Monthly Archives: September 2018

31 NewsItems

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U.S. Navy Sends Ships Out To Sea Ahead Of Hurricane Florence

Nearly 30 naval ships were ordered to leave the Hampton Roads area of southeastern Virginia on Monday in order to escape the storm.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/12/647144675/u-s-navy-sends-ships-out-to-sea-ahead-of-hurricane-florence?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Election Laws May Discourage Some From Voting, Even If They Are Allowed
Many people who want to vote face obstacles like past criminal records, voter ID laws and purging of voter rolls. Even if they aren’t barred from voting, they may be kept from the polls.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/646314446/election-laws-may-discourage-some-from-voting-even-if-they-are-allowed?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Champagne Makers Bubble Over A Bumper Crop Caused By European Drought
A record heat wave ruined crops across Europe this summer, but not all crops. Champagne growers are ecstatic over a bumper crop of grapes this year. Vintage 2018 is expected to be one of the best.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/09/13/647242663/champagne-makers-bubble-over-a-bumper-crop-caused-by-european-drought?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

VIDEO: Dandelions Aren’t Just Weeds. You Can Fry Them, Too
Expert forager and nutritionist Debbie Naha shows us how to turn those bright yellow flowers into nutritious, and delicious, snacks.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/09/13/646651764/video-dandelions-aren-t-just-weeds-you-can-fry-them-too?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

A Deadly Virus Threatens Millions Of Pigs In China
In August, cases of African swine fever began cropping up. Can China bring it under control?
via NPR https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/09/13/646277592/a-deadly-virus-threatens-world-s-largest-pork-supply?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Hurricane Florence: Travel Begins To Snarl As Storm Closes In
Flights have been canceled, and highways and bridges in some areas along the southeastern coastline are expected to close ahead of the storm’s landfall.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647293437/hurricane-florence-travel-begins-to-snarl-as-storm-closes-in?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Hurricane Florence Weakens A Bit As It Closes In On North Carolina Coast
"Life-threatening storm surge, heavy rainfall, and damaging wind will cover a large area," forecasters say. The storm is currently predicted to head west across South Carolina after landfall.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647358237/hurricane-florence-weakens-a-bit-as-it-closes-in-on-north-carolina-coast?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Jason Isbell Wins Big At The Americana Music Awards
Other honorees included John Prine, Rosanne Cash, Irma Thomas and k.d. lang.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/sections/world-cafe/2018/09/13/647348484/jason-isbell-wins-big-at-the-americana-music-awards?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Anti-Kremlin Activist Pyotr Verzilov In Critical Condition After Suspected Poisoning
Verzilov, a member of Pussy Riot and the publisher of an independent media outlet, was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday, where he remains in critical condition.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647378226/anti-kremlin-activist-pyotr-verzilov-in-critical-condition-after-suspected-poiso?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Farmers Hope For China Trade Deal, But For Now They Worry About Tariffs’ Impact
At the Big Iron Farm Show in North Dakota, the usual concerns about crops have been heightened by another big worry: A trade war with China that’s already driven soybean prices down sharply.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647329088/farmers-worry-about-foreign-markets-after-trumps-tariffs?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Trump Denies Death Toll In Puerto Rico, Falsely Claims ‘Done By The Democrats’
In tweets this morning, Trump disavowed studies showing the death toll was much higher than initially reported, and blamed Democrats for trying to make him "look as bad as possible."
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647377915/trump-denies-death-toll-in-puerto-rico-falsely-claims-done-by-the-democrats?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Russian Suspects In Skripal Case Say They Visited Salisbury To See Cathedral
"Our friends had been suggesting for a long time that we visit this wonderful town," the man known as Alexander Petrov tells RT. He’s accused of traveling to the U.K. to poison a former KGB spy.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647404817/russian-suspects-in-skripal-case-say-they-visited-salisbury-to-see-cathedral?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Turkey’s Central Bank Defies Erdogan With Drastic Interest Rate Hike
These days it’s rare for Turkish officials to contradict President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has vowed not to raise rates. But that’s what happened Thursday, in an urgent bid to save a deflating lira.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647367398/turkeys-central-bank-defies-erdogan-with-drastic-interest-rate-hike?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

