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Posted on February 13, 2014 by Petros Posted in Issues regarding US persons abroad 110 Comments
I often find myself in discussion with some Homelanders and Obama supporters about whether US citizenship-based taxation is a human rights abuse. Below is my argument, first published August 21, 2012, to say that it is unfair. Now I argue that with the implementation of FATCA, the USA has become a serial human rights abuser. Clearly, most people of reasonable conscience accept these kinds of arguments. Even yesterday, I manage to get a chuckle out of an AP reporter who was asking for my story. I mentioned my birth in Chicago, Illinois, and moving as a baby to Alaska. Off the cuff, I said, "Yet Illinois isn't chasing me around the globe expecting me to pay state income tax." That's because once you leave a state, you can no longer benefit from the proceeds of taxation. It is a no brainer. Yet it is not self-evident to Congress and the IRS, which are pursuing US expats across the globe with FATCA regulations in order to make them pay taxes for the benefit of Homelanders.
Many Homelanders are a special breed of bigot who believe that you live abroad so that you can shirk your responsibility to pay for their Social Security, their Food Stamps, their welfare, and their wars across the globe. Well, I for one am sick of this unfair treatment. We pay taxes in our countries of residence, and in Canada in particular, our tax burden is already much heavier than what Homelanders pay. So it is really time to emphasize that Citizenship-Based Taxation is a violation of the fundamental principles of Western democracy, and it is a human rights abuse.
Fair tax, unfair tax: or When is it paying my fair share?
by Peter W. Dunn
Patrick Henry: Tax Protestor
In studying historical tax rebellions, I have observed that governments have frequently been ready to commit mass murder in order to maintain their tax hegemony over a people. South Korea committed mass murder against the poor tax revolters on Jeju Island, who rose up in rebellion in 1948; Californians rode out to suppress the Indian tax revolters in 1851; Britain waged war against American colonists who unilaterally declared a permanent tax holiday from King George; the Romans razed the Temple at Jerusalem and crucified the anti-tax zealots in the Jewish War of succession in AD 66-70. Even George Washington, the beloved president who cut down the cherry tree but could not lie about it, personally led the troops against the Western Pennsylvanian tax protestors in the Whiskey Rebellion. No nation which wants to be taken seriously can ever allow a tax revolt. That's why Irwin Schiff, father of investor Peter Schiff, rots in a Federal prison.
There are lessons to be learned from these examples. The revolts in question in every case took place because the protestors felt that the taxes were unfair. If the tax really is unfair, then protestors will revolt in large numbers, forcing the taxing authority to act. So I've decided to point out some aspects of fair taxes which people are willing to pay, compared to unfair taxes that leads to tax revolts.
Fair taxes seem to me to have the following characteristics:
A fair tax is not onerous and well within the ability of the citizen to pay.
A fair tax is part of democratic process in which the citizen has a right to vote for a local person who represents the taxpayer's area in a legislative assembly. Representation in the legislative assembly is also proportional to population.
A fair tax is proportional, i.e., charges all citizens proportionally to their means and not disproportionally.
The proceeds of a fair tax must benefit the community of which the taxpayer is a part.
Penalties for failing to pay a fair tax are proportional to the crime and the damage to the government which claims a right to collect taxes.
The following are characteristics of unfair taxes which will lead to revolt:
An unfair tax is taken without local representation in a legislative assembly that makes tax law.
An unfair tax is disproportional and onerous.
An unfair tax does not benefit the community of the taxpayer but rather, it benefits the needs of others.
An unfair tax is a weapon to destroy the taxpayer's community or to make sure that that community never rises in prominence or wealth.
An unfair tax comes with stiff penalties for disobedience–penalties which include destitution, detention, and death.
An unfair tax results in the alleged protector becoming the chief enemy and persecutor of the taxpayer.
As any casual observer can see, the United States taxation of its expats fits the description of unfair taxes that I here provide. (1) It is done without local representation; (2) it is disproportional and onerous, not taking into account the taxpayer's other tax burdens–e.g., Canadians already pay about 50% of their income in Federal, Provincial and Munipal taxes–including taxes for which there is no foreign tax credit (GST/HST); (3) it is done for the benefit of Homelanders not for the communities of the expats; (4) it unfairly taxes the expat's home countries tax bases to the weakening of those countries for the benefit of the profligacy of the United States; (5) the penalties for failure to comply with US extra-territorial taxation may result in the detention and destitution of the taxpayer–it often leads the taxpayers to renunciation of citizenship, and can even result in exile [Reed Amendment] or death, if the taxpayer commits suicide or resists arrest; (6) The United States has made itself the chief enemy and persecutor of expats.
Historians seldom look back favorably upon regimes that institute unfair taxation. History is now in the making. Will the United States continue down this path of demagoguery and despotism? Will it commit total annihilation of its own expat community through a form of Expat Cleansing which forces all Americans abroad either to renounce their citizenship or return to the homeland? I think so. I see no real signs that this situation will change but only that it will get worse. I hope that I am wrong. Historians will remember this generation of leaders in the United States under a very dim light, and the Isaac Brock Society will be a primary source for their understanding of this period.
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110 thoughts on "Citizenship-based taxation is a human rights abuse, and the United States is a serial human rights abuser"
The_Animal says
@mjh49783
My quote of "I was a big US apologist" meant that I used to favour the United States – it doesn't mean that I was pro-Obama – in fact, in 2008, I did not have a good feeling about him, he was too protectionist in policy and I stated to friends that if he gets in power that things will go from bad to worse in the United States – that other countries would suffer under his administration.
I have been conservative in my leanings and still am in most aspects – personal accountability, working for myself rather than expecting society to take care of me – the social safety net should only be for people who honestly need it – not for those who don't wish to work. The simple fact is that Harper is a Neo-Con who doesn't have the guts to stand up to the United States and he sold out Canada and that is something that I, as a political conservative, cannot stomach. Our national sovereignty should be of paramount importance and one does not achieve that by selling out our citizens.
This graphic pretty much sums up the rage that we all are feeling at being sold out. I'd like to think that we were like the rattlesnake. We are docile until trampled on. We'd prefer to be left alone to live our lives but Uncle Sam with his big boots on decided to come stomping in our neck of the woods. Perhaps this graphic should give him pause.
When is the news going to get out- that having anything to do with America taxwise is sucide? I would think that the more people know ( especially the wealthy ones) the more they avoid the USA and anything american will be the result.Nobody in his right mind can want anything to do with a US passport/GC anymore. IS everybody still haning on to the past and what America used to be? The golden land of opportunity?
I just dont see how the congress and senate cannot realize this? That America is going to be harmed vastly by CBT? That should be incentive enough to change the law.
TomOn says
Unfair taxation pits those unfairly taxed against those who tax them unfairly. Reason supports the first group, power the second.
Monteverdi imagines a conversation between the Roman emperor Nero and the philosopher Seneca about reason and power. Nero wants to get rid of his wife and marry another. Seneca says "not a good idea."
S: The passions are mischievous consellors, for they hate law, and reason they despise.
N: Reason imposes a harsh discipline upon those who take orders, but not on those who give them.
S: Irrational commands destroy obedience.
N: Stop lecturing me. I shall do as I like.
S: Don't aggravate the populace and Senate.
N: I care nought for the populace and Senate.
S: Care at least for yourself and your good name.
N: My wife's now frigid and barren.
S: He who has no reason must find excuses.
N: He who has the means can assume the reasons.
S: But not the safe outcome of an unjust act.
N: Right will always side with might.
S: But an incompetent ruler is always weak.
N: In peace men are compelled by law, and by the sword in war, and reason is superfluous.
S: Compulsion arouses hatred, and causes unrest. Reason governs men and Gods.
N: You make me lose my patience.
S: The poorer argument is bound to win when power contends with reason.
In the end Nero order Seneca to kill himself.
Petros says
@Tomon, and apparently Nero committed suicide because he lost all support because he started a tax revolt. Great example, thanks.
mjh49783 says
@The_Animal
By being a 'US apologist' meaning that you used to favour them, then yes, I also used to do that, a long time ago. Speaking for myself though, I stopped being an 'apologist' once the Iraq War started. I never imagined a president worse than Dubya, until Obama came around.
"…A SELECTIVE CONCERN FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
United States foreign policy has tended to promote and protect civil and political human rights and the right to property.
The human rights perspective of the foreign policy of the United States thus combines capitalism and human rights, resulting in a selective approach that favours civil and political human rights and the market
From Jackson-Vanik to Magnitsky 7 HR&ILD 2 (2013)
255economy.
This selectivity has sometimes been described as a preference for market-friendly human rights………"
from Page 253-254 of 'From Jackson-Vanik to Magnitsky: Continuing a Tradition of Ineffective Human Rights Bolt-ons to Trade Bills', 7(2) Human Rights & International Legal Discourse 237-261 (2013)
by Kim Van der Borght
http://www.academia.edu/3587605/From_Jackson-Vanik_to_Magnitsky_Continuing_a_Tradition_of_Ineffective_Human_Rights_Bolt-ons_to_Trade_Bills_7_2_Human_Rights_and_International_Legal_Discourse_237-261_2013_
'From Jackson-Vanik to Magnitsky: Continuing a Tradition of Ineffective Human Rights Bolt-ons to Trade Bills', 7(2) Human Rights & International Legal Discourse 237-261 (2013)
I think part of the reason that CBT is condoned isn't just the power of America, but because people think its alright to take from the rich. Expats are considered well-off enough to survive in enough comfort for it not to constitute a human rights violation. People worry more about the starving peoples in Africa than an expat who gets fleeced.
Johnson says
FATCA is terrible for Africa too. How many African countries have signed up for IGAs? They lack the infrastructure and resources to implement FATCA. Soon the US will start confiscating 30% of their export revenues. This aspect of FATCA has been underreported.


