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As the industry experts and various reports are highlighting a crunch of consumer spending due to the economic slowdown, especially in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) section, ecommerce platforms are moving in the opposite direction.
One such report by information, data and measurement firm Nielsen, released on December 19, states that one out of every two products sold on ecommerce platforms — Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal and others — belonged to the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) category.
FMCG consumer goods are products of daily needs that go off the shelf quickly due to high demand. These include non-durable household items such as packaged food, beverages, toiletries, over-the-counter drugs and other consumables.
The report highlights that the FMCG goods account for 56% of the total sales by the ecommerce platforms, in terms of volume. However, in terms of value, the FMCG products only make up for 11%, the report highlights. The uneven proportion of value and volume can be attributed to the low cast of these non-durable home essentials.
The report comes at a time when even the investors both Indian and foreign are not deterred by the said consumer good slowdown. Just last month, Sequoia Capital India and responsAbility invested in $17 Mn in Gurugram-based food and beverage maker Wingreens.
Talking to Inc42, a Sequoia spokesperson said, “For category creators and challenger brands in large markets, consumer adoption is quite significant if the product positioning and offering is truly differentiated. Such brands tend to be less affected by macro slowdown, especially at the growth stage.”
Wingreen cofounder Arjun Srivastava also clarified, “So far we are not seeing any consumer slowdown because we are in a space where we are continuously innovating. All our products are differentiated from other products in the market. Because of that, we are seeing that there continues to be a lot of interest in consumer uptake.”
The Fall Of FMCG
A IBEF report also states that the India FMCG sector is booming in India and is poised to become the fourth largest sector in the Indian economy. Another report techsciresearch states that the FMCG market is projected to grow at a 20.6% rate annually to reach an $103.7 Bn in market value by 2020.
However, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have lowered India’s growth forecast due to the economic slowdown in the domestic and global markets. IMF estimates that the Indian economy will grow at 7% this year, going down from its earlier prediction of 7.3%. The ADB, too, has predicted a 7% growth rate for India this year.
Even the previous Neilson report had noted that the consumer demand, in terms of value, has decreased to 10 % in the second quarter of FY2020, versus 16.5% in July September 2018. The report also noted that the growth in terms of volume has slashed down to 6.2% from 13.4%.
According to the National Statistical Office (NSO) survey of 2017-18, consumer spending has dropped for the first time in four decades.
What Else Is The Top Seller For The Ecommerce Platforms?
On the other hand, the recent Nielsen also notes that mobile phones — both smartphones and feature phones — make up for 48% of the total sales on the ecommerce platforms, in terms of value. Smartphone sales are followed by fashion with 16% contribution.
The report also highlights that a large number of consumers are with holding their purchases in anticipation of the sale period. Ecommerce platforms recorded 84% sales during the Indian festive season sale, and only 15% in the non sale days, the report adds. | New Delhi (Sputnik): Three months after suffering a major jolt in its second lunar mission, India's space agency ISRO has announced a new mission, Chandrayaan-3, on New Year’s Day. New Delhi's ambition to soft-land on the Moon had crashed when the Chandrayaan-2 failed to touch down on the lunar surface as planned on 7 September 2019.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chief K. Sivan on Wednesday announced the government has approved a third lunar mission and that work has already commenced on the project.
"Chandrayaan-3 will have a lander, rover, and a propulsion module. The government has approved the project and we have formed the project team. We have initiated this project and work is going on very smoothly on it", ISRO chief Sivan said during a media briefing.
On Tuesday, India’s Minister of State for Space Jitendra Singh said that the second lander mission will be a "cost-effective mission and most likely to be launched in 2020”.
He also informed that the agency has planned more than 25 space missions for 2020.
Sivan said that a lot of design work has been completed for a manned mission, Gaganyaan. "There will be several tests that we'll do this year. Also, the final four astronaut-elects have been selected and they'll begin training in Russia from the third week of January", he added.
India’s manned space mission Gaganyaan will coincide with the 75th anniversary of its independence. In August 2019, India ordered Russian space equipment to ensure the timely preparation of the mission, which will also include two unmanned flights, in December 2020 and July 2021.
The second mission Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft comprised of an orbiter, lander, and rover was successfully launched on-board a domestically-produced GSLV MK III-M1 rocket on 22 July 2019 but lost contact with ISRO's Earth Station just minutes before the scheduled soft-landing near the Moon's South Pole in September.
A successful soft landing on the Moon's surface would have made India only the fourth country — after the United States, Russia, and China — to achieve the feat.
Chandrayaan-1, launched in October 2008, was India's first lunar probe. The Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft entered the Moon's orbit – making India one of the countries to taste success in its maiden attempt.
One of the objectives was to prepare a three-dimensional atlas (with high spatial and altitude resolution) of both the near and far side of the Moon. It aimed at conducting chemical and mineralogical mapping of the entire lunar surface for distribution of mineral and chemical elements such as magnesium, aluminium, silicon, calcium, iron, and titanium as well as high atomic number elements such as radon, uranium, and thorium with high spatial resolution.
"Various mission planning and management objectives were met", ISRO had announced. | 1.333333 |
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PROD 'NONES' TO VOTE
reprinted from Free Inquiry magazine
Progressives hope for an America where health care is a human right for everyone and women's right to choose remains secure and gays are safe from cruelty and people of all sorts are welcome equally in a multicultural society and college is affordable without crushing debt and marijuana no longer brings jail terms and safety measures curb gun massacres and sensible steps reduce global warming and hidebound religion isn't forced onto unwilling people and extreme incarceration doesn't outstrip the rest of the world and science prevails over superstition etc., etc.
The best way to attain these advances is to boost voting by the swelling ranks of young Americans who say their religion is "none." More than any other population segment, "nones" tend to have liberal, tolerant, humanistic, modern views.
If they could be induced to participate more strongly in elections, America's moral climate would improve. But there's the rub: churchless Americans often don't vote. They shun politics as much as they shun supernatural religion. So their potential power lags.
In contrast, white evangelicals although fading are intense voters who form the core of the Republican Party. These fundamentalists have shrunk to just 15 percent of the population (down from 20 in 2012), yet they're so politically active they provided 26 percent of the 113 million votes cast in the 2018 election. Three-to-one, they supported GOP candidates.
But figures for the nonreligious are sad: They've climbed to one-fourth of the adult population, but they were just 17 percent of 2018 voters. Almost three-to-one, they backed Democratic candidates. It's too bad their turnout was so poor.
American politics reveals a travesty among white evangelicals. Jesus actually was a liberal who taught followers to help the poor, heal the sick, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, uplift the underdog, etc. His "social gospel" matches the public safety net supported by left-leaning Democrats. But white evangelicals overwhelmingly back the GOP, which tries to slash the safety net. In effect, they oppose Jesus.
Even worse, those fundamentalists laud President Donald Trump, a much-divorced vulgarian whose view of women was expressed in his notorious "grab 'em by the p****" recording. It's ludicrous for people calling themselves Christian to rally behind such a crass leader, and help his party hurt less-privileged families.
What can be done to persuade more "nones" to vote, to counter the overblown political power of white evangelicals? Could America's widespread secular movement unite in a get-out-the-vote drive?
Some efforts already are afoot. The Secular Coalition for America operates Secular Values Voter, publicizing the rising power of the irreligious. Similarly, other groups support Secular America Votes, which declares:
"Showing politicians that atheists, agnostics, freethinkers and other secular people are a powerful (and growing) voting bloc requires getting out the vote and demonstrating that we are a force to be reckoned with at election time."
But this isn't enough, because the secular turnout remains weak. The ratio of "none" voters doubled from 8 percent in 2002, but they still fail to vote in full force.
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reprinted from Daylight Atheism, Syndicated by PeaceVoice)
Long ago, when I was a congressional press secretary, Jennings Randolph was a wise senator from West Virginia. On his Washington desk, he kept a motto I never forgot:
"The most important lesson you can learn is that other people are as real behind their eyes as you are behind yours."
That nugget of insight has deep implications, asserting that nearly everyone in the world all seven billion-plus of them more or less share the same human feelings, fears, wants, hopes, questions, frustrations, pleasures and the like.
This, to me, is the heart of humanism: recognizing the worth of everyone, and striving to make life as good as possible for the whole populace.
Humanism means helping people, and secular humanism means doing it without supernatural religion.
It began as long ago in ancient Greece, when some thinkers advocated humanitas, a helpful spirit toward all. During the Renaissance, a few scholar-priests began caring more for people than for the church, so they became religious humanists. Then came the Enlightenment, when rebel thinkers challenged the supremacy of kings and holy men. They laid the groundwork for modern democracy, which is rooted in humanism.
Various manifestos have been written to crystallize the need for intelligent people to support human betterment. In 1933, the first Humanist Manifesto was signed by three dozen philosophers, Unitarians, reformers and scholars, including John Dewey. It called humanism a new "religion" to replace magic-based supernatural faiths.
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Having a nightmare that you've gone to work with no trousers on is a common anxiety dream, but it turned into reality for one unfortunate man whose father promptly shared his embarrassing wardrobe malfunction on Twitter.
The dad, who doesn't disclose his identity on social media, going by 'Hold My Beer,' shared a text conversation he had with his son, Zach, from Florida, who admitted to ripping his pants at work in front of a coworker.
The incident was made worse because Zach, who works as a waiter, wasn't wearing any underwear due to it being 'laundry day,' and his female manager Kelly happened to walk past him when the pants ripped and witnessed the whole thing.
Instead of keeping the hilarious but unfortunate event to himself, the father decided to publish their hilarious exchange on Twitter, leading the embarrassing story to go viral.
Zach, a waiter from Florida, told his dad his pants ripped while he was at work. The incident was made worse by the fact he wasn't wearing any underwear
Zach told his father that his manager, Kelly, was putting some bowls away and saw all of his anatomy when the pants ripped
Zach told his father that the incident was the 'most embarrassing thing of his f****** life' before getting into the detail of the story.
In brutally honest terms, the son explained to his dad that he thought the trousers were 'a little tight' but fitted him nicely, and still decided to wear them to work.
But tragedy struck as the young waiter squatted down to pick up some bowls, his pants completely ripping apart in front of his manager who was putting soup bowls away.
In candid terms, Zach added that Kelly had seen a very intimate part of his anatomy and 'looked inside of [him]. and that the incident has left him with 'a**less chaps' for pants.
In the hilarious exchange, Zach went on to say he had to go home and change, because his pants looked like 'a**less chaps'
The waiter had to rush home to change and went back into work like a true professional, after his pants 'exploded off' him.
Zach's father shared the conversation on Twitter shortly after his revelations, and after asking permission.
He said Zach 'f****** slays' him and that he had to get him on Twitter.
Zach's father shared their exchange on Twitter with his son's permission, and said he had to get him on Twitter
People loved the hilarious story, saying Zach was their 'hero,' also joking about Kelly, who had seen the whole thing
The exchange quickly went viral, gathering more than 6,600 likes and 900 retweets as people could not get enough of poor Zach's misadventure. .
'Your son just became my hero,' one wrote.
'I think this means he and Kelly are now legally wed,' joked another.
'This is the best thing I've seen today. Zack is MVP of the day,' said one.
'It hurts to laugh this hard,' added another. | Millions of Halifax, Lloyds and Bank of Scotland customers started the New Year unable to access their bank accounts after their websites crashed.
Online banking was down for customers of all three banks, who took to social media to bemoan the outage on New Year's Day.
Large parts of Britain were left unable to access their accounts on their computers or smartphone apps for several hours.
Halifax, Lloyds and Bank of Scotland have apologised for the 'issues' and say their systems and now up and running again.
Online banking went down for customers of Halifax (outage map pictured left), Lloyds (right) and Bank of Scotland, who took to social media to bemoan the outage on New Year's Day
Halifax customers complained they were automatically signed out when trying to login to mobile banking
Customers took to Twitter to complain, desperate to check their bank balances after a night celebrating the New Year
On Twitter, one person complained: '@HalifaxBank - your banking app does not currently work, a poor start to 2020... :( :(.'
Another wrote: '@HalifaxBank why is the mobile banking app not working?!?!? How long until it is back up working again?'
Someone else posted: '@HalifaxBank what's going on with your banking app? It's not working at all and hasn't for a few hours.'
One woman begged to know when Lloyds would be up and running again, so her son can get back home from his New Year's Eve celebrations.
She wrote: 'Any chance of an estimated time this might be resolved as I need to send money to my son who needs to get back from Liverpool?'
A social media spokesman for the bank, called Martin, replied: 'Hi. Thanks for getting in touch. We lknow some of you are having issues with your Internet Banking.
'We're sorry for this. W'ere working to have it back to normal soon.'
A Lloyds social media spokesman tweeted: 'We know our customers are having issues with internet and mobile banking. We're sorry about this and we're working to have it back to normal soon.'
They later added: 'Internet and mobile banking is now back to normal. We're sorry that some of our customers had issues with it this morning.'
The problems are also affecting the mobile apps (pictured) | 1 |
Ecommerce distribution centers look markedly different than they did just a few years ago. A growing number of retailers are leveraging picking, packing and delivery robots to automate key tasks—and the shift may be just getting started.
More than 50,000 warehouses worldwide are expected to include commercial robotics by 2025. That would be a dramatic jump from the 4,000 in existence in 2018, according to market research firm ABI Research. In the United States alone, there are expected to be roughly 23,000 robot-powered warehouses in operation by 2025, up from 2,500 today in 2018.
Ecommerce’s growing market share—and the push to deliver consumers’ online orders the same day or next day after a shopper places an order—is helping drive that growth, says Nick Finill, senior analyst at ABI. Retailers’ growing needs also help explain why the number of fulfillment-related jobs jumped 41% between 2018 and 2015 to 1.2 million warehousing and storage jobs from 785,000 in 2015, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That growth has come amid a tightening labor market as the U.S. unemployment rate has fallen to 3.6% in October from 5.5% in January 2015.
Those conditions have driven retailers, such as Gap and Best Buy (both featured in this article) to deploy the latest generation of sophisticated robotics. Those robots can handle a range of tasks—from autonomous mobile robots that can transport inventory to articulated robotic arms that can manipulate items to automated storage and retrieval robots that retrieve items for use. And many are ideally suited to ecommerce fulfillment, Finill says.
To get immediate access to the rest of this article, sign up for a free Strategy Membership using the Join for Free button below. If you’re already a member, please sign in. | WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent letters to several federal banking and financial regulatory institutions today reiterating hemp’s legality and requesting timely guidance and clarification to help ease concerns from lawful hemp farmers and producers about the lack of access to financial services.
Kentucky and Oregon have been on the forefront of hemp production ever since the authorization of industrial hemp pilot programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill. Hemp farmers and producers in Kentucky and Oregon are excited to explore the full economic opportunities for hemp but still face barriers despite passage of the McConnell/Wyden language in the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized hemp and removed it from the federal list of controlled substances.
Senators McConnell and Wyden sent letters to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Federal Reserve System, as well as the Farm Credit Administration (FCA), requesting that these regulatory bodies provide guidance to institutions under their jurisdictions to ease any concerns banks and other financial institutions may have with providing services to hemp businesses. In their letters, they wrote, “While some banks have agreed to offer financial services to the growing hemp industry, many banks have not due to confusion over the legal status of hemp. However, as hemp is no longer a controlled substance, banks should feel secure in engaging with this industry…Legal hemp businesses should be treated just like any other businesses and not discriminated against.”
The Hemp Farming Act provisions in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) signed into law on December 20, 2018, removed hemp and its derivatives from the list of controlled substances, established hemp as a legal agricultural commodity, and authorized the production, consumption, and sale of hemp and hemp-derived products in the United States. As authors of the Hemp Farming Act, McConnell and Wyden are committed to listening to the concerns of hemp farmers and producers and to urging federal agencies to properly implement the law. | 1.333333 |
Israel demolishes newly built houses of Palestinian families on New Year’s Day
Al-Khalaileh families shocked to wake up and be told army had started to demolish their two houses in East Jerusalem
Sondus Ewies
Wed, 01/01/2020 – 14:15
A sign stating ‘Danger, demolition. Entry is prohibited’ was placed by Israeli authorities on top of the rubble of the Khalialehs’ houses (MEESondus Ewies) | Israel will establish hundreds of wind turbines in its northern region, at a cost of 72 million U.S. dollars, said a statement by the Israeli Ministries of Energy and Defense on Wednesday.
The statement said that the two ministries, along with the Ministry of Finance and Israel’s Electricity Authority, signed an agreement on financing a technology solution for renewable energy, which will allow the establishment of wind turbine farms in the north.
The statement noted that it is an essential step to promote wind energy in Israel, and keep the state’s security needs.
“The agreement marks a significant milestone on the way to achieving government goals towards 2030, as wind energy will join solar and natural gas to create a clean, Israeli-based electricity economy,” it said. | 1.5 |
Endorsed | Bernie Sanders Bernie Sanders receives endorsements from The Nation's editorial board and Friends of the Earth Action. --------- ?? Join the political revolution at ...
(Image by YouTube, Channel: Bernie Sanders) Details DMCA
What better way for Bernie campaigners to end 2020 with a citation of one of the aspects of his campaign that he has worked hardest on: ENDORSEMENTS!
In 2016, I did a similar article, and so therefore, this year, I am doing the first of what I hope will be many more, leading to Bernie's victory in November!
Since 2016, I have noticed some profound progress, especially in the number of legislators in South Carolina supporting him. This bodes well for a crucial Bernie victory in the South Carolina primary, which would be extremely significant in the over scheme of things.
If you are from Oregon, remember that US Senator Jeff Merkley endorsed Bernie in 2016 in the New York Times; please ask him to do this again, and please do it soon!
One thing that profoundly concerns me is the paucity of newspaper endorsements thus far, which to me is a very big deal, one that readers could correct and improve by writing to their local regional and hometown newspapers, ASKING THEM DIRECTLY TO ENDORSE BERNIE SANDERS AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.
I believe this could be done now, not waiting till a week before your state's primary. The momentum builds and vis-a-vis the editorial pages of America; this truly is vital, and it doesn't cost any campaign disbursements.
The person reading the letters to editors before they are published is most often the person who writes the endorsements, or is alternatively on the editorial board that makes the endorsement just before the primary election.
I encourage you to watch the following 66-minute video of Bernie speaking with the Editorial Board of the Des Moines Register, the largest paper in the first primary state. See also my article introducing this aspect of Bernie's campaign with which you can become directly involved with your own short letter to the editor asking for the endorsement of the papers in your area!
https://www.opednews.com/articles/Bernie-s-Brilliant-Des-Moi-by-Stephen-Fox-Battle-For-The-Editorial-Pages-Of-America_Des-Moines-Register_Editorial-Boards-Of-American-Newspapers_Editorial-Page-Endorsements-191222-740.html
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.
Federal officials U.S. Senators Current
Patrick Leahy, U.S. Senator from Vermont (1975-present), president pro tempore of the United States Senate (2012-15), president pro tempore emeritus of the United States Senate (2015-present)
Former
Mike Gravel, former U.S. Senator from Alaska (1969-81), Democratic candidate for president in 2008 and 2020 (co-endorsement)
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | Who Cares: OZY's 2020 election coverage focuses on who votes and why. Who Cares: OZY's 2020 election coverage focuses on who votes and why.
Daniel Malloy is OZY’s U.S. politics editor.
There are a lot of numbers to think about when it comes to this year’s presidential election. But here’s a big one to chew on: 59 percent. That’s the proportion of Americans who are eligible to vote who cast a ballot for president in 2016. The number was up slightly from 2012, and down a bit from a historic high in 2008. But going back decades, the story is roughly the same: 40 percent of the population doesn’t cast a ballot.
In an age where political engagement is through the roof thanks to President Donald Trump, who stokes the strongest of feelings among his supporters and detractors, America is largely dug in. The persuadable middle seems to shrink by the day. That’s why OZY is devoting a large part of our 2020 election coverage to answering the question: Who Cares?
To that end, we partnered with Washington-based data firm 0ptimus to take an unprecedented dive into the last four election cycles to show you — on a county-by-county basis — where voters are turning out and where they are not. We’ve already told you about trends like the Apathy Belt, where voter turnout has sagged, and the county where 100 percent of eligible voters came out to the polls.
In 2020, we will spend the election season telling you about the people and trends behind the mobilization efforts that will determine whether Trump gets a second term.
Campaigning “has been continually shifting away from persuasion and more toward turnout in the overall sense,” says Brian Reisinger, a Republican political strategist in Wisconsin who worked on Sen. Ron Johnson’s 2016 campaign there.
A couple of caveats are necessary. No. 1: Voter turnout does not simply rest on caring or commitment. There are ongoing legal battles across the country over barriers to voting — which can disproportionately affect the poor, students and people of color.
No. 2: Persuasion still matters, and not just for those Obama-Trump voters who have been endlessly dissected for the past three years. Adrianne Shropshire, executive director of BlackPAC, says the reason many Black voters did not show up for Hillary Clinton in 2016 is not because they weren’t mobilized, but because they weren’t persuaded. “The mistake people will make is they assume that this will be a mobilization base, and they will not have a persuasion plan for them,” Shropshire says. She points to how the Trump campaign is already mounting an effort online and in predominately African American neighborhoods to siphon away some of the Black vote, and she urges Democrats not to wait until after Labor Day to fire up this core constituency.
Part of motivating African Americans to come out and vote blue — as they have historically at around 90 percent — will require a focus on an affirmative vision, not merely an anti-Trump message, Shropshire says. She points to a recent BlackPAC-funded poll of registered African American voters that found big majorities in favor of free public college tuition (76 percent), a wealth tax (71 percent), reparations (71 percent), Medicare for All (65 percent) and the Green New Deal (57 percent) to argue that a Democratic candidate proposing big things will have a better time motivating these voters. In the presidential primary, these issues remain a point of contention. As Bernie Sanders put it in December’s Democratic debate: “You don’t have the largest voter turnout unless you create energy and excitement. And you don’t create energy and excitement unless you are prepared to take on the people who own America and are prepared to speak to the people who are working in America.” He then went on to reference Medicare for All, the Green New Deal and free college.
Of course, those policies can also serve to motivate Republicans, who will be throwing the word “socialism” around whether Sanders, a self-described Democratic Socialist, is the nominee or not.
But the biggest mobilizer for Republicans right now is impeachment. “Engagement is pretty off the charts,” Reisinger says, with the House voting to impeach Trump and the Senate trial likely to begin this month. Republicans have turned the proceedings into a fundraising bonanza, with Trump seeming to relish talking about it on the stump as he casts the inquiry as illegitimate.
Reisinger acknowledges that Democrats are fired up too, as evidenced by their wins in Wisconsin and nationally in 2018. “We’re used to knife’s-edge elections,” he says, “and we’re used to each side fighting to the end for every last inch.”
Analysts expect that 59 percent to rise this year. The party that best taps into America’s missing 40 percent is the one that will lay claim to the White House come November.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Brian Reisinger worked on Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. He worked for Sen. Ron Johnson. | 2.333333 |
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Are you a print subscriber? Activate your account. | Picking the best games of the decade is an increasingly tough task. The number of titles keeps expanding while the number of platforms has blossomed beyond consoles and PCs. Players encounter so much content that the job of winnowing all that down to a top-10 list is daunting.
I haven’t played all the critically acclaimed titles. Games such as “Undertale” have escaped my purview, but I’ve played plenty of releases over the past 10 years. The list below isn’t based on quality per se, but it’s more personal. These are the games that had a lasting impact on me. They are the ones that I fondly remember or the titles that I still play today.
That’s partly why titles such as “Minecraft” and “Fortnite” aren’t on that list. Although those are the two most important releases of the decade, they aren’t ones that I played very much. With that said, here are the games that were the most important to me over the past decade.
1 “Pokemon Go” — This unconventional take on the popular franchise had a surreal level of popularity when it was released during the summer of 2016. That enthusiasm has died down but the game remains a force.
Of all the games I played this decade, this has had the biggest impact on my life. That’s because of the nature of Niantic’s location-based game. It’s a title that’s played outside in the real world and encourages players to explore their neighborhood to find pocket monsters.
That pushes players to interact face to face and opens up opportunities to foster bonds between players. The magic of “Pokemon Go” is how it manages to build community. It’s a game that has led to real-life friendships and even a commitment to running. It’s a mobile title that has enriched the lives of players because its a game that exists beyond the screen.
2 “Hearthstone” — I tried and failed to get into “Magic: The Gathering” as a teenager but I gave the collectible card game genre another chance with “Hearthstone.” I wasn’t disappointed. Part of the success of Blizzard’s game is that the developers simplified the gameplay elements and put it on mobile platforms and tablets.
It opened up the game to a huge audience and the accessible gameplay made it easy to pick up. The combination of the two has made it hugely successful and turned “Hearthstone” into a popular esport. The only black mark on its resume is the controversy over a Hong Kong protest this year.
3 “Dark Souls 2” — Those who love the Hidetaka Miyazaki’s “Souls” game have a moment when his games just click for them. They look beyond the difficulty and appreciate the lessons contained within the adventure. No other title this decade taught me more about patience, persistence and perseverance than “Dark Souls 2.”
This isn’t the best game of the series, but it is the one that hooked me on to this style of gaming. Every encounter is fraught with danger and players feel the tension in every fight. Yes, the game is difficult and it can be obtuse at times, but it’s also the most rewarding experience I’ve had this decade.
4. “The Last of Us” — One of the most overlooked aspects of modern gaming has been the performances of voice actors. That has changed thanks in part thanks to the work of Naughty Dog, and the performances by actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson in this post-apocalyptic masterpiece.
The visuals are gorgeous for its time and the gameplay mechanics are solid with a mix action and stealth, but it’s the world that Naughty Dog creates and the actors’ performances that invest players in the characters and transformed how we appreciate games.
5. “Red Dead Redemption” — This game kicked off the decade and set the bar for the open-world genre. The beautiful visuals coupled with an intriguing story and memorable protagonist in John Marston made this a game that fans enjoyed living with.
It’s an adventure that used its environment to its advantage, creating a distinct take on the wild west. One that few games have been able to match.
6. “Mass Effect 3” — This title capped off arguably the best video game trilogy in years. It was also the culmination of years of storytelling as BioWare wrapped up a journey that began in 2007. What’s notable about this project is how the choices players made over each chapter impacted the totality of the finale.
The ending itself was not without controversy and showed how games aren’t just one-way streets from developers to players. It is a collaboration in which those who make the games must listen to their audience.
7. “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” — Nintendo’s first foray into an open-world “Zelda” was hugely successful and helped with the strong launch of the Nintendo Switch. “Breath of the Wild” was also the biggest departure from the series tried and true formula, but somehow it maintained the ethos of discovery and adventure. It was a series that needed a heavy dose of change and Eiji Aonuma and his team delivered.
8. “Monster Hunter World” — The disparity between the popularity of the “Monster Hunter” franchise in Japan and the U.S. has always been wide, but it has significantly narrowed thanks to this entry in the series. Not only has Capcom produced one of its most visually striking games, but by streamlining the mechanics it made it more approachable and addictive. All of this creates one of the best entries and one that broke out in the United States in a big way.
9. “Sid Meier’s Civilization V: Brave New World” — Every once in a while I have the urge to play a campaign of “Civilization.” Few franchises have had its hooks in me like that. The developer, Firaxis, has molded a successful franchise by launching a new chapter with improved visuals and mechanics, but over time, they have refined it through downloadable expansion packs. The process has made a great game perfect. The pinnacle of the series is “Brave New World,” where the team brings in ideas such as the World Congress, tourism and Great Works to add a new layer of depth to the late game. This game continues to be one I return to despite a solid sequel.
10. “Overwatch” — The rise of esports has been one of the major stories of the decade, and one of the games that capitalized on that is “Overwatch.” Blizzard’s team-based shooter was a hit because it allowed players of all skill levels to compete by allowing them to fulfill different roles. If someone doesn’t great quick-twitch skills or accuracy, they may have a talent at tactics or healing. That makes it more accessible and rewarding. I’ve spent hours playing with my brother and cousins and figuring out our own playstyles.
Blizzard has done a great job at cultivating “Overwatch” as an esport, and with its Overwatch League moving its teams to local markets in 2020 and a sequel on the way, the future looks bright for the game. | 2.5 |
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A man has died, another is fighting for life and four more have been seriously injured in a horror smash as the first few hours of the New Year are met with tragedy.
A 59-year-old man died in hospital a short time after a black Mercedes C43 AMG smashed into his Skoda Octavia around 3.30am today "on what should have been a night of celebration".
Inspector Danny Byrne of Greater Manchester Police said five other men suffered serious injuries and one is fighting for life in a critical condition after the two cars came together on Yew Tree Road in Fallowfield, three miles south of Manchester city centre.
The dead man's family have been told the terrible news today and police are supporting them as their 2020 begins with heartbreak.
Inspector Byrne said: “This is a tragic incident in which one man died and five others were injured on what should have been a night of celebration – our thoughts are with them and their loved ones as our investigation continues."
(Image: MEN Media)
The M.E.N reports that the Skoda Octavia was believed to be a white taxi. The crash was said to have taken place to the junction with Platt Lane.
Multiple fire and rescue crews arrived at the scene four minutes later and found several people trapped inside the mangled wreckage of the cars.
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said crews used cutting equipment to release them.
(Image: MEN Media)
Police officers found the Mercedes had collided with the oncoming Skoda Octavia and urged anyone who may have spotted it or filmed it on their dashcam to come forward.
“I would like to use this opportunity to ask anyone with information or dash cam footage to contact us as soon as possible", added Inspector Byrne.
“We are particularly interested in hearing from anyone who saw the black Mercedes in the area prior to this collision.”
(Image: ASP WS)
Fire engines, police vehicles and the ambulance service were parked on the road from the early hours of this morning.
Images taken from the scene show both vehicles badly damaged.
The road was closed while the scene was examined but is now open.
You can call police on 0161 856 4741 quoting 1137 1/1/20.
Or you can give information anonymously via the independent charity – Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111. | Sign up to FREE daily email alerts from nechronicle - daily Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
A man is fighting for his life after a serious crash in Sunderland on New Year's Eve.
Police received the report of a collision involving two vehicles at Prospect Junction , near to Premiere Road and the A690, at about 8.15pm on Tuesday.
Paramedics and officers attended the scene and two men and one woman were taken to hospital.
One of the men, aged 32, has been described as being in a critical condition.
Northumbria Police has asked anyone who witnessed the inciden t, or who may have dashcam footage of the collision, to come forward.
Anyone with information is asked to contact 101 quoting reference 893 311219.
Alternatively you can contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. | 3.333333 |
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The Many Meanings of January 1st - A Homily
Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 12-31-19 | Msgr. Charles Pope
Posted on by Salvation
The Many Meanings of January 1st – A Homily
This feast day of January 1st is a very complex tapestry, both culturally and liturgically. Perhaps we can use the second reading by St. Paul to the Galatians as a way to weave through some of the many details. We can look at it in three parts.
I. The chronology of our celebration – The text from St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians says, When the fullness of time had come …
Most people in the wider culture and in the Church are going about today saying, “Happy New Year!” And rightfully so, for it is the beginning of the new year. But most people think of New Year’s Day in almost wholly secular terms. Sadly, it is best known for excessive drinking and rather loud parties.
Yet it is a mistake to see New Year’s Day simply as a secular holiday. St. Paul reminds us, in speaking of “the fullness of time,” that all time and all ages belong to God.
It is not simply 2020; it is 2020 Anno Domini (A.D.). Even the most secular and unbelieving of people in the Western world locate their place in time in relation to Jesus Christ. It is 2020 years since the birth of Christ. Every time we write the date on a check or at the top of the letter, every time we see the date at the top of the newspaper or on our computer screen, that number, 2020, points back to Christ. He is the Lord of history. Jesus sets the date; He is the clock we go by. All time belongs to Him.
Jesus says in the book of Revelation, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, The beginning and the end. He who is, and who was, and who is to come” (Revelation 22:13).
If it is true that 2020 references the birth of Christ, the question arises as to why Christmas Day is not also New Year’s Day. But this actually fits in well to liturgical and spiritual sensibilities.
In the Church, and stretching back into Jewish times, it was customary to celebrate the high feasts of faith over the period of a week. In Christian tradition this came to be known as the “octave.” Though we think of a week as seven days, it does not take long to consider that we celebrated Christmas last week on Thursday. Now this week we celebrate New Year’s Day on Thursday, and Thursday to Thursday inclusive is eight days.
Thursday, January 1, 2020 is the eighth day of Christmas. In the Christian tradition the octave is considered really as one long day that lasts eight days. Therefore, Wednesday, January 1, 2020 completes Christmas day; Christmas day is fulfilled. Or as St. Paul says, the “fullness of time” in terms of Christmas day has come. And thus the calendars flip from one year to the next. Now, at the end of Christmas day, our calendars go from 2019 to 2020 A.D.
The rest of the secular world has largely moved on already, barely thinking of Christmas anymore. As I walk in my neighborhood, I see the strange spectacle of Christmas trees already set out at the curb waiting to be picked up by the recycling trucks. Yes, for many in our hurried world, Christmas is over. But we in the Church continue to celebrate the great Christmas feast and cycle. Having completed the octave, we move on to Epiphany week.
Thus, this New Year, we contemplate the “fullness of time.” The passage of another year reminds us of the magnificent truth that to God all time, past, present, and future, is equally present. He holds all things together in Himself. He is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever. And whenever He acts, He always acts in our time, out of the fullness of time. This is a very deep mystery and we should ponder in silence the mystery that for God, all things ARE. He is not waiting for things to happen. For Him, everything is accomplished. I will write more on this in tomorrow’s blog.
II. The content of our celebration – St. Paul goes on to say, God sent forth his son born of a woman. And with this statement we are again reminded that we are still in the Christmas cycle.
We’ve already discussed the concept of the eighth day, of the octave. And while it is New Year’s Day, there is also a complex tapestry of religious meanings to this day as well.
As we’ve already seen, it is still Christmas day, the eighth day of the one long day that we call Christmas Day.
Historically, this is also the day of Christ’s circumcision. And for a long period in Church history that was the name given to this feast day, “The Circumcision of the Lord.” As I have written previously, I personally regret the loss of this feast, at least in terms of its title.
This is the day when Joseph and Mary brought Christ to be circumcised. In this, Jesus as man and also as God reverences the covenant He has made with His people. It is a beautiful truth that God seeks relationship with His people. And in this covenantal act of the circumcision is the moving truth that, as the Letter to the Hebrews puts it, Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers (Heb 2:11).
There is here the first shedding of blood by Jesus. It is also a sign of His love for us.
Another truth about the content of this feast is the Holy Name of Jesus. For not only was a Jewish boy circumcised on the eighth day, but he was also given his name, and all hear that name for the first time.
The name, Jesus, means “God saves.” And indeed this most Holy Name of Jesus, when used in reverence, has saving power. We are baptized in His Holy Name along with that of the Father and the Holy Spirit. And all of our prayers conclude with His Holy Name. Scripture says of His great and holy name,
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2: 9-11).
And yet another identity and content of this feast day is shown in its current, formal title, “The Solemnity of Mary Mother of God.” This title replaced the title of the Feast of the Circumcision back in 1970. However, it is the most ancient title for this feast day. Again, you can read more on this issue in a previous blog post.
We note in the reading that Paul says that God sent forth his Son, born of a woman. Jesus is the eternal Son of the Father; He is God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God. Jesus is God, and since Mary gives birth to Jesus, Mary is the Mother of God, because Jesus is not two different persons.
Mary did not just give birth to part of Jesus, she gives birth to Jesus. And thus the title “Mother of God” speaks to us as much about Jesus as it does about Mary. It is a title that she has because of the Church’s insistence that Jesus cannot be divided up into two different people. We cannot say that Mary gives birth to one Jesus but not “the other one.” There is only one Jesus, though He has two natures, human and divine.
And thus, on this feast of Christmas, on this eighth day of Christmas, we are reminded and solemnly taught that Jesus is human and also divine. In taking a human nature to Himself from his mother Mary, He remains one person. God has sent forth his son born of woman.
III. The consolation of our celebration – St. Paul goes on to say, Born under the law to ransom those under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons. As proof that you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son in our hearts crying out Abba, Father! So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and, if a son, also an heir through God.
Note three things about this text:
A. Our Adoption – We have already noted that on the eighth day Jesus is circumcised and enters into the Covenant, into the Law. In the Incarnation He joins the human family; in the Covenant He joins our family of faith. He will fulfill the old Covenant and inaugurate the new one. And by this New Covenant, by baptism into Him, we become members of His Body and thereby become adopted as sons.
We become sons in the Son. When God the Father looks to His Son, loving His Son, he is also looking at us and loving us, for we are in Christ Jesus, members of His Body through baptism. God is now our Father, not in some allegorical sense, but in a very real sense. We are in Jesus and therefore God really is our Father.
B. Our Acclamation – St. Paul says that the proof of our sonship is the movement of the Holy Spirit in us that cries out Abba! In Aramaic and Hebrew, Abba is the family term for father. It is not baby talk, like “Dada.” But just as most adults called their father “Dad” or some other endearment rather than “father,” so it is that Abba is the family term for father. It would be a daring thing for us to call God “Dad” unless we were permitted to do so, and instructed to do so by Christ.
St. Paul speaks of this word as proof that we are sons. In so doing, he emphasizes that it is not merely the saying of the word that he refers to. Even a parrot can be taught to say the word. Rather, St. Paul is referring to what the word represents: an inner movement of the Holy Spirit wherein we experience a deep affection for God the Father. By our adoption, our baptism into Christ, by our reception of the Holy Spirit, we love the Father! We develop a deep affection for Him and dread offending Him. By this gift of the Spirit, God is my Father whom I deeply love!
C. Our advancement – Notice that St. Paul then speaks of how we have moved from being a slave to being a son, an heir. In Jesus, we are not just any son, we are the only Son of the Father. And as Jesus has a kingdom from His Father, we too inherit it with Him! As sons in the Son, we are heirs with Jesus to the Kingdom! Jesus speaks of His disciples as one day reigning with Him: And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me (Lk 22:29). In Jesus, all Heaven will be ours and we will reign with Christ forever. This is not our doing, not our glory; it is Christ’s doing and His glory in which we share.
And thus we have a very rich tapestry on this New Year’s Day, this feast of the Octave of Christmas, this Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord, this Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, this Feast of Mary the Mother of God. And also we are given this feast wherein the glory of Christ is held before us and we who are members of His body are told of the gifts that we receive by His Holy Incarnation and His Passion, Death, and Resurrection.
It’s not a bad way to start the new year: reminded of God’s incredible love for us, of His rich blessings and promises.
TOPICS:
Apologetics
Catholic
History
Theology
KEYWORDS:
blessedvirginmary
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To: nickcarraway; NYer; ELS; Pyro7480; livius; ArrogantBustard; Catholicguy; RobbyS; marshmallow; ...
Monsignor Pope Ping!
by 2 posted onby Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: Salvation
We note in the reading that Paul says that God sent forth his Son, born of a woman. Jesus is the eternal Son of the Father; He is God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God. Jesus is God, and since Mary gives birth to Jesus, Mary is the Mother of God, because Jesus is not two different persons. So much error has occurred due to the Council of Ephesus' ruling on this as Rome has completely abused this decision. Scripture never refers to Mary as the "Mother of God". Rome has again departed from Scripture in favor of "tradition".
To: ealgeone
So what?
by 4 posted onby Marchmain (safe, legal and wrong)
To: Marchmain
It has led to a whole bunch of Mariolatry in Roman Catholicism.
To: ealgeone
Mariolatry... what a laugh!
by 6 posted onby Marchmain (safe, legal and wrong)
To: Marchmain
If it weren’t so false it might be funny.
To: ealgeone
Rome has again departed from Scripture in favor of "tradition". 2 Thessalonians 2:15 - Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
2 Thessalonians 2:15 - Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold thewhich ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
To: BenghaziMemoriam; ealgeone
So, we know what the traditions taught by the epistles are. But are there additional traditions that the apostles taught by word, and, if so, how do you prove the traditions not written down were actually taught by the apostles?
To: BenghaziMemoriam
2 Thessalonians 2:15 - Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Rome has taken great liberty with this and the other two passages that mention tradition. However, Rome completely ignores the context of these passages. Why? Because if they don't their "traditions" will be found very un-Scriptural. However, the very early church considered tradition with what was found in the Scriptures. It's not the wide open tradition that Rome has developed over the centuries.
To: kosciusko51
Roman Catholicism cannot give this list. It has been asked for numerous times. And IF Roman Catholics are honest they will have to admit the ECFs equated tradition with what was in the Scriptures. Not this mysterious definition of "tradition" Roman Catholics try to foster on everyone.
To: kosciusko51
So, we know what the traditions taught by the epistles are. But are there additional traditions that the apostles taught by word, and, if so, how do you prove the traditions not written down were actually taught by the apostles? "As I have already observed, the Church, having received this preaching and this faith, although scattered throughout the whole world, yet, as if occupying but one house, carefully preserves it. She also believes these points [of doctrine] just as if she had but one soul, and one and the same heart, and she proclaims them, and teaches them, and hands them down, with perfect harmony, as if she possessed only one mouth. For, although the languages of the world are dissimilar, yet the import of the tradition is one and the same."
- Ireneus, Against Heresies 1:10:2
https://ccel.org/ccel/irenaeus/against_heresies_i/anf01.ix.ii.xi.html
"As I have already observed, the Church, having received this preaching and this faith, although scattered throughout the whole world, yet, as if occupying but one house, carefully preserves it. She also believes these points [of doctrine] just as if she had but one soul, and one and the same heart, and she proclaims them, and teaches them, and hands them down, with perfect harmony, as if she possessed only one mouth. For, although the languages of the world are dissimilar, yet the import of the tradition is one and the same."- Ireneus, Against Heresies 1:10:2
To: BenghaziMemoriam
Nice quote, doesn’t answer the question.
To: kosciusko51
"...if we turn our attention to the beginnings of Apostolical teaching after His ascension, we shall find ourselves unable to fix an historical point at which the growth of doctrine ceased, and the rule of faith was once for all settled. Not on the day of Pentecost, for St. Peter had still to learn at Joppa that he was to baptize Cornelius; not at Joppa and Cæsarea, for St. Paul had to write his Epistles; not on the death of the last Apostle, for St. Ignatius had to establish the doctrine of Episcopacy; not then, nor for centuries after, for the Canon of the New Testament was still undetermined . Not in the Creed, which is no collection of definitions, but a summary of certain credenda, an incomplete summary, and, like the Lord's Prayer or the Decalogue, a mere sample of divine truths, especially of the more elementary. No one doctrine can be named which starts complete at first, and gains nothing afterwards from the investigations of faith and the attacks of heresy."
- John Henry Newman, Development of Christian Doctrine
"Now, as you know, it has been held from the first, and defined from an early age , that Mary is the Mother of God. She is not merely the Mother of our Lord's manhood, or of our Lord's body, but she is to be considered the Mother of the Word Himself, the Word incarnate. God, in the person of the Word, the Second Person of the All-glorious Trinity, humbled Himself to become her Son."
- John Henry Newman, Discourses to Mixed Congregations
To: BenghaziMemoriam
If your point is true that not all Christian teachings were not completed with the apostles, how could the first century believer know what was necessary for salvation? Or did they have sufficient information at that time? And why should any current Christian be held accountable for beliefs the early Christians were not taught by the apostles?
To: kosciusko51
If your point is true that not all Christian teachings were not completed with the apostles, how could the first century believer know what was necessary for salvation? Or did they have sufficient information at that time?
And why should any current Christian be held accountable for beliefs the early Christians were not taught by the apostles? In any age, it would seem that there are certain bare basics that are required to be taught to (and accepted by) the believer. The Apostles' Creed seems to fit that (by definition). However, there's more than just knowing and believing:
"What good does it do to speak learnedly about the Trinity if, lacking humility, you displease the Trinity? Indeed it is not learning that makes a man holy and just, but a virtuous life makes him pleasing to God. I would rather feel contrition than know how to define it. For what would it profit us to know the whole Bible by heart and the principles of all the philosophers if we live without grace and the love of God? Vanity of vanities and all is vanity, except to love God and serve Him alone."
- Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ
https://ccel.org/ccel/kempis/imitation/imitation.ONE.1.html
"To whom much is given, much will be required" (Luke 12:48).
In any age, it would seem that there are certain bare basics that are required to be taught to (and accepted by) the believer. The Apostles' Creed seems to fit that (by definition). However, there's more than just knowing and believing:"What good does it do to speak learnedly about the Trinity if, lacking humility, you displease the Trinity? Indeed it is not learning that makes a man holy and just, but a virtuous life makes him pleasing to God. I would rather feel contrition than know how to define it. For what would it profit us to know the whole Bible by heart and the principles of all the philosophers if we live without grace and the love of God? Vanity of vanities and all is vanity, except to love God and serve Him alone."- Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ"To whom much is given, much will be required" (Luke 12:48).
To: BenghaziMemoriam
So, what teachings necessary for our salvation and spiritual life are not taught either explicitly or implicitly in Scripture? And how do you prove that?
To: kosciusko51
So, what teachings necessary for our salvation and spiritual life are not taught either explicitly or implicitly in Scripture? And how do you prove that? How do you prove that the collection of writings that make up Scripture (particularly the New Testament) are exactly the ones that belong there (no more and no less)? When was that decided and by whom?
How do you prove that the collection of writings that make up Scripture (particularly the New Testament) are exactly the ones that belong there (no more and no less)? When was that decided and by whom?
To: BenghaziMemoriam
You answer my question first, and I’ll answer yours.
To: kosciusko51
You answer my question first, and Ill answer yours. Ok. Ill make an honest attempt to answer to your last questions and would appreciate that you do likewise.
So, what teachings necessary for our salvation and spiritual life are not taught either explicitly or implicitly in Scripture? And how do you prove that? I dont have an exhaustive list, but I do have at least one example: the obligation of Sunday Worship and its supplanting of the Jewish Sabbath. Its definitely not explicit in Scripture and its a stretch to say that its implicit. Of course, there are a few references to worship occurring on the Lords Day. However, thats different than claiming that Scripture mandates it. If you can provide that definitive info, then you can answer the Seventh-Day Adventists who claim You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. Nevertheless, for centuries (millennia?), many (most?) Christians recognize it's necessary for salvation (myself included). While not explicit in Scripture, its arguably consistent with it. Even so, it still needed some time to develop. The very first Christians were Jewish and probably would have continued keeping the Jewish Sabbath until instructed that it was no longer binding (whereas the Sunday obligation is). I cannot provide proof (certainly none that a Seventh-Day Adventist would accept) other than what has been historically observed by several Christian writers over the centuries.
Now, as a reminder, here are my questions:
How do you prove that the collection of writings that make up Scripture (particularly the New Testament) are exactly the ones that belong there (no more and no less)? When was that decided and by whom?
Ok. Ill make an honest attempt to answer to your last questions and would appreciate that you do likewise.I dont have an exhaustive list, but I do have at least one example: the obligation of Sunday Worship and its supplanting of the Jewish Sabbath. Its definitely not explicit in Scripture and its a stretch to say that its implicit. Of course, there are a few references to worshipon the Lords Day. However, thats different than claiming that Scriptureit. If you can provide that definitive info, then you can answer the Seventh-Day Adventists who claim. Nevertheless, for centuries (millennia?), many (most?) Christians recognize it's necessary for salvation (myself included). While not explicit in Scripture, its arguably consistent with it. Even so, it still needed some time to develop. The very first Christians were Jewish and probably would have continued keeping the Jewish Sabbath until instructed that it was no longer binding (whereas the Sunday obligation is). I cannot provide proof (certainly none that a Seventh-Day Adventist would accept) other than what has been historically observed by several Christian writers over the centuries.Now, as a reminder, here are my questions:
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FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson | A single mom with three children and one on the way, Danielle Franzoni recently moved to start a new life. But last week, she received an unexpected gift that changed her entire outlook.
"I'm going to build a future because of this. My kids have a future, and I have a home," Danielle Franzoni said. "It's a big deal. It's a really big deal."
Franzoni, who recently moved to Alpena, Michigan, says her life changed this week when she received a big tip while waiting tables at Thunder Bay River Restaurant.
The tab? $23. The tip? $2020.
