I'm A Celebrity's Jack Maynard sorry for 'horrible' tweets

YouTuber Jack Maynard - who left I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! when offensive tweets he posted in 2012 emerged - has apologised for saying some "pretty disgusting things".

The tweets, which prompted allegations of racism and homophobia, were published in the Sun newspaper while Maynard, 23, was in Australia. He said he was "young" and "careless" when he posted them. In an online video, Maynard added: "I've been really stupid in the past." The show told viewers Maynard - who has more than 1.2m subscribers to his YouTube channel and is the younger brother of singer Conor Maynard - had left the jungle on Tuesday. A spokesman said he had departed "due to circumstances outside camp". In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Maynard confirmed he was back in London. "The least you deserved was for me to come home and sit down and talk to you and explain everything that has been going on," he told his subscribers. "I'm so sorry to anyone that I offended, anyone that I upset, anyone I made feel uncomfortable." http://celebritynews.io/ He said he had "messed up" adding: "I've tweeted some bad things, some horrible things, some pretty disgusting things that I'm just ashamed of." "I was young I was careless, I just wasn't thinking, this was back when I had just left school and I didn't know what I was doing."

The social media star, who revealed it was his 23rd birthday, added: "All I can do is beg and encourage that you guys don't make the same mistake as well. "Don't put anything online you wouldn't say to your mum." Maynard appeared on Tuesday night's show, but presenters Ant and Dec confirmed his removal half-way through the programme. His representative later said the star realised the language used in the now-deleted tweets was "completely unacceptable". They said Maynard agreed with the decision to leave the show, which was "made by his representatives and ITV". He had been one of 10 contestants taking part in the programme, which started on Sunday.

How to Do These Five Common Bicycle Repairs

Degreasing Your Chain

Problem: My chain isn't shifting correctly, and it skips a lot. What Happened: You may be an uber luber, and the excess sticky stuff is attracting grime to the chain and cassette. First clean, rinse, and dry your chain and cassette (the gears in the back). You can buy bike-specific degreasers and chain-cleaning gizmos, but dish soap and a toothbrush work, too. Next, carefully apply one drop (more is not better) of lube onto each roller as you turn the cranks backward for two or three rotations. Finally, take a clean rag and gently grip the chain's outer plates as you spin the cranks for one more rotation. Keep going until you've wiped off all the excess lube—it should be mostly inside the chain on the rollers, not on the outside where it can attract dirt. http://yellowbikes.org

Aligning Your Wheel

Problem: I fixed a flat. Now the tire is rubbing one of the brake pads. What Happened: You reinstalled your wheel crooked. If you slid the skewer all the way out to remove your wheel, you might have dropped one of the two skewer springs—which help keep your wheel centered—or reinstalled them backward. Check to be sure the narrow side of the spring is next to your hub; otherwise, it could increase the axle diameter and affect fit. Tip: You don't have to remove the skewer completely to take off a wheel. Just open the quick-release lever and spin the nut on the other side to loosen, then gently dislodge it from the dropouts (slots in the frame and fork where each skewer rests). When tightening, keep the bike on the ground to help the wheel sit properly.

Inflating Your Tires

Problem: I keep getting flat tires. Are my tubes defective? What Happened: You're underinflating your tubes, there's debris inside the tire, or you're not installing them correctly. Low tire pressure can cause a tube to be pinched against the rim and result in what's called a pinch flat. Look on the side of your tire to find the recommended PSI (pounds per square inch) range. Inflate the tube to at least the lower number. If you're a heavier rider (more than 225 pounds including your bike), fill it to the maximum number. When changing a tire, run your finger along the inside to check for foreign objects (such as a tiny piece of gravel or glass) that could cause another flat. Before you inflate a new tube, check to make sure it isn't caught between the rim and the tire.

Adjusting Your Shifter

Problem:  My chain keeps popping off. Can you adjust my shifter? What Happened: You didn't soft pedal when shifting between chainrings. When you pedal hard while shifting, especially on hills, the chain has to work harder to move since it's already under heavy resistance. Try easing off as you shift gears. You won't lose momentum, but by avoiding a last-minute, panicked shift, your chain should move exactly where you want it to go. If you are soft pedaling but still dropping your chain, you may need a professional to adjust the limit screws on your front derailleur (the part that moves the chain between rings). These screws allow you to make precise adjustments, but even a small turn can cause damage if you're not sure what you're doing.

Cleaning Your Chain

Problem: My chain is making a grinding noise. Can you quiet it down? What Happened: You're cross-chaining or not cleaning and lubing your chain often enough. If your chain is grating or rasping when you're in your big chainring in front and your biggest sprocket in back (or vice versa), you're increasing wear and tear on your components--which will cost you money in the long run. Try clicking down two or three gears in the back and/or shifting into your smaller chainring. If that isn't the problem, it may be time to clean and lube your chain. Aim to do it at least every few weeks, and after any wet or muddy ride. If neither of these solutions works, you may want to consult with a mechanic. Your chain may be worn (and you'll need a new one) or your derailleurs need to be adjusted.

Some interesting facts about the PS3

Even though we're basically on the eve of Sony's big launch of the PlayStation 3, we still had a few outstanding questions about some of the minutiae of the console. Yeah, we're dorky sticklers for detail like that. So here are a few interesting facts about the PlayStation 3 you may (or may not) be interested in knowing:

• After plenty of gameplay the console is cool -- or at worst warm -- to the touch on every surface. In a side by side test with the Xbox 360, the console is comparably virtually silent, and the Blu-ray drive is significantly quieter than the 360's DVD drive.
• USB keyboards and mice will be plug-n-play, no fuss at all. Who really wants to browse the web with a PlayStation controller anyway?
• Bluetooth mice and keyboards will not work with the system at launch.
• Any (A2DP) Bluetooth headset should theoretically work with the system, though Sony will have a recommended hardware list. http://xsemulator.net
• The EyeToy is the only USB webcam that will work with the system. The original PS2 EyeToy should still work with the PS3.
• There are currently no plans for VGA out on the PlayStation3.
• The system will not support more than seven controllers.
• There are currently no plans for a cheaper, wired version of the SIXAXIS.
• With its media playback software one can have in-game custom soundtracks, as with the Xbox 360, Wii, etc.
• Despite rumor, Sony insists the US is still officially targeted for a 400k unit launch; Japan is still set for a mere 80k. Sony execs are actually expecting an upturn in unit production before launch, so those numbers may actually go up.
• Some titles have an option to install some amount of game data (in addition to saved data) to the drive. Genji can install 4GB worth of data to decrease load times (quoted to drop from 12-15 seconds down to 3-4); this game data can be removed at any time without affecting your saved games.
• The drive can be upgraded, although not on any official basis (read: YMMV, do so at your own risk, you may void warranty, etc.).
• You cannot leave voice or picture messages for other users on the PlayStation Network, only text.

Social media crackdown stifles dissent in Pakistan

When Zafar Achakzai, a journalist in the restive Pakistani province of Balochistan, heard a loud, insistent knocking on his door just before sunrise on June 25, he did not quite know what to expect.

When he answered, he was met by about a dozen armed men, some in Pakistani paramilitary uniforms.

"They ordered me to come with them," the 21-year-old reporter told Al Jazeera by telephone. "When we were some distance from my home, they blindfolded me, and then I was held at some unknown place."

For hours, he remained in the dark. Eventually, men came to ask him questions, to confirm his identity and take down details about his work. It was then that he asked them why he had been taken. "I was told that I use Facebook quite a lot. That is all that they said." Achakzai was held without charge and interrogated repeatedly over the next three days. His interrogators, who refused to identify themselves, only said that they were concerned about several Facebook posts he had made that were critical of Pakistan's powerful military. http://widgetcon.com They specifically identified three posts that were critical of the Frontier Corps paramilitary force, which controls much of the law and order in Balochistan, where an armed separatist movement and increasing Taliban-linked violence has raged for over a decade. "I responded by saying that the posts you are talking about come under my right to freedom of expression," he told Al Jazeera. "They said, 'don't talk about rights here'." He was released shortly after he was informed that an official case under the cybercrime act had been filed against him. Achakzai's abduction came soon after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) issued dozens of summons to people across Pakistan asking them to explain their social media activity and charging them with posting material that was against the national interest. Those targeted included political and social activists, as well as at least one other journalist.