Please find below work experience information for Parents issued by Royal Borough of Greenwich.
The aim of Work Experience is to give students an insight into the world of work and can also support coursework. In particular a placement allows a student to demonstrate and develop the Key Skills of communication, number, I.C.T. working with others, improving own learning and performance and problem solving.
In contrast to an industrial visit where they are only able to observe, work experience allows students to experience a short continuous spell in a working situation and to gain first hand knowledge of what particular jobs entail. This experience helps prepare young people for the transition from school to college or employment. It can also help students in their own career choice.
The preparation of students is controlled by the Education (Work Experience) Act 1973/1996 Education Act. Under the Act, students are eligible to take part during their last two years of compulsory schooling, i.e., years 10 and 11, or at any time later if they remain in full-time education.
There are certain restrictions by law which are designed to protect young people from occupations unsuitable for them. Parents who wish to have further details can contact the Work Experience Team at Royal Borough of Greenwich on 020 8921 5683.
Students do not receive any payment for Work Experience. In some cases the employer may offer assistance with fares and lunches.
These will be the normal hours worked by young employees of the organisation concerned. The student will normally work between the hours of 07.00 and 19.00 for a maximum of 8 hours, inclusive of breaks, except by agreement with parents, school and the Council Work Experience Co-ordinator. Post-16 students may work for a maximum of 9 hours, inclusive of breaks, between 07.00 and 22.00.
All work experience placements are vetted for suitability before being used by students. Sometimes students find placements themselves through family or other personal contacts. For these placements to gain approved status they must undergo the same vetting procedure as those identified by schools or the Skills Team – Work Experience. Occasionally placements cannot be approved by Royal Borough of Greenwich. This is usually because an employer does not have the requisite insurance policies, health and safety documentation or cannot demonstrate adequate levels of supervision etc. In rare cases, approval cannot be given due to the placement falling within the list of activities students are prohibited by law from undertaking on work experience. In such cases parent/carers will be informed that the placement does not meet the requirements of the various legislation covering work experience and that the placement cannot be sanctioned. If after receiving such information a parent/carer decides that their child will still undertake the placement, neither the school nor Royal Borough of Greenwich will accept any further responsibility for the placement. The register will show the student as having taken unauthorised absence from school. The student will not be included within Royal Borough of Greenwich insurance cover for students on work experience.
Pre-16 students will be given a work experience record book before beginning their placement. All students should also have been provided with a job description, giving details of hours of work, dress code, duties to be undertaken etc. Students will have been thoroughly briefed in school before the start of work experience. However, it would be extremely helpful if parents/carers could familiarise themselves with the content of the record book and give support and encouragement for the duration of the placement. Every student should be visited by a member of the school staff whilst on placement but it is only parents who can offer daily support during this extended period away from the school environment.
Work experience programmes are very closely monitored and evaluated; this includes the views of parents and carers.
Before the start of any placement each employer is provided with information about the student they are about to receive into their workplace. This information includes home address, telephone number, an emergency contact for parent/carer, relevant medical details of a student as well as details of the school. This information may be used by an employer if a student becomes ill or if there is an emergency outside normal school hours. The school will also provide a brief reference on each student to ensure that employers have sufficient and relevant information to ensure adequate levels of supervision. Parents/carers may wish to discuss/approve the content of the form Work Experience – Student Profile with the appropriate member of the school staff before it is issued to employers.
Students are required to comply with the safety regulations of the organisation where they are working. Employers are asked to check that the students understand those safety regulations, to ensure that adequate supervision is given throughout the student's stay and carry out a risk assessment of the tasks to be undertaken by the student bearing in mind the age and inexperience of a young person. Employers are made aware of their responsibilities to students on placement under the terms and conditions of the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), the Health and Safety (Training for Employment) Regulations 1990, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and the Health and Safety (Young Persons) Regulations 1997. In addition, employers will be required to provide adequate insurance cover for students.


How many here are grieving or have undergone deep grief? Do you have the support you need?
Are you told to quickly get over it as if it is the flu or a cold; to move on; that the loved one is watching over and taking care of you; that they would not want you to cry or grieve? And has this helped? Or has it come across as not understanding your pain, as an intolerance and impatience to the pain?
I have found meditation to be a very effective way, one of many, for making peace with a potent and natural human experience. There is no single template to follow—each of us makes our own way through it. Grief counselors, meditation teachings, say the only healthy way is through the experience and emotion, there is no way around it. Faith, religion, spirituality can be enormously helpful as well. I hope we can create a supporting environment here and share helpful resources.
Grief presents itself in so many ways: death, divorce, moving, challenging relationships, illness, abuse and betrayal, loss of mobility and independence.
So we all share this bond. The experience can be solitary in the sense that no one can undergo it for us—just as no one can eat, drink, or sleep for us. But we do need people who care, are accepting and patient listeners, and who do not judge us. We will cry, feel the need to talk—sometimes over and over again, sometimes we may need to be silent and alone.
How long should grief last? Life is messy, and it is not linear with arbitrary time lines that can be imposed on grieving. We may be asked to intellectualize, judge, these normal emotions; and when we cannot, it can come across as a lack of faith in religious and spiritual beliefs. But this is not an intellectual experience—it is felt deeply in the heart and it needs our compassionate attention.
Grief can be an expression of love. It can also be a powerful motivator for a deep, fundamental change, turning the trajectory of life. Buddha lost his mother in infancy and his life became the quest to end suffering, Virgin Mary lost Jesus, Jesus mourned Lazarus, Mohammed lost his young son Ibrahim as well as his grandchild. Abraham lost his wife Sarah. They all grieved and mourned.
In our modern culture, do we tend to look at grief/sadness/pain as unnatural emotions to be avoided? We are comfortable expressing happiness, even jealousy, greed, certainly political rage. But sadness and pain are just as natural and normal and yet people are uncomfortable, even embarrassed by the expression of these emotions. It may even be seen as a sign of weakness, especially in men. As a society, it is imperative that we give men and boys the space to feel, experience, and express this emotion. To recognize and honor their humanity and suffering.
Grief is the most natural, healthy response to enormous mental trauma. Its expression is essential, a sign of strength—like letting steam out of a pressure cooker. It is a way of de-stressing.
When friends and family avoid our grief, it may be because they don't know how to respond. That they are uncomfortable with their own painful emotions—and when we are uncomfortable with our own emotions, avoid them, resist them, then we will do the same with other people's as well. Discomfort and the dread of grief makes it so much more difficult to ever find peace.
As I looked at my own grief, it came as a surprise to notice that not only did I feel the loss of my husband, but I also grieved for myself and for my children. And that meant that there was a need for self-compassion (which we will talk about another day). Let us stop and think for a few moments—who all do we grieve for? Do you notice if you grieve for yourself as well?
I am going to briefly go through some of the feelings of grief to emphasize that they are all normal. Being in touch with our feelings can help us develop emotional intelligence and resilience. Initially, there may be numbness and shock. There may be denial and anger. It is normal to experience fear, loneliness, anxiety or depression, regret, remorse, guilt, lack of resolution. Let it all be. Look at the stories around these feelings.
Look at the physical sensations. Racing heart, sharp breath, knotted stomach, tight and painful chest, head feeling heavy and closed in, inability to sleep or concentrate, a fog through which it is hard to process what anyone is saying. Sometimes the pain is sharp, searing, cutting. Sometimes a dull, chronic ache. Other times, the grief swells in overwhelming waves as you struggle to keep your bearings and balance—like the ground has fallen under your feet. How insecure do we feel with that feeling of falling and spinning? Do any of these sound familiar?
Over time, the intensity and frequency lessen. And for this we must accept our grief. Resistance makes it harder than it already is. The dread of grief is even worse than the emotion. We let the pain come in peace.
Reflect upon the teaching: This too shall pass. What does that mean in this situation? Where does it all arise from and what does it pass into? Who is experiencing all this—who is this I or me?
Yes, people who meditate, who are very religious or spiritual also experience enormous pain. In it they find their humanity and inter-connection to the web of life. This quote from Rollo May, an American existential psychologist, says: To love means to open ourselves to grief, sorrow, and disappointment as well as to joy, fulfillment, and thus an intensity of consciousness that before we did not know was possible. Grief is the single most unifying aspect of human experience.
As I sat with a group of women recently, there were three other women who had lost their husbands. We bonded around this shared, universal grief. I don't own it or possess it just because it is my individual experience. It is not enough to just know that this too shall pass, everything is impermanent—there has to be acceptance of it as well, which is challenging.
Embedded in impermanence is the practice of non-ownership, which means neither clinging nor rejecting. In meditation we do not cling to, or reject, the breath and learn to apply this to aspects of our lives as well. Life moves through us and around us with the whisper of the breath—we experience it but we cannot own it.
Are we able to sit with the grief and pain that are inevitable parts of life without clinging, rejecting? Let them move through us? Can we see in our contemplation that attraction and rejection, raga and dwesha, are inextricably linked to ownership, possessiveness–I wants this, not that. Who is attracted? Who rejects? It is I. I has a way of getting us away from peace which is fundamentally who we are in the meditation/spiritual traditions. If this too shall pass—can we own anything that is passing through? It may pass again and again. This too shall pass means we don't cling to it, don't create stories/narratives around it that sustain the emotion's strength and stickiness, keep giving new life to it.
I is also a passing thought, no more.
Our first step to healing, making peace with grief is to accept it. If it hurts too much, take in a little at a time. Place a soft hand over your heart or belly, hold or touch the pain lovingly, and breathe into the pain. Breathe right through it.
As we breathe through this well-defined, solid heavy cloud, the pain softens. Clouds look so well-defined and solid until you go through them and see it is just air, open space, no form. "I" and "me" are also less solid upon examination than perception suggests. In Yoga Nidra we lose all sense of the dense, physical body and the experience is that of expansive space. As we go right into it with the breath, pierce it with awareness, grief and pain feel less solid, more open.
Our hearts open up and there are seeds of other potent emotions in the grief—yes, there are seeds of anger, bitterness, resentment. But we also see how the sword of grief spontaneously breaks open the heart to become the flowering of empathy, love, compassion. There is no effort and there is the possibility of instantaneous, unconditional love and forgiveness.
In our pain, we connect with the pain of others. Love for one, and our perceived loss, has led us to infinite love for all. What we could not let go before, what we could not forgive before, now can suddenly become petty as our heart and mind open wide to forgiveness. We don't even have to try! And we are reminded: This too shall pass, everything is impermanent. I too shall pass–and suddenly life takes on a new perspective, meaning, and purpose. We wonder how we fritter our time and life on what seems remarkably irrelevant in our current situation. Our suffering exposes our strengths and weaknesses bringing them into sharp focus as we strip ourselves bare. It makes us think what do I want to discard? What is truly important to me?
When we see someone else grieving, suffering, whether we know them or not, even in a movie or on TV, our eyes well up and hearts fill. There is a natural instinct to wrap our arms around the pain and comfort it. We forget ourselves, me/mine, as we become one with someone else's pain. This is our infinitely compassionate heart, the heart of who we are where there is no I that dwells. This core of our being is revealed in a way joy or happiness may not. It brings out the best in us, our true self that is covered up at other times under our ego-centric, I-centric existence. Our grief is perhaps envied less than our happiness. When we are stripped, vulnerable, exposed, with no ground under our feet, we touch our deepest and truest self. This is making peace with grief. We can wrap our compassionate arms around ourselves, our grief, with forgiveness that includes us.
Neither clinging, nor rejecting, feel grief as grief. We give ourselves time, reflect on all that this experience has revealed to us and try to retain some of our true, compassionate selves, when the intensity diminishes. Grief may bring us home to the infinite compassionate heart more powerfully than other emotions that we label as positive.
In the recent book Why We Sleep: Unlocking Dreams, the author Matthew Walker talks about REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement). REM is a unique phase of sleep in mammals and birds, characterized by random, rapid eye movements, accompanied by low muscle tone throughout the body, and the propensity of the sleeper to dream vividly (as defined by Wikipedia).
Matthew Walker explains the healing power of REM sleep: An astonishing change in the chemical cocktail of the brain takes place during REM sleep. Concentrations of a key stress-related chemical called noradrenaline, also called norepinephrine, are completely shut off within the brain when we enter this dreaming sleep state. In fact, REM sleep is the only time during the 24-hour period when the brain is completely devoid of the anxiety-triggering molecule. REM sleep reprocesses upsetting memory experiences and themes in this neurochemically calm, low-adrenaline, or safe brain environment. REM sleep is perfectly designed nocturnal soothing balm—it divorces the emotional bitter rind from the information-rich fruit. We an therefore learn and usefully recall salient life events without being crippled by the emotional baggage that those painful experiences originally carried.
That is why sleep is so important after trauma and that is when it is often so difficult to sleep. Yoga Nidra is now used to treat PTSD in veterans. Some of the veterans brains continue to produce adrenaline giving them no respite for REM. Yoga Nidra takes us to REM stages but we are alert in that stage, not sleeping. It may be possible that Yoga Nidra induces the calm, low-adrenaline environment with possible resolution of challenging emotions so they are no longer crippling–much more research is needed beyond the limited studies that have been done.
And the Yoga Nidra we will now do gives us the structure to be at peace with grief. If we are deeply aware of what we feel, grief has the potential to dramatically change our old habitual thinking. We can be transformed by it and find an enduring sense of peace. It may force a re-examination of everything.
I do not have an audio track for our class practice. But here are other Yoga Nidras I have recorded: Being a Witness Who Am I?
– Sleep must serve some vital function because all animals do it.
– Evidence suggests that sleep weakens the connections among nerve cells, which is a surprising effect, considering that strengthening of those connections during wakefulness supports learning and memory.
– But by weakening synapses, sleep may keep brain cells from becoming oversaturated with daily experience and from consuming too much energy.


