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There could be black sheep even in an excellent Army. They should be dealt with in accordance with law to protect the dignity of the Army, Finance and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera said.
He said if there are suspects in the Army who assaulted or abducted media personnel, abducted children in Wellawatta and killed them to take ransom, they should be dealt with according to law even if they had done them on instructions of the superiors, irrespective of the suspects' uniforms or the robes, to protect the dignity of the Army.
Minister Samaraweera made theses observations yesterday in response to the adjournment motion moved by Joint Opposition Parliamentary Group Leader Dinesh Gunawardena.
The minister said there are attempts by various groups to create racial conflicts. He said a Muslim business institution had been damaged in Maharagama recently. The minister said the Police would not allow to continue these acts.
"The government has not entered into any agreement as the Joint Opposition complained, said Minister Samaraweera said.
"By co-sponsoring the UN resolution, we have restored the sovereignty of Sri Lanka. I beg the opposition members not to lie. Anybody can read the resolution," he said.
He said 48 countries stood with Sri Lanka on March 23 in Geneva.
"We have to be proud that it was a quarter of the globe, including UK, USA, China, Russia and Australia," Minister Samaraweera said.
"Those countries appreciated the country's constructive path. Opposition members thought with the election of Donald Trump as USA President, the government in Sri Lanka would collapse. But even his representative to Geneva
spoke with me and appreciated the move of Sri Lanka as an important step which would restore the country's sovereignty and dignity," he said.
He said if the previous government continued on its path, the international community might have imposed economic sanctions, preventing the leaders going abroad and also resulting in closure of many factories in the country.
"It was me who went to Geneva in 2015 February and submitted that we did not accept its move and emphasised that the new government had been offered mandate to find solutions within the country," Minister Samaraweera said.
The minister said there is no more international action against Sri Lanka.
"Joint Opposition members have no understanding of the new global trends. We can't treat certain groups differently," he said.
Minister Samaraweera said Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Malays and Burghers should get together to go forward as a nation.
House to take up adjournment debate on floods on Friday
Parliament will take up an adjournment debate on the recent flood situation of the country on Friday.
The adjournment motion will be moved by the JVP. The Committee on Parliamentary Business headed by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, which met on Monday has decided to take up a full day adjournment debate on the flood havoc caused by heavy rains.
Over 200 lives were lost and thousands of people were displaced due to recent floods and landslides in the country.
The debate will be held from 11.30am to 6.30pm. Disaster Management Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, making the reply speech on the adjournment motion, will brief the House on the current situation and future measures.
Meanwhile, Minister Yapa replying to a question by UPFA MP Douglas Devananda yesterday in Parliament said the National Insurance Trust Fund (NITF) paid Rs 3.3billion last year as disaster relief, adding that some more claims are to be settled raising the amount to Rs 4 billion.
"This insurance is a good mechanism. Only Sri Lanka has such a system in Asia. Last year, we paid Rs. 300 million as insurance premium. This year, we will pay Rs. 500 million," he said.
Asked by NFF Leader MP Wimal Weerawansa whether the international insurance companies involved with the NITF have refused to pay as insurance premium has not been paid, the minister said there was no such an issue.
Speaker expresses condolences on landslide and flood victims
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya at the outset of Parliamentary sessions yesterday expressed the condolences of the House on the lives lost in recent landslide and flood disasters.
Making a special announcement, the Speaker drew the attention of the House to the need of a well-organised disaster management mechanism in the country to minimise the loss of lives and property damages in any future natural calamity.
The Speaker recalled with respect the sacrifice made by the Air Force officer who died during a lifesaving mission. "On behalf of Parliament, I extend thanks to tri-forces personnel, public servants, local and international organisations, voluntary groups and the media for their support to help the people at the time of the tragedy.
"We should come up with a disaster management mechanism to face natural calamities. Such an effort may cost a large sum of money, but given the international recognition, the country has received, we will be able to find foreign funds for the purpose.
"I request Parliamentarians to join hands in this effort irrespective of party divisions," he said.
Plans to protect Pahiyangala cave from landslide threat
A multidisciplinary evaluation report has been sought on the historical Pahiyangala cave to decide on steps to protect the site from landslide threat, Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said.
The minister made this observation in reply to a question by JVP MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa in Parliament yesterday. The MP inquired about measures the ministry has taken to conserve the site in the face of recent landslide threats.
Kariyawasam, observing that the ministry's special attention has been drawn to this matter, said that he inspected the site along with the Heads of the Archaeological Department and Central Cultural Fund.
He said Buddhist monks in the site have been asked to evacuate, adding that an alternative place will be provided for them to stay.
He said once the report is submitted, the ministry would decide the future measures, adding that foreign expertise would be sought if necessary.
Sri Lanka fell short of its promise: Mahinda Samarasinghe
Sri Lanka did not deliver what it undertook to implement in 2009. The foreign policy was implemented in a way that sent wrong signals to the international community, Ports and Shipping Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said.
He made these observations yesterday joining the adjournment debate moved by Joint Opposition Parliamentary Group Leader Dinesh Gunawardena.
He said to make matters worse, then President Mahinda Rajapaksa went to see Gadafi and Sadam Husein and took photos with them. They appeared in newspapers. It sent wrong signals to the countries that helped us, he said.
The minister said the Human Rights Council of the United Nations accepts the unity government's policies since its foreign policy is non-aligned.
He said when the US joined and took the power of the Human Rights Council, they did not look for those who violated human rights much. If they did so, there were other countries that had violated human rights more than us, Minister Samarasinghe said.
"If they were impartial, there were other countries to be aimed at before Sri Lanka. They thought of us as we were out of their group. Our then leader had been to Iraq and Libya," he said.
He said it sent signals that were standing with dictators and with the leaders of countries where democracy was not practised well.