"They wrote on the receipt, 'Happy New Year Danielle, 2020 challenge.' I cried. I started crying and went right to my manager and asked if this was real," Franzoni said. "I'm still in complete shock. That doesn't happen to people like me. I'm a recovering addict, and I'm a Detroit native, born and raised. I moved up here to Alpena to start over and get sober."
Franzoni, a recovering opioid addict, moved four hours away from her home of Detroit last year. When she moved to Alpena, she had nothing but the clothes on her back, so she ended up in a homeless shelter before landing a job at the restaurant.
Now two years sober, Franzoni says the two regulars who left the tip are likely unaware of the full gravity of their gift — a second chance.
"It's a blessing. I'm trying to bring my kids home. I'm trying to do right and I'm a server. I don't make great money, and I moved into my own house today," Franzoni said. "They gave my kids a life that they don't even know that they didn't have. And I have a chance."
Franzoni is also going to be able to get her driver's license now for the first time in 10 years. That will allow her to see all of her kids and teach her daughter to drive next year.
She says she never got the chance to thank the two responsible and hopes they know that they've helped change her life's trajectory heading into the new year.
This story was originally published by Brian Abel on WXYZ in Detroit. | 1 |
ATHENS (Sputnik) - Bulgaria's Bulgargaz and Russia's Gazprom have agreed for Bulgaria to start receiving Russian gas directly from the TurkStream pipeline rather than through Romania starting 1 January to save some 81 million leva ($45 million), the Bulgarian gas company has said in a statement.
According to a statement, the Russian and Bulgarian gas giants signed an additional agreement on 30 December under which Bulgaria is to switch from receiving gas from the Negru Voda point in Romania to its own compressor station in Strandzha where the fuel will come from Turkey.
"The financial gains from changing the receiving point are estimated to be approximately 81 million leva. Bulgargaz and customers in Bulgaria will save by no longer having to pay for access to and transit through the territory of Romania worth an approximate 76 million leva", the statement read.
Lower prices set by the Bulgartransgaz operator for gas via Strandzha adds an additional 4.6 million leva to the total savings.
The company has promised lower gas prices in the next three months and said it was in talks with Gazprom to negotiate better prices for Bulgaria. Sofia has also voiced a readiness to transit Russian gas westward to Greece and North Macedonia.
TurkStream is a projected 570-mile twin pipeline to run from Russia through the Black Sea to Turkey, at which point one of the branches will continue further up to southern and southeastern Europe. The launch is scheduled for 8 January, as both branches are now filled with fuel.
Russia has been supplying gas to Bulgaria since 1974 and is currently the only exporter of natural gas on the Bulgarian market. Last year, Bulgaria finished building a 7-mile segment of a pipe to link TurkStream to the so-called Balkan Stream pipeline network of Bulgaria and Serbia. | SOFIA, January 1. /TASS/. Bulgaria has begun to receive Russian gas via the TurkStream gas pipeline, Executive Director of Bulgaria’s Bulgartransgaz operator Vladimir Malinov announced on Wednesday.
"Bulgartransgaz and Russia’s Gazprom Export company finalized talks in the last days of 2019 and today, Bulgaria began to receive Russian gas via Turkey instead of Ukraine," Bulgarian National Radio quoted Malinov as saying. According to him, Bulgaria will get 2.9 bln cubic meters of gas annually. Malinov added that the country’s gas infrastructure facilities were ready to absorb that amount of gas.
Bulgartransgaz executive director added that Bulgaria would be able to reduce the payment of transit fees by about 70 mln lev (35 mln euro) and gas prices would go down by five percent. | 4 |
100 medics hired in October not posted
At least 100 health workers who were hired in October, 2019, are yet to be posted by the Kisumu County government.And the county risks losing up to Sh130 million in payment of wages to the medics since their contracts are binding. The stalemate comes in the backdrop of the sorry state of the county’s health system, which has seen back-to-back strikes by doctors, nurses and clinical officers. Nurses, clinical officers, pharmaceutical technologists, radiographers and laboratory technicians hired three months ago are yet to be engaged as the county administration claims it has no money to pay them. However, Health Executive Judy Attyang confirmed that the officers would have to be paid their full dues despite not offering any services to the county since they have signed contracts. According to the contract signed on October 14, 2019 between the medics and the county government, the health workers were to report to their work stations a day later. “I am pleased to convey the decision of the County Public Service Board that you have been appointed as job group CPSB in the county government of Kisumu,” read an appointment letter to one of those hired.
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According to the contract, the health workers were set to be engaged for three years, with the lowest paid earning a basic salary of Sh24,580. Yesterday, Prof Attyang blamed the stalemate on miscommunication between the county administration and the County Public Service Board. She said the board did not heed the advice by the county to delay the hiring of the medics until money for their wages was available. “We only advised the board to hire 79 people under the Universal Health Coverage programme, but they ended up hiring 179,” she said. The 79 who were set to have one-year contracts were, however, posted to various hospitals, with the remaining 100 advised to wait until the county government gets money. “It is true that the 100 were hired, but we cannot post them because we do not have money... but we will have to backdate their pay once they are posted,” she said. Attyang explained that plans were underway to deploy the workers in the next financial year once funds were available. The affected employees told The Standard they were all given employment letters but a few were deployed. “I resigned from my job thereafter, hoping that I would report to work and support my family. Now I cannot even afford a meal,” said an affected medic who sought anonymity. The medics said efforts to seek the way forward from county officials had been fruitless. A source said 79 of the health workers were given locum letters for one year while 100 were given three-year contracts. The 79 were later called to collect deployment letters. The remaining 100 are yet to receive any communication. Efforts to seek a comment from the public service board were futile. A junior officer told The Standard they were on holiday.
Do not miss out on the latest news. Join the Standard Digital Telegram channel HERE. | City of Elkhorn renews fireworks with J&M Displays
By Kellen Olshefski
The City of Elkhorn Common Council recently voted in favor of both a one-year contract and a new three-year contract with J&M Displays for the annual July 4 fireworks show held at Sunset Park.
The new contract comes on the heels of the completion of a previous three-year contract with J&M Displays, which the City selected after being disappointed with a previous display from other vendors.
For this year’s fireworks, the City has agreed to a total cost of $11,865 for the show, which if paid by April 24 of next year, will include an additional 8 percent of fireworks for free. Additionally, when paired with the three-year contract renewal, the City will also receive an additional 15 percent of the dollar value in fireworks free for each of those three years.
Following tradition in Elkhorn, this year’s fireworks display will be held at dusk on the Friday before the July 4 holiday, July 3.
Under the three-year contract extension, the City will receive the 15 percent bonus each of the three years, as well as the 8 percent bonus if payment and paperwork is received by J&M Displays at least 70 days before the annual show.
The contract also states that the City will purchase fireworks exclusively from J&M Displays, but the City is not obligated to purchase fireworks any of the three years. However, this does mean if the City were to choose not to purchase fireworks any of those years, it would not be able to purchase fireworks from another vendor.
Each year following the fireworks display, the City will also have a 30-day timeline in which it could choose to terminate the three-year contract.
“We’ve had no issues this company,” City Administrator James Heilman said during the recent discussion.
City Attorney Ward Phillps also noted that the contract seems to be very favorable for the City, and contains language that also protects the City.
A motion to approve the contract for 2020 and the three-year extension was approved 6-0. | 1.666667 |
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Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's former Deputy Chief of Staff, Adam Jentleson, wrote that a quick coalescing around Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren is best for a Democratic win.
Indigenous Pirate Radio's Breakdancing with the Wolves podcast's Gyasi Ross appeared on AM Joy on MSNBC. He had a prescient message for Democrats. Joy-Ann Reid referred to Adam Jentleson's article about Democrats nominating either Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren quickly. Gyasi Ross agreed but wanted to enhance the message to the Democratic Party.
"The progressives are bringing the energy. They are bringing the funk. They are bringing the flavor whether you are talking about Elizabeth Warren, whether you are talking about Bernie Sanders," said Ross. "Again, I want to get back to the message that people of color absolutely will turn out with enthusiasm, with clapping their hands and breaking to move and action if the Democrats deliver the goods. We saw that in 2008. We saw that in 2012. ... We need a candidate that elicits excitement, that elicits something more."
Ross went on to say that some people on his Twitter feed say beating Trump is excitement enough. He shot that down.
"No," Ross said pointedly. "We actually need vision. ... We need somebody who can see where we are going not just to repudiate where we've been."
Watch the portion of the segment below with some commentary.
Adam Jentleson recently wrote the following in GQ titled "Quickly Nominating Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren Is Democrats' Best Chance at 2020."
Democratic voters want to know how this all ends. They're fixated on electability, which is notoriously hard to gauge. You have to guess what other people will think several months in the future, with no idea what will happen in between. Prioritizing electability in presidential elections led Democrats to nominate John Kerry, while ignoring it led them to nominate Barack Obama. "Voters are not very good at predicting electability," summed up pollster Patrick Murray. But despite this obsession, Democrats are whistling past one enormous threat to the electability of the Democratic nominee: a long and divisive primary. Giving your opponent a big head start, during which he can spend his effectively unlimited sums of money while wielding the power of incumbency and the bully pulpit of the presidency, is bad for electability. Trump doesn't need to know who his opponent is to start running ads promoting himself and building the grassroots infrastructure he needs in swing states.
Jentleson goes on to point out why Democratic victory goes through the progressive direction.
But while the moderates are selling themselves as the safe choices, they're far more likely than the progressives to lead Democrats down the risky road of a long, divisive primary. This isn't 1996we're not dancing the Macarena at the convention and the moderates aren't the unity candidatesthe progressives are. The party has shifted leftward, with self-identified liberals making up the largest share of the party in seventeen years. All the energy, enthusiasm, and grassroots support lies with the progressives, who can raise ungodly sums of money without attending a single fundraiser. To borrow Chris Rock's analysis, they are the "of the moment" candidates, not the "it's my turn" onesand the of the moment candidates win. The sooner Democrats realize that, the faster they can unify the party and turn their attention to beating Donald Trump.
Jentleson then attempts to dispel the electability trap.
There's so little reliable data on electability because the sample size is ridiculously small: there have only been 24 presidential elections since the advent of modern polling. One of the most-often cited pieces of research on presidential electability is a study of House raceswhich is circular, because over the last decade or so, the outcome of Congressional races have come to depend almost entirely on the outcome of presidential races. We are largely flying blindwe should check the instruments, but Biden, Warren, and Sanders all beat Trump consistently, both in national polls and in the Real Clear Politics averages of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. And one thing we can know beyond a shadow of a doubt is that a long primary where Democrats spend their finite resources like time and money attacking each other, instead of Trump, while Trump spends his unlimited money attacking them, is bad. In a crowded field, Democratic voters have options, but they may not be the ones they think they have. At the end of the day, there may only be three choices: Warren, Sanders, or a long and divisive primary. Let's choose wisely.
It is clear, that if Democrats want a big, it does not go through Biden, Buttigieg, or Klobuchar. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Let's hope the rank & file wake up as the Establishment will not. They cannot. | (Image by Egberto Willies) Details DMCA
Dean Obeidallah appeared on MSNBC's AM Joy and made a very important critique on Democrats ceding the economic narrative to Donald Trump.
A few weeks ago I wrote a piece titled "Make the stock market record highs and low unemployment Trump's failure."
A meme about the stock market recently got my attention. It brought not only rage and tears but confirmation about what we must be fighting for now. The meme was simple enough but poignant. The next time you feel poor, and can't fill your gas tank, and you hold back tears trying to put together a grocery trip that can get you and your family through the week on just $40, remember that the stock market is at a record high and America is great again. Only a few are partaking of this "great economy." Ask yourself a question. Why aren't wages going way up with so little unemployment? Does supply and demand work no more? It is not about economics 101 anymore. One should remember that when a resource is scarce, that resource increases in price. As such, if we are at full employment, it is clear that wages should be increasing at a high clip. But that is not occurring. One reason wages are not increasing isn't at all hard to infer. Many are made to believe that their jobs are not secure. You ask for too much then the threat of a factory move becomes a concern to employees, It is clear we have a rigged economy. The population is manipulated to believe this is all they can strive for and anything different is on the fringe.
The message Dean Obedallah was trying to get across is similar.
"Democrats are ceding this idea that this economy is perfect," Obeidallah said. "That Don has turned in a miracle." In reality, Donald Trump is losing to Donald Trump, of a year ago when we had 3% GDP growth. Now we have under 2%."
Dean Obeidallah continued making the case that Democrats should be making instead of acquiescing to the talking point about a great economy.
On wage growth, he said that while we have 3% wage growth, inflation is 2% which gives a real wage growth of 1%. On unemployment, he talks about the poorly covered job losses in the Midwest. And he wants all of us to remember that most Americans don't have $400 in the bank to cover an unexpected or emergency expense and that bankruptcies are high.
Dean Obeidallah hits the nail on the head. One hopes the Democratic Party gets aggressive with the narrative and lean into the economy that really is not very good for most. They must also take note of a subject covered on Politics Done Right about the danger signs that could lead to an economic collapse. | 1.666667 |
Los Angeles police have arrested one of three drivers who fled last month after each successively struck a 62-year-old pedestrian, who was ultimately left alone to die outside a gas station on Thanksgiving.
At about 8:40 p.m. Nov. 28, Jihad Muhammad was standing on the street outside of a marked crosswalk near Adams Boulevard and West View Street when a white car, which police reported was possibly an Audi A5, traveling eastbound on Adams Boulevard hit him, knocking Muhammad to the ground.
As the car drove away, Muhammad laid motionless in the street, according to police and surveillance footage. Another vehicle, believed to be a white Cadillac Seville, hit him again. The Cadillac also fled the scene.
As one driver stopped to try to help Muhammad, another vehicle, believed to be a white or gray Ford Focus, hit Muhammad again. He became lodged beneath the car, which dragged his body for almost a mile before the driver stopped at a gas station on the corner of Adams and Crenshaw boulevards, according to police.
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After pulling up to the gas pumps, the driver got out of her car to see what was under her vehicle, according to police. She then got back into her car and backed up, which dislodged Muhammad from beneath her car.
Her passenger got out of the car and looked at Muhammad lying in front of the vehicle. The passenger got back into car, and they drove away. Muhammad was pronounced dead at the scene by the Los Angeles Fire Department.
At a Monday news conference about traffic safety and accident statistics, LAPD officials announced that Yolanda Thompson, 57, of Los Angeles, was arrested about noon Dec. 16 after she turned herself in.
Authorities declined to provide any further details about Thompson’s arrest, including which car she was driving, citing the active investigation into the identities of the two other drivers.
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LAPD Det. Ryan Moreno told KTLA-TV Channel 5 that Muhammad was homeless, and was well known and liked in the neighborhood.
As part of the city’s hit-and-run reward program trust fund, a reward of up to $50,000 is available to community members who provide information leading to the offender’s identification, apprehension and conviction, or resolution through a civil compromise.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore warned at Monday’s news conference that a motorist should never flee the scene of an accident.
“The key for hit-and-runs for me is this: It’s an accident, don’t make it a crime,” Moore said. "``Many times when we see collisions involving pedestrians or other motorists that turn into a hit-and-run, the person who’s actually at fault may not be the person who flees the scene. And yet that person who flees the scene is now committing a felony.”
City News Service contributed to this report. | Papy Sukami, the leader of one of the groups, says they are appealing to the City Of Cape Town and UNHCR to provide them with temporary accommodation...
Foreign nationals living in Cape Town’s Central Methodist Church say four children have died from chickenpox since last month.
They want to be sent from South Africa to another country other than that of their country of origin, claiming that they are no longer safe in this country.
They’ve been staying in a church at Greenmarket Square since October.
Internal conflict has broken out, dividing the foreign nationals into two groups. Some have accused a prominent leader of abuse of power and instigating violence.
Papy Sukami, the leader of one of the groups, says they are appealing to the City Of Cape Town and UNHCR to provide them with temporary accommodation.
“Four children last month, we have three or four children suffering from chickenpox right now in the church. We are homeless, we don’t have anywhere to go. If they can provide any temporary accommodation where people can be safe in the meanwhile while we are waiting for the UN to come for the individual interview for the resettlement.”
SAHR to meet with refugees
The SA Human Rights Commission says a meeting will be held on Monday next week to find a solution to the crisis faced by foreign nationals in the Cape Town City Centre.
Human Rights Commissioner Chris Nissen says there’s an urgent need to find a solution to the crisis faced by the foreign nationals before the matter is back in court on the 22nd of January.
He says the leaders of the foreign nations, the City of Cape Town, the Home Affairs department and the office of the UNHCR will meet on Monday to discuss alternative accommodation.
“People are desperate they say we thought we are going to be resettled, but it’s not gonna happen, two weeks the schools are starting, we need to get those children to school, we will engage the leadership on these issues with all those stakeholders to ensure that there’s protection for women and children the most vulnerable.” | 1 |
WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A man surrendered to police after spending hours holed-up inside a suburban Detroit hotel room following a reported domestic situation involving a woman.
A caller told 911 dispatchers about 2 a.m. Wednesday that a naked woman was screaming in a hallway at the Hampton Inn in West Bloomfield Township, northwest of Detroit, WXYZ-TV reported.
Police spoke to the woman who they believe is the man’s wife. She was taken to a hospital.
The man was taken into custody later Wednesday morning. No threats were made by the man who police earlier had said they believed was armed with a gun. | CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina are urging owners of short-term rentals to register their properties so police can more quickly shut down parties that get out of hand.
The Charlotte Observer reported Wednesday that registrations will help police know who owns a property when they respond to a 911 call.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said at a recent news conference that there have been “a number” of incidents where an AirBnB looks like “a nightclub in a condo or an apartment or even a residence.”
For instance, a graduation party turned fatal in June when a 24-year-old was shot and three others were wounded.
The department has compiled a list of 50 short-term rental properties where officers have responded to 911 calls. But police say there are likely more. | 1.333333 |
These Are 4 Of The Best Places For Mexican In MinneapolisWe crunched the numbers to find the top Mexican spots around Minneapolis.
Here's 4 Of The Best Inexpensive Bookstores In MinneapolisIf you haven't been to Uncle Hugo's, or Dreamhaven, you're definitely missing out.
The Best Things To Do In Minneapolis's Standish NeighborhoodGet to know this Minneapolis neighborhood by browsing its most popular local businesses, from a bakery to a tattoo parlor.
Here Are 5 Of The Best Affordable Cafes In MinneapolisWe crunched the numbers to find the best affordable cafes in Minneapolis.
New Yorkers Say Joey Nova's In Tonka Bay Has Real-Deal New York-Style PizzaThe humble strip mall location is nothing special, but Joey Nova's is nestled along the shores of Lake Minnetonka, near Mound, Wayzata, and Excelsior.
Top Minneapolis Places To Have Brunch On Special OccasionsLooking for a delicious breakfast and brunch meal near you? Here are the best high-end breakfast and brunch restaurants around Minneapolis. | ROSEVILLE, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) — Roseville Police say two suspects robbed a Tim Hortons, forcing one employee into a freezer and demanding another employee to give them cash from the cash register.
It happened at the Tim Hortons located at 25511 Gratiot Ave., Sunday at 8:45 p.m.
No one was injured and police believe the suspects fled west on foot from the location.
While the employees were working in the back of the restaurant the two suspects approached them. One displayed a handgun and the other carrying a white plastic bag.
Police say the suspects demanded money and cash was taken from the office and the cash registers.
The first suspect is described as a 6’4″ man weighing 240 pounds. He had on black gloves and was wearing an all black hoodie with black face mask. He wore black sweat pants and possibly black shoes with a white wavy stripe down the outside (possibly puma shoes).
The second suspect is said to be between 5’6″ and 5’9″ weighing 180-200 pounds. He was wearing a blue hoodie with a black knit hat over the hood, grey sweatpants and black shoes with black gloves.
Police said Monday afternoon there was no surveillance video at the time and the amount of cash taken is undetermined.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Det. Houstoulakis at 586-447-4501.
© 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. | 1 |
Mitigating Threats To Bhutan’s Beloved National Animal - The Takin
Takins are strictly protected under Schedule I of the Forests and Nature Conservation Act of Bhutan 1995.
(Source: Deng Jianxin)
By Choki Wangmo | Kuensel
Human-induced changes are threatening the habitats of Bhutan’s national animal - the takin (Budorcas taxicolor whitei).
According to the first national report on takin by the forest department, linear infrastructure such as the expansion of road and transmission lines as well as improper land-use planning were found to hinder wildlife movement and disturb prime habitats of the species,
The infrastructure developments, if left unchecked, could cause unforeseeable risks to their habitats.
Legend of the takin
There is an interesting myth behind the creation of the Takin, which contributed to its religious significance and adoption as Bhutan’s national animal.
Source: Youtube/Bong Travel o Explore
Legend has it that in the 15th century, when Lam Drukpa Kunley (also referred to as ‘The Divine Madman’), arrived in Bhutan from Tibet, he delivered religious teachings to the people, whereupon they requested him to conjure up a miracle.
Lam Drukpa Kunley agreed, on the condition that he would be fed a massive lunch – a whole cow and a whole goat, which the people dutifully brought.
The Tibetan saint devoured the flesh of both the animals and left out the bones. Thereafter, he fixed the head of the goat onto the body of the cow and with a snap of his fingers uttered a mantra.
The animal sprang to life instantly and started grazing in the meadows. Lam Drukpa Kunley then named it the ‘Dong Gyem Tsey’ (Takin).
Where are takins found?
The takin found in Bhutan is actually one out of four sub-species. It is a large bovid ungulate found along the warm broad-leaved forests throughout the alpine region (between the altitudinal range of 1,200m in warm broadleaved forests to 5,374m in northern Bhutan).
Bhutan’s takin migrates from alpine valleys to lower forests in autumn and return to the summer habitats in early spring.
The species has been reportedly seen in Xizang, China and Sikkim, as well as Arunachal Pradesh in India. Its population is estimated to be between 500-700 individuals.
Takins are found in steep forests extending to the timberline and mountain valleys in the Eastern Himalayas as well as the adjoining mountain ranges of Bhutan, India, Myanmar, and China.
Map: Research Gate/Tiger Sangay & Karl Vernes (Dec 2016)
The animal is mostly found in the Jigme Dorji National Park and Wangchuck Centennial National Park. However, the takin can also be seen roaming in the forest divisions of Bhutan’s districts of Paro, Thimphu, and Wangdue.
The report also stated that the winter habitats of the takin were highly vulnerable to anthropogenic pressure due to its closer proximity to human settlements.
“Building roads closer to or within the takin habitats will not only alter the animal behaviour but will also fragment the habitats.”
Recommended solutions to mitigate negative impact of development on takins
To deter negative impact within their habitats, the study recommended that the government should focus on maintaining the existing farm roads rather than building new roads.
“If a new construction is required, it should be cost-effective and environmentally less damaging.”
The current method of ‘cut-fill’ construction involved high costs and is not environmentally friendly.
Experts documented the indirect impact of such developments on wildlife such as: physical barrier for movement and dispersal as well as the displacement and change in habits.
Takins generally prefer continuous gentle terrain and an undisturbed habitat for foraging, finding mates and for their long-term sustenance.
Therefore, low-altitude forested habitats outside protected areas should be incorporated into the takin management plan. These forests should also be protected as takin habitats, according to the report.
Threats to the existence of takins in Bhutan
As takins live in remote areas, far away from high-density human settlements, it increases poaching risk.
Moreover, they are also susceptible to snaring, illegal trapping and disturbance from feral dogs.
The population of takins is found to be decreasing. This is attributed to threats from deforestation, habitat fragmentation, hunting, zoonotic disease transmission, and competition for food from domestic livestock.
Steps have been taken to conserve the species. Bhutan's takin was declared the national animal of Bhutan in 1985 and is strictly protected under Schedule I of the Forests and Nature Conservation Act of Bhutan 1995.
In addition, the takin has also been categorised as ‘vulnerable’ in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List.
This article first appeared in Kuensel and has been edited for Daily Bhutan. | On the prevailing situation along the border with China, Gen Naravane said the Indian Army will enhance its capabilities along the frontier as the focus in the past was on the boundary with Pakistan.
“We have the Line of Actual Control with China. The border question is yet to be settled. However, we have made a lot of progress in maintaining peace and tranquillity along the borders,” he told reporters.
“I am sure that the situation will prevail. And by maintaining peace and tranquillity along the borders, we will be able to set the stage for an eventual solution,” he added.
The India-China border dispute covers 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet, while India contests it.
Both sides have been asserting that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas.
“While we have been giving attention in the past to our western front (border with Pakistan), the northern front also requires equal amount of attention. And it is in that context we are now going to enhance our capacities along the northern border,” Gen Naravane said. – PTI | 1 |
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — A 14-year-old boy was arrested Monday night for posting a message to Instagram threatening to commit a mass shooting at a Publix supermarket in Boynton Beach, officials said.
The Boynton Beach Police Department was notified about the post by a Publix representative and immediately began investigating.
Detectives identified the teen responsible and arrested him on charges of written threats of a mass shooting.
The teen reportedly told detectives it was a joke.
“The Boynton Beach Police Department will vigorously investigate any claim of harm against our community, and arrest any individual responsible,” the police department said. “We urge parents to have conversations with their children about the severity of this.”
LATEST STORIES: | Posted By TheNewsCommenter: From News.yahoo.com: “Mexico arrests seven suspects in Mormon family massacre”. Below is an excerpt from the article.
Mexico City (AFP) - Mexican authorities have arrested seven suspects in connection with last month's massacre of nine Mormon women and children in the country's north, the attorney general's office said.
A local police chief suspected of links to organized crime was among those taken into custody, according to local media.
The victims -- six of them children -- had dual US-Mexican nationality and were shot dead on a rural road in a lawless region known for turf wars between drug cartels fighting over lucrative trafficking routes to the United States.
Investigators believe the cartel mistook the families for members of a rival gang, but some relatives reject that theory, saying they were deliberately targeted.
The prosecutor's office said in a statement Monday that three suspects were arrested on December 26 for "probable responsibility" in organized crime. The charges against the other four, arrested earlier, were not specified.
Read more... | 1 |
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2019 has been a dark year. Americans have spent much of the year under the grim shadow cast by mad emperor Trump. Nonetheless, there is much to be thankful for. Here are ten reasons to be grateful.
1.Nancy Pelosi: Twelve months ago, when it was clear that the Democrats had won a substantial majority in the House of Representatives, some pundits suggested that it was time for Nancy Pelosi to move on -- someone else should become Speaker of the House.
What a mistake that would have been! During 2019, Pelosi has been the primary leader of the Democratic Party, effectively leading the House Democrats through the treacherous impeachment landscape -- and simultaneously overseeing the passage of more than 400 major pieces of legislation. At the end of the year House Democrats impeached Donald Trump, setting the stage for a historic 2020 trial. Thank you, Nancy Pelosi.
2. Increased awareness of Global Climate Change. Because of her vocal leadership on climate change, Greta Thunberg was named Time Magazine's person of the year (https://time.com/person-of-the-year-2019-greta-thunberg/). But it wasn't only Greta that spread the word; all over the world, celebrities and politicians stepped up to make the public aware that climate change is an existential threat. As a result, 2019 polls indicate that 75 percent of Americans believe that humans fuel climate change and a strong majority regard it as a crisis. Thank you, Greta Thunberg, Bill McKibben, and the many other climate change leaders.
3. Fire Season has ended. Because of climate change, California had an extended, deadly fire season. During the Kincade fire, my community had to evacuate and go without electricity for six days. Fortunately, most of us escaped the mammoth fire.
We're thankful that fire season is over. (And that we have since had normal rainfall.) And we're grateful for the extraordinary efforts of our emergency-service providers.
4. The Democratic Presidential Candidates. So far, Democrats have had 28 politicians announce they would compete for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. At the moment, 15 are still in the competition that begins with the February 3rd Iowa caucuses.
The good news is that these candidates offer a full-spectrum of opinions regarding how to move the United States forward. The bad news is that it's not obvious who would offer the best chance of defeating Donald Trump. Nonetheless, in a year dominated by Trump's shadow, each of these candidates offered glimmers of hope.
5. The Whistleblower(s). At the beginning of the year, Democrats believed that the Mueller report -- into Russian interference in the 2016 election -- would bring to the light the treachery of the Trump campaign. Instead, the report confused Americans; rather than unite us in recognition of Trump's perfidy, the Mueller report heightened the polarization. Many Democrats fell into a funk.
Then, in September, we learned that a whistleblower had filed a report with the Director of National Intelligence regarding a bizarre phone call between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky. In this call, Trump offers a bribe to Zelensky -- military aid in return for compromising information on Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. As a result of the whistleblower's complaint, House Democrats began an investigation into Trump's actions that eventually resulted in two articles of impeachment: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Thanks to the whistleblower and the others who are providing detailed information about Trump's treachery. And thanks to the investigative journalists that continue to tell the truth about what goes on in Trump's White House.
6. Reporters and Aid-workers at the Southern Border. The heinous Trump Administration "family- separation" policy began in 2018 and has continued to this date. In January of 2019, the White House admitted that they had separated more children than had previously been reported and they did not have an adequate tracking system in place. (At the end of the year, whistleblowers reported that almost 70,000 children had been detained.)
Throughout 2019, reporters and aide-workers have been at the border, chronicling the consequences of the family-separation policy and -- whenever possible -- providing comfort to the children and their families. Thank you aide-workers who minister to the suffering. (And thank you to activists everywhere.)
7. The New Democrats in the 2019 House of Representatives. In January, Democrats welcomed 59 new members to the House -- their most diverse class ever. The most notable of these new congresswomen was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. We can say a lot about AOC but most importantly, she, and her associates brought a breath of fresh air to the Democratic Party. Thank you, AOC and associates, for shaking up the Dems.
8. Democracy Advocates. Even though much of the world has been under the shadow of Donald Trump, and other totalitarian leaders, there have continued to be political actions by advocates for Democracy. In Hong Kong. Russia. Iraq. Even Saudi Arabia.
We're grateful for all those who stood up for Democracy. Hold on, in 2020 we've got your back.
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(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). | (Breitbart) – Left-wing Hollywood celebrities exhibited advanced levels of unmitigated rage against President Donald Trump, his family, and those who support him, and openly detailed their violent fantasies throughout the year.
Several leftists in Hollywood were confident that the Mueller report, released this year, would fulfill their wishes of taking down the president. However, after the report came out, indicating no collusion or conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, some took their rage up a notch and expressed their violent fantasies for all to see.
Here are some of the worst examples of that rage.
1. Bette Midler openly wished for someone to “shiv” or “stab” Trump.
She wrote the tweet in reaction to Trump’s surprise visit to the McLean Bible Church in Wolf Trap, Virginia, in June.
“He actually looks better here! Maybe someone in his camp can gently give him a shiv. I mean, shove,” she wrote in the now-deleted tweet.
2. Months later, the Broadway star praised the man who violently attacked Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) — an attack that resulted in injuries, including broken ribs and bruised lungs.
“I DO NOT promote violence but… Rand Paul says the Kurds are being ‘ingrates’ for taking their frustrations out on US troops. Which is a good reminder for us all to be more grateful for the neighbor who beat the shit out of Rand Paul,” Midler wrote in a now-deleted tweet.
3. Barbra Streisand shared an image depicting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) killing Trump.
The Grammy-winning singer shared an image of Pelosi impaling Trump with the heel of her shoe. She never deleted the graphic tweet.
4. Far-left actor Jim Carrey depicted Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey being killed in an abortion.
Carrey opted to weigh in on Alabama’s abortion law by posting a graphic image of Ivey, who signed the pro-life Human Life Protection Act, being sucked into a tube.
“I think If you’re going to terminate a pregnancy, it should be done sometime before the fetus becomes Governor of Alabama,” Carrey wrote.
I think If you’re going to terminate a pregnancy, it should be done sometime before the fetus becomes Governor of Alabama. pic.twitter.com/6QgsY2rMz7 — Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) May 18, 2019
He also shared an image depicting Pelosi crushing Trump’s testicles.
5. Robert de Niro openly wished to see Trump hit in the face with a “bag of shit.”
The Irishman actor outlined his fantasy during an appearance on Rumble with Michael Moore in December.
“Pigs have dignity. He has no dignity. He is a disgrace to the human race,” de Niro said.
“I’d like to see a bag of shit right in his face. Hit him right in the face like that, and let the picture go all over the world,” he continued.
6. Cher wished for Trump to be “locked in a hot cage with dirty water.”
The pop singer weighed in on the summer controversy on ICE detentions and toed the Democrat Party line, tweeting a flurry of unsubstantiated accusations.
Our President At Work.
Saw Video Of Baby In
Custody.Theres Breakout of Chickenpox,Measles,Children Live outdoors in Texas heat,
Bad food,Dirty Water,unsanitary Conditions,Physical,Emotional,
Sexual Abuse.
trumps a psychotic Ass🕳.
Wish He Was Locked In Hot Cage,With Dirty Water pic.twitter.com/NhfAozAxxL — Cher (@cher) June 15, 2019
7. Alec Baldwin included Trump physically falling as one of his Christmas wishes.
“My Christmas wishes are as follows,” the Saturday Night Live actor tweeted in part, adding, “I hope some of the BBQ sauce in Trump’s hair slides off, he trips and falls and can’t run.”
My Christmas wishes are as follows: – Peace/love (Ringo style) 2 all of my loved 1s + beyond. – the Dem nom makes Climate Change number 1 priority – Patrick Mahomes and KC win it all – I hope some of the BBQ sauce in Trump’s hair slides off, he trips and falls and can’t run. — HABFoundation (@ABFalecbaldwin) December 23, 2019
8. Actor Jeff Daniels said Trump needed a challenger who could “punch him in the face.”
During an appearance on The Late Show in July, the To Kill A Mockingbird actor said Trump’s challenger needed to be someone who could “punch him in the face.”
“You know, I — whittle it down, but we need somebody that can take this guy on, that can punch him in the face,” he said.
9. Stephen Colbert fantasized of choking Attorney General William Barr.
The Late Show host accused the attorney general of promoting a “bucket of lies” on the Mueller report and said on his show, “Happy Bill Barr Day, everybody! I got you the traditional gift: a bucket of lies.”
“It was incredibly frustrating to watch — filled with legalistic hair-splitting and political ass-covering. I’d say it made me want to wring his neck but I’d need five more hands,” he continued.
10. Actor Mickey Rourke vowed to give the president a “left hook from hell.”
The former boxer made the remarks in a profanity-laced video released in the fall, promising that Trump would one day “feel” him if they ever ran into each other.
“That piece of shit that’s sitting in the White House, that pussy, that lying cocksucker. That no-good fucking two-faced fucking piece of shit,” Rourke said in the video. “He said some really nasty things about the two of us. And you know what? It’s personal. There’s gonna be a day where he ain’t president, and we’re gonna bump into each other. And you’re gonna feel me.”
“What do you think? A left hook from hell,” he continued.
“What goes up, goes down, and when it goes down like a motherfucker,” he added. “You hear me? You’re going to feel me. What you said about the two of us… You’re gonna feel me.”
11. Tom Arnold fantasized standing over Donald Trump Jr.’s corpse.
In a Twitter thread surrounding a photo featuring Trump trophy hunting, the far-left actor stated that he was “looking forward to the day I’m standing over him wearing my bullet belt & safari khakis, my cartoon sized Daniel Boone buck knife in one hand his teeny tiny tail in the other..”
Looking forward to the day I’m standing over him wearing my bullet belt & safari khakis, my cartoon sized Daniel Boone buck knife in one hand his his teeny tiny tail in the other.. — Tom Arnold (@TomArnold) August 2, 2019
breitbart.com/entertainment/2020/01/01/11-times-hollywood-leftists-fantasized-about-violence-against-trump-gop-in-2019/ | 1.5 |
Beijing had suggested the first week of January for Rajapaksa’s visit but had agreed to the revised date suggested by the latter
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will undertake his first official visit to China from 14-15 January.
This follows an invitation extended by President XI Jinping of China.
According to the local media, Beijing had suggested the first week of January for Rajapaksa’s visit but had agreed to the revised date suggested by the latter.
This will be the second overseas tour to be undertaken by the President since being elected to office in November. India was the choice for Rajapaksa’s first visit as President from 28 to 30 November. | Jan 01, 2020 , 1:15PM Sri Lanka: Public officials administered oath for efficient, productive service DD NEWS
All public servants were required to read the oath, to create a people-centred economy and to perform the role entrusted to them in the implementation of public policies and goals, efficiently, productively and with loyalty to the public, with a view to meet the challenges of developing the motherland.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has called upon public service to improve its efficiency saying the new government is determined and committed to make 2020 the 'Year of Prosperity'. He said the inefficiency in the state sector should come to an end during the tenure of the present government and asserted that strict action will be taken against public officers found guilty of misconduct including corruption and bribery.
President Rajapaksa said inefficient public service has created displeasure among the public towards every previous government. He said the entire state sector should bear the responsibility of restoring the public faith and trust in their service. | 2 |
Delhi Police issued a total of 352 challans for drink-and-drive cases on the eve of New Year, officials said on Wednesday.
Security was beefed up across the national capital, especially in the vicinity of markets, malls, five-star hotels, restaurants, pubs and bars, in order to ensure orderly celebrations. All PCR vans, Raftaar motorcycles and Prakhar vans were dynamically deployed at vulnerable points, according to police officials.
There was heavy police presence, fire tender deployment and traffic arrangements at areas where high footfall was anticipated such as Connaught Place among other places.
Police had warned that any incident of hooliganism and drunk driving would be dealt with strictly.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) | The Delhi Police made elaborate traffic arrangements for the smooth flow of traffic throughout Delhi on New Year's eve. (Image for representation: PTI)
The Delhi Police on Wednesday informed that a total of 352 challans were issued on New Year's Eve for drunken driving.
The Delhi Police had made elaborate traffic arrangements for the smooth flow and regulation of traffic throughout the national capital.
Special arrangements were made for the areas in the vicinity of Connaught Place. Several restrictions were imposed from 8.00 pm onwards on December 31 in the vicinity of Connaught Place till the conclusion of New Year celebrations.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Eish Singhal had earlier said that women safety remains the top priority during New Year celebrations in the national capital. | 4 |
Coal India Ltd. posted the first decline in annual shipments in at least six years as demand from power producers weakened and its production was hit by heavy rains earlier in 2019. Shipments fell 3.8% in 2019 from a year ago to 580.8 million tons, according to Bloomberg calculations based on data from the state-run company dating back to 2013. Production slipped 2.2% to 582.8 million tons, the data showed.
On a monthly basis, shipments rose 1.9% in December from last year to 53.63 million tons, the Kolkata-based miner said late Wednesday. Output climbed 7.2% to 58.02 million tons. Coal India is the biggest coal-producing company in the world.
India’s power generation from coal is poised to shrink in 2019 for the first time in at least 14 years. The decline mirrors a global trend as nations embrace cleaner forms of energy in a bid to cut emissions and reduce air pollution.
Further sapping India’s coal consumption is an industrial slowdown, which caused electricity use to slump for four consecutive months. Prolonged rains have also pushed up output from hydroelectric dams while curbing demand for air conditioning and irrigation. Coal helps generate nearly 70% of the country’s power.
Coal India’s production sank to a record low in September after some of its largest miners were flooded due to heavy rainfall in the monsoon season.
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. | (Bloomberg) -- South Korea’s inflation came in at 0.4% in 2019, the weakest since data going back to 1966, as uncertainties from a trade war and a slowdown in the global tech cycle hit consumer demand.
In December, consumer prices rose 0.7% from a year earlier, according to the statistical office. That compares with the median estimate of a 0.6% rise in a Bloomberg survey of economists and a 0.2% gain in November.
South Korea has been grappling with inflation that’s undershot the 2% target this year, with the central bank’s two rate cuts doing little to boost prices. While consumer-price growth hovering near zero have spurred concerns about deflation risks, policy makers have dismissed such worries as excessive, blaming higher-than-usual food prices last year.
Key Insights
South Korea’s economy is expected to grow 1.9% this year, the slowest pace in a decade, according to economists surveyed by Bloomberg. Falling exports have forced both the government and the central bank to slash their forecasts to 2%.South Korea’s consumer prices fell for the first time on record in September and returned to growth only in November.The Bank of Korea expects inflation to pick up gradually to 1% in 2020. In its 2020 policy statement, the central bank pledged to keep policy accommodative as inflationary pressure from the demand side is likely to to remain weak.South Korea’s aging population and falling potential growth are two challenges that raise the risk of structural deflation in the long term.“Korea has entered disinflation and there’s a worry that time is ticking before that morphs into deflation,” said Ahn Dong-hyun, a professor of economics at Seoul National University. “The economy is losing its dynamics, which leads to low consumption and investment, weakening inflation.”Government’s welfare policy worked to push inflation lower in 2019, but “a more significant factor was likely depressed demand due to an unfriendly export environment and the electronics down-cycle”, Park Chong-hoon, an economist at Standard Chartered Bank in Seoul, wrote before the release. This “leads us to believe CPI inflation is not likely to pick up in 2020,” Park wrote.
Bank of Korea Warns Aging Population Threatens Inflation Efforts
Get more
Compared with the previous month, consumer prices rose 0.2% in DecemberCore inflation year-on-year was 0.9% in 2019, and 0.7% for Decembe
What Bloomberg’s Economist Says
“Muted inflationary pressures underscore slack in the economy. That should keep the Bank of Korea’s stance accommodative. But low policy ammunition means further rate cuts may prove difficult to make. Our baseline forecast is for the central bank to remain on hold through 2020.”-Justin Jimenez, economistClick here to read more.
(Updates with economist comment.)
To contact the reporter on this story: Sam Kim in Seoul at skim609@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Paul Jackson at pjackson53@bloomberg.net, Jiyeun Lee, Karthikeyan Sundaram
For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com
©2019 Bloomberg L.P. | 1.333333 |
Opinion
Why demagogues were the Founding Fathers’ greatest fear
While dressed as founding father Alexander Hamilton during a demonstration in part of a national impeachment rally, at the Federal Building in San Francisco on Dec. 17, event organizer Steven Rapport addresses the crowd. Protesters around the nation participated in “Nobody is Above the Law” rallies on the eve of a historic Trump impeachment vote in the U. S. House of Representatives. less While dressed as founding father Alexander Hamilton during a demonstration in part of a national impeachment rally, at the Federal Building in San Francisco on Dec. 17, event organizer Steven Rapport addresses ... more Photo: PHILIP PACHECO / AFP Via Getty Images Photo: PHILIP PACHECO / AFP Via Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Why demagogues were the Founding Fathers’ greatest fear 1 / 1 Back to Gallery
There has been much talk lately among both Democrats and Republicans of the intents of the founders in the writing of the Constitution, especially involving the powers of impeachment and removal from office.
What has been sorely lacking from this conversation is an awareness of the framers’ overwhelming conviction that there was nothing more poisonous to constitutional democracies than demagogues — which to them meant a very specific kind of threat.
Less than two weeks after the start of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, George Washington wrote to his friend, the Marquis de Lafayette, on June 6, 1787, explaining that his critical purpose in attending the convention was to prevent a demagogue from gaining power in the politically unstable young nation and thus destroying it.
Washington described how he was pulled out of retirement by an urgent risk to the United States. “Anarchy and confusion” were threatening the security of the American people and the rule of constitutional law. But this was only half the danger.
The deeper risk, he wrote that early June, was that the political chaos created fertile ground for exploitation “by some aspiring demagogue who will not consult the interest of his country so much as his own ambitious views.”
In a letter written three weeks later to David Stuart, a Virginia politician and distant family relation, Washington lamented that the widespread denigration of the Articles of Confederation, and the federal government it created, had rendered “the situation of this great country weak, inefficient and disgraceful.” He concluded the letter to Stuart by again stating that the political crisis made possible demagogues who pose a dire threat to the United States.
Washington’s greatest fear that summer of decision in Philadelphia was that unwise, self-seeking politicians — even if fairly elected to public office — would tear down the central government and its constitutional laws for the sake of their own advancement and glorification.
Washington, like his peers, did not use the word “demagogue” as an insult or epithet. He did not employ it as ammunition against those he identified as his political opponents. For the steady, rational Washington, “demagogue” was a forensic term that described a well-known class of political actors, known since Greek and Roman times, who obtain power through emotional appeals to prejudice, distrust and fear.
Irrespective of party affiliation, demagogues were a distinct personality type that knew no bounds of politics except fiery self-aggrandizement.
Washington, of course, was not the only framer who viewed our Constitution largely as a bulwark against demagogues. In the surviving records of the speeches given at the Constitutional Convention, the word “demagogue” was used 21 times by the framers as they crafted the Constitution’s essential checks and balances against despotism and tyranny.
“Demagogues are the great pests of our government,” said Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts during the convention, “and have occasioned most of our distresses.”
Gerry further described demagogues as “pretended patriots,” unprincipled politicians who steer the people toward “baneful measures” through “false reports.”
James Madison of Virginia twice alluded to “the danger of demagogues.” Alexander Hamilton of New York spoke of this peril of democracy more than any other delegate, naming it seven times. Demagogues, Hamilton said on the floor of Independence Hall in late June 1787, “hate the controul of the Genl. Government.”
Later, Hamilton went on to predict an ominous decline in republics from demagoguery to tyranny. As he put it in Federalist No. 1: “History will teach us that of those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people; commencing demagogues, and ending tyrants.”
Other framers who raised the red flag of demagoguery during the Constitutional Convention were Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania, Pierce Butler of South Carolina and Edmund Randolph and George Mason of Virginia. Mason declared outright that “the mischievous influence of demagogues” was one of the top two “evils” that can befall republican forms of government.
This destructive risk of demagogues is one reason the 55 framers of the Constitution adopted the power of impeachment during the historic convention of 1787.
They believed uniformly that some men, though elected by the people, would be temperamentally incapable of serving the public interest under the Constitution. Therefore, they offered Congress the remedy of impeachment and removal from office.
The framers did not view the exercise of this remedy to be an anti-democratic act of nullifying elections. To the contrary, they provided the people and their representatives with these emergency powers for the specific purpose of rescuing our democracy and Constitution from harm and destruction at the hands of demagogues.
Eli Merritt is a visiting scholar in the department of history at Vanderbilt University. Twitter: @elimerritt | Article II, Section 4, the U.S. Constitution, establishes, "The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors." Treason and bribery are specific. "High crimes and misdemeanors" are not. Defined meaning of the phrase cannot be found in the Constitution itself.
The first viewpoint by those who believe in a literal reading of the Constitution, the phrase means precisely what it says, that is criminal activity. They argue that the framers wanted only true criminal activities to be the basis for impeachment. The second viewpoint is much broader. It defines high crimes and misdemeanors as any serious abuse of power, including both legal—but corrupt—and illegal actions qualify. For instance, any civil officer may face impeachment for serious incompetence, misconduct, violations of oath of office, and, in the case of judges, activities that undermine public confidence or damage the integrity of the judiciary.
Framers of the Constitution had considerable debate considering the issue of impeachment. As a matter of English practice and authoritative commentary by the mid-eighteenth century, impeachment embraced offenses involving official misconduct not necessarily those ordinarily punishable by the ordinary criminal law. Early discussion centered mostly on the idea of abuse or misuse of an official's government power.
Coincidentally and concurrent with the Constitutional Convention in 1787, there was a prominent impeachment proceeding taking place in Great Britain. It was the impeachment of Warren Hastings, Governor-General of India for “high crimes and misdemeanors” including charged offenses involving administrative misconduct, corruption, and cruel administration toward the people of India—not mere crimes in the common law sense.
On June 13, the report of the “Committee of the Whole” included a resolution that the executive would be removable “on impeachment and conviction of malpractices or neglect of duty.” In subsequent debates, George Mason referred to “corruption” as grounds for impeachment. Governor Morris, who wavered upon whether the President should be impeachable at all, eventually affirmed that a power of impeachment was necessary to guard against a President “corrupting his electors” to gain office, betraying his trust, being in foreign pay, or engaging in “bribery,” “treachery,” or other corruption.
Edmund Randolph said impeachment was needed to guard against a President “abusing his power.” James Madison spoke broadly of impeachment as necessary to protect the people against “negligence” or “perfidy” (dishonesty), warning that a President might “pervert his administration into a scheme of peculation [self-dealing] or oppression” or “betray his trust to a foreign power.” A proposed offense of maladministration was rejected as being too vague and susceptible to political abuse.
