JNU polls: AISF wins presidential post, ABVP makes comeback after 14 years
On September 13, in a major boost to the BJP, RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad made a comeback at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) after 14 years by winning the students union Joint Secretary’s post.AVBP’s Saurabh Sharma won the Joint Secretary’s post. The ABVP had last won a post in the JNU elections in 2001 when Sandeep Mahapatra became the president by a vote’s margin.The newly-elected Joint Secretary of JNUSU said that, “I am very happy that ABVP made a comeback in JNU after 14 years. I was confident about my victory as we were fighting on the student welfare issues. I want to thank the students of JNU who showed confidence in me and elected me as their joint secretary.””I also want to thank the JNU unit of ABVP volunteers,” he added. The JNUSU President’s post was won by the CPI-affiliated All India Students Federation’s (AISF) candidate Kanhaiya Kumar, while Vice President and General Secretary’s posts were retained by Left-leaning All India Students Association (AISA). The seats were won by Shehla Rashid Shora and Rama Naga, respectively.Talking about his priorities for the campus, Sharma said that women security and construction of new hostels would be on the top of his agenda. “There are several places in JNU which remain dark during night that causes a risk to the security of female students here. I would try my level best to get street lights fixed at these places and ensure women security in the campus in every manner,” he said.advertisementPraveen Thallapelli, JNU poll’s Chief Election Commissioner said, “The poll results were declared at 8 a.m. today (September 13). Since paper ballots are used for polling and counting is done manually, the counting process takes longer at the JNU.””The voting percentage at the university is also relatively high. The ABVP made a comeback at the JNU after almost 15 years,” he said.The AISF won the President’s post by 67 votes over AISA, while AISA nominee won the Vice-President’s post against his ABVP rival by 234 votes. For the General Secretary’s post, AISA candidate defeated ABVP nominee by 213 votes while Joint Secretary’s post was claimed by ABVP, defeating AISA by 28 votes. Shehla Rashid of AISA is the first Kashmiri woman in JNU history to contest the students’ union polls and win in the central panel. She is also this year’s highest polled candidate (1,387), according to JNU sources.This victory is a mandate for carrying on the struggles for which JNUSU is known. We will carry on the struggle for social justice, gender justice and against privatisation and saffronisation of education,” said Shehla after winning the Vice President’s post.She added that, “We are content with the overall Left mandate, but we have to take cognizance of the proliferation of the right-wing in the campus and work collectively towards establishing a Left-progressive consciousness on the campus.”A total of 22 candidates contested the JNUSU central panel that includes posts of President, Vice President, General Secretary and Joint Secretary. The students’ union elections in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Friday recorded 53.3 percent turnout, a marginal dip over last year, when the turnout was 54.58 percent.
Alberto SalazarathleticsDopingMo Farah First Published: October 12, 2019, 8:13 AM IST New York: British Olympic champion Mo Farah defended his reputation at a news conference ahead of the Chicago Marathon on Friday after being bombarded with questions about his former coach Alberto Salazar who has been banned for doping violations.Farah, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, worked from 2011 to 2017 with Salazar, who was given a four-year ban by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) on September 30. The 36-year-old Farah, speaking for the first time since Salazar was suspended, responded angrily to questions about his former mentor, with whom he achieved some of his best performances.”It’s very disappointing to see you guys going at it again and again, and headlines, ‘Farah, Farah, Farah’,” he said.”I’ll just say there’s no allegation against me. I’ve not done anything wrong.”If I tell you guys and talk to you guys and be nice to you, you’ll still be negative. If I don’t talk to you, you’ll still be negative.”I’m aware I can’t win. You’re already made up your mind what you’re going to write — that is a fact.”Asked if he regretted staying with Salazar, particularly after a 2015 BBC documentary made a series of allegations against the American, Farah said he had confronted his coach.”I was out in Birmingham (England) racing, I pulled out (of) the race in 2015,” he told reporters. “I wanted some answers and I flew to Portland to get some answers from Alberto.”Talked to him face-to-face and he assured me at the time, ‘These are just allegations. This is not true. There are no allegations against you, Mo.’ He promised me. And that hasn’t been true.”FARAH UNAWAREFarah, who won Olympic gold in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres at the 2012 and 2016 Games, said he was unaware until after the ban was announced that Salazar was charged with doping in 2017.Salazar has denied any wrongdoing and said he plans to appeal against the suspension.Defending Chicago marathon champion Farah and 2017 winner American Galen Rupp plus women’s marathon runner Jordan Hasay are among Salazar’s most decorated athletes.Nike announced on Thursday that it would shut down the Nike Oregon Project, the elite programme overseen by Salazar, where Rupp and Hasay trained.Neither Rupp nor Hasay has been accused of any wrongdoing.The 33-year-old Rupp, who missed the Spring marathon season due to surgery, deflected questions about Salazar, saying he had had no “professional” contact with his long-time coach since the announcement of the suspension.Hasay, who like Rupp was coached by Salazar until the suspension, said she was “very, very close” to her coach and it was hard not speaking with him in the days before Sunday’s race.”I trust what I know and what I’ve seen and I’ve never been offered anything or seen anything,” Hasay said. “If that were to happen I would have left long ago.”In the days leading up to the Chicago Marathon, race director Carey Pinkowski said he viewed the Salazar announcement as “an opportunity to move forward”.Paula Radcliffe, a Nike ambassador who holds the world record for the women’s marathon, told Reuters the sport still needed to work to clean up competition.”My issue is this isn’t the battle won,” she said. “This is the battle far from won.” Get the best of News18 delivered to your inbox – subscribe to News18 Daybreak. Follow News18.com on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, TikTok and on YouTube, and stay in the know with what’s happening in the world around you – in real time.
