I have to agree. Trump is a clown, but tbh I don't think Hillary would've been any better. The 2016 presidential election was an absolute embarrassment.

ATHENS (AFP) - An ancient tablet engraved with 13 verses of the Odyssey has been unearthed in southern Greece in what is possibly the earliest-recorded trace of the epic poem, the culture ministry said Tuesday. The clay slab is believed to date back to the third century, during the Roman era. "If this date is confirmed, the tablet could be the oldest written record of Homer's work ever discovered" in Greece, a ministry statement said. The extract, taken from book 14, describes the return of Ulysses to his home island of Ithaca. The tablet was discovered after three years of surface excavations by the Greek Archaeological Services in cooperation with the German Institute of Archaeology. It was found close to the remains of the Temple of Zeus at the cradle of the Olympic Games in western Peloponnese. First composed orally around the 8th century BC, the epic -- which is attributed to ancient Greek author Homer -- was later transcribed during the Christian era onto parchment of which only a few fragments have been discovered in Egypt.

After nine years, 16 trophies and 451 goals, Cristiano Ronaldo is leaving Real Madrid. The Portugal star, 33, is to join reigning Serie A champion Juventus from the Champions League holder for a reported $117 million transfer fee. "He's called Cristiano Ronaldo and he's now officially a Bianconero," read an announcement on the Juventus website Tuesday. The club also confirmed that Ronaldo would sign a four year contract, tying him to Juve until 2022. Real Madrid had earlier released a statement "expressing its gratitude to a player who has proved to be the best in the world and who has marked one of the brightest times in the history of our club and world football." In an open letter to Real's fans, Ronaldo said that he had "reflected a lot" and knew that "the time has come for a new cycle." Last season, the Portuguese star scored a stunning bicycle kick against Juventus in Turin, which was widely viewed as one of world's greatest ever Champions League goals. Ronaldo had a barnstorming start to the World Cup scoring a hat-trick against Spain in a 3-3 draw, before Portugal was knocked out by Uruguay in the last 16 stage. 'Unique reference' Ronaldo joined Real from Manchester United in 2009 for a then-world record fee of £80 million ($106M) and was given a €1 billion buy-out clause. He went on to become Real's all-time leading goalscorer, winning four Champions League titles -- including a historic three consecutive crowns -- two La Liga titles and two Copa del Rey trophies. "For Real Madrid, Ronaldo will always be one of his great symbols and a unique reference for the next generations," added the Real statement. "Real Madrid will always be your home." Sergio Ramos, captain of the Spanish club, saluted Ronaldo's achievements and wished his former teammate luck going forward. "Cristiano, your goals, your numbers and everything we've won together speak for themselves," tweeted Ramos. "You've earned yourself a prominent place in the history of Real Madrid. The Madristas will always remember you. It's been a pleasure playing by your side. Big hug and good luck!" Reports of Ronaldo's unhappiness in the Spanish capital have become an almost annual occurrence in recent years, although each episode had always ended with a new contract. But the five-time Ballon d'Or winner sparked more rumors when asked about his future in the immediate aftermath of Real Madrid Champions League win over Liverpool. "I'll speak in the next few days," he said on May 26. "Now it's time to enjoy the moment. The future of any player isn't important." 'Enormous gratitude' Real has recently put out two statements denying the club's interest in signing either Neymar of Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain as speculation intensified over Ronaldo's future. Ronaldo has been the scourge of Juventus in recent years, scoring two goals in a man-of-the-match performance in the 2017 Champions League final and knocking the Turin club out of last year's competition. "These years in Real Madrid, and in this city of Madrid, have been possibly the happiest of my life," said Ronaldo in his letter to the club's fans. "I only have feelings of enormous gratitude for this club, for this fanbase and for this city. I can only thank all of them for the love and affection I have received. "However, I believe that the time has come to open a new stage in my life and that is why I have asked the club to accept transferring me. I feel that way and I ask everyone, and especially our followers, to please understand me."