Major fights are afoot in the ruling structures of this country. We must not be passive – we must act to assert the interests of the people of the world. No one will do this but us!
Give today to RefuseFascism.org because fascists don't just resign. They must be driven from power by the actions of the people.
* project the demand #TrumpPenceMustGo across the country, on lawn signs in the suburbs, stickers plastered across the campuses, banners dropped on highways, in major newspapers, in social media feeds, and through creative non-violent civil disobedience.
* continue to mobilize even more powerful rapid response teams taking action against the latest outrages, building strength for sustained mass non-violent resistance around the single unifying demand that this regime must go.
* sustain the national office and nerve center for this movement, to organize and lead our chapters, to reach out to broader forces from all walks of life, and to publish and promote the diverse and incisive voices on our website who penetratingly analyze the danger we face and point to openings, and to ways we can act together to end this nightmare.
The Trump/Pence regime poses a shocking danger to lives here and around the world – and to the planet itself – and therefore history is calling you. Answer the call today by donating to support the fight to change the future for billions around the globe by driving out the fascist Trump/Pence regime.
Only Refuse Fascism has as its mission bringing forward thousands and eventually millions in this country to assert the interests of the people of the world through our struggle out in the streets. Only by acting in this way – from below and by relying on ourselves – can wrench a positive future out of the nightmare of fascism currently being bludgeoned into place.
Instead we must take responsibility ourselves, acting in fierce and sustained opposition outside the confines of politics as usual.
A truly sustained, mass non-violent political protest could create a political crisis in which sections of those now in power, who are themselves under attack by this regime while also conciliating with it, could be compelled to act to remove this regime from power.
This IS possible, but it can only happen with your involvement and support!
Why Give to Refuse Fascism?
While the leaders fight among themselves as to the best plan to maintain this insanity, we must all work harder to create a new world. Refuse Fascism is a critical part of that effort.


A change is as good as a rest. Swap your regular flavour for the cherry variety. This time we've got it in a tube so you can even fit it into the back pocket of your J Brand's. And it has the added benefit of a good SPF.
Contains germ killing menthol and phenol to heal skin. Beeswax, and seed butter give it it's remarkable lip care properties. SPF 15.


text:
A smooth transition for Central football
Dave Link
Central High School football coach Bryson Rosser didn't need a search firm to find a new defensive coordinator.
Rosser promoted Nick Craney from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator in place of veteran college coach Larry Slade, who was hired as Carson-Newman's defensive coordinator in early January.
Craney, who played linebacker at Greeneville High and Carson-Newman, joined the Central staff when Rosser was hired in 2014.
'(Craney) was kind of Coach Slade's understudy last year, was kind of his eyes in the box,' Rosser said at Friday's Knoxville Orthopaedic Clinic Kickoff Luncheon at Thompson-Boling Arena.
'We're keeping the same platform, same technique, same skill set and everything else that we were doing last year and trying to keep that going into this season.'
Slade has more than 25 years of experience coaching at the FBS level and was secondary coach at Tennessee under Phillip Fulmer from 1999-2008.
His one season at Central was special for Rosser and his staff.
'It was one of the best experiences and friendships that I have made and will have probably for the rest of my life,' Rosser said. 'I was just fortunate to catch him kind of in the loop not coaching at the moment and he was able to come along. He was a good mentor for me and the other coaches. We're happy for him.'
Central went 9-3 last season and lost to Greeneville 27-17 in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs.
The Bobcats finished second to Grace Christian Academy on July 14 in a Fellowship of Christian Athletes 7-on7 passing camp at Tennessee Tech. They were 9-2 during the camp.
'We lost in the championship literally the last play of the game,' Rosser said. 'The kids were competing. It was obviously really hot. We're really excited about what we're doing. We have a good mix of maturity and some experience coming back.
'Hopefully it will equate in a good season, but we're focusing more on growth beyond football, focusing on those guys outside the field and hopefully it translates to stuff on the field.'
Karns' Coaches: First-year Karns coach Brad Taylor has three assistant coaches on his staff who were previously with him when he coached at Bearden from 2007-13.
They are offensive line coach Hunter Fendley, secondary coach Reed Lindsey and defensive coordinator Brian Tanner.
'It's great to be back with those guys,' Taylor said. 'We were always close. I missed 'em the last couple of years. That's one thing that's fun about coaching is those relationship aspects, and those guys mean a lot to me, and they're good football coaches and they're good teachers around kids.'
Taylor, who led Bearden to the Class 5A state semifinals in 2007, coached the Bulldogs to six playoff appearances in seven years. At Karns he replaces Tobi Kilgore, who coached the Beavers for two years and posted a 3-7 record in 2015.
Kilgore is now an assistant principal and the athletic director at Karns.
'Brad is great hire for our program,' Kilgore said. 'He wants to be there for the long term and build consistency there and that's what's going to happen.'
Grace's Confidence: Grace Christian coach Randy McKamey said his team got a confidence boost by winning the 7-on-7 camp in Cookeville.
The Rams went 10-2 during the 16-team camp and avenged losses to Central and Maplewood on its way to winning the title.
Grace had 22 seniors last year and returns just five starters this year (three on offense, two on defense).
'I think it's big for our confidence,' McKamey said. 'We beat some good teams. Our players have been working hard and it shows.'
Sophomore Luke Kirby is Grace Christian's starting quarterback. He's the brother of Austin Kirby, the Rams' starter last season.
Jamboree Schedule: The first night of the KOC Kickoff Classic football jamboree is Aug. 11 at Hardin Valley Academy. The event starts at 7 p.m. with Anderson County playing Powell, followed by Gibbs vs. Austin-East, Carter vs. The King's Academy and Hardin Valley vs. Central.
The second night of the jamboree is Aug. 12 at West starting at 7 p.m. with Halls playing Lenoir City, followed by Bearden vs. South-Doyle, West vs. Karns, Fulton vs. Campbell County and Farragut vs. Webb.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


