darkness (漆黒) was originally one of the three strongest adamantite ranked adventurer teams of the Re-Estize Kingdom. They are even once considered as the most powerful adventurer party in the Re-Estize Kingdom. However, with E-Rantel conquered by the Sorcerer Kingdom, they switch allegiance to the Sorcerer King, becoming the first adamantite adventurer team to be part of the newly-founded nation.
The foundation of Darkness.
After leaving the Great Tomb of Nazarick temporarily, Ainz Ooal Gown has made it his objective to become a famous adventurer. He plans to live in a city such as E-Rantel for a while to better understand the norms of human society and assimilate to it. In addition, he wants to avoid confronting humans as enemies and hence, the reason for their disguise. This was so for the purpose of gathering more information about the New World and its inhabitants he tends to encounter on his adventures. In order to carry out this sort of mission, he enlisted the help of Narberal Gamma as his adventurer partner in accompanying him during his journey to the fortress city of E-Rantel. Furthermore, the group disguised themselves as novice adventurers under the alternative names of Momon and Nabe respectively. At the same time, the two are equipped with lower-class gears than they normally wear back at Nazarick; this way, they are not in possession of any gear over third-tier which might cause others to suspect them, due to humans having an average cap at the third tier, with rare exception exceeding that. They started their first adventurer group debut at E-Rantel and made the city as their home base of operation.
Initially, Darkness was supposed to be an adventurer group consisting of only two members at the time of making their team. Though the adventurer group lacks a support type (divine) magic caster, they were still able to manage in successfully achieving several feats from major requests/missions. They have also registered the Wise King of the Forest in the group's rank right after Momon tamed it, making the creature his pet and his companion to fight alongside with. According to two members of Blue Roses, it only took the recently-made adventurer group to reach Adamantite rank around a few months, since their debut in the Adventurer's Guild. Darkness's accomplishments ranged from slaying a powerful vampire, clearing up the graveyard incident in E-Rantel, and the list goes on. During that time, the adventurer team have yet to establish their official group name and were just called "Black" for the moment until it was finally decided. Because of all the amazing things they have done within a short matter of time, it led their reputation to greatly spread throughout the Re-Estize Kingdom and even the Baharuth Empire who learned about their group's history.
Original Goal of the Momon Persona
At first, Ainz was planning to raise the fame of the Momon persona and his adventurer group. With the goal of becoming one of the highest-ranked adventurers of E-Rantel, everybody would know his name by recognition of the fame he attained during his adventures. Once his reputation as an adventurer grew to the point of being recognized as a hero, he would then reveal Momon's true identity, hoping to turn all that fame he attained from Momon over to that of Ainz Ooal Gown. This way, he believed it can actually spread Ainz Ooal Gown throughout the New World population. Ainz wanted to show his guild that he can bring forth a change in this world, by committing to good deeds and feats under the name of Momon.
Momon's Fake Story and Motivation towards the Vampires
While the Adventurer's Guild was investigating the sudden appearance of a mysterious vampire, Ainz had to think fast to contain the situation and resolve it. Thus Momon told the Guildmaster and gathered Mythril Ranks that he knew of the creature's true identity and had been chasing after it for many years. With it finally appearing near the city of E-Rantel where he is at, Momon decided that he alone will be the one who would eliminate the vampire. Considering the vampire as extremely powerful, Momon 'explained' that the reason why he honestly became an adventurer in the first place was to collect information about vampires like them. Particularly, Momon informs the Adventurer's Guild that he is hunting down two vampires with one of them being Honyopenyoko. When the Adventurer's Guild inquires Momon of his true identity and which country he hailed from, the latter refuses to tell the truth as he is currently tasked with a highly secretive mission. If word got out about this, Momon explained that he'd have no other choice but to leave E-Rantel for good, not wanting his involvement with slaying the vampire to become an international incident. By suggesting to the Adventurer's Guild leader that Darkness be promoted to orichalcum after such event is resolved, Momon wants this mission to become more convenient for him in helping further emphasize his search for the other unknown vampire in the future. In truth, Momon knows this method will get people to request him on doing more dangerous missions once he is promoted, allowing the opportunity to gather other sorts of information besides powerful vampires.
Suspicions about Momon's ties with an Opposing Force
Pluton Ainzach debates with his colleagues whether Momon was in cahoots with Honyopenyoko, thinking the possibility is very low without any hard evidence to testify against him. This suspicion came to be when they keenly took notice of why the said vampire had halted its attack from ever reaching the city of E-Rantel. The reason why they felt distrustful of Momon was that he suddenly showed up at the same time when the Vampire made its appearance. However, they later put that speculation to rest, since there are no contradictions to Momon's story. They justified the vampire's action for ceasing its rampage and not kill the witness Brita on the spot was because it must have caught wind of the female adventurer being equipped with a Minor Healing Potion related to Momon. They think the vampire spared Brita to catch Momon's attention of its presence nearby and have him stay in the city to go after it.
For Igvarge, suspicions of Momon being linked to the vampire were true and he tried to flee from Darkness while his companions are all killed for learning the truth. Igvarge's next objective after escaping was disclosing everything he knew about Momon to E-Rantel's officials, even willing to spread false rumors about Darkness if needed to further his own agenda. Unfortunately, before he could carry out this objective, Igvarge had met his death at the hands of Mare Bello Fiore.
Meanwhile, the Slane Theocracy had already acquired information about Momon's hunt for vampires through unknown means yet to be explained. The question that is on the minds of Theocracy's cardinals during a meeting they had together, was whether or not Momon is actually an ally of the magic caster, Ainz Ooal Gown or in league with other entities. Some thought that Momon was an ally of justice as he opposed the vampire and Jaldabaoth. While the others doubt such a case considering he may have possibly been colluding with the Sorcerer King, Jaldabaoth, and Honyopenyoko all this time until now. They felt it was oddly suspicious enough to notice that Momon's debut was fairly recent just as those three suddenly appearing along the way.[1]
Rumors surrounding Darkness's origin and homeland
Adventurers of the Swords of Darkness identified Momon and Nabe as foreigners who hailed from the far south. They are able to deduce the origin behind Momon and Nabe was due to the uncanny, distinct features the two have shared in common with people of a nation far south of E-Rantel. Such traits are the black hair and eye colors the two members of Darkness possessed. These characteristics of theirs are apparently commonplace among the people of the south who lived in a region very far from where they are currently at, indicating a population with features indicative of Asian persons from Momonga's world.
Workers who bear witness to watching Momon's sparred with Parpatra Ogrion unfold have always wondered what kind of Martial Arts school he was taught under after seeing the warrior's footwork technique which was unorthodox to them. Pluton Ainzach and Theo Rakheshir considered Darkness as surviving royals/nobles of a nation that was annihilated by vampires years ago. Hence, the speculation they have about Momon was that he is out to seek vengeance against these undead creatures. Furthermore, it emphasized their reason over how Darkness came into possession of valuable magic items used during the vampire incident. They agreed that the powerful items Darkness has in their arsenal could be the treasures of his royal family.
Relationship between Momon and Nabe
The adventurers of Darkness.
According to Andre, several people from E-Rantel he spoke to had told him that the relationship Momon and Nabe shared together is between man and woman. While other people presumably compared their relationship as the kind that is similar to master and servant. It was viewed to be that way as several people heard Nabe address Momon with honorifics until he corrected her. Rakheshir suggested Nabe and Momon have similar ancestry. In Andre's words, they often see Nabe be following Momon's orders blindly and faithfully without hesitation. During a meeting that was about the demonic disturbance set forth by Jaldabaoth, an adventurer even mistakenly thought the reason why there is usually two members present in the adventurer team was so they can spend quality time together on things like lovemaking.
When Momon was taking a break on guard duty over the tomb while workers were exploring it, gossip by the adventurers present believed his resting place being the tent was a love nest for only him and Nabe. As the tent was a certain distance away from where adventurers were, there were some people among them who assumed it was stationed there on purpose for a certain reason. Adventurers figured that it was done this way to keep the audible noises like Momon's and Nabe's moans from reaching outside Darkness's tent while the two are copulating. In fact, there were people who intentionally made a show of not caring even if they were to hear them. According to Ainz, Momon didn't deny the claim of the tent being a love nest outright was to give a convincing reason not to eavesdrop on them.
The Dark Warrior Arc
Main article: The Dark Warrior Arc
Darkness first triumphs over Zurrernorn.
Darkness debuted in E-Rantel, where they started off as copper class adventurers, the lowest rank. Their first job was to escort Nfirea Bareare to Carne Village along with the Swords of Darkness and help him get some herbs from Tob Forest which they easily achieved.[2] Along the way, the duo single-handedly mowed down a group of ogres headed for E-Rantel,[3] and once inside the forest, Momon managed to defeat and tame the Wise King of the Forest.[4]
Darkness was requested again by Lizzie Bareare, the grandmother of Nfirea to save his grandson from the unknown group, who kidnapped him. They went to E-Rantel's cemetery, and faced a mob of the undead, but managed to breakthrough. They met the two instigators, a hero class warrior, and an old necromancer, who were performing a death ritual. The duo managed to kill them and foil their plan before they set it in motion.[5] For their part in saving the city, Momon and Nabe were promoted to mythril class adventurers.[6]
The Bloody Valkyrie Arc
Main article: The Bloody Valkyrie Arc
Gathering of E-Rantel's Mythril Adventurer Teams.
Kralgra, Sky Wolf, Rainbow, and Darkness were summoned amid the mythril class adventurer groups of E-Rantel to discuss the appearance of the powerful vampire, Honyopenyoko. Momon insisted that Darkness would fight against Honyopenyoko alone, arguing that if others became involve in the fight, it will only increase the number of lives lost as casualties from his battle with the vampire. He also offers a condition to Guildmaster Pluton Ainzach that after this incident is resolved, where he vanquished the Vampire, Momon wants the status of Darkness to climb to an orichalcum rank at the bare minimum. Hearing Momon's reasons, Sky Wolf and Rainbow accepted his suggestions while Kralgra ignored his advice, choosing to follow after Darkness anyways which resulted in the groups' demise being assassinated secretly.[7]
The battle with the vampire ended with Momon successfully killing the vampire in an intense battle and through the help of using items such as the Sealing Crystal against it. The Adventurer's Guild later examined the aftermath of the battle and came to the conclusion that he had truly vanquished the vampire. It seems the only losses were the adventurer group, Kralgra who are believed to have supposedly died during the battle. Although the condition from his meeting with the Adventurer's Guild was fulfilled, Darkness was instead promoted to adamantite class adventurers, the highest adventurer rank attainable which is above orichalcum as promised. They became the third adamantite class adventurer party in the Kingdom. They became extremely famous and this allowed them to monopolize all mythril class quests in E-Rantel.[8]
The Sealed Evil Tree Arc
Main article: The Sealed Evil Tree Arc
According to Momon, Darkness had initial sights set on fulfilling a quest which involves his group exterminating goblins, ogres, and trolls. However, when Darkness pays a visit to the Adventurer's Guild, Momon was confronted by Ainzach, informing him of the news that there is a request for him to obtain a rare herb grown in the northern region of the Great Forest of Tob. Due to circumstances regarding the difficulty rate of Ainzach's request, he pushes his previous quest aside and was willing to take on this sort of mission instead. Although Momon gave up on doing the quest from earlier, he handed that mission over to Nabe who was given the duty to finish it in his stead while he goes and do the herb request in the meantime.
Ainzach has also spoken highly of Momon's companion, Nabe as she was capable of handling mithril-ranked jobs on her own without assistance. Hence, Darkness agreed to take on the request despite being told by Ainzach that it will be difficult to complete it without some assistance from other adventurer groups. However, Momon went on ahead and completed the mission earlier than Ainzach had even expected. This left Ainzach shocked as he felt his assistance was in vain after organizing the three adventurer groups to aid Darkness during the start of their mission. In the end, it left the man shouting in disbelief from how Darkness was able to accomplish it within a matter of three days since their departure.[9]
The Lizard Man Heroes Arc
Main article: The Lizard Man Heroes Arc
While Ainz considered enemies involved with brainwashing Shalltear to confront Momon, the latter was instead met with adventurers and mothers carrying newborn babies. The mothers, in particular, would make a request to Momon, asking the man to pat their babies' heads as a form of blessing to them with health and strength. While so, the adventurers requested a handshake with Momon, telling the adamantite adventurer that they wished to become stronger like him. From experiencing these events, Ainz deduced that Momon had not been able to encounter any possible enemies so far as no one bothers in requesting a conversation with him in private. Ainz had also purposely released information to the Adventurer's Guild of Momon defeating the vampire with items like the Sealing Crystal in order to prevent the people from fearing the adventurer and his potential prowess.[10]
The Two Leaders Arc
When Momon of Darkness had trouble entering E-Rantel, he encountered Enri Emmot who was being interrogated by the city's officials. However, the village girl was let go and no longer in custody with the help of Momon. According to the officials, Momon vouched for her with his status as an adamantite-ranked adventurer on the line. They even noted that the exploits of Darkness, particularly Momon, in the graveyards of E-Rantel were a common topic of discussion whenever the soldiers gathered there. It could be said that most of the armed forces of E-Rantel admired the adventurer group as their fans.
Meanwhile, Darkness made their intentions clear that he would be tackling some monster subjugation quests at the moment. Along the way, he ordered Nabe to inquire Enri on the reason why she visited E-Rantel and what's her purpose for traveling all the way from Carne. As a result, he was able to eventually learn about the Giant of the East and the Serpent of the West sooner or later from the Adventurer's Guild, and confronts his subordinate Lupusregina Beta about it back in Nazarick.[11]
The Dark Hero's Story Arc
Main article: The Dark Hero's Story Arc
Nabe issued her report to Momon that the merchants have been procuring iron ores for him as requested. Momon told Nabe his intention why he is purchasing iron ores from the mines of various regions was so he could later throw it inside the Exchange Box to yield them YGGDRASIL money. He is trying to find out whether the origin of the iron ores will somehow affect the monetary yield financially.
Meanwhile, when Torkel badmouth Momon of Darkness, Andre would warn him to not say something like that publicly. Andre informs his companion that by slandering Momon, they will incur the wrath of people of E-Rantel. The people don't fear monsters attacking E-Rantel as long as Darkness is around to protect them. Due to how much influence the adamantite adventurer group has over this city, he states that it can even result in them receiving hostility if they speak badly of Darkness.
On the other hand, he mentions notable feats that Momon has managed to attain like riding on a powerful monster which caused any bystander to feel fear on sight, and completing requests at a steady pace. Andre would judge Momon's personality to be someone who is caring and gentle to others. An example of this was when he is willing to spend his time carrying kids and playing with them. At the same time, when mothers holding babies fell down, it was always him who went out of his way to help them compassionately. His compassionate actions lead Andre to acknowledge that Momon is the very definition of what it means to be a "hero."
Later on, the adventurer group, Darkness was hired by Torkel Karan Dale Völkchenheim and Andre to escort and guard them on their journey. Additionally, they had to also hunt a certain monster that's humanoid in appearance for the sake of carrying out Torkel's family tradition. With the right monster in mind, Momon suggests that goblins are the best choice than which Andre unanimously agreed to as he thought the same thing beforehand.
Noticing Torkel's hostility and jealousy towards him because of Nabe, Momon deduced that his client is infatuated with her. It made Momon recalled similar incidental experiences in the past when there were other people besides Torkel who had fallen in love with Nabe before him. According to Nabe, this love-struck situation is currently the fourth time that it had happened to her as of now. Momon noted the worst experience happens to be where he was challenged to a fight while they adamantly yell at him for not giving Nabe back her freedom. It was said the man who issued the match hurt his hand after trying to punch and break Momon's armor with his bare fists. He would eventually be convicted for his actions and sentenced to hard labor.
At some point in the journey, Torkel confesses his love to Nabe and proposes a marriage between them in private but was quickly met with a harsh rejection by the latter. During their travel together, Darkness came across a threatening monster known as the Gigant Basilisk from a nearby village hunting goblins. Realizing the danger that this monster can pose to them, the clients suggest that they should make a retreat that Momon refuses. The adventurer justified his concerns that if they let the monster escape, the Basilisk can prove to be harmful to people who may later encounter it. As a result, they went to confront the creature and easily defeated it with ease as well as going on to complete their main mission thereafter.
It was suggested that in the near future, the story of Momon's heroic battle against the Gigant Basilisk will be retold by Torkel to his descendants at some point in his lifetime.[12]
Ainz Raises Money Arc
Main article: Ainz Raises Money Arc
When Momon has went and visited a store, he encountered an unknown person selling merchandise about his adventurer group, Darkness. This includes a doll of Momon which the seller is currently trying to sketch a model of him, asking for the adventurer to help complete the design. As a result, Momon would inquire how much he would receive in royalties for accepting this seller's request which the latter don't understand his question. Realizing the concept of royalties is non-existent in the New World, Momon instead, suggested that he will be the person to give the seller his ideas about what kind of stuff to make into merchandise. For starters, Momon offers the seller to charge a higher price for the official merchandise of Darkness as well as releasing limited editions to make the customers want to buy. Afterward, he advised the seller to pay the appropriate fees for the Magician's Guild in making these sorts of magic items.