"We did not implement a foreign policy that we practise today. Foreign countries expected that there would be reconciliation after the war. They did not speak of an international inquiry in 2012. The forces conducted a disciplined war. They could save 300,000 Tamil people. We took 29 votes in 2009. It dropped to 12 in 2014," Minister Samarasinghe said.
He said the government changed its foreign policy. The UN has welcome the move. The Judiciary is independent, he said.
"We have more to execute. The leadership is ready to guarantee equal rights to all communities," the minister said.
OHCHR report on Sri Lanka harmful to nation: Dinesh
Joint Opposition Parliamentary Group Leader Dinesh Gunawardana yesterday said that the report of the Office of the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Sri Lanka was a deceitful report and its recommendations were harmful to the nation.
MP Gunawardena made these observations yesterday moving an adjournment motion on the United Nations (UN) Resolution on Sri Lanka.
He said the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) report on Sri Lanka on February 10, 2017 stating that Sri Lanka had formulated a draft of the new Constitution in December 2016 was untrue.
He said according to the report, a draft Constitution was formulated by Sri Lanka last December. "This is false. No such draft has been formulated," MP Gunawardena said.
"The report is full of lies to mislead the international community," he said.
He said the UN resolution co-sponsored by Sri Lanka would harm the country. Gunawardena said the resolution calls for international judges in judicial matters of the country. He said this is a breach of the country's sovereignty. "The Constitution does not provide for hybrid courts or a local judicial system consisting of international judges or lawyers. As a result of the resolution, a witch-hunt was carried out against armed forces' members. They were arrested and detained without bail. They have been arrested in a vengeful manner," he said.
He said incidents in Manchester and London show that terrorism is a threat to the world. Sri Lanka must be vigilant. The armed forces must have the support of the government to carry out their duties, he said.
MP Gunawardana said India too was in support of Sri Lanka to defeat the LTTE because of the way it was carried out.
He said the government must avoid foreign intervention in judicial matters and carry out post-war investigations in a transparent and independent manner through the local judicial system. (Daily News)


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Having to look at disgusting yellow toenails – yours or a friend's – is the stuff of nightmares. If your discolored, yellow nails have nothing to do with lack of hygiene, you might be suffering from a nail fungus.
Having a nail fungus is perhaps even more despicable than dealing with head lice. The only virtue is that it doesn't readily spread from person to person, but it can very easily spread to healthy nails surrounding the fungal infection.
Wondering how to get rid of toenail fungus? Just read on.
- Causes and Symptoms of a Nail Fungus
- Preventing a Nail Fungus
- Home Treatment for a Nail Fungus
- Method 1: Use a Vinegar and Listerine Soak
- Method 2: Use an Apple Cider Vinegar and Epsom Salt Soak
- Method 3: Use Vicks VapoRub
- Method 4: Use Tea Tree Oil
- Method 5: Use Hydrogen Peroxide
- Method 6: Use Coconut Oil
- Method 7: Use Decolorized Iodine (White Iodine)
- Method 8: Use Cornmeal
- Tips
Causes and Symptoms of a Nail Fungus
- Nail fungus, medically known as onychomycosis, is the same fungus that causes athlete's foot.
- Nail fungus affects toenails more often than fingernails, due to the fungi-friendly dark, moist and warm environment inside your shoes.
- A fungal infection in the nails is often marked by a discoloration and yellowing of the nails. The infected nails tend to become thick and crumbly as well.
- A progressed infection may cause pain, inflammation and give rise to secondary infections. The brittle and ragged nails also may separate from the nail bed and emit a foul odor.
Preventing a Nail Fungus
- Clean your feet and hands regularly, and keep your nails trimmed short and dry.
- Wear sandals or other open-toed shoes when you can, and always wear absorbent cotton socks when you have to wear closed shoes.
- Never go barefoot in public places like swimming pools, showers and locker rooms. This will help prevent you from picking up a nail fungus.
- Wear gloves while cleaning or doing dishes by hand to avoid overexposure to water as this keeps the fingernails moist for prolonged periods of time, making them susceptible to a fungal infection.
- Never pick at the skin around your nails, as besides giving rise to hang nails it also makes the nails vulnerable to fungal infection.
- Make sure your salon sterilizes the instruments used in manicures and pedicures. You should also give your nails a break from artificial nails and nail polish from time to time.
Home Treatment for a Nail Fungus
Home remedies and mild over-the-counter applications can effectively treat a nail fungus. They key is to find what works for you and be persistent until the infection goes away completely.
File down the fungus-affected nails with a good nail file as much as you can before starting the remedies for maximum benefit. Keep filing the nail regularly during the course of the remedy. This will allow the treatment to work better and allow your healthy nail to grow out faster.
Here are eight simple remedies to get rid of a nail fungus.
Method 1: Use a Vinegar and Listerine Soak
A Listerine soak has long been doing rounds on the Internet, courtesy of its efficacy against numerous fungal conditions like athlete's foot and bad foot odor. Due to the disinfecting properties of Listerine, it can also be used to cure a nail fungus.
Alcohol is the active ingredient in Listerine that fights the fungus, so alcohol-free Listerine won't work as well. Combining Listerine with vinegar works even better, as the acidic nature of vinegar effectively inhibits the fungal growth in the nails.
Things you'll need:
- White vinegar (inhibits fungal growth)
- Listerine (contains alcohol that has disinfecting properties)
Step 1. Combine equal parts of vinegar and Listerine
- Pour white vinegar into a bowl.
- Pour in an equal amount of Listerine.
- Make sure that the volume of the solution is sufficient to soak the affected nails.
Step 2. Soak the affected nails in the solution
- Soak the fungus-affected nails in the solution for about 30 minutes.
- Rinse with plain water and gently pat dry with an absorbent towel.
- Repeat twice a day for at least a couple of months.