One of the architects of Douglas County's priority-based budgeting has left Douglas County for a similar position in Washoe County.
Christine Vuletich's last day was Friday, according to Douglas County.
"We've been very fortunate to have her the last few years," county commissioner Nancy McDermid said. "She was instrumental in helping set up priority based budgeting and instrumental in the bond rating being elevated to higher rating. We are very grateful for Christine's service to the board and to all the residents of Douglas County."
Vuletich will continue to live in Carson Valley and commute to Reno.
Washoe County Manager John Slaughter announced his appointment of Vuletich to his executive team, as the new assistant county manager of administration and finance for Washoe County.
Among other duties, Vuletich will have oversight responsibilities for the Technology Services Department, the Human Resources Department, the Comptroller's Office and the Registrar of Voters Office in Washoe County.
"Christine brings extensive experience to Washoe County that will be very beneficial for our community," John Slaughter said. "We are fortunate to have her and I am excited to welcome her to the Washoe County team."
"I am really looking forward to becoming part of the Washoe County Team," Vuletich said. "This is an amazing opportunity to work together with everyone in the organization in serving our citizens during these exciting times for our community."
Vuletich served in public finance and management for more than 20 years, most recently as the assistant county manager and chief financial officer for Douglas County since 2012.
Vuletich also served as the director of finance for the City of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., for more than seven years, where she was responsible for the integrated management of the City's financial resources, purchasing, technology services, airport and parking garage operations.
Prior to that, Christine was the assistant finance director for the City of Folsom, Calif. She also worked as a finance administrator for the Sacramento Regional Transit District, in Sacramento, Calif., and as the deputy treasurer for the El Dorado Irrigation District in Placerville, Calif.
Christine has lived in Nevada with her husband and family since 2004.


Walter Leslie Handley , (April 5, 1902 - November 15, 1941), was born in Aston, Birmingham, and was a famous British Inter-War motorcycle racer with four wins at the Isle of Man TT Races in his career.
Later he also raced cars in the 1930's, and died during World War II in an aircraft accident while serving as pilot with the Air Transport Auxiliary.
Wal Handley, who was one of the best riders and tuners of the times, guided the Rex-Acme company in its racing exploits from 1924 to 1926. He later became Works Manager at the Earlsdon factory.
Handley's strong influence saw the arrival of a wider range of models for 1926 including a new four-stroke, with a 173cc ohv AKD engine and Albion three-speed gearbox, which replaced the previous two-stroke.
1927 There were good results at the TT, when Handley won the Lightweight; as well as the world one-hour record - 91.21 miles (145.94km) covered in the sixty minutes.
By 1929 Handley had moved on.


Adobe MAX 2010 takes place on Oct 23-27 at the LA Convention Center (same place as last year). The website is up and running at http://max.adobe.com/. MAX 2010 is the single, pivotal connection point in the universe for thousands of Adobe designers, developers, and business leaders. This is the one place where you get to meet the Adobe ones face to face.


Argentina is the world's 6th largest producer of wine by volume, just behind the US and ahead of Australia. It produces about 6% of the world's total wine. The country has 350-400,000 acres planted in grapes. Argentina has 4 main wine-producing regions: Atlantic, Cuyo, North, and Patagonia. Cuyo is the largest and most important wine-producing, macroeconomic region in central Argentina and includes the wine sub-regions of La Rioja, Mendoza, and San Juan; with Mendoza being the largest of the 3 by area, population, GDP, and wine production.
Argentina was the first South American country attempting to grow vines, beginning in Mendoza in the early 1800s. The initial plantings came from the Bordeaux region of France, including the ubiquitous Malbec. Eventually, Mendoza was producing world-class Malbec wines, on par or superior to those produced in France, mainly due to its high elevations in the foothills of the Andes, well-drained soils, and lots and lots of hot sunshine. Today the country produces 75% of the world's Malbec.
The Mendoza region, lapping up onto the eastern foothills of the youthful Andes, is the largest wine producer in Argentina, accounting for 65-75% of the country's total. A third of the country's vineyards are dedicated to Malbec with Mendoza also producing the lion's share of that variety. The Mendoza wine region is partitioned into another 5 sub-areas: Central Oasis, East Mendoza, North Mendoza, South Mendoza, and Uco Valley. North Mendoza, aka Lujan de Cuyo, designated as an appellation in 1993, contains an additional 6 micro-regions including: Agrelo, Barrancas, Las Compuertas, Perdriel, Ugarteche, and Vistalba.
Agrelo, named after a local village, is one of the most prestigious wine micro-regions in Lujan de Cuyo, North Mendoza, and all of Argentina. Its terroir was made for growing Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The vines grow at an elevation of 2900-3500′ above sea level in very dry air, and as such, the cloudless skies provide for an intense sun producing lots of heat. The soils are a thick, very sandy loam, encouraging deep root penetration into the cool gravelly subsurface. These subsurface gravels help to cool and protect the green vines above from the hot sun. An auspicious terroir responsible for creating Malbec second to none in the world.
Malbec grapes originated around Cahors in south-west France. It is a thinned-skinned, dark grape, requiring lots of sun and heat. It produces full-bodied wines with medium to high tannins and acidity. In France most of the Malbec is grown around the Cahors AOC on the low, gravelly terraces of the Lot River. In Cahors, a Malbec must contain at least 70% of this grape and is usually blended with Merlot and Tannat. In Argentina the grapes grow at much higher elevations than in France, producing a high acidity, high tannin wine with herbal-flower aromas and flavors versus the more earthly notes of its French sister.
Thomas Schmidheiny, a descendent of Swiss wine makers, set up shop in Agrelo in the year 2000 upon a land of nothing, "cero", naming his new winery after that land of nothing: Decero. The land he chose is the highest in all of Agrelo; 3500′ above sea level. He planted all reds; Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Tannat grapes on his 270 acres, calling the vineyard Remolinos, named after the tiny whirlwinds or dust devils that commonly dance across vineyards in tandem with the lazy dry winds. They tease the white-hot summer sun, beaming down from on high, to come and join them in a tango of sleepy idleness and pointless play.
The Remolinos vineyard, with some variation, has soils that are similar to all of Agrelo, sandy loams over a gravelly subsoil. The growing season diurnal temperature range is 55-85ºF with rainfall averaging 0.75-1.5″ per month, dropping to almost nothing in the winter. Temperatures may approach freezing in the winter, but usually don't.
The winery employs its labor intensive "amano", by hand, process to its vineyards and wine making processes. In the vineyards, all the vines are planted, pruned, and picked by hand. The vines are relieved of their east facing canopy leaves to increase grape cluster exposure to the sun. The clusters are individually thinned to 1 or 2 per branch.
The 2014 harvest was cool and wet, delaying the grape picking by about a week and taking the entire month of April to complete. The grapes were individually selected on the vine, hand-picked, and sorted, grape by grape, repeating this process again and again throughout the harvest. The grapes, after crushing, spend 5-7 days in a cold soak and then 10 days fermenting in small stainless steel tanks. Most grapes are fermented at 78ºF while a small amount is subject to fermentation at 86ºF, ostensibly to increase texture. After fermentation the grapes spend an additional 15-18 days in the tanks for maceration. 90% of the wine is then aged in new and old French oak barrels for 14 months. The other 10% remains in the stainless steel tanks to preserve the original aromas.
A dark ruby-red wine with a light purple rim. Aromas of red fruits, mainly cherries, with some spice and flowers. Full-bodied and nicely balanced. The tannins are thick and the acidity is tad more than usual. Breathing for an hour definitely improves this wine. It leaves you with a nice long finish.
I'm not sure were I developed this habit but I prefer fruit, berry and cheese, bits and bites, when I drink a Malbec. I can't remember the last time I had a full meal with a Malbec wine. I usually prefer thin slices of apple and pear, blueberries and sliced strawberries, and strong cheese. I once tried chocolate dipped strawberries with a Malbec and I'm certain I glimpsed heaven.
An outstanding wine at a fair price. Drink this year but likely good until 2023-2025. Decant and aerate for one hour, or more, before drinking.