According to Momon, the availability of adamantite-ranked works in E-Rantel are rare at the moment. During a meeting with the Floor Guardians regarding the commodities they bought with the coins, it was noted that both Aura and Mare have each purchased their own respective Momon of Darkness statue. The difference between the Momon statues that the dark elven twins owned is that Mare's kind is the Bloody version. On the other hand, Cocytus pay for the You Can Be Momon Too Kit and Albedo put her money into buying the Talking Momon Statuette. In contrast, Shalltear acquires a protective charm with Momon's scent on it, used to ward off weak monsters around the holder. While for Demiurge, he happens to procure a Hamsuke and Momon Figure. It's interesting to note that any commodities relating to Momon owned by the Floor Guardians are founded in only one shop where they have chosen to purchase.
Later, the seller was known to be promoting products of the adventurer group, Darkness particularly Momon. The seller informs its consumers that the merchandise of Momon has been running out of stock lately as it was too popular. Currently, he is been receiving new shipments like the Hamsuke and Momon figurines, featuring the Dark Hero who is depicted riding on the beast. When Momon caught wind of this news, he immediately calls for the seller to stop selling the Hamsuke and Momon Figure regardless of its high-profit values as it has been sold without consulting him ahead of time. In the end, Momon/Ainz learning of the fact that Demiurge had come into possession over the figure was a bad turn of events for him to his embarrassment. Supposedly, it was what possibly lead him to confront the shopkeeper and prohibit that person from selling any more of this kind of product as it could ruin Darkness's reputation in the future.[13]
The Men in the Kingdom Arc
Main article: The Men in the Kingdom I and The Men in the Kingdom II Arc
Evileye and Gagaran talked about the recent addition to the list of adamantite adventurer group in the Re-Estize Kingdom. Particularly, Darkness was identified by members of Blue Roses to have their signature color as black which may them figured it has some correlation to the Slane Theocracy. They acknowledged the fact that the color being used by the adventurer group also derived from the faith of the Six Great Gods.
According to the two, Darkness rose to become the 3rd adamantite adventurer group in the Re-Estize Kingdom within a matter of two months at most. First, they took care of the Zurrernorn incident in E-Rantel regarding the thousands of undead that spawned. Later, the team exterminated the coalition of goblin tribes from the north, then gathered an incredibly rare herb from the Tove Mountains. Afterward, they subjugated a Gigant Basilisk, and along the way, exterminated a group of undead that spilled over from the Katze Plains as well as defeating a powerful vampire.[14]
On the other hand, Darkness was hired by Marquis Raeven to enhance his estate's security in the wake of the recent disturbances and to suppress the criminal group known as Eight Fingers. However, their request had changed with the appearance of Jaldabaoth and his demon army, looking for a certain item in the royal capital. Both Momon and Nabe fly off to head for the location where Jaldabaoth is at, saving Evileye in the nick of time. Once he was there in the scene, Momon had a short one on one battle with the demon before it escaped. News of this disturbance led to the formation of a conference hosted by Princess Renner where she invites all sorts of people including Darkness to discuss the problem they are about to face. During that meeting, Momon and Nabe greeted various adventurers from all ranks who were waiting in line to meet him one on one. According to a witness, copper-ranking adventurers looked up to Momon as an idol. At the same time, Momon was acting extra careful to avoid suspicions from Gazef Stronoff and Evileye that are present with him.[15]
During the disturbance, Momon, Nabe, and Evileye assisted in killing some demons that were giving troubles to his allies. Shortly thereafter, the adventurer group Darkness and Evileye would leave their allies behind to handle the demons, while they go and combat Jaldabaoth and his battle maids. As planned, while Nabe and Evileye deal with the demon maids, Momon, on the other hand, will be the person to fight Jaldabaoth one on one. Whereas Evileye squares off against both Shizu and Yuri Alpha, Nabe takes care of Solution Epsilon, Entoma Vasilissa Zeta, and Lupusregina Beta. In the meantime, Lakyus of Blue Roses who was eventually joined by the remaining members of Blue Roses alongside Gazef Stronoff in leading the adventurers against the demon army and their growing numbers. Later, they were able to prevent the demons from spreading deeper into the city's capital and went to check in on Darkness's side if he managed to slew the powerful demons by the time they get there. As Darkness has successfully driven Jaldabaoth and his demon army away from Re-Estize after the battle, Momon was acknowledged to be the hero and savior of the Re-Estize Kingdom[16].
Once news about Darkness's accomplishment in protecting the nation from Jaldabaoth spread far and wide to the capital, it resulted in "Momon" becoming a household name throughout the city of Re-Estize. The King was hoping to express his thanks and gratitude to Momon of Darkness in person for everything he has done to save the kingdom, willing to offer the adventurer a path to lordship. However, Momon had rejected that last offer and refused to meet. Outraged by his actions as disrespectful, the nobles belittles Momon for snubbing the king. Some nobles even went on to say that Momon had made a mistake by not dealing the final blow to Jaldabaoth and letting him flee instead, but since he had the backing of Raeven, they kept their mouths shut. Momon tried to appease the nobles, stating that his acceptance and completion of the request was an adventurer's duty, rather than something worthy of a king's personal attention. He went as far as to mention every adventurer out there who took part in a similar mission as him, reasoning that they should be given an award as well for their efforts.
Moreover, the adventurer group, Darkness received a letter of appreciation from the King, the Second Prince, and the third Princess. He was also awarded a plaque, which exempts him from all taxes on the land of the Re-Estize Kingdom. In addition to that, he was given a shortsword bestowed by the King which is normally gifted to knights or nobles. When there comes a time if Momon receives a promotion from the King again, the adventurer having the shortsword would serve as a way to silence the nobles' backlash of him.
Lakyus noted without Momon around, the disturbance in the capital would not have been resolved so easily, and that it won't be difficult to imagine the scale of the damage the demons would have caused. Despite everything adventurers like Momon and Nabe have done to protect their country, none of the nobles would come to send Darkness off except Raeven and the members of Blue Roses. Upon thanking the adventurers of Blue Roses for cooperating with Darkness, Momon later part ways with them and returns back to E-Rantel, where their home base is situated at.[17]
The Invaders of the Large Tomb Arc
Main article: The Invaders of the Large Tomb Arc
The adventurer group Darkness made a visit to Arwintar, capital of the Baharuth Empire[18] and arranged a private meeting with Fluder Paradyne. During the meeting between both sides, Fluder pledged his new-found loyalty to the superior magic caster before him, willing to carry any sort of orders for his master. Hence, Fluder sends specific worker groups over to the Great Tomb of Nazarick as sacrificial pawns to help his master for political means.
Amidst a discussion held among Workers, some thought that the achievements made by Darkness were taken out of context as it sounds unbelievable in more ways than one. A worker stated that Darkness being able to successfully subjugate a Gigant Basilisk with only two members and without the support of any healers was supposed to be impossible in the first place. Additionally, they felt the rumors about Darkness defeating a demon with a difficulty rating of over 200 in just one hit was preposterous.
Later, Darkness arrived and greeted the workers as the adventurer group was hired by Count Femel to escort them to a mysterious Large Tomb in the territory of Re-Estize Kingdom, alongside with the adventurers of the Baharuth Empire. Before their departure, he would have a sparring match with the worker Parpatra Ogrion but the latter shortly forfeit thereafter, realizing how powerful the adventurer of Darkness was over the course of battle.
Once the expedition set out on their respective mission, the group was left in charge of the protection of the encampment near the large tomb while the workers head inside to explore it. When one of the adventurers asked Momon's opinion regarding the fate of these workers entering the ruins, he instantly replied to the person that all of them involved will die. He reasoned that there is hardly any information about the dangers lurking inside, figuring it is pointless to hope the workers will come back alive when disappointment awaits with that kind of mindset.
As the hours of his duty are scheduled, Momon told the adventurer he will take a break first, leaving them to guard the tomb at the moment. Ainz heads to his tent where Nabe was in and switches the role of Momon over to Pandora's Actor while he teleports back to Nazarick.[19]
Meanwhile, in the mysterious tomb, Imina tried to reach a compromise with its owner Ainz Ooal Gown by stating that if he doesn't let them escape, the strongest people will come and forced their way through into this dungeon. Arche further emphasizes her friend's point, declaring that the adventurer Momon of Darkness is among those heroes out there who is even stronger than him as a top-rated warrior. Unfortunately, Ainz informs them that Momon won't be able to defeat him as he has already decided the terrible fate for each Foresight member.
In the end, no word from the workers came and were believed to have been wiped out inside the tomb. Following protocol, the adventurers left the area and reported back to Count Femel.[20]
The Magic Caster of Destroy Arc
When a noble thought of the idea that maybe Darkness can be the group to subdue Ainz Ooal Gown, other peers figured it is impossible to do so as the Adventurer's Guild would never allow it.[21]
To prepare for the annual war, Crown Prince Barbro had suggested that the Royal Army conscript the adventurers, especially the adamantite adventurer group, Darkness. Baron Cheneko supported the idea wholeheartedly. Due to his enthusiasm, King Ramposa III gave him the mission of recruiting Darkness to the Kingdom's cause. Cheneko failed in his mission, as Nabe rebuffed him, stating Momon was on a solo mission somewhere else at the moment.[22]
During the Sorcerer King's procession into the newly conquered city of E-Rantel, Momon defended a young boy and his mother before the cortège. While Albedo was prepared to execute the upstart, the Sorcerer King, impressed at the hero's defiance, relayed orders to Albedo and coerced the adamantite adventurer into servitude lest there would be a massacre of the remaining humans within the city. Outnumbered and seeing no alternative, Momon accepted the term, swearing Darkness to become subordinate to the Sorcerer King and responsible for killing any rebels. It was thanks to this that the inhabitants of E-Rantel remained passive under their new monstrous king, refusing to rebel, lest they tarnish Momon's reputation.[23]
The Ruler of Conspiracy Arc
Main article: The Ruler of Conspiracy Arc
It was planned by Albedo to have the adventurer group, Darkness accept a request and be sent abroad for reconnaissance. Representing Darkness, Momon will tell the local leaders to obey the higher-ups of the Sorcerer Kingdom in the meantime before he leaves and commit to his scouting mission.
According to Hamsuke, Pandora's Actor acting as Momon of Darkness often rides the coaches and wagons which the humans of E-Rantel readily provided for him. Hamsuke noted that Momon does not always bring the creature along on his journey while tasked with the job of relaying information from concerned citizens over to Nazarick's side.
When considering schemers silently working behind the scene in the Sorcerer Kingdom, the Sorcerer King thought of using Darkness to capture such people alive if caught. Afterward, he would sentence these convicts to death, letting Momon take on the role of an executioner. In other words, Momon was tasked with the duty of killing rebellious individuals in the event that they act against the interest of the nation and its king.
From the words of Moknach, some adventurers apart from himself felt compelled not to leave E-Rantel despite being occupied by the undead. Adventurers were awed and inspired by Momon who has chosen to stay behind E-Rantel and act as their shield was enough to convince them in not abandoning this city out of fear.[24]
The Craftsman of Dwarf Arc
Main article: The Craftsman of Dwarf Arc
Ainz noted that while acting as Momon of Darkness, he had come to learn about metals and its rarity in the New World. So far, there had been no news about anything harder than adamantite. In this world, something like orichalcum and adamantite were said to be qualified as ultra-rare metals.[25]
Additionally, Ainz once considers forgetting everything including his duties and instead, take on the name as Momon of Darkness so he could travel all over the world. However, he can't expand his ambition further due to his own position as the ruler of Nazarick and the Sorcerer Kingdom.[26]
The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom Arc
Main article: The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom I and The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom II Arc
The exploits of Darkness had reached the Roble Holy Kingdom. However, some pieces of information were distorted, causing others like the Holy Kingdom's envoys to misinterpret it. For instance, the battle in Re-Estize against Jaldabaoth, who they presumed to be a medium level demon was defeated by an adamantite adventurer made Remedios believe that she can beat him too.[27]
When emissaries from the Holy Kingdom Liberation Army came to Re-Estize, they learned of the exact details concerning Darkness from Blue Roses. Within the group, Remedios thought Momon must have used some sort of special item to defeat him, but Evileye, a witness of his battle with Jaldabaoth denied such a claim. Gustav then intervened into the conversation, questioning if Darkness could've exploited Jaldabaoth's weaknesses and Evileye believes it is possible but doubtful.
While the Liberation Army intended to recruit Momon to fight against the Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth, their request was rejected by the Sorcerer King. The Sorcerer King, Ainz Ooal Gown declared to the envoys that this is because Momon's presence was needed in E-Rantel, so he could maintain the city's peace as its enforcer.[28]
During a political meeting held between members of the Holy Kingdom Liberation Army, Ciriaco Naranjo suggests lying about the Sorcerer King having been captured by Jaldabaoth. He figured that if they let Ainz be a captive to the demon, it can convince Momon of Darkness to come over and rescue him. Although the plan may go accordingly without a problem, Gustav thinks that the Sorcerer Kingdom's impression of their country will be negative if they follow through with the idea. Hence, Gustav was against the idea, believing that even if Momon managed to defeat Jaldabaoth, the discovery of the lie could trigger a war between the Sorcerer Kingdom and the Holy Kingdom as a result. He feared that Momon might become a second Jaldabaoth and lead the Sorcerer Kingdom's undead army marching into their nation as an act of retaliation. Prince Caspond supports Gustav's reason, viewing the worst thing possible is that the Sorcerer Kingdom will have a justified grievance pointed against them.[29]
Darkness was said to be the most powerful and strongest adventurer party among the three groups in the Re-Estize Kingdom. This was evident enough for other adventurers to see in Momon as someone, who has reached the pinnacle of humanity. Currently, Darkness is the only known adamantite adventurer group to hold their own against very powerful monsters with a difficulty level of 150 to 200.
With only a warrior and a magic caster, it is thought to be next to impossible to resolve the many dangerous incidents that they are capable of resolving.
Also, Evileye herself closely estimated that both Momon's and Nabe's strength is the work of inhuman feats, believing them to be God-kin, who have the blood of a player. Out of all the warriors, Evileye encountered in her lifetime, she concluded that he is by far the strongest warrior she has met due to his excellent swordplay when parrying Jaldabaoth's blows.
Momon, "Dark Hero"
Nabe, "Beautiful Princess"
Hamsuke, "Wise King of the Forest"
Momon did not name the group "Darkness" from the start. It was just a common name originating from his jet-black armor, and Momon eventually accepted it as the proper name.
In the Web Novel, since Narberal Gamma took on the mantle of being Momon rather than Ainz Ooal Gown, the adventurer group Darkness doesn't exist as it was never made.
On several occasions, Nabe tends to make the common mistake of not addressing Momon properly until she corrects herself a moment later.
Pandora's Actor is used as a body double for the Adventurer Persona "Momon," whenever Ainz is not around to lead the group.
In a short amount of time while they are new adventurers, the adventurer group, "Darkness" was able to quickly ascend from the first rank of being a copper to mythril and then finally its final rank, adamantite. The group has managed to skip ranks rather than going through it by order accordingly.
Unknown to the public, it seems this adventurer group, "Darkness" is the only one right now who is completely made up of non-human individuals.
Evileye consider the idea of leaving Blue Roses behind to join Darkness due to her love towards Momon.
Fearing that Darkness will one day leave E-Rantel to chase after the last vampire, Ainzach and his accomplice Theo Rakheshir hatched a plan to give them a reason in returning back to the city and even possibly stay. By arranging a welcoming banquet for Momon, the two are planning to invite the top three women and others from high-end brothels like "Honey of Amber," "Heaven's Full Moon Pavilion," and "Purple Apothecary." Rakheshir has not only to realize and accept Ainzach's true intention and the meaning behind his actions until now but to have one of those women intermingle with Momon. Ainzach's goal was to have Momon impregnate any woman he gets together with through an act of mating in order to have them conceive his children. Afterward, Ainzach wanted Momon's concubines to raise their respective children if they inherit the father's talent. He figured this was the best course of action to tie Momon of Darkness down.
↑ Overlord Volume 10: Intermission
↑ Overlord Volume 02 Chapter 1: The Two Adventurers
↑ Overlord Volume 02 Chapter 2: Journey
↑ Overlord Volume 02 Chapter 3: Wise King of the Forest
↑ Overlord Volume 02 Chapter 4: Twin Swords of Death
↑ Overlord Volume 02: Epilogue
↑ Overlord Volume 03 Chapter 3: Confusion and Understanding
↑ Overlord Volume 04 Special Drama CD: The Sealed Evil Tree Arc
↑ Overlord Volume 06 Special Drama CD: The Dark Hero's Story Arc
↑ Overlord II Blu-ray 01 Special: Ainz Raises Money
↑ Overlord Volume 05 Chapter 2: Blue Roses
↑ Overlord Volume 06 Chapter 10: Greatest Trump Card
↑ Overlord Volume 06 Chapter 11: The Final Battle of the Disturbance
↑ Overlord Volume 07 Chapter 1: Invitation to Death
↑ Overlord Volume 07 Chapter 4: A Handful of Hope
↑ Overlord Volume 09 Chapter 2: Preparations for the Battle
↑ Overlord Volume 09: Brand New Chapter
↑ Overlord Volume 10 Chapter 1: The Sorcerer Kingdom of Ainz Ooal Gown
↑ Overlord Volume 11 Chapter 1: Preparing for an Unknown Land
↑ Overlord Volume 11 Chapter 2: In Pursuit of the Land of the Dwarves
↑ Overlord Volume 12 Chapter 1: The Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth
↑ Overlord Volume 13 Chapter 5: Ainz Dies
Retrieved from "https://overlordmaruyama.fandom.com/wiki/Darkness?oldid=227288"
Adventurer Groups