Achakzai and dozen others were accused of maligning state institutions under the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), a law passed in August 2016. PECA allows the government to issue takedown notices for any material deemed to be "in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan … or public order, decency or morality". The law was passed despite opposition from rights activists, who say the new legislation created overly broad categories for those who could be acted against, was against the principles of free speech, and left major definitions and rules vague or undeclared. At the time, the government dismissed their concerns, saying the law was necessary to regulate a digital space that was not under any specific regulations or legislation until that point. Activists now say that everything they were arguing is coming to pass.

Targeting dissent

Since the law came into effect, at least 147 people have been arrested and 194 cases registered under the law for various offences, including online sexual harassment, according to the interior ministry. "When the law was passed, all the concerns we raised when the law was in the making - those all came true after enactment," said Nighat Dad, a lawyer and executive director of the Digital Rights Foundation (DRF). "All the provisions we said were vague that could be interpreted any way [the authorities] wanted, they have actually have done so."

Dad's organisation, based in the eastern city of Lahore, runs a cyber-harassment hotline, which helps women who are harassed online to file complaints under the law. The government's priority, however, appears to be to act against those expressing dissent, she says. "I am seeing that the priority is not being given to those cases [of sexual harassment]; they are being given to cases that have to do with criticising the state." Farieha Aziz, director at digital rights advocacy group Bolo Bhi, concurred, saying that the FIA and others appear to be targeting dissent. "There is a fixed mindset regarding national security and 'national interest', and that is deeply embedded in our entire system," she said. "The FIA says that people are being paid to say the most vile things about the army, and while that might be true, the line that has been blurred between raising questions and criticising, is very worrying." International rights groups such as Amnesty International also say the crackdown has resulted in a shrinking of space for political and public expression. "The crackdown on freedom of expression in Pakistan is extremely worrying, as it is elsewhere in South Asia. One of the hopes of a return to civilian rule in Pakistan was a restoration of people's rights. However, what we are seeing is a shrinking of civic space that is even worse than under [military rule]," said Omar Warraich, the deputy South Asia director at Amnesty. "People are being arbitrarily detained and even disappeared for peacefully expressing their views, creating a climate of fear that runs counter to the promises of greater political freedoms that the PML-N government made."

Abducted, tortured, forced into exile

One of the first of those to disappear was Asim Saeed, an IT manager based in Singapore who was visiting his home in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore last winter. He was forcibly picked up from his home on the afternoon of January 6, and thrown into an unmarked pick-up truck by men in plain clothes. "They put handcuffs on me and a hood over my head," he said. After a few minutes, during which Saeed says he was slapped and his mobile and other belongings were taken from him, they arrived at an undisclosed location. "They stripped me naked and made me change into a prisoner's uniform. There were other people in the cells there as well," he said. "I asked if I could keep my underwear on, and they said no."

After he had changed, he was once again handcuffed, with additional cuffs attached to his legs. He was blindfolded and taken to a basement, sat down at a desk and handed a blank sheet of paper. "I was told to write the story of my life. Everything about myself, when I was born, where I went to school, everything." It took a few hours, he said: "In that building, you lose sense of time." What followed was three weeks of daily interrogation and torture, Saeed says. "They would keep me blindfolded and tie my hands above my head," he said. "And then they would hit me on my back and legs … with a leather strap. Once, I fell unconscious, I fell off the contraption." Every day, they would ask him about his political beliefs and accuse him of running a Facebook page that posted content critical of the Pakistani military, which has ruled the country for roughly half of its 70-year history. "No matter what answer I gave, I was slapped for every answer." Saeed was one of five social media activists to be picked up within days of each other in early January. The men would later be accused of posting blasphemous material online, a charge that can carry both a judicial death sentence and the threat of murder by a mob in Pakistan. The Pakistani government has repeatedly denied having any role in their disappearances. All of them were released by the end of January. Saeed says he was held by members of an intelligence agency alongside at least two of those who were abducted during that time. During his three weeks of incarceration, he says he suffered a fracture in his right hand, a burst eardrum and bruises all over his body. "After you are tortured, you realise there is nothing else that can be done to you - so you become a bit brave," he said. "I asked why are you doing this; put us in front of a court if we have committed a crime." But there was no answer. Saeed and several others were released from custody on January 27, after signing a confession and promising never to criticise Pakistan's intelligence agencies again, or to speak to the media. The next day, he fled back to Singapore, fearful that a mob may kill him over the blasphemy accusations that spread during the time he was in custody. At the time of Saeed's incarceration, his family told Al Jazeera they had received multiple death threats by phone and over SMS.

Government defends policy

The disappearances in January, and the subsequent crackdown by the FIA, has had a chilling effect on freedom of expression in Pakistan, say rights activists. "I absolutely believe that the disappearances were aimed at silencing critiques," said Dad, of the DRF. "We clearly have seen self-censorship. We see people who were very vocal and who have bold opinions about the state machinery and the things they are doing, they have tamed down their voices. There is a lot of self-censorship. Lots of people reached out to us, especially political bloggers and activists, asking us if they say something, whether it comes under PECA." The government, however, disagrees with that assessment, claiming that authorities have been ordered to show restraint when taking on cases of dissent using the law. "We have a policy, that despite the law, that until there is not a post that is at a very extreme level, then we neither allow an inquiry nor authorise any arrests," Talal Chaudhry, minister of state for the interior, told Al Jazeera.

Article 19 of Pakistan's Constitution

"Every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of the press, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan or any part thereof, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, 30 [commission of] 30 or incitement to an offence."

Asked to define what that "extreme level" would be, Chaudhry said it would entail harsh criticism of the state's institutions, including the military, or material deemed to be blasphemous. "As a policy and as a political party, we believe that there should be freedom of expression. But we have to look at this very carefully. First [there are] our religious beliefs … and second, if a military force is fighting against terrorism, and people are then [criticising] the martyrs of that force and you do not tackle it, then I think the force will be disheartened." Asked if the law and its application have an effect on free speech, the government is clear in its stance. "It is very important to understand that in Pakistan … it is very clearly mentioned in Article 19 of the 1973 [constitution] that freedom of expression is conditional. It is conditional upon four or five things, including [not criticising] state institutions, friendly countries and some religious beliefs." For activists who are facing the full force of the law, however, the implications are clear. "After all of this happened, of course I have been forced to change my online behaviour," said Achakzai, the journalist. "Anything to do with raising questions about the government or law enforcement agencies, I have stopped doing that." Saeed, who has applied for asylum in the United Kingdom over fears for his family's safety, says he, too, has started to self-censor, despite being in a foreign country. "I could only stay [in Singapore] as long as the job existed. If it ended, even after five years, I would have to go back to Pakistan, and these allegations will be with me my whole life. "I would have to go back to Pakistan, but I cannot do that. Killing me is a ticket to heaven for some people."

A trip to the land of snow and ice

Throughout my lifetime I have visited quite a few countries.  While serving in the Foreign Service for over two decades, I was lucky enough to travel to countries around the world that included one country which most of us might not have even thought about or if so was unable to visit due to various reasons. Other countries that I have been to are places which most of us have been and nothing much to say about them.