Method 2: Use an Apple Cider Vinegar and Epsom Salt Soak
The fungus in your nails thrives in the alkaline environment it creates around itself. Vinegar can help maintain an acidic environment in the area, which can inhibit the fungal growth and act as a fungicidal agent over a period of time.
Epsom salt is one of the oldest and most effective home remedies for nail fungus that can be used with raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar to cure the problem. Epsom salt is known to effectively kill the fungal growth in your nails over time and also help with foot odor.
Things you'll need:
- Hot water – 2 to 3 cups
- Epsom salt (fungicidal agent) – ¼ cup
- Raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar (inhibits fungal growth) – ¼ cup
Step 1. Make an Epsom salt-vinegar solution
- Pour 2 to 3 cups of hot water into a bowl and add ¼ cup of Epsom salt to it.
- Pour in ¼ cup of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar.
- Mix the ingredients completely. Keeping the ratio about the same, you can adjust the quantity of the solution according to your needs.
Step 2. Soak the affected nails in the solution
- Check the temperature of the water to make sure that it's bearably hot.
- Immerse the fungus-affected fingernails or toenails completely into the water and let them soak for about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Pat the area dry with an absorbent towel.
- Repeat the remedy twice a day for at least a couple of months for full recovery.
Method 3: Use Vicks VapoRub
While there are numerous hacks for using Vicks VapoRub, here we're focusing on its utility as an efficient nail fungus treatment. This remedy is not only hailed by home remedy aficionados but is also supported by many health care providers.
Camphor, menthol, eucalyptus oil, turpentine oil, cedar leaf oil and nutmeg oil are the active ingredients in Vicks VapoRub that make it effective against toenail fungus. The petroleum jelly base softens the nails and promotes growth.
Things you'll need:
- Vicks VapoRub (acts as a fungicidal agent)
- Gauze
Step 1. Cover the affected nails with Vicks
- Apply Vicks VapoRub on the clean and dry toenails affected with the fungus.
- Get the Vicks under the nail as much as you can, and liberally coat the skin around the infected toenails.
Step 2. Wrap the toenails in gauze
- Wrap a gauze bandage around the toes with the infected nails, securing the Vicks over the affected area. Avoid wrapping the bandage too tight.
- Do this before going to bed and leave it on overnight.
- Repeat every night for 2 to 3 months for complete recovery.
Method 4: Use Tea Tree Oil
Essential oils are effective fungicidal agents, capable of inhibiting fungal growth and promoting healthy nail growth. The anti-inflammatory properties of essential oils can be especially helpful if there is pain and inflammation in the affected nails.
Of all the essential oils, tea tree oil is perhaps the most beneficial against a nail fungus. If your nail fungus is odorous, you can also add orange or any other citrus essential oil to combat the foul smell. Use the essential oils in a small amount of nourishing carrier oil like olive oil.
Things you'll need:
- Olive oil (provides nourishment) – 1 teaspoon
- Orange essential oil (combats foul odor)– ½ teaspoon
- Tea tree essential oil (fungicidal agent) – 1 teaspoon
Step 1. Combine the ingredients
- Put 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a small bowl and add ½ teaspoon of orange essential oil to it.
- Add 1 teaspoon of tea tree essential oil to it and mix well.
Step 2. Treat the nail fungus with the essential oil blend
- Dip a sterile cotton ball into the essential oil blend.
- Put the soaked cotton ball over the affected nail, saturating it entirely. Make sure that you get the oils under the nail bed.
- If the surrounding skin feels sensitive to the essential oils, apply a coat of petroleum jelly first to protect it.
- Multiple applications throughout the day will keep the infected nails saturated with the healing essential oils.
- Continue using the remedy for 2 to 3 months for full recovery.
Method 5: Use Hydrogen Peroxide
Generally used to disinfect cuts and wounds, hydrogen peroxide can also get rid of a fingernail or toenail fungus. It is an effective remedy that is safe for the skin and is also used to treat a yeast infection.
Using hydrogen peroxide in a hot water soak along with white vinegar and baking soda can yield great results. Hot water softens the hard nails, allowing the healing solution to penetrate deeply. Vinegar and baking soda further help soften the nails and inhibit the fungal growth.
Things you'll need:
- Hot water – 1 quart
- 3% hydrogen peroxide (fungicidal agent) – ¼ cup
- Baking soda (inhibits fungal growth) – ½ cup
- White vinegar (inhibits fungal growth) – ½ cup
Step 1. Combine the ingredients
- Pour 1 quart of hot water into a bowl and add ½ cup of white vinegar to it.
- Add ¼ cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide to it as well.
- Add ½ cup of baking soda and mix the ingredients together.
Step 2. Soak the affected nails in the solution
- Soak the infected nails in this solution for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Rinse with plain water and pat dry with a towel.
- Repeat once or twice a day, especially before going to bed at night, for a couple of months.
Method 6: Use Coconut Oil
Using coconut oil in your beauty regime is no longer limited to removing makeup or making your hair and skin gorgeous. It is a simple remedy that you can easily follow to cure the fungal infection in your nails.
The medium-chain fatty acids like caprylic acid present in coconut oil are responsible for its antifungal properties. The oil also nourishes the nail bed and improves the crumbly appearance of the infected nails.
Single-Step Treatment: Apply coconut oil to the infected nails
- Simply apply some coconut oil over the nail fungus 2 or 3 times a day.
- This remedy may take a few months of regular use for effective results.
Method 7: Use Decolorized Iodine (White Iodine)
Iodine tincture is an effective remedy for a nail fungus, due to its powerful antiseptic and antifungal properties. Applying normal iodine tincture will stain your nails a dark shade of brown, but you can use decolorized iodine to treat the fungus without staining your nails.
If decolorized iodine is not readily available in your area, you can place an order with your pharmacist or order it online.