Finally, the Constitutional Convention returned to the familiar English common law standard of “high crimes and misdemeanors.” The offense(s) indicated have no precisely settled meaning, yet it means a universally understood, serious apolitical corrupt malpractice or abuse of one's office.
After the Convention, to obtain ratification, Alexander Hamilton warned in the Federalists Essays that the “greatest danger” to the new Republic would be attempted impeachment by a single party for its political interest(s) alone.
Jeffrey Lea, West Burlington | 2.666667 |
Funders and subscribers support a free press, student journalists
Community support for our work ensures that a free press matters and has a place in Michigan’s future. This year, you helped expand a student journalism program, support workshops on the Freedom of Information Act, begin coverage of people returning home after serving time in prison, and more.
FOIA workshops
The Free Press teamed up with Michigan Community Resources to host four workshops throughout the city of Detroit on the Michigan Freedom of Information Act. Michigan Community Resources works with local nonprofits to provide legal services, so it is in a unique position to see how organizations and individuals can use FOIA. Meanwhile, the Free Press uses the law every day, as it seeks public documents for its investigations and news stories. A grant by the Detroit Journalism Engagement Fund made this program possible. The fund, a partnership of the Community Foundation of Southeastern Michigan, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Ford Foundation, aims to involve residents in telling the city’s stories.
Robin Luce Herrmann, who leads the media law practice at Butzel Long and works closely with the Michigan Press Association, anchored the events, with a presentation on how the Freedom of Information Act works in Michigan. For each panel, Robin was joined by Free Press journalists and local residents who talked about how they put the law into practice. Free Press reporter Kat Stafford and Senior Editor for Investigations Mark Rochester were among several journalists who offered their best tips, including:
See what you can find outside of a FOIA request to avoid fees
Use a spreadsheet to keep track of every letter and response
Ask to come in to review documents to avoid copying fees or ask for them in electronic form to lower copying fees
Nearly 200 residents took part. After each event, we offered to help them gather the information they need. In addition, we published an online primer on the Michigan Freedom of Information act at freep.com/foia.
2019 Community Impact report: 15 Free Press stories that spurred real-world change
Report for America
The Free Press seeks opportunities to augment its reporting through new funding sources. In 2019, the Free Press was one of more than 60 newsrooms across the country to receive support from the GroundTruth Project, a nonprofit journalism outfit that started Report for America to help fill coverage gaps across the country. Report for America funds a portion of a reporting fellowship and helps newsrooms raise money to fund the reporting.
Through the program, we brought on a Report for America corps member for a yearlong fellowship in the newsroom to cover the experiences of people who have been incarcerated and their families. Jail and prison time can create lifelong barriers to employment and housing, which are fundamental to rebuilding one’s life. Angie Jackson, a Michigan native who most recently covered criminal justice issues in Charleston, S.C., is writing about the challenges returning citizens face with a focus on solutions that are in the works across the country. What started as a one-year reporting fellowship has expanded to two years thanks to support from the Detroit-based Hudson-Webber Foundation for this partnership.
For 2020, the Free Press has support from Report for America to bring on two additional one-year reporting positions.
One reporter will focus on the issues and obstacles affecting economic mobility, primarily in Detroit. This wide-ranging beat will bolster the Free Press' coverage of housing and water affordability and issues important to small business owners.
For a second new one-year position, the Free Press is teaming up with PolitiFact to train a reporter who will fact-check claims made in the 2020 elections.
If you’d like to support any of these reporting positions, please contact Jewel Gopwani, the Free Press’ senior editor for engagement and events, at jgopwani@freepress.com. The Free Press maintains editorial control of this coverage and all other funded projects.
Summer Apprentice Program
The Free Press Summer Apprentice Program brings high school students from across metro Detroit to work in the Detroit Free Press newsroom for six weeks. Throughout the program we provide training for students, who are placed in departments across the newsroom. Each student gets a mentor and an editor. After receiving training, they get assignments and make story pitches just like any other Free Press staffer. Students leave the program with writing samples, newsroom experience and a network of journalists who can be mentors throughout their careers. Over the years, many Free Press apprentices have returned to the newsroom for internships and full-time jobs. The Apprentice Program has long benefited from in-kind support from Wayne State University's Journalism Institute for Media Diversity and the program expanded in 2019 thanks to support from the Lipinski Journalism Fund at The Michigan Daily.
Here's what two apprentices had to say about their experiences in the program:
“I will never forget my second day in the newsroom, when my editor sent me an assignment to cover a Wayne County Ethics Board hearing at nine that morning. I learned so much about the news cycle in general — how to combine efficiency, timeliness and quality reporting — but also gleaned some finer points like how to chase after and approach a lawyer for further statements and how to make observations into an investigative tip. Through this, I worked with a great mentor who exposed me to many skills of the trade. And it was the greatest surprise of all to learn that it would be a front-page story the next day! At risk of sounding cliché, this was an opportunity that has defined me not only as a student journalist, but as a person.” — Julie Heng, senior, Huron High School “Before the program, journalism was just something I could follow in high school. But now I have the experience and knowledge to pursue my dream for the rest of my life. … I really appreciate you giving me the chance to prove, to myself, that I have what it takes to be on this level.” —Grace Osmialowski, senior South Lake High School
To support the Apprentice Program, please reach out to Jewel Gopwani, senior editor for engagement and events, at jgopwani@freepress.com.
Thank you to our funders and supporters
Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Ford Foundation
GroundTruth Project
Hudson-Webber Foundation
The Lipinski Journalism Fund at The Michigan Daily
Wayne State University's Journalism Institute for Media Diversity
Michigan Community Resources
Doris J. Duchene and Donald L. Duchene Sr. Foundation
Subscribing to the Free Press is another way of supporting public service journalism and inspiring change. To become a subscriber, go to freep.com/impact. | A letter from Free Press Editor and Vice President Peter Bhatia
To say these are complicated times in the news business is, to put it mildly, a great understatement.
The relentless and misguided attacks on a free press continue, and our industry will also continue to push forward through the complex transition from print to digital.
Nonetheless, to borrow from Mark Twain, reports of our demise are greatly exaggerated. The Free Press is a healthy institution financially and journalistically, and one quickly and successfully evolving with the times.
2019 Community Impact report: 15 Free Press stories that spurred real-world change
I’ve had the great privilege to lead the Free Press newsroom for more than two years. I’ve admired the deep commitment metro Detroiters have for this community and making change for the better. And I continue to be impressed by the dedication, intelligence and commitment to truth-telling my colleagues bring to you every day. This Community Impact Report is a testament to that commitment.
Our guiding principle in the Free Press newsroom is to do important, revelatory and unique journalism and to continue to grow our digital audience. This section lays out some of the remarkable work done this year by our journalists — work that has helped to make a real difference in this community. Our digital audience will once again bring in a billion (yes, billion) page views.
In 2020, expect more of the deep-dive investigative reporting and engaging storytelling that is our hallmark. Expect detailed reporting of the presidential campaign in Michigan. Expect more nuanced coverage of Detroit. And dive in as we provide more news in more places using video, audio and podcasts.
Most of all, thank you for reading the Free Press and at freep.com, and best wishes for 2020.
Peter Bhatia
Editor and Vice President | 3 |
This is the time when calendars flip to a new year – and to a new decade (with apologies to those who hold that won’t really happen until 2021). January presents a fresh start. A new beginning.
Plenty of bad news has been reported in the outgoing year and decade. Many commentators this season seem compelled to offer a counterbalance, gently reminding readers that much progress is underway.
One could, in fact, make a convincing argument that these are the best times in human history. Worldwide, poverty is receding, and education and literacy are on the rise. Never in history have so many people been so well off materially. One world index shows prosperity increasing in 148 countries and falling in only 19 during the past decade. Over the past three decades, more than a billion people worldwide have moved out of extreme poverty, according to the World Bank.
While oppressive regimes continue on in many places, in Hong Kong and elsewhere citizens are rising up to demand a voice in their own government through democratic means.
But what of these numerous wrongs and injustices? Does noting progress mean we need to do nothing and find that wrongs somehow self-correct?
Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t think so. “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable,” he said. “Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” He didn’t hold much with complaints of compassion fatigue, either.
Another vital piece of good news is that people around the world are responding to human needs. An estimated 1 billion volunteers do something to help others every day, according to United Nations officials involved in volunteer efforts. In the United States, 63 million people, about 25% of all adult Americans, contribute volunteer work worth an average of more than $25 per hour of service.
Good actions provide a powerful counterbalance to news that would disturb, discourage, or enervate. “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world,” wrote young Anne Frank as the Holocaust began to rise around her.
The founder of The Christian Science Monitor, Mary Baker Eddy, saw that individual action was essential for progress.
“But what of ourselves, and our times and obligations?” she said in remarks given at a Fourth of July service honoring America’s heroes. “Are we duly aware of our own great opportunities and responsibilities? Are we prepared to meet and improve them, to act up to the acme of divine energy wherewith we are armored?”
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Alan Paton, the South African author and anti-apartheid activist, once referred to the Monitor as “a newspaper of sober and responsible hope” because, he said, “it gives no shrift to any belief in the irredeemable wickedness of man, nor in the futility of human endeavor.”
Hope, sometimes referred to as the expectation of good, might be just the approach in which to ground thinking and actions in the year ahead. | “Life has improved tremendously in the past 250 years … (and) it will continue to improve in almost every dimension; health, wealth, longevity, nutrition, literacy, peace, freedom and so forth.”
People celebrate the New Year on Times Square in New York, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020, (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
For many, the birth of a new year is a time for reflection and optimism, an occasion for hopeful resolution and personal reset. But these are not normal times. Seemingly endless political conflicts have created a climate of anger, anxiety and agitation in many quarters, leading to a heightened pessimism about the future.
But while our disputes have indeed become more vitriolic and divisive, it’s important to take a more complete and thoughtful inventory of the times. For as we start 2020, the nation — and the entire world — has many reasons to celebrate.
“Just about every measure of human welfare is improving except one: hope,” John Tierney and Roy F. Baumeister noted in an op-ed in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal.
This disconnect, they believe, stems from the fact that people tend to emphasize the bad over the good. “Our minds and lives are skewed by a fundamental imbalance that is just now becoming clear to scientists: the negativity effect,” the authors write, adding, “We focus so much on bad news, especially in a digital world that magnifies its power, that we don’t realize how much better life is becoming for people around the world.”
Over the past 25 years, for instance, the number of people living in “extreme” poverty — as defined by the World Bank — has dropped by a remarkable 75 percent.
In his book “Fewer, Richer, Greener,” Laurence Siegel of the CFA Institute argues that markets and democratic institutions have led to dramatic improvements in living standards. As the world becomes richer, he forecasts, population growth will slow and cause less stress on the ecosystem.
Mr. “Siegel provides reams of solid data for similarly heartening global trends,” writes Ronald Bailey of Reason magazine. “Crop productivity, food availability, life expectancy and education are increasing; violence is in decline.” As for the pessimists, Mr. Siegel has a message: “Let us not teach our children that apocalyptic thinking is right thinking. (It) has always been wrong as a forecast, and it will continue to be wrong. … Life has improved tremendously in the past 250 years … (and) it will continue to improve in almost every dimension; health, wealth, longevity, nutrition, literacy, peace, freedom and so forth.”
Despite the turmoil in Washington, the United States remains a beacon of hope and opportunity for the world. The Constitution will continue to withstand the stress tests of Beltway hyperpartisanship.
“By rationally looking at the long-term trends instead of viscerally reacting to the horror story of the day, you’ll see there’s much more to celebrate than to mourn,” write Mr. Tierney and Mr. Baumeister. “No matter … who wins the presidential election, the average person in America and the rest of the world will in all likelihood become healthier and wealthier.”
And that’s a reason to toast 2020 rather than to fear it. | 2.333333 |
LAKEWOOD, CO (STL.News) Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU; TSX:EFR) (“Energy Fuels” or the “Company”), a leading producer of uranium in the United States, is pleased to announce that today the Company has filed a prospectus supplement to its effective U.S. registration statement on Form S-3 in order to renew its ‘at-the-market’ (“ATM”) program. Under the renewed ATM program the Company may, at its discretion from time to time, sell up to an additional US$30.0 million of common shares, with sales only being made on the NYSE American at then-prevailing market prices, or any other existing trading market of the common shares in the United States. The prospectus supplement and the accompanying base shelf prospectus relating to this offering have been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Copies of the prospectus supplement and the accompanying base shelf prospectus relating to this offering, when available, may be obtained from Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., Attention, Equity Capital Markets, 499 Park Avenue, New York, New York, 10022, email: [email protected]
NOTE: this is NOT the complete release.
CLICK to VIEW COMPLETE RELEASE
The post Energy Fuels Renews Its ATM Program appeared first on STL.News.
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Giving Fund: Make a New Year’s resolution to help those in need
The Advocate and Greenwich Time Giving Fund Logo The Advocate and Greenwich Time Giving Fund Logo Photo: Contributed / Contributed Photo Photo: Contributed / Contributed Photo Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Giving Fund: Make a New Year’s resolution to help those in need 1 / 1 Back to Gallery
Everyone likes to make resolutions for the New Year. Perhaps for 2020, you can resolve to help others in your own community.
The Greenwich Time and the Stamford Advocate are putting a spotlight on some of our neighbors who could use a helping hand this holiday season.
We are publishing short stories about local people facing real-life difficulties — and asking our readers to join us in offering assistance through the Giving Fund.
Each case in the Giving Fund includes an estimated dollar amount that would help a local person or family tackle everyday challenges such as rent payments, child care costs and transportation. Every dollar donated to the Giving Fund goes directly to the peoples in the stories, which are published every Thursday and Sunday throughout the holiday season.
Your donation can be small, but it can make a huge difference to some of these families.
The names of those included have been changed to protect their privacy. The Stamford Advocate and Greenwich Time sponsor The Giving Fund in partnership with Family Centers and Person-to-Person.
Readers are invited to brighten the holidays of others by making a donation. Here are the personal stories of some neighbors in need:
Case #330) Linda is a single mother working hard to raise her daughter, work full time and earn a degree. She has been enrolled in college since 2016 and is on a path to earn a bachelor's degree in human services. Linda has attended classes year round and just completed registration for her last semester. Unfortunately, Linda's last class is not covered by financial aid. A grant of $1,000 will allow her to complete this final class and graduate. This degree will help Linda pursue different job opportunities and improve her career path, ultimately moving her family forward.
Case No. 331) Samantha is a mother of two. During the birth of her second child, she faced complications that kept her from working full time. Her baby was born with a deformity that required extensive physical therapy. She also had to protect herself and her children from an abusive partner who threatened their lives. Samantha has sought the justice system to keep her family safe. The child is now healthy and thriving, however, Samantha is having difficulty covering an outstanding back rent balance from the period when she could not work. A grant of $1,000 will keep Samantha from facing eviction and allow her family to remain in a safe environment.
Case No. 332) After undergoing major surgery during her pregnancy, Mary found herself unable to work for a couple of months. She eventually resumed work and later gave birth. Shortly after, she lost major supports in her life and her work clientele decreased. Though Mary was able to work during that time, it was a stressful period of caring for a baby and her other young children (one of whom has special needs) while recovering from the physical trauma. This winter, Mary is faced with a large bill from her utility company and will not be able to get a delivery until it is cleared. A grant of $1,000 will ensure that Mary and her children have a warm home during the winter.
Case No. 333) Daniel relocated from Puerto Rico about 40 years ago and has been living independently in Norwalk for 12 years. He has worked steadily as an assistant in an appliance repair business. Though he has faced challenges, Daniel has always maintained his employment and his residence. But after battling pain and discomfort for years, he underwent hip replacement surgery this month. As a result, Daniel has not been able to work and for the first time, is at risk of losing his apartment. A grant of $800 will allow Daniel to pay for the full month's rent and remain in his home for the holidays, enabling him to fully recover and return to work.
Case No. 334) Maria is a single mother. Throughout her young adult years, she has battled mental health issues causing her to be anxious, depressed and nervous. Despite this, she has always maintained a job and a place to live, until an immediate family member became ill and died. She had no other option but to work fewer hours, but her employer was no longer accommodating and she was asked to leave. She has since found another job and is grateful that the property owner has not evicted her. She is working alongside her property owner to pay her arrearage. A grant of $1,000 will help Maria maintain housing and allow her to focus on her emotional health and the well-being of her child.
Case No. 335) Julio has always been a hard worker, supporting his wife and three children and sending money back to his parents in Honduras. He never missed work, until this fall he developed pain that was so bad he could not continue. Julio knew something was seriously wrong, but he was afraid what a trip to the hospital might cost. Finally, his wife insisted that he go and Julio heard the diagnosis he had been dreading. After an emergency operation, he was told he has cancer and cannot work for at least three months. A grant of $1,000 will relieve Julio of an immense burden and allow him to focus on getting well while remaining in his home.
Case No. 336) Mr. Martin is an elderly man who has spent a number of years in an abusive relationship. He sought help through a local organization that has assisted him in finding housing where he will be safe from financial, verbal and emotional abuse. Mr. Martin receives a small amount in Social Security benefits that was mostly controlled by his ex-partner, leaving him with few resources. A grant of $650 will help Mr. Martin secure a subsidized apartment, allow him to save and be more self-sufficient in the near future.
Case No. 337) Carol is a hard-working mother of three. When she and her family welcomed their youngest child last year, Carol learned their newborn was inflicted with a cardiac condition and kidney failure that required regular specialized care. Shortly after the child's birth, Carol's husband was laid off and left the family without medical insurance. The medical bills continue to mount, and Carol and her family are in danger of losing their home. A gift of $800 would provide some financial relief and allow Carol to enjoy the holidays with her family
Case No. 338) Jackson is a 28-year-old Latino who was born with chronic health issues and multiple and pervasive learning disabilities. He lives independently in public housing and is working hard as an Uber driver. But his weekly income is not enough to cover special expenses. In order to continue working throughout the winter, he needs to purchase snow tires for his car. A total of $800 in assistance from the Giving Fund would enable him to get new tires and retain his level of self-sufficiency.
Case No. 339) Gloria is a senior in high school and a single mother. She attends school during the day and works at night to make ends meet and provide for her son. Gloria relies on her parents to transport her and her son. She had a goal of purchasing a car, but due to personal reasons, she has been forced to use her savings to continually make ends meet. She is now applying to local colleges to become a physician's assistant. A gift of $500 would allow Gloria to begin to replenish her savings and become one step closer to owning a vehicle. This would allow her to have reliable transportation and make her possibilities endless.
All cases are also listed online. Donations can be made online by looking at the cases on stamford advocate.com/givingfund and greenwichtime.com/ givingfund and clicking on the link to the dollar amount for the case of interest. Or visit http://bit.ly/2jU5O1H and select from the case numbers above. | Members of one family in George's Valley, Manchester, are not looking forward to 2020, as they have three funerals to plan.
According to one man who didn't wish to identified, tragedy first struck when his cousin Vivian Scott was shot and killed two weeks ago in Mammee Bay, St Ann.
Then last week, his cousin's sister died after years of suffering from lupus. And just yesterday, his uncle, Roy Leon, was nearly beheaded, allegedly by his own son.
"This just no real; mi still can't believe this," the man said. The son has since been taken into custody by the police.
The cousin told the news team that the suspected murderer had not been acting like himself for a few days.
He said that family members have tried talking to him but he would always say that he was OK.
"You wi deh yah so and a talk to him and him just space out. For the past few days him nah talk straight. My father go and talk to him and him seh him all right so him send mi to talk to him and when mi a talk to him nah talk straight so mi a seh supm wrong man. Yesterday (Sunday) him deh up a the shop and him a tell the man dem seh fi throw the rum pan the grung mek him light it," he said.
Was well respected
Residents said that Roy was well respected.
"Roy Leon respect tall as an old 'tradesman' bout yah, so nobady nah look fi dis," one resident said.
The family member said that he is overwhelmed with the tremendous losses the family is experiencing.
"Two weeks ago dem kill Vivian a Mammee Bay, mi cousin sister dead Thursday, and a today mi shoulda go pick up her body from May Pen and is this mi wake up to," he said.
"Right now, new year a come and mi nuh feel the new year none at all. We not even collect Vivian body yet and now wi a face this. Mi nuh eat from morning, mi nuh hungry. Mi handle dead but when it hit home it different," he said. | 1 |
From No More Fake News
Technocracy is the basic agenda and plan for ruling global society from above, so we need to understand it from several angles.
Consider a group of enthusiastic forward-looking engineers in the early 20th century. They work for a company that has a contract to manufacture a locomotive.
This is a highly complex piece of equipment.
On one level, workers are required to make the components to spec. Then they must put them all together. These tasks are formidable.
On another level, various departments of the company must coordinate their efforts. This is also viewed as a technological job. Organizing is considered a technology.
When the locomotive is finished and delivered, and when it runs on its tracks and pulls a train, a great and inspiring victory is won.
And then...the engineers begin to think about the implications.
Suppose the locomotive was society itself? Suppose society was the finished product? Couldn't society be put together in a coordinated fashion? And couldn't the "technology of organizing things" be utilized for the job?
Why bother with endlessly arguing and lying politicians? Why should they be in charge? Isn't that an obvious losing proposition? Of course it is.
But engineers could lay out and build a future society that would benefit all people. Hunger, disease, and poverty could be wiped out. Eliminating them would be part of the uncompromising blueprint.
This "insight" hit engineers and technicians like a ton of bricks. Of course! All societies had been failures for the same reason: the wrong people were in charge.
Armed with this new understanding, engineers of every stripe began to see what was needed. A revolution in thinking about societal organization. Science was the new king. And science would rule.
Of course, for an engineered world to work, certain decisions would have to be made about the role of the individual. Every individual. You couldn't have an air-tight plan if every human were free to pursue his own objectives. Too many variables. Too much confusion. Too much conflict. Well, that problem could be solved. The individual's actions would be tailored to fit the coordinated operations of the planned society.
The individual would be inserted into a pre-ordained slot. He would be "one of the components of the locomotive." His life would be connected to other lives to produce an exemplary shape.
Next Page 1 | 2 | 1. States Parties shall take effective and appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against persons with disabilities in all matters relating to marriage, family, parenthood and relationships, on an equal basis with others, so as to ensure that:
a) The right of all persons with disabilities who are of marriageable age to marry and to found a family on the basis of free and full consent of the intending spouses is recognized;
b) The rights of persons with disabilities to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children and to have access to age-appropriate information, reproductive and family planning education are recognized, and the means necessary to enable them to exercise these rights are provided;
c) Persons with disabilities, including children, retain their fertility on an equal basis with others.
2. States Parties shall ensure the rights and responsibilities of persons with disabilities, with regard to guardianship, wardship, trusteeship, adoption of children or similar institutions, where these concepts exist in national legislation; in all cases the best interests of the child shall be paramount. States Parties shall render appropriate assistance to persons with disabilities in the performance of their child-rearing responsibilities.
3. States Parties shall ensure that children with disabilities have equal rights with respect to family life. With a view to realizing these rights, and to prevent concealment, abandonment, neglect and segregation of children with disabilities, States Parties shall undertake to provide early and comprehensive information, services and support to children with disabilities and their families.
4. States Parties shall ensure that a child shall not be separated from his or her parents against their will, except when competent authorities subject to judicial review determine, in accordance with applicable law and procedures, that such separation is necessary for the best interests of the child. In no case shall a child be separated from parents on the basis of a disability of either the child or one or both of the parents.
5. States Parties shall, where the immediate family is unable to care for a child with disabilities, undertake every effort to provide alternative care within the wider family, and failing that, within the community in a family setting.
Next: Article 24 – Education
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Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan's top military official was among eight people killed in an air force helicopter crash in mountainous terrain outside Taipei on Thursday, the defense ministry said. Five others survived.
As chief of the general staff, Gen. Shen Yi-ming was responsible for overseeing the self-governing island's defense against China, which threatens to use military force if necessary to annex what it considers part of its territory.
The helicopter was flying from Taipei to the nearby city of Yilan for a New Year's activity when it crashed. The victims included other senior military officials and the two pilots.
The UH-60M Blackhawk with 13 people on board dropped from the radar screen 10 minutes after takeoff from Songshan air force base around 7:50 a.m., Taiwan's defense ministry said. It went down in the mountainous, heavily forested Wulai area southeast of the capital.
Shen, 63, had taken over as chief of the general staff in July after serving as commander of Taiwan’s air force, which is undergoing a substantial upgrade with the arrival of the most advanced version of the U.S. F-16V fighter.
Alexander Huang, a strategic studies professor at Tamkang University in Taiwan who had known Shen for a decade, said he had stood out as a pilot and an officer. | 3.333333 |
In what was likely one of the earliest shooting incidents that resulted in injury in 2020, a man who is said to be a vendor was shot and injured by the police on Wednesday morning during a confrontation on the Kingston waterfront where many Jamaicans had earlier gathered to ring in the New Year.
Reports are that about 1.10 am, a police team saw the man acting in a boisterous manner, and approached him.
A police officer from the City Centre station who was on the scene, told Loop News that while having a conversation with the individual, the man armed himself with a machete and held on to a child who was not more than eight years’ old.
Reports are that the police tried to get the man to calm down, but his boisterous behaviour continued.
The full details of what happened next are not clear, but reports are that the man was subsequently shot and injured by a member of the police team.
The injured man was taken to a hospital, where he has been admitted for treatment. | DAILY NEWSLETTER
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YouTube artist Jeffree Star donates $20,000 for Michigan man's funeral
YouTuber and makeup artist Jeffree Star donated $20,000 toward funeral services for Kevin Bacon, the 25-year-old Michigan man who was found dead Saturday in Shiawassee County.
A GoFundMe page was set up by Bacon's sister to help with his funeral expenses.
Star found out about Bacon after a woman known as Chels on Twitter tagged him in a post stating, "This man was found murdered after a Grindr meet up in Michigan on Christmas Eve. I saw it on Facebook and noticed he had several #jeffreestar tattoos. I wanted you to see this and all of us can keep his friends and family in our thoughts."
Star shared the GoFundMe page on his Twitter account saying he was "devastated to hear of the passing of someone from Michigan who lived their life fearlessly and was taken too soon."
RIP KEVIN 😥 I’m devastated to hear of the passing of someone from Michigan who lived their life fearlessly and was taken too soon 💔 Please help his family in this horrible time: https://t.co/4sRUjumxtl #StarFamily https://t.co/FjVAxaaJgj — Jeffree Star (@JeffreeStar) December 29, 2019
Fans pointed out that Star didn't just share the page, but donated $20,000 toward the funeral expenses with the comment, "I love you. Rest in peace angel."
Bacon went missing on Christmas Eve after he went to meet a man he met on Grindr, a dating app, according to MLive.
Bacon's body was found Saturday at a home in Bennington Township. The homeowner is a 50-year-old man in custody at Shiawassee County Jail suspected of open murder, said Lt. David Kaiser of Michigan State Police.
The case is still under investigation.
More news on freep.com:
Missing 25-year-old Michigan man found dead in Shiawassee County
Gold coins worth $1,500 each dropped into Salvation Army kettles
Contact Bisma Parvez: 313-222-6420 or bparvez@gannett.com Follow her on Twitter @bismapar | ↵
Kevin Bacon has paid tribute to a murdered man who shares his name.
The actor drew attention to the killing of a man in Michigan who had reportedly left home for a Grindr date on Christmas Eve, but who was found killed over the weekend.
“For obvious reasons I’m thinking this morning about the friends and family of this young person Kevin Bacon,” the Footloose star wrote on his Instagram page.
“His life was taken from him much too soon. His love was hair dressing. I bet he would have done a great job on this mess on my head. RIP KB.”
The victim’s father, Karl, said that he had chosen the name because he wanted his son to have the same initials, but wanted to avoid using the name Karl Jr. He said that the actor wasn’t as famous when the 25-year-old was born.
But the name also led to the attention from his namesake, who posted the tribute alongside a picture to his almost 1 million followers. It has since been liked more than 17,000 times and has drawn a vast number of comments.
The death also led to tributes from internet personality Jeffree Star, who shared a link to a crowdfunding page that has been established in the young man’s memory.
Bacon left home on Christmas Eve, telling friends he was planning to see a man he had met on a dating app. He was reported missing after not arriving for breakfast the following day, and his body was found on Saturday at a nearby home.
A man has been arrested in relation to the killing, according to local reports. | 3.333333 |
The former Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Professor Opoku Onyinah, has admonished Christians not to rush for signs particularly during the end of the year since God can give signs at any time of the year.
According to the Ghanaian theologian, Christians ought to “flow in the spirit” and allow God in their lives to “carry you through life’s challenges successfully in Christ.”
In his new year’s message posted on Facebook today, January 1, 2020, Apostle Opoku Onyinah, explained that “When the Pharisees and Sadducees asked Jesus for a sign, He did not give them any, but referred them to the sign of Jonah,” pointing out that “Do not rush for prophecies. We already have the sign of Jesus, God with us.”
In addition, he advised Christians, “Please don’t rush for signs, the Lord can give you signs at any time, not only during the end of year.”
Below is the post
I wish all of you a Happy New Year. Let the song of God’s faithfulness flow from your heart this year, trusting that the One who has brought you this far will carry you through the year 2020 faithfully. When the Pharisees and Sadducees asked Jesus for a sign, He did not give them any, but referred them to the sign of Jonah. Do not rush for prophecies. We already have the sign of Jesus, God with us. If He wants to give you more signs, He will do so. Please don’t rush for signs, the Lord can give you signs at any time, not only during the end of year. May you flow in the Spirit and may He carry you through life’s challenges successfully in Christ.
---graphic.com.gh | Minalyntouch becomes first Ghanaian makeup artist to be verified on instagram
Advertise Here contact ads[@]ghheadlines.com
Award-winning celebrity makeup artist, Minalyntouch has landed in the year 2020 on a very high note.As a first gift in the year, she woke up to see that her official Instagram handle has been verified.Currently, it seems she is the only Ghanaian based makeup artist with a verification on the photo and video sharing social media platform.Expressing her joy about this milestone, Minalyntouch wrote as the caption of a screenshot of the verification: “What a way to start 2020. Just got verified and it’s the first sign that this year is going to be greater. First Ghanaian makeup artiste to be verified here in Ghana (I stand to be corrected). God is good. Thank you”From all indications, things are gradually falling at the right places for Ms. Mina Lawani. It will be recollected that not long ago, she was announced as the winner of ‘Best Celebrity Makeup Artiste of the Year’ at Africa Tertiary Entrepreneurs Award (ATEA). Read Full Story | 1.333333 |
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This is no ordinary newsletter. This is more like literature; the kind you are going to want to print out and stick on your refrigerator at home.
Click here and sign up | Every change begins with a leadership decision. Making the decision to institute changes is not always easy. Being prepared, planning well, and being surrounded by a good team will make that decision a lot easier. Begin by putting yourself in a positive frame of mind. You are likely to experience higher than normal levels of stress and knowing this beforehand will give you the ability to be prepared mentally and physically. You will be the anchorperson and foundation, and with your steady hand will guide your team through the stressful events. Be a reassuring and active force throughout the whole process.
It is impossible to prepare for every contingency, but planning for the known is a must. Add time or extra room to the schedule for the unknowns. When you encounter an unexpected event, your schedule should not be put off by much if you have built in some leeway. It will provide that buffer that gives you and your team the ability to deal with the unknowns and keep rolling with the change process
Surround yourself with people that you can delegate to and be confident in their abilities and skills. Be precise and specific with your directions as when the change process begins you will be depending on these individuals and their talents. Communicating and providing feedback are the keys to successful delegation; make sure your team understands this. If communication fails or there is not accurate feedback the chances of a success are lessened.
An issue that sometimes arises when delegating is micro managing. Keep an eye out to not micro-manage as you can quickly lose track of events and it will take time away from your main duties. Delegating is a skill that takes time as you must first learn the strengths and weakness of your team and know what tasks you can and cannot hand out. It may not be possible to always delegate, but when it can be done it will provide a great resource.
Always be available during the change process. Before the change prepare your friends and family that you may not be available for social events. Reassure your team that you are there for them and you are here to provide them with the necessary resources to lead them through the change. Stress to them that you are available and focused on keeping the communications lines open.
Always be aware of rumors, they will happen before during and after the change. Do not ignore any rumor, put out honest and clear communication as soon as possible. Reassure your team that if they hear a rumor to seek out more information from a reliable source. Remind them that spreading rumors helps no one and will cause more harm than good.
Not everyone will agree on the change. Keep in mind that these types of feelings are normal, as people generally do not enjoy change and are sometimes made nervous by it. You will likely encounter pushback and resistance by a number of team members. Provide facts and data to show why the change is happening and reassure them the need and benefits of the change. These types of individuals are best suited to be educated about the change with information.
If you are encountering an extreme case of pushback, provide them with some choices that still fall within the spectrum of the intended change. They should then feel more involved in the process and it will help alleviate the negative mindset they may be experiencing.It is vitally important to make sure that all stakeholders and employees are on board with a change.
In order to continue increasing awareness and to build desire to support the upcoming change; the change management team must reach out to the organization at large. The force field analysis, developed by German social psychologist Kurt Lewin helps a change management team to:
• Identify pros and cons of an option prior to making a decision
• Explore what is going right — and what is going wrong
• Analyse any two opposing positions.
If concerns or issues arise, then steps must be taken to ensure awareness is continually raised and that desire to support the change is increased. Strategies that can help the change management team responsively address employees’ concerns include:
• Engaging employees, providing forums for people to express their questions and concerns
• Equipping managers & supervisors to be effective change leaders and managers of resistance
• Orchestrating opportunities for advocates of the change to contact those not yet on board
• Aligning incentive and performance management systems to support the change.
Change is not exempt from Murphy’s Law. And even if something isn’t going wrong, change management team members must constantly be observing, listening, and evaluating the progress and process during a change. Below are several tools to help the team accomplish this.
A feedback form is used to gather information from those involved in a change to help shape the remaining course of the change project. Instead of a paper form, feedback can be obtained through online surveys (Zoomerang.com or Survey Monkey.com), an in-house questionnaire on the intranet, a few questions sent by email, or a focus group. The questions will vary depending upon the subject being queried.
Open Feedback include asking participants for suggestions and comments. The compiled results of the feedback forms can be used by the change management team members to modify the project plan and/or the communication plan or to work with specific individuals or groups that may be providing roadblocks to success.
Once a change initiative is underway, it is critical to sustain the change with reinforcement. The leader must make sure that the project and communication plan remain on track. They need to identify, and explore any issues from employees or stakeholders that have emerged, and review and consider any feedback gathered to date.
Acting as a facilitator, the leader helps to bring about learning and productivity. Communication will be a byproduct of this by providing indirect or unobtrusive assistance, guidance, and supervision.He or she listens actively, asks questions, encourages diverse viewpoints, organizes information, helps the group reach consensus, and understands that the individual needs of team members will affect teamwork.
The LEAD model provides a simple methodology for facilitating a participative meeting:
• Lead with objectives: When clear objectives are stated up front, group energy is channeled toward achieving an outcome. The objectives shape the content of the meeting.
• Empower to participate: In the Lead model, the facilitator is empowered to encourage active participation.
• Aim for consensus: Getting the team to consensus will have members more likely to support and carry out the decisions of the team.
• Direct the process: How the meeting progresses will influence the quality of the decisions of the team, and influences the commitment of team members.
Leaders must differentiate between process and content. Content includes the topics, subjects, or issues; process is about how the topics, subjects, or issues are addressed.
Because communications from managers and supervisors have been shown to have a significant impact on employees during a change initiative, it is appropriate that they be actively involved in celebrating success with employees as a result of positive performance. Celebrations can occur on three levels:
1. One on one conversation: In a private meeting, a supervisor should attest to the fact that due to the employee’s effort, a change was made, and how it is succeeding. He or she should extend verbal thanks to the employee.
2. Public recognition: Public recognition officially acknowledges outstanding performance and points out a role model that helped make a successful change happen. Supervisors should carefully consider who receives recognition, and not alienate group members who participated in the change but who many not have distinguished themselves as significantly.
3. Group celebrations: Fun or engaging activities are used to celebrate key milestones by a group. They include buffet or restaurant lunches, dinner events, or can include group outings to sports, amusement, or cultural events. It is important that these types of celebrations try to include the involvement of the primary change sponsor in some way.
Professor Akindotun Merino
Email: Info@africamentalhealth.net
Twitter: @drakinmerino
Fb: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Africamentalhealth/
Phone: 08118048229 | 1 |
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Germanwings is pictured in Duesseldorf airport on March 24, 2015. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski/File Photo Reuters
BERLIN (Reuters) - The trade union representing cabin crew at Lufthansa's budget airline Germanwings decided on Wednesday not to continue their strike for the time being after three days of stoppages led to dozens of flights being canceled.
The Ufo labor union, which called strikes from Monday to Wednesday at Germanwings, will discuss on Sunday how to proceed in the dispute with the company after deciding not to extend the strike, a spokesman said.
The cabin crew strike had led to only 20 of 220 scheduled Germanwings flights taking off in the three days, although Lufthansa subsidiaries like Austrian Airlines has given seats to stranded passengers, limiting the impact on customers.
The deadlocked collective bargaining dispute for the 22,000 cabin employees concerns pay and working conditions among other issues.
Ufo held a strike for two days in November, resulting in the cancellation of one in five flights, affecting around 180,000 passengers and costing the airline up to 20 million euros ($22.42 million).
(Reporting by Markus Wackert, writing by Emma Thomasson) | BEIRUT (Reuters) - Nissan ex-boss Carlos Ghosn will hold a news conference in Beirut on Jan. 8, a lawyer for Ghosn said on Wednesday, two days after abruptly arriving from Japan, where he was under house arrest and accused of financial misconduct. | 1 |
A Chinese national was arrested and booked on the charge of beating up a traffic policeman who prevented him from parking his car in a no-parking zone in Karachi's Qayyumabad area on Wednesday, according to officials.
They said that the foreigner was trying to park his vehicle in a no-parking area near Imtiaz Super Market at Qayyumabad.
Traffic police constable Amir, who was posted at Zaman Town traffic section, tried to prevent him from parking his car there following which the Chinese national beat up the constable and tried to run, said superintendent of police (SP) traffic Korangi district.
Members of the public present at the scene got hold of the Chinese citizen before he could escape and handed him over to police.
The Zaman Town traffic section officer handed over his custody to Korangi Industrial Area police, which has launched an investigation into the incident after lodging a first information report against the suspect, according to a press release issued by the traffic police. | Chinese national arrested for allegedly assaulting traffic police officer
KARACHI: A Chinese national allegedly assaulted a traffic police officer after being charged with a no-parking offense, police said Wednesday.
The Chinese citizen reportedly beat the officer near the Qayyumabad area of Karachi and severely injured the officer to the extent that the officer had to be taken to a nearby hospital.
The foreigner who was involved in the violent incident has been arrested.
Read more: Man arrested for threatening cop after violating traffic rules
The Chinese national was travelling with a driver, who said he was following his employer’s orders. "I had parked the car in a no parking zone," admitted the driver.
"The officer had asked me to remove the car, however my employer [Chinese national] did not let me," he added.
The driver said that the assault came as a response to the traffic police, who tried to remove the car forcefully.
"The traffic police began to take the car away using a lifter, after which my employer started beating the officer badly." | 4 |
Nike's Tiger Woods ad (2010)
Nike
This 2010 ad was a gamble by Nike to turn the attention away from the scandal around the disgraced golfer's private life and focus on his return to the sport.
The black-and-white spot features a silent Woods staring into the camera hearing his late father's voice asking him what he learned, with the message appearing to be that he has learned from his mistakes and is now getting back to golf.
Business Insider's Jim Edwards (then at CBS News) called it "the worst commercial ever." | Business Insider asked eight flight attendants about the most annoying things passengers do.
The flight attendants work for six commercial airlines and a company that charters private jets.
They gave answers ranging from ignoring seat assignments to leaving a huge mess.
Sign up for Business Insider's transportation newsletter, Shifting Gears, to get more stories like this in your inbox.
Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Flight attendants have a lot of responsibilities in the air, a fact some passengers don't seem to realize.
To make matters worse, some passengers act as if their preferences are more important than everyone else's by ignoring their seat assignments, keeping their headphones in when flight attendants ask for their drink order, or clipping their nails at their seat.
These are the nine most annoying things airline passengers do, according to interviews Business Insider conducted with eight flight attendants. The flight attendants were granted anonymity due to a fear of reprisal from their employers. | 1.333333 |
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Paramount Pictures has released the first full-length trailer for A Quiet Place: Part II.
The 2 minute and 37-second trailer begins with a flashback to the onset of the monster invasion that's already well underway at the start of the first film. After that, we return to the present day, where we find the surviving members of the Abbott family searching for a new place to call home while they attempt to find more survivors. However, as Cillian Murphy's character points out, "The people that are left, they're not the kind of people worth saving."
RELATED: A Quiet Place: Part II Photo Reveals the Return of the Abbott Family
A Quiet Place takes place in a world where humans are forced to live in complete and utter silence due to the existence of murderous creatures with no eyesight but an incredibly heightened sense of hearing. In the first film, Krasinski's Lee Abbott sacrificed himself by screaming to draw the attention of one of the creatures and allowing his family to retreat.
Written and directed by John Krasinski, A Quiet Place: Part II stars Emily Blunt, Djimon Hounsou, Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds and Cillian Murphy. The film hits theaters March 20, 2020.
KEEP READING: A Quiet Place 2: Marvel/DC Star Djimon Hounsou Boards as Henry Exits
Share Tweet Email Copy Link Copied | A Quiet Place was one of 2018’s perfect cinematic storms. A crowd-pleasing horror adventure with a big, emotional heart. A box office smash, grossing $340 million worldwide on a $17 million budget. A critical darling that used its high concept to tremendous effect. A reminder that Emily Blunt is the profoundly talented leading lady we don’t deserve. And perhaps most surprisingly, evidence that John Krasinski has some serious chops as a filmmaker and that “Jim from The Office” made one of the strongest genre films of the decade and probably shouldn’t be referred to as “Jim from The Office” any longer.
But that means A Quiet Place Part II has a lot to live up to now. Can the story of a family struggling to stay together in a post-apocalyptic landscape filled with monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing continue to prove surprising and terrifying and moving? We shall see, but the first proper trailer for the sequel certainly suggests yes.
A Quiet Place Part II Trailer
The sequel appears to take place shortly after the events of the first film, with the characters played by Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe venturing away from their formerly safe compound with a newborn baby in tow. While Krasinski is back behind the camera, the fact that his character is extremely dead keeps him from joining that particular journey (although some intense flashback scenes in the trailer suggest he could be back in some capacity). However, with this being a story about the end of the world, the family soon encounters a few survivors who pose that big question: who is the real monster here?
That question is familiar territory for a movie like this, but after the first film, I’m willing to give Krasinski (who has sole screenwriting credit on this one), the benefit of the doubt. Plus, those new survivors include characters played by Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou, two actors who always offer something interesting.
Meanwhile, the brand new official synopsis doesn’t offer us anything that the the trailer doesn’t already suggest:
Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family (Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe) must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.
A Quiet Place Part II quietly slips into theaters on March 20, 2020. | 4 |
The fast-food menu item of the year is the Popeyes chicken sandwich.
Let's be honest — it wasn't much of a contest. The chicken sandwich and the battles it sparked defined fast food in 2019.
Even before Popeyes' chicken sandwich rolled out nationally in August, chicken was already a hot topic in the fast-food industry. Chick-fil-A has seen massive growth in recent years, due in large part to its iconic chicken sandwich, becoming the third largest restaurant chain in the US at the end of 2018.
José Cil, the CEO of Restaurant Brands International, the parent company of Popeyes, Burger King, and Tim Hortons, told Business Insider earlier this year that Popeyes' sales of tenders were up and Burger King's chicken sandwich sales had also increased. So, Popeyes began developing a chicken sandwich of its own.
Popeyes' chicken sandwich hit menus across the US in early August. Even before the national launch the hype was building. Business Insider's Irene Jiang tried the sandwich prior to the national roll out and declared it the best chicken sandwich available in fast food.
A simple taste test isn't enough to make something the fast-food menu item of the year. The Popeyes chicken sandwich is an icon because it kicked off the Chicken Sandwich Wars.
The rise of the Chicken Sandwich Wars
Popeyes and Chick-fil-A faced off in the Chicken Sandwich Wars. Irene Jiang / Business Insider
Chick-fil-A helped kick off this national battle. A week after Popeye's launched it chicken sandwich nationally, Chick-fil-A tweeted: "Bun + Chicken + Pickles = all the ❤️for the original."
Popeyes lovers, who had already been rallying around the new sandwich online, quickly labeled the tweet a subtweet. Popeyes responded, quote-tweeting Chick-fil-A's tweet and adding, "y'all good?"
Hype around the sandwich and the social media debate on which chicken sandwich reign supreme helped drive customers to Popeyes across the US.
Foot-traffic tracker Placer.ai reported that visits to Popeyes skyrocketed above the summer baseline average by 67.6% the Tuesday after Chick-fil-A's subtweet. They were up 103.3% the next day.
Soon, Popeyes locations began to run out of the sandwich. On August 27, just two weeks after Popeyes introduced the menu item, the chain announced that the chicken sandwich was officially off the menu. It did not return for more than two months, hitting menus nationally once again in early November.
The dark side of Popeyes' chicken sandwich
Popeyes' chicken sandwich defined fast food, for better and for worse. Irene Jiang / Business Insider
The menu item also highlighted many of the less positive aspects of the fast-food industry. Workers told Business Insider in late August that they were forced to work extra hours in chaotic stores, facing off against sometimes abusive customers.
"I was working like a slave in the back prepping the buns with pickles and the spicy mayo," said an 18-year-old Popeyes crew member in Orange County, California.
Popeyes executives told Business Insider that they spent the months between the original launch and the sandwich's return making sure that the relaunch went smoothly.
"We had very aggressive expectations before the national launch, but then what came next surprised all of us," Felipe Athayde, Popeyes' president for the Americas, told Business Insider in late October.
"We had to readapt our system to this new reality of being able to serve so [many] of our fans," Athayde said. "I guess this was the biggest challenge — to guarantee that the supply chain was prepared and that we were ready to come back, this time for good."
However, even with these efforts, both workers and customers faced violence in Popeyes locations, a widespread problem in the restaurant industry. Soon after the sandwich returned to menus in early November, there was a fatal stabbing outside a Oxon Hill, Maryland Popeyes location, which police linked to the chicken sandwich.
The chicken sandwich wars will continue in 2020
Popeyes' chicken sandwich has real staying power. Irene Jiang / Business Insider
Popeyes' foot traffic soared with the return of the chicken sandwich, with Placer.ai finding that customer visits soared 299.3% above the baseline on the day of the relaunch.
Even during the chicken sandwich's original two-week run, it had a significant impact on Popeyes sales, with same-stores sales growing 9.7% globally the quarter of the launch.
"We had one of the best quarters for the brand in nearly two decades," Athayde said.
"The sandwich was obviously a very important driver of sales and of interest towards Popeyes," Athayde added. "But, what it drove aside from sales of the sandwich itself was that refreshed interest in all of our menu."
The chicken sandwich's impact is set to continue in 2020.
Chicken is a hot topic in fast food, with Taco Bell testing chicken tenders and McDonald's rolling out McChicken Biscuits and Chicken McGriddles nationally in late January. McDonald's is also testing a new chicken sandwich of its own, as the chain works to develop a menu item that can compete with Popeyes and Chick-fil-A. | Chicken sandwiches are a privilege.
My dad did not eat a chicken sandwich until he immigrated to America in his mid-20s. His first chicken sandwich, which was later also my first chicken sandwich, was a McChicken.
There are no McChicken sandwiches in this taste test.
The culture of immigrants is a culture of always trying to do better than the generation before. My dad ate McChicken sandwiches.
I, as a member of the next generation, had to find a better chicken sandwich — maybe even the best fast-food chicken sandwich out there.
Read more: I taste-tasted the signature breakfast sandwiches from 6 major fast-food chains, and the winner was clear
I put together a list of the chicken sandwiches from the eight fast-food chains closest to Business Insider's office in Manhattan. If a chain had more than one chicken sandwich, I chose the one that seemed most like a classic chicken sandwich. I also avoided kid-sized or dollar-menu items like the McChicken and the Chicken Jr.