Whenever I mention this country my friends give me a strange look wondering what kind of a person was I to visit this place. http://wherewelive.org Some even inquired why did I go there or did I enjoy being to this country. My simple answer was I was a civil servant and wherever I was assigned I had to go as I had no choice. This country was Russia. I suppose most of us have no idea about this country or even dreamed of going there. However, I don’t mean all as there might be some fortunate guys like me. As soon as I knew I was assigned to the biggest country on earth, shivers ran down my spine. From my childhood days I have seen many movies where Russia was portrayed as a cold gloomy country with its Communist system and unfriendly people.  Then there were those long cold winters with freezing temperatures without any sunshine and not much to see as other countries. So my first impression to go to this country was, to tell the truth, I was nervous. What kind of place on earth was I suppose to go, how will I cope with the people as I did not speak their language, will I be able to fulfill my tour of duty and so forth which came into my mind.  However as I did not have the means to be plucky and fussy, I headed to the land of snow and ice with serious doubts. Finally my family and I arrived in Moscow on a December afternoon and to be precise December 8, 2001.  Our flight from Paris arrived Moscow at 3 pm in the afternoon.  As I looked out of the window while landing, I could only see white clouds.  I thought we were still in the air but later found out that it was snow and ice everywhere. Only when our plane landed, I saw that all the planes parked on the tarmac and the airport itself was covered with snow.  I have never ever seen so much snow in my life and I had a strange and exciting feeling. Then after answering many questions raised by the Customs and Immigrations officials with much difficulty, due to language barrier, we were able to leave Sheremetyevo airport. Then came the second hassle where the temperature outside the airport was – 20 Celsius.  I could not believe it. The previous day I was in Asia where the weather was hot and humid and just overnight in a land which was freezing. The cold was unbearable but I thought to myself that this was the weather that I was to face for the next three years. Russian winter is from November to March, where it can be extremely cold with heavy snow.  Then in April, the snow begins to melt and from May until September its summer time, lovely warm-hot and dry with temperatures of +30 Celsius or even warmer. Then in October the weather changes and starts to get cold.  Being the largest country on earth, Russia has nine time zones. As we arrived in December it was a long Christmas holiday season in Russia like the rest of the world.  But something strange was Christmas was celebrated not on December 25 like other countries but on January 7.  Then I came to know that Russians follow the Orthodox faith so Russian Orthodox is different from western Christianity. During winter there are winter festivals across Russia such as ice skating, ice sculptor shows, and as snow becomes so plentiful in Moscow during winter, snowmen are made out of snow and there are also competitions across the city. Then there are performances of traditional Russian songs and dances.  So although the cold weather was unbearable I found that Russians turned this snow and ice into an unforgettable experience for foreigners like me. Although it was my first time experiencing a very cold winter I was able to make it. Then came summer which was from May to September.  Summer in Russia was a lovely time as the weather was hot and dry. I always thought that Russia was cold and damp the whole year round but was totally different at this time of the year. Being summer time the sun rises as early as 4 am in the morning and sets at 11 pm in the evening, so there was a lot of daylight. It was sunny the whole day and full of activities in the city.

Moscow had so many places to see.  Museums including the famous Pushkin Museum, the famous Gorky Park, the Kremlin, Lenin’s Tomb, Saint Basil’s Cathedral with its colourful onion-shaped domes on Red Square, stunning architectural interiors of one of the world’s largest rapid transit systems, the Moscow State University, a few which I visited while in Moscow.

The culture in Russia is totally different from Asia so I had to take some time to adapt myself with this culture.  But one thing very similar to our culture that I found was when one enters somebody’s home, the guest takes off his or her shoes which creates a very encouraging sign for the relationship between the guest and the host. I also learnt some things which were superstitious to Russians. That was when someone visits a Russian home it is important to bring a present even if maybe flowers.  However, make sure that the flowers should be in odd number as even number is a sign of rudeness. Then if one owes a friend or relative some money, make sure that the repayment does not take place during night time as it is a bad sign so the repayment should be done in the morning or daytime. I wouldn’t like to say that staying in Russia for me was plain sailing without any difficulties. Whichever country you go, there are always pros and cons so I also encountered many difficulties. Facing long and extremely cold winters with temperatures below freezing point, traffic jams, language barrier as majority don’t speak English and their attitude towards foreigners as most say Russians are not friendly and difficult to deal with. However I not only came across every difficulty during my stay in Russia but even made some friends who were charming and good in cracking jokes.  As for the food my favorite was the Russian dumplings which was very tasty and could be easily purchased from street stalls and fast-food outlets. So although as much as I encountered difficulties, I learnt so many new things like their traditions, culture, their way of dealing with foreigners and cuisine. Just when I became acquainted with the Russian way of life, my tour of duty ended so I had to say do svidaniya, which means ‘until we next meet’ to my Russian friends and headed back to the Golden land. So I would like to say is that traveling gives one of the greatest joys. Witnessing another culture, exploring and going on adventures in new lands are one of the best ways to experience life. Traveling gives you new eyes to see the world and truly expands your knowledge base.

Perfect wedding dress for your body type

The first thought that newly engaged brides-to-be have is starting their search for their perfect wedding dress. Most women have dreamed of their big day all their lives, and the pressure to find the wedding dress that matches those dreams is unreal. Although planning the wedding and finalising the design of the dress is a fun process, for many it can be extremely stressful and confusing. Relax! De-stress and enjoy the experience. The trick is to start planning very early so that you don’t have to run around at the very last minute. Decide on your budget for the dress and whether it will be a readymade one or customised to your taste. Your dress should suit the activities and style of your wedding. Ask yourself questions like, “Do I feel beautiful in this dress?”, “Can I dance and move around all night?”, or “Can I sit down?”

http://weddinghairstyless.com

Dresses with beautiful trains, and detailing across the hem are great, but don’t forget about the top of your dress as well as, as that part of your dress will be seen in most of your wedding photos. Don’t let trends bog you down. Instead, go in for what you love and what looks good on you. Your first decision is to find out which dress silhouette will highlight your best-loved assets and conceal your less-favourable traits. We are here to help you decide which style flatters you the most. To start, find out which of the following five body types best defines your figure – Petite, Hourglass, Plus size, Busty or Lean and straight. Remember, you may not fit squarely into one particular category; most people don’t. Use this as a guideline to figure out what works best for you. Petite Petite is a term used in the fashion industry to describe women who are 5’3” tall or under. Petite women come in all shapes and sizes as the term refers to stature and not weight. Petite brides should avoid overwhelming their small frame. Choose airy sheaths and structured trumpet styles over big, voluminous ball gowns. A sheath’s continuous line creates the illusion of height. Go in for form fitting, simple and minimalistic designs. Avoid 3D accents. Instead, opt for intricate embroidery, light beading and one-dimensional appliques for design details that won’t overwhelm. An empire waistline is great for this body type as it creates the illusion of long legs. Plunging V necklines draw the eye upwards, thus elongating your frame. In case you want a dropped waist or mermaid silhouette, opt for a slim, more structured skirt over a wide poufy one. When done right, high-low hemlines can be an asset and may even make your legs look longer. Hourglass Women with an hourglass figure have a wide bust circumference and similar measurements at the hips with an obviously narrow waist. With an hourglass figure’s balanced proportion and defined waist, it is hard to go wrong in terms of picking a silhouette. Most dress shapes will pair well with an hourglass figure. Work your womanly curves in a fitted bridal gown or hide your hips in a ball gown. Either way, your gown should show off your trim mid-section. Avoid the empire waistline; it won’t highlight your slim waist. Go in for a trumpet or mermaid silhouette which will show off your curves in all the right places. In fact, hourglass is one of the only body types that can pull off a true mermaid silhouette; a style that flares out just below the knees. A dropped waist design with asymmetrical tiers is a fun, yet glamorous choice. Opt for the cinched waistline, or highlight your tiny waistline with a glitzy belt detail. Fit-and-flare are three words you should get familiar with, since it accentuates the hourglass figure and is every curvy girls’ go-to silhouette. Plus-size For the plus size or oval figure type, also known as the apple figure, the goal is to create or emphasise the waistline for the illusion of an hourglass curve. An empire waistline creates a lengthening effect and is best suited to this body type. An A-line gown is perfect, especially when accessorised with a belt or a dark coloured sash. Create a slimming look with a cummerbund-style waistline or design details that draw the eye inwards at the waist, such as side cut-outs. This figure type benefits from paying attention to the neckline of the dress. Opt for a V-neck, scoop neck or sweetheart bodice with shoulder detailing. Avoid straight across necklines as this won’t accentuate your bust line. A high neckline, sheath silhouette and slight train will help you look long and lean. Avoid mermaid and trumpet silhouettes as these will accentuate the widest part of your body and flare at the slimmest part. Busty If you’re a busty bride, you have two choices: either reveal or conceal. Either way finding the right gown goes down to identifying the perfect neckline. A square neckline works great for the well-endowed because it is not too revealing. Try the V-neck, U-shaped, strapless and halter necklines. A scoop neckline shows off your voluptuous shape and lets you avoid a strapless bra. Straight across version of the strapless neckline can actually minimise your assets. If you decide to go in for the sweetheart neckline, opt for straps and a full skirt to balance your busty frame. Avoid necklines with wide set straps or sleeves, off the shoulder necklines, and puffy and cap sleeves as these make your upper body appear wider. Ball gowns and fuller A-line skirts with layered satin or tulle work well to balance the upper body. Lean and straight The goal when dressing this figure type is to create a waistline and to emphasise curves. Choose a wedding dress that will put focus on your upper body and toward your face. Princess silhouettes fair beautifully with this figure, emphasising the waist and hips while retaining the naturally lean shape of the body. A modified A-line, with a more subtle fit-and-flare effect, will also work well for a bride seeking a sweet, soft, and romantic look. Try pleating or rouching in the bodice to create curves and cinch your waistline. A voluminous peplum skirt acts as a stand for curvy hips. Go in for a bridal dress with contouring seams that create imaginary curves. Avoid halter and high necklines because this will make your shoulders look narrow and will not flatter your waist. Also avoid sheath gowns because this style will not define your waist. Hope these guideline help you decide what will work best for you so you don’t stress as your big day draws closer. Remember, it’s all about creating memories on your wedding day, as long as you stay safe and stay stylish!