NPR Promotes COO Loren Mayor To President Of Operations
The promotion reflects the increasingly prominent role that Mayor plays in the company. But it doesn’t indicate significant changes to the division of responsibilities of Mayor and CEO Jarl Mohn.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647445600/npr-promotes-coo-loren-mayor-to-president-of-operations?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Student Borrowers And Advocates Win Court Case Against DeVos
A judge ruled Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ delay of borrower protection rules was "unlawful" and "arbitrary and capricious."
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647367937/student-borrowers-and-advocates-win-court-case-against-devos?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Migrating Birds Avoid Bad Weather — Which Makes Their Paths Predictable
Scientists have developed a forecast model for predicting mass bird migrations, based in part on weather patterns.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647464963/migrating-birds-avoid-bad-weather-which-makes-their-paths-predictable?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

WATCH: Flapping Robot Sheds Light On How Fruit Flies Move
The scientists were inspired by the super-agile fruit fly. And by designing this robot, they’ve figured out some of the mysteries of one of the fly’s fanciest maneuvers.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647390261/watch-flapping-robot-sheds-light-on-how-fruit-flies-move?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

U.S. Leaders Of ‘Lacerated’ Catholic Church Meet Pope To Discuss Sex Abuse Crisis
As Pope Francis grapples with a growing scandal, an accused bishop has resigned in West Virginia and a new study has emerged documenting the scale of clerical abuse in Germany.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647396983/u-s-leaders-of-lacerated-catholic-church-meet-pope-to-discuss-sex-abuse-crisis?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

17 Apps To Help You Get Through The Hurricane

In addition to getting flashlights, bottled water and food, hurricane preparation these days includes stockpiling apps on your phone.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647463731/17-apps-to-help-you-get-through-the-hurricane?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

New Medicare Advantage Tool To Control Drug Prices Could Narrow Choices
Federal officials will allow private Medicare insurance plans to require patients who are candidates for certain expensive drugs to try cheaper drugs first.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/09/13/647483610/new-medicare-advantage-tool-to-control-drug-prices-could-narrow-choices?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Scenes From The Carolina Coast As Hurricane Florence Surges Ashore
A Waffle House near the S.C.-N.C. border briefly closed down under orders from police — a sign of how seriously people are taking Hurricane Florence.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647482455/scenes-from-the-carolina-coast-as-hurricane-florence-surges-ashore?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

House And Senate Negotiators Strike Deal To Avoid Shutdown Threat
A bipartisan spending deal postpones a fight over money for a border wall before the election. The bill funds about 75 percent of the government, with a stop-gap measure for the rest through Dec. 7.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647493498/house-and-senate-negotiators-strike-deal-to-avoid-shutdown-threat?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Study: BPA Safety
An FDA scientist will present the results of a large government study on the safety of the plastic additive BPA.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/09/13/647246241/study-bpa-safety?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Democrats Refer Kavanaugh Allegations To FBI, Deepening Divide Over His Nomination
Sen. Dianne Feinstein sent a letter to federal authorities dealing with allegations that Democratic sources say were made by a California woman about conduct that allegedly occurred in high school.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647511365/democrats-refer-kavanaugh-allegations-to-fbi-deepening-divide-over-his-nominatio?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Federal Judge Denies New Mexico Compound Residents Bail
In an hours-long arraignment hearing on Wednesday Magistrate Judge Kirtan Khalsa told the five defendants there was "clear and convincing evidence that you are a danger to the community."
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647564246/federal-judge-denies-new-mexico-compound-residents-bail?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

‘Vampire Facial’ Becomes Actual Horror As N.M. Spa Clients Face HIV Testing
After a client of an Albuquerque spa developed an infection, health officials conducted an inspection and urged others who received needle treatments to get tested for blood-borne diseases.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647497778/vampire-facial-becomes-actual-horror-as-n-m-spa-clients-face-hiv-testing?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Multiple Explosions And House Fires Reported Across Three Massachusetts Towns
Massachusetts State Police have confirmed 39 houses damaged, possibly by gas leaks, around the towns of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover, on Thursday evening.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647621382/multiple-explosions-and-house-fires-reported-across-three-massachusetts-towns?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Shelters For Immigrant Teens Expanded As Record Numbers Continue To Cross
Over 12,000 immigrant teens are being held in shelters across the country. Record numbers continue to cross and the government is expanding shelter capacity to hold them.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647575726/shelters-for-immigrant-teens-expanded-as-record-numbers-continue-to-cross?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Multiple Explosions And Fires Reported Across 3 Mass. Towns, At Least 3 Injured
Massachusetts State Police have confirmed at least 70 houses damaged, possibly by gas leaks, around the towns of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover, on Thursday evening.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647621382/multiple-explosions-and-fires-reported-across-3-massachusetts-towns-at-least-3-i?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Fires And Explosions Reported In Massachusetts Towns
Dozens of houses have exploded into flames, and a hospital says it is treating victims. People are being told to evacuate, which has led to gridlock and traffic jams.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647672661/fires-and-explosions-reported-in-massachusetts-towns?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