In the limited overs format, India defeated West Indies 3-1 in their backyard, they whitewashed Sri Lanka 5-0 in the island nation and decimated Australia 4-1.Star batsman Rohit Sharma has said that playing as a cohesive unit has been the primary reason for Indian cricket team’s stupendous success across formats in recent times.”The way we are playing, credit goes to everyone. Because irrespective of whether you play for a city or country, you have to win a match and it is not an easy task. We have won six back-to-back series because we have played together as a unit,” Rohit said during a promotional event.In the limited overs format, India defeated West Indies 3-1 in their backyard, they whitewashed Sri Lanka 5-0 in the island nation and decimated Australia 4-1.The right-handed batsman was speaking to reporters after the launch of Adidas Uprising 3.0 here. Unless a team performs collectively, it is difficult to sustain performances.”If you (the team) want to win a tournament, its not that that one or two players will perform and you will win. It is essential that everybody contributes as this is a team sport. We are going towards a goal and that I think is good for team.”The way the team is thinking that is in one direction, which is helping the side and everyone is contributing, not just one or two players,” Rohit added.Asked whether the goal was 2019 World Cup, Rohit said, “See, there is one and half year for the World Cup. Now, it will be too early for me to comment on it. Yes, our aim is the 2019 World Cup and the preparations are on.”advertisement”Like our selectors, coach and captain have said the way our team is playing and the combination of the team has been made keeping the World Cup in mind. It is clear that what the team (management) wants from the players.”India play New Zealand in a three match ODI series and as many T20Is. On the series, Rohit said: “We haven’t thought what we will do. When we will reach the hotel then the preparations will start. Two days before we have finished a series. Our goal will be to beat any team whom we play against.”
New Delhi: August 20, 2018 (PTI) EDITORS: Photos withCaptions released today. To view thumbnails of thesePhotographs, visit PTI website at..http.//www.ptinews.comNATINONALNew Delhi: Rajiv Gandhi’s 74th Birth Aniversary(B+A)Patna/Patna:Last Somvar of the holy month of Shravan (A+B)Srinagar: Holy mace leaves Bhaderwah for Machailcave shrine/Security(A)Bhopal: Rajiv Gandhi’s 74th Birth Aniversary(B)Kottayam/ Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala floods/rescue/ relief camps(B+A)New Delhi: A pair of Duck swims in a pond(B)New Delhi: PM Modi with Defence Minister of Japan(B)Surat: PAAS supporters protest(B)Patiala: Heavy rains(B)Srinagar: Passing out parade at JAKLI Regiment Centre(B)INTERNATIONALBeijing: Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamadin China(A)Montreal: PM Justin Trudeau during his nominationmeeting(B)Chicago: Annual Chicago Air and Water Show(A)New York: 38th India Day Parade(B+A)Toronto: 140th annual Canadian National Exhibitionin Toronto(B)SPORTSGreensboro: Wyndham Championship golf tournament (A)Mason: Western & Southern Open tennis tournament (A)Madrid: Spanish La Liga soccer match(B)Palembang/Jakarta: 18th Asian Games(B+A)Pebble Beach: USGA Amateur Golf Championship(B)PTI PHOTO VNA OSOS
New Delhi, Nov 20 (PTI) Top officials from 18 Spanish La Liga clubs got together in the city Tuesday, ramping up their activities in the country while mulling a collaboration with the All India Football Federation. A couple of them enquired about the popularity of kabaddi in India, and a few said they are aware of cricket being the country’s number one sport. “We are not here to displace cricket from the top. We have come to see football’s potential for growth in India,” said one of the club officials. Dignitaries from renowned Spanish clubs such as Atletico de Madrid, Vilarreal, Valencia and Deportivo Alaves, among others, gathered here to study the Indian market and draw a future course of action for what is a potential market that needs to be tapped. “According to the report I have with me, that is the plan – a collaboration with the All India Football Federation, so that they can work on the sport