My methodology, as usual, was as scientific as my bachelor of arts degree. I judged the sandwiches based on texture, flavor, bun quality, and overall impression.
The contenders in this taste test are: Arby's buttermilk crispy chicken sandwich, KFC's Crispy Colonel sandwich, Wendy's homestyle crispy chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A's original chicken sandwich, McDonald's buttermilk crispy chicken sandwich, Burger King's crispy chicken sandwich, Popeyes' classic chicken sandwich, and Shake Shack's Chick'n Shack.
All prices listed are what I paid in the New York City establishments I visited for this test. | 2.666667 |
How's this for innovation: Instead of studying all alone for FAA knowledge tests by reading a book, watching a video, or answering test bank questions on an app, there’s a place where people gather to study aviation together and ask questions of a living, breathing instructor.
Sound intriguing? Then click your heels together three times, because when you open your eyes, you’ll be in Kansas.
Kirby and Teresa Ortega may be swimming against the technological tide by providing the ground school portions of pilot training courses in learning spaces that some of us will recognize as “classrooms.”
But they are wily industry veterans, not starry-eyed risk-takers. And they believe the service they began offering to aviation students in November in a state-of-the-art learning center in Wichita meets a real need.
Ortega Aviation Services, located at Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, is offering its students a “live learning experience” for the ground school learning required for any pilot certificate or rating that requires a knowledge test endorsement.
That’s not to say it’s aviation unplugged. Smart boards, large displays, and Wi-Fi are used. Students get electronic tablets—theirs to keep—preloaded with all course materials and flight planners. Lessons are instructor-led but can include online presentations.
The first class of students, which included nine new private pilot aspirants and three pilots working on instrument ratings, wrapped up in November. The initial class included two women, and two high-school students, and enthusiasm ran high, Teresa Ortega said.
“Everybody jumped in with both feet,” she said, noting that the first group of private pilot students were so new to aviation that she found herself “going out to buy nine logbooks.”
A new schedule of classes for those flight privileges has been set for January. Meanwhile, courses for commercial drone operators and aviation learning sessions for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers will also launch.
The company is a flightless operation, said Teresa Ortega, a commercial pilot and the company’s managing partner. She told AOPA in a phone interview that future classes should draw on a well-populated aviation community including employees of Textron Aviation, flying clubs, and the many other aviation organizations located in the Air Capital region, as the Wichita area is known for its long history of aircraft manufacturing. The students will tap outside resources for their flight training, also drawing on the Wichita area’s many options.
Kirby Ortega, a 24,000-hour pilot and a flight instructing hall-of-famer, believes you can still make a strong case for what might fairly be characterized as an old-school ground training program, because the human element can help keep a student pilot who has become discouraged with self-study from giving up.
The Ortegas are not the first industry competitors to critique abbreviated or self-study alternatives by asserting that those choices “only teach a student how to pass a test,” but don’t touch “the fundamentals of flying.”
By contrast, they say, Ortega students are not cut loose to take the FAA knowledge exam when classes are complete. If students need to tidy up their knowledge-test prep based on practice test scores—nailing 80 percent deems you ready for the real thing—the Ortega organization will still be there for them.
Following the upbeat initial classes, Ortega Aviation Services has posted the next class schedules online. In December, an advanced aviation training device may be available in the school’s simulator room to help instrument-rating trainees prepare for their exams.
As of late November, four students were enrolled for the drone course that begins December 4.
“Kirby and I have a huge passion for aviation,” she said. “His is teaching. Mine is fostering aviation in the younger generation.” | (MENAFN- Market Press Release) Rajasthan indisputably has an unfettered charm of its own. Traveling works as a stress buster for all but this pleasure is ruined when things don't go as planned. As a precaution, it is always advisable to complete all your bookings before arriving at the destination. Now to do advance booking, you have to book for the services online. Padharo as a travel concierge is present in all the major cities of Rajasthan.
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MENAFN0101202000703262ID1099495111 | 1 |
The Crime Branch of Thane Police has arrested a Bangladeshi national who had fled to his home country after allegedly killing his wife two years ago.
Mahabubur Rahman Asadzaman Shaikh (45), the accused, hails from Naudail in Bangladesh, the police said in a release on Wednesday.
Acting on a tip-off, he was nabbed near the Thane railway station on Tuesday evening.
In December 2017, Shaikh, who lived in Thane district, allegedly strangled his wife Poly, wrapped her body in a cloth and dumped it near a bridge at Tarivali Khind on Mumbai- Ahmedabad Highway.
A case was registered against him at Waliv police station in the district on March 21, 2019, after forensic examination of the skeleton identified the deceased's identity.
After allegedly committing the murder, he fled to Bangladesh and lived their for two years before returning here few days ago, the police release said.
It was yet to be ascertained if he was living in India without a valid visa, a police official said.
It was not yet known what led to the killing.
Waliv police are conducting further probe.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) | A 28-year-old labourer was electrocuted when he fell and came in contact with a high tension wire while working at Vasai railway station in Maharashtra's Palghar district, police said on Wednesday.
The mishap took place on Tuesday when the victim, identified as Mathura Gupta, was standing on a ladder and doing some welding work on a foot over-bridge at the station.
The ladder suddenly slipped following which Gupta fell on an overhead live wire and got electrocuted, an official at Vasai railway police station said.
The station authorities immediately cut off power supply at the site.
The body was brought down and sent for postmortem, he added. | 1.666667 |
MINNEAPOLIS — Authorities have identified two people killed in a highway crash involving a semitrailer truck and a car in northwestern Wisconsin.
The two people who died Saturday afternoon in the collision east of Grantsburg were the car’s driver, 22-year-old Micaela E. Schneider, of Plover, Wisconsin, and 22-year-old passenger Olivia Johnson, a former University of Minnesota student who worked as an intern in the Star Tribune newsroom, the newspaper reported.
Authorities say Schneider was heading west on Hwy. 70, lost control of her car and crossed into the path of the eastbound semi. Two people in the semi escaped serious injuries.
At the time of her death, Johnson was a news reporter for the News & Advance in Lynchburg, Virginia. Previously, she spent three years as a reporter and editor at the University of Minnesota Daily, and one semester each as a reporting intern for the Star Tribune’s business section in the first half of 2018 and for the St. Paul Pioneer Press in late 2017.
Schneider was a classmate of Johnson’s at the University of Minnesota and worked in marketing at Warner Bros.
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — Two snowmobilers were reported missing Wednesday after an avalanche in northwestern Montana.
A snowmobiler said he was caught in an avalanche in the Dinah Lake area but managed to get out but that two other people were buried in the slide, the Missoula County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post.
Sheriff's spokeswoman Brenda Bassett told the Missoulian that search and rescue crews and dogs began looking for the missing people Wednesday afternoon. It was not clear where the snowmobilers are from. | 1.666667 |
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your New Year's Day may be snowy, but there is plenty of warmth indoors with the people you love. If you are one of the lucky ones who can enjoy the sunny outdoors, be glad for the company.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Friendliness is next to godliness. You are happy to spend time with neighbors and friends as well as family. Watching football or playing a friendly game in the back yard after a meal can bring out someone's competitive streak.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Make a list and prioritize your goals so you can see a clear pattern. Use that pattern to create a resolution you can stick to easily. Accomplish something worthwhile and broaden your horizons by aiming for them resolutely.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): A New Year's Day meal could be sauerkraut and pork, a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, or a pizza delivered to the door. It doesn't really matter what you eat, but it does matter who shares in your holiday togetherness.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You can have fun whether you spend your day with family, football or food. Replace an alphabet soup of unrelated ideas with one strong, overriding objective when you make your new year's resolution. Give ambitions their head.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Some people celebrate the first day of the new year, but to others it's just another day. Whether you work or not, this day could be more special than most. Your circle of friends can help you make smart resolutions.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): You are the star of your own show. Whether your social circle is small or large, you'll have a great time sitting around the table or the TV. Make a resolution that reflects your commitment to making someone else happy.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Congratulate the champion of the contest. You may compete with a loved one to see who can create the best surprises or offer the most unique New Year's Day entertainment. Make daily tasks a labor of love.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Put your feet up and relax. Loved ones could cater to your every need or smother you with affection. The new year may be a good time to resolve to spend more time with people you know and trust.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): New Year's Day may be spent watching spectator sports or participating in a sport outside in the fresh air. Either way, you could become passionate about the outcome because you are loyal to the bone.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A loved one may demonstrate a deeper level of understanding. Turn a page on the calendar as well as your feelings. Make a resolution to do some of the things you always wanted to do but were afraid to try.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Wish everyone a happy new year with a brief call or visit. Your new year's resolutions might be to make sure that old acquaintances aren't forgotten. Someone who is the target of your romantic fantasies may grow closer.
IF TODAY IS YOUR BIRTHDAY: You are still full of holiday spirit, so the next two to three weeks will be pleasurable indeed. Focus on making long-range plans while your judgment is at a high point. Embrace any opportunity or offer that comes your way, as it is sure to be worth your time and effort. In early February, focus on financial success while your business smarts are in peak condition. You might be more imaginative and romantic during March and April, but you could also be more gullible than usual. You might be distracted by outer appearances. If an opportunity appears, ask for advice from trusted friends or family before making a decision. In July, your daydreams could get in the way of doing what is important, so don't begin anything crucial. Wait until September to make major changes. That is an excellent time to transform your life by taking some giant steps while you have both the business skills and the imagination. | For Thursday, Jan. 2
ARIES: (March 21-April 19) HHH Even if you felt out of sync yesterday, you seem to be able to pull out of the discomfort. Nevertheless, you might opt for a more private 24 hours than you initially anticipated. Make the change OK. Tonight: Surround yourself with inspiring people and music.
TAURUS: (April 20-May 20) HHHHH You prove to be nearly unstoppable, mainly because you are not discussing your plans or ideas; you are simply acting. Of course, you could experience a backfire of the first magnitude. If so, smile and get into the moment anyway. Tonight: Consider an early getaway.
GEMINI: (May 21-June 20) HHHHH Zero in on a friend or a group of friends getting together. Do not be surprised if you find that some of your pals have a party as they wing it from store to store or swap undesirable gifts. Tonight: Maintain a sense of humor and all goes well.
CANCER: (June 21-July 22) HHH A sadness might weave into your day as you eye the fragments of one of your most loved holidays. Inevitably, you toss yourself into what others are doing but decide to get together to share New Year's resolutions. Tonight: With some support, you just might make a resolution a reality.
LEO: (July 23-Aug. 22) HHHH Few signs have the capacity to be wickedly naughty and delightfully fun at the same time. Your skills emerge as you look at a potential mini-trip or consider opening up to a new person in your life. Tonight: You will not tolerate interference as you target a goal.
VIRGO: (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) HHHHH One-on-one relating is your current forte. Others frequently do true confessions with you, but not to the extent you experience now. Attempt to identify with people rather than judge them. Tonight: Be with a favorite person.
LIBRA: (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) HHHH You aspire to achieve a certain goal and will do just that. Staying focused could be the most significant part of the challenge. Others keep vying for your attention. You, too, love attention. Tonight: Do not lose sight of your intentions.
SCORPIO: (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) HHHH You might be inspired to open up a debate about a matter that could impact you and others. Even with your magnetism and energy, others seem to easily get distracted. Accept that timing is not on your side and is unlikely to be. Tonight: Relax.
SAGITTARIUS: (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) HHHHH Your spunk and innovative spirit help end this holiday season well. You also might be keenly aware of what is in the offing. Some of you tap into your imagination to create a better bond with a child or loved one. Tonight: Just don't be alone.
CAPRICORN: (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) HHHH You have a way about your life that is more precise and demanding than others realize. How you handle diverse situations comes down to your core principles. You often do not negotiate because of this reason. An opportunity appears that allows you to learn to flex better and not lose your values. Tonight: Happy at home.
AQUARIUS: (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) HHHHH You might be overwhelmed by the list of to-dos from calls, note-writing and errands. Do not lose faith in your ability to complete what you must. A call of interest comes in. You could be evaluating your response. Tonight: Meet up with a friend.
PISCES: (Feb. 19-March 20) HHH Be aware of your financial limits, especially after the holidays. Though no one likes to say no, you might need to. Using your imagination finds yet another response or possibility. Know it is there. Tonight: Brainstorm with a buddy. | 4 |
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt. Hon Julian Smith MP, today announced that he has appointed Councillors Allan Bresland, Catherine Elattar and Michael Ruane and Alderman Amanda Grehan to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) Board. In the absence of Northern Ireland Ministers, these appointments were made possible by the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018.
These appointments will take effect from today (1 January 2020) until the date of the next Council elections and will ensure that the NIHE Board can continue to deliver vital public services within its remit for the benefit of the Northern Ireland community.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE)
The NIHE is a Non-Departmental Public Body of the NI Department for Communities and was established by the Housing Executive Act (Northern Ireland) 1971. Under this Act, the NIHE took over the housing responsibilities of 65 separate authorities and became Northern Ireland’s overall housing authority. It is currently landlord to approximately 86,500 dwellings and is one of Northern Ireland’s largest public sector organisations with a budget of over £740m and a staff of approximately 2,700. It also makes a substantial contribution to better health, education and wellbeing through housing.
Provision for the NIHE Board is set out in the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1981. The principal role of the Board is to set the strategic direction for the Housing Executive and to provide stewardship of all public resources entrusted to it to implement the policies and priorities of the Minister and the Executive. The Board oversees the performance and outputs of the executive team, which is responsible for the day-to-day conduct of the business within the Housing Executive. The Board also sets the attitude and disposition of the organisation towards compliance with applicable laws and best practice.
Terms of appointment
Current remuneration for the position of a Board Member is £6,892 per annum plus expenses, with an expected time commitment of 1 day per month.
CPANI Code of Practice
This appointment process has been regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointment NI (CPANI) and the appointments have been made in accordance with the CPANI Code of Practice.
Political Activity
All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, CPANI requires the political activity of appointees to be published which is included in the biographies below.
Biography of Appointees
Cllr Ruane has served as a local councillor for Sinn Fein for 19 years, previously with the Newry and Mourne Council and currently with the Newry, Mourne and Down Council. Mr Ruane has served on a number of committees within the councils, including the Audit Committee and brings relevant governance skills to the Board. He has relevant stakeholder engagement skills and experience. He holds no other public appointments.
Alderman Grehan has been a Local Councillor for the Alliance party for five years and was Deputy Mayor of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council in 2018-19. She was also chairperson of its Governance and Audit Committee in 2017-18, where she has gained relevant governance and risk management experience. Alderman Grehan was also vice-chair of the Corporate Services Committee in 2016-17. She has also been the manager of her local MLA’s constituency office for 12 years, and brings communication skills and resource management experience to the Board. She holds no other public appointments.
Cllr Elattar has been a Sinn Fein local Councillor since 2011 when she was elected to Magherafelt District Council. She has previously held the position of Chair and Vice-Chair of the Council. She was elected to the new Mid Ulster District Council in May 2014 and is a member of the Development Committee and the Policy Resources Committee. Previously employed in community education, Councillor Elattar is now a midwife, working for the Northern Health and Social Care Trust. She previously served on the NIHE Board from 1 June 2015 to 1 May 2019, and holds no other public appointments.
Cllr Bresland has served as a DUP councillor for over 28 years and is currently a member of the Derry and Strabane Council. Mr Bresland has served on a number of committees within the councils, including the Planning Committee and Environmental and Regeneration Committee, skills and experience of which he brings to the Board. He is a former member of the NI Assembly, having served as a member of the Standards and Privileges Committee. He holds no other public appointments.
Statutory Requirements
Provision for the NIHE Board is set out in the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1981. In October 2018, the Secretary of State for NI introduced legislation in Parliament; the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018 received Royal Assent on 1 November. This legislation provides for the appointment to a number of public offices by the Secretary of State. The NI (Ministerial Appointment Functions) Regulations 2019 came into force on 18 February 2019. This Instrument provided for further critical appointments, including that of the NIHE Board. | Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney DUP leader Arlene Foster
Simon Coveney urges 'new beginning' as Stormont talks set to resume BelfastTelegraph.co.uk Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has called for a "new beginning" as talks to restore power-sharing resume tomorrow at Stormont. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/simon-coveney-urges-new-beginning-as-stormont-talks-set-to-resume-38827500.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/b1f78/38827498.ece/AUTOCROP/h342/2020-01-02_new_56004090_I1.JPG
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Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has called for a "new beginning" as talks to restore power-sharing resume tomorrow at Stormont.
DUP leader Arlene Foster said her party aimed to secure a "fair and balanced" deal.
The parties have just 11 days to reach a compromise. Secretary of State Julian Smith has warned that he will call a fresh Assembly election if an agreement hasn't been brokered by then.
Mr Smith will hold bilateral meetings with the parties before a round-table discussion at Stormont House.
Mr Coveney yesterday urged Northern Ireland politicians to show leadership and generosity in the negotiations.
He said the new year offered a chance for a fresh beginning and he urged all sides not to disappoint the public again. The dialogue had been paused for the Christmas holidays.
The Tanaiste held pre-talks with Mr Smith yesterday. | 1.5 |
Ione P. Matson, 65, of Brookings, died Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019. No services are planned at this time.
Ione Patricia Stellmacher was born Aug. 7, 1954, in Aberdeen, the daughter of Ivan W. and Catherine (Movery) Stellmacher. She grew up and attended school in Redfield, graduating from Redfield High School.
Ione was united in marriage to Guy Matson on Sept. 30, 1988, in Huron. They moved to Brookings in 1993.
Ione was employed at the Neighborhoods at Brookview in Brookings for 22 years. She loved working with the senior citizens.
Survivors include her husband Guy Matson of Brookings; one daughter, Patricia Kant of Sioux Falls and one grandson, Xavier Kant of Sioux Falls.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Katherine and Ivan.
Condolences may be sent to the family through www.rudesfuneralhome.com. | Police: 3 arrested in New Year's shooting, 1 victim treated at hospital
Three people were arrested after a New Year's shooting injured one in eastern Sioux Falls, police said.
Officers responded to a report of gunshots around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday on the 1300 block of South Cleveland Avenue, according to a news release from police.
As officers arrived on scene, there was a report of a gunshot wound victim being treated at a local hospital. The victim was treated for nonlife-threatening injuries.
Police arrested Jorey Layne Davis, 24, from Flandreau, on charges of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm while intoxicated, discharge of a firearm at a vehicle, possession of stolen property and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Larissa Rose Rederth, 24, from Sioux Falls, was arrested on charges of possession of a firearm by a felon, aggravated assault and possession of stolen property.
Jeremy Leo Davis, 28, from Sioux Falls, was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault.
Police did not release any other information about what led up to the shooting or the age of the victim.
More: Police: Man arrested after robbing casino, threatening to light cashier on fire | 1.333333 |
New year. Same old Nick Kyrgios, it seems.
The Australian was in vintage form on Wednesday, saying he'd kept fit so far in 2020 while also enjoying a few "frothies" in the lead-up to the ATP Cup.
Fronting the media ahead of Australia's Group F battle in Brisbane against Germany, Greece and Canada, the 24 year-old seemingly had few concerns about injuries - or the huge suspended ban hanging over him this year.
"I have had no injuries of yet this year," quipped the world No.30, whose recurring collarbone problem forced him out of Australia's Davis Cup quarter-final rubber against Canada in November.
"I have had one session; the body held up well."
Having raised eyebrows when he was seen drinking until 11.30pm the night before he lost last year's second round Wimbledon clash to Rafael Nadal, Kyrgios could have been forgiven for keeping quiet his New Year's celebrations.
But he was quite happy to elaborate on that too.
"I had a couple of frothies last night, I am feeling good," he said.
Kyrgios's on-court behaviour will no doubt also come under scrutiny in Brisbane.
He will start 2020 with a 16-week suspended ban and fine that he copped from ATP officials last year.
Asked if he was in a good space now, Kyrgios shrugged: "I mean, it is New Year's today.
"I am feeling alright. I feel refreshed."
The former world No.13 finally got serious, saying the team environment of the ATP Cup would bring out his best.
"I love being around the boys. I love the team environment," he said.
"I do what I can to get the best out of these boys and I know I have their support - I just go out and bring good energy.
"And us Aussies we travel throughout the year. I was away for six and a half months (in 2019) so to be able to play in front of our home fans is awesome."
Kyrgios is joined by world No.18 Alex de Minaur in the Australian team for the inaugural 24-team event which starts on Friday. | A rare win in Brisbane has ensured Germany are full of confidence ahead of their opening ATP Cup clash with Australia at Pat Rafter Arena on Friday.
But after witnessing Australian teammate Alex de Minaur's rapid rise since their 2018 loss in Queensland, Nick Kyrgios reckons the Germans shouldn't be getting ahead of themselves.
German spearhead Alexander Zverev claimed his team were still buzzing from their 3-1 Davis Cup tennis triumph two years ago against Australia at the same venue that will host their opening round-robin clash of the inaugural ATP Cup.
And no wonder - it marked the first time Australia had been defeated in Brisbane in a Davis Cup tie since the tournament adopted the World Group format in 1981.
"We are the only ones to have beaten Australia in Brisbane, right?" world No.7 Zverev said.
"There are great memories from that week in 2018. I still remember it and I hope we can take something out of that.
"We know that we can play well on that court. I hope we can show that again and not only beat Australia but the other countries as well."
But world No.30 Kyrgios warned Germany that they would be taking on a much improved de Minaur in their ATP Cup group, which also features Greece and Canada.
De Minaur was the lowest ranked Australian in the team at No.139 when he was a shock singles pick for the early 2018 Davis Cup tie but still gave Zverev a scare before losing their opening singles rubber in five sets.
Fast forward two years and the 20-year-old de Minaur is now Australia's undisputed No.1 player at the ATP Cup, spearheading the team as the world No.18.
"We lost to them in a tough battle (in 2018) but the way Demon (de Minaur) is playing now, it is night and day compared to how he was the last time we played them," Kyrgios warned.
"I don't think they will like how many balls he gets back in this heat."
Kyrgios was also quietly confident he could hold up his end in Brisbane, boasting 4-3 and 1-1 career head-to-head records against Zverev and German teammate, world No.35 Jan-Lennard Struff, respectively.
Asked if Germany held an edge over Australia after their Davis Cup clash, Kyrgios said: "Not really. I have beaten Zverev multiple times and Struff."
The quietly spoken De Minaur said he was soaking up the pressure in his new-found role as Australia's spearhead ahead of the ATP Cup.
"There is always expectation but I strongly believe there is no expectation greater than the one I put on myself," he said.
"I finished off 2019 really well so hopefully I can start off 2020 the same." | 3.333333 |
In the 2010s, millennials struggled to build wealth amidst the fallout of the recession and student-loan debt.
But one expert thinks millennials will come out on top in the 2020s and finally gain financial footing for five key reasons.
Millennials are likely to enter their peak earning years and become members of double-income households, receive a wealth transfer from their parents, buy a home, and overcome their student debt.
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The past 10 years have seen millennials cope with myriad financial hardships, but there might be a brighter future waiting for them in the next decade.
The 2008 financial crisis left many millennials financially behind: The oldest have been playing catch up in wealth building after entering a tough job market, while the youngest became risk averse by watching the recession unfold. And both age groups have had to balance this all with the weight of student-loan debt.
But Jason Dorsey, a consultant, researcher of millennials, and president of the Center for Generational Kinetics, told Business Insider that he anticipates many positive financial changes for millennials — who will be nearing their mid-30s to age 50 in 2030 — over the next 10 years. According to Dorsey, the generation will finally find its financial footing for five key reasons:
The average student-loan debt per graduating student in 2018 who took out loans is nearly $30,000. But millennials will be 15 or more years past traditional college age on average, and many will have figured out how to manage their student-loan debt, Dorsey said.
Many millennials will enter the mid-career stage over the next decade, which Dorsey said is prime time for increases in earnings through promotions and career changes. Mid-career is typically the stage in which one earns the top tier of their income.
"The Great Wealth Transfer" will see an estimated $68 trillion pass down from boomers to their millennial children over the next 30 years — and it could make them even richer than previous generations. Dorsey said it's likely this significant wealth transfer will begin in the 2020s.
Millennials have traditionally delayed homeownership as they've struggled with debt and living costs, but they're set to fuel the US housing market in 2020. Dorsey has also seen signs that millennials are finally buying houses, an investment that historically leads to wealth creation, he said.
Financial troubles have also caused millennials to delay marriage, but as they age, they're becoming more ready to commit. As a result, more millennials are teaming up into two-income households, which Dorsey said is another positive sign for wealth building.
The predictions finally spell good news for a generation that's barely seen income growth since 1974 and whose wealth levels are significantly below where they should be.
"The next 10 years may finally be the decade where millennials feel a more solid financial foundation, especially after the long economic headwinds and recovery many of them have faced due to the Great Recession, wage stagnation, rising cost of real estate, and student-loan debt," Dorsey said. | Dear readers:
Welcome to 2020. For me, it’s more than a number. It’s a milestone. For the past decade — with the stalwart support and encouragement of readers and advertisers — we have been building a community news organization that now covers a combined population of 100,000 in Edmonds, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace.
Yet, many times I still feel like I’m in a one-sided relationship.
During the past decade, news organizations of all sizes — from the Guardian to the New York Times to The Seattle Times — realized that there weren’t enough advertising dollars to keep them solvent, and so they began an aggressive campaign for readers’ financial support. You have heard this from me, as well. It costs money to provide good journalism. The news may appear in your Facebook feed for free, but it isn’t free to write or photograph or edit or publish it.
I am grateful for our advertisers. They help keep us afloat financially. I am also thankful to the 1,000 or so readers who have been either regular and one-time financial supporters over the past decade.
But that leaves many thousands of people who read us regularly, but still haven’t given us a cent.
Ever.
So for me, the 2020s will be the decade of demanding support. And I am using the word “demand” intentionally. Your financial support is imperative. It’s not optional. It’s not a “nice thing” to do. It must be done to ensure we are here when 2030 rolls around.
The next 10 years will bring many changes to our region. In addition to population growth that we are already experiencing, light rail will arrive in South Snohomish County in just four years. Our local cities are already preparing to accommodate these developments.
Count on us to be your eyes and ears as these changes unfold. We’ll report on city council and school board meetings. We’ll photograph open houses, ribbon cuttings and grand openings. We’ll provide robust coverage of local elections, high school sports, the arts and restaurants.
We will also continue to give you a forum to express your opinions, air your grievances and offer your compliments.
It’s our commitment to you.
Now it’s your turn.
Support us here.
Happy New Year.
Teresa | 1.333333 |
25
Name: Alexander Ramirez
Position: OF
Born: 1/13/2003
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 170 lbs.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Acquired: IFA, June 2, 2019 (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic)
2019 Season: N/A
Considered one of the top players available in the 2019-2020 international rookie agent class, the Mets signed Alexander Ramirez as soon as it was legally possible, inking him to a contract worth $2.05 million dollars. Listed at 6’3”, 170-pounds, Ramirez is extremely athletic, and that athleticism suggests future physical and skill growth.
Far from a finished product, Ramirez currently stands square at the plate with his hands held high. Using a slight leg kick, he currently has line drive power, spraying the ball to all fields. His eye at the plate and his advanced understanding of the strike zone for someone so young helps in this regard, as he is able to lay off of pitches outside the zone, allowing him to make good contact more than often. Because of his age, he has only shown flashes of power rather than featuring it regularly, but his physical build and current baseball skills suggest that in-game power will eventually manifest itself as a part of his overall game.
Ramirez currently plays outfield, patrolling center field, and he has the body and baseball skillset to stay at the position for years to come. That potential is primarily tied to his speed, where he projects to be a plus runner. With more time and reps in center, it is believed he will be able to harness his speed and be an average-to-above-average defender in center field.
Steve says:
The Mets have done well for themselves in Latin America over the past couple of years. While they were never the biggest spenders, they identified excellent talents in Andres Gimenez, Ronnie Mauricio, and Francisco Alvarez, and hopefully Alexander Ramirez is the next in that line. The token “He’s still very young, so who knows how his career goes” applies, but Ramirez has an exciting blend of projectable skills that landed him on the back end of our list.
Lukas says:
I don’t have a ton to say about the big-bonus Dominican signing just yet. The scouting reports speak glowingly about his hitting skills and knowledge of the strike zone – encouraging given that these are typically the weakest parts of a July 2nd singing’s game – and his long-limbed, skinny frame passes the eye test. Hopefully he’ll get an aggressive assignment next season and we’ll get some state-side stats to talk about as the season goes on.
Ken says:
For the second consecutive season, we have ranked the IFA signing who received the highest bonus during last season’s July 2 signing period in the last spot on our top 25 prospects list. As with all recent IFA signings, we have limited information to work off of when evaluating the player’s potential future, but we do know a few things about Ramirez and his abilities on the diamond. At present, Ramirez is a tall, lanky, 16-year-old outfielder from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. We also know that someone in the Mets international scouting department saw fit to offer him $2.1 million to sign with the team. But, that is probably the extent of what we know about him at present, at least that isn’t predicated on public reports from people that are in some way affiliated with either the player or the organization that signed him. This lack of information means it’s entirely too early to tell what kind of prospect Ramirez is bound to become when he eventually makes his way stateside. It’s possible the Mets bring him stateside immediately and he hits his way toward being the literal youngest player in the Appalachian League, like his predecessor in the 25th spot from a year ago. It’s also possible he toils away in the low minors for parts of four seasons, and ends up getting released before making it out of rookie-ball like the 2014 model. For now all dreams of Ramirez blossoming into the center fielder of the future remain possible, although it’s unclear if they will remain within the realm of what is possible for long.
Thomas says:
The Mets signed Ramirez for $2.1 million as an IFA this year. Obviously, it’s hard to judge him as we sit here today, but he is a projectable player – he is said to be quite athletic and has a strong approach at the plate already.
24
Name: Jake Mangum
Position: OF
Born: 3/08/1996
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 180 lbs.
Bats/Throws: S/L
Acquired: 2019 MLB Draft, 4th Round (Mississippi State University)
2019 Season: 53 G, 182 AB, .247/.337/.297, 45 H, 5 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 15 BB, 26 K, 17/23 SB, .287 BABIP (Short-A)
Jake Mangum comes from a family of football players- his grandfather, John Mangum, was a defensive tackle for the Boston Patriots from 1966-1967, his father, John Mangum Jr. was a defensive back for the Chicago Bears from 1990-1998, and his uncle, Kris Mangum, was a tight end for the Carolina Panthers from 1997-2006- but he did not follow in the family business, instead choosing the diamond over the gridiron. A standout while playing at Jackson Preparatory School, he was recruited by numerous colleges, but ultimately settled on Mississippi State University, passing over others, including Ole Miss, Auburn and Alabama.
In 62 games as a freshman in 2016 he hit .408/.458/.510, winning the SEC Freshman of the Year Award and being named to the First All-SEC Team. He experienced something of a sophomore slump in 2017 but still hit a solid .324/.380/.385 in 65 games, being named to the Second All-SEC Team. The New York Yankees drafted him in the 30th round of the draft that year, but he turned them down, choosing to return to Mississippi State University. In his junior year, he hit .353/.432/.484 in 68 games, prompting the Mets to select him in the 2018 MLB Draft. Citing unfinished business at Mississippi State he chose not to sign, instead returning to college for a final year. In his final season there, he hit .355/.411/.462 in 64 games, breaking the record for most hits in a single season in MSU history and most hits in a career in the SEC and establishing a new one with 378 hits. He was drafted by the Mets for a second time, and without any leverage remaining, he signed with the team, inking a deal worth $20,000, well below the assigned slot value of $487,900. He was assigned to the Brooklyn Cyclones for the remainder of the season and hit .247/.337/.297 in 53 games for the eventual New York-Penn League champions.
A switch hitter, Mangum stands extremely open and spread at the plate, holding his hands high. He uses a contact-oriented approach to slash the ball around the field. While it limits his in-game power, he makes up for it with his speed, which is his best tool, earning plus and even plus-plus grades by scouts and evaluators. He is still learning how to make it translate on the base paths, but the number of bases he has stolen and the times he has been caught have steadily improved over the years. He is aggressive at the plate, but like the stolen bases, has improved on working deeper counts and drawing walks.
In the outfield, Mangum is an average-to-above-average defender in center. He possesses plenty of range in thanks to his excellent speed, and his routes have refined since his earlier college days. In addition, he possesses a strong arm as well, even pitching a few innings for Mississippi State in 2017.
Steve says:
In twenty years, Jake Mangum is going to be coaching somewhere. Given his connection to his alma mater, there’s a very good chance it’ll be at MSU, but depending on his professional career goes, I could see him being a roving instructor or a bench coach in a professional organization. Obviously, the first thing that comes to mind regarding Mangum are his intangibles, but there’s plenty to like as a player. The value his bat brings is probably minimal, but he plays a good center field and he’s speedy. He probably will never be a star, but he has useful complementary skills that will play independent of his offensive contributions.
Lukas says:
At the risk of starting more twitter beef with Mets prospects, I’m not a huge fan of Mangum. He’s a great athlete and someone who really thinks about the game (props to him taking a shot at the NCAA’s ridiculous coach limits on the way out the door), but I just don’t think he’ll hit enough to ever be a viable major-leaguer. The speed and defense are legit, but he’ll need a total swing and approach overhaul to be anything more than another senior the Mets picked to make room for Matthew Allan.
Ken says:
Mangum is an interesting player, even if I don’t fully buy in to a player with his profile developing into an impact player at the Major League level. He employs a cut and slash approach at the plate that limits the power he is able to get into his game. It’s an approach that tends to work less as you get closer to the high minors, due to improvements in the quality of the defense players face. Despite his limited power, Mangum does have some solid bat to ball skills, and manages to keep strikeouts to a minimum. His best tool is his speed, which plays well on both the basepaths and in centerfield. There’s not a ton of upside here, given the lack of power, but Mangum is a very good defender at a premium position, with above average speed that plays well on the base paths. Players with this profile make the big leagues every year and should have more opportunities moving forward with the addition of a 26th roster spot. There’s a good chance the defense and speed profile earns him big league service time someday, although he’ll have to tackle full season ball this upcoming season first.
Thomas says: | Taylor Edwards is in her second season as a volunteer coach for Nebraska. Edwards works with the Husker catchers, in addition to assisting the coaches with opponent scouting.
Edwards was a four-year starting catcher for Nebraska from 2011 to 2014. The only All-America catcher in program history and a three-time all-conference performer, Edwards was also selected as the 2014 Division I Catcher of the Year. She earned third-team All-America accolades as a freshman in 2011, when she was one of 25 finalists for the USA Softball Player-of-the-Year Award. Edwards earned All-America recognition again as a senior in 2014, when she was named a first-team All-American, the sixth Husker to be a first-team selection.
Edwards ended her career with 17 school records and a pair of NCAA records. The national records she held included most grand slams in a game (2 in 2013) and most consecutive games with a home run (6 in 2011). Edwards set Nebraska career records with 54 home runs, four grand slams, 150 walks and 39 hit-by-pitches. She also owned Husker season records for walks (41 in 2013), hit-by-pitches (16 in 2013) and grand slams, in addition to game records with four runs scored, eight RBIs, four walks and three hit-by-pitches.
In addition to her three Husker career records, Edwards ended her career ranked second in school history in RBIs (202), third in runs (177) and total bases (423), fourth in slugging percentage (.629), fifth in doubles (41), sixth in hits (220), eighth in at bats (673) and games played (233) and 14th in batting average (.327). In her career, Edwards started 231 games and had 150 walks. She also posted a .471 on-base percentage and a .629 slugging percentage.
Following her Husker career, Edwards was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2014 National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) Draft. She played in the NPF for four seasons, and played her fifth professional season with an independent team in 2018. Edwards won three straight NPF championships in 2015, 2016 and 2017 and was a two-time All-NPF selection. She also played professionally in Japan for two years (2016-17). Additionally, Edwards helped the USA Women's National Team win the Gold Medal at the 2018 World Championship and earn a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. | 2 |
Valley Jewish Community Taking Steps to Prevent Anti-Semitic Incidents
MCALLEN – The Jewish community across the country and in the Rio Grande Valley are rising up against anti-Semitism.
Members at Temple Emanuel in McAllen are getting their message out through social media. In addition, they have made some security changes of their own to stay protected.
“We are a recipient of some that hate, we being the Jewish people. And so after a couple of events, the conclusion amongst our members is we have to be more proactive to protect ourselves,” said Michael Blum, the chairman of the social action committee at the temple.
Those events range from the recent New York stabbing in a rabbi’s home during a Hanukkah celebration over the weekend to a shooting in Pittsburg.
In the Valley, a 19-year-old from Harlingen was charged with making a terroristic threat against mosques and synagogues.
Watch the video above for the full story. | City's Official Nightlife Mayor Talks NYE And New York After DarkAriel Palitz, the senior executive director of NYC's Office of Nightlife, talks about why people come from all over the world to spend New Year's Eve in New York.
Old Homestead Steakhouse Shares Hangover Remedies Ahead Of New Year's Eve CelebrationsA hangover is your body's reaction to drinking too much alcohol, and you've probably been doing a lot of that this holiday season.
Furry Friend Finder: Nikolai & Pepe Searching For Their Forever HomesNikolai is a 5-month-old, 13-pound French Bulldog, and Pepe is a 10-year-old, 7 pound rat-terrier mix.
Tips To Make Sure Your New Year's Eve Party Is One For The BooksIf you're hosting a New Year's Eve party, you want to go all out.
Living Kwanzaa's 7 Principles Rooted In African TraditionsArtist, choreographer and designer Ekiuwa Asemota talks about the Kwanzaa holiday and her work educating children and adults through storytelling, dance and song.
Former White House Pastry Chef Shows Off A Perfectly Presidential Holiday PieYou've trimmed the tree, hung the stockings and wrapped the gifts, now it's time to sweeten up the holiday with some decadent desserts. | 2.666667 |
New York [USA], Jan 1 (ANI): South Korean K-Pop boy-band BTS stole the show at 'Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve' event in front of a million-strong crowd at the Times Square.
Host Ryan Secret already believed that half of the spectators at the New Year Eve's event would be K-Pop fans and the crowd's response confirmed his predictions.
K-pop fanatics came in hoards to cheer for the music group which has Jimin, Jin, RM, Suga, Jungkook, J Hope, and V Kim Tae-Hyung as its members.
BTS was all over the billboards at Times Square and die-hard fans turned up beforehand with signs boards and light sticks in their hands to witness the band's rehearsal in the early afternoon, reported Variety.
Looking sharp while dressed up in black and white, the boy band started off with the song "Make It Right" then finished the performance with a bang, singing their hit 'Boy With Luv."Each of the five members stole every opportunity to showcase themselves separately with smooth choreography moves, where Jimin stole everyone's heart when he pulled his jacket over his head, something like a hoodie.
The k-pop group shared the stage with stars by the likes of Post Malone, country singer Sam Hunt, and Lauren Patten. (ANI) | Washington D.C. [USA], Jan 1 (ANI): Post Malone has yet again used his face as a canvas and inked it with a tattoo to celebrate the beginning of 2020.
The pop phenomenon opted for a medieval gauntlet holding a flail to adorn his already heavily tatted face, as reported by Fox News.
The 'Rockstar' singer's tattoo artist shared his creation with a picture he posted on Instagram this Tuesday.
In the caption, 'kylehedigertattoo' wrote: "Last tattoo of 2019. Gauntlet on the baby boy @postmalone love u. 2020 is going to be next level. Love you all".
Malone, who performed in the "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2020," at times square on the New Year's Eve, shared a sneak peek of his new tattoo on Instagram right before his gig.
The singer shared the Times Square stage with the K-pop boy-band BTS along with other artists such as Sam Hunt and Lauren Patten. (ANI) | 2.666667 |
FINANCE
Zero Pay(Korea Herald file photo)
After its launch in Dec. 2018, Seoul City’s own mobile payment app Zero Pay is now in a very fragile situation and is struggling to make a mark in the local payment industry, data showed on Wednesday.As of Dec. 16, the transactions made through Zero Pay reached 69.6 billion won ($60 million), a mere 0.0076 percent of the entire transaction volume of some 910 trillion won paid via noncash payments.The actual transaction volume of the city’s own payment solution is far short of its initial target of 8.53 trillion won.Market analysts said the solution run by the city government lacks competitive edge as the market is brimming with a number of privately run payment solutions that give more benefits and convenience to users.“Zero Pay had disadvantage from the beginning as it was a latecomer in the payment market,” said an industry official, adding that the inefficient app has little chance to outgun privately run payment systems like Payco, Kakao Pay and Samsung Pay.Others cited the limited usage of Zero Pay that civil servants both at central and city governments have been nearly forced to use. The officials are required to use a certain amount of Zero Pay points, given as employee benefits.By Kim Young-won ( wone0102@heraldcorp.com | We noticed you’re blocking ads!
Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. | 1 |
Cape Town gangs have a deadly new way of getting rid of rivals
File picture: Pexels Cape Town - Manenberg police have uncovered a murder plot in which gangs lure rival gangsters into their fold, only to off them in “revenge killings”. Two suspects were arrested following the discovery of the body of a 28s gang member in Surrey Estate just over a week ago. The find left cops confused as the area is not known for shootings. The man was found lying face down near a canal without his shoes. Officers on the scene found the man with gunshot wounds in his back and head and a stab wound on his chest, but were left baffled by why the man would be shot at that location.
When they inspected his body, they found he had several 28s gang tattoos.
Lifted
Acting station commander, Colonel Sanele Zama, says detectives lifted fingerprints off the corpse and identified the deceased as Vernon Felix, 29, a convicted felon.
Zama said Felix was jailed for a year after being found guilty of being in the illegal possession of ammunition.
“He had been released from prison just two weeks before he was killed after being found guilty on an ammunition case,” Zama explains.
“When he came out, he jumped camp and joined the Clever Kidz gang.
“On the morning when he was killed, members of his new gang went to his house and lured him out, telling him they were going to smoke drugs.
“They then told him they would go to Gatesville to rob people but as they walked there, the gang turned on him and shot him in the chest.
“According to the post-mortem, he was also shot in the head as he tried to run away and died near the canal.”
According to a highly placed source, the Clever Kidz gang apparently suspected Felix of being involved with the murder of one of their members in Manenberg more than two years ago and took revenge on him.
“He was never linked to that murder by the police while he was a 28s gang member but that was apparently established by the Clever Kidz according to their own intel,” says the source.
Meanwhile, Zama says detectives arrested two members of the Clever Kidz gang, aged 27 and 28, for the murder of Felix over the weekend.
The duo appeared in the Athlone Magistrates’ Court yesterday but at this stage cannot be named, says Zama.
“The investigation is at a sensitive stage so at this moment that is all we can confirm.”
Daily Voice | EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Crews responded to reports of a Condition 2 House Fire in the upper valley at 9:05 p.m. yesterday.
The fire happened at the 800 block of Forest Willow Cir.
17 firefighters and 10 units contained the fire that spread through the house. According to the El Paso Fire Department, the fire was contained at 11:35 p.m.
Officials say, two adults, one male, and a female, were evacuated safely and are being assisted by the American Red Cross Southwest Region.
An investigation has started to determine the cause of the fire and the total amount of damage. We will post updates as they become available.
Final Update – Condition 2 House Fire at Forest Willow Cir.
Fire contained. Crews checking for hotspots. No injuries reported. Two adults evacuated safely and being assisted by the @AmRedCrossSW
Investigators at the scene. No damage estimates not cause of the fire at this time. pic.twitter.com/QHzHn3KCLt — El Paso Fire Department (@EPTXFire) January 1, 2020
Because the house is located just down the street from the New Mexico and Texas state line, a neighbor said it raised some confusion when calling emergency dispatchers.
“I would hate for someone to have an emergency and just have to be put on hold or hesitate just even a moment because they’re trying to figure out what state they’re in,” Barbara Truax said.
The concerned neighbor cautions others in the nearby area to specify where their address is when calling emergency dispatchers to avoid any potential delay to response time. | 1.333333 |
The PLP wishes to respond to a statement released by the Bahamas Power and Light on the National Utility Investment Charge (NUIC).
In classic FNM style, this administration continues to blame everybody else for their incompetence and errors while refusing to accept responsibility for their poor policy decisions.
The specific charges of "ill-advised decision making" and "misplaced priorities by previous management" are totally false, baseless, without merit and a continuation of the FNM's deceitful and shamefull narrative of blame the PLP.
The FNM never passes up an opportunity to rewrite history and deceive the public in the process.
The record clearly shows that between 2012 and 2017, operational efficiencies at BPL assisted in reducing electricity costs by some forty percent.
The electricity laws were updated and modernized to accommodate private power generation, net metering and the incorporation of alternative energy sources.
The partnerships and agreements with PowerSecure, Southern Electric and Fortress Energy for the supply of Natural Gas and the upgrade of the existing and unreliable power generation plants and distribution networks promised to further reduce electricity rates by thirty percent over thirty months.
The record clearly shows that three major and reputable financial institutions - namely Credit Suisse, Bank of America and CIBC - were all on board as financiers of these upgrades based on the strength of the BPL business plan and international reputation of our strategic partners.
The energy committee of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) also endorsed this energy reform plan.
Further, the PLP legislated a Rates Reduction Bond law to address BPL's legacy debt and released a National Energy Policy as the blueprint for energy sector reform going forward.
Much of the preparatory work of the last PLP administration were unwittingly dismantled by the FNM to the detriment of BPL and its customers.
Multiple fires at multiple power plants resulted in the destruction of scores of megawatts of power generation capacity that has hurt BPL and its customers. Disputes at the board level, an ill-advised, failed and expensive voluntary employee separation exercise coupled with dubious, secretive and convoluted agreements with both Shell North America and Wartsila have landed BPL in the state it is in today. Customers have had to suffer through unrelenting daily blackouts, excessively and redundantly high electricity costs and uncertainty, all at the bad hands of the FNM who made politically motivated decisions at BPL.
The public is well aware that the PLP opposed the FNM's version of the Rate Reduction Bond during the House debate because the government could not explain the cost and conditions of the bond. The PLP said it would not support this additional fee on BPL customers until the government could provide the public with this definitive information. To date, the FNM has failed to meet and satisfy this agreed condition but here we are with the imposition of this new fee, an additional cost on electricity without any update on the raising of the funds secured by the Rate Reduction Bonds. This is reckless and a wanton betrayal of the public trust.
I again publicly call on the government to be accountable and transparent and publish the cost of the Rate Reduction Bond and the terms and conditions of the imposition of this new fee schedule. It is the right thing to do. It's in the public interest.
Overall, the FNM must accept full responsibility for all of its actions, poor decisions and the lack of public confidence in this beleaguered public Corporation.
This nightmare began in ernest shortly after the FNM assumed management control of BPL in May 2017. | It is that time of the year when we start thinking about what we would like to accomplish in 2020.
Most times, we set the bar way too high and, sometimes, it is impossible to attain New Year’s resolutions.
My favourite resolution for the last decade is to lose weight. I set my bar at a weight I was 20 years ago when I was active in sports, community, walking daily, etc. I have failed that one every year. So, for 2020, I sought resolution advice from the experts and I think I can check off most of these.
Expert 1 says set my bar at a reasonable height.
So, here is what we came up with: Laugh a little louder, smile a little bigger, love a little deeper and walk through life a little slower.
That makes perfect sense to me because I have been traveling through life at breakneck speed, which has made many of the above unattainable.
Expert 2 takes a different approach but still makes sense to me.
To put it simply: have hope, try new things, be active, see the good, say “I love you” more, challenge yourself, choose to be happy, eat better, enjoy today, forgive more readily, read more, become your best.
Since many of these are already in my life, this group of resolutions should be just right for me.
Expert 3 has more of the same easy attainable resolutions. Here they are: break a bad habit, learn a new skill, do a good deed, visit a new place, read a difficult book, write and send a letter, try new food, take a risk.
Once again, I believe this list would be easier to do than setting an unrealistic goal.
Actually, as I look at all three of these suggestions, I believe that almost everyone who reads this column could accomplish all three lists and feel really good about doing it.
One thing I would like to do is to learn a new language. I think this would be the hardest resolution on the list.