In a small, leafy village midway between two cities, an internet revolution has been taking place. Michaelston-y-Fedw might be just 10 miles from Cardiff city centre and a short drive from Newport but it has always been a world away when it comes to its broadband access. Its low internet speed of 4Mbps meant it was a proper "not spot" where young people could not watch YouTube, the local pub struggled to take card payments and downloading a film was nearly impossible. So fed up locals decided to take matters into their own hands and install their own ultrafast broadband. The local pub, village hall and church have just been connected and by autumn about 175 homes in the area will have upload and download speeds of 1Gbps - or 1,000 Mbps - some of the fastest internet speeds in the UK. When you drive along the lanes leading to the village, large banners proudly proclaim: "Fastest Village in Wales." It's a huge deal for its 300 residents. Meg Cope, 21, says her house has the slowest broadband in the village because it's at the end of the current copper line - and it's affecting her studies at Cardiff University. "The internet is so important for my university work - I read a lot of articles and journals so I have to go into uni to download them and then come home to read them," she said. "It makes me feel like I'm behind with my degree. Its's so frustrating. "Just going online for social media, I have to use 3G and I end up using all my data and have to buy more." Caroline Hill and Ben Langman, who have been running the Cefn Mably Arms for the past 21 months, said the slow speeds had been hurting their business. "It affected everything. As soon as someone came into the pub and their phone connected with the wi-fi, it would crash our debit card machine," said Ben. "Trying to pay our 26 staff was difficult as it's all online banking these days. A few years ago you could do your ordering over the phone, now it's all online... It was so hard." But that's all changed as the pub has just been connected to the new ultrafast Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) broadband. "Now you can come along and download the whole Star Wars trilogy in three minutes," laughed Ben. They all have Dave Schofield to thank for dragging the village into the 21st Century. He and a team of about 30 volunteers - all local villagers - decided that because nobody else was sorting out their problem, they would do it themselves. He mentioned the idea at a village meeting, not thinking anybody would be enthusiastic, but he said everyone jumped on board. They set up their own not for profit Community Interest Company and raised £150,000 by asking local people to buy shares in the project. They then went about applying for every grant they could, including to the Welsh Government and Access Broadband Cymru, which offers vouchers to homes in areas that are not set to benefit from BT's Superfast Cymru project. Similar schemes have been undertaken in England, but for Wales it was a first. Farmers and landowners readily gave permission for trenches to be dug to lay the fibre optic cables - that are thinner than a human hair - from a hub to people's homes and businesses. And residents swotted up on the technology, pooled their skills and received training on how to lay the infrastructure. Local contractors use machinery to dig across farmland to people's driveways. It's then up to each home owner to dig trenches to carry the fibres into their own homes, with others stepping in to help those who can't manage the work. It has become a full time job for many of the volunteers. "We started digging on 21 February this year when the ground was frozen solid," said Dave, 52, who's lived in the village for eight years. "A few weeks later we were snowed in for three days and then we had torrential rain. "So it's not been easy but we were all determined. And it's brought the whole community together." David Walford, 21, stepped up to do the groundwork, digging trenches in the many fields that surround Michaelston-y-Fedw. "I've got a drone and I take loads of videos but I've never been able to upload them. There'd be no hope of doing anything like that," he said. "For the last three days I've been coming down to the village hall to finally upload all my videos to YouTube. It's amazing - you don't realise how painful it was before." For many of the villagers, the project has not just been about improving internet access - it's also been about improving community relationships. Image caption Jim and Carina Dunk have loved making new friends as they work on the project Jim Dunk, 71, has had a home in the village for 41 years but because he was in the Merchant Navy, he travelled the world and used it only as a base. "This is why the project meant so much to me," he said. "It's the place I came back to - but apart from the village pub, I didn't know many other people. Now, I've met just about everybody as I'm one of the people who's put the routers into all the houses." New broadband plan to boost connections £80m superfast broadband drive unveiled £56m broadband boost to rural areas His wife Carina, who does the fibre splicing, added: "In a very short space of time we've got to know a lot of people very well. "Sometimes we're spending eight hours a day together. Before this, Jim was playing golf four times a week - now he's lucky if he gets there once. But he loves it." Image caption The local church is also proud of its new internet speed They still have much work to do. The popular Cefn Mably Farm Park will also be connected as part of the project - but first the team will have to get the wires across a river. That doesn't daunt them. "We'll just use a directional drill to do it," added Dave - a phrase he no doubt didn't think he'd be using this time last year. The people power behind the project has impressed many of the locals. Image caption Saskia Barnett can't wait to try her faster internet speeds at home "They're all so clever doing it," said Saskia Barnett, 22, who has lived in the village all her life. "It's such a great idea and will really make a difference for people living here. "When you're a teenager growing up here it's really hard... My brother and I would have to time when we'd go online - when he was playing on his X-Box I wouldn't be able to watch Netflix on my laptop. "Our house has just gone over to the new router. It's not up and running yet but it will be so much better. It will be so good."