Activism Tee-Up For 2018 -- Outlook For The 'Power Players'

A Partner and Co-Chair of Olshan Frome Wolosky’s Activist & Equity Investment Group, Andrew Freedman is one of the leading attorneys in the U.S. practicing in the area of shareholder activism and advises some of the nation’s most prolific activist investors, including Starboard Value and Elliott. He has been ranked by Chambers USA as a “Leading Lawyer” in the inaugural Corporate/M&A: Shareholder Activism category. According to Chambers USA, Freedman “really understands what his client wants and is creative in figuring out ways to get there."

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Christopher P. Skroupa: From the activist perspective, what were the major wins in engagement this past year? http://wearecephalization.com Andrew Freedman: After a relatively sleepy 2016 for large cap activism, the top-tier shareholder activists came back with a vengeance in 2017, mounting high-profile campaigns against well-known, large-cap target companies. Most recently, Bill Ackman fell short in his campaign against Automatic Data Processing, but it now appears Nelson Peltz may have actually won a seat in his mega battle with Procter & Gamble. There were plenty of other notable activist success stories this year, too.

The targeting of CEOs was a particularly intriguing theme woven into the strategy of many of these campaigns. Elliott Management’s successful campaign at Arconic that led to CEO Klaus Kleinfeld’s departure, in the wake of his rogue attempt to make things personal against Paul Singer, is certainly one that stood out this year. Pressure from Mantle Ridge resulted in Hunter Harrison taking the helm at CSX, while Buffalo Wild Wings CEO Sally Smith announced she would retire after a bruising proxy fight with Marcato. Activist investors have had a hand in appointing or replacing more than 1,000 public company board members over the past decade, and it was only a matter of time before they began to more directly target struggling CEOs as part of their agendas. Land and Buildings' proxy fight at Taubman Centers has also proven significant despite not resulting in board seats for the activist.

By shining a spotlight on Taubman's governance shortcomings and shoddy performance, a status quo-minded board was forced to reluctantly make governance and board changes to sway votes. This decision helped fuel a renewed interest in managerial entrenched companies with unfriendly shareholder governance structures, including REITs and dual share class companies, once thought to be untouchable. Now Elliott has emerged on the scene at Taubman urging a sale, and Land and Buildings may have the last laugh after all. Skroupa: What made those wins significant? Freedman: The activists’ efforts in the campaigns to hold CEOs immediately accountable to shareholders made their wins particularly significant; the wins represent a noteworthy departure from the early days of shareholder activism. Targeting a CEO for a vote of no-confidence in a director election contest or calling for the removal of a CEO as part of the activist’s platform raises the stakes in any proxy battle, making it an all-or-none gambit with little room for compromise. So, CEO-targeting may also explain why more proxy contests went to a vote this year without a settlement. Nevertheless, any strategy to remove a CEO will continue to be perceived as highly aggressive. While there may be facts and circumstances under which this strategy is warranted, the standard will be higher for obtaining shareholder support for such a referendum on senior management. Shifting topics, Land and Buildings' relentless involvement at Taubman shows that activism can rattle the complacent status quo, even where there is an uphill or uncertain path to change. Significant attention from the activists will attract, and ultimately compel, a cushy board to make changes it otherwise wouldn’t have considered. Activists are beginning to flock to deeply entrenched, underperforming companies, that typically fly just under the radar. Skroupa: How will those wins tee-up the 2018 season? Freedman: There have been at least 10 activist campaigns throughout 2017 where the activist publicly announced its intention to target the CEO for replacement. While we cannot predict what the number will be in 2018, these campaigns may very well embolden other activists to target CEOs, especially where there is a sense of urgency to turn around a perennial underperformer. In response to this trend, we are already seeing more boards fine-tune their activism defense programs by voluntarily addressing issues pertaining to CEO compensation, succession and independence. We are also seeing our activist clients take interest in entrenched, poorly performing REITs and dual share class companies. I would not be surprised to see several campaigns in 2018 aimed at improving such companies through a holistic overhaul of their governance. We aren’t talking about your everyday “tick-the-box” governance improvements, but rather wholesale changes in how a board approaches its responsibilities, accountability and its shareholders-at-large. Skroupa: Regarding the activists on top, is the old guard the new guard? Who can we expect to hear from the most? Freedman: The old guard, comprising many of the top tier activists, are grabbing headlines with high-profile launches at large-caps on what seems like a weekly basis. It felt like there were fewer large-cap fights in 2015 going into 2016, following Trian's proxy fight at DuPont. It was also during this period that we witnessed the emergence of a new class of activist investors, including traditionally passive investment firms, who were undertaking numerous activist campaigns in the small and mid-cap space. These newcomer activists together with a class of shrewd and dynamic, pure-play activists, like Engaged Capital, VIEX Capital, JCP Capital and Engine Capital, will continue to set their sights on small and mid-cap underperformers. The old guard activists made a huge comeback in 2017, running campaigns against large, household-name companies and utilizing colorful, attention-grabbing solicitation strategies through the use of social media and other web-based platforms. We think the activist titans, like Starboard and Elliott, will continue to make their presence felt through the 2018 proxy season given their willingness to engage in all forms of activist campaigns both here and around the globe.

Fox's 'X-Men' Plans Have Gotten Weirder and More Fun

Madrox has been in the comic spotlight on three separate occasions, and each time, things have been... weird.

For those who aren't fans of the comic book exploits of Marvel's X-Men, the news that James Franco and Simon Kinberg are developing a stand-alone feature based around Jamie Madrox might seem an unexpected choice. After all, who even knows who Madrox is? For comic book fans, however, it's a sign that Fox's plans for the larger X-Men franchise have likely just gotten weirder — and a lot more fun. Madrox debuted, of all places, in a 1975 Fantastic Four comic (Giant-Size Fantastic Four No. 4, to be exact, by future X-Men writers Len Wein and Chris Claremont, with art by John Buscema) before fading into the background for a number of years. That's not to say he hasn't had his time in the comic book spotlight, however, and it's those brief shining moments that tease some strange, wonderful movie possibilities ahead. http://wayneindustries.org The 1987 series Fallen Angels saw Madrox step up to the plate as a member — actually, more than one member, given his ability to instantly clone himself whenever necessary — of a group of teenage thieves, runaways and wannabe ne'er-do-wells who find themselves kidnapped (kind of) to an alien planet called the Coconut Grove, where scientists plan to dissect mutants to cure their own inability to evolve. If that doesn't sound wacky enough as it is, consider this: Two of the other members of the team were psychic lobsters called Don and Bill, and the group also boasted a time-displaced mutant dinosaur and his caveman best friend.