Single-Step Treatment: Apply decolorized iodine to treat the nail fungus
- Apply the clear iodine over the affected nails. For ease of application, you can also use a clean nail polish brush or a cotton swab.
- Saturate the nail entirely and let it dry.
- Repeat application several times a day for 1 month to get noticeable improvement in the condition of your nails.
Method 8: Use Cornmeal
Cornmeal is a natural antifungal agent that has been found beneficial in treating a nail fungus. Regular use can help with the pain and discomfort associated with the fungus as well as promoting healthy nail growth.
Step 1. Combine the ingredients
- Put ¼ cup of cornmeal into 1 quart of water and let it sit undisturbed for 1 hour.
Step 2. Soak the infected nails in the cornmeal mush
- Soak the nails with fungus in the cornmeal mush for about 30 minutes.
- Rinse with plain water and pat dry with a towel.
- Repeat every day before going to bed for 1 month for good results.
- You can substitute olive oil with grape seed oil in the essential oil remedy.
- You can infuse coconut oil with camphor to treat a nail fungus.
- Combine one or more remedies for faster recovery. For example, follow soaks and footbaths with topical applications.
- Do not mix the hydrogen peroxide and iodine remedies.
Summary of How to Get Rid of Toenail Fungus
Download this infographic.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Provincial budget dropped on Thursday, and as promised by the finance minister, it was balanced. Randy Delorey delivered his second balanced budget with a number of areas of growth. Following the tabling of the budget, Premier Stephen McNeil called an election.
Locally, Delorey says getting the 104 highway twinned was a highlight for him. Finding the money to twin the highay without tolls was a personal win for Delorey:
Other areas Delorey highlighted included a tax break for middle to low income families, investments in health care, as well as higher education investments.


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Interview: The Enemy
Published on September 22nd, 2009 | Jonny Abrams
Rocksucker caught up with Andy Hopkins and Tom Clarke from Coventry rockers The Enemy, and challenged them to a game of FIFA 10, which is soundtracked by the band's new single 'Be Somebody'…
Are you guys experienced FIFA players?
AH: Yeah, I've got FIFA 09 at home. I tell you what, I think the controls are a lot better [on the new one]. It feels a lot easier to play. 'Cause I was rubbish at 09, to be honest.
Well I'm going to challenge you to a game, if that's alright.
Both: (General muttering indicating that the challenge is accepted)
Should we play Rangers vs Celtic? Because they're the Auld Enemy. And you're the new Enemy.
(Lets slightly lame suggestion hang in the air for a moment or two, before we end up choosing our respective clubs of choice: Everton and Coventry City.)
So, do you follow the Sky Blues closely?
AH: We used to.
TC: I only moved to Coventry when I was 16. I grew up in Birmingham. When we're back, we try and get to games but it's f***ing impossible to follow any sport when you're never home and essentially living on a bus.
(I deviate from the real Everton's regular 4-5-1 line up, pairing Saha and Yakubu up front in a sophisticated 4-2-2-2 formation. Joleon Lescott is of course removed from the starting XI, and the virtual Mikel Arteta is fit enough to take his place on the right of midfield. Andy leaves his Coventry side unchanged and plays the first half.)
TC: I like the fact that you're serious about this.
I'm representing my club; of course I've got to take it seriously. Why is there only one player and one goalkeeper on the pitch?
AH: Oh, that's just while it's loading. You get to practise. They've thought about it.
Oh right. That's a good feature. So are you not massive Coventry fans, then? I was hoping to natter about 'Cookie' Coleman and Clinton 'Goal Machine' Morrison…
TC: I tend to say I like to see Cov do well, which happens rarely.
Did you follow them during their Premier League years?
AH: Yep. That's when I was a massive fan. But it's hard to follow it when you've been away for three years and you've got other things on your mind. But I've got a Fantasy Football team this year so I'll probably keep up with it a bit more.
We interviewed Steve Froggatt a while ago. He once scored a blinding goal against us live on Sky.
AH: I played a charity football match with him the other day. It was against loads of ex Cov players, like David Busst.
Nice to hear that Busst was involved. That was an horrific injury he suffered.
AH: He's still limping. But he put in a good performance. Compared to us lot, anyway.
You had some memorable names at Highfield Road back in the day. Dion Dublin, Robbie Keane, Darren Huckerby, Peter Ndlovu, Roy Wegerle. Who's the best you ever saw?
AH: Micky Quinn. Or Roy Wegerle, yeah.
Have you read Micky Quinn's autobiography, 'Who Ate All the Pies?' ?
AH: No.
Oh. Ok. (Regrets not preparing a contingency set of questions, as a dour encounter remains goalless.)
Er…do you recall the game on the last day of the 97/98 season where you very nearly sent us down?
AH: Earl Barrett?
Don't think he played that day but, yes, it would have been roundabout the Era of Earl Barrett. What about that famous final day escape when you won 2-1 at Spurs? Any memories of that?
AH: Erm…who scored?
Can't remember but I think Gordon Strachan was manager at the time. Did you used to go to the games at all?
AH: Yeah. I used to play for this football team who always took us to away games. But I never really used to go to Highfield Road.
This is a dreadful game so far. Please accept my apologies; I play quite an attritional game. (Trying desperately) Coventry have had one or two exciting results in the last few years though, haven't they? Like winning 4-1 at Blackburn in the cup?
Er…so what are you up to with the band at the moment?
TC: Liam's been on holiday for the last three weeks. We've had three weeks off, which is the longest we've had in three years. We're doing a UK headline tour in November.
What festivals did you play this summer?
TC: We just did V, which was f***ing brilliant.
Did you ever used to go to any festivals?
TC: No, I could never afford it. Just look at how expensive Glastonbury is.
(Finally, some incident – I concede a sloppy penalty which Leon Best converts with aplomb to put Coventry 1-0 to the good.)