Britain's broadband speeds are so poor they are down to 35th in the world, lagging behind the likes of Latvia, Lithuania and Romania Britain has slipped four places in the world broadband speed league UK is sixth largest economy in the world but has dropped to 35th in the rankings Networks lag well behind the likes of Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary and Romania Britain has slipped four places in the world broadband speed league, leaving its network lagging well behind the likes of Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary and Romania. The UK is the sixth largest economy in the world but has dropped to 35th in the rankings after being overtaken by France and even Madagascar, according to the latest analysis. As other countries rush to install fibre-optic cable networks which are capable of providing superfast download speeds, much of Britain continues to rely on old copper telephone wires to connect homes to the web. The average broadband speed in this country has been measured at 18.57 megabits per second (mbps). This is up slightly on the 16.51mbps recorded in last year's survey, which saw the UK in 31st. The fastest broadband speeds are in Singapore, which is renowned as a global technology hub. Its average figure is over three times faster than in this country, at 60.39mbps. Second place goes to Sweden, ahead of Denmark and Norway. Perhaps surprisingly, Romania comes fifth in the league at 38.6mbps, which is more than twice the speed achieved in Britain. Other poorer countries where speeds are well ahead of the UK's include Slovakia, Czech Republic, Slovenia and Andorra. The data was collected by M-Lab, a partnership between Google, Princeton University and the Open Technology Institute in Washington. It was compiled by Cable, which compares broadband speeds and services. The figures show the average global broadband speed rose from 7.4mbps last May to 9.1mbps this year – an increase of 23 per cent. By comparison, the rise in UK average speeds was just 12 per cent. The key to achieving superfast access to the internet is a network of fibre-optic cables direct to homes and businesses – known as fibre to the premises (FTTP). This could replace Britain's old-fashioned copper wire telephone system, parts of which are more than 100 years old. At present, just 560,000 premises in the UK have FTTP connections. There are plans to reach 3million by the end of 2020 under upgrades run by BT subsidiary Openreach. Dan Howdle, consumer telecoms analyst at Cable, described the UK's position in the global league as 'sad'. He said: 'Compared to many other countries, the UK has simply come too late to a full fibre solution. Despite plans to roll out FTTP to homes across the next decade or so, the UK is likely to fall further behind while we wait.'