in India right from the bottom to the top,” an official, who was part of the event, told PTI. The clubs, however, were not as forthcoming when asked if they were looking for some kind of formal association with the AIFF. “India is a huge market with a lot of following for football, La Liga as well. We know cricket is big here. But we want to help grow football in India. We know there is lot of business in India. We want to be closer to the fans here,” said Deportivo Alaves’ president Alfonso Fernandez.advertisement They are scheduled to meet ISL franchises on Wednesday to discuss possible associations before leaving for Spain. In one of the tables, Alfonso was accompanied by Real Sociedad’s director Nerea Aramburu, S D Eiber’s Yogaraj Kumal and Celta Vigo’s commercial director Carlos Salvador. In another group, seated were Atletico de Madrid’s director of communications Rafael Alique, Getafe CF’s secretary of board of directors Juan Leif, Real Valladolid’s deputy director to presidency, David Espinar, and Royal Vallencio’s managing director Luis Yanez. Representatives from teams like Sevilla FC, Real Betis and Girona FC, which is the first club from Spain to play in a tournament in India, were also present. In August, Sony Pictures Networks India announced its partnership with social media company Facebook Inc. to telecast La Liga matches on television in India. As part of the deal, over 100 selected matches will be aired on ESPN’s sports channels, including the key clashes, El Clasico (matches between rivals FC Barcelona and Real Madrid) and Madrid Derby (matches between Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid). This came after Facebook bought a three-year exclusive rights to show all La Liga matches in India. Social media and digital media were the buzzwords on Tuesday and the La Liga clubs are more focussed on that than television. Last month, the league launched football schools in India for a comprehensive development of the game in India. In association with India On Track (IOT), the schools are being set up across cities. La Liga hopes the programme will be accessible to over 30 schools and 3,000 youngsters nationwide by the turn of this year. PTI AH SSC ATKATK
Raheem Sterling FA supports Sterling over assault rifle tattoo Iain Strachan 03:35 5/30/18 FacebookTwitterRedditcopy Comments(0) 
Getty Images Raheem Sterling England England v Nigeria England v Costa Rica Tunisia v England England v Panama England v Belgium World Cup Friendlies Manchester City Premier League The England attacker has drawn criticism for getting an assault rifle tattoo, but the Football Association is standing by the player The Football Association has expressed its support for Raheem Sterling after he offered an “honest and heartfelt account” of his reasons for getting a tattoo of an assault rifle.Sterling recently drew criticism from sections of the media and anti-violence campaigners for his choice to have the likeness of a weapon inked onto his right leg. In an Instagram post published on Monday, the 23-year-old Manchester City and England player said the image was a tribute to his father, who was shot dead when Sterling was just two years old. Article continues below Editors’ Picks Goalkeeper crisis! Walker to the rescue but City sweating on Ederson injury ahead of Liverpool clash Out of his depth! Emery on borrowed time after another abysmal Arsenal display Diving, tactical fouls & the emerging war of words between Guardiola & Klopp Sorry, Cristiano! Pjanic is Juventus’ most important player right now And the governing body appears satisfied with the forward’s explanation.”We all support Sterling and acknowledge the honest and heartfelt account he gave,” an FA spokesperson said in a statement.”He and the rest of the squad are focused solely on preparing for the forthcoming World Cup.”In his Instagram post, Sterling said: “When I was two my father died from being gunned down to death.”I made a promise to myself I would never touch a gun in my lifetime.”I shoot with my right foot so it has a deeper meaning.”Sterling and England will begin their World Cup campaign on June 18 against Tunisia. They will then face Panama on June 24 and then close out the group stage against Belgium on June 28.