The second hardest for me would be to slow down and smell the roses. My life has always been in the fast lane and I never seem to be able to slow down. This is the year where I will do that with a little help from my friends.
Visiting a new place is on my bucket list and this is the year I will do that.
I would like to thank Snoopy and friends for their excellent advice.
And to everyone I sincerely hope you set your goals at a level that is easily attainable. You will feel really great when you can honestly say, “This year I accomplished all my 2020 resolutions.”
Happy New Year.
kashley1940@hotmail.com | 1 |
Holiday donations to Norwalk-area families in need nearly doubles in 2019
FCA Manager of Community Engagement, Lisa Havasinski FCA Manager of Community Engagement, Lisa Havasinski Photo: Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media Photo: Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Holiday donations to Norwalk-area families in need nearly doubles in 2019 1 / 1 Back to Gallery
NORWALK — This holiday season, donors have given more than $16,000 for local families in need through the Giving Fund. This amount is nearly twice the $8,900 raised last year that fully funded 20 cases. Some people have given every week and one donor has contributed $5,000.
For the third year in a row, the Norwalk Hour and Family & Children’s Agency have partnered to offer a chance for local families or groups to sponsor someone less fortunate for the holiday season. The Giving Fund features local residents who need a little bit of cash to help buy gifts, visit relatives or just need a little help to make ends meet.
Each case includes an estimated dollar amount that would help the clients face everyday challenges like rent payments, child care costs and transportation. Every dollar donated to the Giving Fund goes directly to the clients in need. The families and individuals who benefit from the Giving Fund often don’t know they have been submitted, and aliases are used in the published stories to protect privacy and dignity.
And though the season is ending, many are still in need. These are the last set of cases for this season’s Giving Fund. To donate, use the coupon in the Hour’s print edition or contribute online.
Here are this week’s people who need help:
250: Grace is the mother of four boys and escaped an abusive relationship two years ago. One of her boys has significant learning disabilities, and while the school has recommended occupational therapy, Grace has no way to financially provide these services. She is working with an educational advocate, but a gift of $400 would help her start the therapy her son needs.
251: Jade is a young girl who was recently placed in foster care. Since she is new to the foster home, a gift of $200 will help the family provide comfort items for her as she adjusts during the winter season.
252: Faith lives with her baby boy in her sister's Norwalk home. She has struggled to find employment. It’s difficult for her to provide for her son and she has to walk to appointments with him because she does not have a car. A gift of $300 would allow Faith to get a stroller and some warm clothes so she can more safely walk as the weather gets cold.
253: Candace is a single mother of three girls. She recently had heart surgery and though she was able to go home from the hospital, she remains very fragile. The family was forced to move in with Candace's disabled mother. Candace has no source of income because she had to stop working. Candace also has medical appointments at Yale, and would benefit from a gift of $350 to help pay for the transportation to see cardiac specialists in New Haven.
254: Claire is a senior living in Norwalk. Due to significant health issues, her husband lives in a skilled nursing facility. This has caused a significant reduction in her monthly income, making it difficult for her to meet monthly expenses. In the winter, it can be hard for Claire to cover the cost of home heating oil. A gift of $350 would help her manage this winter expense.
255: Hazel's landlord is selling the home she rents, and finding a new place has been difficult. Hazel's daughter uses a wheelchair and many affordable apartments are not accessible. Fortunately, she found an apartment, but the family lacks the resources for a security deposit and to rent a moving truck. Hazel has worked with a community resource to fund part of the move, but a gift of $500 would make sure Hazel and her daughter can safely move to their new home.
256: Amelia is a single mother of four children in Norwalk. She has struggled with physical and mental health issues and is unemployed. She has been working to find community resources for her family to better meet the needs of her children. A gift of $325 will help purchase food and warm clothing for the winter.
257: Valerie cares for her 3- and 4-year-old granddaughters who were placed in her care due to their mother's drug abuse. Valerie works full-time and had to immediately buy beds, clothes, and other necessities for the children in addition to enrolling them in day care. She hasn't received financial assistance for the girls, and now they are in jeopardy of being removed from day care due to nonpayment. Valerie needs her grandchildren in day care so she can keep her job. A gift of $500 would help keep the girls in day care and buy the essentials they need.
258: April is a single mother of five children, ages 2 to 18. She was working full-time to support her large family, but recently lost her job. Being unemployed has drained her savings and she is now struggling to pay her bills and has been forced to choose between paying the electric bill or getting gas to drive the children to school. A gift of $350 would help April pay the utilities this winter as she hunts for a new job.
259: Neveah is 15 years old and in foster care. She has autism spectrum disorder and is primarily non-verbal. She communicates with signs, photos and simple phrases. A gift of $500 will help support Neveah through developmental learning by providing cognitively appropriate toys, tools and experiences. | The Zamfara State government has said it has suspended three directors and five officials of the state Ministry of Finance over an alleged appointment racketeering that was allegedly discovered by the state ministry of Finance.
The suspension according to a reliable sourse followed the discovery of 5,000 ghost workers receiving salary amounting to tune of N216 million.
One of the suspended workers who allegedly aided the appointment racketeering, was reportedly receiving thrice the salary a medical doctor gets on monthly basis.
According to the state’s commissioner for finance, Rabiu Garba Gusau who confirmed the suspension, the illegal business was being done with Director, Finance, Hospital Management Board; Director Salary, State Ministry of Finance; and his deputy including five other officials in the ministry.
The commissioner further stated that the suspended government workers will be prosecuted at a Court of competent jurisdiction if found guilty.
“It is a serious crime because Zamfara civil service is affecting the implementation of the new minimum wage. There are some workers that are receiving only N7000 because the wage bill almost tallies with monthly allocation and the internally generated revenue (IGR) is declining.
“In the next two weeks the public would know the outcome of the investigation, we would name all the officials involved and the banks that are aiding them in committing the fraud. We would submit the banks’ names to the Central Bank of Nigeria for further disciplinary action.”
According to him, most of the directors in the ministry have over ten people that they employed illegally receiving more than twenty million naira on monthly basis.
He noted that one Hannatu Shehu Idris, a sister to the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was receiving not less than N250,000 every month without justifying the salary.
“As of now, we have detected 4,972 ghost workers receiving salaries without justifying their salaries and this has to be stopped immediately,” he lamented.
The commissioner noted that there are so many governmental agencies where such dubious activities were being carried on without the public knowing what was in the offing.
“We are now set to expose their dubious activities because the state is getting better now than ever before,” his said. | 1 |
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Little Luna Rose Bloxham has already entered the record books - after becoming the first baby born at the Royal Stoke University Hospital this decade.
The 7lbs 4oz girl arrived just nine minutes after Big Ben's bongs heralded the start of 2020.
She was one of more than 10 babies born at the delivery suite by 9am today.
Now Luna joins dad Rob, mum Caroline, and brothers Owen, aged six, and three-year-old Ollie as a member of the Bloxham family.
Caroline, aged 40, from Talke, said: “I can’t believe she is the first baby of the decade! We’re not having anymore now - the family is complete.”
The office worker says Luna was ‘more stubborn’ throughout the pregnancy, compared to her two boys.
Warehouse worker Rob said: “Luna is our third child and she was born quite quickly. She was due on January 14, so came two weeks early!
“Caroline and I met when I was 17, and we’ve been together for 15 years. Having Luna completes our set.”
The 32-year-old added: “I convinced Caroline about the name because I really like it - and since she was born just after midnight it seems quite fitting now.”
Maternity assistant Amelia Boulton has been taking care of the couple and their new arrival.
The 29-year-old, from Audley, said: “It’s so lovely being on the ward at this time of the year. It’s amazing to see babies born on Christmas Day and New Years’ Day.
“Luna Rose is our first baby of the decade. The parents are always super-excited and it’s just gorgeous.
“People going about their daily lives forget that we’re in here delivering and looking after babies while they celebrate the new year!”
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I trust everyone had a nice, or at least tolerable, Christmas?
With the presents unwrapped and the more pro-active members of the family looking forward to putting the decorations back into the attic as quickly as possible, thoughts begin to turn to the New Year – and the resolutions that go with it.
One area that people frequently cut back on in January is of course alcohol. And that makes sense – it’s expensive and it’s not exactly good for you in large doses.
However, one area of the high street this hits badly is pubs.
The great British pub is facing a lot of problems and January can be a lean time for landlords – which is never a good thing for an industry that sees pubs constantly shutting their doors, often for the final time, with depressing regularity.
You hear about more pubs being turned into houses or shops than you do about houses or shops being turned into pubs.
There’s no denying Leek still has a lot of pubs but we’ve also lost a good number in recent years – ones that spring to mind for me particularly are the Unicorn on St Edward Street, my local for many years, and the Sea Lion on Russell Street.
This was brought home to me on Christmas Day as for the first time in six or seven years the family didn’t go to our local pub for a few lunchtime pints.
There was a reason for this - the Pride of the Moorlands, better known as the Herdsman, was closed and knocked down earlier this year. Houses are set to be built on the land - but until then the site stands empty, doing nothing but serving as a reminder of what a good job the pub did of blocking the view of Barnfields Industrial Estate from Junction Road.
It’s true that I am as much to blame for this as anyone. Aside from Christmas I only went in once or twice a year, sometimes more.
A community pub isn’t going to last if the community don’t go there.
Leek and the Moorlands have excellent pubs throughout and they all deserve support - whether they’re award-winning town centre pubs like the Fountain, quirky rural pubs like the Yew Tree Inn in Cauldon or solid local pubs like the Wellington or the Priory.
Perhaps rather than a bottle of wine or a few cans at home, venture to your nearest pub.
And, let’s face it, January is a miserable month anyway – we could all use a bit of a pick-me-up.
I’ll see you in 2020 - possibly down the pub.
Cheers!
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DULUTH -- “This is a wonderful time to be plant-based,” says Arlene Coco Buscombe, known to many in the Duluth-Superior, Wis., area as the Cajun chef who headed Coco’s Catering and Coco’s to Geaux. Buscombe sold those businesses in 2005 and became a culinary instructor, teaching cooking classes and food safety in three states. In the spring of 2019, her food interests took a new turn — toward a plant-based diet.
As I chatted with Buscombe over coffee, she explained that health was her primary motivation for getting “on the road to vegan.” “I have good health, and I want to keep it,” she said. “I want to stay off medications.” Mounting scientific evidence shows that plant-based eating significantly increases a person’s chances of having a long and healthy life. Buscombe has found that she sleeps better and has more energy on a plant-based diet.
Here are some highlights of our conversation.
Q: What is the transition to vegan cooking like for a highly trained chef like yourself?
A: Taste is paramount! After 40 years over the stove cooking professionally, I’ve learned what tastes good. I’ve always been interested in all types of cooking, and many traditional dishes don’t have meat, so I was already familiar with many meatless dishes. And I love to learn new things! The most exciting thing for me is to learn something new after cooking professionally for so long.
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Savory dishes swap out with vegan ingredients very easily. Vegan baking is a bit more challenging. Lately, I’m looking toward making more of my own vegan meats. I make an andouille sausage with seitan. The first day, it’s good. The second day, you can’t tell the difference between it and meat sausage. My husband is a non-vegan, and he likes it.
I’m blown away by The Herbivorous Butcher in Minneapolis! People need to understand that when they experiment with plant-based meats and cheeses, they can’t expect them to taste exactly the same as animal-based, but they’ll be better off!
Q: You mentioned your husband. Any insights on the subject of mixed vegan/non-vegan households?
A: It teaches the art of compromise! You can’t always have it your own way.
Q: Would you describe yourself as vegan?
A: I’m a flexitarian — 80% vegan. When I’m a guest, I will eat a little meat, but I don’t make it for myself, and I often bring a plant-based dish to share at potlucks. I still cook meat sometimes for my own guests, but I introduce them to vegan dishes, too. I occasionally have seafood, because it’s part of my Cajun background, and it’s my specialty.
Q: What are some plant-based dishes you like to share?
A: My favorite vegan cuisine is Italian. I make polenta lasagna with mushrooms, mushroom risotto, and mushroom bolognese. Mushrooms are a good swap for meat, and most people like them. I use a mix of fresh and canned. I like to make a base mix of celery, onion and carrot (called a mirepoix) with added mushrooms; it can go in many directions.
Q: What advice do you have for readers who want to be more plant-based?
A: From a chef’s perspective, a whole food, plant-based diet requires two things: first, you must have time to cook. And second, you must learn to use seasonings and take an interest in learning about new ingredients and flavor profiles. Your spice cabinet will grow! Learning about plant-based food is an ingredient adventure. Have fun!
It doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. You can start with a Meatless Monday or Mark Bittman’s VB6 idea (vegan before 6 p.m.). Like any lifestyle change, it can’t be done successfully overnight. A supportive partner is helpful. I have a niece who lives in another city; she is vegan and has been a great influence on me.
For me, this is part of a lifelong journey. As I grow, I find people along the way to collaborate with. It’s an opportunity for exploration.
* * *
Arlene offers frequent cooking classes at Whole Foods Co-op and teaches cooking parties in private homes. She also does TV cooking segments on Duluth's Fox 21. Readers can find some of Buscombe’s recipes on her blog at arlenecoco.com.
Here are two recipes Buscombe shared with me.
Skinny Vegetable Soup
Makes 6 servings, or 10 cups
From “Coco’s Latest Bite: Cozy Soups and One Pot Meals for a Crowd”
“This soup is gluten-free and dairy-free. It can be made with most any type of vegetable. Freeze it in pint containers for individual servings or the whole batch for a first course at an upcoming dinner party.” — Arlene Coco Buscombe
4 pounds winter squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes*
2 medium white onions, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon salt
8 cups vegetable stock
½ teaspoon ground cumin
One 13.5-oz can coconut milk (optional)
½ cup pistachio nuts or pumpkin seeds for garnish (optional)
extra virgin olive oil for garnish (optional)
*Winter squashes include acorn, butternut, kabocha, hubbard, pumpkin. You can use frozen squash that is already peeled and cubed; butternut is the variety most commonly available. Or, if you’re starting with a whole raw winter squash, make peeling easier by microwaving the entire squash for a few seconds, or baking it for a few minutes and letting it cool. This will soften the hard skin.
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add olive oil. Add onions, garlic and salt and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add squash, vegetable stock or water, and cumin and cook until soft, about 30 minutes. Carefully puree until smooth using an immersion, or stick, blender or a food processor or blender. Add coconut milk. Garnish with nuts or seeds and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, if desired.
Mushroom Farro Risotto
Makes 8 servings
From “Coco’s Latest Bite: Vegan and Vegetarian”
“Any kind of dried mushroom will work. I used dried lobster mushrooms. Leftovers freeze well." — Arlene Coco Buscombe
1 ounce dried mushrooms
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
Three 8-oz containers (or 3 cups) fresh cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 cups farro, rinsed
6 to 8 cups vegetable stock, hot
½ cup frozen green peas, thawed
½ cup white wine
⅛ cup truffle oil (optional)
½ cup vegan Parmesan (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Soak dried mushrooms in warm water for at least an hour. Drain through a sieve or coffee filter and reserve mushroom water to add to vegetable stock. Chop soaked mushrooms into small pieces. Rinse farro and set aside. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil, then add fresh mushrooms and saute until soft and water releases, about 10 minutes. Add soaked mushrooms and heat until cooked through, about 2 more minutes. Remove mushrooms from pan, add 2 more tablespoons olive oil, and saute onions and garlic for a couple minutes until soft. Add farro and stir to coat all the kernels. Add hot vegetable stock, a cup at a time, and cook until farro is tender to the tooth, much like arborio rice — 18 to 30 minutes, depending on your cooking heat and how hot the stock is. When farro is cooked, add mushrooms back in, plus peas, white wine, truffle oil (if using) and vegan Parmesan to taste. Add salt and pepper and serve hot.
Did you know?
If the US became a nation of vegans, we would save $250 billion annually in health care costs and carbon emissions, and would avert 320,000 deaths due to obesity and chronic disease. Another estimate places the savings at $2 to 3 trillion. From a study by Marco Springmann published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2016, reported in “The Atlantic.”
Bonnie Ambrosi lives in Duluth and is an organizer of The Vegan Cookbook Club, which meets at 11:30 a.m. on the first Thursday of every month at Mount Royal Branch Library. Contact Ambrosi at bonnieambrosi@gmail.com.
Read more about Veganuary
'Veganuary' is a gift you give to your body and the Earth
I'm riding the Veganuary train | Have you thought about getting married in Italy? How about saying yes to a small church in a beautiful historic city or on a perfect beach with all your loved ones or in a special place that remembers your love story? Maybe, where he met or had his first vacation or where his parents are from? There are many reasons to choose Italy as your wedding destination: beautiful places, a pre-established honeymoon, excellent food and wine and much more.
If you have found a house rental in Italy and are planning a wedding in the country, then read on as these are the ten things you will need to do and the information you will need to make those vows legally binding.
1. Get Contact the consulate of your country of origin in Italy.
This will be useful as a support system and a reliable source of specific information about the chosen destination. They can help you start the process and prepare your wedding, starting with the organization of documents such as the Princess Apulia, which is a document required for US and Australian citizens to marry in Italy.
2. Send your declaration of intention of marriage to the local marriage office
The local marriage office – civic registry – is located in the town hall of the town, city or area where your marriage will take place. Be sure to do so at least three weeks before your wedding date, if not before. You will also have to get a couple of officially translated documents. However, the specific details of this part of the process may change, so being in contact with the consulate and the local town hall is the easiest way to know the exact details of the area in which you plan to get married.
3. Organize a translator
Not only for ease, even if you speak Italian, but you will also need to hire a translator to attend the ceremony for civil ceremonies due to a rule from a time ago. However, organizing a wedding planner who speaks your language is probably the best option for those who want an easier experience, since they can help you with all the paperwork, with the wedding organization, overcome language and cultural barriers and much more.
4. Other Religious Weddings and Same-sex Marriages
Italy recognizes religious weddings of all religions, including the different branches of Christianity, Jewish weddings, Hindu weddings, and Muslim weddings, as long as a civil ceremony is incorporated into the marriage to be officially legal. You will be asked to prove that you are civilly married before the ceremony can be held in a religious temple.
Unfortunately, same-sex marriages are not yet legally recognized in Italy. However, civil unions were legalized in 2016, so, in this scenario, you may want to hold a symbolic wedding while in Italy and legally marry in your country (if that is possible, of course!).
5. Weddings in the Church
While there are other religious groups in Italy, Catholicism is still the majority religion and the great part of the small and beautiful churches that you will see will be Catholic churches. If you want to marry in one of these, it is, sadly, almost always necessary that both members of the couple are of the Catholic faith. You will also have to comply with the rules of your local parish and the parish in which you are getting married. You will have to present all religious documents, at the latest, seven weeks before your wedding date, as they must be processed by both your consulate and the local Bishop. Contact with the two parishes will allow you to clarify the exact details.
6. Weddings and Civil Ceremonies
Civil ceremonies are usually performed by the city mayor or by an assistant or civil servant and, as noted, you must have an interpreter, but such an interpreter may be a friend or acquaintance who speaks Italian fluently, it is not necessary for Be an official translator.
Your votes and readings can be added and the main legal requirement is quite standard, at least two witnesses over 18 years. They must be present at the time of the wedding and sign in the register. Note: It may not be the best idea to ask your Italian friend to witness, since, according to Italian tradition, they would feel pressured to give away a large sum of money – you may suddenly find fewer guests at the wedding!
After the wedding, you must also return to the town hall to present the marriage certificate and receive an apostille seal, which verifies the document.
It should also be borne in mind that, as a rule, these ceremonies will only take place at the town hall and an outdoor wedding may not be requested. However, specific places, villas, castles, gardens, etc. They will be approved, authorized and prepared for civil ceremonies. Look at the area around where you want to get married and see if there is a place nearby.
7. The documents you will need:
– A valid passport or national identity document of both parties.
– Original birth certificate of both parties.
– Divorce documents or death certificate (if necessary).
– An affidavit, Nulla Osta or Dichiarazione Giurata, before a consular office in your home country, indicating that there is no legal impediment to your marriage in your home country.
– A Notorious Atto signed by two witnesses (if American or Australian)
– A declaration of intention of marriage that will go to the civil registry.
8. Also, for a Catholic wedding you will need:
– Baptism certificates.
– Confirmation certificates.
– Letter of non-impediment to marry.
– Proof of attendance at a premarital course.
– Permission of the local bishop to marry abroad.
9. Fees
The following document and processing charges will be incurred if you are getting married in Italy:
– A tax stamp for the Dichiarazione Giurata / Nulla Osta that will cost € 16
– A tax stamp for the Notorious Atto that will cost € 16
– A request for the Notorious Atto that will cost € 10.62
– An application for the Nulla Osta that will cost around € 40
– An urgent fee for the Notorious Atto will cost € 31.86, if necessary
There may also be local administrative fees, parish charges, etc., so be sure to check with the place where you are getting married for information on additional costs.
10. Everything is much easier if it is a symbolic wedding.
With this type of wedding, you can have a second wedding and have everything exactly customized to your tastes and needs. This way you can set aside the legalities of the official wedding for when you are in your home country, making things much easier. You can also get married wherever and whenever you want (within reason) since these ceremonies do not have the same type of legal requirements and restrictions.
With all this in mind, now you can start planning the Italian wedding of your dreams! Be sure to check out our amazing Italian wedding planner and you may find a place to stay and a wonderful place to celebrate the wedding, all under one roof! | 1 |
With so many hairpin turns over the last 10 years, it makes sense that the greatest and most inventive works in comics would come from unexpected, contradictory corners: young adult and horror. As the YA comics market boomed, it attracted more and more brilliant cartoonists, with superstars such as Raina Telgemeier finding a huge readership outside the world of superheroes. At the same time, new voices such as Emily Carroll and old ones such as Al Columbia produced far darker, yet necessary, visions of the world
Over this decade of upheaval, many fortunes have reversed. DC relaunched its entire shared universe as The New 52 in 2011, then threw in the towel and returned to the status quo after five years. Marvel spent the decade integrating the corporate values of its new owner, Disney, into its editorial decision-making to become far slicker, if more divided between nostalgia plays for older readers and squeaky-clean comics for kids. Some reclusive creators produced new work, including Columbia’s Amnesia: The Lost Films of Francis D Longfellow. Some industry stalwarts received long-due accolades, such as Lynda Barry’s MacArthur “Genius” grant. And the decade produced a pile of amazing, beautiful comics, many of them from voices that hadn’t been heard before 2010. Here are my favourites.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Queasy masterpiece … Prison Pit
A gleefully disgusting tour of a prison planet that is more or less hell, starring an alien murderer named Cannibal Fuckface, Ryan’s six-book series has absolutely no redeeming moral qualities – and is a queasy masterpiece. Ryan’s series is a fascinatingly extreme exercise in seeing just how far the artist can go – not just in terms of depravity, but also in terms of sheer size.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gleefully messy … Hark! A Vagrant
Beaton’s beloved webcomic skips lightly among minutiae from Canadian history, English literature, 80s corporate culture, and superhero fandom, yet it’s all of a piece, her subject matter as deceptively messy as her gleeful drawings. The resulting collection of curiosities is both unmistakably feminist and snortingly funny. Indeed, some of her lines are so pithy and memorable that, over the years, they’ve been stolen from her to sell other people’s merchandise. As far as posterity’s concerned, it doesn’t matter. I’m sure Beaton has turned more than one person on to Wuthering Heights just so they could better laugh at her Dude Watchin’ With the Brontës strip, or sent them frantically trawling Wikipedia for the backstory behind this or that eccentric Canadian politician. It is a riot, yes – and, like all the best riots, it’s also an education.
Shakespearean insults … Prince of Cats. Illustration: Image Comics
Taking its title from one of Shakespeare’s insulting names for Tybalt, the Capulet cousin in Romeo and Juliet whose death sets the tragedy in motion, this marvellous graphic novel sees Wimberly cast Tybalt as his lead and set his story among katana-wielding gangs in 80s Brooklyn. The art is a vibrant fusion of graffiti-style neons and stylish sword-fight sequences, but Wimberly’s text is perhaps the book’s most significant accomplishment. Sampling Shakespeare’s lines and embroidering them with 80s hip-hop slang and rhythm, bard-worthy puns and insult contests that somehow jibe perfectly with his retro milieu. A pure delight.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Impossibly weird … The Sandman. Illustration: DC Comics
The return of Gaiman’s acclaimed Sandman series was never going to be bad, but it could have been like dinner with an old friend after several years apart: pleasant but awkward in places. Yet Overture is every bit as good as the best of the original series, and a nice reminder of how impossibly weird the Sandman series is: it’s set, after all, in the DC Universe of Superman and Batman. Gaiman is a generous writer and Williams really goes for broke, drawing ramshackle buildings with a different panel in every room, a two-page image in which the panels are inscribed on teeth, and massive gatefold spreads that spill the book’s profusion of odd characters and places on to extra-large leaves. A feast.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Supremely confident … This One Summer. Illustration: Macmillan
The Tamaki sisters craft a delicate web of bonds between family and friends in their young-adult graphic novel centered on the tenuous friendship of two adolescent girls, Rose and Windy. Jillian’s lush renderings, drawn entirely in shades of blue, serve as a perfect counterpoint to Mariko’s economical script. Rose, our heroine, realises she wants to take part in the adult world around her, but soon learns the secrets and weaknesses of the older people around her. A supremely confident work.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Brimful of wit … Killing and Dying
Each of the short stories in Tomine’s masterly collection is drawn in a different style, but all are brimming with wit and pathos. Tomine’s mania for process is well-known: every interior in his graphic novel Shortcomings was carefully modelled on a real location – a huge expenditure of effort. In Killing and Dying, Tomine makes a dazzling feature of his capacity for taking pains, while also showing his gifts for rich characterisation and spare, cutting dialogue.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Genuinely shocking … Providence. Illustration: Avatar
Providence by Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows (2015-17)
The capstone to Moore’s remarkable career in comics, Providence is a horror narrative of staggering depth and detail. The book works as a complex meditation on identity and morality, but it’s also a huge addition to the body of narrative gamesmanship surrounding HP Lovecraft, who lived and worked in the city that gives the story its name. Providence (the comic) at first appears to be a collection of oblique, linked short stories and then resolves into a gigantic vision of inevitable – providential – destruction, wrought by countless tiny, familiar failures. Burrows’ magnificent, period-perfect art fills each panel with so much earthbound detail that the supernatural intrusions are not merely jarring but genuinely shocking, subverting the reader’s senses of time and place in ways that only comics can manage.
Hilariously deadpan … The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. Illustration: Marvel Comics
North and Henderson brought a light heart and good intentions to the Marvel Universe in the form of Doreen Green, a cheerful college student who, as often as not, triumphs over her enemies through reasoned discourse and friendly persuasion. It’s a rare superhero book in which the outcome of a climactic battle is often that everyone wins. Their comic is a constant joy overflowing with sight gags, maths jokes and strange Marvel trivia. Henderson’s art in the first eight volumes has a hilarious deadpan quality, with Charm ably taking up her pen when she left off. The story’s 58 issues (plus one terrific stand-alone graphic novel, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Beats Up the Marvel Universe) are easily the best thing Marvel produced this decade.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Unexpectedly touching … Patience. Illustration: courtesy of the artist
The melancholy comedian behind Ghost World, Ice Haven, and Wilson goes for the unexpected in his most beautiful graphic novel to date: a candy-coloured sci-fi story about a time machine and a dystopian future. Clowes’ previous science fiction outing, The Death Ray, was as pretty but not as subtle; Patience’s narrator, Jack, is a touch crazed and missing quite a few things that a careful reader will see. As Jack falls apart, the book blossoms into ever wilder, two-page spreads that recall the great Marvel Comics weirdos of the 60s. And the climax is unexpectedly touching.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Eye-popping … My Favorite Thing Is Monsters. Illustration: Emil Ferris/Fantagraphics Books
Every page in Ferris’s enormous debut is a wonder. It is a murder mystery, a coming-of-age story, and a rumination on the iron grip of the past, nominally set in 1960s Chicago but frequently taking place within paintings at the Chicago Art Institute and the covers of notional horror comics. Drawn primarily with multicolored drugstore-quality ballpoints, this unconventional medium gives the art depth and breadth, as well as eye-popping colour deployed in beautiful, surprising ways.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Profound and precise … Berlin. Illustration: Drawn & Quarterly
An astounding feat of craftsmanship and patience, Lutes’s 22-years-in-the-making graphic novel about the last years of Weimar Berlin ought to feel ponderous but is more urgent than ever, as Lutes examines the way fascism divides families and ends friendships. This huge book is both profound and precise. Lutes renders a cast of Dickensian size in careful, consistent strokes, with his characters forced to choose between political loyalties; between combat, flight and assimilation; between one another.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest America’s crowning glory … Poochytown
Woodring’s long-lived, mute hero, Frank, finally comes to rest in this fourth instalment. Every panel looks like a Dürer woodcut – never has an artist created a world so vivid without a single word spoken. Frank is one of the great works of art the US has produced, and Poochytown is its crown.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Visually inventive … The River at Night
A mercilessly recursive graphic novel about a man named Glenn, who spends his evenings exploring the depths of his own psyche as he fails to get to sleep. It is so visually inventive and so clever about the ways our brains fool themselves that it’s impossible to put down. Huizenga’s throwaway jokes rival The Simpsons (a promotional blurb on the cover of a book called A History of a Synecdotal Item reads: “I heard this was really good”) while peeling back the layers of Glenn’s life, so we understand his relationship with his wife, his place in the world and even the nature of consciousness itself.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Rare beauty … The Hard Tomorrow. Illustration: Drawn & Quarterly
A couple in rural Kentucky live in a campground filled with a pickup truck, a trailer, a shed and a house that may never get built. As they work, meet idealistic activist friends and fall foul of a cruel legal system, they try in vain to have a child. There’s so much pure life in Davis’s slim graphic novel, with every page depicting an underexplored truth of hardscrabble American life. Davis’s characters appear sometimes in quick, cartoonish lines as she describes their movement over many panels; sometimes in full, breathtaking portraiture. A book of rare beauty and plasticity.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Incredibly scary … When I Arrived at the Castle
Carroll’s first full-length graphic novel is an ingeniously constructed deathtrap for the willing reader. Its Angela Carter-style setting threatens to turn into a fairytale we might recognise; instead, it goes full Borges, fragmenting into interlocking stories of others who have fallen foul of the witch at the book’s centre. Clever, dirty and incredibly scary, it’s an announcement of vaulting ambition – and a welcome one. | America Ferrara announces pregnancy with sweet family photo originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
America Ferrara announced on Tuesday evening that she is pregnant.
The "Superstore" star and her husband, Ryan Piers Williams, shared the happy news in matching Instagram posts, featuring a family photo.
This will be the couple's second child. They welcomed their son, Sebastian "Baz" Piers Williams, in 2018.
"Welcoming Baby #2 in 2020! Happy New Year from our wild & growing bunch," Ferrara wrote.
Added Williams: "So much to look forward to in 2020, but one thing in particular sticks out! Can't wait to welcome another beautiful creature into this world. Happy New Years!!"
(MORE: America Ferrera says fans shouldn't rule out possibility of 'Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 3')
Ferrara, 35, and Williams, 38, got engaged in 2010 after several years of dating, and they wed in 2011. In 2018, the Time's Up co-founder told Health magazine that parenthood had changed her and her husband.
"For so long, it's been just the two of us, and we've had an amazing life together. I don't know that either one of us could anticipate how much we love him and how it makes everything new again," she said. "We've traveled to many wonderful places, and we've seen many things -- and just getting to imagine that somewhere down the line everything that we've already done and seen, Baz will be seeing for the first time ... it's amazing." | 1.333333 |
Judges order Ohio to use legislative maps rejected by state court
Ohio redistricting news: Ohioans will pick new state lawmakers on Aug. 2 using maps that the Ohio Supreme Court rejected as unconstitutional. | Things to Prioritize When Looking for a Security Company
Everyone wants to feel secure at either their workplace or at home. The safety of your premises is one thing that you need to uphold. You will be able to feel secure if you hire a security system. The security company that you choose will have security systems on your property. These systems will be able to notify you in case of danger and keep your premises secure. You should figure out some elements before choosing a security company. Read on the following article to discover the factors that you should consider before choosing a security company.
What’s the cost of installation from the security company? You should not choose a security company if its way out of your budget. There is a higher probability that you will find the most affordable company if you compare the prices of different companies. The cost from the company will depend on your needs and the quality of the company. You should expect to pay more if you choose a high-quality company or if you have many things to be done. Don’t feel bad once you incur a higher cost for you to get the best security system installation.
After knowing a company’s period of existence then you can go ahead and choose it. The level of experience matches the period of existence. If a security company has been operating for a long time then it’s likely to be well-experienced. Offering the installation services to different people is what makes a security company experienced. You will have nothing to worry about if you settle for a well-experienced company since they are well-equipped in their job. You can also consider a newly established security company if you see its potential.
You should only choose a security company if it’s licensed. The security company should be registered under a professional body. You need to make sure that a company’s license is up to date. A security company has to have all the qualifications for it to be licensed. You will not regret choosing a licensed security company. You can report a licensed company to the authorities in case of any problem. Under no circumstances should you choose a company that is not licensed.
You need to ask for recommendations on the best security company. You can inquire from your relatives, friends or co-workers. There is a high probability that you will get a good suggestion if these people have had an encounter with a security company before. You should not ignore these recommendations. You need to research on a security company before choosing one. Don’t choose a security company if you don’t like it. You are guaranteed of the best security company if you consider these factors.
What Do You Know About
: 10 Mistakes that Most People Make | 1 |
New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) Extending his wishes to Gen Bipin Rawat, who took charge as first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) on Wednesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the three defence forces under his leadership will collectively work in securing nation and fulfil aspirations of a New India.
Calling the occasion a "momentous and historic day" for India, Shah in a series of tweets, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi fulfilled yet another long-pending demand and India got its first CDS, citing announcement which Modi made on August 15, 2019, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, saying India will soon have a CDS.
"I am confident that this decision will further strengthen India's resolve to be among the best defence forces in the world," Shah said.
"I congratulate General Bipin Rawat, on taking charge as India's first Chief of Defence Staff. I am sure under his leadership all the three forces will collectively work as a team and leave no stone unturned in securing our nation against all odds."
"The Chief of Defence Staff will not only further Modi government's efforts towards ensuring welfare of personnel of all the three wings of Indian Armed Forces, modernise our military and fulfil the aspirations of a #NewIndia," the Home Minister said.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a series of tweets expressed best wishes to the country's first CDS. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had also extended his best wishes to General Rawat for a successful tenure ahead.
Gen Rawat, who demitted office as army chief on Wednesday, took charge as the CDS early in the day and expressed that his mandate would bring jointness within tri services -- Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force.
rak/vd | New Delhi [India], Jan 1 (ANI): Newly appointed Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat called on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh here at South Block on Wednesday.
During the meet, the Defence Minister extended his best wishes to General Rawat for a successful tenure ahead.
On Tuesday, General Rawat received the guard of honour from all the three forces after demitting office on retirement as Chief of Indian Army.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated former Army chief Rawat for taking over as the first CDS and called him an "outstanding officer" who has served India with great zeal.
"I am delighted that as we begin the New Year and new decade, India gets its first Chief of Defence Staff in General Bipin Rawat. I congratulate him and wish him the very best for this responsibility. He is an outstanding officer who has served India with great zeal," Prime Minister Modi said in a series of tweets.
General Manoj Mukund Naravane took over as the 28th Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) on Tuesday, succeeding General Bipin Rawat who has become India's first CDS.
General Naravane previously served as the Vice Chief of Army Staff. He has taken over the reins of the Army amid prevailing tensions between India and Pakistan due to provocations by Islamabad through terror activities. (ANI) | 3.666667 |
In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi I, together with Constitutional Law scholars Louis Fisher and Bruce Fein, proposed that the Senate allow Chief Justice John Roberts to prescribe impeachment trial procedures—subject to veto by a Senate majority. In doing so, the Senate would avoid some degree of political infighting and blatant partisan bias. While this approach is not perfect, it would create a more impartial and legitimate impeachment process.
Date: December 27, 2019
TO: Honorable Mitch McConnell
Majority Leader United States Senate
317 Russell Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
TO: Honorable Nancy Pelosi
The Speaker of the House of Representatives
United State Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515
FROM: Ralph Nader, Louis Fisher, Bruce Fein
Dear Majority Leader McConnell and Madame Speaker Pelosi:
We, the undersigned, encourage a bipartisan resolution of the current impasse over procedures for the impeachment trial of President Donald J. Trump. The trial is too important to the Republic to be left to partisan political ambitions.
We propose that the Senate endow the Chief Justice of the United States, John Roberts, who will preside, with authority to prescribe trial procedures, subject to veto by a Senate majority.
Among other things, the procedures would govern the admissibility of evidence, claims of privilege, subpoenas to compel testimony, the burden of proof, direct and cross-examination of witnesses, and, jury instructions as to the elements of an impeachable high crime and misdemeanor.
We are convinced that only the Chief Justice can rescue the impeachment trial from the taint of partisanship that would destroy the legitimacy of the outcome. Justice requires the appearance of justice. But both Republican and Democratic Members of Congress have openly proclaimed biases in favor or against President Trump. And citizens generally do not trust Members to be fair. Public confidence in Congress hovers around 10 percent, as opposed to 42 percent for the United States Supreme Court. Many Members of Congress place party loyalty above loyalty to the Constitution and their oaths of office. They crave power, not justice.
Article I, section 3 of the Constitution provides that when sitting as jurors in impeachment trial Senators “shall be on oath or affirmation.” And according to the standing rules of Senate impeachment trials, Senators must swear as follows: “I solemnly swear that in all things pertaining to the trial of the impeachment of ( Donald J. Trump], now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws: So help me God.”
But both Republican and Democratic Senators have made statements inconsistent with impartial justice. In an ordinary courtroom, these Senator-jurors would be disqualified for cause.
Moreover, most if not all Senator-jurors confront conflicts of political interest that would ordinarily justify disqualification. Republicans incline towards acquittal of Mr. Trump to retain control of the White House in 2020, whereas Democrats incline towards conviction to boost their 2020 presidential prospects.
Impeachment procedures ordained by the Republican majority in the Senate or pressured by the Democratic majority in the House will be perceived by an alarming portion of citizens as illegitimate, i.e., calculated to make justice subservient to party ambitions. In contrast, Chief Justice Roberts has earned respect with judicial temperament and robust defense of the impartiality of federal judiciary: “We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges or Bush judges or Clinton judges.”
The Chief Justice, of course, has critics. Many Republicans assail his decisions sustaining President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Many Democrats assail his opinion upholding President Trump’s travel ban and invalidating the preclearance provisions of the Voting Rights Act. A plurality of voters, however, belong to neither party. Chief Justice Roberts, in contrast to the Senate Republican majority or House Democratic majority, is the optimal choice to establish independent and credible procedures for the impeachment trial of President Trump to strengthen public confidence in the outcome.
In the impeachment trial of President William Jefferson Clinton, the Senate unanimously determined trial procedures. Such unanimity cannot be expected today with the appalling spike in partisanship. It seems politically plausible with your support, however, that Senate Republicans and Democrats might agree to hand off responsibility for procedures governing Mr. Trump’s impeachment trial to Chief Justice Roberts.
The delegation to the Chief Justice passes constitutional muster. His procedures could be vetoed by a simple Senate majority. Ultimate authority is thus retained by the upper chamber. And the Constitution itself makes the Chief Justice the presiding officer, which contemplates power to prescribe procedures. The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, for instance, are promulgated by the United States Supreme Court under the Rules Enabling Act subject to overruling by Congress.
Making the Chief Justice the impresario of the impeachment trial is innovative and imperfect, but markedly less imperfect than every other imaginable option.
We would welcome the opportunity to assist in drafting the proposed rulemaking delegation.
Ralph Nader, Louis Fisher, Bruce Fein
Please call your Senators at 202-224-3121 and urge them to support this modest, but important proposal.
Louis Fisher is a Constitutional Law Scholar who worked for four decades at the Library of Congress as Senior Specialist in Separation of Powers (Congressional Research Service, from 1970 to 2006) and Specialist in Constitutional Law (the Law Library, from 2006 to 2010).
Bruce Fein was Associate Deputy Attorney General and General Counsel to the Federal Communications Commission under President Ronald Reagan. He served on the American Bar Association’s Task Force on Presidential Signing Statements from 2005-2006 and has advised numerous countries on constitutional reform.
Ralph Nader is a consumer advocate, lawyer, and author. His latest books include: To the Ramparts: How Bush and Obama Paved the Way for the Trump Presidency, and Why It Isn’t Too Late to Reverse Course, How the Rats Re-Formed the Congress, Breaking Through Power: It’s easier than we think, and Animal Envy: A Fable | In much of the right-wing media — from Fox News to AM talk radio to Breitbart — conservative condemnation of President Donald Trump is in painfully short supply. One usually has to go to outlets like MSNBC and the Washington Post to find people on the right who will forcefully critique the president. But GOP consultant Stuart Stevens is not shy about criticizing the direction of the Republican Party under Trump, and a Post op-ed published on New Year’s Day voices some of his complaints.
Stuart was a top strategist for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential bid, and he currently serves on a political action committee supporting Bill Weld’s challenge to Trump in the GOP primary.
“Trump didn’t hijack the GOP and bend it to his will,” Stevens asserts. “He did something far easier: he looked at the party, saw its fault lines and then offered himself as a pure distillation of accumulated white grievance and anger. He bet that Republican voters didn’t really care about free trade or mutual security, or about the environment or Europe, much less deficits. He rebranded kindness and compassion as ‘PC’ and elevated division and bigotry as the admirable goals of just being politically incorrect.”
Trump, according to Stevens, “didn’t make Americans more racist; he just normalized the resentments that were simmering in many households. In short, he let a lot of long-suppressed demons out of the box.”
The GOP, Stevens laments, “stands for all the wrong things now.”
“Republicans are now officially the character doesn’t count party, the personal responsibility just proves you have failed to blame-the-other- guy party, the deficit-doesn’t-matter party, the Russia-is-our-ally-party, and the I’m-right-and-you-are-human-scum party,” Stevens observes. “Yes, it’s President Trump’s party now, but it stands only for what he has just tweeted.”
Stevens laments that in 2020, he is pessimistic about the future of the GOP.
“This impeachment moment and all that has led to it should signal a day of reckoning,” Stevens writes. “A party that has as its sole purpose the protection and promotion of its leader, whatever he thinks, is not on a sustainable path. Can anyone force a change? I’m not optimistic.” | 2 |
The Witcher season 1 episode 7 recap
With Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) now without love from Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalorta), the seventh episode of Netflix’s The Witcher sees him return to Cintra to check in on his child of surprise Princess Cirilla (Freya Allan), who is now on her way to Skellige.
RELATED: The Witcher Season 1 Episode 6 Recap
Heading in Opposite Directions
Losing the companionship of Dara, Ciri is now by herself, found committing petty thievery from a marketplace on her way to the kingdom of Skellige. After meeting a woman, who offers to take her in for shelter with her family, she steals a horse and sets off. Meanwhile, Geralt returns to Cintra, despite Calanthe’s threats of death should he do so, and meets in secret with Mousesack to check in on Ciri and warn of the Nilfgaard army forming at the nearby Amell Pass. They are interrupted, however, by assassins, and realizing there’s too many Geralt forces Mousesack to portal the two out of there, arriving in Cintra. The queen initially wants to see Geralt dead and questions why he has returned, to which he says he never would have intended on it had she not sent eight men after him to kill him. She offers to pay him off to break the debt, but he refuses and believes her life to be in danger and offers to take her and protect her from Nilfgaard.
That’s Not the Princess
After initially meeting who he believes to be the princess, Calanthe asks he wait to be summoned while she says goodbye to her peasant friends, however Mousesack secretly opens a door for him and he follows the path to find her saying goodbye to her friends, except that it’s not the princess and that she is actually in plain clothes playing knucklebones with the other kids. Geralt returns and scolds the queen for lying to his face, to which she asks Eist to escort him out and he implores the witcher see that she can protect Cirilla, to which Geralt declines and says he will be back, causing Eist to lock him up to prevent such an event.
Disheartening Reunions
After venturing away from Geralt following their heartbreak, Yennefer has arrived in Nazair to meet with Istredd, who is currently looking for a hidden rune, in hopes of rekindling their romance and joining him on his expeditions. While they do initially kiss and he shares his feelings for her, he laments her for the fact she chose to be powerful over love and leaves her behind, after which she is met by Vilgefortz of Roggeveen. He says he is a mage from Aretuza and implores her to come back, as Tissaia has requested her presence with the looming war. Upon arrival, she learns he lied to her to get her to come back to help, with which she storms out and encounters a group of girls currently studying the mystical arts she did. However, she also learns that the rules are starting to loosen up in the time since she was a student, as most of the girls’ families practically bought their way in versus being discovered from a conduit moment. She mixes a special batch of herbs that gets all the young girls high, save for one who believes they will all suffer disciplinary actions. Yennefer takes the girls to the windmill where her former sisters were turned into eels and reveals this is the fate of those who don’t ascend and that should the girls ascend they will lose their fertility.
The Time for War is Now
With Nilfgaard continuing its conquering over the lands and Fringilla assisting with her magic, the Brotherhood of Sorcerers are divided on what their actions should be, some believing the kingdom’s statements that they only wish to conquer Cintra and should abstain while others believe Nilfgaard won’t stop there. After taking a vote on which path to choose, the Chapter decides to abstain from the war and let Cintra fall, save from a handful of mages who believe Nilfgaard must be stopped, Yennefer, Vilgefortz and Tissaia included. While still choosing to remain out of the battle, Tissaia pleads with Yennefer to join the fight to protect Aretuza not for its sake, but for the rectoress’, to which she agrees.
Destiny is Underway
As Cintra begins to fall at the hands of Nilfgaard (see Episode 1), Geralt escapes from his prison cell and makes his way out of the castle while Calanthe orders Mousesack to bring him to protect Ciri, only to find him gone. As Ciri is guided out of the castle to escape and Calanthe leaps from the window to her death, Geralt watches the queen fall after battling a few guards and heads back into the castle to look for the princess.
A Dark Power Emerges
As Ciri camps out in the middle of a field with her newly acquired horse, she is found by a group of men who happen to be Cintrans, one of whom was a peasant friend of hers, but rather than gather in happiness they proceed to steal her stuff and threaten to turn her into Nilfgaard. While being held, she finds a dark new power in which she begins chanting in a demonic voice that the time of “sword and axe” are nigh, echoing a statement made by Cahir in a previous episode and is seemingly possessed by a dark spirit before it cuts to credits. | The Witcher season 1 episode 8 recap
It’s been a long journey for Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalorta) and Princess Cirilla (Freya Allan) but they all must face their toughest challenges yet in the eighth and final episode of the first season of Netflix’s The Witcher.
RELATED: The Witcher Season 1 Episode 6 Recap
Hell of a Way to Go
After finding the castle empty and without Cirilla, Geralt takes to the woods in search of her, stumbling upon a merchant trying to give a halfway decent burial to the Cintran citizens killed at the burned down refugee camp (see Episode 2). Geralt senses evil in the area and warns the man to go home, only to be ignored and leave him to his seeming demise as ghoul-like creatures rise from the ground in an attempt to eat him, but the witcher returns and saves the man. He engages in a battle with a large group of the creatures and while proving victorious, he is bitten on the leg by one of them and falls down seemingly unconscious after saying a farewell to Roach.
A Dark Future Awaits
After coming under possession from whatever the entity was at the end of the previous episode, Ciri is awakened in the middle of the field by the woman she met in the market to find her attempted robbers impaled on various trees in the surrounding area. The woman offers Ciri comfort and guides her through the field to take her to her home for shelter.
An Impossible Battle
Yennefer and 60 mages head to the small village of Sodden Hill in hopes of cutting off the Nilfgaard advance on the north, with the locals being pushed out of their homes due to the war. The locals team up with the mages and the soldiers to craft weapons including arrows, bottles filled with phosphorous rock and fortify the castle for the impending attack. While winding down for the night and enjoying a meal and drinks with the locals, Triss and Yennefer catch up, with the former revealing she crossed paths with Geralt while fighting a shtriga (see Episode 3) and the latter stating that destiny has more than likely taken him on an unpleasant path since, choosing not to tell of their love for one another. In the meantime, Fringilla informs Cahir that the Brotherhood have arrived at Sodden and have fortified the castle, but that she will draw them out and that they must attack now if he has any hopes of catching up to Cirilla.