All 12 boys from the Wild Boars football team are now free, according to reports on the ground. The final boy emerged into the daylight at around 6pm local time (11pm NZ time). The coach is understood to also have left the cave. Behind them are a doctor and several Thai Navy SEALs. The eleventh boy came to the surface at 5.15pm local time (10.15pm NZ time), the tenth at around 4.30pm local time (9.30pm NZ time) and the ninth just minutes earlier at 4.06pm. Four boys emerged on Monday and four on Sunday. The Australian's Amanda Hodge has reported that Adelaide anaesthetist Richard Harris has continued to play central role in the rescue, diving each day all the way to where the boys are trapped to check their condition before clearing them to dive. "He only leaves the cave when the last boy is rescued each day," she said. It's an extraordinary end to a mission many said was impossible. To rescue a group of children trapped 4km underground and teach them to dive their way out of flooded caves and tunnels the Tham Luang Nang Non cave system far worse. And yet, the extraordinary was achieved. Earlier, at least nine ambulances were waiting at the site after the leader of the rescue operation earlier said the aim was to bring out all five of the football group as well as a medic and three Thai Navy Seals, who have been with the trapped boys. Officials generally waited hours to confirm rescues. Health experts have given the eight who were rescued on Sunday and Monday a chocolate treat and described them as being in good spirits. Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osatanakorn said Tuesday's intricate and high-risk operation began just after 10am local time and involves 19 divers. A medic and three Thai Navy SEALs who have stayed with the boys on a small, dry shelf deep in the flooded cave will also come out, he said. "We expect that if there is no unusual condition ... the four boys, one coach, the doctor, and three SEALs who have been with the boys since the first day will come out today," he told a news conference to loud cheering. Nargonsak said this phase may take longer than the previous two rescue missions, the longer, first missing taking 11 hours. The eight boys brought out by divers over the previous two days are in "high spirits" and have strong immune systems because they are soccer players, a senior health official said. Doctors were being cautious because of the infection risk and were isolating the boys in the hospital. They did get a treat, however: bread with chocolate spread that they'd requested. The plight of the boys and their coach has riveted Thailand and much of the world — from the heart-sinking news they were missing to the first flickering video of the huddle of anxious yet smiling boys when they were found 10 days later by a pair of British divers. They were trapped in the Tham Luan Nang Non cave that became flooded by monsoon rains while they were exploring it after a soccer practice on June 23. At a news conference, Jedsada Chokdumrongsuk, permanent secretary at the Public Health Ministry, said the first four boys rescued, aged 12 to 16, are now able to eat normal food, though they can't yet take the spicy dishes favored by many Thais. Two of the boys possibly have a lung infection but all eight are generally "healthy and smiling," he said. "The kids are footballers so they have high immune systems," Jedsada said. "Everyone is in high spirits and are happy to get out. But we will have a psychiatrist to evaluate them." It could be at least seven days before they can be released from hospital, Jedsada told a news conference. Family members have seen at least some of the boys from behind a glass isolation barrier, and Jedsada said doctors may let the boys walk around their beds Tuesday. It was clear doctors were taking a cautious approach. Jedsada said they were uncertain what type of infections the boys could face "because we have never experienced this kind of issue from a deep cave." If medical tests show no dangers, after another two days parents will be able to enter the isolation area dressed in sterilized clothing and staying 2 meters away from the boys, said Tosthep Bunthong, Chiang Rai Public Health Chief. The second group of four rescued on Monday are aged 12 to 14. Four ambulances and a convoy of other vehicles arrived at the cave site Tuesday morning to prepare for the third phase of the rescue. Heavy rains in the morning cleared during the day, a reassuring sign for rescuers who have feared monsoon rains could imperil the rescue. Officials scotched any chance of using tech billionaire Elon Musk's mini sub made of rocket parts to rescue the remaining boys. Narongsak said he was grateful for Musk's support but the equipment was impractical for the rescue mission. Musk on Tuesday visited the cave and posted pictures and videos online. He said he left the equipment there in case rescuers could use it in the future.

Parts of the globe are experiencing "one of the most intense heat events ever seen", according to climate scientists. Climate scientists are worried after several locations in the northern hemisphere saw record high temperatures over the past week. Meteorologist Nick Humphrey said in a blog post that the extreme spell of hot weather amounted to "a true roasting", writing: "It is absolutely incredible and really one of the most intense heat events I’ve ever seen for so far north." The mercury hit 30.1C in Castlederg in Northern Ireland on June 29 - a new record - while temperatures in Tbilisi, Georgia, and Yerevan, Armenia, rose this week to 40.5C and 42C respectively. In the US, the Washington Post reports that heat in Denver, Colorado soared to an all-time high of 40.6C on June 28. Guinness World Records has said that in the town of Quriyet, Oman, on June 26, the lowest temperature over the 24-hour period was a sweltering 42.6C - making a new record for highest "low". Deaths linked to a heat wave in Canada's Quebec province reached 33 on Thursday, health officials said after the region's largest city Montreal recorded its record high of 36.6C on July 2. In the UK the heatwave pushed mean temperatures for last month up to 14.8C, making it provisionally the third warmest June since records began in 1910. According to Humphrey, who interpreted a heat map from the University of Maine's Climate Reanalyzer, even northern Siberia "has been getting blowtorched" with maximum temperatures of above 32C. Brits have been warned to expect ongoing high temperatures as it was announced the country is seeing the longest unbroken spell of hot weather since 1976. This summer is expected to match the record set 42 years ago, where at least one weather station recorded over 28C for 18 consecutive days. The UK has so far enjoyed 12 days in a row of warm weather, with Brits flocking to parks, beaches and pub gardens to soak up the sun.