The three universities that offer bachelor of science in nursing programs — Cape Breton, Dalhousie and St. Francis Xavier universities — have worked together to improve their programs. All three universities will offer a common, modern curriculum, introduce a new accelerated program, and create multiple start and graduation times. Nursing students will be able to start — and finish — their undergraduate degrees at different times, allowing the health-care system to hire them throughout the year rather than all at once. Universities will better recognize previous academic credits and work experience, and offer a longer, 13-week final clinical placement. These changes are expected to take effect September 2016. Labour and Advanced Education Minister Kelly Regan said these changes will mean new nurses are better prepared for the workforce. “These universities know that working together will better prepare their nursing students for the workforce, and improve the quality of undergraduate nursing education overall,” said Ms. Regan. “This kind of collaboration among our universities is unprecedented — we thank them for it, and encourage others to follow suit. These changes will make Nova Scotia’s undergraduate nursing programs among the very best in the country.” Government will also invest $800,000 in upgrades to the nursing simulation lab at St. Francis Xavier University, and another $34,000 in upgrades to the simulation lab at the Yarmouth campus of the Dalhousie School of Nursing. Provincial data shows that the number of nurses working in Nova Scotia has grown by about 2,000 to a total of 14,000 since the first nursing strategy was introduced in 2001. Nearly 4,300 registered nurses and 1,600 licensed practical nurses in Nova Scotia will be over the age of 55 in the next five years. The nursing strategy and nursing education review are both available at http://novascotia.ca/dhw . A new nursing strategy and an improved undergraduate nursing education program will help Nova Scotia attract and keep the nurses it needs well into the future. “Nurses are the heart and soul of patient care across our province. We know many are nearing retirement, and we need to ensure we have the right number and mix of nurses to care for Nova Scotians for generations to come,” said Health and Wellness Minister Leo Glavine. “Under this new nursing strategy, we will support all nurses to provide the care they are educated and licensed to give. New RN graduates will be better prepared to enter the workforce, and we’ll support experienced nurses to continue to grow and develop in the career they love.” The province consulted over 500 nurses, both online and in person. The new strategy will address their concerns by: FOR BROADCAST USE Government says a new nursing strategy will help support experienced nurses and help new graduates become workforce-ready. The strategy, launched today (May 12th), will help nurses spend more of their time on patient care and give them dedicated time to mentor new nurses. Starting in 2016, undergraduate nursing students will be able to start — and finish — their degrees at different times throughout the year. They’ll also get a longer, 13-week final practical placement so they’re more prepared for the workforce. Government is also investing eight-hundred thousand dollars in the nursing simulation lab at St. Francis Xavier University. -30-
paying for experienced nurses to spend dedicated time mentoring new nurses increasing the number of specialty programs to train nurses in areas like operating rooms, critical care, and mental health and addictions continuing to support professional development for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and nurse practitioners — but targeted on topics like improving practice environments, developing clinical leadership, developing strong teams and injury prevention targeting co-op placement funding for student nurses to areas where they are most needed creating a fund for nurses who have innovative ideas to improve their workplaces and patient care removing legislative, policy and other barriers in the workplace that prevent nurses from working to their full scope of practice
Eight stories in the news for Thursday, June 7———ELECTION DAY IN ONTARIOAfter weeks of attack ads and controversies, Ontarians go to the polls today to elect a new provincial government. With Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne admitting she’s unlikely to be re-elected as premier, the race appeared to be a battle between the NDP and Progressive Conservatives. But after a drama-filled campaign — including a lawsuit made public this week against PC Leader Doug Ford — anything could happen as the race concludes.———TRADE CRISIS A ‘FAMILY QUARREL,’ SAYS U.S. OFFICIALDonald Trump’s top economic adviser has dismissed differences over tariffs as a “family quarrel” amid reports of a testy phone call between the U.S. president and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ahead of this week’s G7 summit. Larry Kudlow played down his country’s trade dispute with Canada, and said he hoped Trump and Trudeau could work through their differences during their face-to-face meeting at the summit, which opens Friday.———KENT HEHR TO STAY IN CAUCUSKent Hehr says he will remain in the federal Liberal caucus, but won’t rejoin the Trudeau cabinet after an investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct with women. The former veterans and sports and disabilities minister resigned from cabinet in January after a former employee accused him of calling her “yummy” during his time as a member of the Alberta legislature a decade ago. Hehr says he does not recall the encounter with Kristin Raworth, but has nonetheless apologized.