A Look to the Past
While the bite should’ve killed him, Geralt wakes up in the back of the merchant’s wagon as he takes the witcher to his farm in order to help heal him better. Under influence from the venom from the bite, Geralt has flashbacks to his childhood in which it’s revealed his mother Visenna was a witch and that after caring for him, she one day drove him out to the middle of the woods on a wagon and abandoned him while he went to search for water for her. Following her abandonment, he was captured by a man named Vesemir. After waking up a second time on the wagon, he drinks some of a potion and uses the rest on his wound and requests to be taken to the Blue Mountains, as “he” will help. While unconscious in the middle of the woods, Geralt dreams of Renfri and Yennefer both nursing him to health before having a vision of his mother, whom he scolds for letting Vesemir mold him into a witcher and questioning how she could leave him under the pretense that destiny would bring them together again. He wakes up and asks to be taken to the merchant’s farm so that he may properly stock Roach up for a ride to the Blue Mountains, with the merchant offering ale and food as a reward for saving his life earlier.
Let the Battle Commence
As the locals and mages sleep, one of the Nilfgaard mages uses her powers to conjure up a large fireball to be catapulted at the castle, with Yennefer narrowly waking up in time to send it shooting off in another direction. The mage conjures up another but is then burned to death by it and Fringilla forges a mysterious metal box and hands it to another mage, who quickly approaches the castle in the early morning to lay down a thick fog in order for soldiers to approach unseen. Yennefer heads to the watchtower and uses her powers to keep an eye on the battlefield, pointing out soldiers for Triss to conjure up poisonous mushrooms under to kill, Coral to seemingly crush their insides with her mind and Sabrina to launch the bottles of phosphorous that she shoots out of the sky, raining down fiery death upon the soldiers. Vilgefortz portals to Cahir’s location and engages in a close fight with him, eventually being defeated and kicked down the hill where he hits his head on a log below, seemingly killing him. The Northern mages begin losing battle as Fringilla bursts open the gates to the castle, conjures a portal for archers to shoot arrows through and kill fighters and the fog-laying mage fades away while delivering the mysterious box that opens to reveal it’s full of snake-like creatures. As Yennefer attempts to reach Tissaia, she confronts Fringilla and the latter comes out victorious by using dimeritium to neuter her powers. Yennefer watches as Coral and Atlan, another mage, are both slaughtered by Nilfgaard soldiers and Triss, who has created a thick vine wall to prevent soldiers from entering, has been badly burned by a torch aimed through the thicket. Sabrina hands two boys a bottle of phosphorous, seemingly in a trance, and surprises Yennefer by stabbing her in the stomach with an arrow. Yennefer notices one of the snake-like creatures is in Sabrina’s ear, seemingly controlling her, and the boys drop their bottles onto the rest of them, causing an explosive chain reaction that badly damages the castle and sends Yennefer and Sabrina flying out of the watchtower, the former landing on her feet and surviving while the latter dies.
The Ultimate Sacrifice
Struggling to keep up the fight, Yennefer psychically calls out to any allies in the area to help, with Tissaia hearing the call but unable to respond due to the dimeritium and Vilgefortz waking up and killing another Northern mage, marking him as a traitor in some capacity. While the battle ensues, Geralt hears it off in the distance and asks the merchant to take him there while Ciri can see the battle from the woman’s farm. As a last ditch effort, Yennefer absorbs the fire as she did with the lightning (see Episode 2) and climbs onto a nearby cliff top, unleashing it upon the soldiers and radius forest area seemingly burning them all to death while keeping Tissaia alive and Cahir watching in the distance. After the last of the fire passes her, Tissaia opens her eyes to see the scorched earth and Yennefer gone from the cliff, calling out her name as Geralt arrives at the battlefield and does the same.
People Linked by Destiny Will Always Find Each Other
Ciri awakens from visions of Tissaia and Geralt calling out for Yennefer and decides to take a walk through the woods as an unknown wagon approaches the farm. The wagon is revealed to be that of the merchant, whose wife is the one that took Ciri in and informs him of such. Geralt, having overheard the conversation, heads into the woods in search of Ciri and after not initially finding her is amazed to see her running up to him and the two embrace. After confirming that people linked by destiny will find one another, Ciri looks at him and asks who’s Yennefer, with the witcher giving no answer as it cuts to the credits. | 3.666667 |
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Thank you for Reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. | Americans are having a tough time saving for retirement, with many taking early withdrawals on accounts such as their 401(k)s or IRAs, according to a recent Bankrate survey.
Although income played a factor in taking early withdrawals, lower income wasn't as big an indicator as you might suspect. About 51% of households earning $30,000 to $49,999 annually had taken money early, while 50% of workers bringing in $50,000 to $79,999 did so. But of the highest-earning category surveyed ($80,000 and up), 44% said they’ve previously tapped their retirement money, too.
The problem is that if you take an early withdrawal, the money can’t be redeposited into the account. Workers can’t make up the lost savings, and they lose the huge tax and retirement benefits of their plans, costing them thousands in lost gains, if not more.
On top of that, early withdrawals can cost you in taxes, often with an added penalty of 10 percent. Those are a lot of negatives, and while there may be times when an early withdrawal is truly your only option, you do have other ways to access cash when you need it.
Here are some ways to avoid tapping your retirement accounts
Get an emergency fund (starting today)
The best way to prevent having to take an early withdrawal is to prevent the situation from happening in the first place – by having an emergency fund for those especially tough times.
An emergency fund is the base of any financial plan. It’s your own personal safety net, so that when the unexpected happens, you have cash to rebound and meet those expenses. This money can be earmarked in a special account, and you can even stash it in a high-yield savings account so the money isn’t just sitting there in a low-yield checking account, as it often does.
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An emergency fund is the best first step to make, and you can do it relatively easily with an online bank, opening an account with one of the highest yields in the country. Then consider depositing money regularly (even $10 a week) so the money will be there when you need it.
Tap a new credit card offer
This might be a less obvious avenue for accessing cash, but it is possible. If you have good credit, you may be able to open a new credit card with a special 0% introductory offer.
You might be able to benefit in a couple different ways. First, many cards offer 0% interest on purchases for a period of time.
Second, some cards allow you to immediately take out cash from the credit line and may offer you a low introductory rate. A cash advance will likely set you back a fee of 3% to 5% of the loan amount, however. In either scenario, you’ll still have to keep up with minimum monthly payments.
Both these avenues could allow you to access cash quickly, but you’ll want to be sure that you can manage any payments that arise and preferably avoid carrying a balance when the card begins charging its regular interest rates, which could easily go above 20 percent.
Access your community
Friends and family may be able to offer financial or material support, for example. In addition, community resources such as food banks and charities can also be resources. And your religious organization or others may be able to provide food or other aid.
In the Bankrate survey, a third of respondents indicated that they had taken an early withdrawal because of unemployment. If job loss is the main cause of your financial distress, be sure that you file for unemployment and collect any benefits that you’re eligible for.
A 401(k) loan
While an early withdrawal comes with a lot of downsides, you may be able to take a loan from your 401(k) that eliminates at least some of those negatives.
If your plan allows you to borrow, it may have some stringent conditions and limits on the amount.
And if you don’t repay the loan? It’s treated like an early distribution. | 1 |
By
If we Recall Gavin Newsom, what will change? A new Governor, more than likely a Democrat and the bad policies will continue, with a new face. The Recall is a start to the healing process Californians need. But, it is only a start. We need to fix the entire governmental structure of the State. That starts with the legislature. Thanks to a weak Republican Party—no voter registration, so far 19 legislative seats without a GOP’er on the ballot for March (expect many more races in November without a Republican on the ballot), 18 in the Assembly, 7 in Congress and 10 in the State Senate. Nebraska has a unicameral legislature, it started by a constitutional amendment in 1934. This is a well-run State, low taxes and a State government that allows people freedom to run their businesses and lives with little interference from government. Maybe we need to get “radical” and try a Unicameral—certainly the present system is a massive failure. “Petitions for Ballot Initiative 1874-19-0012, are now being circulated for signatures, with Title & Summary that reads: Replaces State Senate and Assembly with Single House Legislature: Increases Number of Legislators. Initiative Constitutional Amendment: Replaces current State Senate and Assembly of 40 Senators and 80 Assembly Members with a Non-Partisan single-house legislature starting in 2022, Initially consisting of 250 legislators. Starting in 2024, the single-house legislature would have one legislator for every 80,000 to 100,000 persons in California. The number of legislators would be updated every ten years to reflect population changes as reported by the National Census. Legislators in the single-house legislature would serve four-year terms, and could server no more than twelve years.” I urge you to look into this and if you feel, as I do, that the present system is broken, then go to www.ARR4all.com and find out more. This is a serious effort from the grassroots.
Recall of Newsom Is Only One Part of the Fix for California
TERRY L GHERARDI, Americans Restoring Representation, 1/2/19
People have been lining up in droves across the state to sign the petition to Recall Governor Gavin Newsom, but unbeknown to most, signature gathering is now underway for an initiative that takes the needed Fix for California one step further by restructuring the legislative system and body aka the State Legislature.
As with the United States House of Representatives, the State Legislature is suppose to be the House of the People. Government is the servant of the People who founded it and who pay for it, not the other way around. In 1849, when the population of California was an estimated 90,000, the writers of the California Constitution established this state as a Republic with two houses (Bicameral) and capped the Assembly at 80 and Senate at 40 – or one assembly member for every 1,125 citizens and 1 Senator for every 2,250 citizens.
Fast forward to today where the population has grown to just under 40 million, but the state legislature and bureaucratic hierarchy has refused to lessen their power by amending the Constitution to give citizens more representation. Sadly, most people are not even aware that our states ratio of representation is 1 Assembly member for every 500,000 and 1 State Senator for every 1 million. In fact California has the worst ratio of representation of all 50 states. The U.S. Congress has a better ratio of representation than the California State Senate.
But Here’s the Good News – Help is on the way!
Fortunately, in 1911 the Governor and State Legislature gave citizens the right to Recall and introduce Legislation through the Initiative process. Although most are not big fans of finding multiple propositions on their ballots every election, a group of concerned California citizens decided to take it upon themselves to use that power given to the people by using the initiative process to increase the numbers in the Legislature to take the People’s House from the Bureaucrats and Special interests.
Petitions for Ballot Initiative 1874-19-0012, are now being circulated for signatures, with Title & Summary that reads: Replaces State Senate and Assembly with Single House Legislature: Increases Number of Legislators. Initiative Constitutional Amendment: Replaces current State Senate and Assembly of 40 Senators and 80 Assembly Members with a Non-Partisan single-house legislature starting in 2022, Initially consisting of 250 legislators. Starting in 2024, the single-house legislature would have one legislator for every 80,000 to 100,000 persons in California. The number of legislators would be updated every ten years to reflect population changes as reported by the National Census. Legislators in the single-house legislature would serve four-year terms, and could server no more than twelve years.
As mentioned previously, California is a Bicameral legislature and has an Assembly and a Senate, just like Washington. Yes, 2 houses, but not like Washington. In the 1960’s the U.S. Supreme Court decided that acres and rocks don’t vote so they removed State Senates from being elected to counties and made its members elected by population, making the 2 houses essentially the same except for term of office and size of District. After the 1964 Supreme Court ruling, numerous states attempted to change their legislative system from Bicameral to Unicameral (1 house), but all failed, because Legislators did not want to give up their power.
The State of Nebraska has had a single house since 1935 and operates just fine as a Representative form of government. Nebraskans claim it is less expensive to run a single house, the checks and balances are still in place between the Legislature and the Governor, and they find there is less influence by Special Interests. Under the Unicameral system, the legislature has pared down their committees from 61 to 18, lessening the time to pass legislation. As one Nebraskan said, “the salvation of the State is watchfulness in the citizenry. Nebraska’s ratio of representation is 1 per 35,000.
How was the Ratio of One Representative for 80,000 Chosen? Only the future will decide if this ratio is correct. What is fact is that a fixed number cannot be set because it will only have the same problem created in 1849. Ratios of population to District must be used to allow for growth or decline in population to keep the House Membership responsive to the Constituent.
A population too large or too small can create its own problems, such as, too small and the district becomes run by nepotism or cronyism and is too easily controlled by Special Interests; too large and costs are far higher for candidates to run for office, often preventing well intentioned, qualified candidates from seeking office. Smaller districts allow voters to be more informed and make better decisions. A state legislator representing 80,000 citizens is more apt to find their feet held to the fire, should they not fulfill their promises, then one representing 500,000 and a million. In a large stage such as California, 80,000 and 100,000 seemed to strike a balance between too small and too large in today’s electronic environment. A group of approximately 500 legislators is a big enough increase to be effective while also small enough to not be overwhelming.
Isn’t More Legislators More Government? No. The Legislative Analysis Office says the restructure of the legislature will cost millions upon millions. California spends millions upon millions for bad government decisions that the people have no control over. Let’s spend a few millions to include accommodations in the already budgeted and planned enlargement of the Capitol Annex, projected to be large enough to house more than 1,250 legislative and executive staff. How about cutting the individual legislator’s salary commensurate to the size of the District and fewer expenses for office staff and travel. More legislators isn’t more government, it’s more people serving in government to control the agency’s, commissions, departments within the bureaucracy of government. And, if the people’s representatives don’t do their proper job, the Constituent has more local control to vote them out. Citizens want and deserve good government with Accountability and Accessibility for the electorate.
As Joe Mathews, author of California Crack Up wrote:”Having a State Senate and Assembly just doubles the number of dark alleys where shenanigans can take place.”
The question is: Are Californians ready to return the control and power of our government to the people of our state. Restoring Representation is the wave of the future returned from the past to ensure that America and California have representation for every Political Party, Independents, No Party Preference and every class of citizen who lives in cities, communities, farms, or forests. We Want Our Vote To Count, but We Must Fix Yesterday’s Mistakes! For more information and to download petitions, visit Americans Restoring Representation www.ARR4all.com | MEMPHIS, Tenn. (localmemphis.com) – The new year of 2020 Wednesday brought new thoughts from Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen.
During a prayer breakfast near Memphis International Airport, Rep. Cohen made his first public comments locally since the Democrats voted to impeach President Donald Trump before Christmas.
The Democrat reflected on his impeachment vote in the House and laid out some predictions for the Senate impeachment trial expected later this month in Washington.
“We have gone far, far, far away from the principles of our founding fathers,” Rep. Cohen said.
He admitted his optimism is damaged as the calendar flips to 2020. 2019 ended with a bruising impeachment battle in the nation’s capital, a Democratic majority in the house impeached President Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Democratic House members argued President Trump interfered in the 2020 election, when he asked the Ukrainian president to investigate his political rivals during a phone call in July.
“Elections are for you and me, they are for Americans, they are for American citizens to decide who becomes the president of the United States,” Rep. Cohen said. “That’s why the president was impeached.”
No Republican voted to impeach President Trump, including fellow Memphis Congressman David Kustoff.
“What we have witnessed since September 24 when the inquiry was announced, is that the evidence we have seen is not compelling, it’s not overwhelming,” Rep. Kustoff said.
After his public comments, Rep. Cohen defended the House impeachment process and responded to critics who said Democrats acted too quickly.
“The president should have had the witnesses come and testify, he shouldn’t have required the fight in the courts, he just refused all witnesses and documents, never been done before,” Rep. Cohen said.
Rep. Cohen added Wednesday morning he believes enough Republican senators could demand the upcoming impeachment trial include witnesses and documents. He also reiterated Wednesday morning his plans to run for re-election in the House in 2022 and 2024.
Memphis clergy also made their own call to action during the prayer breakfast.
“We’ve come to a moment in this city that we are going to need 2020 vision,” Rev. Wade Bryant of Monumental Baptist Church said.
“I believe that our city can find a pathway forward in our community if we have one vision,” Bishop Linwood Dillard of Citadel of Deliverance COGIC said. | 1 |
NEW YORK The latest violent attack targeting New York s Orthodox Jewish community, during the festival of Hanukkah, has deeply shaken the community. As community leaders and politicians discuss measures to... | MONSEY — A Greenwood Lake man accused in Ramapo of multiple attempted murder charges for seriously injuring five Orthodox Jews during a machete attack at a Saturday night Hanukkah party now faces federal hate crimes counts including attempted murder and violating the victims' religious rights.
The federal charges filed Monday include descriptions of Grafton Thomas' journal containing references to Nazism and to the Black Hebrew Israelites — the group linked to the fatal attack on a kosher grocery store earlier this month in Jersey City, N.J.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in White Plains filed the federal complaint Monday in U.S. District Court against Thomas, 37, who also is being investigated for a November attack on a rabbi in Monsey and is being held on $5 million bail in the county jail on five attempted intentional murder charges.
The FBI-signed complaint lays out details of the vicious attack, including party-goers fighting back and throwing chairs and furniture at the man wielding the machete.
The attacks took place at the home of Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg, the influential Kossoner Rebbe of Monsey who heads Congregation Netzach Yisroel next door.
In a statement released by Goshen attorney Michael Sussman, Thomas' family said he has a history of mental illness, is not violent and is not anti-Semitic. The family has instructed Sussman to seek a mental health evaluation for Thomas.
The federal complaint paints a different picture of Thomas.
Based on a court warrant approved Sunday, the FBI searched Thomas' home and his cellular telephone, finding references to Jews, Hitler, the Nazi culture, as well as packaging for an 18-inch machete, according to the complaint signed by FBI Special Agent Julie Brown.
Agents also found among his journals drawings of a Star of David and a swastika, according to the complaint.
The hand-written journal removed from Thomas' house included references to "Hebrew Israelites took from the powerful ppl"; questioning "why ppl mourned for anti-Semitism when there is Semitic genocide;" referring to Adolf Hitler and Nazi culture on the same page as a drawings of a Star of David and a swastika.
His cell phone's internet browser included November and December searches for topics such as "Why did Hitler hate the Jews, German Jewish Temples near me, Zionist Temples in Elizabeth, NJ, Zionist Temples of Staten Island, Prominent companies founded by Jews in America," according to the complaint.
On the day of the attack, Thomas' phone had a search for the article, "New York City increases Police Presence in Jewish Neighborhoods After Possible Anti-Semitic Attacks. Here's What To Know." Your Email
The five federal charges include obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs involving an attempt to kill and use of a dangerous weapon and resulting in bodily injury.
Brown's complaint details the attack, where dozens of Hasidic Jews celebrated the end of weekly Sabbath on Saturday night and the seventh night of Hanukkah.
* Thomas, with his face covered with a scarf, entered the house on Dec. 28 at 9:52 p.m. declaring "No one is leaving" and started slashing and stabbing people. Five people suffered serious injuries, including a severed finger, slash wounds and deep cuts. A 70-year-old man suffered a fractured skull and remains in critical condition at the Westchester Medical Center with another man.
* Thomas fled the house and one witness wrote down the license plate number of his vehicle. Police used databases containing license plate reader data,. The car crossed the George Washington Bridge from Fort Lee, N.J., into Manhattan at 11:07 p.m.
* Two NYPD officers stopped the car at 11:49 p.m., detecting a strong smell of bleach and saw blood on Thomas' clothing. The officers arrested Thomas.
* Police seized a machete from under the front passenger seat; the machete appeared to have dried blood; a knife with traces of dried blood and hair from the pocket of the rear of the front passenger seat; a cellular phone.
Suspect on medication
Thomas was in federal court in White Plains for about 30 minutes Monday afternoon for an initial hearing where it was revealed he was taking two medications for bi-polar disorder and schizophrenia.
His court appointed attorney, Susanne Brody, said outside the courtroom she didn’t know how long Thomas had been using the medications. Prosecutors requested Thomas remain detained on the federal charges, which was not contested by Brody.
When answering questions from U.S. District Court Judge Paul Davison, Thomas, dressed in orange Rockland County Correctional Facility prison garb and with shackles on his ankles, said his head wasn’t clear because he needed rest, but that he was coherent.
Thomas’ next court appearance is Jan. 13.
Ramapo Police Chief Brad Weidel has been tight-lipped sharing details about Thomas and the investigation into the Hanukkah party attack on Saturday night. Weidel also has not expounded on the investigation into the pre-dawn Nov. 20 attack on a Monsey rabbi as he walked to a Howard Drive synagogue just after 5:30 a.m. for morning prayers. No one has been arrested in that knife attack and beating that seriously injured the 30-year-old father of four.
Rumors about the attack and its lack of a quick resolution have left the insular Hasidic Jewish community shaken.
Thomas is scheduled to appear Friday in Ramapo Justice Court on five charges of second-degree intentional attempted murder and a count of second-degree burglary.
The family's statement read, in part:
“Grafton Thomas has a long history of mental illness and hospitalizations. He has no history of violent acts and no convictions for any crime. He has no known history of anti-Semitism and was raised in a home which embraced and respected all religions and races. He is not a member of any hate groups.”
Sussman, a noted civil rights attorney, is not handling the federal case. He sat in the audience on Monday as county officials and a security company publicized plans to provide extra protection for the Jewish community.
Sussman sat with Thomas' mother Kim, who wept hearing speakers call her son a coward and violent for the attack on Saturday night. | 3.666667 |
Almost 150 people died on the State’s roads in 2019, according to provisional figures from the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
The 148 road fatalities is a 4 per cent increase on the 142 deaths in 2018, which was the lowest number since records began in 1959.
Drivers comprised the highest number of road users who died last year, with 81 motorist deaths up until lunch time on December 31st, a 45 per cent increase on the 2018 figure.
The data also show that 27 pedestrians, 16 passengers and 16 motorcyclists died on Irish roads.
There were also eight pedal cyclists who died in 2019, down one from the nine cyclist deaths in the previous year.
The number of collisions also increased this year, with 137 collisions on Irish roads in 2019, compared with 135 in 2018.
Consistently under 200
The number of road deaths in the Republic has been consistently under 200 since 2010, though there have been a few fluctuations in recent years.
Fatalities fell to 163 in 2012 and then increased again in 2013 and 2014 to 190 and 193 respectively before dropping back to 162 in 2015, which was followed in 2016 by an increase to 187.
Minister for Transport Shane Ross expressed his condolences to the families and friends of those who had lost their lives in road fatalities in 2019.
“The only way to respond to these needless deaths and injuries on our roads is through action, not words. While families and friends grieve the loss of their loved one, we must as a society all respond with deeds to prevent it happening to others,” he said.
The Minister called on ordinary road users to take “greater responsibility for our actions when using the road”.
“We can do this by slowing down, not driving while impaired through drink, drugs or fatigue, by not driving while using a phone, by wearing a seatbelt and always sharing the road more carefully with pedestrians and cyclists,” he added.
Liz O’Donnell, chairwoman of the RSA, said it is “deeply saddening” that road deaths had risen in 2019.
‘Renewed effort’
“We must respond to this increase the same way we have responded to previous setbacks. Rather than being disheartened, it should spur us and our road safety partners into renewed effort,” she said.
Garda Assistant Commissioner Dave Sheahan said road policing will remain a “strategic priority” for gardaí this year, and two “significant developments” will happen to ensure road safety enforcement is achieved.
“Firstly, an additional 180 gardaí have been selected to be assigned to roads policing duties in early 2020. Secondly, the rollout of the new mobility app will be stepped up so that by the end of 2020 there will be in excess of 4,000 devices in the hands of front-line gardaí,” Mr Sheahan said.
“The new mobility app will revolutionise the way roads policing is carried out in this country.” | The scene of a fatal crash near Maghera, Co Derry, where a 19-year-old man was killed. Photograph: Margaret McLaughlin
A 19-year-old man became the first person to die on Ireland’s roads this year when his car was involved in a collision in Co Derry at around 2.30am on New Year’s Day.
Michael Óg McKenna, from the Maghera area, was fatally injured in the incident on the Moneysharvan Road between Maghera and Swatragh.
The woman driving the other car and two teenage passengers were taken to hospital to be treated for their injuries, which were not believed to be life threatening.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) appealed to anyone who witnessed or has information about the crash to contact them on 101.
The young man's death came as the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and the PSNI published figures which showed that more than 200 people were killed on Irish roads last year – 148 in the State and 54 in Northern Ireland.
The figure for the State represented a 4 per cent increase on the 142 fatalities recorded on the roads in 2018, which RSA chairwoman Liz O’Donnell said was “deeply saddening”. The figure for 2018 was the lowest since records began in 1959.
“We must respond to this increase the same way we have responded to previous setbacks. Rather than being disheartened, it should spur us and our road safety partners into renewed effort,” Ms O’Donnell said.
Drivers accounted for the highest number of road users who died last year at 81 with 27 pedestrians, 16 passengers, 16 motorcyclists and eight pedal cyclists dying as a result of incidents on the roads. The number of fatal collisions increased from 135 to 137 year on year.
The number of road deaths in the State has been consistently under 200 since 2010.
‘Greater responsibility’
Minister for Transport Shane Ross said “the only way to respond to these needless deaths and injuries on our roads is through action, not words” and he urging road users to take “greater responsibility” for their actions.
“We can do this by slowing down, not driving while impaired through drink, drugs or fatigue, by not driving while using a phone, by wearing a seatbelt and always sharing the road more carefully with pedestrians and cyclists.”
The PSNI said the 54 people killed on Northern Ireland’s road last year was the second lowest since records began in 1931.
The figure has been falling each year since 2014, when 79 people died and was one fewer that the total for 2018.
Twenty-six of those who died in road incidents last year in the North were drivers, with fifteen pedestrians, eight passengers in cars, three motorcyclists and two cyclists also dying on the roads.
PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd said that despite the downward trend “far too many people” are killed on Northern Ireland’s roads every year.
“The simple reality is that many collisions can be avoided,” he said. “Not paying full attention, poor positioning on the road, excess speed for the conditions and people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs remain the most common causes of the most serious collisions which kill and injure people.”
He added: “As we start a new year, please resolve to have a greater focus on road safety, so we can prevent collisions and save lives.” | 3 |
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], Jan 1 (ANI): With BJP leaders slamming Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for passing the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act resolution unanimously in Kerala Assembly, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) spokesperson Nawab Malik on Wednesday said that nobody has a 'right to object' to a state's Assembly's decision.
"We were against the Citizenship law. Many political parties have opposed it on the floor of the House as well as in the public. Every Assembly has a right to pass any resolution against or in support of any issue," said Malik while speaking to ANI.He asserted that people in Assembly have their constitutional rights."They have their constitutional rights. If Kerala Assembly had passed any resolution that they have the right to resolve then nobody has a right to object it. Nobody has the right to take action against the Assembly and Chief Minister of Kerala," he said.On Tuesday, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said that no state legislature has the power to pass any law with regard to citizenship."Citizenship, naturalisation are entry 17 on the Union list. Therefore, it is only the Parliament that has the power to pass any law with regards to citizenship, not any Assembly, including Kerala," Prasad had said at a press conference here.Taking a jibe at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Prasad had said, "The constitution has a mandate -- Parliament - List 1, State Assemblies - List 2. I would again urge the Chief Minister to kindly have better legal advice."Prasad's response came after the Kerala Assembly with support of Congress, CPI and CPI (M) passed a resolution seeking withdrawal of the CAA. (ANI) | Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 1 (IANS) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday played down the privilege motion filed against him by Bharatiya Janata Party's Rajya Sabha member G.V.L. Narasimha Rao in the upper house of the Parliament.
Rao filed the motion against Vijayan after hearing that the Kerala Assembly had passed a resolution moved by him against the Citizenship Amendment Act in its specially-called session on Tuesday.
Feigning ignorance of the motion, Vijayan told the media here after the weekly cabinet meeting, the Assembly has its own rights and privileges and these could not be violated.
"The Rajya Sabha functions as per rules. Similarly, the Assembly has special protection and it cannot be violated. Still, nothing could be ruled out since strange things are unfolding in the country," he said.
On Tuesday, the assembly saw both the state's traditional political rivals - the CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front and the Congress-led United Democratic Front passing the resolution against the CAA with the lone BJP legislator O.Rajagopal voting against it.
To another query in the manner in which Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has reacted to the protests against CAA, Vijayan pointed out that such remarks need be deemed only his personal observations.
"Even the Central government is making an all-out bid to explain its stance on CAA," he added.
sg/vd | 2.666667 |
In 2018 there were 51 deaths related to opioid overdoses in Windsor-Essex.
In 2019, data has so far only been released up until June, and 38 people are suspected to have died in the region from opioid-related overdoses.
Across Ontario from June 2016 to March 2018, there were more than 91,000 naloxone kits distributed through pharmacies. According to a study conducted by St.Michael's Hospital of Unity Health in Toronto, half of those kits went to people with no known opioid exposure.
In Windsor-Essex, there were 824 kits distributed for every 100,000 people between July 2017 and June 2018.
Across the region, there's a mixed bag in which city professionals — police, fire and paramedics — carry or administer naloxone.
Essex-Windsor EMS numbers show an increase in naloxone use
In 2019, Essex-Windsor EMS administered naloxone 193 times — a 21 per cent increase from 2018.
In context, Essex-Windsor EMS responded to 746 drug or alcohol overdose calls in 2019. That means naloxone was administered in 25 per cent of overdose calls.
According to Bruce Krauter, chief of Essex-Windsor EMS, the numbers show an increase in naloxone usage over the last few years. (Meg Roberts/CBC)
According to Bruce Krauter, chief of Essex-Windsor EMS, the numbers show an increase in naloxone use over the last few years:
51 instances in 2014.
48 instances in 2015.
58 instances in 2016.
126 instances in 2017.
159 instances in 2018.
193 instances in 2019.
"Our paramedics are highly skilled and trained and make decisions based on their experience and their situational awareness," said Krauter. "The decision to use naloxone would be based on a number of factors, including the history of the patient and the environment they are in, the vital signs and inability to secure an airway."
When asked if Krauter believed other first responders, such as police officers or firefighters, should carry naloxone, he did not answer directly.
"Naloxone is a valuable medical tool used by highly-skilled and trained paramedics with Essex-Windsor EMS in response to the opioid overdoses in our community," he said.
Windsor police, fire not carrying or trained in naloxone use
Windsor Police Service and Windsor Fire and Rescue (WFRS) do not carry or provide training on naloxone kits.
Fire chief Stephen Laforet was unavailable for comment about why WFRS have decided not to carry naloxone.
Windsor police chief Pam Mizuno previously said she hasn't "closed the door" on officers carrying naloxone, but local officers remain the only ones in Ontario not carrying the product.
Windsor police chief Pam Mizuno has not "closed the door" on officers carrying naloxone, but local officers remain the only ones in Ontario not carrying the product. (Dale Molnar/CBC)
LaSalle police carry naloxone, but have never used it
In LaSalle, police officers do carry naloxone — but have never had to administer it since it was mandated in 2017.
Community and corporate affairs officer Terry Seguin said it's important for officers to be able to save another person's life who may be experiencing an overdose.
The kits in LaSalle were first implemented for "selfish" reasons, according to Seguin.
"We may come into contact with the substance that they may be carrying, and it's very possible that our officers begin to overdose just from simply touching the substance unknowingly," said Seguin.
LaSalle community and corporate affairs officer Terry Seguin said it's important for officers to be able to save another person's life who may be experiencing an overdose. (Sanjay Maru/CBC)
Chatham-Kent police trained on using naloxone
Chatham-Kent police were trained by Chatham-Kent Public Health on how to use naloxone through a detailed presentation.
According to Sgt. Albert Pilbeam, Chatham-Kent police were trained in the fall of 2017, and all new hires since have been trained as well.
"We go into great detail to explain the symptoms and things you can observe to make sure we're looking at the correct reason for use for the naloxone product," said Pilbeam.
Pilbeam said statistics have shown a rise in calls for service, with 78 calls in 2019 for suspected opioid overdose service — 21 of those resulted in naloxone being administered.
Ontario Provincial Police, who provide police services to Leamington, Kingsville and Tecumseh, trained all of their front-line officers on naloxone and provided kits to carry in September 2017. (Martha Dillman/CBC)
"We are very fortunate our chief is a forward-thinking person," said Pilbeam. "We're fortunate to have that in place."
Pilbeam said the training to administer naloxone includes a hands-on application and takes about two hours.
Ontario Provincial Police saved more than 100 lives with naloxone since 2017
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), who provide police services to Leamington, Kingsville and Tecumseh, trained all of its front-line officers on naloxone and provided kits to carry in September 2017. Since then, OPP officers have saved 102 lives by administering naloxone.
According to OPP data, there was a 121 per cent increase in overdose occurrences attended by the OPP from 2016 to 2018. | Another new year approaches. A new year signifies new hope, new prospects, and new ideas for the future.
Each new year people throughout the world hold infinite hope, wishes for a better life, a more fulfilling life.
Some are lucky and their dreams, hope and wishes are fulfilled effortlessly. Some sadly lack the essential ingredients of success for whatever reason; but for them, there are still other possibilities, other hopes, even if only small, that manage to fulfil them.
Remaining Manus Island refugees offered voluntary relocation to Port Moresby Read more
As a refugee indefinitely detained and left in an uncertain limbo, as part of Australia’s offshore processing regime, I have been seeing and hoping the new year will fulfil my dreams and wishes for the past seven new years.
But sadly, every year I am disappointed. Each year, my hopes and wishes remain unfulfilled. The unbearable disappointment leaves me weak and vulnerable. For the past six years the continual, agonising pain and sufferings as a refugee and asylum seeker has taken its toll.
We arrived in Australian waters seven years ago, fleeing torturous regimes, escaping on leaky boats for our lives. Yet we were filled with hope, we wanted a future, we had something to contribute to the world. Now we have lived through so many unforgettable experiences and memories whilst detained on Manus Island and Nauru by the Australian government.
Even the short-lived celebration of Medevac, came crushing to an end
Memories such as the 2014 riots when the first innocent asylum seeker was lost to death, or the 2015 hunger strikes, the 2016 Good Friday shootings, or the 2017 siege in Lombrum camp where we were left without food or water for almost a month before finally being removed by force.
Memories such as the 2018 escalation of self-harm and suicide attempts, that sparked again after the Australian federal elections in 2019 when Morrison’s government was re-elected, how we are still left in limbo with life passing us by.
As we languish for the past six years, 2019 passed us by with nothing but hopelessness and worries. Even the short-lived celebration of Medevac, came crushing to an end.
New Zealand would be honoured to take Behrouz Boochani. Australia be damned | Morgan Godfery Read more
Some of the refugees from Manus and Nauru have found their new lives in a safe country and are busy making their permanent homes. We wish them a very bright future ahead. But for those of us that remain, hope of a new future seems more remote than ever. But new year is a time of hope for new life. Even if impossible, while I live, I must believe in some hope – so I believe that 2020 will be the turning point for our freedom and our new start in life.
Whilst every move of your politics determines my fate, nevertheless I wish all of you a very glorious and happy new year, one with your dreams and hopes fulfilled. | 1 |
A yellow box indicates where an AI system found cancer hiding inside breast tissue. Six previous radiologists failed to find the cancer in routine mammograms. (Image via NorthWestern University) A yellow box indicates where an AI system found cancer hiding inside breast tissue. Six previous radiologists failed to find the cancer in routine mammograms. (Image via NorthWestern University)
Written by Denise Grady
Artificial intelligence can help doctors do a better job of finding breast cancer on mammograms, researchers from Google and medical centers in the United States and Britain are reporting in the journal Nature.
The new system for reading mammograms, which are X-rays of the breast, is still being studied and is not yet available for widespread use. It is just one of Google’s ventures into medicine. Computers can be trained to recognise patterns and interpret images, and the company has already created algorithms to help detect lung cancers on CT scans, diagnose eye disease in people with diabetes and find cancer on microscope slides.
“This paper will help move things along quite a bit,” said Dr Constance Lehman, director of breast imaging at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, who was not involved in the study. “There are challenges to their methods. But having Google at this level is a very good thing.”
Tested on images where the diagnosis was already known, the new system performed better than radiologists. On scans from the United States, the system produced a 9.4 per cent reduction in false negatives, in which a mammogram is mistakenly read as normal and a cancer is missed. It also provided a lowering of 5.7 per cent in false positives, where the scan is incorrectly judged abnormal but there is no cancer.
On mammograms performed in Britain, the system also beat the radiologists, reducing false negatives by 2.7 per cent and false positives by 1.2 per cent.
Google paid for the study, and worked with researchers from Northwestern University in Chicago and two British medical centers, Cancer Research Imperial Centre and Royal Surrey County Hospital.
Last year, 268,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 41,760 deaths were expected among women in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Globally, there are about 2 million new cases a year, and more than half a million deaths.
About 33 million screening mammograms are performed each year in the United States. The test misses about 20 per cent of breast cancers, according to the American Cancer Society, and false positives are common, resulting in women being called back for more tests, sometimes even biopsies.
Doctors have long wanted to make mammography more accurate. “There are many radiologists who are reading mammograms who make mistakes, some well outside the acceptable margins of normal human error,” Lehman said.
This is a visualization of tumor growth and metastatic spread in breast cancer. Screening aims to detect breast cancer early, before symptoms develop. (Image via Google) This is a visualization of tumor growth and metastatic spread in breast cancer. Screening aims to detect breast cancer early, before symptoms develop. (Image via Google)
To apply artificial intelligence to the task, the authors of the Nature report used mammograms from about 76,000 women in Britain and 15,000 in the United States, whose diagnoses were already known, to train computers to recognise cancer.
Then, they tested the computers on images from about 25,000 other women in Britain, and 3,000 in the United States, and compared the system’s performance with that of the radiologists who had originally read the X-rays. The mammograms had been taken in the past, so the women’s outcomes were known, and the researchers could tell whether the initial diagnoses were correct.
“We took mammograms that already happened, showed them to radiologists and asked, ‘Cancer or no?’ and then showed them to AI, and asked, ‘Cancer, or no?’” said Dr Mozziyar Etemadi, an author of the study from Northwestern University.
This was the test that found AI more accurate than the radiologists. Unlike humans, computers do not get tired, bored or distracted toward the end of a long day of reading mammograms, Etemadi said.
In another test, the researchers pitted AI against six radiologists in the United States, presenting 500 mammograms to be interpreted. Overall, AI again outperformed the humans. But in some instances, AI missed a cancer that all six radiologists found — and vice versa.
“There’s no denying that in some cases our AI tool totally gets it wrong and they totally get it right,” Etemadi said. “Purely from that perspective it opens up an entirely new area of inquiry and study. Why is it that they missed it? Why is it that we missed it?”
Lehman, who is also developing AI for mammograms, said the Nature report was strong, but she had some concerns about the methods, noting that the patients studied might not be a true reflection of the general population.
A higher proportion had cancer, and the racial makeup was not specified. She also said that “reader” analyses involving a small number of radiologists — this study used six — were not always reliable.
The next step in the research is to have radiologists try using the tool as part of their routine practice in reading mammograms. New techniques that pass their initial tests with flying colors do not always perform as well out in the real world.
“We have to see what happens when radiologists have it, see if they do better,” Etemadi said. Lehman said: “We have to be very careful. We want to make sure this is helping patients.”
She said an earlier technology, computer-aided detection, or CAD, provided a cautionary tale. Approved in 1998 by the Food and Drug Administration to help radiologists read mammograms, it came into widespread use. Some hospital administrators pressured radiologists to use it whether they liked it or not because patients could be charged extra for it, increasing profits, Lehman said. Later, several studies, including one that Lehman was part of, found that CAD did not improve the doctors’ accuracy, and even made them worse.
“We can learn from the mistakes with CAD and do it better,” Lehman said, adding that AI has become far more powerful, and keeps improving as more data is fed in. “Using computers to enhance human performance is long overdue.”
She and Etemadi said that a potentially good use of AI would be to sort mammograms and flag those most in need of the radiologist’s attention. The system may also be able to identify those that are clearly negative, so they could be read quickly and patients could promptly be given a clean bill of health.
Although developers of AI often say it is intended to help radiologists, not replace them, Lehman predicted that eventually, computers alone will read at least some mammograms, without help from humans.
“We’re onto something,” she said. “These systems are picking up things a human might not see, and we’re right at the beginning of it.”
For all the latest Technology News, download Indian Express App | A yellow box indicates where an artificial intelligence (AI) system found cancer hiding inside breast tissue in this undated photo released January 1, 2020. — Northwestern University handout via Reuters
CHICAGO, Jan 2 — A Google artificial intelligence system proved as good as expert radiologists at detecting which women had breast cancer based on screening mammograms and showed promise at reducing errors, researchers in the United States and Britain reported.
The study, published in the journal Nature yesterday, is the latest to show that artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to improve the accuracy of screening for breast cancer, which affects one in eight women globally.
Radiologists miss about 20 per cent of breast cancers in mammograms, the American Cancer Society says, and half of all women who get the screenings over a 10-year period have a false positive result.
The findings of the study, developed with Alphabet Inc's DeepMind AI unit, which merged with Google Health in September, represent a major advance in the potential for the early detection of breast cancer, Mozziyar Etemadi, one of its co-authors from Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, said.
The team, which included researchers at Imperial College London and Britain's National Health Service, trained the system to identify breast cancers on tens of thousands of mammograms.
They then compared the system's performance with the actual results from a set of 25,856 mammograms in the United Kingdom and 3,097 from the United States.
The study showed the AI system could identify cancers with a similar degree of accuracy to expert radiologists, while reducing the number of false positive results by 5.7 per cent in the US-based group and by 1.2 per cent in the British-based group.
It also cut the number of false negatives, where tests are wrongly classified as normal, by 9.4 per cent in the US group, and by 2.7 per cent in the British group.
These differences reflect the ways in which mammograms are read. In the United States, only one radiologist reads the results and the tests are done every one to two years. In Britain, the tests are done every three years, and each is read by two radiologists. When they disagree, a third is consulted.
'Subtle cues'
In a separate test, the group pitted the AI system against six radiologists and found it outperformed them at accurately detecting breast cancers.
Connie Lehman, chief of the breast imaging department at Harvard's Massachusetts General Hospital, said the results are in line with findings from several groups using AI to improve cancer detection in mammograms, including her own work.
The notion of using computers to improve cancer diagnostics is decades old, and computer-aided detection (CAD) systems are commonplace in mammography clinics, yet CAD programs have not improved performance in clinical practice.
The issue, Lehman said, is that current CAD programmes were trained to identify things human radiologists can see, whereas with AI, computers learn to spot cancers based on the actual results of thousands of mammograms.
This has the potential to “exceed human capacity to identify subtle cues that the human eye and brain aren't able to perceive,” Lehman added.
Although computers have not been “super helpful” so far, “what we've shown at least in tens of thousands of mammograms is the tool can actually make a very well-informed decision,” Etemadi said.
The study has some limitations. Most of the tests were done using the same type of imaging equipment, and the US group contained a lot of patients with confirmed breast cancers.
Crucially, the team has yet to show the tool improves patient care, said Dr Lisa Watanabe, chief medical officer of CureMetrix, whose AI mammogram program won US approval last year.
“AI software is only helpful if it actually moves the dial for the radiologist,” she said.
Etemadi agreed that those studies are needed, as is regulatory approval, a process that could take several years. — Reuters | 4 |
The University has also begun registration for the PhD Common Entrance Test.
Periyar University is expected to announce undergraduate exam results today. While many reports claim that the Periyar University UG results will be coming today, the official website of the university,where the results are always hosted, has no update in this regard.
Periyar University Result Link
Last year for the November UG exam, Periyar University had announced the result on January 5.
After the results are announced today, candidates can access it online at periyaruniversity.ac.in using their roll number and/ or name. It has been seen earlier that immediately after the results are out, the website stops responding. In such cases, students are suggested to keep patience and wait for a while.
The University has also begun registration for the PhD Common Entrance Test.
It has also released the time table for PRIDE practical examination. The University established a directorate for distance education namely Periyar Institute of Distance Education (PRIDE). The PRIDE started functioning from the year 2001 - 2002. PRIDE is held annually for selecting candidates for admission to UG degree, UG certificate, PG degree, MBA, MCA, MSc (IT), PG Diploma Programme, BLIS, MLIS and UG Diploma courses through distance mode.
For the previous PRIDE, hall tickets were released on January 30.
Click here for more Education News | Periyar University (PU) is expected to declare the result for undergraduate and postgraduate examination for exams held in November 2019 today, January 1st, reports say. All the candidates who have appeared for this year’s exams will be able to check their result online from Periyar University website - periyaruniversity.ac.in.
Once the results are announced, candidates will be able to check the same from the official website. Further, candidates will have the option to request for exam revaluation, re-checking on the PU website for 10 days from the result declaration.
As timing for result announcement is unknown, candidates are hereby advised to check the Periyar University website every few hours for any result update. Also, our website will have any updates on the Periyar University UG, PG result 2019 and candidates can check it there as well.
Around 1.50 lakh students combined appear for UG and PG exams conducted by the university at 105 affiliated colleges at Periyar University. The university offers several UG and PG courses and also has a distance learning education programme called PRIDE.
How to check Periyar University UG/PG result | 4 |
THE 2019 Christmas celebrations across the country will not be forgotten in a hurry in the aviation sector as activities within the sector were further spiced up by the gale of awards given out to many deserved companies and individuals who did well in their various endeavours.
The awards were given by the Chairman and Managing Director of Nigerian Aviation Awards (NIGAV) 2019, Mr Fortune Idu, after a thorough monitoring of activities in the affected companies including: airlines, ground handling companies, aviation agencies, the outstanding chief executives on how their performances raised the bar in the sector in 2019.
In his welcome address at the event, Fortune Idu , the Managing Director and Chairman of NIGAV, said NIGAV was “aimed at promoting all-round aviation development and capacity building, projecting the aviation industry for investment and business development, to create a check process that has helped maintain a balance between operational efficiencies, industry, vibrancy and service delivery.”
The NIGAV Awards tagged Nigeria’s most prestigious air transport development award has become the benchmark for excellence in promoting healthy competition and rewarding best practices.
NIGAV, according to key players, has been commended for the annual awards as they declared that the resolve of the organiser to identify a large group of corporate organisations, airlines, individuals, including the media, for awards is the best way to encourage others to show more commitment to the development of the sector.
Among those who smiled home with the distinguished awards include: Dana Air which won the Best Airline in Passenger Facilitation in 2019.
The airline’s Media and Communications Manager, Kingsley Ezenwa, while speaking after receiving the award on behalf of Dana Air declared: “We are excited about this. We got similar award last two years as best airline. This only demonstrates our commitment to providing seamless travel for our customers, hinged on comfort and safety.’
‘’If you visit our counters you won’t find any passenger because we have eliminated the queues and that’s what we call efficiency. We have invested massively on technology to provide seamless booking, and check-in for our guests and we are glad they are flying the smartest way. We wish to dedicate this award to our customers for their loyalty and support for the past 11 years.
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Arik Air, another Nigeria airline bagged the Airline of the year 2019 and the Best Cabin Crew (domestic) at the 10th edition of the Nigeria Aviation (NIGAV) Awards.
Congratulating Arik Air, the Managing Director and Chairman of NIGAV Awards, Mr. Fortune Idu, said: “The NIGAV Awards are a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the airline. Arik Air has gone above and beyond and accomplished great things over the years. I cannot congratulate them enough for their contributions to the aviation industry; they should be very proud of their success.”
The outstanding performance of the Commissioner of Nigeria’s Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Mr Akin Olateru did not go unnoticed by NIGAV as he was one of the recipients of the awards.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) was recognised for its performances at some major airports across the country.
Two ground handling companies were also recognised for their performances. The Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (Nahco Aviance) was also announced the winner of the NIGAV Awards Ground Handling of the Year Award, 2019.
Speaking for the organisers, Mr Fortune Idu who commended NAHCO for its excellent and exceptional service delivery, said the history of Nigerian aviation would not be complete without NAHCO.
Skypower Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) was not left out of the dividends of good managerial capabilities as the Chairman of its Board of Directors of Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) PLC, Dr Taiwo Afolabi, was named the Air Transport Personality of the year during the 10th Nigerian Aviation Awards (NIGAV) 2019.
Taiwo Afolabi was recognised for his immense contributions to the aviation industry through his notable investment and leadership excellence.