New York Governor Cuomo Beats Back Primary Challenge From Actress Cynthia Nixon
The primary battle between incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo and actress Cynthia Nixon had become a nasty feud, emblematic of the divergent and often warring forces within the Democratic Party.
via NPR https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647674082/new-york-governor-cuomo-beats-back-primary-challenge-from-actress-cynthia-nixon?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Mahalo

SIGNATURE:
Clifford "RAY" Hackett www.rayis.me RESUME: www.rayis.me/resume

I founded www.adapt.org in 1980 it now has over 50 million members.
$500 of material=World’s fastest hydrofoil sailboat. http://sunrun.biz

HotKeys Keyboard Shortcuts

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Windows/Linux Mac Action

Ctrl-D Command-D Remove line

Alt-Shift-Down Command-Option-Down Copy lines down

Alt-Shift-Up Command-Option-Up Copy lines up

Alt-Down Option-Down Move lines down

Alt-Up Option-Up Move lines up

Alt-Delete Ctrl-K Remove to line end

Alt-Backspace Command-Backspace Remove to linestart

Ctrl-Backspace Option-Backspace, Ctrl-Option-Backspace Remove word left

Ctrl-Delete Option-Delete Remove word right

— Ctrl-O Split line

Selection

Windows/Linux Mac Action

Ctrl-A Command-A Select all

Shift-Left Shift-Left Select left

Shift-Right Shift-Right Select right

Ctrl-Shift-Left Option-Shift-Left Select word left

Ctrl-Shift-Right Option-Shift-Right Select word right

Shift-Home Shift-Home Select line start

Shift-End Shift-End Select line end

Alt-Shift-Right Command-Shift-Right Select to line end

Alt-Shift-Left Command-Shift-Left Select to line start

Shift-Up Shift-Up Select up

Shift-Down Shift-Down Select down

Shift-PageUp Shift-PageUp Select page up

Shift-PageDown Shift-PageDown Select page down

Ctrl-Shift-Home Command-Shift-Up Select to start

Ctrl-Shift-End Command-Shift-Down Select to end

Ctrl-Shift-D Command-Shift-D Duplicate selection

Ctrl-Shift-P — Select to matching bracket

Multicursor

Windows/Linux Mac Action

Ctrl-Alt-Up Ctrl-Option-Up Add multi-cursor above

Ctrl-Alt-Down Ctrl-Option-Down Add multi-cursor below

Ctrl-Alt-Right Ctrl-Option-Right Add next occurrence to multi-selection

Ctrl-Alt-Left Ctrl-Option-Left Add previous occurrence to multi-selection

Ctrl-Alt-Shift-Up Ctrl-Option-Shift-Up Move multicursor from current line to the line above

Ctrl-Alt-Shift-Down Ctrl-Option-Shift-Down Move multicursor from current line to the line below