With the election just days away, QR (quick response) codes are probably the last thing on many voters' minds. This is a technology more closely associated with marketing activities than tracking voter behaviors or sending voters to the polls.
Younger voters, however, may be casting ballots this year based on the efforts of savvy political organizations that wisely tapped into the technology early on in the election process.
Recognizing that many students have smartphones, an organization called Rock the Vote targeted new voters in their enlistment campaign. Colleges and high schools across the country sported posters with a "Rock the Vote" QR code. Rock the Vote reps encouraged young people to scan the code to register and pledge to vote, and to join in an on-line conversation about the candidates and issues.
Just ten states allow voters to register online. This creates quite a barrier for the approximately 44 million 18 to 29 year olds in the United States who perform many of their daily tasks via smartphones and other mobile devices.
According to comScore, 14 million Americans used QR codes in June 2011, more than half of whom were between the ages of 18 and 35.
The effort to recruit youth voters is especially important in states that have passed legislation to make voting more difficult for young people, particularly for college students attending school out-of-state. According to U.S. census data, since 2008, about one-third of young voters have moved and need to re-register at a current address.
Rock the Vote didn't stop with college campuses or a the youthful voter as a singular target.
In a partnership with Virgin Airlines, air passengers were able to register to vote en route from San Francisco to Washington, DC. By scanning the 2D bar codes using their smartphones (via in-flight Internet service) the smartphone user was sent directly to the mobile voter registration page for fast, convenient registration, along with information on current issues.
The question remains: Will this new technology affect the outcome of the election? Of course, we won't know the outcome itself for another couple of weeks, and it will take additional analytics to determine the impact of QR codes on online voter registration.
Although anecdotal, it does appear that QR codes have an effect on potential voter behavior when used with other social media such as Facebook and Twitter, or "routine" communication strategies like email. In terms of other activities like branding candidates, organizing volunteers in the field, collecting supporters' data, and especially fundraising, QR code technology may prove to be of significant impact.


Whether you are a first time buyer or an experienced home seller or investor, we are here as a resource for you. We will help you choose the "right" property; whether it's a detached house, condo apartment or townhouse, making an offer to buy a house, negotiating, financing your next house, mortgage rates, moving to your next property, pricing your home to sell, finding out what your home is worth and everything involved in making an informed real estate decision in today´s Hamilton market.
And because our Team sells a lot of homes, we have extensive homeselling experience that puts more money in our client's pockets.
We donate a portion of our income to make a difference in the lives of kids. Please pass on our contact information to anyone thinking of making a move.


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His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd)
Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia
His Excellency General the Honourable David John Hurley AC DSC (Retd) was sworn in as the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 July 2019.
David Hurley joined the Australian Army in January 1972, graduating from the Royal Military College, Duntroon into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. In a long and distinguished 42-year military career, his service culminated with his appointment as Chief of the Defence Force.
He commanded the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment during Operation SOLACE in Somalia in 1993, receiving the Distinguished Service Cross. Following promotion to Colonel, he was appointed Chief of Staff, Headquarters 1st Division in June 1994, attending the U.S. Army War College in 1996 and 1997. He commanded the 1st Brigade from 1999-2000 in Darwin, supporting Australian-led operations in East Timor. He was appointed the inaugural Chief of Capability Development Group from 2003-07, Chief of Joint Operations Command in October 2007, and Vice Chief of the Defence Force in July 2008. Promoted to General, he succeeded Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston as Chief of the Defence Force on 4 July 2011 until his retirement on 30 June 2014. In 2010, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to the Australian Defence Force.
Prior to being sworn in as Governor-General, David Hurley served as the 38th Governor of New South Wales from October 2014 – May 2019.
David Hurley was born in Wollongong, New South Wales on 26 August 1953, the son of Norma and James Hurley. His father was an Illawarra steelworker and his mother worked in a grocery store. He grew up in Port Kembla and attended Port Kembla High School where he completed his Higher School Certificate in 1971. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1975 and with a Graduate Diploma in Defence Studies from Deakin University in 1991. He is married to Linda with whom he has three children: Caitlin, Marcus and Amelia. The Governor-General and Mrs Hurley have two grandchildren: Charlie and Sabrina.
He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Wollongong in 2013; a Doctor of the University, honoris causa, from the University of New South Wales in 2015; made a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering in 2016; and awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Macquarie University in 2017.
Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley
Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley (nee McMartin) was born and raised in Sydney. She was educated at Kingsgrove High School and went on to become a teacher, commencing in 1976. She married David Hurley in 1977.
In the course of their married life, Mrs Hurley has supported her husband throughout his career on a wide variety of postings in Australia and overseas, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Malaysia.
Mrs Hurley's own career in education has been in both the public and private school systems, until her retirement from full time teaching in July 2011. She has been an active member of the community as a Pastoral Carer at the Canberra Hospital and Hospice. Mrs Hurley holds a Bachelor of Education from the University of Canberra.
Mrs Hurley has an interest in the Arts, especially music. She is passionate about singing, and showing how singing, especially in a group, can have a positive impact on individuals and the community.
Mrs Hurley is a member and was the first Patron of 'Solid Rock', a Christian Ministry to women in Defence. She has been a member of the St Andrew's Presbyterian Church choir in Canberra and is a member of the Australian Military Wives Choir.
Mrs Hurley is dedicated to championing causes that are developing new technologies to recycle rubbish, and ways to reduce our use of plastic, particularly plastic packaging and plastics used for single use items, which are not only harmful to the environment but add unnecessarily to landfill sites.
Joint Patrons of Palliative Care Australia (PCA), Their Excellencies, General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) and Mrs Hurley.


Visitors can find this wrecking yard in the vicinity of Huntington (New York). It provides car parts, classic parts or truck parts to its clients. If you want to ask on any second-hand parts, junk car value estimation, get cash for junk autos or junk cars for sale, you can contact the business via email, phone and tollfree. The Specialized Salvage opening schedule information is not included yet.
Neighbors of the Huntington Station neighborhood can access a huge inventory of second-hand parts for their cars in this business. You can contact them via: phone. More information: The Fat City Auto Wreckers business schedule information is not included so far, however, you can see its web.
They provide an highly qualified service at great prices, with a huge variety of inventory and with the warranties demanded by its clients. You can find this salvage yard in the municipality of Huntington Station (New York). Additional information: The S & S Auto Wrecking opening hours information is not available yet.
This junk yard placed in the municipality of East Northport (New York), delivers a very specialized and competent service to its purchasers, offering attractive bargains but with the highest quality and a large breadth of inventory. You have the possibility to get in touch with them via: tollfree, phone or email.
Do you own an old vehicle or are you looking for second-hand pieces for your automobile? We advise you a visit to this salvage yard, since it provides an enormous catalog. More info: The Mid Island Auto Wreckers Qns business schedule info is not available yet but you can check its website.
They distribute an highly competent service at good prices, with an excellent variety of catalog and with the guarantees requested by its clients. You can meet this business in the town of Deer Park (New York). More info: The Deer Park Auto Glass timetable info is not included so far but you can review its website.
This junk yard is located in Deer Park (New York) and it's delivering high quality vehicle parts to its eventual purchasers in the area. If you need to inquire an estimation for your old auto or ask for a particular second-hand spare, you can get in touch with them using phone.
Neighbors of the Deer Park area can purchase an extensive inventory of second-hand parts for their cars in this business. You can get in touch with them via: email, tollfree and phone. Additional information: The Mid Island Auto Wreckers business hours information is not present yet, however, you can review its web.
You can save a lot of money on the reparation of your well-liked car by buying used spares with warranty in this leading in Deer Park area salvage yard. Additional information: The D P A Auto Parts Inc is open Monday to Saturday.
They provide an highly competent service at good prices, with a huge breadth of catalog and with the guarantees requested by its customers. You can find this junk yard in the city of Farmingdale (New York). More info: The Expressway Glass Incorporated business hours info is not present so far, despite this you can check its web.
They offer a very specialized and professional service at lower prices, with a huge depht of catalog and with the guarantees demanded by its clients. You can find this salvage yard in the municipality of West Babylon (New York). More information: The Heshs Auto Recycling business hours info is not present so far but you can review its web.
If your car is already a few years old there is no reason to spend more dollars from the account on new factory spares. The smart thing, if you want to save a few dollars, is to look first at the second-hand vehicle market. You can't imagine how many deals await you in it.