(No one in the comics ever really refers to Fallen Angels anymore, which is a shame; it's an odd, but genuinely enjoyable, spinoff from the then-popular New Mutants series. A sequel to the original eight-issue series was commissioned but never completed, never mind published.) In 1991, Madrox received a promotion of sorts when he was added to the regular lineup of the X-Factor comic book series as the book underwent a relaunch with a new cast and new mission statement. No longer just a group of X-Men-adjacent superheroes, the X-Factor Madrox belonged to was a team of federally employed heroes that also included Havok and Quicksilver, two characters already present in X-Men movie continuity. Once again, the tenor of this series — at least initially — was more comedic in tone than the other X-Mencomics of the period, underscored by the fact that the strong man of the team chose the codename "Strong Guy" for himself.

After the cancellation of that series, Madrox once again faded into the background for a number of years, before reappearing in 2004 in his very first solo series. The five-issue Madrox eventually led into an X-Factorrevival, although the latter was a reboot in name only, reflecting as it did an entirely new status quo for the character: as a private eye working mutant-specific cases while dealing with his own powers mutating out of control, leaving him with multiple personalties as a result of continually creating, then re-absorbing, duplicate selves. While still featuring an unmistakable thread of humor, both Madrox and the revived X-Factor were darker comics than Madrox's previous star turns, demonstrating the versatility of the character while reminding audiences that, whenever he's at the center of a story, it's more than likely going to turn out to be just a little more skewed than the norm.

With these three different series serving as the primary source material, the possibilities for a Madrox movie seem certainly stranger than the usual X-Men multiplex fodder, and particularly diverse, if not outright limitless. But then, what else should we expect from a character who quite literally contains multitudes?

Dark matter and dark energy: Do they really exist?

For close on a century, researchers have hypothesised that the universe contains more matter than can be directly observed, known as "dark matter." They have also posited the existence of a "dark energy" that is more powerful than gravitational attraction. These two hypotheses, it has been argued, account for the movement of stars in galaxies and for the accelerating expansion of the universe respectively. But -- according to a researcher at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland -- these concepts may be no longer valid: the phenomena they are supposed to describe can be demonstrated without them. This research, which is published in The Astrophysical Journal, exploits a new theoretical model based on the scale invariance of the empty space, potentially solving two of astronomy's greatest mysteries.

In 1933, the Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky made a discovery that left the world speechless: there was, claimed Zwicky, substantially more matter in the universe than we can actually see.  http://watchingworldenergy.com Astronomers called this unknown matter "dark matter," a concept that was to take on yet more importance in the 1970s, when the US astronomer Vera Rubin called on this enigmatic matter to explain the movements and speed of the stars. Scientists have subsequently devoted considerable resources to identifying dark matter -- in space, on the ground and even at CERN -- but without success. In 1998 there was a second thunderclap: a team of Australian and US astrophysicists discovered the acceleration of the expansion of the universe, earning them the Nobel Prize for physics in 2011. However, in spite of the enormous resources that have been implemented, no theory or observation has been able to define this black energy that is allegedly stronger than Newton's gravitational attraction. In short, black matter and dark energy are two mysteries that have had astronomers stumped for over 80 years and 20 years respectively. A new model based on the scale invariance of the empty space The way we represent the universe and its history are described by Einstein's equations of general relativity, Newton's universal gravitation and quantum mechanics. The model-consensus at present is that of a big bang followed by an expansion. "In this model, there is a starting hypothesis that hasn't been taken into account, in my opinion," says André Maeder, honorary professor in the Department of Astronomy in UNIGE's Faculty of Science. "By that I mean the scale invariance of the empty space; in other words, the empty space and its properties do not change following a dilatation or contraction." The empty space plays a primordial role in Einstein's equations as it operates in a quantity known as a "cosmological constant," and the resulting universe model depends on it. Based on this hypothesis, Maeder is now re-examining the model of the universe, pointing out that the scale invariance of the empty space is also present in the fundamental theory of electromagnetism. Do we finally have an explanation for the expansion of the universe and the speed of the galaxies? When Maeder carried out cosmological tests on his new model, he found that it matched the observations. He also found that the model predicts the accelerated expansion of the universe without having to factor in any particle or dark energy. In short, it appears that dark energy may not actually exist since the acceleration of the expansion is contained in the equations of the physics. In a second stage, Maeder focused on Newton's law, a specific instance of the equations of general relativity. The law is also slightly modified when the model incorporates Maeder's new hypothesis. Indeed, it contains a very small outward acceleration term, which is particularly significant at low densities. This amended law, when applied to clusters of galaxies, leads to masses of clusters in line with that of visible matter (contrary to what Zwicky argued in 1933): this means that no dark matter is needed to explain the high speeds of the galaxies in the clusters. A second test demonstrated that this law also predicts the high speeds reached by the stars in the outer regions of the galaxies (as Rubin had observed), without having to turn to dark matter to describe them. Finally, a third test looked at the dispersion of the speeds of the stars oscillating around the plane of the Milky Way. This dispersion, which increases with the age of the relevant stars, can be explained very well using the invariant empty space hypothesis, while there was before no agreement on the origin of this effect. Maeder's discovery paves the way for a new conception of astronomy, one that will raise questions and generate controversy. "The announcement of this model, which at last solves two of astronomy's greatest mysteries, remains true to the spirit of science: nothing can ever be taken for granted, not in terms of experience, observation or the reasoning of human beings," conclued André Maeder.

The Fundening? Quarter Billion Dollar Gold Fund is Buying Bitcoin

A Bloomberg interview has revealed Old Mutual Gold & Silver Fund has set aside roughly 11 million USD from its holdings since spring of this year to purchase the world’s most popular cryptocurrency, bitcoin. It’s another feather in the decentralized currency’s cap, even as debate rages as to whether it will ever supplant gold’s tradition of being a hedge against tough economic times.   http://wabbo.org  

Bitcoin Paving Way for Reintroduction of Gold as Global Money

Ranjeetha Pakiam reports: “The Old Mutual Gold & Silver Fund, which manages $220 million of mostly precious metal equities, is jumping on the bitcoin wagon.” Fund manager Ned Naylor-Leyland explained to Ms. Pakiam how they’ve been gobbling up bitcoin since April “with a mandate to allocate as much as 5 percent to cryptocurrencies,” Ms. Pakiam writes.

A response back in 2015 from the fund manager, to an individual who viewed bitcoin as too volatile.

“Bitcoin is paving the way for the reintroduction of gold as global money,” Mr. Naylor-Leyland surmised. Rather than viewing bitcoin as a threat to the precious metal, he instead views it as a way to educate investors. “Bitcoin was explicitly designed to be digital gold. So if you’re going to have a small proportion of a fund in bitcoin, it should be in a gold fund, because that’s exactly the point.” It’s a curious end-run toward a broader goal, but no one would blame the fund. Bitcoin is up hundreds of percent this year. And since the fund’s reported buying spree in April, the digital currency has risen from just over 1,000 USD to the current floor of above 8,000 USD. The historic metal has thudded along comparatively during the same interval, up $40 as of this writing.

Bitcoin a Way to Sound Money

“Bitcoin and blockchain resolve” divisibility problems, Ms. Pakiam writes of the fund manager’s thoughts, “[problems of] ownership and speed of transmission.” “We’re going to revert to sound money,” Mr. Naylor-Leyland is quoted. “If you imagine sound money and blockchain together, there’s quite an exciting potential outcome.” It’s a novel approach to bitcoin, for sure. Crypto maximalists suggest it’s simply a matter of time before the digital currency overtakes gold’s position. And as well as bitcoin has done in less than a decade, the precious metal has a four millennia headstart. Something on the order of over 5 billion ounces presently exit, and with an ounce trading above 1,200 USD, that pegs it at a 7 trillion USD market cap, close to 100 fold better than present bitcoin valuations. Still, the better bet seems to be understanding a larger point: the metal’s limitations were the inspiration behind bitcoin’s creation in terms of scarcity, mining, and utility. They’re not mutually exclusive though: both are preferable to the whims of government fiat, sound money advocates urge.