It's nice that you can play as Championship teams on this now.
TC: They've had that for years.
Oh right. Sorry – I'm still playing off muscle memory from World Cup 98.
TC: (Animated at last) That was the best!
These games have come a long way. I remember being amazed by Striker on the SNES. But it looks ridiculous now. When you scored, a clown would appear on the scoreboard and applaud you. (Realises during the ensuing silence that the SNES was quite possibly before their time and feels old.)
TC: (Assuming control) Sorry, it's kind of sad that Cov are 1-0 up and I'm gonna take over half way through. Probably lose 3-1.
(One of my boys goes down in the box. I appeal for a penalty but it falls upon virtual ears.) Do you follow any other sports?
TC: I'd like to but it's f***ing impossible.
AH: You do F1 a bit, don't you?
TC: I'm bang into Formula 1 but I can't follow it.
You did a phone interview just before this. Has it been a hectic day?
TC: Today's been pretty chilled out.
(Awaits elaboration but none is forthcoming.) Roland Nilsson, eh? He was the man. What a player.
(Silence. A sublime through ball puts me one on one with Keiren Westwood but the 'keeper comes out on top.)
So. (Tries desperately to think of a decent question. Fails.) What's your favourite pizza topping?
TC: Andy's just f***ing weird; he puts everything on pizzas.
AH: At the moment, I'm loving spicy chicken, pepperoni and jalapeno.
I've discovered that jalapenos and pineapple go brilliantly together on pizza. You should try it.
AH: Nah.
TC: You can't put pineapple on pizzas. That's out of order. It's too sweet.
AH: I was served pineapple with a White Russian last night. Did you see that? Gave me a White Russian with a f***ing slice of pineapple in it. What the f*** is that about? It was f***ing horrible.
A lion versus a tiger, in a fight to the death, each beast covered in gravy in order to ensure optimum savagery. Who wins?
TC: Liam's thought about this a lot. It's a shame he's not here. I'd say that a tiger's probably gonna be more vicious. I don't think they cohabit though, so it's highly unlikely.
It's hypothetical. Gorilla versus a grizzly?
AH: Grizzly.
TC: Yeah. Grizzly's got claws, hasn't he? One swipe and…I mean, gorilla's got strength, but…
(Just then, the Yak, appropriately fed, breaks free and scores.) Oh, what a beauty!
TC: This is the beginning of the end, man. This is what happens to Cov.
(At that point, I'm informed that I have three minutes left. Time to go for the jugular.) So, out of all the bands and artists you've met, who have you disliked the most?
TC: To be quite honest with you, you meet c***s all the time. You've just got to f***ing ignore them, frankly. When you're in this position, there's always someone who wants to cut you down.
You must have met some amazing people too, though.
TC: We've toured with f***ing amazing bands. We've just done the Oasis tour…Manic Street Preachers, Stereophonics…
So, of all the people you've ever met, who have you been most in awe of?
TC: Probably Noel [Gallagher]. I know it's an obvious one but…oh shit…(gets player sent off for a professional foul)
Off! Off! Off! (I make a total mess of the resultant free-kick.) Do you guys play football?
TC: Yeah. There's always a football on tour.
What positions do you play?
AH: Right-wing.
TC: I'm not good enough to say I play any position.
(Proceedings degenerate into general swearing, grunts of frustration and the occasional "Oh no!" as the final whistle of an error-strewn game approaches, with the score still locked at 1-1.)
Let's get vaguely topical. How would you celebrate if you scored a last-minute winner for Coventry against Villa? Bear in mind that the Villa fans have been giving you stick all game.
TC: [I'd celebrate] quietly. The Villa fans can be a bit nasty. Depends if we're home or away.
You're at the Ricoh Arena.
AH: I'd just do a Klinsmann or something. I can't do backflips.
Who's gonna win the World Cup?
AH: I actually do think it'll be England. They're mint at the moment. Last World Cup, I didn't think they'd do it.
TC: I'm gonna throw it out there: I don't think England will win.
(After another gap in conversation) Any tips for good new bands?
TC: Twisted Wheel. They're a Manchester band…(trails off into mumbling as I break through again…only to screw it up again. Further non-conversation ensues before the Yak strikes again to give me a last-ditch 2-1 lead. I emit a rather undignified roar in celebration.)
So how did 'Be Somebody' come to be used on the game? Did they just approach you and say, "We like the song. Can we use it?"
TC: Sort of, yeah. That was a foul, surely.
Ah, I think he made contact. With the ball, that is. Do you have a favourite football cliché?
TC: "Game of two halves" is a classic, innit? I like saying it about gigs: "it was a gig of two halves".
(The whistle blows. Final score: Me 2-1 The Enemy)
TC: Congratulations. Convincing win.
(Moral of the story: don't conduct an interview over a game of FIFA.)


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WASHINGTON — With the race for president between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama now shifting into high gear, politicians, journalists and the general public are scrutinizing each new poll, with every small swing in one direction or another elevated to outsized importance.
Among the many polls released every day, one always stands out. The Gallup Poll is arguably the most trusted survey brand in the world, a name virtually synonymous with public opinion polling. It has measured presidential job approval and vote preference without interruption since the 1940s and now conducts a daily tracking poll that reaches more than 3,600 adults every week — a volume of data that dwarfs that produced by other firms. As a result, Gallup's numbers enjoy unique influence and public prominence.
Over the past few years, however, polling junkies have noticed something curious: Gallup's polls have produced results that appear slightly but consistently more negative to President Obama than those produced by other firms.
The Huffington Post has conducted an independent analysis that confirms the phenomenon and points to a likely explanation. The problem lies in the way that Gallup handles the racial composition of its samples, and the findings highlight significant issues with how polls are developed and conducted today.