———THREE SISTERS AMONG FIVE DEAD IN ALBERTA CRASHTwo First Nations communities in Alberta are grieving the loss of five people in highway crash south of Edmonton on Tuesday. Three sisters — Cheyane Soosay, 22, Dominique Norwest, 19 and Latesha Norwest, 23, were among those killed. They, along with Anthony Swampy, 30 and Terrelle Minde, 22, died when their car and an SUV collided near Millet, Alta. RCMP continue to investigate the cause of the crash.———YOUTH POT STUDY REVEALS DANGERSA 10-year study on cannabis use among Canadian youth reveals some troubling findings. The study examined data from the Victoria Healthy Youth Survey, which followed 662 young people between the ages of 12 and 18 from 2003 to 2013. It shows those who start using pot at a young age and kept using it often during adolescence and beyond were more likely than their peers to have poor health outcomes. They also achieve less occupational and educational success in young adulthood.———DAVID SUZUKI TO RECEIVE HONORARY DEGREEScientist David Suzuki will receive an honorary doctor of science degree today from the University of Alberta after months of criticism. The Edmonton university said in April that the environmentalist and oilsands critic would receive the honour this spring, which prompted a flood of complaints. Suzuki says universities should be the place “to air a range of ideas about the geophysical, social and economic consequences of fossil fuel use.”———GRIFFIN PRIZE TO BE HANDED OUT IN TORONTOLiterary luminaries gather in Toronto tonight as two of the best wordsmiths from home and abroad receive the Griffin Poetry Prize. One Canadian and one international winner will each take home a $65,000 prize at the awards gala. Scholar Billy-Ray Belcourt of the Driftpile Cree Nation in Alberta, Montreal-born dancer and choreographer Aisha Sasha John and interdisciplinary artist and critic Donato Mancini are in the running for the Canadian prize.———WILL THE STANLEY CUP BE AWARDED TONIGHT?The curtain could fall on the NHL season tonight if the Washington Capitals beat the Golden Knights in Las Vegas. The Capitals lead the best-of-7 series 3-1 and are seeking their first Stanley Cup in the franchise’s 43-year history. Washington star Alex Ovechkin is looking to become the first Russian captain to raise the Cup.———ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY:— Prime Minister Trudeau meets with the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission in La Malbaie, Que.— French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in Montreal to begin his Canadian visit.— A first major protest against the G7 summit will be held in Quebec City.— The Bank of Canada will release its latest financial system review report.— Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O’Regan will host a roundtable in Ottawa on Veterans homelessness.— Premier Dwight Ball will provide updates on healthcare infrastructure for western Newfoundland.— Companies reporting results today include Stingray Digital Group, Saputo and Dollarama.
The Prince of Wales has expressed his excitement about the wedding, telling reporters in Nice, France last week: “It’s absolutely marvellous. It’s going to be a very special day for everybody.”It was thought her mother Doria Ragland would walk the bride down the aisle – so this decision may shock some Royal fans. Prince Charles is to walk Meghan Markle own the aisle, the Palace has revealed.The question of who would perform the role was raised after Thomas Markle, the bride’s father, pulled out due to a health condition.Kensington Palace announced: “Ms. Meghan Markle has asked His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales to accompany her down the aisle of the Quire of St George’s Chapel on her Wedding Day.”The Prince of Wales is pleased to be able to welcome Ms. Markle to The Royal Family in this way.”Hannah Furness, our Royal Correspondent, has learnt that the Prince of Wales will accompany Ms Markle down just one half of the aisle (the second half) at St George’s Chapel – but no one will “give her away”. There was no protocol preventing Ms Markle from choosing her mother, a member of the Royal family, or a close friend from escorting her. She could also walk alone, should she wish. Hugo Vickers, royal biographer, said of Ms Markle’s decision: “It’s her wedding and I think she should be able to do whatever she likes. “It’s meant to be a happy occasion and that’s what it’s all about.” According to TMZ, Thomas Markle gave his ex-wife his blessing to perform the duty. Mr Markle’s inability to attend has left other gaps in the proceedings. It is unknown who will give a speech at the evening dinner – this role may fall to her mother. Doria Ragland was previously expected to walk her daughter down the aisle Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily Front Page newsletter and new audio briefings.
A survey found that 80 per cent of those who have avoided or delayed testing said they felt ‘body conscious’Credit:Public Health England Charities say embarrassment and fear of being labelled ‘promiscuous’ is deterring women from undergoing vital checksCredit:Public Health England Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily Front Page newsletter and new audio briefings. Health officials are to launch the first television campaign urging women to go for cervical smear tests amid warnings too many are “needlessly dying” after failing to get checked.Uptake of screening is now at a record low, with almost one in three women eligible for tests failing to do so, latest records show.The lowest uptake is among women in their late 20s, with almost four in ten failing to have smears, the figures show.Two women every day in England die from cervical cancer and more than 200,000 women every year are diagnosed with abnormal cell changes that could lead to the disease.The proportion of women aged 25 to 64 who go for smear tests is currently at a 20-year low, with take up at 71.4 per cent. 