Industries concerned about future in the wake of CPEC

South Punjab comes on top in agricultural economy as it has 96% share in cotton production in Punjab and 80% in the entire country as well as pays more taxes than the industrial hub of Faisalabad, emphasized Malik Asrar Ahmed Awan, President of the Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He was giving a briefing to the visiting probationary officers of grade-18 of the 24th Mid-career Management Course of the National Institute of Management, Karachi. Awan pointed out that south Punjab offered great opportunities for investment in the areas of agriculture, dairy products, livestock, fruit and vegetable processing and packaging. He cited the surveys conducted by the World Bank and its financing arm International Finance Corporation that ranked south Punjab second in the country for making investment.

However, the region lags far behind upper Punjab in terms of development, which necessitates the need for providing health care facilities and potable water to the people.   Turning to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) — a $57 billion programme of energy and infrastructure projects which would usher in a new era of development and growth, Awan cautioned that it could only be possible if Pakistan’s industry reaped benefits of enhanced connectivity by creating jobs and boosting exports. Saying that policymakers were overly optimistic about CPEC and its potential benefits, he decried that local goods manufacturers, chambers and industry associations appeared to be seriously concerned about their future. http://usaprogressive.com The textile industry, for instance, fears a glut of textile goods from the Chinese region of Xinjiang that may ruin their businesses. He pointed out that Pakistan’s industry was already relying on expensive raw material imports following cotton production shortfall in the country and any increase in raw material demand from China would lead to further price hike and limited availability. Similarly, other industries are worried that they are going to be eaten up by large-scale Chinese enterprises with significant economies of scale. Highlighting the environmental challenges, Awan quoted experts as saying that an open-gate policy for China may bring dirty industries to Pakistan, which would result in environmental degradation.   He pressed the government to shift some mega CPEC projects to south Punjab. Speaking on the occasion, National Institute of Management Director General Roshan Ali Sheikh said grade-19 and 20 officers were being trained to enable them to understand the problems of people and implement government policies. He asked members of the Multan Chamber not to be afraid of CPEC because it would definitely prove a game changer for Pakistan.

Meet The Teenager Who Made Unturned

“I get so many emails from people saying they thought the game looked atrocious and they played it just to laugh at how bad it was.” Nelson Sexton has a pretty good attitude towards his game, Unturned [Steam page]. On first glance, the Fisher Price art direction of this Early Access zombie survival sandbox surely wouldn’t trouble old man DayZ and his gang. But it’s had 17.5 million downloads on Steam, with 1.25 million people playing it in the past two weeks. Players really like Unturned: its Steam ratings are 92% positive. And Sexton, its sole maker, is just 18. I was really curious who this guy is, so I rang him up. I think you might like him – and maybe Unturned, too. http://unturneditemid.com Nelson Sexton lives in Calgary with his dad. He’s gently and precisely spoken, self-assured given his years, and has that cute Canadian burr. Continuing that opening quote, he said, “But then – and that’s not to say it isn’t bad, but who knows – they tried it and they actually really enjoyed it, and that they wouldn’t have tried it if it cost money.” It’s hard not to like someone who made a game played by well over a million people a fortnight and says “who knows” about whether it’s good.   Sexton started making Unturned when he was 16, so throughout its development he’s been at school, not that he really told anyone there. “I remember my chemistry teacher came up and said, ‘Hey, you made Unturned! One of my students was talking about that. Can you fix my computer?’” I see him as part of the same new wave of game makers that I wrote about yesterday, people who’ve grown up with Roblox, Minecraft and DayZ, and witnessed them being built around them as they’ve played and built in turn. One of Unturned’s charms is that it’s so evidently personal. Its logo on Steam is displayed in white Arial, with ‘Free to play’ in yellow italics below, all against a blurry image of one of its landscapes. It’s less than sophisticated. If you’ve played Roblox, you’ll recognise the game’s visual style. Your character is a block of what looks like tofu with a pixelated smiley face. The maps are simple, sprinkled with generally untextured trees and buildings in primary colours. Shops have their trade written above them, like ‘Clothes’ or ‘Post’. It’s a toy town zombie apocalypse, and even more endearingly, its two default levels are set in Canada: colourful Prince Edward Island and snowy Yukon. “When I was starting out I wasn’t trying to make it goofy, I was doing what I was able to do,” Sexton says. “But once I had established the style with the way the characters look, the way the environment is, I built on that. The goofy, happy, easy to get into look, I think now most of the things in the game fit into that.”   The result speaks of fun in a visual language that’s familiar to the age of Minecraft, and the environments are very readable and easy to navigate. But it also disguises genre-typical deep systems. Death might leave enormous pools of bright red blood, but it’s still swift and unforgiving. Your hunger and thirst constantly tick down, there are many items to scavenge, vehicles to drive and animals to hunt, and you can build forts and craft. Still, the fact that Unturned is free-to-play takes a large part in its success. It’s supported by one-off payment of £3.99, which gets you a Gold account: gold clothes, special servers, extra customisation and other ephemera. It’s otherwise completely free, which has meant that friends can always play together, just like they can in Roblox. I suspect he’s a lot more canny than he likes to put across, but Sexton brushes it off as a light decision. “I guess it had to be free-to-play because it had always been free-to-play. I didn’t ever really consider selling it.” In fact, his conviction was so strong that even Dean Hall couldn’t change his mind to sell it for $5. “I still lurk in the DayZ subreddit and I think it was a couple weeks before release I saw a post about Unturned, and Dean Hall, who made DayZ, actually posted on there. I feel so bad about this because he had a bunch of feedback and said, ‘I think what is there looks pretty promising, to be honest,’ and I included that on the store page because I was just so excited that he’d say anything about it. It was just absolutely amazing. In retrospect, this just seems such a stupid thing to do. Then, when I was doing the store page for 3.0, I clicked on the link and he’d actually deleted the comment, and I felt terrible.”   Sexton actually started out making games with GameMaker, having been introduced to it at a summer camp. He taught himself with tutorial examples that shipped with it, captured by what it was opening up: “To me it seems like drawing is a way of getting your imagination onto paper, and then computer games are a way of getting your imagination into something you can actually interact with, and I really love that.” After a year of sharing his GameMaker projects on the web, noting their ratings and comments, Sexton graduated to Roblox, in which he made games for the next couple of years. Starting in September 2012, at 15 years old, he made Deadzone, a version of DayZ. Like everyone else at the time, he was excited by DayZ heralded. “It was unique with its atmosphere and the stressful aspects of interacting with other players. I really wanted to play it with my friends, but a lot of them didn’t have ArmA 2, and to mess around with my own ideas I had for that kind of game.” By January 2013 Deadzone had a pretty big following; to date it’s been played over five million times. There was some controversy that it was very similar to another Roblox game, Apocalypse Rising, leading to a spat between the two games’ fans, but Sexton’s main concern was that he couldn’t improve on it easily. “It was terribly designed,” he says. So he spent a couple of months trying to make a sequel, and found that Roblox didn’t quite support all he wanted to achieve. So in the summer of 2013 he moved to Unity to start Unturned. “It was like beginner steps into Unity, and I just assumed I could make a copy of Deadzone in Unity, but of course I had no idea of what I was doing. Not that I do now.” It was originally made for browsers so more people could play, but this first version shared Deadzone’s issue of being difficult to add new things, so he started making a second version in January 2014, which ditched the browser, and released it on Steam in July 2014, followed by version 3, the current one, a couple of months later. From the point it was first playable, Sexton made it public so he could get feedback. It strikes me as remarkably bold for someone so inexperienced with a complex engine to have shared the game so early, but being public seems a natural part of game-making for his generation. “It would have felt weird not to put something out,” says Sexton. “If I’m working on a new feature and I haven’t asked for people’s thoughts, or showed what it looks like, it feels really weird.” I wonder if he’s just a naturally confident person, and he is, at least about Unturned. “I spend so much time working on it, and Unturned’s community seems pretty friendly – when they talk to me. I don’t know.” He laughs. But on the other hand, for his computer science class he worked on a project that he wasn’t ready at all to show off. “It was very scary to be doing that. With Unturned it’s very natural to be putting it out and showing it to everybody, but showing this to my class was absolutely terrifying. Actually, during the presentation, I clicked one of the wrong buttons and my demo ended up not working, so that was horrifying.” Until a few weeks ago, Unturned has enjoyed daily updates, continuing the tradition Sexton set from its first release. He’s watched Valve talks, where they argue for big updates with a story and lots of new content, but it isn’t for him. “I interpret the intention of Early Access to be trying to take feedback from as many people as possible, so iterating quickly seems to work well, because people can see their feedback quickly and they can decide if it changes their opinion.” But with hundreds of servers active today, server owners found having daily updates hard going, so they asked him to slow down and now Sexton updates on Fridays. It seems he’s not totally comfortable with that. “It’s been in some ways bad for the game because people are coming back every week for a bit to see what’s new,” he says. The thought of monthly updates just makes him think they might uninstall it. Keeping the game fresh seems to be on his mind: looking long-term, Sexton would like to take Unturned to a point where players can create anything, despite the fact that its Workshop is already home to many new vehicles, guns, outfits and maps. “There are all these maps that are probably better than my default maps, and a lot of people seem to agree,” he says, happily. In the medium term, he’ll continue improving the game, maybe finding people to work with, too, particularly if he decides to take up one of various publisher offers to put Unturned on console. The need for controller support and improving menus would then also be released on the PC version. There’s a plan, then, a sage mixture of caution and confidence. And when Unturned’s out of Early Access, maybe he’ll go to university. I wonder what Sexton has learned about the sandbox zombie survival game over the past couple of years, and his perspective speaks volumes about how he’s inadvertently become a wrangler for all the different expectations people have for the genre. “When these games are announced, everyone’s excited because it’s, ‘Wow, we can recreate things from The Walking Dead TV show!’ And, ’It’ll be the ultimate huge base-building game!’ They end up being played by a whole bunch of different people, and they aren’t necessarily balanced for them all.” He’s seen the same in Unturned. “PvPing is the dominant vocal group. They create servers, remove all the zombies, spawn everyone with guns, and there are mods that add a currency to buy weapons. There are other groups that are super hardcore. They want it so you can break your finger bones.” Not that your character actually has fingers. “And then there are people kind of in the middle, who want The Walking Dead experience, where you’re sneaking through the city and surviving the zombies while watching out for people and maybe teaming up, maybe killing them. “I think to some degree some of these ideas don’t actually even work together. If you want a game that has millions of zombies in the city all at the same time, but also want easy base-building… Maybe someone will make a game that blends these things together perfectly, but…” Maybe he’ll be the one to make it. Maybe after university, maybe sooner. But does he need to choose yet? He’s already got so much behind him, and Nelson Sexton’s got it all in front of him, too.