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Lambert Reynst (1613–1679) was a Dutch regent and politician of the Golden Age. Born in Amsterdam, he belonged to the "republican" Dutch States Party.

Family
He came from the patrician Reynst family and was the son of Hendrick Reynst and his wife Elisabeth Prinsen. He was also a cousin of the Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt and brother in Law of Cornelis de Graeff and his brother Andries de Graeff, with whom he sat together in the Amsterdam Vroedschap during the Rampjaar 1672. Lambert himself married Alida, daughter of Cornelis Bicker and Aertge Witsen.

Life
Reynst worked as a lawyer and between 1649 and 1655 was a counsellor for the Dutch Admiralty in the Noorderkwartier. The family lived on Keizersgracht 71. In 1667 he became a 'bewindhebber' or governor of the Dutch East India Company and was made mayor of Amsterdam in 1667, 1668 and 1672. As mayor, he held a reception for Cosimo III de' Medici at the Van Campen Theatre.

When the Dutch Republic was attacked by Britain and France in the 'rampjaar' of 1672, the Dutch people turned to Johan de Witt and his brother Cornelis. After the death of both brothers and the rise of William III of Orange as stadtholder, Reynst, his brother-in-law Andries de Graeff, his cousins Pieter, Jacob de Graeff and Hans Bontemantel and nine others were dismissed. Reynst's successor as mayor was Johannes Hudde.

Between 1667 and 1672 Reynst was 'ambachtsheer' of Amstelveen and Nieuwer-Amstel. Reynst's housekeeper was Eeltien Vinck, who in 1668 married the painter Meindert Hobbema; the same year Hobbema obtained a job with the city council, and reduced his painting. Aernout van Overbeke, a 17th-century humorist, described Reynst as the city's greatest "hoerenjager" (literally, whore-hunter), which could mean one who frequented prostitutes or one who prosecuted them. He died in Amsterdam.

References

Sources

Mayors of Amsterdam
Administrators of the Dutch East India Company
17th-century Dutch people
1613 births
1679 deaths

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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I.P. Freely
All the noise last week was about iCal, but the two most important announcements from Apple had nothing to do with the free calendar app.
The biggest story is that new Macs released after January will no longer boot Mac OS 9. This isn't shocking, since it was obviously going to happen at some point, the only surprise is that it's happening so soon. If we discount Mac OS X 10.0 (because it mostly stunk), Mac OS X has really only been out for about a year. And even Apple's own estimates regarding OS X adoption put the number at under 20 percent:
"We expect that 20 percent of our entire installed base will be using Mac OS X by the end of this year, making it the fastest operating system transition in recent history," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO.
(Jobs keeps saying it's "the fastest operating system transition in recent history", but that's just an empty marketing statistic. For one thing, what's "recent"? For another, compared to what other OS transitions?)
The more interesting story, however, is Apple's new "Design Freely" promotion — if you buy a new PowerMac G4 between now and the end of the year, you score a free copy of Adobe InDesign. Not discounted. Free. This is huge. Huge. But for some reason, it hasn't gotten much press. Here's why this offer is big news:
It dispells any lingering doubt about whether Apple's management actually believes that the lack of a native version of QuarkXPress is largely to blame for the disappointing PowerMac sales in the last year. That this is a direct shot at Quark is indisputable. There's a reason that the offer is for InDesign, not for Photoshop or Illustrator.
I can't help but feel that this indicates that InDesign sales aren't all that great. I don't know what kind of money Adobe is getting from Apple for these copies of their flagship page layout app, but it can't be anywhere close to InDesign's $699 retail price. Not even in the ballpark. As far as I know, Adobe has never done anything like this before with one of their flagship publishing apps. Not even GoLive, which is also an also-ran. Like I said, there's a reason that the offer is for InDesign, not for Photoshop or Illustrator.
Apple clearly wants the pro design market to buy new PowerMacs now, and these new machines are not appealing enough on their own merits. Sure, the economy fucking stinks — but Apple hasn't needed to resort to dramatic promotions to sell TiBooks. The perception is that the current G4's just aren't that much better than the models from two (or more) years ago.
It's an interesting promotion, to say the least. It doesn't mean much at all to anyone who doesn't do serious page layout, but for those of us who do, it's certainly tempting.
But irrestible? I don't think so. For one thing, pro designers aren't software cheapskates — it's not the price tag for InDesign that has kept them from abandoning QuarkXPress. $699 for a software package certainly sounds like a lot of money to most people, but design software has been expensive ever since the desktop publishing revolution began. High prices didn't keep Photoshop and Illustrator (and QuarkXPress, which retails for $899) from becoming runaway successes.
What has kept InDesign from putting Quark out of business is the simple fact that InDesign is not QuarkXPress. It does the same thing as XPress, and in a fairly similar way (as opposed to Quark's previous but long-since defeated arch rival, PageMaker, which did the same thing, but in a very different way). But InDesign is not an XPress clone (nor was it intended to be). As a Quark user with five years of experience, I tried InDesign, and found it to be servicable, but frustrating. Frustrating because the little differences made me much less productive than I am in Quark.
Time is a precious commodity to most designers, especially those who work in page layout. Designers are almost always on deadline, and they will generally jump at anything that can save them time, such as faster hardware, or better software. I think that's where InDesign has fallen short — it's clearly not a revolutionary improvement over QuarkXPress. Even if it is a superior product (which I'm not sure is true), I've never seen anyone make the case that it is dramatically better (where by "dramatically better", I mean "able to save you a ton of time").
It's also worth noting that the free copy of InDesign does not come bundled with the machines — you need to send in a coupon, then wait 6-8 weeks for delivery. This is quite understandable, but instant gratification can be a strong enticement.
However, Apple's goal — to get designers to buy new PowerMacs before the end of the year — might happen even if the Design Freely promotion doesn't succeed at all. Why? Because of that other announcement from last week, the one where Apple announced that new machines released in 2003 will only boot OS X. Even if you have no intention of ever switching to InDesign, if you're a Quark user contemplating a new Mac, now looks like the time to buy.
This goes for any Mac user with even a vague inkling that they might want to keep the option to stick with Mac OS 9. And don't think Apple doesn't know it.
Previous: Siracusa on Jaguar
Next: On Joel on Software

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Q: Transformer voltage regulation The formula of voltage regulation is:
(voltage at no load - voltage at load or (voltage at full load)) divided by voltage at load or (voltage at full load).
$$ \frac { V_{\text{unloaded}} - {V_{\text{loaded}}}}  {V_{\text{loaded}}} $$
Why do we write voltage at load or (voltage at full load) in the denominator? I mean, why do we see the voltage regulation with respect to the load voltage instead of the no-load voltage?