The awards which was extended to the media, saw Mrs Nosa Osula-Aituamen of Radio Nigeria taking home the best Radio Aviation Reporter award. | Spending N37bn On National Assembly Renovation Ridiculous – TUC
The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria has described as ridiculous the proposal to renovate the National Assembly complex at a cost of N37bn.
The TUC stated this in its Christmas and New Year message, which was jointly signed by the President, TUC, Quadri Olaleye and Secretary General, Musa-Lawal Ozigi.
Adding that Nigeria was a country in dire straits that required all hands on deck to get it fixed, the union argued that virtually all policies of government were wrongly placed and benefited nobody at the end.
It said, “How do we explain that in a country adjudged to be the poverty capital of the world; a country that lacks basic health facilities, infrastructure and has never spent up to 10 per cent of her annual budget on education, they are talking about spending a whopping N37bn just for National Assembly renovation?
“ It is ridiculous and unheard of.
“This rub-my-back I rub yours kind of government, mischievously orchestrated by a few negates the tenets of Christianity and humanity.”
It pointed out that the Nigerian environment that was supposed to attract development and peace attracted the opposite.
It stated, “We are tempted to think that our leaders do not really ponder on God’s love for all at all. An environment devoid of crises attracts development and peace. Ours has been a tale of woes. Joblessness has led a substantial number of the youth into crimes, ranging from kidnapping, robbery to ritual killing and cyber crimes, etc.
“The peak is the terrorism and suicide we are being faced with presently. This is not who we are; we need to find our real identity.
“We condemn criminality no matter the shade it comes; but it is not enough to do so. What plans does government have in place to give the youths a sense of belonging? We must begin to set our priorities right. If we claim to love God but hate our neighbour we are already in contradiction with ourselves.
“We must be willing to give a helping hand to those in need, succour and comfort to the vulnerable. At Christmas, we are expected to spare time to contemplate, and not to dwell on the mundane things of the world. We are strangers on this part of the earth and it is important we live with this consciousness so that when we return home we shall be at peace with ourselves.”
TUC also called on Nigerians to remain focused on making Nigeria a better society.
It pointed out that said the change the nation craved for could only come, if the citizens, especially the public officers eschew personal interests for national development.
It prayed that the “season serves as an end to an incongruous reality, and ushers in a new dawn for respect for the rule of law, human rights and happiness for all.” | 1.333333 |
The dollar slid to a six-month low on Tuesday as progress on trade tensions between the United States and China led investors to higher-risk assets, while a year-end rally that lifted global equity markets to record highs stayed alive on the last trading day of 2019.
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A gauge of world stock markets and stocks on Wall Street rebounded late in the session after trading lower most of the day, marking an end to a remarkable year for investors. Many equity indices, long-term bonds, oil, and gold posted double-digit gains in 2019.
US President Donald Trump said the Phase 1 trade pact with China would be signed on January 15 at the White House, though confusion remains about details of the agreement.
The hope of an imminent deal has been a key driver for lifting global equities to their best year since 2009, up 24 percent for the year and 88 percent for the decade.
MSCI's all-country world index of stock performance in 49 nations rose 0.86 points or 0.15 percent, to 565.24. The index is less than three points shy of an all-time high set on Friday when the three major US indices also posted record peaks.
The breakthrough in US-China trade talks and an election in the United Kingdom earlier in December pointing to a smoother exit from the European Union have boosted investor sentiment, but the outlook for equities next year is not as buoyant, said David Kelly, chief global strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management.
"This is a year in which everybody will celebrate," he said.
Going forward, however, Kelly said it will be hard to achieve similar gains, with US equities likely to advance by mid-single digits annually for several years. International markets, especially emerging markets, are poised to do better, he said.
"The US stock market rally could continue, but at some stage, there's going to be a significant correction, and the more it goes up, the more it's going to correct," he said.
In shortened trading sessions before New Year's Eve celebrations, the pan-European STOXX 600 index closed down 0.08 percent.
French, British and Spanish listed stocks lost between 0.1 percent and 0.7 percent, while the Frankfurt and Milan bourses were shut for the year-end holidays.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 76.3 points, or 0.27 percent, to 28,538.44 and the S&P 500 gained 9.49 points, or 0.29 percent, to 3,230.78 The Nasdaq Composite added 26.61 points, or 0.3 percent, to 8,972.60.
Emerging market stocks lost 0.34 percent.
Bourses in Asia diverged. China mainland stocks gained 0.4 percent after data showed manufacturing activity in the world's second-largest economy expanded for a second straight month in December.
China's Purchasing Managers' Index showing economic trends in the manufacturing and service sectors was unchanged at 50.2 in December from November, but still remained above the 50-point mark that separates growth from contraction.
In Hong Kong, stocks fell 0.5 percent as protesters geared up for pro-democracy rallies on New Year's Eve.
Markets in Japan and South Korea were closed for a holiday.
The dollar's slide came close to wiping out the year's gains, as the pound and trade-sensitive currencies rallied on improving US-China trade relations and the outlook for global growth.
The decline of the dollar is one of the biggest bets in the FX market for 2020.
"We could be right at a turning point where global growth re-accelerates relative to US growth, and that could mean a weaker dollar over time," Kelly said.
The dollar was strong for much of 2019 thanks to the relative outperformance of the US economy and investors' preference for a safe-haven currency amid the trade dispute. But the dollar's gains for the year shrivelled in December.
Investors bought up currencies linked to global trade, sending the Australian dollar, Chinese yuan and Scandinavian crowns to multi-month or multi-week highs against the greenback.
The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.237 points or 0.24 percent, to 96.503 and the euro was last up 0.14 percent, at $1.1213.
The Japanese yen strengthened 0.22 percent versus the greenback at 108.65 per dollar, while sterling was last trading at $1.3245, up 1.01 percent on the day.
The weak dollar helped lift spot gold to its highest since September 25 at $1,525.20 an ounce. The metal was set to post its biggest yearly gain since 2010, rising more than 18 percent.
US gold futures settled up 0.3 percent at $1,523.10.
The benchmark US Treasury 10-year note fell 7/32 in price to yield 1.9192 percent.
Longer-dated Treasuries were on track to post their best return since 2014 after concerns about the slowing US economy prompted the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates three times this year. The move was a major reason for Wall Street's gains.
Thirty-year bonds returned 17.15 percent this year through Monday, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, while 10-year notes have returned 9.03 percent.
The final data will not be updated until late on Tuesday.
Oil fell but was still on track for monthly and annual gains, supported by a thaw in the prolonged US-China trade dispute and unrest in the Middle East.
Brent crude settled down 67 cents at $66.00 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude slid 62 cents to settle at $61.06 a barrel.
Brent has gained about 23 percent in 2019 and WTI has risen 34 percent, their best yearly gains in three years. | NEW YORK • Oil prices fell 1 per cent on Tuesday, the last trading day of the decade, but notched the biggest annual gain in three years, backed by a thaw in the US-China trade war and ongoing supply cuts from major oil producers.
Brent gained about 23 per cent in 2019 and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 34 per cent, their biggest yearly gains in three years, supported by the recent breakthrough in US-China trade talks and output cuts pledged by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and its allies.
Forecasters do not expect oil prices to move sharply in either direction this year. Brent crude is expected to hover around US$63 a barrel, a Reuters poll showed on Tuesday, down modestly from current levels, as Opec production cuts offset weaker demand.
Over the past year, increased US output offset the supply reductions undertaken by Opec, led by Saudi Arabia and stemming from US sanctions on Venezuela and Iran. Lacklustre demand, including in developed economies, remains a primary concern this year.
"Oil prices, though largely expected to trade positive, will face headwinds from subdued global growth momentum and robust US shale output levels in the first quarter (of 2020)," said Mr Benjamin Lu, an analyst at Phillip Futures.
US crude production in October rose to a record of 12.66 million barrels per day (bpd) from a revised 12.48 million bpd in September, according to a monthly report by the US government.
The pace of growth is expected to slow in 2020.
Brent crude fell 67 US cents, or 1 per cent, to settle at US$66.00 a barrel. WTI crude in the United States fell 62 US cents, or 1 per cent, to settle at US$61.06 a barrel.
On Tuesday, trade volumes were low with many market participants away for year-end holidays, amplifying the market's moves.
US President Donald Trump has said the phase 1 trade deal with China would be signed on Jan 15 at the White House.
The deal has boosted factories' output and Chinese manufacturing activity expanded for a second straight month.
China's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), which tracks economic trends in the manufacturing and service sectors, was unchanged at 50.2 in December from November, just above the 50-point mark separating growth from contraction.
Investors were nervous about the Middle East, where thousands of protesters and militia fighters gathered outside the US embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday and yesterday to condemn American air strikes against Iraqi militias.
Security guards inside the embassy fired stun grenades at protesters. The US ambassador and staff were evacuated.
"Considering that Iraq is the second-largest Opec producer with production around 4.6 million barrels per day, market participants may add a risk premium to oil if tensions last for longer," UBS oil analyst Giovanni Staunovo said.
"That said, we need to see if the latest protests spread also in the south of the country, where most of the crude is exported."
REUTERS | 2.75 |
As soon as the credits roll on the latest movie in the Star Wars franchise, fans are already wiggling in their seats in anticipation of the next one.
Over the past four decades, the epic space franchise has built up the anticipation of millions of ‘warsies’ who have been closely watching the Star Wars adventures. And since the release of the latest film, Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker, it has grossed around $361.8 million in North America alone. But sometimes, a dedicated fan base can be a double edged sword.
A new study, published this month in the Journal of Media Psychology, suggests that built up anticipation of a new film can often ruin it for its fans.
Based on a survey of Star Wars fans, the study showed that those who went into Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi, which was released in 2017, with higher expectations tended to enjoy the movie less. The findings suggest that before going into the latest installment of the Star Wars franchise, your expectations should be quite low.
The authors of the new study did an online survey of 441 people who had just watched the trailer of The Last Jedi three weeks before its release and asked them to anticipate how happy, sad, or nostalgic they thought the film would make them. The same participants were surveyed again after they had watched the film, and were asked to rate their enjoyment and appreciation of it.
The results of the survey showed that those who had anticipated they would be happier and more nostalgic from the film ended up enjoying it less, while those who had lower expectations for how happy and nostalgic the film would make them feel ended up enjoying it more.
“It becomes a lot less about what is in the movie and a lot more about what you expected it to be,” James Alex Bonus, assistant professor of communication at the Ohio State University and co-author of the study, said in a statement released with the findings.
While the study suggests to lower your expectations before an anticipated film, you shouldn’t lower your expectations too much.
Those who had very low expectations of 2017’s The Last Jedi but felt happy after seeing it reported a less enjoyable viewing experience than those who had experienced the same level of happiness but had gone in with slightly higher expectations for the movie.
“The negative bias going in dragged them down and even if they were pleasantly surprised by the movie, they still didn’t like it as much as other people did,” Bonus said. “It wasn’t really helping people to go in with those low expectations.”
So, you want your expectations to be low, but not too low that it soils the whole experience for you.
Additionally, the study noted that how nostalgic people thought a film would make them, rather than how happy it would make them, played a bigger role in whether or not people went to see the movie.
Those who had higher expectations of feelings of nostalgia were more likely to see the movie than those with expectations of happiness, according to the study.
“That shows the important role nostalgia plays for audiences of established franchises like Star Wars,” Bonus said.
More importantly, the study highlights how badly people predict their own feelings.
Affective forecasting is a concept in psychology whereby a person will predict how happy a future event will make them feel, and it can often lead people to not wanting something by falsely assuming something will make them feel either happy or sad.
In the survey, around 55 percent of people failed to accurately predict how the movie would make them feel. In general, people are bad at predicting how future events will make them feel, according to Bonus.
Our prediction powers fail us even more when it comes to a film franchise where fans have developed an emotional attachment to the characters over several years. | We hope you have enjoyed your complimentary access for the month.
To continue viewing content on tucson.com, please sign in with your existing account or subscribe. | 1 |
Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana has emerged as the new darling of advertisers. For Khurrana, 2019 has not only been a dream run at the box office, but also as a celebrity brand endorser for those trying to reach out to the guy next door.Khurrana, who has given seven back-to-back hits, including ' Andhadhun ', which fetched a National Film Award for best actor, is now the face of 15 brands -from eyewear (Titan) to watches (Daniel Wellington), and clothing (Turtle) to men’s grooming (The Man Company). He has also signed four more brand endorsement deals that will be disclosed early next year. What clicks with Khurrana is his very high 'Emulatability' score, as per Indian Institute of Human Brands (IIHB).Emulatability is an amalgam of people liking or loving the celebrity, respecting him, identifying with him or wanting to be like him. “Ayushmann’s clever choice of reel roles has made him score very high on 'identify' with, besides the other parameters of ‘he is like me; if not, I would like to be like him’. He has easy familiarity and seems to be friendly and fun, affable and authentic. Hence, his movies are doing well, and he is in demand with brands,” said Sandeep Goyal, veteran adman and chief mentor of IIHB.Another important dimension behind the increase in Khurrana’s brand salience, as per Goyal, is that unlike most celebrities, he is not distant and forbidding. "So, his relatability is very high, contributing to him being seen as 'endearing'.” Industry estimates put Khurrana’s combined earnings at around Rs 35 crore in 2019. He, however, says that all commercial interests are looked after by the YRF Talent team. “I am very bad with numbers, so endorsements and deals are looked after by the team. What I focus on is whether or not the ethos of the company I am endorsing is similar to mine,” Khurrana told ET. This, he added, was the main reason why he picked up stake in the Man Company. “I am sure that I will not advertise for any fairness cream or tobacco or pan masala products, ever,” he added.Khurrana has cemented his position in the industry as the poster boy of content cinema doing diverse films with relatable and relevant stories, be it his debut film ‘ Vicky Donor ’, where he played the role of a sperm donor, or his latest film, ‘Bala’, where he played role of a young man suffering from male pattern baldness. “I am just fortunate to work with incredible script writers, directors and producers,” he said. | Australia's catastrophic 2019 bushfire season at a glance:
NSW
* 15 lives lost, four in the past 24 hours
* One person missing
* More than 100 bushfires burning
* 3.6 million hectares burned, greater than the size of Belgium
* 1087 homes confirmed destroyed
VICTORIA
* One person dead, four more missing
* More than 40 bushfires of significance burning
* More than 500,000 hectares burned
* 68 structures confirmed destroyed but this number is expected to rise significantly
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
* Two lives lost
* About 20 bushfires burning, seven of significance
* More than 60,000 hectares burned
* More than 90 homes confirmed destroyed
QUEENSLAND
* 7 bushfires burning
* 250,000 hectares burned
* 45 homes confirmed destroyed
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
* More than 40 bushfires burning, two of significance
* 1.2 million hectares burned
* One home confirmed destroyed
TASMANIA
* More than 30 bushfires burning, seven of significance
* 8000 hectares burned
* One home confirmed destroyed | 1 |
Alli Simpson has seemingly been enjoying a break from social media over the holidays, posting a belated Christmas message.
Taking to Instagram on New Year's Eve, the 21-year-old younger sister of singer Cody Simpson, 22, wished her fans a happy belated Christmas.
'Merry LATEmas or merry LITmas. These two are the gift that keeps on giving!! #SillySeason,' she wrote.
Keeping cool: Alli Simpson wished her fans a happy belated Christmas on New Year's Eve. Pictured with boyfriend Mitchell Bourke
She also shared a photo of herself standing in a swimming pool alongside her shirtless actor boyfriend, Mitchell Bourke, 23.
The two are seen standing side-by-side in complimentary red and green cowboy hats, with Alli donning a pair of denim cut-offs over her strapless black one-piece.
Alli and Mitchell first revealed they are dating back in July, with both taking to Instagram to share a series of cuddly photos.
Taking it easy: The singer has seemingly been enjoying a break from social media over the holidays, posting a belated Christmas message
'Soo this is Mitch... he's pretty cool,' she wrote, while Mitchell included an almost identical caption: 'This is Alli, she is pretty cool.'
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia at the ARIA Awards in November, Alli confessed they are 'very much in love'.
'I've got a nice man in my life, Mitchell,' she said.
Young love: Alli and Mitchell first revealed they are dating back in July, with both taking to Instagram to share a series of cuddly photos
'We're going really, really good. We are very smitten, we're very much in love, loving life, he's a really good guy.'
The blonde bombshell - who is now based in Sydney after relocating from the US - said that she and Mitchell are both 'creative' and work hard.
'He works very hard. We're both doing our thing. We're both very creative and love working hard and it works, it's a good balance,' she added. | The singer has given seemingly minute-by-minute coverage of her new romance with Cody Simpson.
Miley Cyrus’ boyfriend Cody Simpson has brushed off reports he was flirting with girls – even giving one a no-tongue smooch – at New York’s Little Sister lounge right before Christmas, telling Page Six it’s all “stupid.”
Despite the alleged Christmas canoodle with Playboy’s December 2019 playmate Jordy Murray, 26, the singer spent the holiday with Cyrus and her family in Tennessee.
RELATED: Cody Simpson’s sister slams rumours he and Miley have split
RELATED: Cody Simpson opens up about relationship with Miley Cyrus
“It was a great Christmas out in Nashville,” he told the publication, saying that he and Cyrus were “great” and that reports of his flirting are “stupid”.
The comments come after Simpson’s sister Ali also slammed rumours of a split.
“Yes, (they’re) together for sure,” Alli Simpson told Daily Maillast month.
Speculation a split was brewing between Simpson and Cyrus, 27, reached critical mass after fans noticed the couple’s relative absence from social media in recent weeks.
Though the pop star pair were last seen together at a Los Angeles charity function in early December, the two hadn’t traded social media posts or commented on each other’s posts despite still following each other.
Further questions were raised when Cyrus tweeted a series of messages about being “lonely” during the most wonderful time of the year and shared a new record titled My Sad Christmas Song.
“A sad Christmas song I wrote a few years back right before the holidays. Was feeling like sh*t cause I couldn’t be with the one I loved. Even with a house full of family and friends I still felt alone …,” Cyrus wrote, linking her new song on the message.
“In ways that still feels relevant and someone reading this right now could possibly relate! If you feel lonely this season just know YOU ARE COMPLETELY MADE OF MAGIC! You are as special as a snowflake, beautifully unique and I hope inside your soul feels light, hope, peace and joy knowing how singularly amazing YOU are! Love always wins!” she added.
Meanwhile, Cyrus’ ex-husband Liam Hemsworth was recently spotted in Australia, where he appeared to introduce his parents to rumoured new girlfriend, model Gabriella Brooks.
Cyrus continues to appear bitter about her divorce, as she recently joked to a fan who was vocal about tying the knot with her that it “probably won’t last long”.
T his article originally appeared on Page Six and was reproduced with permission | 2.666667 |
20 Resolutions for a Healthy 2020
It’s that time again — have you decided on your New Year’s resolution? For many people, New Year’s resolutions center around health. Exercising more often and sticking to a cleaner diet are two popular resolutions people make going forward into the new year. But if you’re already on track with a healthy diet and workout regimen, and you’re searching for a resolution that can help you become a healthier you in 2020, here are 20 resolutions to consider:
Improve your blood pressure Follow the Ketofast protocol Get energized with enzymes Improve your liver health Limit the lectins and oxalates in your diet Increase your magnesium intake Switch to non-toxic cleaning products Eat more anti-inflammatory foods Properly filter your water Reduce your EMF exposure Increase your astaxanthin intake Boost your collagen production naturally Get a healthy amount of sleep Eliminate Google from your life Gain a clearer perspective with healthy eyes Optimize your adrenal support Try blood flow restriction training Fight autoimmune disease Increase bone health and combat osteoporosis Care what you wear
For a more in-depth look at these 20 steps to help you take control of your health and become a healthier you in 2020, download the 20 Resolutions for 2020 resolution guide.
SOURCE: MERCOLA | Nowadays, registered investments advisors (RIAs), financial planners, financial advisors, wealth managers, even money doctors are pretty much tossed around and used interchangeably. But while each could claim of giving you sound financial advice, each would be using an entirely different model for doing so.
And, what may work for your co-worker may not necessarily work for you. If you are looking to focus on your money life in 2020 and wondering of all the options out there, read on. Sebi-RIAs: When it comes to money management, there are basically two models used by those providing ... | 1 |
Democrat’s impeachment scheme has dragged on for months. This hoax, that started in Fall 2019, is now entering the new year. It seems Nancy Pelosi wants to make it last forever. But Republican Senator Roy Blunt spoke about impeachment and what would happen when it reaches the Senate. He predicted something that will have Democrats biting their tongues.
According to polls, Americans have moved on from impeachment. They are not on board with the scheme to remove a winning president from office. As House Democrats wasted months on a baseless impeachment push, President Trump has continued to win for America.
It’s really pathetic to watch the Democrats implode. They hatched their impeachment scheme, hoping the media would convince Americans to support them. They claimed, based on the third-hand testimony of an unnamed whistleblower, that Trump committed a crime. But we all read the transcript ourselves. Very quickly, the left’s agenda was destroyed by Trump himself.
For months, Democrats claimed Trump pressured Ukraine and offered a quid-pro-quo. But when they drafted their articles of impeachment, they only said he abused power and obstructed Congress. Both charges are vague and meaningless and amount to non-crimes. We later learned that pathetic Pelosi held focus groups to figure out which charges sounded best to the public.
Proving once again this impeachment is just a farce for the media.
That’s most likey the reason she continues to refuse to send her partisan articles to the Senate. The Constitution requires the House to send the articles to the Senate for a trial. But Pelosi, defying the law in an unprecedented act of cowardice, said she wouldn’t until the Senate agreed to her demands.
Who’s abusing power?
But she can’t delay it forever. This case has to go to the Senate or things will only get worse for the Democrats. What will happen then? Sen. Roy Blunt made a prediction in a recent interview.
Blunt said, “The State of the Union, the president has been invited by the speaker to give the State of the Union speech on February the fourth. My guess is we’ll be done with this by the time the president comes.”
He added, “I think we should have had enough time for both the House to fairly present its view of why the president should be impeached and for the president, I’d argue for the first time, to have a chance for his lawyers to explain why he shouldn’t be, and then we’ll have that vote and move on.” [Source: Breitbart]
Sen. Blunt said this impeachment nonsense will be over with before the State of the Union. The speech is scheduled for February 4, 2020. Which means Blunt predicts this impeachment will be wrapped up this month.
Blunt explains that the Senate will hold a trial and give the president a fair shot at defense. He and his lawyers will present their case and the Senate will vote. All the fake news, controversy, and rumors will finally be put to rest.
The Democrats were working overtime to drag this out until November 2020. They wanted impeachment to be the nail in Trump’s coffin. Their 2020 lineup is so weak, they knew Trump could beat them blindfolded, with his hands tied behind his back. They were hoping impeachment would generate enough negative press for Trump that he’d never win.
But Blunt is saying that before the SOTU address, this will be over. Trump will be giving his speech before Congress and the country. What does that tell you about the outcome of this impeachment?
That the president will be cleared of the charges and remain in office. He will get yet another win over the Democrats. The trial in the Senate will be his chance to finally clear his name.
And his lawyers will present evidence of who was really committing crimes with Ukraine (hint: it wasn’t the Republicans).
Come February 4, 2020, we might be living in a very different world. President Trump will be vindicated and the real culprits will be facing serious consequences.
And to think, all this because Pelosi refused to work with the president! | Jerry Nadler, chairman of the House judiciary committee, described the decision to hold a full vote on impeachment as a sad day ANDREW HARNIK/AP
Donald Trump was formally charged today with abusing his office after a vote that split along party lines, paving the way for him to become only the third president in US history to face an impeachment trial.
Sombre-faced members of the House judiciary committee resumed their seats for less than eight minutes this morning after 14 hours of rancorous argument yesterday, to vote with 23 Democrats in favour and 17 Republicans against indicting the president.
That sets up a vote in the full Democrat-controlled House of Representatives next week before President Trump, 73, faces a trial in the Republican-controlled Senate in the new year for the “high crimes and misdemeanours” of abusing his power and obstructing Congress over his dealings with Ukraine.
The result seems… | 1 |
Jan 01, 2020 , 11:39AM Australia: Wildfires claim at least three lives, Dozens of homes feared destroyed PTI In Australia, three people lost their lives and five others were missing while at least two schools and dozens of homes were feared destroyed after the country's southeast was devastated by deadly bushfires that ripped through popular tourist areas on New Year's Eve.
Fire-ravaged Australia has launched a major operation to reach thousands of people stranded in seaside towns. Navy ships and military aircraft were deployed alongside emergency crews today to provide humanitarian relief and assess the damage from one of the worst days yet in Australia's months-long bushfire crisis.
This season's blazes have killed 13 people, destroyed more than 1,000 homes and scorched about 5.5 million hectares (13.5 million acres) -- an area bigger than Denmark or the Netherlands.
The unprecedented crisis has sparked street protests calling on the government to immediately act on climate change, which scientists say is creating a longer and more intense bushfire season.
Conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison has come under increasing pressure for his response, which has included holidaying in Hawaii as the disaster unfolded and reiterating his steadfast support for Australia's lucrative coal mining industry. | Thousands of tourists have been given less than 48 hours to evacuate fire-ravaged coastal communities as Australia braces for a heatwave Saturday expected to fan deadly bushfires.
Catastrophic blazes ripped through swathes of the continent's south-east on New Year's Eve, killing at least eight people and stranding holidaymakers as seaside towns were ringed by flames.
The New South Wales (NSW) Rural Fire Service on Thursday morning declared a “tourist leave zone” stretching about 200 kilometres (124 miles) from the popular holiday spot of Bateman's Bay along the usually picturesque south-east coast to neighbouring Victoria state, where people are also being urged to evacuate fire-threatened areas.
Visitors are being warned to leave before Saturday, which is forecast to bring gusting winds and temperatures soaring above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
That weather will create dangerous fire conditions that officials say will be as bad -- if not worse -- than Tuesday, Australia's deadliest day of fires in a months-long bushfire crisis.
Many tourists and residents spent two nights isolated with no electricity or telecommunications, and dwindling food supplies, before authorities on Thursday deemed some roads out of the region temporarily safe to use.
NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance told public broadcaster ABC it would be the “largest evacuation of people out of the region ever”, with thousands preparing to leave ahead of another “terrible” day of fires.
NSW Rural Fire Service deputy commissioner Rob Rogers said firefighters were unable to extinguish or even control the raging blazes.
“The message is we've got so much fire in that area, we have no capacity to contain these fires,” he told ABC.
“We just need to make sure that people are not in front of them.”
But with food and fuel supplies reportedly running short in many centres, there were concerns some would remain trapped.
Authorities still have not been able to reach some rural communities, such as the town of Genoa in Victoria.
There are also mounting fears for five people still missing after the most recent blazes while the number of homes confirmed destroyed has topped 400, with that number expected to rise as firefighters reach devastated communities still isolated by flames.
Navy ships and military aircraft have been deployed alongside emergency crews to provide humanitarian relief and assess the damage.
This season's blazes have killed at least 18 people, destroyed more than 1,000 homes and scorched about 5.5 million hectares (13.5 million acres) — an area bigger than Denmark or the Netherlands.
The unprecedented crisis has sparked street protests calling on the government to immediately act on climate change, which scientists say is creating a longer and more intense bushfire season.
Conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison has come under increasing pressure for his actions, which included holidaying in Hawaii as the disaster unfolded and reiterating his support for Australia's lucrative — but heavily polluting — coal mining industry. | 3 |
Reported by: Agga Non
On December 19th, Mawlamyine University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Purdue University in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the United States, according to Mawlamyine University Assistant Professor Dr. Mi Mi Sein.
The MOU outlines an exchange program allowing students and teachers from both countries to learn about each others. The educational exchange with the United States-based Purdue University will lead to more advanced education systems and other opportunities.
“Purdue University is one of the universities that focus on language skills. Purdue University will assist with the acquisition of skills so that [Mawlamyine University students studying] English will improve,” said Dr. Mi Mi Sein, assistant professor.
MOU signing between Mawlamyine University and Purdue University, Fort Wayne (photo:MNA)
Dr. Mi Mi Sein added that in the future, there will be more opportunities and exchange programs in cultural, business, tourism and other sectors.
“The educational exchange between Myanmar and the United States helps to build a long-term friendship between the two countries,” said Chancellor Mr. Ron Elsenbaumer from Purdue University.
“We exchange knowledge for the development of our cities, universities, and countries. We have a chance to study the two countries. To prolong the friendship between Myanmar and the United States, teachers and students will obtain an opportunity to study in Forty Wayne while teachers and students will have a chance to come and study in Myanmar,” added Chancellor Mr. Ron Elsenbaumer.
Purdue University offers courses in 200 different fields of study to 10,000 students.
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From Children of the Land, a memoir published this month by Harper. Hernandez Castillo was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States when he was five years old.
The butcher went to the other side. His son, the one with the amputated leg, also went to the other side. They settled in Georgia. The middle school math teacher went to the other side—her cousin swore she could make forty dollars in a single day picking oranges if she was fast enough. No math required.
She wouldn’t be fast enough.
The priest went to the other side and left the believers to wander through the church, blessing everything they touched. The Virgen de Guadalupe and the Pale Christ abandoned the altar and went to serve food in a Denny’s on the other side. They went by Chuy and Lupe, and they took English classes at the library at night. The neighbors to our right went, but only half of the family; the other half sat anxiously every day, waiting for the mail to arrive. The mayor went to the other side to enroll his children in school.
Every Sunday the crowds that gathered at the plaza shrank by one or two. It was hardly even noticeable at first. The sheriff went to the other side and left his uniforms in the street to whoever would claim them. No one claimed them. The drunks who spent their mornings in the cantina went to the other side, as did their bartender, serving them drinks along the way, all lamenting the women who had left them. The young man who went to the national track-and-field championship tried to go to the other side but died in the crossing. His running was only good for circles.
The dogs went to the other side. The women waiting on the corner for their bus to the market went to the other side. The markets went to the other side.
The debts all went to the other side—the only things that death could not touch. All the paper in the town was taken to the other side, so people reverted to memorization. The stonemasons, their tools, the trees, the money, the nuns, have gone to the other side.
It seemed like there was hardly anything left except the mothers who sent their sons ahead of them.
Eventually, all that was left was a lamppost next to a fruit stand where Angelica, my uncle’s mistress, sold mangoes to anyone passing by. No one passed by anymore, but she still waved the parched mangoes in the air, yelling, “Dos por diez pesos.” She bit into a mango and spat the pulp onto the road. There were still roads, yes, but no signs, so she might as well have been anywhere. She picked her teeth with a fingernail, trying to pry loose the small fibers lodged in her gums.
The streetlight turned on, and the mangoes got sweeter and sweeter in their box. | 1 |
In my writing room at home hangs a framed circular collage of magazine and newspaper cutouts. I grew up in New Hyde Park and East Williston, but assembled the collage in my dorm room at Boston College in the waning days of 1969. The collage was filled with the things that I felt most strongly about, and some things that populated my nightmares.
Around the edges of the frame are the numbers 60 through 69, representing the years in clockwise order. The centerpiece photo of an American soldier in Vietnam dominates the piece. As he strums on his guitar surrounded by sandbags, I imagine the faint sound of the Bob Dylan’s 1960s anthem, "Blowin’ in the Wind." Across his chest, the word "peace" in cutout letters represents the hope it might come soon. References to the Vietnam War, and photos of the My Lai massacre, generals and privates are placed alongside the elected officials who sent them to that fruitless conflict.
Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon — the men who started the war, perpetuated it and finally ended it — are surrounded by images of the protests that sprung up all around the country. I attended my share of those demonstrations as my "2S" student deferment was running out. The words "Waiting out the War" at the bottom of the collage expressed my hope that all the protests might slow the killing and end the war before I was caught up in it. Sen. Bobby Kennedy looks out with a pensive stare; the hope that he and the Rev. Martin Luther King represented was extinguished far too soon.
But then there was the music scene that defined my generation — Woodstock, the Beatles, Dylan, the Stones and the British invasion — and the tumultuous wave of change that that vibrant musical energy ignited in us all. The sounds of that time and the memories they awaken in me are imprinted deep within my brain. There are cutouts of the moon landing and pretty girls and even a sailboat. Even then I wanted to own one, and would 30 years later.
Just below the soldier’s guitar is the word "Time" — the singular commodity we all possess. It’s the thing we never seem to have enough of, the thing we wish we could alter, buy more of or roll back. In the end, it is the fuse that burns through every living thing — a relentless adversary.
Fifty years ago, I made that collage to try to capture that period inside a frame. Today, those memories storm back into focus when the first chord of "A Hard Day's Night" roars out of my car radio. It’s the 1960s, I’m riding down the Meadowbrook Parkway toward Jones Beach on a hot summer Saturday morning with my friends. We’re all screaming out the lyrics in unison, and I’m young again.
Reader James D. Riordan lives in Old Westbury. | 1 | |
For Subscribers Hampton Beach Ocean Wok: Founder Matthew Fan to revive restaurant
Ocean Wok founder Matthew Fan is returning to take over the restaurant which he says went downhill after he left. | For Subscribers Hampton Beach Ocean Wok: Founder Matthew Fan to revive restaurant
Ocean Wok founder Matthew Fan is returning to take over the restaurant which he says went downhill after he left. | 1 |
Meal time at Alynn Casgrain's home requires some co-ordination.
While her 11-month-old twin boys, Sam and Jake, wait patiently in their high chairs, four-year-old big sister Noelle cuts the vegetables for a pizza the whole family will soon be eating.
Casgrain and her husband, David Upper, believe their children should eat the same things they eat. That's because the Toronto mom was surprised by the added sugars she found in products designed for infants and toddlers.
"Those yogurt drinks were shocking. Low fat, all sugar," said Casgrain.
A recent study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics backs that up. It found that nearly 61 per cent of infants (6-11 months) and 98 per cent of toddlers (12-23 months) consumed added sugars as part of an average daily diet.
The added sugars were mainly found in flavoured yogurts and fruit drinks.
"We wanted to understand what the consumption of added sugars were among infants and toddlers. It's a group that's not very well studied, so we wanted to add to the research base," said lead investigator Kirsten Herrick, with the U.S. National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md.
Nutrition experts warn us to try to limit our intake of added sugars, but they are everywhere: in breakfast cereals, baked goods, even yogurt and pasta sauces. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)
Herrick's team analyzed data from 1,211 young children. They found that infants consumed about one teaspoon of added sugars daily; toddlers consumed about six teaspoons.
Experts, including the World Health Organization, say children should consume no more than six teaspoons of added sugar daily — an amount equal to about 25 grams.
"What was surprising was how early added sugar consumption started and how quickly it increased,'' she said.
'Kids eat like we do'
Herrick describes added sugars as an extra amount of sweetener that's added to any food product. It could be table sugar, honey, maple syrup or fruit concentrate. And it's "everywhere in the food system," she said, from fruit drinks and baked goods, to yogurts.
Jess Haines, an associate professor of applied nutrition at the University of Guelph, isn't surprised by the findings.
"Kids eat like we do. And adults, both in the U.S and Canada, we eat a fair bit of sugar," she said.
Haines said the university came to similar conclusions in its long-term Guelph Family Health Study, where researchers looked at various routines of children between 18 months and five years of age. When it came to diet, it found that 54 per cent of them exceeded the six teaspoons of sugar per day.
Jess Haines is an associate professor of applied nutrition at the University of Guelph. (Craig Chivers/CBC)
Haines says that all this added sugar can have long-term health effects, starting with cavities.
"We also see that when kids have higher intakes of sugar that's sustained over their lifetime, we can see an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes later in life."
As a parent herself, Haines understands that many babies and toddlers can be picky eaters. She also knows the time constraints many mothers and fathers face during the day, so she tries to recommend solutions that involve re-imagining what a snack can look like.
"Think of snacks, really, as mini-meals. Why not take some of the foods that you've had for either breakfast or lunch, make it smaller and they can have a snack like that during the day," she said.
Alynn Casgrain agrees. She and her husband try to control the added sugar intake of their children, particularly at home, by making much of their food from scratch.
Casgrain hopes this will lay the groundwork for healthy eating decisions later in life — but she knows it won't be easy.
"You have to be realistic about the fact that wherever they go, whether they're going to see friends or grandparents or when they get older and make their own decisions, there's going to be sweet stuff in front of them." | On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. Pandemics know no borders. As the number of infections grows daily, it has become clear that no community will be spared its effects.
The leadership of the business community has never been more important than in times of crisis. American businesses have been at the forefront of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic – from manufacturing essential medical supplies to providing support for first responders and healthcare professionals.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation has been tracking the contributions from businesses of all sizes and sectors that are helping combat the coronavirus. This tracker is updated daily, and we’d love to include your information.
Share your story | 1 |
A Grand Forks man who was found dead Tuesday, Dec. 31 in an alley of the 1100 block of 14th Avenue South apparently died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Officers from the Grand Forks Police Department were dispatched to the area at 10:04 a.m. after a witness called 911 to report a man in the alley who appeared to be deceased.
Sgt. Danny Pemberton of the Grand Forks Police Department said a firearm was recovered at the scene. The name of the person has not been released pending notification of family members. | Victoria police say they are looking for a “high risk” missing man with a medical condition. Lukas Ross, 28, was last seen at around 4 p.m. on Tuesday in the Jubilee area. Police say Ross suffers from a medical condition and needs to be located. According to police, his family is deeply concerned for his well-being.Ross is described by police as 5’8,” 185 pounds with an athletic build. He has brown hair, brown eyes and often wears a short, stubble-length beard. Anyone who has seen Lukas Ross or has information about where he may be is asked to call 911. | 1.666667 |
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that like IAS, IPS, India needs a proper All India Judicial Service. (File Photo) Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that like IAS, IPS, India needs a proper All India Judicial Service. (File Photo)
Political acrimony over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act intensified Wednesday with Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad reading Constitutional provisions to state governments, saying they would have to implement the Act, while Kerala Chief Minister M Pinarayi Vijayan reminded the Centre that state assemblies have their own privileges.
A day after the Kerala House passed a resolution demanding the scrapping of the CAA, Prasad cited Constitutional clauses and asked state governments to get “better legal advises”.
“It’s surprising that the governments that have taken oath on the Constitution are talking anti-Constitutional that we will not implement the CAA. It’s passed by Parliament… Laws passed by Parliament will be implemented throughout the country… Subject to the provisions of the Constitution, Parliament may make laws for the whole or any part of the Union of India,” Prasad told reporters.
He cited Articles 245, 246 and 256 — that deal with the enactment of laws and demarcation of powers for the Union and the states — to assert that every state is obliged to implement rules made by Parliament, and said citizenship is a subject on which Parliament can form rules for the entire country.
“Legislature of the state may make laws for the whole or any part of the state. Article 245 (clause 2): No law made by Parliament shall be deemed to be invalid on the ground that it would have extra-territorial operation,” he said.
Reminding the states of their “Constitutional responsibility”, Prasad said: “If they have taken oath on the Constitution, they should respect its provisions. Those state governments may take better legal advises.”
Rejecting BJP’s criticism against the Kerala assembly’s resolution, Vijayan maintained that assemblies have their own privileges.
Reacting to BJP MP G V L Narasimha Rao’s move write to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to initiate breach of parliamentary privileges and contempt proceedings against him over the resolution, Vijayan said in Thiruvananthapuram: “State assemblies have own privileges. Such actions are unheard of anywhere. But we cannot rule out anything in the present circumstance as unprecedented things are happening nowadays in the country.”
The assemblies, he said, have their own special protection and that should not be violated. He said Kerala has become the first state to pass a resolution against a law which has been violating the fundamental principles of the Constitution and it has great significance.
While Chief Ministers of non-BJP ruled states like Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal and Congress-ruled states have announced that they would not implement CAA, the CPM-led Left Democratic Front-ruled Kerala was the first to take the legislature route to register its opposition to the law.
In September last year, West Bengal assembly passed a resolution denouncing the National Register of Citizens (NRC), an exercise that took place in Assam.
The state assemblies have in the past too passed resolutions against laws passed by Parliament. In 2014, the assembly of undivided Andhra Pradesh had passed a resolution rejecting the Central government’s Bill to create Telangana — the Congress was in power, both at the Centre and in the state then. However, the central government went ahead with the bifurcation of the state.
Also Read | Rioting FIR has details, timeline, gives clean chit to police; FIR on killing is just one para
In 2016, when the Supreme Court had ordered release of Cauvery water for Tamil Nadu, the Karnataka legislature had adopted an unanimous resolution to use the Cauvery water only to meet drinking water needs and not to provide it for any other purpose.
In 2018, the Delhi assembly, in which AAP has a brute majority, passed a resolution demanding that Bharat Ratna awarded to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi be withdrawn over the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App | Law Minister on Wednesday said state governments have a Constitutional duty to implement laws passed by Parliament and those vowing not to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act should seek appropriate legal opinion.
He said it was surprising that those who have come to power by taking oath under the Constitution are making "unconstitutional" statements.
His statement came a day after the Kerala assembly passed a resolution urging the Centre to withdraw the amended citizenship law.
Prasad said the government's which claim they would not allow the CAA or are getting resolutions passed against implementing it may seek appropriate legal opinion on constitutional provisions.
"It is the constitutional duty of the states to implement laws passed by Parliament," Prasad told reporters here.
He said Parliament can make laws on subjects under the Union List which includes citizenship.
To drive home his point that states cannot oppose laws passed by Parliament, he referred to Clause 2 of Article 245 of the Constitution.
"Article 245 (clause 2) states that no law made by Parliament shall be deemed to be invalid on the ground that it would have extra-territorial operation," he said.
Other states including West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have said they will not implement the amended Citizenship Act. | 3.666667 |
In honor of a brand new year, Hailee Steinfeld has buried her relationship with Niall Horan in the past with her new song, ‘Wrong Direction,’ where the singer laments about how she fell ‘in the wrong direction’ with her former love.
A year after Hailee Steinfeld, 23, called it quits with Niall Horan, 26, the Dickinson actress seemingly resurrected her music career out of the ashes of her failed relationship with the One Direction member. Days after announcing that her new song, “Wrong Direction,” would be released on New Year’s Day, fans eagerly awaited Hailee to spill the tea on what went “wrong” between her and Niall. What they got was a thoughtful ballad about the former couple’s breakup and how Hailee is reckoning with how she was treated during the time they dated.
In the song, Hailee begins with a straight forward lyric that sets the tone for the tune. “I don’t hate you,” she somberly sings. “No, I couldn’t if I wanted to.” But, Hailee didn’t shy away from telling the subject of her song, “I just hate all the hurt that you put me through.” Throughout the entire piano ballad, the “Love Myself” singer confesses how she “was crazy to give you my mind, my body” throughout the turbulent relationship. Clearly, the song isn’t exactly a burn to her former flame, but more so an accounting for a courtship that simply wasn’t built to last and Hailee’s own perspective on their time together.
Hailee didn’t mention Niall by name when she announced the new single on Dec. 29, but that title wasn’t terribly subtle. Adding fuel to the fire, Hailee shared a series of photos from 2019 on her Instagram stories along with the message, “Thankful for all the lessons, the love, the heartbreak, & the memories.” Fans immediately expected this to be a reaction to Niall saying that his upcoming album (due in February or March 2020) is all about breakups. “There’s all these different sides to a breakup,” he told Jimmy Fallon on the Dec. 12 episode of The Tonight Show. “It’s not all sad, all the time. When you break up with someone, it’s not just like, I’m sitting at a window. I’m looking out. I’m feeling sorry for myself. It’s raining against that window.”
“Sometimes you’re like out on the town, throwing some shapes and you write songs like ‘Nice To Meet Ya!’ And then the sad ones come,” he added. “On this album, I just kind of wanted to write a nice mix of the ups and downs of that.”
Hailee and Niall split in December 2018 after a year of low-key dating. At first, reports claimed that their schedules were just too busy for romance. She was about to go on a major press tour for Bumblebee, and he was busy with his solo music career. It actually seemed to be one of the most amicable splits ever. Hailee even went so far to deny claims that she threw shade at her ex in January 2019. After she shared Julia Michaels’ Instagram Story about dating narcissists to her own account, some suspected she was subtweeting Nial. “No hidden messages, my loves,” she tweeted. “Just reposted an interesting read that I’m sure some of y’all can relate to. Nothing but love!”
“Wrong Direction” follow’s “Afterlife,” the single she released in September for her new Apple TV+ series, Dickinson. Though she has released a handful of songs and made appearances on other people’s tracks, fans have been patiently waiting for a follow-up to her 2016 debut, Haiz. | Jan. 1 (UPI) -- Singer and actress Hailee Steinfeld has released the lyric video for her new song "Wrong Direction."
The 4-minute breakup ballad is now on YouTube and other digital platforms.
It contains the lyrics: "I don't hate you. No, I couldn't if I wanted to. I just hate all the hurt that you put me through. And that I blame myself for letting you."
People.com said that since Steinfeld teased the song title earlier this week, fans have been speculating it is about Niall Horan, the 26-year-old, former One Direction singer she broke up with a year ago.
Steinfeld, 23, can now be seen in the Apple TV+ series Dickinson, which was recently renewed for a second season. | 4 |
Tata Motors on Wednesday reported a 12% decline in total vehicle sales in domestic market to 44,254 units in December.
The company had sold 50,440 units in the same month in 2018, Tata Motors said in a statement.
Total passenger vehicle sales last month stood at 12,785 units as against 14,260 units in the same month previous year, down 10%, it added.
Tata Motors president (Passenger Vehicles Business Unit) Mayank Pareek said, "Our focus in December has been to drive retail and minimise the network stock in order to facilitate a smooth transition to BS-VI."He further said, "Having almost completed our planned production and despatches of BS-IV, we will start moving to BS-VI production and despatches from January and step up our volumes in the coming months. "Tata Motors said its commercial vehicle sales in December 2019 stood at 34,082 units as against 40,015 units in the year-ago month, down 15%.
Tata Motors president (Commercial Vehicles Business Unit) Girish Wagh said retail was higher than wholesales at 13% in December with further stock reduction, as the company moves closer to BS-VI transition.
"Enquiries continued to increase gradually, with fleet owners realising the economic benefits of replacement of their older vehicles now. Increasing enquiries and lower stocks augur well for future volumes and realisation, early indication of which can be seen in December," he added.
Also read: Tata Motors' November domestic sales down 25% at 41,124 units
Also read: Tata Motors plans to offer VRS to 1,600 employees amid slowdown in auto industry | Tata Motors Ltd shares climbed as much as 5.5% in intra-day trade on Thursday, i.e. 2 January, after research firm Citi maintained its ‘buy’ rating on the stock with a target price of Rs 200.
The stock further rallied after Tata Sons moved the Supreme Court to challenge the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal’s judgment that reinstated Cyrus Mistry as executive chairman of Tata Group’s holding company.
At 3:01 pm on Thursday, Tata Motors shares were trading 4.6% higher at Rs 193 after hitting the day’s high of Rs 194.70. The stock has rallied over 20% in the last one month itself.
Global research firm Citi has a positive stance on the recovery of Tata Motors’ UK-based subsidiary JLR even as domestic sales and demand scenario remains muted.
Citi expects JLR to see strong margin improvement along with better volume cadence. For the domestic business, Citi is of the view that the commercial vehicle industry in India is unlikely to recover very fast, but Tata Motors should maintain its dominance in the segment. The passenger vehicle portfolio is improving but competition is escalating as well, it added.
On Wednesdsay, Tata Motors reported a 12% decline in total vehicle sales in the domestic market to 44,254 units in December compared with 50,440 units in the same month in 2018. Of this, total passenger vehicle sales stood at 12,785 units, down 10% from 14,260 units in December 2018.
Tata Motors president (passenger vehicles business unit) Mayank Pareek said: “Our focus in December has been to drive retail and minimise the network stock in order to facilitate a smooth transition to BS-VI.”
He added: “Having almost completed our planned production and despatches of BS-IV, we will start moving to BS-VI production and despatches from January and step up our volumes in the coming months.”
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. | 3.5 |
LAWRENCE, Mass. (AP) — A 35-year-old New Hampshire man was fatally shot in Lawrence on New Year's Eve, authorities said Wednesday.