Eight boys have been brought out from the cave in northern Thailand where they were trapped with four other members of the Wild Boars football team and their coach on the second day of a daring series of rescues. The four remaining boys and the coach, Ekaphol Chantanwong, are spending a 17th night inside the cave and authorities say it is unclear whether all will be freed by the end of Tuesday. “We are so happy that today we could rescue another four kids,” Narongsak Osatanakorn, the head of the joint command centre coordinating the operation, announced at a press briefing on Monday evening. All four were airlifted to a hospital in the nearest city Chiang Rai. “Now they are fine,” he said. An elite team of 18 Thai and international divers supported by at least 80 other rescue workers entered the cave about 11am on Monday, managing to send the last of the four boys to hospital by 8pm, two hours faster than the operation on Sunday that freed the first four children. “We had a bigger operation team and we were more skilful,” Osatanakorn said. The next operation is scheduled to be launched by 4pm local time on Tuesday but the rescue chief said he could not guarantee the last five would be freed by the end of the day. “I cannot answer this question right now,” he said. “It’s down to weather conditions and our plan. We’ve set a plan for four but if we want to rescue five, those responsible will have to adjust the plan. We can’t overrule the diving team because it involves safety.” Witnesses at the cave site said the first boy was stretchered from the entrance around 4.30pm on Monday. Over the next two hours, three more boys were freed one by one, each stretchered from the cave, treated in a field hospital on the site then flown to the Chiang Rai hospital about 50 miles (80km) away. At about 7pm, the official Facebook page of the Thai navy Seals – who have played a key role in the rescue – posted a message: “Two days. Eight boars. Hooyah,” it read. The Thai prime minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, visited the site a short time later, meeting the boys’ families. Officials said conditions that had triggered Sunday’s operation – declining water levels in the cave, the readiness of rescuers and the physical and mental health of the stranded boys – were the same on Monday morning and the rescue had commenced five hours earlier than expected. “The factors are as good as yesterday [and] the rescue team is the same team with a few replacements for those exhausted,” Osatanakorn said. Asked which boys would be coming, he said: “The perfect ones, the most ready ones.” An official from Thailand’s forestry department said water levels were still falling in the cave as thousands of pumps were operating and the site had not been substantially affected by the intermittent rain of the past 48 hours. “The water level is not worrisome,” he said. It is unclear whether the parents of the group have been informed yet which of their sons has been freed. Doctors quoted by Thai media said the delay was to manage the mental health of the parents whose children are still inside the cave, as well as to ensure the boys can be tested for any diseases they might have picked up inside its dank, flooded interior. Authorities said on Monday a medical team was assessing whether to reunite the boys with their parents soon. “The medical team is considering whether to let closest relatives visit them,” Osatanakorn said. “It could be a visit through transparent glass rooms. We are discussing this with doctors at the hospital.” The freed boys could not yet be officially named due to “doctor-patient confidentiality”, he said. A difficult journey still awaits the last four boys and Chantanwong but authorities appeared more relaxed than in previous days after the success of Monday’s extraction, which was announced to applause from journalists and volunteers. Preparations are under way to manage the mental health of the boys once they are all freed. Students and teachers at Maesaiprasitsart school, attended by many of the children, have been given instructions to avoid “talk that hurts [the boys’] feelings”, said Thongyaud Kejorn, a teacher. The boys will not have to sit an exam scheduled for next week, he added. “They will not have to follow the normal schedules.” Kittichok Kankeaw, a teammate of Nattawut Takamsai, one of the trapped boys, said he would try to assist his friend to catch up at school. “I can help him with his homework,” he said. Osatanakorn said the first four boys to be freed had woken up in good condition and were asking to be served khao pad krapow [basil chicken with rice]. But doctors were still restricting their diets. “They can eat normal food now, but only ‘fluid’ food like diluted porridge,” he said. Storms are predicted for Tuesday but similar forecasts for the past two days have failed to deliver heavy rain that might have scuppered the rescue. Gen Buncha Duriyaphan, an army commander involved in the operation, said he been asking Pra Pirun, the god of rain, for three days’ reprieve to conduct the operation. He said praying for an extension may be viewed as indulgent. “If I ask for more, he might not grant it,” he said.