A: I have done an online search of "transformer voltage regulation" and have found that the definition is not consistent. Most use the load voltage in the denominator but some use the no-load voltage. As a practical matter it really doesn't matter much because transformer regulation in general is very good which means the regulation (in percent) is small and thus, will only vary slightly between definitions.. For example, take the case of a 120 volt transformer where the load voltage drops to 115 volts. With the load voltage in the denominator, the load regulation comes to 4.65%. If we put the denominator as the no-load voltage, the load regulation comes to 4.17%. However, one should be careful when comparing transformers to make sure that the same definition is used.

A: % Voltage error for Load regulation is the same as the % ratio of source resistance to total loop load.  But this always uses the source impedance at the rated = full load relative to the external load ratio. Thus the correct Load regulation ratio must use the Full Load in the denominator.
\$\dfrac{V_{NL}-V_{FL}}{V_{FL}}=\dfrac{V_{NL}}{V_{FL}}-1\neq1-\dfrac{V_{NL}-V_{FL}}{V_{NL}}\$
e.g. 100x(1.1-1)/1 = 10% current ≠  (1-1.1)/1.1*100%= 9.09% or 1% error.
It seems from the other answer by Ahkil, allows both methods and define them as Up/Down Regulation instead of Load Regulation (which uses Up method relative to full load.) In any case it is still a ratio of Impedances with or without power factor correction and the source impedance does not go up or down.  ( So I guess this why Up Reg. Error is more common)