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Go Back to Shop All CategoriesA Certain POVLists
HomeBlogListsThe Top Ten Video Games of the Decade
The Top Ten Video Games of the Decade
Our best video games of the decade.
I've seen a lot of these click-baity past decade top ten lists and decided I should throw my ninja cowl into the ring. There were so many great titles released in the last ten years its hard to decide which ones are worthy of a top ten list. But then I remembered that I didn't care. These lists are made for discussion and hurtful comments from keyboard warriors with nothing better to do.
What I'm trying to say is this is VGN's top ten games of the decade not THE top ten games of the decade. If somone else thinks Destiny is the number one game of the decade that's ok…but I do question your taste.
We based our picks on the game's overall impression on consumers and its impact on the industry. So lets get this list underway before you leg falls asleep on the can.
10.) Mass Effect 2
Bioware's crown jewel. After the uber successful Knights of the Old Republic Bioware decided to create a space opera rpg set in a galaxy not far far away but right here in our own Milky Way. The original Mass Effect didn't invent the FPS action rpg but it created a special franchise where our decisions really did affect the events of the game.
Yes we know they didn't affect the end of the trilogy but that doesn't take away from how good the second game was. Mass Effect 2 had the best story beats, the best characters, the best voice acting and some of the best missions of the franchise. Also it graced us with it's presence on the PS3- no longer a Xbox 360 exclusive.
Mass Effect 2 brought in a new combat system that made the game feel more action/adventure FPS rather than stat based shooting like Sytem Shock or Deus Ex. At first I thought this was going to be a huge departure from the rpg mechanics but it was the right call. The shooting was great even though your teammate AI could of been better. Usually they were in the way or they just got themselves killed.
The dialogue choices were fantastic and at the time no other game was this in depth when it came to talking to NPCs. Today it seems kind of basic and that's understandable. You could respond like a dick, an angel or be neutral. It was what followed that mattered. Missions changed and people treated you differently depending on how much you were liked or disliked or sexy. Creating a love triangle on your ship will not get you that captain of the year award but it was fun watching it unfold. I didn't think my Shepard would have to choose between the perfect looking Miranda and an alien who requires a full size helmet to breathe.
I've played all four games and for some reason all my memories of Mass Effect come from the second game. That's not to say there weren't good moments in the other entries but the second one just had more good moments and it was consistently good.
9.) Zelda: Breadth of the Wild
It's hard to imagine how they can possibly top Breadth of the Wild. Nintendo's flagship action rpg always raises the bar and is a no-brainer killer app to move consoles. Originally released on the short lived Wii-U BOTW came in like a hurricane and swept very loyal and casual fans of the franchise off their feet.
A new game featuring a vast open world seemed to be all the rage this past decade and it doesn't look like that trend is slowing down anytime soon. Unfortunately some games that like to boast that they have hundred of hours of game play in a huge sandbox. That is unfortunate because a lot of these games are full of, well- filler! The Zelda franchise is no stranger to open worlds full of dungeons and annoying enemies that bounce around. It seems only fitting that this franchise took the action rpg sandbox genre to a different level.
The Breath of the Wild world feels alive and gives the player a lot more freedom than a typical open world rpg. The reactive properties of different items around the map allowed the player to experiment. For example if you use fire on materials that realistically should be flammable it will be. The results can help you in your quest or solve some well thought out puzzles. The combat is some of the best in the biz and that always comes down to one thing: easy to learn hard to master. If any action game can nail that concept down you got yourself an addictive game play mechanic. That usually equals success (unless you're Titanfall 2).
We should also mention how gorgeous this title is. Zelda has always set it's own benchmark to be the best looking title on their respective console. Ok so it wasn't it's prettiest on the original NES but starting with the 64 it has been the title to show off what the Nintendo console can do. The Wii U version still looks great and the Switch version makes you appreciate how they can get so much graphical horse power out of that little thing.
Zelda: BOTW ended up being the best selling Zelda game of all time. Albeit there are two versions of the game but that's not the point. The point is it's one of the best games of the decade.
8.) Mario: Odyssey
This was a tough one to choose as the excellent Mario Galaxy 2 is a personal favorite. Mario: Odyssey brings together all the fun mechanics of Mario Galaxy as well as Mario 64. It truly is Mario evolved and a great system seller as most Mario games are.
Nintendo's open world games seem to be consistent home-runs with the above mentioned Zelda: BOTW and Mario: Odyssey. This new version of Mario features a unique world that reflects- our world. When I first saw the previews I thought this was going to be Mario: GTA.
Mario: Odyssey is everything you would expect from a Mario and more. I especially like the call back levels to the 8-bit era. If this were a film it could be criticized as fan service but it's not a movie. It is a title that features more creativity and art than any modern movie I can think of. But that's a subject for a different blog post.
Mario's has a hat that's alive! That sentence alone may not be enough to describe the great features of the game-play but it should. One would have to play the game to get how great this new feature is. The point is this is a very old franchise (in video game years) that always seems to think of new ways to give Mario new powers to keep the game-play fresh. Trust us when we say that not only is his googly eyed hat adorable but it contributes to an extremely fun experience you can only get on the Nintendo Switch (and Switch Lite).
7.) Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
What a sad game this is. I don't mean sad in the sense of atmosphere or mood. Remember when Otocon's sister EE died in his arms and her pet parrot said his name in her voice after she dies and he started bawling hard? That was legitimately sad. Steven Speilberg once said, "I think the real indicator [that games have become a storytelling art form] will be when somebody confesses that they cried at level 17." Well Mr. Spielberg I give you Metal Gear Solid 2: The Sons of Liberty.
Now lets fast forward to Metal Gear Solid 5 and how it never reaches that level of emotion. What makes this game a downer is how there is half a story. We all know why and it's because Hideo Kojima was completely unreasonable after years of being treated fairly by Konami. Why are you looking at the screen like that? Have you heard something different?
Behind the scenes issues aside you can't argue with how amazing this game is. Yes the story is lacking compared to other entries in the series but this is the pinnacle of stealth action game-play. Maybe you don't like stealth and want to go out all Rambo style? The Metal Gear games always rewarded you for not being a homicidal maniac but it doesn't quite punish you for going guns blazing either.
This game gives you the freedom to be a one-man army or a stealth ninja. The more lives you take the more tales of a horned demon start to spread among your enemies. A piece of shrapnel lodged in your forehead will start to grow like a devil horn the more murderous you are. The Metal Gear games didn't exactly punish you for killing but they always made a note of mentioning it. I can't help but think of the Sorrow boss fight in Metal Gear 3. You walk up river against a herd of all your victims. It's really cool ideas that gave this entire series it's addicting charm and The Phantom Pain is no different.
The best part of Metal Gear Solid 5 is you will always have a different experience every time. When this game came out it was a lot of fun to trade war stories with your buddies. Such a shame we won't get another Metal Gear game from Kojima. Even though we didn't get an in-depth story with a hundred plot twists it's still a great way to go out.
Add in the camouflage system from Metal Gear 3 and not to mention a fantastic sound track and you have one of the greatest Metal Gear and overall video game of the decade.
6.) The Last of Us
Ok it's another zombie apocalypse game. Haven't we've done this genre enough? Why won't these games/movies/comics etc die? It's like it's a…zombie genre?
We've all thought about that but we keep getting great content in the genre and The Last of Us is arguable the best. It plays out like a great novel. And that novel is The Road. Is it a similar story? Sort of but it's all about the execution. The chemistry between Joel and Ellie makes this entire game. As you control Joel you are tasked with protecting Ellie who might be the key to curing this whole outbreak. Along the "Road" the characters become so engrossing that it's really hard not to care about them.
The game play is fantastic and some of the best combat I've played in a stealth game. Crafting shivs and making your own traps is very satisfying. It'd be one thing if this game was all great acting and writing with garbage game play. It'd be called out on its pretentiousness and it'd find its way to the bottom of bargain bins and no PS4 re-release. When a developer creates a wonderful story and balances it with amazing game play you get something special. Naughty Dog deserves the accolades it received when this title released. It was a great send off to the PS3 and a great title to show off the PS4.
This is a game that had no business adding a multiplayer mode but it did. It was also very successful and created a huge following. It seemed like this game could do no wrong. Lets create a map with 4 v 4 and see what happens. Well thanks to it's great combat mechanics people ate it up like a clicker eating up Joel's jugular when we was too loud trying to sneak up on one of them.
The sequel is scheduled for Q1 2020 and I wouldn't be surprised if it finds itself on the best games of the decade 2020-2030.
5.) God of War
What was I just writing about great writing plus great game play? Actually the formula for God of War follows the Last of Us template. A scruffy tough as nails protagonist escorts a young naive kid. The two aren't very warm to each other at the beginning but by the end form a very strong bond through their adventures.
God of War is gorgeous. Even on the peasant launch-PS4 and PS4 slim it looks amazing. This is why you purchase a PS4- any version of it. The larger than life enemies would make your younger siblings beg you to keep playing so they can see more of this crazy world.
Not satisfied with kicking some Greek god ass Kratos retires in a world ruled by Norse mythology. This was the right call as vikings seem to be all the rage lately. It was probably thanks to Marvel's Thor, the hit show Vikings and another game called Hellblade. Even if Vikings and Norse mythology were considered lame this game would beat you over the head and you'd ask for more.
The game play mechanics and rpg design made this game feel incredible. Your axe kind of felt like you were using Mjonir. You throw it by a crowd of enemies and wait for them to align as they get ready to attack. With the press of a button Kratos gestures and the axe flies through the air as it cuts down his enemies. It doesn't get more satisfying than that.
The maps actually accounted for a large open world. You couldn't go to many places at first and it always seemed kind of linear. That is until you wanted to complete everything. There isn't a pixel of this map that is boring. Even if you went to the same place over and over again it was all eye candy.
Some games might hold you by the hand just to show off the game and tell you a story. I don't know if God of War has this feature but this is not an easy game if you're a completionist. The Valkyrie fights were some of the toughest boss fights I've ever completed. No I'm not a Bloodborne/Dark Souls fan so I'm sure there are tougher ones. If you wanted to 100% complete this game it would take work and time. But if you ask me and technically you did because you clicked on this article- the difficulty only adds to the value of God of War.
4.) The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt
Toss a coin to your Witcher, oh valley of plenty, oh valley of plenty. What a great show. Like many other gamers around the world I too re-installed the iconic rpg because I wanted more Witcher. According to Steam when the show launched more people played The Witcher 3 than ever before.
Released back in 2015 right in the middle of the decade The Witcher 3 is still one of the most in-depth rpgs of all time. Featuring a vast open world with side-quests that would be main quests in smaller rpg titles, The Witcher 3 will go down as one of the best games of all time.
What makes the Witcher 3 stand out to me is the outcome of your quests. There are different ways to complete these story lines and some of them are more right than others. What the heck do I mean by that? I'll give you an example. Spoiler alert! The game has been out for half a decade so whatever. Anyway, one side quest has you investigating vampire activity in a large town. People are scared and corpses are turning up everywhere. This is a long quest so I'll get to the point of it. After your investigation you think you have the vampire responsible because he's attacking a prostitute. You interfere and you can slay him where he stands or maybe take a moment to think and ask some questions. I like to look tough in front of the ladies because it makes me feel like a big man so I killed him where he stood. I brought my findings to the people who hired me and everyone was safe and happy. The end! But it wasn't I screwed up. A friend of mine who played the same mission did not kill this guy attacking the whore. He talked to him which led to more of the mission which led to the real killer/vampire. When we talked about this mission we couldn't believe that the game let me think that I successfully completed this mission. I never would of known.
This is exactly what sets The Witcher apart from other rpgs. Lesser evils and morality being grey instead of black and white.
3.) Skyrim
Member when Bethesda was universally loved by all even though some of their games had bugs that made them border-line unplayable?
Lets not get into Fallout 76 we all know it's criminally garbage. This is a happy list and Fallout 76 has no place on it.
Skyrim is a hall of fame game. By that I mean when you hear its name you know it's an all time great like Michael Jordan or Wayne Gretzky. Released upon the world in 2011 Skyrim continues to sell and continues to be the standard in which modern rpgs are measured against.
I can't think of any other game that has been repackaged and re-sold on so many different platforms.
Bethesda would if they could
As a VR defender I have to say that it is absolutely fantastic on VR…when you can get it working. This is still Bethesda we're talking about.
Lets talk about the base game and why it's so important to the medium. The Elder Scrolls games always boasted large open rpg worlds with many dungeons to crawl as did many other games. What set Skyrim apart from them and its own predecessors was its world building and its immersion into that world. NPCs had their own jobs and lives and couldn't care less if you were around…unless they needed something.
The mission design made it stand out too. Besides the main quest you can choose to do missions for the Fighters Guild, The Dark Brotherhood, The Mages Guild, and the Thieves Guild. Not to mention Daedric missions and a civil war in which you have to pick a side to complete. Sprinkle in some random NPC missions and this is a game that can take you well over 100 hours to complete. The missions didn't feel called in either.
I remember doing a random drinking contest with some guy only to wake up in a farm field. You had to retrace your steps and find out what the heck happened the night before as you run into people you pissed off while inebriated. It turns out it was a Daedric mission and all of this happens when talking to a random stranger at a bar.
Some may argue that the game is dated and the engine is in a real need of an upgrade and they're not wrong. What you can't argue against is the demand for this game as it has landed on almost every console including Alexa which isn't a console.
Skyrim is a very user friendly rpg that is a hit with every type of gamer and that's thanks to its great menu design and it's simplicity on the surface. The more you play this game you begin to realize how in depth it is and how there is something here for everyone which is not an easy feat for any rpg.
2.) Minecraft
Minecraft is a phenomenon and there's no other way to describe it. If you know people who hate video games because they think it's a waste of time or for nerds use this game as your main argument. I can't think of another game that can bring together adults and children to work towards building…anything. All you need is imagination and the know-how on how to execute. Think of what you want to build and think of the materials you'll need then get to work on getting those materials. I can't think of a better way to nurture creativity in a young childs mind.
Minecraft brought creativity and simplicity to the main stream. It looks like an 8 bit FPS but it is so much more than that. You start out in a field of pix-elated green and you need to use the world around you to create more things that lead to the creation of more things. A wooden axe is great but how about a metal one? Better mine a hole and hope you find some iron but you got to build an oven to black smith some metal tools/weapons. Now you need stone and wood to create the fire. And on and on it goes.
Minecraft is the best selling video game of all time. That's not hyperbole and it's not one of the best selling video games- it's number one. It's creator Markus Persson sold it to Microsoft for 2.5 billion dollars. 2.5 BILLION DOLLARS! Did Microsoft even haggle with this guy? And if you follow the news it turned Mr. Persson insane as he made crazy comments on the Internet. I guess it's possible he believes certain people with certain progressive beliefs are evil before he became insanely rich but who cares. He's rich we're not we live in crazy times lets move on.
Minecraft to date has sold over 180 million copies. It is safe to say that its not going anywhere and it wasn't a fad. It's simple yet complex and that always makes a special kind of game. Who knows what will topple this giant but if something ever does I hope its soon because I want to play it.
A few titles we thought of but were too lazy to insert it into the list and we didn't feel any of them were number one:
Marvel's Spider-man PS4
Rainbow 6: Siege
1.) Grand Theft Auto 5
Minecraft is the best selling video game of all time. Hold my beer GTA 5 says. GTA 5 is the best selling piece of entertainment of all time. That includes movies, books, tv, music etc. No one doesn't own this and if they don't they will. That much is clear.
GTA 4 was beloved but I think some people had some issues with it. It was a technical marvel on the PS3 and Xbox 360 but it seemed like it was so close to something but couldn't reach it. Niko was a great character and Liberty City looked amazing so what did GTA 5 have that GTA 4 didn't?
GTA 4 was the first GTA to offer multiplayer but it seems like it was more of an experiment. GTA 5 online is a behemoth and has made so much money that Rockstar has abandoned any single player DLC. Pewdiepie started with COD on the YouTubes and we all know how that went. Other people followed and it led to live streams of a ton of games like Fortnite and PUBG. GTA 5 offered a ton of entertaining streams and vids which usually ended in a lot of laughter. After launching a lot of YouTube channels and careers it's not wonder this free advertising had people downloading this title faster than a private jet smashing into Mount Chiliad.
GTA 5 featured everything we all loved from GTA but with gorgeous graphics and an in-depth online mode it's no wonder people keep buying this even today. GTA Online is not going anywhere and one has to think when GTA 6 will get released? Does it have to get released? GTA 5 has been out for a long time but even today I can't say the graphics look dated.
There are those that will argue about GTA Online being what's wrong with video games today. The inclusion of a casino which is banned in some countries show how predatory this live service can be. It is an industry issue and it's easy to blame the big fish on top. Look at number two in this list, Minecraft. It's a kid friendly game that promotes creativity but it's got a ton of micro transactions that I'm sure drive some kids crazy. Especially with all the themed skins like Star Wars or Harry Potter or just pick your favorite franchise and Minecraft will sell it to you.
The greediness and predatory strategy is a topic for another blog. You can't argue its success and you can't argue how big of an achievement being the number one selling entertainment property is. If you grew up in the 80s the all time best selling entertainment item might be Peter Frampton: Frampton Comes Alive on vinyl. Or maybe Michale Jackson's Thriller or the Star Wars Trilogy? None of that comes close to GTA 5 and that's why it's the number one video game of the decade.
Vader Immortal: Review
A Certain POV, Lists
Ever since virtual reality has hit the main stream Star Wars nerds across the galaxy started fantasizing about being in X-Wing cockpits and wielding laser swords. Well I have good news and bad news. If you want to pilot an X-Wing for a brief period you need the PSVR headset (not to mention a PS4)....
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When Vader was talking to me I tried to push one of his buttons on his chest but sadly nothing happened.
Google Stadia: DOA?
Today VGN will look at the reasons Google's new gaming console will suffer the same fate as the Ouya and probably Atari's Android box.
Apple Arcade. My Impressions for Each Game in Two Sentences
Now you have even more excuses to walk blindly into traffic while playing a Breath of the Wild clone.
videogameninjutsu.com