SMU Shocks No. 2 Arizona at Battle 4 Atlantis as Wildcats Lose 2nd in a Row

The 2017-18 season is two weeks old, yet the second-ranked Arizona Wildcats already have two losses on their resume following a 66-60 defeat to the SMU Mustangs on Thursday at the Battle 4 Atlantis in Nassau, Bahamas.

CBS Sports' Gary Parrish put the Wildcats' start in perspective:

SMU 66, Arizona 60. So the second-ranked Wildcats are 3-2 with losses to the teams picked 12th in the ACC (NC State) and 4th in the AAC (SMU).

SMU prevailed despite shooting 31.4 percent from the field as a team. The Mustangs also hit just eight of their 22 attempts from beyond the arc. http://undertale.site

Arizona shot itself in the foot with 20 turnovers. The Wildcats also struggled from three-point territory, going 5-of-20.

In particular, Allonzo Trier lost his shooting touch for the second straight game. While the junior guard made a solid eight of his 16 field-goal attempts, he was 3-of-9 on three-pointers. He was 0-of-5 from deep in Arizona's 90-84 loss to the North Carolina State Wolfpack on Wednesday.

Freshman forward Deandre Ayton had a big game in a losing effort, posting his fifth straight double-double (17 points, 15 rebounds).

Ben Emelogu II finished as SMU's leading scorer (20 points), while Shake Milton scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Jarrey Foster's performance shouldn't go overlooked either, as the junior guard did a little bit of everything. Foster had six points, six boards, five assists, two steals and four blocks.

Although the season is still young, Thursday's win could be big for SMU when it comes time to fill out the 68-team field for the NCAA tournament. Assuming the Mustangs are in a position to claim a tourney bid and didn't win the AAC tournament, a victory over the Wildcats could look impressive to the selection committee.

For Arizona, it will be important not to panic after dropping two games in a row. CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein provided a reason for the Wildcats to remain optimistic about the rest of the year:

Arizona lost last night in a track meet and tonight in a grinder. Wildcats have flaws. One thing though that they don't have: Rawle Alkins. Important to remember.

Arizona closes out the Battle 4 Atlantis with a game against the No. 18 Purdue Boilermakers, who themselves have had a poor showing in the Bahamas:

Arizona vs. Purdue in the seventh-place game. Unexpected. Crazy that one will return from the Bahamas with three losses.

Beating Purdue wouldn't make fans forget about the defeats to NC State and SMU, but the Wildcats could at least end the tournament on a high note. Arizona also has a pair of Top 25 matchups ahead in December when it plays the No. 16 Texas A&M Aggies and No. 25 Alabama Crimson Tide.

Still, head coach Sean Miller's critics have grown frustrated with the Wildcats' inability to reach the Final Four despite boasting plenty of talent recently. Expectations have never been higher in the Miller era, and a 3-2 start will only embolden those who argue he isn't the coach who can deliver a second national championship to the program.