A: Finally I got the answer. The answer was hidden inside the definition of Voltage regulation....When we talk about down voltage regulation....the change in terminal voltage when a load current at any power factor is applied......When we talk about the up voltage regulation...it means....the ratio of the change in the terminal voltage when a load at a given power factor is removed....Credit goes to.. ECoursesOnline.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
September 22, 2017 September 22, 2017 EdLeave a comment
Black Lives Matter lawyer accuses NYPD of lying about surveillance of protesters. "The NYPD is a professional lying organization. Perjury to them is one of the basic tools of policing, along with the badge and the gun." http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nypd-led-campaign-lies-black-lives-matter-lawyers-article-1.3509805
Philadelphia law enforcement accused of concealing information about seized funds. "In reports submitted annually to the Pennsylvania attorney general, the (District Attorney's Office) previously claimed to have spent between $2 and $7 million in forfeiture funds each year – at least $5 million more than shown in the budget documents delivered to City&State PA and Philly Weekly." http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news/uncovering-philly-law-enforcement-s-secret-bank-accounts/article_e451c942-9d73-11e7-af76-3f98de79b735.html
Facebook to provide congressional investigators with more than 3,000 political ads suspected to have be placed by Russia-linked entities. "Americans both need to know what happened in the election of 2016, and have confidence going forward that if they see an ad it isn't sponsored by a foreign government." http://www.chicagotribune.com/bluesky/technology/ct-facebook-russian-ads-20170921-story.html
St. Louis anti-brutality protests continue, traffic blocked. "Protest leader Rev. Darryl Gray said the group will continue to disrupt the economy and the peace until its leaders see changes in the St. Louis Police Department." http://fox2now.com/2017/09/21/traffic-blocked-near-forest-park-and-i-64-unannounced-protest/
Health and Human Service Secretary Tom Price accused of spending $300,000 on private jet flights. "Sample round-trip fares for those flights were as low as $202, when booked in advance on Orbitz.com. Price's charter, according to HHS' contract with Classic Air Charter, cost $17,760." http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/21/tom-price-private-charter-plane-flights-242989
Protests in Catalonia after arrests of local officials. "Thousands of protesters stood firm outside a Spanish court in Barcelona after night fell Thursday, continuing to shout demands for the release of a dozen regional officials arrested in connection with a planned vote on Catalan independence." http://www.nydailynews.com/newswires/news/business/protests-continue-spanish-court-secession-arrests-article-1.3510729
Philippine opposition groups protest "emerging dictatorship" of President Duterte. "Signs saying "Stop The Killings" and "No To Martial Rule" reflected fears that Duterte would one day deliver on his threat to declare nationwide military rule like that imposed by late dictator Ferdinand Marcos." https://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-protest/thousands-rally-in-philippines-to-warn-of-duterte-dictatorship-idUSKCN1BW0YA
Members of audience attack hecklers at Turkish president's speech in New York. "Videos showed the protesters — one of them wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a picture of Abdullah Ocalan, a jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or P.K.K. — being punched and slapped by several attendees as security personnel removed them from the room." https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/21/us/erdogan-new-york.html
U.S. corporations reportedly sitting on $2.3 trillion cash pile. "Corporate America has never been in better shape to put its cash hoard to use on everything from investment to acquisitions, share buybacks and dividends." https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-21/corporate-america-has-amassed-a-record-amount-of-cash Or they could pay their front-line workers a living wage. Just a crazy idea.
Community groups worried hurricane relief funds will go to corporations. "Prompted in part by the appointment of former Shell CEO Marvin Odum to lead Texas recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, a coalition of over 130 organizations released a joint statement directed at elected officials in Texas and Louisiana on Thursday demanding that hurricane relief funds be delivered to communities in need, not to big polluters—"the same corporate actors that caused or contributed to many of these problems in the first place"." https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/09/21/groups-harvey-recovery-must-serve-vulnerable-victims-not-corporate-polluters
Writer claims coding classes in schools are intended to provide cheaper labor for tech firms. "Contrary to public perception, the economy doesn't actually need that many more programmers. As a result, teaching millions of kids to code won't make them all middle-class." https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/sep/21/coding-education-teaching-silicon-valley-wages
Taser maker Axon reportedly launching crowd-sourcing service to provide tips to police. "… the product will allow citizens to submit photos or video evidence of "a crime, suspicious activity, or event" to… the company's cloud-based storage platform, to help agencies "in solving a crime or gathering a fuller point of view from the public"." https://theintercept.com/2017/09/21/taser-wants-to-build-an-army-of-smartphone-informants/
New Mexico legislator calls for investigation into possible connection between campaign donations to state's governor and investment contracts for state funds. "Rep. Bill McCamley, a Democrat who chairs the New Mexico Finance Authority Oversight Committee, asked Democratic Attorney General Hector Balderas to look into whether political donations from investment firms to Republican Gov. Susana Martinez and groups supporting her election campaigns violated state laws and SEC regulations." http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capital/new-mexico-pay-play-concerns-lead-representative-call-investigation-2592498
Steve Bannon reportedly meets with top Communist Party official in China. "The clandestine meeting was with Wang Qishan, "the second most powerful Chinese Communist Party official," according to the Financial Times." http://www.rawstory.com/2017/09/why-is-a-fired-white-house-staffer-writing-trumps-speeches-and-meeting-with-chinese-leaders/
ICE agents detain Hispanic-American couple outside Oregon courthouse in case of mistaken identity. "The Oregon chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said that the incident was a "clear case of racial profiling" and said that "ICE can't just go around stopping anyone who looks Latino and asking them to show their papers"." http://www.rawstory.com/2017/09/shocking-video-shows-ice-agents-harassing-us-citizens-in-clear-case-of-racial-profiling/
Did Israel pressure U.S. to invade Iraq? "On 16 August 2002, 11 days before Dick Cheney kicked off the campaign for war with a hardline speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Washington Post reported that "Israel is urging US officials not to delay a military strike against Iraq's Saddam Hussein". By this point, according to (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon, strategic co-ordination between Israel and the US had reached "unprecedented dimensions", and Israeli intelligence officials had given Washington a variety of alarming reports about Iraq's WMD programmes." http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/mehdi-hasan/2010/02/iraq-war-israel-bush-saddam
Pittsburgh police officers caught on video beating suspect, smashing his head on the sidewalk, outside concert. "A video posted to Facebook yesterday shows a Pittsburgh police officer landing about a dozen punches to a man already on the ground Tuesday night outside of the Penguins arena." https://deadspin.com/video-shows-pittsburgh-police-punching-man-outside-peng-1818601835
What ever happened to the $107 million raised for Trump's inauguration festivities? "As for the leftover money going to charity, Trump's committee originally said it'd release the details of its charitable donations in April, but that didn't happen. Instead, the committee said in April that it was still "identifying charities toward which it would direct leftover money." That was nearly five months ago." http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/questions-surround-trumps-25-million-inaugural-concert
Federal appeals court rules that limiting police gun violence does not violate the rights of police officers. "The panel held that (Seattle) has a significant interest in regulating the use of guns by police officers, and the policy does not restrict the officers' Second Amendment rights." https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/washington/articles/2017-09-19/appeals-court-upholds-seattle-police-policy-on-using-force
Legal efforts on behalf of Dakota pipeline protesters face a hostile environment. "According to Freeman and her colleagues, the first two buildings in which they tried to rent turned them down after hearing that they were in town to defend water protectors." http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a12181154/still-fighting-at-standing-rock/
Bill to restrict sex trade on the internet is more complicated than it appears to be. "Companies want to do the right thing to reduce sex trafficking, but this bill puts them in legal jeopardy for even researching if their platforms are used that way." https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20170919/11061838242/senator-blumenthal-happy-that-sesta-will-kill-small-internet-companies.shtml
Earthquake relief efforts bridging social class barriers in Mexico. "While residents of Roma enjoy leafy green parks, European-style cafes and well-kept streets, many of the city's less-fortunate citizens live in dusty slums on the edge of the metropolis, commuting to informal jobs in the wealthier neighborhoods." https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/in-mexico-city-rich-and-poor-had-little-in-common-until-the-earthquake-hit/2017/09/20/6f5a15b8-9e0e-11e7-b2a7-bc70b6f98089_story.html
Trump administration reportedly considering backing out of Iran nuclear agreement. "A senior U.S. official said Trump is leaning toward not certifying that Iran is complying with the pact and letting Congress effectively decide whether to kill the agreement." https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-un/u-s-weighs-whether-to-stay-in-iran-nuclear-deal-idUSKCN1BV1OC?il=0
Battle over Catalan independence referendum moves into the streets. "Thousands of activists crowded onto the streets of downtown Barcelona on Wednesday to defend their elected officials after Spanish police cracked down on plans for an illegal referendum on independence on Oct. 1." https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-20/angry-catalan-protesters-flood-barcelona-streets-after-crackdown
Oklahoma City police officer fatally shoots deaf man holding a metal pipe. "A neighbor, Jolie Guebara, later told The Associated Press that Sanchez often carried the pipe to fend off stray dogs when he went for walks at night." https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/deaf-man-shot-dead-oklahoma-city-police-neighbors-scream-horror-n803031
Latest Obamacare repeal bill may or may not make health insurance unaffordable for people with pre-existing health problems. "The language in the Cassidy-Graham bill would specifically allow states to waive an ObamaCare rule that prevents people with pre-existing conditions from being charged higher premiums due to their illness." http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/351628-gop-takes-fire-on-pre-existing-conditions
Melania Trump addresses U.N. on need to stop bullying, says adults must set a good example. "We must teach each child the values of empathy . . . kindness, mindfulness, integrity and leadership which can only be taught by example." https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/melania-trump-condemns-bullying–and-raises-some-eyebrows–in-her-first-un-speech/2017/09/20/9973d77a-9e1e-11e7-8ea1-ed975285475e_story.html ""Irony is dead," tweeted Joy-Ann Reid, a liberal MSNBC host."
5 year-old charter school student suspended for alleged bomb threat. "The boy's mother, Michelle Riley, said her son refused to remove his backpack, telling a teacher there was a bomb in it that would explode if he took it off." http://www.sfgate.com/news/education/article/California-school-suspends-boy-for-terroristic-12215570.php Apparently the school did not bother to call the police during the incident, to have the boy's backpack blown up as a suspected explosive device.
Closed Facebook page reportedly organized pro-Trump rallies. ""Being Patriotic" had 200,000 followers and the strongest activist bent of any of the suspected Russian Facebook election pages that have so far emerged." http://www.thedailybeast.com/russians-appear-to-use-facebook-to-push-pro-trump-flash-mobs-in-florida
Black Cornell student reportedly beaten by mob of white students. "When the student, a junior in Kappa Sigma, confronted the men (in his front yard) around 1 a.m., he said, four or five of them repeatedly punched him in the face." http://cornellsun.com/2017/09/20/police-identify-white-cornell-student-arrested-following-assault-of-black-cornell-student/
Republican state legislator loses her day job after posting "All Lives Splatter" meme showing SUV running over protesters. "Not only is she inciting violence, she is targeting a certain race of people." https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/politics/2017/09/19/s-d-gop-whip-shares-meme-endorsing-vehicular-assault-protesters/682564001/
Human rights groups claim high civilian casualties in campaign against IS, Mattis says the goal is extermination of insurgents. "We changed our tactics to take the time to encircle the places they had strength (and) fight battles of annihilation so foreign fighters can't get out." https://www.buzzfeed.com/verabergengruen/mattis-said-us-would-use-annihilation-tactics-to-retake
Progressive News Service hit by apparent cyberattack while working on U.S. Syria offensive story, editor loses control of his computer.
U.S. Cyber Command has reportedly developed capability to take over computers of its targets. "Never have so many top officials spoken openly about cyber attacks, which historically have been guarded with the utmost secrecy because of the sensitive and often perishable techniques that are used to penetrate computers, monitor them, and sometimes control them remotely." http://www.thedailybeast.com/us-ratchets-up-cyber-attacks-on-isis
Amazon allegedly suggested necessary bomb-making components to customers. "Ingredients which are innocent on their own are suggested for purchase together as "Frequently bought together" products, as it does with all other goods." https://www.channel4.com/news/potentially-deadly-bomb-ingredients-on-amazon
Walmart will offer additional hours to its current employees in run up to holidays instead of hiring large numbers of seasonal workers. "That policy earned pushback… with full-time employees frustrated at the lack of opportunity for more hours and pay." https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/20/walmart-will-rely-on-permanent-workers,-not-seasonal-employees,-for-holidays.html