The dirty little secret of telephone surveys now conducted by most media outlets is that their unweighted samples alone cannot provide reliable estimates of population demographics like race and Hispanic ancestry. A dramatic fall in response rates has led to what pollsters call "non-response bias" in their raw data. Partly because survey response rates are typically lowest in urban areas, unweighted samples routinely under-represent black and Hispanic Americans.
As a Pew Research Center study recently demonstrated, random-sample surveys continue to provide accurate data on most measures — but only when their samples of telephone numbers include both landline and mobile phones, and only when the completed interviews are weighted to match the demographic composition of the population. That means the weighting procedures that pollsters use are critical to producing accurate results.
The need to weight accurately by race and ancestry is particularly significant when it comes to evaluating the contest between Obama and Romney. As Gallup itself reported in early May, Romney led Obama among non-Hispanic white voters by 54 to 37 percent, while the president had the support of more than three-quarters of non-white registered voters (77 percent). Obama's support among African Americans on Gallup's tracking poll stood at 90 percent.
That gap makes the way pollsters account for race hugely important. When pollsters weight their samples to match population demographics, every percentage point increase in black representation translates into a nearly one-point improvement in Obama's margin against Romney. The difference of just a few percentage points in the non-white composition of a poll can produce a significant skew in its horse race results.
When journalists and political insiders began to take note of the apparent skew in Gallup's results favoring Romney, the firm's senior editor, Lydia Saad, warned that "any number of factors could cause polls by different firms to produce different results."
These factors — known collectively as the "house effect" — include survey dates, question wording and order, sampling and calling procedures, and the way pollsters weight their data.
"One cannot fairly evaluate the accuracy of any one poll against another," Saad wrote, "without reviewing all of these variables." She considered arguments made by others that the racial composition of Gallup's samples could be used "as a basis for evaluating the results" and rejected them.
Indeed, when HuffPost initially looked at the same arguments, we concluded that the small apparent variation in racial composition, in the context of a handful of polls examined, made little difference.
More broadly, Frank Newport, editor-in-chief of the Gallup Poll, said in a statement to HuffPost, "We believe Gallup's methodological procedures — including our land-line and cell-phone sampling procedures, household and respondent random selection procedures, interviewing procedures, and post-survey weighting procedures — represent the highest standards in the field. These have been carefully designed to maximize the accuracy of our surveys as a whole, as well as for all major subgroups surveyed."
But when HuffPost did a closer analysis of the Gallup polls, more significant issues emerged.
We reviewed Gallup's polls over a two-week period from April 11 to 26.
Gallup's interviews showed Obama leading Romney by an average of 1.3 points (46.7 to 45.3 percent). Seven other national surveys conducted during that timeframe using similar methods put Obama ahead by a wider, 3.9-point margin (47.9 to 44.0 percent).
Like Gallup, the other pollsters — CBS/New York Times, CNN/ORC International, Fox News, NBC/Wall Street Journal, the Pew Research Center, Quinnipiac University and Reuters/Ipsos — used live interviewers, sampled both landline and mobile phones, and reported results among self-identified registered voters. But question order, question wording and timing varied (the Gallup interviews were spread out across the two weeks, whereas the polls by other organizations were more heavily clustered in the first week).
To try to control for other factors, we also examined polls that measured Obama's job approval rating among all adults over much longer periods of time. Gallup's average job rating for Obama over the past year is 44.4 percent, 2.6 points lower than the average job rating from six of the seven organizations using similar methodologies. (The Fox News surveys were omitted because they report job approval among registered voters, not all adults.)
In addition, we compared Gallup's results on Obama's job approval rating since January 2009 with the parallel monthly surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center. Over that period, too, Gallup's Obama job approval average, 49.7 percent, is a little more than a percentage point lower than the average number found by Pew Research.
That difference may seem small, but the enormous number of interviews involved — nearly 70,000 for Pew Research and more than 500,000 for Gallup — make this relatively small difference statistically significant.
For estimates of race and other demographics, pollsters typically turn to the highly reliable data produced by the U.S. Census. They sometimes look at the full Census, but since that occurs only once every 10 years, many depend instead on the more frequently fielded Current Population Survey or the American Community Survey.
The CPS and ACS feature in-person interviews, enormous sample sizes and very high response rates, making them some of the most reliable surveys available. The CPS, for example, talks to roughly 60,000 U.S. households per month and typically achieves a 90 percent or better response rate.
Gallup currently weights its adult samples to match the March 2011 CPS, the largest monthly CPS sample that is currently available to the public.
Gallup adds an unusual twist, however, which most other widely reported independent national polls do not: It filters the CPS data to use the estimates for adults "living in U.S. telephone households." Thus, rather than weighting its survey to match the demographics of all adults, Gallup removes a small sliver of adults (3.2 percent) who have no access to telephone service of any kind, either landline or mobile.
The omission is consequential because the majority of Americans who lack all forms of phone service are non-white. In the March 2011 CPS, 54.4 percent of adults living in non-telephone households reported they were Hispanic, black or another race other than white, compared to 31.5 percent of adults with telephones.
Why filter out telephone households? According to Jeffrey Jones, managing editor of the Gallup Poll, "that is our usual approach, to match the weighting targets as closely as possible to our sample universe."
Most other pollsters have opted to go in a different direction, basing their weighting targets on the full population, since that is ultimately what their polls of "all adults" endeavor to measure. By filtering out the non-telephone households, Gallup slightly underestimates the number of blacks and Hispanics in the full population.
The way Gallup asks its survey respondents about their race is also unusual.
Starting in 2000, the Census Bureau made an important change: Rather than asking respondents to identify themselves as belonging to a single racial group, it began accepting more than one answer to the race question. CPS interviewers read off a list of racial categories and ask respondents to "choose all that apply." If respondents offer more than one response for race, the CPS interviewers record it.