The other day we pointed out that Sony has a lot of repair work to do after PSN is fixed. The company’s relationship with gamers, developers, and publishers has taken a big hit, and we wait to see how they try and repair that. But for the moment the focus is actually on getting the service up and running again as we still can’t use it or any of its associated services.Some companies offering services that work on the PS3 aren’t waiting for the PSN fix, though. Hulu is thought to be sending out an email to some of its Hulu Plus subscribers and offering them a 1-week credit.AdChoices广告Hulu reason that this is a really frustrating time for PS3 owners in the email, especially those who rely on the console to use Hulu regularly, so to help ease that frustration they are giving you the lost time back. With a Hulu Plus subscription costing $7.99 a month, it’s the equivalent of getting $2 back. It sounds better when you think about it in terms of time, though, with Hulu effectively giving you 168 hours of free viewing time.It’s a nice gesture, especially considering this is no fault of the Hulu team or its service, and that you can access the service on a multitude of other devices instead.We don’t know how many of these emails are going out, or what the criteria is for receiving one, but if you get one in your inbox just click the link to get the week of credit. We’d also suggest sending Hulu a thankyou message in return.via Kotaku
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When Star Trek: Discovery left us last fall, it left us with a lot of questions. What was going on with Stamets? What’s going on with Ash Tyler? Where did the Discovery end up? The series finally came back last night, and gave us the answers to about one and a half of those questions. The Discovery ended up in the Mirror Universe, which is much scarier than our memories of a bearded Spock would have us believe. Tyler, like pretty much everyone guessed, is secretly Voq, though it’s a little more complicated than that. We still don’t know exactly what happened to him, but he isn’t just a physically altered Klingon sleeper agent. As for Stamets? Well, the jury’s still out on him. He spends the episode speaking in strange riddles that are written off as gibberish. He talks about a palace, and occasionally yells that the enemy is near. It’s obvious to everyone except for the characters on the show who he’s talking about.Though the episode improved as it went on, a good chunk of it was a whole lot of nothing happening. At least it was a fast-paced, urgent nothing, so we can’t call it boring. It just didn’t live up to the promise of the Mirror Universe. The show tried to create mystery at the beginning, and pull off a slow reveal. It didn’t really work. We started to suspect where they were as soon as a Vulcan ship fired on the Discovery. Then when another ship taunted them about getting spooked by rebels, it was obvious. They were in the Mirror Universe. After that, it was just a matter of waiting until the characters figured that out. They attempted to spice it up with Tyler’s story, but again, most of us have figured out at least part of what’s going on with him. Even if we hadn’t, it is annoying to watch otherwise smart people try to cover up clear signs of PTSD.Shazad Latif, Sonequa Martin-Green (Photo via CBS)After Tyler fights through his flashbacks to retrieve the data core from the rebel Vulcan ship, the show still takes its sweet time to reveal what we already know. I get that the episode has to show the characters discovering where they are. This is all new for them. The problem is that it isn’t for most of us. Even if we’d never seen “Mirror Mirror” before, this episode puts so much dialog between the steps of figuring it out, even brand new Trek viewers could figure it out. Or at the very least, they’d be tapping their feet for the episode to get to the point. It all creates the feel of a show very urgently spinning its wheels. The most frustrating part of all this is that it’s clearly a big deal that the Discovery is in a parallel universe, but we spend so much time in the same old ship. They don’t even meaningfully interact with anyone in the Mirror Universe until over halfway through the episode. Though their initial contact with a Terran Empire ship is hilarious. First because of Tilly trying to put on a hard-ass facade and then Lorca putting on a Scottish action to disguise his voice. It was funny, and a cool homage to the late James Doohan.The episode started picking up once we learned more about the Mirror Universe. The crew of the Discovery disguises themselves so Burnham, Lorca and Tyler can sneak aboard the Mirror Shenzhou and figure out how to get back to their own universe. It turns out the Discovery wasn’t the first ship to accidentally cross universes. The Defiant, which takes disappeared in The Original Series and was revealed to have crossed into the Mirror Universe’s past in Star Trek: Enterprise, arrived at some point before the Discovery did. They need the data aboard the Mirror Shenzhou to figure out where the wormhole between universes is. Mirror Burnham is presumed dead, having been killed by Mirror Lorca. Posing as their alternate selves, Burnham claims she faked her own death to capture Lorca, and takes him aboard the ship. Once there, he has to endure some awful-looking torture while Burnham tries to look through the ship’s data. That takes longer than she expects, because nobody will leave her alone. First, her former first officer tries to kill her, because that’s how succession works in this universe. After that, everyone tries to suck up to her to the