Researcher says excess carbon may plunge earth into mass extinction event. "The best-case scenario projects that humans will add 300 gigatons of carbon to the oceans by 2100, while more than 500 gigatons will be added under the worst-case scenario, far exceeding the critical threshold." https://phys.org/news/2017-09-mathematics-sixth-mass-extinction.html
Hepatitis A outbreak, caused by poor access to toilets and sanitation facilities, spreading among U.S. west's homeless populations. "This particular strain of Hepatitis has killed 16 people and infected more than 500 people in California. The virus has now spread to Arizona and Utah." http://fox13now.com/2017/09/20/hepatitis-a-outbreak-strikes-salt-lake-countys-homeless-population/
Rohingya activists claim Facebook is blocking information about Myanmar military atrocities. "This is what happens when your content teams/algorithms are primary trained to detect and suspend Muslims." https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/09/20/exposing-problematic-role-news-arbiter-facebook-under-fire-over-myanmar
Canadian comedian launches parody website for political centrists, aka neo-liberals. "Our handsome, walking-saxophone-solo of a Prime Minister (Justin Trudeau) made half of his cabinet members female but is also okay with mass surveillance, selling arms to Saudi Arabia, and building climate-torching pipelines." https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/09/20/centrismbiz-scathing-new-parody-site-rips-mask-zombie-neoliberalism There's even a "Take Inaction" button for people who are ok with the status quo! https://www.centrism.biz/our-friends
EPA director reportedly has 18 person security detail. "Thanks to a hiring freeze, budget cuts, and the exorbitant travel needs of Trump's cabinet, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) agents are being forced to ditch climate crime investigations in order to serve as personal bodyguards for EPA administrator Scott Pruitt, resulting in what one critic called an "evaporation of criminal enforcement"." https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/09/20/instead-protecting-earth-epa-agents-now-forced-serve-pruitt-bodyguards
Huge differences in bail required for similar crimes in different counties. "In (California's) Tuolumne County, accused prostitutes usually are booked and released without bail. But San Bernardino County takes a harsher approach, with $50,000 bail recommended for misdemeanor prostitution charges." https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/20/bail-disparities-across-the-us-reflect-inequality-it-is-the-poor-people-who-suffer
L.A. county probation officer charged for sexual contact with juvenile offenders. "In a federal lawsuit filed against the probation department, Darling's client also accused several other officers of ignoring her complaints and failing to intervene to stop Calderon's abuse." http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-probation-officer-sexual-assault-20170920-story.html
Russia claims to have killed an estimated 850 Al-Nusra affiliated insurgents in major battle near Hama, Syria. "The Russian General Staff said the militants tried to capture a unit of the Russian military police, which have a mandate to monitor the ceasefire in the Idlib de-escalation zone." https://www.rt.com/news/403980-syria-jihadists-idlib-russia/
51 countries sign nuclear weapons ban treaty at U.N. "The new treaty on the prohibition on nuclear weapons provides a real alternative for security: a world without any nuclear weapons, where everyone is safer, where no one needs to possess these weapons." https://japantoday.com/category/world/51-countries-line-up-to-sign-un-treaty-outlawing-nuclear-weapons Nuclear-armed countries and their allies are reportedly opposed to the treaty.
56 members of U.S. military killed or seriously injured in accidents since June. "In just over the last week alone, 20 service members were injured and two were killed in separate training incidents at Camp Pendleton, California, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Fort Hood, Texas." http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-military/2017/09/18/mattis-asks-for-answers-in-spike-of-non-combat-troop-deaths/
Trump threatens to "totally destroy North Korea" during U.N. speech. "North Korea wants assurances the United States isn't planning to obliterate it. Instead, Trump has just given them more reason to fear that is the plan." http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/Trump-threat-to-totally-destroy-North-Korea-is-12212846.php
Republican Governors Association disguises PR web site as news media. "As of early Monday afternoon, The Free Telegraph's Twitter account and Facebook page still had no obvious identifiers tying the site to RGA." http://www.chron.com/news/politics/article/GOP-governors-get-into-the-news-business-12209666.php
Local residents say "not so fast" to incentives for Kansas Tyson plant. "On Monday, county commissioners voted 2-1 to rescind a previous intent to issue $500 million in industrial revenue bonds for the project that would provide for 80 percent tax abatements for 10 years…. Tonganoxie, meanwhile, was looking at extending sewer services to the plant to the tune of $1.3 million." http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2017/sep/19/tyson-puts-chicken-plant-hold-citing-commissions-w/
Some of the CIA's files on Lee Harvey Oswald, which are scheduled for release this October, are missing. "Standard procedure, as prescribed in agency directives, required agency personnel to immediately open a personality file (in government lingo, a "201" file) on a military defector like Oswald. Yet the CIA's 201 file on Oswald was not opened until a year later, in December 1960." http://www.salon.com/2017/09/10/missing-from-the-new-jfk-files-batch-of-cia-records-on-lee-harvey-oswald_partner/
Spanish police raid government offices in Catalonia in search of election materials. "Spain's Guardia Civil police have gone into key Catalan regional government ministries in Bar"celona as part of a search for documents linked to a banned independence vote." http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41331152
U.N. labor office report says 40 million living in slavery, 71% of them are female. "We believe that the global estimate of 40.3 million is the most reliable data to date, although we believe it to be a conservative estimate as there were millions of people we couldn't reach." https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/09/19/new-research-reveals-there-are-more-40-million-slaves-worldwide
Bay area street vendors tightly regulated while Uber and Airbnb thrive. "A document explaining San Francisco's process for obtaining a mobile food facility permit looks like a parody of government bureaucracy, and requires as much as $1,500 in application and licensing fees." https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/19/tech-industry-street-vendors-disruption-california
Republican Party's latest Obamacare repeal attempt would ban states from operating their own health insurance plans. "I don't think states should have the authority to take money from the American taxpayer and set up a single-payer system." https://theintercept.com/2017/09/19/so-much-for-states-rights-gop-senator-wants-to-ban-state-single-payer-in-new-health-care-bill/
Online consumer tracking firms worried about Apple browser's limits on "cookies". "With the launch of the latest version of Safari in iOS 11 and for macOS High Sierra, Apple is introducing a new feature called Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) that will place new limits on how websites and advertisers can track user behavior across the internet." http://www.ibtimes.com/safari-ad-blocking-new-feature-apples-browser-has-advertisers-worried-2591558
Many Hurricane Harvey victims still waiting for Red Cross emergency funds. "The Red Cross plans to restart the application process on Thursday, September 21. Registration will remain open through October 10." http://www.ibtimes.com/american-red-cross-fails-pay-aid-promised-hurricane-harvey-victims-2591775 You can try standing along the road with a cardboard sign until your application is processed.
St. Louis police accused of making mass arrests, using excessive force on protesters and journalists. "Mike Faulk, a reporter for the St Louis Post-Dispatch, told colleagues he was "pepper-sprayed in (the) face while an officer's foot held my head to ground"." https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/st-louis-police-ripped-alarming-unconstitutional-treatment-demonstrators
Alt-right leader tells infiltrator of plans to set up concentration camps if they come into power, put pictures of Hitler on the currency. "It's gonna end with concentration camps and expulsions and war at the cost of a few hundred million people." http://www.rawstory.com/2017/09/its-gonna-end-with-concentration-camps-alt-right-executive-boasts-of-a-future-europe-with-hitler-their-money/
Turkish government suspected in abductions of Gulen supporters. "Witnesses to the abductions of Özben and Koçak both describe the men being forced into a black or dark-colored Volkswagen transporter van, the same model of vehicle seen at the scene of Asan's abduction." http://www.politico.eu/article/turkey-erdogan-suspicious-abductions-raise-fears-of-state-role/
Palestinians worried about censorship, arrests of journalists and activists. "In July, PA President Mahmoud Abbas clamped down on social media and news websites — the main outlets for debate and dissent in the West Bank — with a vaguely worded decree that critics say allows his government to jail anyone on charges of harming "national unity" or the "social fabric"." https://www.timesofisrael.com/majority-of-palestinians-fear-loss-of-liberty-in-pa-poll-shows/
Canadian official warns of privacy violations if its citizens enter the U.S. "Canada's privacy czar says Canadians should be "very concerned" about their cellphones, computers and other electronic devices being searched by U.S. border agents." http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/us-border-cellphone-password-search-1.4296331
Vox and NPR accused of conflicts of interest in their coverage of single-payer health care story. "The Medicare-for-All proposal (AKA "single-payer"), which would provide all US citizens with no-premium, no-deductible health insurance, faces numerous political challenges, including Republican rhetoric about socialism and government interference; centrist Democrat rhetoric about impracticality and untimeliness; and corporate lobbying from the massive, extremely profitable private healthcare industry." http://fair.org/home/vox-hedges-headline-in-fit-of-single-payer-skepticism/ Well, single-payer COULD be partially funded through employer/employee payroll deductions, like regular Medicare, which would presumably be less than health insurance premiums.
U.N. secretary general stresses importance of climate agreements. "… since 2008… some 20 million people a year have been forcibly displaced by floods, storms, fires and extreme temperature…. climate change is not a distant problem for future generations." https://www.democracynow.org/2017/9/19/headlines/un_leader_gives_climate_warning_as_us_continues_exit_from_paris_agreement
Whose streets? St. Louis riot police say the streets belong to them. "Further inflaming tensions, a St. Louis photographer reported he and others heard police chant "Whose streets? Our streets!" after making some arrests." https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/09/18/st-louis-officers-chant-whose-streets-our-streets-while-arresting-protesters-against-police-killing/ Protests enter fourth night, arrests hit 120, police chief says his officers "own the night". "As protests over the acquittal of the former St Louis police officer Jason Stockley moved into their fourth night, some observers said the response from law enforcement had grown heavy-handed, and that local and state authorities had learned little from their actions during the Ferguson protests." https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/18/militaristic-and-intimidating-st-louis-police-criticized-as-protests-stretch-on
Judge rules that Trump inauguration protesters don't have to be charged with individual crimes. "Because the government is using aiding and abetting and conspiracy liability, "each defendant charged in the indictment may be liable for the acts of others alleged in the indictment," writes the judge." http://dcist.com/2017/09/judge_denies_motions_to_dismiss_rio.php
Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort was reportedly under FBI surveillance from 2014 until early this year. "(The investigation) centered on work done by a group of Washington consulting firms for Ukraine's former ruling party, the sources told CNN." http://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/18/politics/paul-manafort-government-wiretapped-fisa-russians/index.html
Republicans gearing up for third attempt to repeal Obamacare. "The latest proposal would give states control over billions in federal health-care spending, repeal the law's key mandates and enact deep cuts to Medicaid, the federally funded insurance program for the poor, elderly and disabled." https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/new-health-care-push-reflects-high-stakes-for-gop-if-they-cant-replace-obamacare/2017/09/18/5976822c-9c92-11e7-9083-fbfddf6804c2_story.html
Toys R Us files for bankruptcy. "More than a dozen major retailers have filed for creditor protection this year, including Payless Inc., Gymboree Corp. and Perfumania Holdings Inc., all of which are using the Chapter 11 process to close under-performing stores and expand online operations." https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-19/toys-r-us-files-for-bankruptcy-crushed-by-online-competition Working class people too poor now to buy toys for their kids, even if they are made in China? It wasn't supposed to happen this way…
Russian missile defense official's decision likely prevented nuclear armageddon in 1983. "The system was telling him that the level of reliability of that alert was "highest". There could be no doubt. America had launched a missile." http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24280831
Body of man missing for 8 months turns up in his truck, in airport parking lot. "Police in Kansas City found his body Tuesday after a foul odor coming from his white 2014 Dodge Ram pickup truck was reported at Kansas City International Airport." http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2017/09/18/dead-man-found-in-missouri-airport-parking-lot-eight-months-after-went-missing.html Just letting the charges add up instead of trying to contact him?
$700 billion defense bill clears the Senate. "Senators voted 89-8 on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes roughly $640 billion in base defense spending and $60 billion in war funds." http://thehill.com/policy/defense/351265-senate-passes-700b-defense-bill $80 billion increase from previous fiscal year would have easily paid for Bernie Sanders "free college" proposal. "Critics from both parties howled that the pie-in-the-sky idea would bankrupt the country. Where, after all, would the money come from?" https://theintercept.com/2017/09/18/the-senates-military-spending-increase-alone-is-enough-to-make-public-college-free/