A small number of non-Hispanic adults — 1.4 percent on the 2010 Census, 1.1 percent of adults on the March 2011 CPS — now select two or more categories on the race question.
Gallup, to its credit, is one of the few polling firms to try to adapt its format to allow for more than one answer to the race question. This change, as Jones explained via email, "is a way for people to identify as more than one race, to account for the growing multi-racial population," and to conform to the way racial identification "is commonly reported in government data (Census and CPS)."
Fair enough. But Gallup did not opt for the CPS question format. Instead, it breaks the measurement of race into five separate yes-or-no questions asked in sequence:
Next, I am going to read you a list of racial groups. As I read each one, please tell me whether you are — or are not — a member of that racial group. You may consider yourself to be a member of more than one racial group. How about — ?
A. White
B. Black or African-American
C. Asian
D. American Indian
E. Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
Why would Gallup deviate from the CPS format? Jones argued that the yes-or-no format "lines up better to the way they report racial categories than the 'choose one race' approach we used in the past and most other firms use."
There's some debate about whether yes-or-no questions are the best way to measure race in polls, but the bigger issue here is the difference between the Gallup and CPS question formats — particularly in light of the importance of weighting data to match the CPS numbers.
In this context, the problem with Gallup's yes-or-no format is that it induces more respondents to say they are a member of more than one racial group than the CPS format does.
HuffPost's analysis found that the average number of non-Hispanic adults naming more than one race (2.8 percent) in seven USA Today/Gallup data sets was nearly three times the number who identify as multiracial on the CPS benchmark for telephone households (1.0 percent).[1]
This difference has an important consequence because Gallup weights its data to match the percentage from the CPS surveys who say yes when asked if they are black.[2] We do not know precisely how many additional respondents classify themselves as black because of the different format, but we do know that once the Gallup data are weighted, a greater share of its respondents are both black and another race. HuffPost's analysis found that an average of 1.4 percent of respondents on seven USA Today/Gallup surveys said they are both black and another race (but not Hispanic), compared to just 0.4 percent on the CPS benchmark.
In effect, Gallup is not weighting its black respondents as heavily as it should because it has used a slightly broader filter that gives it a higher percentage of "black" respondents to start with. The net difference for overall black composition is very small — likely less than one percentage point — but it makes Gallup's weighted samples slightly less black than they appear. Standing alone, this difference might not be significant or even noticeable, but it begins to matter more when combined with other factors.
Taking a sample of a thousand or more Americans and weighting it to represent the entire population is more than a matter of simple multiplication. Pollsters like Gallup attempt to balance a number of variables at the same time — race and Hispanic ancestry, gender, age, education, region, number of adults in the household and telephone usage (mobile or landline).
A common method for weighting by multiple variables, called "raking," involves weighting the data by one variable at a time, in sequence and repeating as necessary, until the weighted percentages for the various demographics match their targets (or come reasonably close). It's akin to a golfer manicuring a sand trap after hitting a ball out of the hazard. First you even out the sand in one direction — but doing so disturbs the sand around it. So next you even out the sand in another direction, and repeat, until you're left with a smooth surface.
Trying to balance a large number of demographic variables can produce some very large adjustments, so polling firms typically trim the weights so that no respondents are weighted up too much or down too little. Weighting up too much can create a small number of very heavily weighted respondents who have too great an influence on the results, especially in some smaller subgroups.
"When we weight by the different variables, the actual weighted percentage of a particular group could be pulled off a bit once all weighting is done," Gallup's Jones explained. "We have maximum deviations we will allow a group to be off by and will re-weight if necessary so all groups are in line."
As it turns out, Gallup's weighting often falls short when it comes to hitting the targets for race and Hispanic ancestry. With the assistance of Dartmouth University political scientist Brendan Nyhan, we examined the raw data for seven Gallup surveys sponsored by USA Today and conducted from January to March 2012. Gallup routinely deposits its raw data from surveys sponsored by USA Today with the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, which provides access to its archives to scholars at member institutions. Except when USA Today runs questions on the Gallup Daily tracking poll — which occurred for five of the seven data sets we examined — Gallup does not share raw data from that massive tracking poll with the Roper Center.
All seven surveys based their weighting targets on the March 2011 CPS (filtered for adults in telephone households). However, when we applied the actual weights used by Gallup (provided in the raw data files), the weighted values for black and Hispanic identification fell slightly short of those targets in all but one instance. The weighted Hispanic percentage fell below the target in all seven cases.
The misses were typically small — usually within a single percentage point, although sometimes slightly bigger — but they made a consistent impact on the non-white composition of Gallup's samples. Instead of achieving the target of 12.1 percent black set by the March 2011 CPS, the average across the seven surveys was 11.3 percent black. Instead of hitting the CPS target of 13.7 percent Hispanic, the seven surveys averaged just 12.4 percent Hispanic.
Why the shortfall? According to Jones, it is a consequence of trimming the weights. "In practice," he explained, "the weighted [percentages] pretty consistently come a bit below the target for hard-to-reach groups, such as blacks, Hispanics, young, low education, etc."
Gallup's statisticians must make a "trade-off," Jones added, that involves balancing "a lower range of weights but perhaps come up a little short of the target vs. a higher range of weights including some very large weights to a few cases [and] getting closer to the target. If we find after our standard trimming approach we are not close enough to the targets, we'll make some minor adjustments to the weights until we get close enough to the targets."
That may be, but there is more than just the weight trimming issue at work. Considered alone, any one of the three issues raised here — the weighting targets set by Gallup, the different question format used to ask about race and the failure of the weight targets to hit their mark — would probably not make enough difference to affect the results for questions about presidential job approval or vote preference. But a focus on all three issues combined does help explain differences in the results among various pollsters.