The Christmas rituals of carving and serving

Christmas Day couldn’t be the same for me without my carving set and enormous serving plate. A few years ago, while researching my book The Modern Kitchen, I started noticing these huge platters on eBay. They are not by any means beautiful pieces of china. These are thick, coarse ware — made from a rough material not much better than plaster and looking, from their overwrought patterns, to be Victorian or early 20th century. I couldn’t quite fathom why there were so many but found myself oddly drawn to them, bought a few and tried to find out more. The patterns were not the delicately applied enamel and gold leaf of the great potteries but usually some kind of cheap transfer, rarely applied without small tears and folds. Some were rough approximations of traditional Chinese willow pattern, others had strange mottoes or quite random images. Many of the larger versions don’t sit completely flat on the table — they would have been rejected as “second” or “third” quality items at the kiln — and the glaze is thick and pocked with bubbles. My favourite, the one this year’s turkey will sit on, comes from my mother’s side of the family. It’s about 50cm across and the most identifiable colour in it is brown.   The frankly surreal image features songbirds, irises, a duck and a boat (according to my daughter, there’s also a floating mine and a seaman vomiting over the side). To complete the complex visual narrative, there’s an Etruscan vase filled with dog roses, a spider’s web and a fan decorated with, or so the caption says, the “birthplace of Burns”. Big oval serving plates were popular prizes at fairs and affordable wedding gifts in Victorian England, where as well as sitting throughout the week on the dresser and brightening up the parlour, they would be used to serve the Sunday roast. This was a key element in a well-managed household. Something to be aspired to, like a properly leaded grate or a gleaming doorstep, and a highly valued symbol of societal conformity. The carving set was also a common wedding gift. It usually comprised a knife, a two-pronged fork and a steel for sharpening. Today, it’s rare to find a full set, as an essential part of the weekly ritual was father ineptly scraping the knife up and down the steel before diving into the joint. Few knives survive that sort of attention. I wondered, for a long time, what happened to them all, until falling into conversation with a dealer. At most antiques fairs, she pointed out, there is a stall selling magnifying glasses and letter openers in suspicious profusion. Traders would buy up the old carving sets, useless now their knives were ground to a rat-tail, and fit the handles to reproduction magnifiers manufactured in bulk in Asia. http://unaffordable.net   The carving set, for me, is an immensely potent symbol of a certain kind of middle-class Britishness. It equips the father, at the head of the table, to act out the role of the Victorian paterfamilias — the Dickensian icon — judiciously dividing among his grateful family the bounty that his toil and acumen have provided. All but the very finest sets will bear deeply incised “hallmarks” that, on closer examination, read “EPNS” — electro-plated nickel silver — a thin surface of silver over cheaper metal. The handles will be white plastic or “bone” in imitation of costly ivory or deer horn, hinting at aristocratic shooting estates and sumptuous feasts of game. It would be hard to conceive of objects more perfectly designed to signify wealth and status, and yet these sets lurked at the back of the sideboard in every home in the land from the stately to the terraced. My carving set is not an heirloom. Our own was sharpened to death a generation ago. But this set spoke to me in a street market in a small Welsh town. It was almost identical to the one I’d seen my grandfather use. It is a little odd as it doesn’t contain a sharpening steel. As a result, the knife blade is intact and I’ve been able to sharpen it back to life.   For me the most emotive element of the set is the box in which it sits. Thick cardboard, still bearing the label “stainless table cutlery manufactured in Sheffield, England”, but repaired over and over again with library tape. Treasured, cared for and protected — quite possibly the only objects of value in their first owner’s household, rarely used, kept “for best” and handed down. As a nation, we Brits are strangely embarrassed by ritual display. Other cultures have formal, significant meals and ceremonies around sharing food and breaking bread. Here, a “proper” Sunday lunch and Christmas dinner are the last places we still pull out all the stops, suppress our natural reserve and actually feast. Having spent a couple of years researching the objects we cook and eat with, I have become increasingly obsessed with the significance of family eating tools — particularly the everyday ones, those so well used that we hardly notice them any more. I haven’t a spiritual bone in my body and practise no religion with my family, but now we understand their history, our plate and carving set have begun to regain their importance. The liturgical objects of our last family ritual.

Super Models: Meet the brothers who have made plaster casting cool

ROBERT AND GAVIN PAISLEY’S architectural models have earned a cult following. Leading architect Alex Michaelis of Michaelis Boyd owns several, as does the New York veteran modernist Richard Meier. Each model is a precise replica of a real building, whether it’s a landmark like Battersea Power Station– their bestseller – or a private home. These aren’t just for design buffs, though. They possess the Lilliputian charm of a doll’s house, which holds universal appeal, as their rising popularity–70 per cent year-on-year increase in sales since 2014 – proves.

It was the seemingly limitless potential of 3D printing that spurred the brothers to swap their computer-programming business in Nutley, East Sussex, for modelmaking in 2011.At first they experimented with using purely digital technology to create the models, but they soon decided against it. "Although 3D printing is expensive, the results didn’t feel expensive and the models lacked that luxury craft touch," recalls Gavin. After taking a plaster mould-making course, they settled on a combination of analogue and digital to create the models, as encapsulated by their brand name, Chisel&Mouse – chisel for the handcrafted and mouse for the computerised. http://twitchgirlz.com

To begin making a new model, they draw up the building from photographs using SketchUp 3D-modelling software. "It’s really important that the reproductions are exact, we’re not trying to do an abstraction," says Gavin. One of the ways he achieves this is by counting the bricks alongside the window panes to ensure the proportions are correct.

Next, the rendered computer-based models are sent off to be 3Dprinted (this is too costly to do in-house) and the 3D model they receive is used to produce a rubber mould. This is then checked for precison and, after correcting any errors, the process is repeated and a second rubber mould is created. This will be the master, used to cast the model.

Casts are made using a type of plaster called jesmonite because it’s very strong. "It has a lot of resin and acrylic in it, which can take a bit of battering," explains Gavin. Finished by hand, the models require light sanding and any surplus protrusions are chiselled off. Metalwork for windows and doors is made in Scotland and fitted by Robert and Gavin in their Sussex studio. Developing a new model can take a few months, but Gavin has been working on his favourite London building for two years. He hopes his ambitious 24in-tall model of Christchurch Spitalfields, Hawksmoor's 18th-century church in east London, cut away at the back to reveal the interior, will be finished next year.

8 of the Best TV Shows to Watch This Winter

How to close out a banner year of television? With a lot more where that came from, of course. Here are ELLE.com's picks for fire TV during the cold months (you can't watch holiday specials forever, you know).

1The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Amazon (November 29)

Look, we've been waiting to lay eyes on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel for a while: The combination of Amy Sherman-Palladino at the helm and a housewife who breaks free of domestic life (and the most feckless husband imaginable) will make for breezy comedy with a steel spine. Cold weather be damned; this is the perfect cozy comedy with a dangerous edge of outrage. http://tvtime.me

2The Crown, Season 2, Netflix (December 8)

Tensions are high in Buckingham Palace as we return to England's royals for another round of power, tenacity, and intrigue—all on a world stage. Queen Elizabeth wages an internal war with her secret-harbouring husband, while Princess Margaret struggles with her own bonds and finds new love. For an American touch, JFK and Jackie will be dropping in—but the focus is really on how the Windsors will keep up with a swiftly changing world.

3Wormwood, Netflix (December 15)

If you're already feeling off-balance regarding the U.S. government, conspiracies, and spies, then perhaps you should avoid this one. Otherwise, your December candidate for binge-watching should be the new effort from Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line, The Fog of War), who brings his documentarian's focus to the true story of a man trying to prove his father's death was caused by the CIA. The six-part series has a hybrid approach—combining footage of interviews with Olson, fictional dramatic scenes—that may be challenging viewing. But for sheer headlong plunges into the past, it doesn't have an equal this season.

4Gunpowder, HBO (December 17)

Missing Jon Snow? Assuage your longings with this gory historical miniseries, which boasts enough fighting and wicked royalty for the most avid Game of Thrones fan. Kit Harington is Robert Gatesby, who planned to avenge his family's deaths by killing the protestant King James I in 1603. (Amazing fact: Harington is actually a descendant of Gatesby, which gives the whole thing just that little bit more oomph.)

5grown-ish (Freeform), January 3

First of all, how adorable is this grown-ish tribute to The Breakfast Club? Second of all, hooray for Zoey Johnson (Yara Shahidi), who has flown the black-ish coop to head her own adventures on a new freeform series. Just like the classic Club, grown-ish will see Zoey thrown together with fellow students who come from very different backgrounds. And if you're worried about not seeing the Johnsons together again, don't fret: There will apparently be plenty of crossover between the two shows.

6The Chi, Showtime (January 7)

Master of None's Lena Waithe moves on to her own show with Showtime's The Chi. Along with co-executive producer Common, Waithe shines a light on the south side of Chicago; we'll meet six characters, from pre-teen Kevin to drifter Ronnie, as they move through their daily lives. "It’s a different side of my voice, about being black and human and trying to survive and have a dream," Waithe told Entertainment Weekl. "It’s raw. It’s real."

7The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, FX (January 17)

If you don't already want to slam this down like a tequila sunrise, then I don't know what to tell you. Ryan Murphy's newest American Crime installment positively glistens with gold leaf, tears, and the sweat of Ricky Martin. How much better casting could there be than Penelope Cruz as Donatella Versace? Is there a more explosive couture-drenched narrative than the glitzy fashion designer's 1997 demise in Miami Beach at the hand of serial killer Andrew Cunanan? I'm listening.

8The Alienist (Freeform), January 22

If you're wondering how aliens and the 19th century go together, you can stop (you'll only hurt yourself). TNT's The Alienist (think people alienated from human nature rather than martians) is actually a psychological thriller about three people searching for a serial killer murdering young boys who work in the sex trade. Starring serial vest-wearer Luke Evans, Daniel Brühl as the titular mentalist, and Dakota Fanning, this is one for the Mindhunter and historical mystery fans.