Trump wants a military parade, like the kind they have in France. And in Red Square. "Trump watched enthusiastically from a reviewing stand on July 14 as the French military showcased its tanks and fighter jets, including many U.S.-made planes, along the famed Champs-Elysees." https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/trump-wants-to-showcase-us-military-strength-with-dc-parade/2017/09/18/9f49981e-9cb7-11e7-b2a7-bc70b6f98089_story.html That should certainly send a message!
58 countries call for ban on torture and death penalty gear. "Products that can be used for torture and (the) death penalty are available to buy in the open market," Cecilia Malmstrom, the European Union's trade chief, told an audience of dignitaries and journalists. "They can be ordered through (the) internet." http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-4897744/Ban-torture-tools-spiked-batons-stun-belts-nations-say.html Guess which countries are not supporting this? That's right, the countries that torture and/or execute people, which includes the U.S.
Barack Obama following in Hillary Clinton's footsteps, making $400,000 a speech appearances at Wall Street events. "Less than a year has passed since he departed from the White House, and former President Barack Obama has already joined the "well trod and well paid" Wall Street speaking circuit, a decision many argued will negatively impact the Democratic Party's credibility as it attempts to fashion a message around taking on corporate monopolies, tackling income inequality, and loosening the insurance industry's control over the American healthcare system." https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/09/18/after-failing-prosecute-bankers-obama-cashes-wall-street-speeches
Airline treats employees poorly, employees find new jobs, airline has to cancel flights. "An (Irish Air Line Pilots' Association) analysis of the data indicates that more than 700 pilots left Ryanair in its latest financial year, creating a significant new pilot and training challenge for the airline." https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/over-700-pilots-left-ryanair-in-last-financial-year-ialpa-claims-1.3225145
Wisconsin approves $3 billion in incentives for Apple supplier. "The deal — on track to be the largest subsidy to a foreign company in U.S. history — offers Foxconn environmental exemptions and tax breaks tied to capital investment, employment and construction materials, in exchange for building a $10 billion LCD manufacturing facility in southeastern Wisconsin." http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/govt-and-politics/election-matters/wisconsin-gov-scott-walker-signs-billion-foxconn-package-into-law/article_3f11858b-e228-58dd-bcec-e74bb743e9df.html
CFPB reaches settlement with student loan giant. "On Monday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) said National Collegiate and its debt collector, Transworld Systems Inc. (TSI), filed lawsuits that relied on false or misleading legal documents." https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/09/18/student-loan-companies-reach-21-6-million-settlement-over-dubious-debt-collection-lawsuits/
Deep State reveals its true agenda while trying to sell global domination to Trump. "To be successful, Mattis and Tillerson decided they should use talking points and commentary with which they believed Trump would be most familiar: the role that the military, intelligence officers and diplomats play in making the world safe for American businesses, like The Trump Organization, to operate and expand abroad." https://apnews.com/4cef63caf6b34cb796bc4c196d47c143/How-Trump's-advisers-schooled-him-on-globalism
Third night of protests in St. Louis, police arrests include photojournalists. "Sunday's gathering was the largest of the three nights with more 1,000 protesters." https://www.reuters.com/article/us-missouri-crime/riot-police-break-up-st-louis-protest-over-officers-acquittal-idUSKCN1BQ161 Total of 80 reportedly arrested. "The late night clashes left one bicycle cop injured and O'Toole said his officers arrested at least 80 people, including a St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter caught in the chaos." http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/cops-arrest-80-night-st-louis-unrest-article-1.3503416
D.C. "juggalo" protest against gang designation attracts more people than Trump rally. "I'm tired of the FBI going around harassing people, pulling them over, people getting fired." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/juggalos-donald-trump-rally_us_59bd9754e4b02da0e1427777
Police charge man for chasing his daughter while wearing a clown mask. "He is charged with child endangerment and inducing panic." http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2017/09/ohio_man_wears_clown_mask_chas.html
Pro-life Pennsylvania legislator brags that he will hit protesters if they try to block his vehicle. "If anyone EVER tries to stop my car on a highway with negative intentions, I will not stop under any conditions." http://www.ibtimes.com/state-representative-threatens-he-would-run-over-protesters-2590658
University president invites black students to his house for dinner, tables decorated with vases of unpicked cotton. "We were very offended, and also the meals that were provided resembled many "black meals" they had mac n cheese, collard greens, corn bread etc. The night before Latinos also had dinner at his house and they had tacos." http://www.ibtimes.com/lipscomb-university-president-apologizes-cotton-stalk-after-dinner-black-students-2590774 SMH. Can anyone really be this clueless? Please tell me this is fake news…
Less than 7% of sampled mainstream media stories on hurricanes Harvey and Irma mentioned climate change. "Out of 2,000 media items, there were only 136 mentions of climate change, many denialist in content." http://fair.org/home/murdoch-owned-medias-radical-climate-denial-in-the-face-of-disaster/
News coverage of St. Louis police shooting of Lamar Smith and resulting protests is spotty, inconsistent. BBC World News television has story on stowaway koala, no mention of St. Louis protests. CNN lists Fox Sports reporter's on air "boobs" comment under "Top Stories", no mention of St. Louis protests. Top stories on Google News reporting that officer used his "service revolver" to shoot Smith, do not mention officer's shortened AK-47 rifle. "It was not until 15 seconds after Stockley arrived (at) the driver's side door that he took his service revolver out of its holster and fired several shots." http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/judge-acquitted-st-louis-first-degree-murder-article-1.3500493
This local Fox News story is the only one I've seen to include this detail: "Stockley's testimony about seeing Smith with a gun in his right hand pointed at him while in the parking lot of the fast food restaurant is refuted by the physical evidence. Smith's Buick had a gear shift that had to be operated with the right hand. A button on the back of the gear shift had to be held to shift gears. In order to drive the car forward out of the parking lot after reversing, Smith would have had to have held the gear shift with his right hand and steering wheel with his left hand. As Smith quickly accelerated, there would not have been time for him to then grab a firearm and point it at Stockley." http://fox2now.com/2017/09/15/former-st-louis-officer-jason-stockley-found-not-guilty-in-murder-case/ Stockley fired multiple shots at Smith as he fled the parking lot where the chase began, apparently (from the video) with his rifle.
UK news outlet reports AK-47 used to shoot Smith. "This is the horrifying moment a St Louis police officer shoots a black man five times with the officer's own personal AK-47 rifle after a high-speed car chase." http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3800421/St-Louis-cop-Jason-Stockley-filmed-shooting-black-man-personal-AK-47-five-times.html Video shows before and after, but the actual shooting footage has apparently been removed.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch video on YouTube also claims officer used his pistol to fire "four shots" at the end of the chase and put his "unused rifle" back in his patrol car. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukKP6iSEX60 Video doesn't clearly show final shooting, but shows him with the rifle at the beginning of the chase, which the video claims is a pistol. It does show Stockley put the rifle back in his car after the fatal shooting at the end of the chase. Bystander video shows Stockley enter Smith's car after Smith's body is removed. He sits in the drivers seat for about 15 seconds (video pans away and does not show the exact moment he exits the car).
Many stories are reporting that Officer Stockley handled Smith's weapon to unload it: "In the report, Stockley said he entered Smith's car "to locate the weapon and render it safe," and removed the ammunition from the silver revolver." http://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/16/us/jason-stockley-st-louis-officer-shooting-protests/index.html If this is how Stockley's DNA ended up on the weapon, it seems like a shockingly sloppy way to handle evidence.
Also unreported by most news organizations is the scale of the protests and police use of gas to disperse them. "Roughly 1,000 protestors gathered around the house of St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson and broke two windows and threw paint on the house before police intervened, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Nine officers were hurt and 32 people were arrested during the skirmishes, according to the St. Louis Police Department." http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/09/16/st_louis_protestors_surround_mayor_s_house_clash_with_police_following_stockley.html
With so many conflicting stories (remember this shooting happened in 2011) it's hard to write off the confusion over the details to journalistic incompetence. Could we be seeing a suppression and disinformation campaign?
Officer Stockley's shortened AK "pistol" was feeding from a drum magazine, another video angle leaked. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4891956/I-did-wrong-Cop-killed-black-St-Louis-man.html
St. Louis police officer responding to protesters seen with rifle. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4482231/st-louis-protest-police-missouri-jason-stockley/
Judge clears former St. Louis police officer in 2011 shooting death of Anthony Smith after car chase. "The .38 calibre revolver recovered from (Smith's) Buick had (Officer) Stockley's DNA on it, but not Mr. Smith's." http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41274065 Officer Stockley was recording during his pursuit of Smith saying, "Gonna kill this motherf&%$er…"
An estimated 600 protesters march in St. Louis in protest of Stockley verdict. "We haven't made any progress since Ferguson, that's clear. Cops can still kill us with impunity." https://www.reuters.com/article/us-missouri-crime/protesters-pour-into-st-louis-streets-after-murder-acquittal-for-ex-cop-idUSKCN1BQ161
As night falls in St. Louis, arrests climb to 23, protests turn violent. "Protests in St. Louis turned violent Friday night after remaining largely peaceful throughout the day." http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/jason-stockley/protesters-block-streets-following-stockley-decision/475250463
Department of Justice rebuffs FOIA request for records of who visited Mar-a-Lago to see the president. "After waiting months for a response to our request for comprehensive visitor logs from the president's multiple visits to Mar-a-Lago and having the government ask for a last minute extension, today we received 22 names from the Japanese prime minister's visit to Mar-a-Lago and nothing else." https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/15/us/politics/trump-declines-to-release-list-of-his-visitors-at-mar-a-lago.html
Minnesota Supreme court rules that law forbidding "disruption" of public meetings is unconstitutional. "An individual could violate the statute by, for example, wearing an offensive T-shirt, using harsh words in addressing another person, or even raising one's voice in a speech." http://www.twincities.com/2017/09/13/law-against-disturbing-public-meetings-is-unconstitutional-mn-supreme-court-rules/
Google software reportedly suggests racist key words to advertisers. "Type "White people ruin," as a potential advertising keyword into Google's ad platform, and Google will suggest you run ads next to searches including "black people ruin neighborhoods". Type "Why do Jews ruin everything," and Google will suggest you run ads next to searches including "the evil jew" and "jewish control of banks"." https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexkantrowitz/google-allowed-advertisers-to-target-jewish-parasite-black
Investment fund manager sentenced to 12 years for defrauding investors. "Prosecutors say Callahan was raising more than $118 million from investors and "siphoned off" about $96 million." https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-york/articles/2017-09-15/fund-manager-sentenced-to-12-years-in-hamptons-ponzi-scheme
Researchers claim 1 in 20 chance climate change will wipe out humans by 2117. "… an increase of more than 5°C will (result in) 'unknown' consequences which could lead to the end of life as we know it." http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4888574/1-20-chance-climate-change-wipe-humanity.html
L.A. sheriff's deputy accused of sexually assaulting two prisoners. "The women were in the same cell, according to the sheriff, who said Scotti was able "to put himself in a place where he was alone" with the two." http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-lasd-deputy-arrest-20170914-story.html
Florida nursing home claims it contacted Florida governor's office 36 hours before first patient's death. "One nursing home official estimated that executives at the nursing home placed as many as 50 calls to (Florida Power and Light) during the three days they were without power for their air conditioning system." http://miami.cbslocal.com/2017/09/15/rick-scott-others-refute-rehab-center-claims-irma-deaths/
ICE arresting undocumented migrants when they appear at courthouses. "Hechinger, (a) public defender, believes that the court system should be sanctuaries where people can fulfill their court obligations without fear of deportation, noting that it deters witnesses, victims and family members from seeking justice or legal rights." http://www.newsweek.com/new-york-immigration-courthouse-arrests-continue-sanctuary-city-665797
Columbus, Ohio police officer put on leave after video reportedly shows him asking other cops why they tasered a suspect instead of strangling him to death. "What did we tase him for? Why didn't we just choke the ******** life out of him?" http://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/columbus-officer-relieved-of-duty-for-comments-caught-on-body-cam-identified
Spanish police raid printing companies, search for ballot boxes in bid to stop referendum. "Armed police in Spain have raided several print works and newspaper offices in Catalonia in recent days in a hunt for voting papers, ballot boxes and leaflets to be used in an Oct. 1 independence referendum which Madrid vehemently opposes." https://www.reuters.com/article/us-spain-politics-catalonia-boxes/police-in-catalonia-hunt-for-hidden-ballot-boxes-in-bid-to-foil-referendum-idUSKCN1BQ2MZ