point where she can’t get a moment alone. All the while, Lorca is being tortured. It’s a great, tense dilemma, and it’s a shame we had to wait until the very end of the episode to get there.Mary Chieffo, Shazad Latif (Photo via CBS)Now, let’s talk about what’s going on with Tyler. While his story slowed things down initially, enough happened in it that it didn’t feel like a complete waste of time. It feels like we’re about to learn exactly what’s going on with him. First, L’Rell tries to activate him with a Klingon prayer. At this point, we’re pretty sure the show is confirming that he’s secretly Voq in disguise. But it doesn’t work. It just makes his nightmarish visions worse. Then, Dr. Culber takes a deeper look at him. The Klingons performed all sorts of strange surgeries on him, shortening the length of his bones. He starts talking about how it’s theoretically possible to layer a second personality on top of someone’s original one, making it harder to detect. So yes, it would appear that Tyler is in fact Voq. But he is still also Tyler. That sets up a much more interesting conflict than a simple heel turn we could all see coming. There’s hope for this storyline yet.Of course, that revelation comes with a cost. When Culber threatens to quarantine Tyler, Tyler snaps his neck. It’s a shocking, upsetting death. I’ll give the show credit; nobody saw that coming. It’s so sudden and brutal, it elicits an immediate emotional reaction. It’s one of the few times this show has made me audibly gasp and yes, I’m upset about it. Culber and Stamets are the purest, best part of this show and it really sucks to see this happen to them. It doesn’t help that at first glance, it looks like Discovery has fallen into the tiresome “bury your gays” trap. Fortunately, everyone involved in the show seems to be aware of this. They were ready for the response.Mary Wiseman, Anthony Rapp, Wilson Cruz (Photo via CBS)Wilson Cruz talked to Entertainment Weekly about his death scene, acknowledging that it would, and absolutely should, upset fans. Good TV should upset us sometimes. It should draw a strong emotional response. He also promises that this isn’t the end of the story. It’s a bump in the road on an epic romantic journey between Stamets and Culber. He also reminds us that this is Sci-fi. He’ll be back somehow. While it’s possible we would have enjoyed his return more if it came as a surprise, I understand why he felt the need to do this. Killing off gay characters is an upsettingly common trope. LGBT characters and characters of color are typically seen as expendable, and that sucks. It’s important to get out in front of this and assure people that that’s not where the story is going. An event like this might make a few fans wash their hands of the series entirely. (Seriously, the first onscreen gay couple in Star Trek history and you kill off one of them in the first season?) Giving away real, substantial hints about what’s coming could make those fans more willing to wait and see what happens. It’s a better response than the standard information-less “wait and see” we usually get. We still don’t know if Culber and Stamets will be around for season two, Cruz is being intentionally vague about that in the interview. What is clear is that we haven’t seen the last of Dr. Culber.This episode took a while to get going, but it instantly improved once it did. Despite the feeling of a whole lot of nothing happening very fast, returning to the Mirror Universe was fun. It was definitely better than some other Star Trek series’ past attempts to make a “Mirror Mirror” sequel. Even Deep Space Nine, as much as I love it, couldn’t pull off some of their Mirror Universe episodes. The individual characters made this trip worthwhile. It was so much fun watching Captain Tilly try to pretend to be a ruthless, tyrannical killer. And the nickname of Captain Killy is just funny. Burnham struggling to play the cold, uncaring torturer is also an interesting dilemma that I’m looking forward to seeing play out. I’m hoping this episode got all the Mirror Universe set-up out of the way. Then, we can get to the real meat of this story next week.
Dennis Bogaards will live stream harvest from his Pella, Iowa farm via the Periscope app and Twitter. Photo courtesy of Dennis Bogaards’ FacebookThe American Soybean Association (ASA) is teaming up with farmer Dennis Bogaards next week for a live view of harvest from his Pella, Iowa farm.Periscope is a mobile app that allows you to live video chat and answer questions with people around the world. Dennis goes live from soybean harvest at Bogaards Farm, Inc. on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. CST. (Date and time are weather permitting—if it rains, we’ll reschedule)! Check back with ASA on Twitter and Facebook next week for more information.See Dennis give a tour of harvest on his farm and answer your questions about modern agriculture by following ASA on Twitter at @ASA_Soybeans and Dennis on Periscope, via the mobile app or Twitter at @dbogfarm. If you have questions you’d like to send in ahead of time, email ASA Communications Manager Jordan Bright at jbright@soy.org.Dennis’ family farm consists of 450 acres of soybeans and 550 acres of other crops. They also sell ag technology equipment. Dennis has a degree in mechanics and is passionate about telling the story of ag and conveying positive messages about genetically modified srganisms (GMOs). He is a former ASA Director. Dennis uses social media often, both personally and professionally. You can also find him on, the “Flying the Farm” Facebook page or YouTube.Learn more about Periscope here.