Consider the contrast in race as measured by Gallup and the Pew Research Center. Both use the March 2011 CPS to set weighting targets. Both ask race questions that allow respondents to select more than one race. But unlike Gallup, Pew Research models its race question on the CPS format and weights to match the CPS benchmark for all adults rather than adults in telephone households.
If we compute the available data for race and Hispanic origin for both organizations using apples-to-apples categories, the combined black-or-Hispanic composition of the Pew Research polls is nearly three-and-a-half percentage points greater (24.8 percent) than the average composition of the seven USA Today/Gallup surveys conducted over the same time period (21.4 percent).[3]
That variation alone is enough to explain the typical difference between the two organizations' measurements of President Obama's job approval. If we recalculate the Obama job rating for the seven USA Today/Gallup surveys based on a racial composition that matches the Pew Research surveys conducted over the same period, the evident house effect differentiating the two pollsters on Obama job approval is largely erased.
"The decisions to align a national telephone survey to something other than national telephone Census targets or to trim weights are judgment calls," Gallup's Newport told HuffPost, "and there are reasons that would argue for and against taking both courses of action, one of which could be the possibility that one course of action may produce slightly higher percentages of minorities in the weighted sample. Our methodologists certainly take into account all the pros and cons of the various decisions involved in sample weighting."
"We are constantly reviewing our procedures and making the best, well-informed judgments on changes," Newport said.
To be fair, Gallup is an easy target for this sort of analysis. Its admirable commitment to transparency — specifically its willingness to share raw data with the Roper Center archives and to respond to every question asked — made this article possible.
Gallup is also far from the only pollster to demonstrate house effects on presidential job approval or vote preference results. Other firms using different methodologies routinely produce house effects as large or larger, deviate far more from the Census question formats or weight their "likely voter" samples directly, based on what amount to educated guesses about the demographics of the likely electorate. The worst offenders rarely disclose anywhere near as much raw data or as much detail about their methods as Gallup does.
The real story here is less about Gallup than about the new reality of public opinion polling. Sophisticated random samples, live interviews and rigorous calling procedures alone can no longer guarantee accurate results. Today's rapidly declining response rates require more weighting than ever before to correct demographic skews, a phenomenon that places growing stress on previously reliable weighting procedures.
In that context, the accepted standards for disclosure leave those who scrutinize polls in the dark. Survey firms routinely publish details such as polling dates, sample size and margin of error, but are less apt to share details about weighting. Many withhold the weighted demographic compositions of their adult samples, their "likely voter" samples or both, and few disclose their unweighted demographics or the severity of weighting required. Gallup releases the raw data for some of its polls — but only months after its original release of results and only to scholars at institutions that pay for access to the Roper Center archives. Gallup keeps most of the data for its massive daily tracking poll closely guarded.
If politicians, journalists and the general public want to understand why some pollsters' results differ from others', the standards for disclosure must change.
In an era when a poll is only as accurate as the procedures used to adjust its sample, and given the omnipresence of Gallup's daily tracking poll in the coverage of campaign 2012, we need to know more.
- Our analysis omits Gallup respondents who answer yes when asked if they consider themselves "American Indian," although the Gallup yes-or-no format makes an even bigger difference on this question.
Much like Elizabeth Warren, whose bid for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts has faced controversy over her claims to minority status based on a distant Native American ancestor, a certain number of respondents who would identify only as white on the CPS question also say yes to "American Indian" on the Gallup questions. According to Gallup's Jeff Jones, the firm consistently finds 8 to 10 percent who say yes, most of whom also identify as white. That compares to 1.5 percent of adults who identify as "American Indian" on the CPS. Gallup opts to ignore the "American Indian" question in its weighting procedure and, for the purposes of cross-tabulations, classifies those who say they are white, Native American and nothing else as white. ↩
- Gallup weights separately on two variables for race and Hispanic ancestry: the yes-or-no question on Hispanic ancestry (with targets of 13.6 percent Hispanic, 86.4 percent non-Hispanic) and the yes-or-no question on black racial identification (with targets of 12.1 percent black, 87.9 percent nonblack). ↩
- We calculated weighted Obama job approval ratings separately for all seven USA Today/Gallup surveys among three different subgroups: (1) those who identified as Hispanic, (2) those non-Hispanics who identified as black alone and (3) all other respondents. The average approval/disapproval ratings were 55.7/34.0 percent among Hispanics, 92.2/4.3 percent among non-Hispanic blacks and 40.1/53.0 percent among all other respondents. We then used those totals to calculate an overall average using the appropriate racial composition percentages from the Pew Research data. ↩


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An 18-year-old man from Washington was reportedly killed in a freak accident that took place while he was dressed up as a zombie while taking part in a popular attraction at a corn maze in Idaho.
Jeremy T. McSpadden Jr. was participating in the "Zombie Slayer Paintball Bus" event at the "Incredible Corn Maze" in Hauser, Idaho when he was killed by a bus traveling on the bumpy road. The teen, dressed up as a zombie, reportedly popped out from a place where he was hiding and ran toward the bus -- which was carrying passengers whose duty it was to "shoot" zombies with their paintball guns. But McSpadden tripped in front of the vehicle, according to witnesses, and fell in front of its tires.
Because this was a fun attraction that involved role play, participants reportedly thought the teen was making believe he was "killed" by the paint balls and fell down on the street on purpose. It wasn't until the bus had rolled on and the "zombies" were about to hide again and wait for the next bus to come that witnesses say they realized the young man had been run over.
Another horrific detail: the bus was going over a cornfield -- rocky terrain. No one was able to tell the vehicle had driven over the man.
On its Facebook page, the Incredible Corn Maze announced it had cancelled all attractions for the remainder of the weekend and offered the following thoughtful message: "Our heart-felt condolences go out to the family and all those affected by this tragic accident. Due to the on-going investigation, we are unable to make any further comments."
Are attractions like these too dangerous or do you think this was just a freak accident?
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