The Green Day song “American Idiot” could be getting a second life in the U.K. thanks to Donald Trump. This week, British protesters preparing for Trump’s first officials visit to England are leading a campaign to make the song No. 1 on the charts the day the president arrives. Initially conceived months ago when Trump’s visit was first announced, the campaign appears to be building steam and gaining plenty of support online to make it happen. The official Twitter page for the campaign has been instructing protesters to download and stream the song staring on Friday, which is the start of the week preceding Trump’s visit. There are a number of other protests planned for when Trump arrives in the U.K., including a giant “angry baby” balloon that will fly over London when Trump makes his visit. This comes after reports that Trump told British Prime Minister Theresa May that he would not be making a visit unless she could guarantee that there would be no protesters. As Bloomberg reported, the demand shocked May’s advisers, and May reportedly denied the request. “May responded to say such treatment was simply the way the British press operate, and there wasn’t much she could do,” the report noted. “In the secure bunker underneath the prime minister’s office, her advisers listened in to the call in astonishment at Trump’s demand.” Though it wasn’t written directly for Donald Trump, there is plenty of political bend behind the 2004 song at the center of the campaign. Green Day singer and songwriter Billie Joe Armstrong said he was inspired to write the song after watching cable news coverage of the Iraq War, which he compared to reality television. Armstrong said he felt like it was a dumbing down of Americans and wanted to speak out against it. “In the beginning, right after 9/11 and watching the sort of tanks going into Iraq and these embedded journalists going in live, it felt like a cross between war and reality television,” Armstrong told Fresh Air host Terry Gross. “So I just felt this great sort of confusion, like, someone needs to say something…. For me, I felt this moment of rage and patriotism, I guess, if you’d want to call it that. So that wrote itself in probably 30 seconds.” It was not clear if the campaign to get “American Idiot” to the top of the chart could gain enough steam ahead of Trump’s visit, but the idea is gaining popularity on social media with a little more than a week until Trump arrives.

England!!

Can anybody recommend any trackers that have a large selection of rare/obscure movies? Currently I use Karagarga and Cinemageddon for this, and I've used The Horror Charnel in the past. Just wondering if there are others that I don't know about yet

Pope Francis on Friday repeated his calls for governments around the world to take action to reduce global warming, warning that climate change is threatening to turn Earth into a pile of rubble. “There is a real danger that we will leave future generations only rubble, deserts and refuse,” The Associated Press reported Francis said at a Vatican conference that marked the third anniversary of his environmental encyclical, “Praise Be." The AP noted that the "Praise Be" document was meant to prompt action at the 2015 Paris climate conference. In addition to his warning, Francis also urged world leaders to honor the commitments made in the Paris climate accord — an agreement reached by 195 countries that sought to curb global greenhouse gas emissions through individual, nonbinding national plans. President Trump announced in 2017 that the U.S. would exit the agreement unless it could receive a better deal. Francis also said that organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank could play essential parts in promoting reforms for sustainable development. “It grieves us to see the lands of indigenous peoples expropriated and their cultures trampled on by predatory schemes and by new forms of colonialism, fueled by the culture of waste and consumerism,” Francis said. Francis has been outspoken about his attempts to persuade countries to take climate change seriously. The AP reports that Friday's conference was part of a series of Vatican initiatives meant to convey a sense of urgency toward the problem. In June, Francis issued a warning to top oil executives about the dangers of global warming. “Civilization requires energy but energy use must not destroy civilization,” Francis said.

Hard drives do fail sometimes, but so do BD's. If you can manage, I'd recommend using both so you have a safety net if one method fails you.

I missed this one as well. I had a THC account years ago and I've gotta say, they have a fantastic community over there.

A. Tell us something about yourself? Hello! I'm a long-time torrenter & member of several communities. I'm always happy to chat with like-minded individuals! B. How did you find InviteHawk? I had heard of InviteHawk some time ago, and I just ran across it again from a Google search. C. What Torrent Sites are you looking for? (Mention none if just browsing) Currently I'm not looking for anything in particular, I'm mostly just interested in learning about different trackers that I've not discovered yet. D. Do you use the same email on InviteHawk as well as on trackers? (If yes, change it from your profile or contact a staff member) No, the email I used for this account isn't used on trackers. E. Do you have any suggestions for InviteHawk? I'm new here, but so far everything looks great!