Download AudioGirdwood’s board of supervisors has been offered another option for law enforcement in the Anchorage suburb. Residents of the community voted last month to pay extra property taxes for police protection, because state budget cuts are forcing the Alaska State Trooper post in Girdwood to shut down on July 1.The board of supervisors has explored a plan to use officers from nearby Whittier to patrol Girdwood, although no firm agreement is in place yet. Now Troopers have offered to continue to man the Girdwood post for $600,000 a year.Sam Daniel, who chairs the board of supervisor’s public safety committee, says Trooper Captain Jim Cockrell and he discussed the Trooper option earlier this week.“They believe that it would be possible to continue to offer public safety services in Girdwood through the Alaska State Troopers on a three year grant basis, and that would include having a sergeant and two officers still based out of the Girdwood post, and the Troopers would pay to keep the post open. They would still be focused on highway traffic enforcement, but would respond inside Girdwood Valley and provide random patrols.”The Trooper offer includes coverage of Bird, Rainbow, Indian and Portage Valleys. The legislature and the governor would have to agree to the plan.But at a public meeting on Thursday, some Girdwood residents complained about the Trooper proposal, Daniel says.“The meeting last night, there was a very strong concern among the community that we would be paying for what had previously been a statewide service. That we would in essence be subsidizing the state of Alaska and the residents of Southcentral that travel the safety corridor ”Daniel says the Whittier option still on the table has a cost of $610, 000, but his committee would like to see that and the Trooper number reduced. His committee is planning to send out a request for proposals to any entity that has expressed an interest in providing law enforcement for Girdwood.
The Telangana government on Wednesday released Rs 10 crore to carry out the development works in Chintamadaka village of Siddipet district. The funds are learned to have released under special development fund after the chief minister’s visit to his native village Chintamadaka of Siddipet district. Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao along with the district collector P Venkatram Reddy and others is monitoring the development works. However, the officials have already interacted the villagers to learn their pending problems which need to be resolved. It may be recalled that the chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao called up Chinatamadaka sarpanch Hansakethan Reddy over phone and inquired about the problems faced by the villagers.
Hyderabad: Director General of Police (DGP) M Mahendar Reddy on Wednesday inaugurated the NRI women safety cell (matrimonial issues) at Telangana Women Safety Wing in Lakdikapul. Representatives from 14 Embassies, Ministry of External affairs, Woman Police station SHO’s from Hyderabad, Cyberabad, Rachakonda and Warangal Commissionerates, NGO’s, advocates, officers from the Woman Safety wing participated in the programme. Also Read – Warrant issued against Renuka Chowdhury in cheating case Advertise With Us Speaking on the occasion, DGP said the stakeholders should extend their best effort through expertise, guidance and knowledge to the victims. He opined that the NRI women safety cell will be a platform for women to open about their suffering and provide help with all possible legal guidance for the process. The DGP also said the proposed law amendments will help the victims in fighting a legal battle against harassment from NRI spouse and their relatives. He said sensitisation of women should be at grass root level to encounter the problems from fake NRI marriages. Also Read – Parts of Hyderabad witness heavy rainfall Advertise With Us The stakeholders should work for the long-term goal of achieving and influencing law makers in providing justice for the victims. The NRI women safety cell will provide legal guidance by the support of NILA, an NGO to the aggrieved women in NRI marriages. Swati Lakra, IGP, Law and Order and in-charge of women safety, said the cell will guide the SHOs during investigation of cases related to harassment of NRI spouse and their relatives. Trainings in investigation and various procedures will be given to the SHOs and also legal guidance to victims for further approaches and contacts, liaison with agencies like embassies, Ministry of External Affairs, National Women Commission, NGOs as and when required. Advertise With Us Hyderabad Regional Passport Officer Vishnu Vardhan Reddy said the Ministry of External Affairs is sensitive to the harassment cases of woman by NRI spouse. The MEA has established an Integrated Nodal Agency with all the stakeholders to help such victims in fighting legal battle. He said prosecution is a challenging task, where the case details should be strong enough to get positive court orders. The embassies in various countries have been allotted budget to support the victims in emergencies. Tripuraneni Venkataratnam, Former chairperson of State Woman Commission, Vyjayanthi, Director of Prosecutions, Telangana State and Sumathi, SP, WPC, CID also participated in the programme. The NRI cell will work with the panel of legal experts, Standard Operating procedure will be followed and in-house training for Investigating Officers, awareness through posters and brochures, centralised monitoring of the cases and liaison with all stakeholders. Later the dignitaries launched posters on precautions to be taken before marrying an NRI, knowledge on citizenship status, caution on matrimonial agency, important parameters for carrying out verifications on the NRI groom’s personal information.