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THE LONG WAR.
Get used to that phrase. If any one theme emerged from yesterday's speech Adm. Mike Mullen , the new chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, it was one of protracted engagements around the globe, what Mullen called "a generational conflict," one that would endure throughout the careers of the youngest of today's career military personnel. In an address sponsored by the Center for a New American Security , Mullen used the term "the Long War" much as military and foreign-policy types of an earlier time used the phrase "the Cold War." The Long War has a poetic ring to it, something sad and vaguely musical -- more elegant that Rummy 's "long slog" and more poignant than the Global War on Terror, known to military folk as GWOT. The one hint of optimism I gleaned from Mullen's remarks was his contention that the jihadists will be defeated only when their ideas no longer serve adequately as motivators to their recruits -- in other words, until conditions on the ground make a violent ideology...
Scenes from the Bewildered Right
Last weekend's Values Voters conference showed the religious right as a party in search of not just a candidate, but its place in the upcoming election. If the reports sound mixed, well, that's because the right appears a little lost.
This year's Values Voter Summit , a gathering of religious right activists, offered a marked contrast to last year's intensely focused vitriol. Sure, there was plenty of blaming and finger-pointing at the usual "enemies" (gay people, feminists, Muslims, civil rights activists, secular humanists), but permeating the atmosphere of the Washington Hilton last weekend was an unsettling sense of bewilderment and anxiety. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, the one candidate who genuinely excited the crowd of more than 2,000 right-wing evangelicals, failed to win outright backing, leaving the specter of a nominally pro-choice Republican nominee looming on the horizon. If frontrunner Rudy Giuliani should actually win the Republican nomination, he would be the first pro-choice candidate since 1976 to do so. Several speakers exuded a sense of pessimism over the Republican Party's chances to win the presidency in 2008, regardless of who wins the nomination. "[T]here is an ominous feeling in the...
Giuliani, Gays and Values Voters
By agreeing to attend this year's Values Voter Summit, Rudy Giuliani will have to face up to the discrepancy between his views and those of the religious right. That may be the showdown Dobson and others are looking for.
One thing you can say about Rudy Giuliani: the guy's got moxie. In less than two weeks, Rudy will join the very right-wing leaders who oppose him in addressing the most faithful of the faithful at the Family Research Council's Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. All of the Republican presidential contenders have been invited to address the gathering, which last year brought together more than 1,500 right-wing Christians. Until yesterday, Rudy's RVSP was the only one missing from the top-tier candidates. He declined -- along with Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson and John McCain -- to participate in last month's Values Voter Debate in Florida. But James Dobson's pronouncement on the op-ed pages of The New York Times that he and his fellow religious-right leaders stood poised to walk out of the G.O.P. (and into the arms of a third-party candidate) should a pro-choice candidate (read: Giuliani) win the nomination, all but mandated Giuliani's participation in the Washington confab. To do any...
Run, Newt, Run!
If the former speaker of the House enters the presidential race, he will be vulnerable to spattering by the very dirt he would sling. His potential candidacy also speaks volumes about the state of the Republican Party.
Adele M. StanSep 25, 2007
What a joy to behold, the headline from the Washington Times , the right-wing newspaper in our nation's capital: " Gingrich seeks donors for GOP bid ." Just as the presidential race appeared to be veering toward a New York showdown, along comes former House Speaker Newt Gingrich to do what he does best: threaten to toss a monkey wrench into the works. Indeed, as the media promoted President Bush's spoken contention that New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will be the Democratic presidential nominee, and his unspoken but heavily hinted bet that former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani will be the Republican one (via the nomination of a Giuliani adviser to run a Justice Department charged with enforcing voting rights ), I despaired at the thought of such a contest. Too much New York, too much 9/11. Then along came Newt to put the fun back in the race. Should Hillary live up to the president's prediction (and I've yet to count out Sen. Barack Obama) and Newt become the GOP standard-...
BLACKWATER RUNS DEEP.
BLACKWATER RUNS DEEP. The thing I find most interesting about yesterday's terrible news of the killing of civilians , allegedly by the hired guns of Blackwater USA , is that it actually made news. In fact, it seems that the matter of the military's outsourcing of tasks ranging from security to interrogation is finally finding its way into the public conscience, and the public is apparently not at ease with this state of affairs. I've long wondered why the phenomenon was so taken for granted by media and ordinary citizens. While working for a labor union that represented federal employees, I got a glimpse at the extent of the government's outsourcing of security and procurement operations to for-profit corporations, but had a hard time finding a reporter or editor who found it as troubling as I did. Here's a brief and incomplete synopsis of contractor complicity in -- or instigation of -- torture and murder: Abu Ghraib prison ( interrogations -- see Tara McKelvey 's Monstering for more...