Ctrl-Alt-Shift-Right Ctrl-Option-Shift-Right Next Multi-Selection

Ctrl-Alt-Shift-Left Ctrl-Option-Shift-Left Previous multi-Selectikon

Ctrl-Shift-L Ctrl-Shift-L All Multi-Selection

Left Left, Ctrl-B Go to left

Right Right, Ctrl-F Go to right

Ctrl-Left Option-Left Go to word left

Ctrl-Right Option-Right Go to word right

Up Up, Ctrl-P Go line up

Down Down, Ctrl-N Go line down

Alt-Left, Home Command-Left, Home, Ctrl-A Go to line start

Alt-Right, End Command-Right, End, Ctrl-E Go to line end

PageUp Option-PageUp Go to page up

PageDown Option-PageDown, Ctrl-V Go to page down

Ctrl-Home Command-Home, Command-Up Go to start

Ctrl-End Command-End, Command-Down Go to end

Ctrl-L Command-L Go to line

Ctrl-Down Command-Down Scroll line down

Ctrl-Up — Scroll line up

Ctrl-P — Go to matching bracket

— Option-PageDown Scroll page down

— Option-PageUp Scroll page up

Find/Replace

Ctrl-F Command-F Find

Ctrl-H Command-Option-F Replace

Ctrl-K Command-G Find next

Ctrl-Shift-K Command-Shift-G Find previous

Folding

Alt-L, Ctrl-F1 Command-Option-L, Command-F1 Fold selection

Alt-Shift-L, Ctrl-Shift-F1 Command-Option-Shift-L, Command-Shift-F1 Unfold

Alt-0 Command-Option-0 Fold all

Alt-Shift-0 Command-Option-Shift-0 Unfold all

Other

Tab Tab Indent

Shift-Tab Shift-Tab Outdent

Ctrl-Z Command-Z Undo

Ctrl-Shift-Z, Ctrl-Y Command-Shift-Z, Command-Y Redo

Ctrl-, Command-, Show the settings menu

Ctrl-/ Command-/ Toggle comment

Ctrl-T Ctrl-T Transpose letters

Ctrl-Enter Command-Enter Enter full screen

Ctrl-Shift-U Ctrl-Shift-U Change to lower case

Ctrl-U Ctrl-U Change to upper case

Insert Insert Overwrite

Ctrl-Shift-E Command-Shift-E Macros replay

Ctrl-Alt-E — Macros recording

Ctrl-L Center selection

Mahalo

SIGNATURE:
Clifford "RAY" Hackett www.rayis.me RESUME: www.rayis.me/resume

I founded www.adapt.org in 1980 it now has over 50 million members.
$500 of material=World’s fastest hydrofoil sailboat. http://sunrun.biz

Predator review

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The Predator Review
Writer/Director Shane Black returns to the Predator franchise and looks to jumpstart the franchise in “The Predator”. Black played Hawkins in the classic original film and has since gone on to find success on the other side of the camera with hits like “Iron Man 3”, “The Nice Guys” and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”. Black has also written many genre action films so his take on the iconic Predator has been eagerly awaited by fans who are eager to see the series get back on track.

The film centers on a crashed Predator ship which is witnessed by an American Sniper on assignment named “McKenna” (Boyd Holbrook). While able to recover artifacts from the crashed ships escape pod, McKenna also sees his team brutally taken out by the pilot and soon finds himself targeted by a secret organization due to his knowledge of the otherworldly guest.

At the same time, a Biologist named Casey (Olivia Munn), is brought to a secret locale where she gets an up close encounter with the ship’s pilot in captivity and learns that a government organization has been tracking the visitors and that their visits have increased in recent years.

At the same time McKenna is ushered off to a bus full of unhinged soldiers who are to be locked away due to their numerous issues. Unbeknownst to his superiors; McKenna has mailed the recovered technology to his son who thanks to being on the Autism Spectrum, is able to figure out aspects of the tech which he believes to be a game.

This all leads to a series of brutal encounters as an enhanced Predator arrives and with two of the deadly creatures on the loose, the unhinged soldiers are largely the best hope humanity has of surviving what is to come.

While aspects of the plot seem a bit muddled and at times a bit to linear; the film for the most part works for what fans want and in many places gives them the sequel they have waited for. There is a lot of humor in the film which reportedly divided early test audiences but the action is as brutal and graphic as one would want and expect from the series.

The film does have some big gaps in logic such as how a Biologist can be so comfy and skilled with Assault Weapons and seems to have no issues throwing herself into combat situations and the larger plot points of the Predator objective is intriguing and will open up much debate amongst fans.

The last third of the film was reshot and you can tell at times how parts seem a bit out of synch from early parts of the film especially in the appearance of some characters whose look changes during the film which clearly indicates when segments of the film were shot.

I know the film will likely divide some fans who do not like the humor and wanted a more evade and survive style plot but Black has crafted an interesting opening chapter which is said to be the first of a planned trilogy.

While far from perfect, “The Predator” does give fans some interesting characters and plenty of laughs to go with the action and is a worthy entry into the series as long as you are willing to overlook the issues and enjoy the ride.

3.5 stars out of 5.

Mahalo

SIGNATURE:
Clifford "RAY" Hackett www.rayis.me RESUME: www.rayis.me/resume

I founded www.adapt.org in 1980 it now has over 50 million members.
$500 of material=World’s fastest hydrofoil sailboat. http://sunrun.biz