For over 40 years S.A.B. Print has provided quality printing and stationery supplies throughout Widnes, Cheshire and the North West region.
A family business benefitting from a town centre location, we are able to supply small quantities for high street copying and printing requirements as well as having the capability to handle large volume commercial print runs.
SAB Print Ltd is proud to be a member of the British Print Industries Federation.


C. Chore that you hate: Ugh, putting away laundry.
E. Essential start to your day: Shower!
G. Greatest achievement: I don't even know, I mean, I'd say finishing university even though I hated it.
I. Instruments you play: I don't play any, wish I could play the piano though!
P. Pet peeves: People who are rude. People with no manners, eating with your mouth open, talking with your mouth full, slopping, and drivers that don't use their indicators or drive to the speed limit.
U. Underdog moment: Whenever I attempt to run in public, ha.
W. What makes you run late: My mum.
Y. Yummy food that you make: I bake, I don't cook. I can make great cakes and cookies!
Z. Zoo animal: I love them all. I love learning about new species, and different animals.
p.s. I know that 'T' is missing, but I don't know what the prompt was for it, cause I can't find it on any blog, ha!


Scapino Ballet Rotterdam is looking for experienced male/female dancers with excellent technique (classical and contemporary) and a creative personality.
The creative participation of dancers in the artistic process is essential.
When: 11th of February 2017. Audition is by invitation only.
Accepted applicants will be contacted with further details.
Scapino Ballet Rotterdam is the contemporary dance company of the City of Rotterdam and regularly performs at the Rotterdam Schouwburg. Headed by Ed Wubbe, our artistic director / choreographer our company presents an average of 4 modern dance productions per season with an average of 100 performances throughout the country. The company is one of the major dance companies in the Netherlands and is located in the centre of Rotterdam.