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Pteris hirtula är en kantbräkenväxtart som först beskrevs av Carl Frederik Albert Christensen, och fick sitt nu gällande namn av Conrad Vernon Morton. Pteris hirtula ingår i släktet Pteris och familjen Pteridaceae. Inga underarter finns listade.

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hirtula

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Unemployed graduates protest regularly to pressure the government to provide them with employment. Most believe that they must be absorbed into the state sector. Picture shows protesters being pushed back with the aid of water cannon, during a demonstration in early 2018.
There are 55,000 graduates without employment, according to the Convener of the National Centre for Graduates, Chandana Sooriyaarachchi. He told Counterpoint that 5,000 out of 60,000 unemployed graduates had been recruited by the government as Development Officers, and the others were awaiting training and jobs in the public sector.
Counterpoint sought answers to this phenomenon of local graduates waiting for years after graduation to find employment. Are they unemployable or are they interested in only obtaining government jobs? Is the private sector shunning them, and if so, why? Are graduates actively seeking employment in the private sector, if not, what is the reason?
Nalini, (not her real name), was one such graduate who left a well-paying private sector position for a government job. "Even though, my previous employer offered to fund my Master's studies, I moved to the government sector because it allows me to work regular hours," she said. A Chemistry graduate, Nalini now does a desk job in a government ministry and that has nothing to do with her field of study. "With a growing family, I did not want to work late. I was involved in laboratory work in the private sector, and that the work must be completed before leaving." She admitted that she was not working in her chosen field of study, and to get the ideal position in the government she would need connections.
While a majority of undergraduates plan to work in the government sector upon graduation rather than in the private sector or branch out on their own, a few have begun considering the latter two options.
Gayani Kanchana, a first year student at the University of Colombo, told Counterpoint, "I prefer the government sector more because there is job security. The administration system in the government sector is pretty large, too. There is freedom at work, and I am a person who likes to work freely. We only have to work a certain number of hours, and enough time to do the household work this way.
Her views were shared by other students, who also said that a government job gave them a certain status in society.
She added that unlike in the private sector, an employee could not be sacked easily in the government sector.
"Working as an entrepreneur has great advantages," says Navodhi Karunaratne, a Lecturer at the University of Colombo. She is a graduate of the Rajarata University. If you are talented enough and perform well you can earn really well. It is however a risky environment in terms of uncertainty and job security.
Though the government promotes the study of Arts subjects among secondary school students, those graduating from universities are either unable to obtain employment, or are only willing to work in the State sector.
Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of Colombo, Dr. D A C Suranga Silva, agrees that being fixated on government jobs is not healthy though he is seeing a change of attitude. "This is the sort of negative attitude our students have. They are not development-oriented. However, now this trend is changing. We are seeing more and more students preferring to join the private sector. But this number is not enough. We have to encourage more students to work in the private sector or they can become a burden to the country.
Says an employer in the IT sector, "We hire IT graduates from the Colombo, Moratuwa and Peradeniya Universities. There is a shortage of quality IT graduates, so they are highly paid. However, when compared with those who have obtained foreign degrees, the difference is obvious. While foreign graduates and those from private or international schools are innovative, think outside the box and get things done without much supervision, others need lots of training and direction." There is very little money being put into research and development in state universities, and academics are poorly paid, he says adding that private universities pay nearly six times the rate state universities pay IT lecturers, resulting in the better known academics also joining private universities. Batch toppers get picked up for high paying jobs, often earning more than their lecturers and this results in those further down the list in terms of results taking up university teaching positions, which could end up lowering the quality of teaching, he says. Lack of or inadequate knowledge of English also puts students from state schools at a disadvantage, where those from private or even better known government schools are able to pick up easily during their degree studies.
The issue of local graduates being unemployed and lacking practical skills has been around for decades, says Emeritus Professor of Sociology of the Colombo University, Siri Hettige.
The disparity is vast, he points out, not only between what is offered in State run schools as opposed to the private and international schools, but also between urban and rural state schools. Rural schools lack resources and good quality teachers that the so-called better schools have. Education is the one way out of poverty and for most being employed in the state sector gives them social recognition apart from a pension.
But, he points out, there are so many categories of state schools and the system is a mess. Until 1977, the economy had been stagnant, but the open economy policy that was introduced, did not see its logical conclusion because of the war. Nor has there been a diversification in the economy, Professor Hettige says, adding that the country is still exporting only a few products such as tea, while almost everything else is imported. Research and development are key to introducing new products, but that area is ignored, even though we have many research centres that are now hardly functional he added.
Professor Hettige and Professor Senaka Bandaranayake, were instrumental in setting up the Centre for Humanities and Social Sciences, the focal point linked to similar centres globally. It was meant to help Sri Lanka stay abreast of global educational trends and support young academics, but like all else, political interference resulted in those appointed to the centre ignoring its mandate.
In 2006, there was a move to provide training in ten different areas to new state sector recruits, so they could be placed in jobs they are most suitable for. However, that scheme too has died a natural death.
The way out of the mess is to introduce skills-based education. In developed countries, secondary school students are encouraged to take up community service during their gap years to help them gain knowledge outside the school system. Knowledge of more than one language too is important, Professor Hettige emphasises.
In many countries, degree or diploma courses include several months of practicums, where students get the necessary work experience in their fields of study.
Overhauling the education system and a change of attitude where many graduates expect the government to be their only source of employment and diversifying our economy to open up more job opportunities must be given priority. It is time governments got down to serious business, allocating adequate funds and ensuring they are spent wisely in education, research, development, promoting new products and industry that would create employment that benefits individuals and the country. Appeasing graduates with government jobs in a sector that is already overstaffed and a burden to tax payers is no longer viable. More importantly, it is time politicians stopped feathering their own nests, and spent their energy and tax payers' money on developing the country and ensuring our young are groomed to be productive individuals.