The Essex District Attorney's Office said Wilson Javier, of Salem, New Hampshire, was killed shortly before midnight Tuesday. Lawrence Police responded to a report of shots fired at a local apartment complex.
Javier was taken to Lawrence General Hospital and pronounced dead.
The Essex District Attorney's Office, Essex State Police Detective Unit and Lawrence Police are investigating. No arrests have been made. | Tom Brady Uses Protection Stones, And Other Top 'Talkers' Of 2019That time the six-time Super Bowl champion revealed that his supermodel wife has him use protection stones...
Boston's Favorite Spots For Inexpensive Italian FoodLooking to satisfy your appetite for Italian fare without breaking the bank?
Boston's Best Day SpasIf you are looking for some pampering and relaxation, maybe a day spa in the place for you. Here are the top rated spots in Boston.
To Do List: Holiday Pops, Harlem Globetrotters & Outdoor SkatingThe kids are just about on Christmas break and you’ll be looking for ideas to get everybody out of the house and moving.
Small Bites: Where To Celebrate National Cupcake Day In BostonCupcakes are having a moment, and with good reason. Here are some of the best in Boston.
Weekend To Do List: Ski Chalet In The City, Holiday Market, Tea Party ReenactmentWant to cozy up by the fire of an après ski chalet – in the city? It's just one option on this weekend's To Do List. | 4 |
The annual Anzac Day dawn service held on the outskirts of a French village on the Western Front has been cancelled by the Australian government who will instead run a 'more convenient' 10am service.
The service, which is held at the Australian War Memorial, near Villers-Bretonneux, will revert to the format used before the 90th anniversary in 2008 to appease French participants.
The move has been slammed by descendants of soldiers who fought on the French battlefields in World War I and comes after Australian taxpayers spend $99 million to build the Sir John Monash Centre, The Australian reported.
The annual Anzac Day dawn service held at the historical Western Front has been cancelled by the Australian government
The centre, which is one of the most expensive museum's to be built in France in recent decades, honours the sacrifices of the Australian troops during the war.
Thousands of Australians have made the journey to attend the dawn service in France, while millions of others turned to their televisions to watch the live coverage.
Despite the following, the newly allocated time of 7pm AEST is unlikely to be broadcast.
The Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) made the move to cancel the dawn service time slot, as revealed by DVA customer service officer Diana Stevanovic.
'Following the completion of the Anzac centenary commemoration program 2014-2018 and consultation with local government representatives from the towns of Villers-Bretonneux, Corbie and Fouilloy, the Australian government has agreed to revert back to a 10am start time as a trial for the 2019 Anzac Day service,' she said in an email.
'As you may be aware, prior to 2008, the Anzac Day service was held at 10am and following an overwhelming positive response to the Armistice service held at 10.30am on November 11, 2018, from both attendees, invited guests and the relevant French authorities, the Australian government has decided to trial reverting back to a 10am service for Anzac Day 2019.'
Pictured: Malcolm Turnbull attends Anzac Day dawn service at Villers-Bretonneux in 2018
Danny Duke, whose great-uncle Albert Lightfoot fought at Villers-Bretonneux, said he was disappointed and dumbfounded the dawn service had been changed.
'The dawn service is an important Australian tradition and we've commemorated it since 1919,' he told The Australian.
Mr Duke has attended the dawn service in France twice and went as recently as last year.
He also questioned what would happen to the surrounding towns with the cancellation of the dawn service as the travelling Australians provide economic and tourist benefits to the area.
Similarly, retired lieutenant colonel Paul Murphy was outraged by the decision, labelling it a 'mockery'.
The bold move has been slammed by descendants of soldiers who fought on the French battlefields in World War I
Mr Murphy, whose company Military History Tours has guided thousands of Australians through the Western Front, suggested the DVA didn't understand how important the history was to a number of the population.
He then questioned why DVA wanted to 'devalue' Australia's largest overseas memorial.
Mr Murphy took his protest to the DVA but was met with a response that said Anzac Day services met the demand of the community at each location.
Alan Griffin, the former Veterans Affairs minister for the Rudd government, questioned why the government would spend almost $100 million on the Sir John Monash Centre yet be willing to save cash through removing the dawn service.
He called the situation 'mind-boggling'. | Australian rising star Priscilla Hon has received a Brisbane International wildcard following Venus Williams' withdrawal.
Hon, 21, will look to back up a promising 2019 season when she joins a star studded Brisbane field headlined by world No.1 Ashleigh Barty of Australia starting on Monday.
World No.124 Hon broke through for her first grand slam main draw victory at the 2019 French Open before falling to eventual quarter-finalist Madison Keys of the USA in the second round.
The young gun also made her Fed Cup debut last year, helping Australia make their first final since 1993.
Hon slots into the Brisbane field after former world No.1 Williams pulled out following a training setback.
World No.52 Williams - a 10-time grand slam winner - still hopes to contest the Adelaide International from January 11-18. | 1 |
Global benchmark Brent crude futures, were up 21 cents, or 0.3%, to 66.21 a barrel by 0130 GMT. (Reuters)
Oil prices rose on the first trading day of 2020 as warming trade relations between the United States and China eased demand concerns, and rising tensions in the Middle East raised worries about supply. Global benchmark Brent crude futures, were up 21 cents, or 0.3%, to 66.21 a barrel by 0130 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up 21 cents, or 0.3%, at $61.27 per barrel. Oil markets were closed on Wednesday for New Year’s Day.
Both benchmarks ended higher in 2019, posting their biggest annual gains since 2016, buoyed at the end of the year by a thaw in the prolonged trade dispute between the United States and China – the world’s two largest economies – and a deeper output cut pledged by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies. “Oil remains supported by the back-burner trade truce and the uptick in political unrest in Iraq,” said Stephen Innes, chief Asia market strategist at AxiTrader.
Geopolitical risks remain in the Middle East after U.S air strikes against the Iran-backed Katib Hezbollah militia group over the weekend. Protesters, angry at the air strikes, stormed the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Wednesday, although they withdrew after U.S. deployed extra troops. In 2020, Brent is forecast to average $63.07 a barrel, up from December’s estimate of $62.50, while WTI is forecast to average $57.70 a barrel, up from December’s estimate of $57.30, as the OPEC-led supply cuts and the expectations of a U.S.-China trade deal boosted analysts’ views on the prospects for the year, a Reuters poll showed.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the U.S.-China Phase 1 trade deal would be signed on Jan. 15 at the White House. January also marks the start of the deeper output cuts by OPEC and its partners, including Russia. OPEC and its allies have agreed to cut a further of 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) from Jan. 1, on top of their previous cut of 1.2 million bpd that started on Jan. 1 a year ago.
A fall in U.S. crude inventories last week also supported prices. U.S. crude inventories fell by 7.8 million barrels in the week ended Dec. 27, compared with analysts’ expectations for a decrease of 3.2 million barrels, according to data from the American Petroleum Institute (API) released on Tuesday.
Official data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) is due on Friday as the release has been delayed by two days by the New Year’s holiday. | FILE PHOTO: Traders look at financial information on computer screens on the IG Index trading floor in London, Britain February 6, 2018. REUTERS/Simon Dawson Reuters
By Marc Jones
LONDON (Reuters) - World stock markets began the new year with a shot of Chinese stimulus, ensuring there was no immediate hangover after the wild gains of 2019.
News that China's central bank was freeing another 800 billion yuan ($115 billion) for its economy came after U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted on Tuesday that a long-awaited trade pact with Beijing would be signed on Jan 15.
The double lift saw Europe's main markets jump 0.8% to 1.3%, outpacing Asia's overnight gains and putting them on course for their best opening session of a year since 2013.
MSCI's broadest index of world shares added 0.2% to its 24% 2019 surge, which was the fourth best of all time. Higher U.S. futures suggested solid gains on Wall Street too, with S&P 500 e-minis up 0.5%.
"Over a longer-term horizon, we believe global stocks have greater performance potential than global bonds, supported by continued growth and moderate inflation," Franklin Templeton said in its 2020 outlook, although it stressed it remained cautious for now.
An upward revision to some otherwise gloomy euro zone manufacturing PMI data pushed inflation expectations higher. Germany's 15-year bond yield briefly turned positive for the first time since July.
Bond yields tend to drive borrowing costs in the wider economy and their drop last year, as the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and dozens of other central banks around the world cut interest rates, helped limit an economic slowdown.
"Although firms grew somewhat more optimistic about the year ahead, a return to growth remains a long way off," said Chris Williamson, chief business economist at IHS Markit, which compiles the purchasing manager indices.
NEW YEAR, NEW GEAR?
In currency markets, the dollar scored its biggest rise against major peers since early November with a 0.33% gain.
That snapped a six-day losing streak and pushed the euro off five-month highs, though it was in thin trading and followed a 0.4% drop on New Year's Eve, once it became clear there would be no year-end repeat of September's U.S. money market turbulence.
Sterling dropped to $1.32 and the euro fell back under $1.12. The Aussie and Kiwi dollars took hits and the Japanese yen was little changed at 108.81 per dollar.
After the stimulus shot in Beijing, China's yuan closed at 6.9631, its strongest finish against the dollar since Aug. 2. The offshore yuan also gained after an initial downward move.
The stimulus -- a cut in banks' reserve requirements -- had been expected before January's Lunar New Year holidays and after Premier Li Keqiang's pledge last month to provide more stimulus.
"At the end of last year the dollar sold off quite sharply, so we are seeing an easing in some of the dollar selling pressure," said Lee Hardman, senior FX strategist at MUFG.
"The liquidity squeeze didn't materialise so that's contributing to stability in broader financial markets ... But the dollar story has been turning negative in recent months, partly because of action taken by the Fed to ease dollar liquidity," Hardman said, referring to the U.S. central bank's balance sheet expansion re-launched in October.
China's blue-chip CSI300 index, one of the world's best performers last year, rose 1.4%, reaching its highest since Feb. 7, 2018. Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 1.25%.
Oil prices rose as tensions in the Middle East fuelled worries about supply. The U.S. military carried out air strikes against an Iran-backed militia this past weekend. Consequently, protesters stormed the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Wednesday, then withdrew after the United States deployed extra troops.
U.S. crude was up as much as 0.3% to $61.28 and global benchmark Brent crude rose 0.2% to $66.15 per barrel, building on a rise that gave oil markets their biggest annual gain in three years in 2019.
Gold, which had benefited from a weaker dollar, was up 0.4% on the spot market despite the U.S. currency's gains. It last fetched $1,523 per ounce while China-sensitive industrial metal copper climbed towards an eight-month high.
($1 = 6.9633 Chinese yuan renminbi)
(Additional reporting by Sujata Rao in London, editing by Larry King) | 3 |
VANCOUVER -- It may be nearly time to ring in the new year, but bad weather has led to some Metro Vancouver celebrations being cancelled just hours before they were scheduled to begin.
Grouse, Cypress and Seymour mountains had huge celebrations planned to usher in 2020, complete with fireworks and live entertainment. However heavy rain and wind in the area not only prompted weather warnings from Environment Canada, but also led to the events being cancelled.
At Grouse Mountain, some indoor activities will still go ahead including live music in the chalet atrium, a ventriloquist show at Theatre in the Sky and snowshoe tours. Grouse Mountain said ticket holders would be contacted directly about the cancellation.
Mount Seymour has also cancelled its annual Family First Night, which the local mountain boasts is "the North Shore's original and longest-running family friendly New Year's Eve event." Some of the mountain's runs are open throughout the day, however.
"We are disappointed that we can't ring in the New Year with you, but safety and guest enjoyment are our highest priority, unfortunately with the forecast we do not believe we can offer that for you," said an email from Mount Seymour sent to all ticket holders.
Anyone who planned to attend the event was told they could transfer their tickets to next year's New Year's Eve event or get a tubing, tobogganing or snowshoe trail and rental voucher for use this season.
Cypress Mountain also had New Year's Eve fireworks planned, but posted on Twitter shortly before 1 p.m. that the event had been cancelled because of the weather.
Environment Canada has issued 21 weather warnings for B.C., with a rainfall warning in effect for Metro Vancouver. Total amounts up to 60 millimetres can be expected, Environment Canada warns, adding that localized flooding in low-lying areas is possible.
The annual fireworks show in Coal Harbour is also on hiatus this year, but not just because of the weather. In October, Vancouver New Year's Eve Celebration Society announced that the annual celebration was are being moved from Coal Harbour to Concord Pacific Place and east False Creek. To accommodate the change, the community event including a fireworks display is taking a one-year break.
Those looking for last minute plans in Metro Vancouver can take in a variety show at the Vancouver Playhouse or stay dry inside at Christmas Glow's New Year's Eve celebration. | Please enable Javascript to watch this video
SEATTLE -- While the weather was not the nicest for New Year's Eve, hundreds of people still gathered at Seattle Center in hopes of celebrating 2020 with the annual fireworks display.
Music, food and ice skating were all available to people Tuesday. However, the big focus was on the New Year countdown.
Organizers were keeping a close eye on wind speeds that threatened the big Space Needle fireworks show.
"They've gone off every year, and I have confidence they will again this year at midnight," said Deborah Daoust with Seattle Center. | 2.666667 |
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The Genoa fishing team is inviting all high school anglers to join the Ark-La-Tex Bassmasters and Junior Fishing Trail. In addition to the general benefits of fishing, youths have a chance to win thousands in scholarships.
The Ark-La-Tex Bassmasters and Junior Fishing Trail started because Jason Townsend saw a need. Father and organized-fishing enthusiast, Jason wanted to share his passion for sport with his son but found that difficult to do around here.
“I started this because we don’t have any organized fishing in this area. We would have to travel three hours,” Jason said. About ten years ago, some of the parents in Genoa got together to organize a local high school fishing league. After helping out for the past couple of years, Jason was approached to run the team.
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Genoa High School now has 15 teams comprising of two youth anglers and a coach. They compete in school-sponsored small tournaments or “Fishing Trails” that are open to all area schools. The Ark-La-Tex Bassmasters and Junior Fishing Trail’s upcoming events are at Millwood Lake, February 23rd; Wright Patman Lake, March 14th; Caddo Lake, April 5th; Final TBO, April 25th, and 26th.
Working directly with Lucy Johnson, director of Bass Masters of Arkansas, Jason discovered a way to provide genuine incentives from the sport of fishing.
“Bass Masters is on a national level with a chance to get a college scholarship. If we have enough people in this trial, and we’re talking about fifty teams who fish just four tournaments, we get a spot in the national tournament at Bass Masters. That is fishing against the best in the country at a high school level,” Jason said.
“This is a trail for everyone to come together, compete and an angler from this area will go to represent Texarkana against the best in the country, Jason adding, “Bethel University from Tennessee gave away $450,000 in college scholarships, last year, to the winner of the tournament. That is divided between 24 teams and the kids that won it this year, won it back-to-back, so they got that twice.”
“You can actually set your whole life up from bass fishing,” Jason imparted. Here are eight colleges offering Fishing Scholarships.
To be apart of Bass Masters, each fisher pays $20 in dues that covers registration, fishing insurance (all boats have to follow state laws), and a subscription to the bass Masters Magazine.
Mr. Townsend said that corporate sponsorship is what is needed to take Ark-La-Tex Bassmasters and Junior Fishing Trail to the next level. Jason thanked Gregg Orr Marine, Red River Lumber, and Cooper Service for their support by providing the initial funds for tools necessary to facilitate a tournament. Also, Mike Dillinger of 4D Fishing gave every junior angler that signed up for bass masters a free jig.
“We could always use some extra coaches and boats. We have a great bunch of dads, uncles, and grandpas that pitch in, Jason said.
Conservation is important and all fish are released back into the wild. Junior anglers are taught to respect their adversaries and hone their skills.
“This is the only sport I know that is actually ‘whit’ against ‘whit’; there’s not any amount of athletic ability. You have to be smart, you have to practice, you have to think, adjust on the fly, and anyone who thinks they cant fish needs to look up Clay Dyer. He is a pro fisherman with no arms and legs.
Mr. Townsend parted with this, “I’ve Always loved bass fishing, always have, and to be able to back to my own school that I grew up in and graduated from, and do this with my own son – you really can’t get better than that.”
Anyone interested in participating or sponsoring contact: Jason Townsend Email or Genoa Central Dragon High School Fishing Team on Facebook. | Someone in WA will be absolutely loving 2020 after taking out division one on the first day of the year, and the agent who sold the winning ticket is buzzing too after a tough 2019.
The winning ticket was sold in Carramar, in Perth’s north, ahead of Wednesday night’s draw, matching numbers 23, 24, 37, 25, 20 and 43.
The ticket was worth a cool $1 million.
NewsXpress Carramar owner Ray Pigdon said it was the best change of fortune coming off the back of a tough 2019.
“2020 has been a perfect start,” he said.
“Given we had a ram raid at our store last year, it’s nice to start this year with the first division one prize of 2020.
“I’m hoping the ticket has been sold to one of our regulars who have stuck with us.”
Play Video A WA Police spokesperson said the incident was still being investigated and anyone who witnessed the crash can call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. The West Australian Video A WA Police spokesperson said the incident was still being investigated and anyone who witnessed the crash can call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Mr Pigdon’s store was among those damaged when a ute was rammed through the front doors of Carramar Village shortly after 4am on June 6.
The ute had allegedly been stolen and two people fled the scene.
“They have ram raided the centre front-on, then done a three-point turn and reversed into the shop taking out everything in their path,” Mr Pigdon’s wife Julie told Community News at the time
“They’ve smashed through our roller shutters and all our stock at the front as well as glass shelving and cabinets.”
She said thieves had taken a safe containing cash, scratchies and stamps. | 1 |
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Lots of shops are offering half price deals in the January sales - and some boosting their discounts of up to 70 per cent off!
Many retailers began their sales before Christmas but some waited until Boxing Day to offer the best discounts.
When we checked on January 1, there were some great deals to be had at Bullring, Grand Central, The Fort, Touchwood, Merry Hill and more.
Here are some of the January sales highlights.
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Selfridges
The biggest reductions can be found at Selfridges where clearance products have already been boosted, offering shoppers up to 70 per cent off sale products.
Deals include a Balenciaga pink maxi dress for £790 (was £2,350), a Ganni satin top for £75 (was £200) and a Reformation jumpsuit for £40 (was £100). Other sale brands include All Saints, Ted Baker and Acne Studies.
Shop the Selfridges sale here
(Image: Graham Young / BirminghamLive)
Next
Brummies queued from 3am to be first in line for the Boxing Day sales at Next.
There's now at least 50 per cent off sale stock at the Bullring store, and other Next stores across Brum.
You can get dresses from £12 (were £35), PJs from £9 (were £25) and trousers for £9 (were £26). There's also big reductions across homeware and childrenswear too.
Shop the Next sale here
House of Fraser
The House of Fraser January sale features half price women's coats and dresses, men's polo shirts and handbags.
Brands on offer at the Corporation Street store include Paul and Shark, Berhaus and DKNY. There's also up to 30 per cent off beauty products.
And, if you order with Click & Collect by midnight on January 1, you can get a £20 voucher to spend in store.
Shop the sale House of Fraser sale here
(Image: Birmingham Mail)
Debenhams
You can get 50 per cent off womenswear, menswear and childrenswear at Debenhams in Bullring, plus there's half price beauty products on offer too.
Clarins has a deal where you can get a gift worth £40 when you buy two Clarins products (one must be skincare) and there are deals to be had on shoes and homeware too.
Shop the Debenhams sale here
John Lewis
John Lewis has already boosted its sale, now offering up to 50 per cent off items across many departments of the Grand Central store.
Look out for good deals on baby and childrenswear, including nursery items, electricals and sports and leisure.
Shop the John Lewis sale here
Harvey Nichols
There are huge reductions at Harvey Nichols where there's already up to 60 per cent off January sale stock.
This is across womens and menswear, beauty and even food and wine. It means you can get hundreds of pounds off designer dresses, tops and shoes from brands like Dolce and Gabbana, Givenchy, Versace, Chloe, Fendi and more.
Shop the Harvey Nichols sale here
LEGO Store
The sale is on at the new LEGO Store at Bullring, where you'll find up to 40 per cent off boxsets such as Andrea's Talent Show, Shimmer and Shine Sparkle Spa and Unikitty's Cloud Car.
Shop the LEGO Store sale here
H&M
There are further reductions at H&M where Boxing Day sale stock has been reduced to up to 70 per cent off.
You can pick up padded jackets from £12 and jumpers from £6. Check out the newly refurbished H&M at Bullring, together with a new H&M HOME store, which has January sale bargains too.
Shop the H&M sale here
(Image: Philip Panting Photography)
Boots
Selected items are half price at Boots, including electricals and Christmas giftsets and 'better than half price' deals on No.7 products.
You can also get up to a third off fragrance and premium beauty brands plus discounts on Fitbits too. Shop the Boots sale here
M&S
The M&S sale has been boosted to up to 50 per cent off across all departments of the High Street store.
Look out for tops for a fiver, jeans from £9.50 and shoes and dresses from £12. It’s likely this might boost to up to 70 per cent off selected items later in January.
Shop the M&S sale here
There are lots of new shops to try in the January sales too - check out our guide to new shops which also includes a couple of new pitstops for you to try for coffee, food and cocktails whilst you shop.
New additions in Birmingham include the LEGO Store and Levi's at Bullring, Newlife charity shop at Yew Tree Lane Retail Park in Yardley, 1869 charity shop at Resorts World and the UK's biggest Superdrug at The Fort.
Check out the new hmv Vault, if you've not already been, and the new H&M HOME store at Burlling too. At intu Merry Hill, there's All Things Good clothes store and Laser Crystalisation. | The high street is reopen as England begins to ease out of lockdown, which means TK Maxx and other stores are waiting to sell us all those lovely bargains
Secrets and tricks from TK Maxx insiders to help you find the best bargains
After months of lockdown, the shops are finally back open, and if you're looking for a bargain there's not doub that TK Maxx is the place to be.
The high street chain offers a massive selection of designer clothing, homeware, toys and beauty products for hugely discounted prices.
It's one of the UK's most popular retailers, which isn't surprising as it claims to offer products for just 60% of the normal retail price.
But sometimes the busy stores and overcrowded rails can put people off - but don't worry, TK Maxx insiders have shared some great tips and tricks to make sure you get the best deals, reports the Daily Post.
Image: Handout) Handout)
1. Go to the out of town stores
They are less visited than city centre branches meaning there could very well be a better selection of designer pieces. And stores with parking are more likely to have a better stock of furniture and larger items as customers will be able to park outside.
2. Time your visit
They get new stock every day, but according to one TK Maxx employee mornings are the optimum time to bag the best bargain with Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings when shoppers should head to the store.
3. Get there when it opens
The earlier you go, the more chance it will be untouched by aggressive bargain hunters. The later you leave it, the more crazy and jumbled up it gets. Novices should avoid 3pm on a Saturday unless you want to be permanently traumatised by the experience.
Image: Handout) Handout)
4. Leave the kids at home
Actually, this should probably be the cardinal rule of shopping at TK Maxx. It’s a universal fact that all kids hate TK Maxx and they won’t hesitate in letting you know. And the low level clothes rails are perfect for little hands to grab products before retreating back into the pushchair without you suspecting a thing.
5. There’s no store rooms
What’s available is out on the shop floor. Everything delivered goes straight out, so what you see is what they have.
6. Get a rolling basket
Always. That way you can fling in what you find without having to return to the rails and find the item you spotted while you were putting back another has been snaffled by that woman heading to the checkout.
Also means you can put your handbag in the bottom instead of lugging it around.
Image: hinckley times) hinckley times)
7. Bring a snack (yes, really)
It can get warm in there. Really warm. There’s a thing known as “TK Maxx Crash and Burn.” Avoid this by packing a bottle of water and snack to keep your energy up while rifling the rails.
8. Look for investment pieces
Shopping for classic wardrobe staples is a good tactic. Trend-led items will quickly go out of style, so spend wisely and opt for the classic LBD rather than the premium label neon ra-ra skirt.
9. Clearance items can go as low as 20p
The red clearance sale stickers eventually turn to a yellow sticker. Anything that has a yellow label will be marked down significantly until it is 20p - the lowest mark down point. However few items actually get to being reduced so low as they are usually snapped up before then.
Image: iStockphoto) iStockphoto)
10. Shopping for designer names? Look for the Gold Label
The Gold Label range offers brands such as Versace, Stella McCartney, Moschino, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors - you name it. And it’s not all last seasons stock either.
11. Less common sizes are more common at TK Maxx
Have exceptionally large or small feet? Wear a smaller or bigger than average dress size? You might have more luck than most, as often the less sought after sizes are in abundance at TK Maxx. It’s not always the case - but definitely worth a visit if you fall outside of the general average.
12. An average TK Maxx store has over 50,000 items
If you’ve ever been in one, this figure is totally believable. And in addition to this, around 10,000 new items are delivered to every store every week. Which means you can never be completely sure what you will (quite literally) stumble across on your visit.
Image: Evening Gazette) Evening Gazette)
13. Be prepared to hunt
The store does segment items by size and type, items are in no particular order and you need to be prepared to search through so much stock. Along with everyone else in there. It can be pretty stressful. You need to be in the right frame of mind and ready to trawl.
14. Always try before you buy
The wide variety of suppliers means a wider variation in sizes. A size 12 in one brand might fit like a glove, but in another a bigger size can fit better.
15. Wear clothes that are easy remove
You might end up with several trips to the fitting rooms. Leave the hook and eye shirt at home and opt for something you can whip on and off.
Image: Getty) Getty)
16. Keep an eye out for own-brand products
An investigation in 2013 found many items in TK Maxx were actually own-brand products – using a names such as Arabella and Addison, Kenar, Amaryllis Amphora and Frederik Anderson of Copenhagen. This doesn’t mean it isn’t a bargain, but you might not be buying the designer product you think you are.
17. The homeware department is magnificent
Most people go for the clothes, but do stop by the homeware department while you're there.
If you pick something up from the homeware bit, you can be pretty much guaranteed you wont see it in anyone else's home. The range is so incredibly quirky, you’ll struggle to find such a unique selection of items anywhere else.
18. The beauty department is completely underrated
Make sure you browse the beauty section too. You can get some high end skin products and make up for a fraction of the price. We’ve even spotted Urban Decay palettes, Bare Minerals foundation, plus Estee Lauder and Clarins skincare products. They aren't easy to spot but have a good rummage.
Image: Getty) Getty)
19. The RRP might not be quite as high as the label claims
Sometimes the original retail price may be slightly over exaggerated, as revealed by an investigation by Dispatches. Doesn’t mean it’s not a bargain, it just might not be as big a bargain as you think. However it’s worth noting the store does dispute this saying RRPs are provided by suppliers, who must provide evidence of the RRP.
20. They have a decent range of health foods
At prices much cheaper than other high street health food stores, Tk Maxx stocks all sorts of health food products, including a large Diet Food range, products from Extreme Health USA. Some even sell protein powder too.
21. Love it? Grab it before anyone else does
If you find a piece you like but think you’ll pick it up on another visit, think again. Chances are someone else will pick it up before you return. Because most stock is extremely limited, you need to be quick or you’ll miss out.
Image: hinckley times) hinckley times)
22. Once it’s gone it’s gone
As they buy buy throughout the year rather than on a seasonal schedule, the rapidly changing assortments create the famed treasure hunt shopping experience. They don’t hold replenishment products in the stock room, and no-one knows whether any more of a certain item will be on the next delivery.
23. Even the managers don’t know what’s coming
Chances are, if you ask a staff member or even a store manager what is expected in the next delivery, they won’t know. It’s all one big chaotic mystery.
24. You can buy wedding dresses there too
TK Maxx also stocks reduced price bridal gowns. There's also a good range of bridemaid's dresses and prom gowns too.
25. It’s not all seconds and left-over stock
Common misconception - it only buys overstock and irregular items. Or last seasons undesirables. But turns out they actually buy direct from vendors.
26. There’s a secret rewards programme
If you shop at Tk Maxx regularly, be sure to pick up a Treasure card.
Every time you make a purchase and swipe the card, you earn a chance to claim a reward. To join, pick up a Treasure card in store and register it online. By having a Treasure card, you will also be the first to hear about in-store VIP experiences and flash events.
27. Staff get a 10% discount
Know someone who works there? Now is the time to remind them of the occasion you helped them move/gave them a lift/fed their goldfish.
Image: Daily Post Wales) Daily Post Wales)
28. Make note of the returns policy
The general returns policy is a pretty decent 28 days - just make sure you keep the labels on and bring your receipt. You can even return items bought online in store for free.
However, Items classified as “pre-loved” - ie not sold in ‘new’ condition - may already have signs of wear and use (for example small marks, scratches) or even stains upon purchase.
You can return these no problem, but you need to return them with the original packaging (e.g. boxes) and the tags must still be attached. The original authenticity stickers and authenticity cards must also be returned and if any of the stickers or tags are tampered with, you won’t be able to return them.
It’s worth noting that if you purchase a pre-loved watch you agree to waive your right under the returns policy to return it by post.
29. It’s called TK Maxx for a reason
In the US, the brand is called TJ Maxx, however to avoid confusion with discount department store TJ Hughes, the name was modified for European customers.
Image: Handout) Handout)
30. You can donate your old clothes
There are now permanent donation points in every TK Maxx store so ig deep into your wardrobe and find those gems you no longer need. Then fill a bag with your pre-loved quality clothes, accessories and homeware and bring it to your local TK Maxx store.
All quality items received will be sold in Cancer Research UK shops nationwide. All the money raised goes to Cancer Research UK Kids & Teens which raises money to help beat cancers affecting children and young people sooner.
31. They host flash shopping events online
It’s not just in-store shoppers who can take advantage of the events. You can browse in your pyjamas at one of their online flash sales. You can register for them here: www.tkmaxx.com/uk/en/flashevents
Image: iStockphoto) iStockphoto)
32. You can get your bargains delivered
If the thought of fighting the masses in store is enough to keep you indoors, you can shop online too.
Standard delivery is £3.99 (or free if you spend £75 or more online), or £5.99 for next day. Youc can also use click and collect too.
33. Sign up to email alerts
Sign up to their emails and they’ll send you updates about fresh new product roll outs and stuff at stores near you. They won’t be able to mention the specific designer names, but you can pretty much safely assume a new shipment of merchandise just came in, and it’s worth checking out your local store.
34. Not all are created equal
Some TK Maxx’s are hailed as the ultimate bargain store. Others...not so much. Definitely look online and read some reviews to scout out the highly rated branches near you.
35. Voucher codes
A fairly well known tactic for saving money online is using voucher codes. There are plenty of places to try, but first head over to our dedicated page on TK Maxx discount codes. | 2.333333 |
THE wanton bloodletting touched almost every section of the society last year, destroying several families. Jamaicans say they have had enough in 2019 and have one major wish for the new year — that crime be brought under control.
According to statistics from the Jamaica Constabulary Force, up to Saturday, December 28, some 1,326 murders had been committed in 2019, 43 more than the corresponding period in 2018, which represented a 3.4 per cent increase.
Also, there were 1,246, or 90 more shootings up to December 28, reflecting a 7.8 per cent increase. The 484 rapes and 361 aggravated assaults, however, showed declines of 3.8 and 4.7 per cent, respectively.
Overall, the country saw a total of 3,417 serious and violent crimes, which was 96 more than 2018, or an increase of 2.9 per cent.
“What Jamaica needs to make it a better place for 2020 cannot come from mankind. It has to come from a different source — divine intervention — because we have a virus on our hand that we cannot catch, we cannot control it,” Cregley “Colour Colour Boss” Hamilton told the Jamaica Observer as he tried to capitalise on a sale on Beckford Street in downtown Kingston on Monday.
Hamilton continued: “When you have crime like a virus the nation cannot move forward. Everything almost came to a halt because of that. We need to get rid of it completely. We need a source, we need a new source towards the prospect of fighting crime. We need to get rid of it completely, not just talk about it on the big stage and cut tape and say we going to do this. We need to work, work on it, because talking about it is one, working on it is two, getting rid of it is three,“ said the businessman.
He added: “Maintaining a system where we don't have crime like this is a next thing. If we want to see the nation come together and live in peace you can't get up and talk about it on all radio station; you have to put in the work. You have to pump resources in the system to get rid of it. I think we have enough living with this virus so we need to get rid of it somewhere down the line.”
Fifty-three-year-old Malche Ricketts had a similar wish. “I would like to see more prosperity, and crime and violence fi go weh, although we cyaah send it weh. I would [also] like to see more young people getting job.”
“My wish for Jamaica, is for the crime to stop,” 18-year-old Howanna Anglin told the Observer.
Lawrence “David” Hamilton, 42: “I wish betterment and upliftment for 2020, and the crime need to cut weh. That mean seh di younger ones coming up [would have] more future. More life for 2020; dat we seh and a dat we want. Betterment for the people in Jamaica that would make it better.”
Melkeisha Whyte 41,: “For Jamaica to make things better I would like the crime and violence to stop. That is the most importanat thing and I would like them to develop Jamaica more for 2020 so that young people can go to school and get work.”
Kenneth Cornwall: “Me would a just like to see peace and love in a Jamaica right now. Mi would a like everybody to live in love and harmony. It would be nice to see everybody just figot bout the war and violence and dem ting deh cause Jamaica really nice enuh. I travel most of the country them and they are not like Jamaica. I born a one of the dangerous place weh dem seh in a western Kingston and all a my children come out good and other people children come out good. I would a like see everybody child come out good, really good for 2020. A serious time we living in a and 2020 must better.”
Fabian White: “Peace and more peace! That's all, peace and more peace.”
Amoy Smith, 17, : “For 2020, I would love for the crime and violence to decrease in Jamaica, and I would love if teenage pregnancy will cut out as well.
Dorcia Gray: “I wish for us adults to care more for the children when we are on the road.”
When the Observer visited a number of communities in St Andrew South Police Division, where the state of emergency was initially declared in July, some of the residents only had one wish as well for 2020.
“For 2020 I would want less violence in the community,” Latoya Huxtable told the Observer as she sat outside her gate in Whitfield Town, Monday morning.
While some of the residents who were afraid to speak with the media debated among themselves, Huxtable said: “We nuh know how we ago do that still but a that we would want still and more jobs. If is even little free school in the community where di youths can go and get a trade or something. Less idlers, you must find a little violence cut down somewhere.”
Lisa Taylor: “My wish for Jamaica for 2020 is less violence and crime and more prayer. When you have more prayer the country will be a better country. The country cyaah better unless everybody come together and love their one another, that's how it is going to be better.” | Just minutes into New Year’s Day, a teenage boy was shot and wounded in the leg on the North Side of St. Louis. A few minutes later, four people where shot in a different neighborhood, three fatally. By morning, the police were investigating 10 shootings, including five deaths, across the city.
And the year wasn’t even a day old. Nor was the violence limited to St. Louis, which in 2017 had the nation’s highest murder rate.
In a country that has become accustomed to gun violence in all its forms, 2020 was off to a typical start. Gunfire echoed across the country in shootings from St. Louis to Philadelphia, and from Michigan to Texas.
In Cleveland, a man who news reports said was firing off rounds to celebrate the new year accidentally killed his girlfriend. In Florida, near Orlando, two men were killed in a shooting inside a nightclub. And in Baltimore, which closed 2019 with the city’s second-highest number of homicides on record, the police were investigating two killings that happened a few hours before midnight. | 1 |
Move is hailed by Sir David Attenborough as ‘the most prestigious environment prize in history’
Prince William has announced what was described as “the most prestigious environment prize in history” to encourage new solutions to tackling the climate crisis.
The “Earthshot prize” will be awarded to five people every year over the next decade, the Prince said on Tuesday, and aims to provide at least 50 answers to some of the greatest problems facing the planet by 2030.
They include promoting new ways of addressing issues such as energy, nature and biodiversity, the oceans, air pollution and fresh water.
The prize, inspired by US president John F Kennedy’s ambitious “Moonshot” lunar programme and backed by Sir David Attenborough, promises “a significant financial award”, a statement said.
The Duke of Cambridge, a grandson of the Queen and second in line to the throne, said the Earth was “at a tipping point” and faced a “stark choice”.
David Attenborough and Prince William take world leaders to task on environment Read more
“Either we continue as we are and irreparably damage our planet or we remember our unique power as human beings and our continual ability to lead, innovate and problem-solve,” he said. “Remember the awe-inspiring civilisations that we have built, the life-saving technology we have created, the fact that we have put a man on the moon. People can achieve great things.
“The next 10 years present us with one of our greatest tests – a decade of action to repair the Earth,” he said.
Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) "The earth is at a tipping point and we face a stark choice: either we continue as we are and irreparably damage our planet or we remember our unique power as human beings and our continual ability to lead, innovate and problem-solve." — The Duke of Cambridge @EarthshotPrize pic.twitter.com/SfGaKY9qsG
The award, which will be launched later in the year and bestowed from 2021, is open to individuals as well as communities and businesses.
It has the support of conservation campaigners, groups and scientists, including the veteran British natural history broadcaster Attenborough.
“The spirit of the Moonshot can guide us today as we confront the serious challenges we face on Earth,” Attenborough said in a film to mark the launch. “This year Prince William and a global alliance launch the most prestigious environment prize in history ... designed to motivate and inspire a new generation of thinkers, leaders and dreamers to think differently.”
Both Prince Charles and Prince Philip have campaigned for environmental causes and against the illegal trade in wildlife around the world.
William is hoping to build on their work through the prize, which will initially be run by his and his wife’s own charitable foundation. | (Newser) – On the last day of 2019, Prince William announced on the Kensington Palace Instagram feed "the most prestigious environment prize in history." The multimillion-dollar Earthshot Prize, which will be formally launched in 2020 per the BBC, will hold awards ceremonies in cities around the world every year from 2021 to 2030, ABC News reports. "Who is ready to lead as we make the 2020s a decade of action to repair our planet?" reads one of the palace's two Instagram posts on the challenge. "Just as the moonshot that John F. Kennedy proposed in the 1960s catalysed new technology such as the MRI scanner and satellite dishes, we want our Earthshot challenges to create a new wave of ambition and innovation around finding ways to help save the planet," says the official website.
The palace says William and a global alliance of philanthropists and organizations will work together to "inspire the the planet’s greatest problem solvers to solve Earth’s greatest problems: the emergencies facing our natural world." The BBC says specific challenges will be launched, aiming to find at least 50 solutions to problems facing the planet. The palace says prizes "could be awarded to a wide range of individuals, teams or collaborations—scientists, activists, economists, leaders, governments, banks, businesses, cities, and countries—anyone who is making a substantial development or outstanding contribution to solving these environmental challenges." Winners will get a financial award as well as public recognition for their projects that will, hopefully, inspire businesses and governments to join in the work. (Read more Prince William stories.) | 4 |
First baby of the year in Stamford makes her arrival on mom’s birthday
The first Stamford baby born in 2020 rests at Stamford Hospital on Wednesday. The girl, who is not yet named, was born at 1:49 a.m. weighing 7 pounds, 15 ounces. The baby was born to Stamford mother Bercy Duperval, who shares a New Years Day birthday with her newborn. less The first Stamford baby born in 2020 rests at Stamford Hospital on Wednesday. The girl, who is not yet named, was born at 1:49 a.m. weighing 7 pounds, 15 ounces. The baby was born to Stamford mother Bercy ... more Photo: Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media Photo: Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close First baby of the year in Stamford makes her arrival on mom’s birthday 1 / 5 Back to Gallery
STAMFORD — Bercy Duperval got the perfect birthday present on Jan. 1: A baby daughter.
Duperval was born on Jan. 1, and now she will share that same birthdate with her daughter, who came into this world at at 1:49 a.m. Wednesday at Stamford Hospital, the first baby of the new year born there.
The baby girl also shares her mother’s eyes, said Duperval, who has three boys as well. The new baby’s name has not yet been decided upon, pending discussions with her husband, Jude.
The proud mom was due to give birth on Dec. 31, so the little bundle of joy in the Duperval household in Stamford was just about right on time. Duperval started having contractions around midnight, so it was time to get to the hospital.
“It happened quickly, but giving birth is never easy,” the mother said.
As she snuggled with her newborn, Duperval said she was feeling a range of emotions: “I’m tired and excited, at the same time.”
She doesn’t eat cake, so there were no candles to blow out. But she said had a great birthday present for herself. “I have my little one right beside me, it’s great,” Duperval said.
The little newborn came in at healthy weight, just under 8 pounds. She was sleeping comfortably at the hospital Wednesday afternoon and had a healthy glow. Her three brothers were all excited and happy about the new addition.
The first baby born in 2020 in the state may well have come into the world at 12:04 a.m. Wednesday at Griffin Hospital in Derby. Arabella was born to Dave and Taylor Venice of Woodbridge, weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces and measuring 20.5 inches long.
The first baby born of the new year at Greenwich Hospital arrived at 12:50 a.m. Wednesday, but the family declined an interview request.
The first baby of the year born at Yale New Haven Hospital arrived soon thereafter, at 12:56 a.m. He was named Iziah by his parents, Heather R. and Tianna R. of New Haven, according to hospital spokesman Mark D’Antonio.
“Iziah weighed in at 7 pounds, 5 ounces and is the couple’s first child. According to the family, Iziah is the first same sex, biracial baby of 2020,” D’Antonio said in a release. “The family is doing well.”
In Norwalk, the first baby of the year arrived at 11:30 a.m., according to Amy Forni, public relations manager for Nuvance Health.
Ben Lambert contributed to this story. | 'It was the wrong decision.' Officers didn't enter Uvalde classroom as kids kept calling 911
Update: 19 police officers were massed outside the Uvalde classroom but stopped from trying to break through the locked door. | 2.666667 |
Business Briefs
The Business Briefs are short news items about things going on in the Inner Southeast business community
Kimberly Steele of "Changing Places LLC" speaks to AHB in January: At the January 16 meeting of the Association of Home Businesses, Presenter Kimberly Steele of Changing Places, LLC, will talk about the importance of personal space and discuss approaches to the home office, and organizing your home office – how to set up a productive home office, and the best practices for using the space successfully. In addition to the talk, Sheldon Penner of Chris Cakes Northwest will flip pancakes spectacularly and host a complete "breakfast for dinner" buffet for all attending, 6-9 p.m. at SMILE Station, 13th and Tenino in Sellwood. Open to all; meeting fee of $10 includes the buffet. Please RSVP to assist food preparation. RSVP at www.AHBoregon.org – or call Eric at 503/232-2326.
Dog grooming business celebrates 16th: Springtyme Osmer of "Sellwood Grooming" tells THE BEE she is celebrating its 16th anniversary, and has brought back "by customer request" $10 "U-washes". Also, in January to celebrate, the business "will be giving away $5.00 nail trims". Sellwood Grooming is open seven days a week, 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. For appointments, call 503/234-7989. The address is 7302 S.E. Milwaukie Avenue in Westmoreland.
Portland Memorial ends record-breaking ad: Wilhelm's Portland Memorial, now owned by the Foundation Partners of Florida, as part of its re-evaluation of the business, has elected to end its monthly obituary list of names in THE BEE – an ad which prior ownerships have told us has run in every issue of THE BEE ever published, starting with the newspaper's founding in September of 1906. We have no way independently of confirming that; but if it is true, then probably that ad, at 113 years, is the longest continuously running advertisement in any American newspaper, ever. And we're sorry to see it go, as will be the readers who have referred to it to learn who in Southeast Portland has passed. However, the funeral home says it intends to continue advertising its periodic special events for which the public is welcome, such as its annual Memorial Day observance. | The University of Minnesota Beef Team will host the annual Cow/Calf Days Seminar Tour and Trade Show at 10 locations across the state in January.
The local event takes place at 9:30 a.m., Jan. 21, at Staples Central Lakes College. This event has been held for 47 years and continues to be the leading information, technology, and research outlet for cow/calf producers in the state of Minnesota, according to a U of M news release.
The 2020 event will feature information on opportunities to evaluate carcass characteristics in your herd, calf scours prevention, finding profit in the cow calf sector, and management of calves before and after weaning. Updates from the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association and the Minnesota Beef Council will also highlight the event. The corresponding tradeshow will feature vendors with new information, technology, and products with a wide-array of practical uses for the operators in the cow-calf sector.
The program is directed at cow/calf producers, allied industry representatives, and is open to the public. A meal will be served with the program and a registration fee of $10 will include the meal, proceedings book, and program materials.
More information can be found at the Cow/Calf Days Seminar Tour and Trade Show website: www.extension.umn.edu/beef or contact Eric Mousel at 218.513.0781, emmousel@umn.edu. | 1 |
According to the Reuters report, Ripple, the company behind the third-largest cryptocurrency XRP, is planning to collaborate with banks in Brazil to utilize XRP for cross-border settlements. Ripple launched operations in Brazil to expand the use of XRP not only in Brazil but the whole South American region.
Ripple to collaborate with digital banks.
According to the report, Ripple is expected to announce partnerships in the coming months with more institutions, including digital banks. Ripple, recently raised $200 million in a series c funding around. The company has successfully partnered with several banks and financial institutions to make cross-border payments easier, utilizing XRP. MoneyGram is one of the financial giants that the company has partnered with.
A 10% rise in cross-border transactions in Brazil
The cross-border settlements between Brazil and other countries from January to November totaled the US $ 4.6 billion, an increase of 10% over the same period last year. Currently, all of these transactions are processed via SWIFT, which is quite expensive and very slow. Ripple aims to take over SWIFT to provide frictionless international payments. Ripple’s CEO in Brazil, Luiz Antonio Sacco, said, “With successive advances in Brazilian banking regulation to facilitate financial transactions, including international, opportunities here will grow greatly in the coming years.” | Daniel Webber Founder & CEO Daniel is Founder and CEO of FXcompared and has 18 years of experience in the international finance world focusing on cross-border payments, technology and the property sectors. Daniel is widely… Read more
Firm to build up its presence in the region, with moves to work alongside regulatory bodies and other firms in an effort to find potential partners to use XRP
Expansion to Brazil comes on the back of acknowledgement that the country has good regulations – and moves to Argentina are expected to follow in future
“Brazil is a leader in fintech innovation and positioned to forge a path for the rest of Latin America to follow”, says Ripple spokesperson
Fast-growing blockchain-powered payment platform Ripple has announced it will expand into a key South American market – and follow up the move in future with other South American economies too.
The liquidity-boosting cross border payments platform, which has already signed agreements to work alongside a wide range of institutions with global presences including MoneyGram, will scale up its presence in the country.
In South America in particular, it has a number of partnership agreements in place – and it works alongside names such as Rendimento and Santander.
However, these institutions do not use one of Ripple’s key products – XRP, which is also known as a “digital asset”.
XRP is able to provide organisations involved in the payment pathway with liquidity when they need it, or “on-demand” as it is known.
This is especially useful for organisations which are unable to access a sufficient amount of conventional, “fiat” liquidity.
Instead, these current partner organisations simply use the messaging system associated with Ripple.
Now, a Ripple statement has revealed that the organisation is in touch with companies – as well as regulators in the country – about potential partnerships and other steps forward.
It is believed that Brazil was an appealing spot for potential expansion for Ripple given that it has a reputation for having banking regulations which prioritise clarity.
It is also understood that 30% of remittances and other transactions placed via Ripple’s platforms come from Brazil.
However, the plans for expansion also cover other parts of the South American continent – with expansion to Argentina, Peru and other nations believed to be in the pipeline.
In a statement, Ripple’s managing director – Luiz Antonio Sacco – emphasised Brazil’s status as being “a leader in fintech innovation”.
“We are excited to grow our ecosystem in the region and bring additional financial institutions onto RippleNet to help provide excellent, efficient cross-border payment experiences for their customers”, he said.
“Brazil is a leader in fintech innovation and positioned to forge a path for the rest of Latin America to follow”, he added.
Ripple has quickly become a big name on the international money transfer scene.
It currently operates in 45 markets around the world, and its products are known for improving the speed of cross border transactions.
They are also known for reducing the costs involved.
If you need to find out more about what Ripple and organisations similar to it are doing in the international money transfer world, we can help.
Just head over to our magazine pages to discover more. | 4 |
(MENAFN - GlobeNewsWire - Nasdaq) RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company (First Citizens Bank) announced that its acquisition of Entegra Financial Corp. (Entegra) was effective yesterday (Dec. 31).
Frank B. Holding Jr., chairman and CEO of First Citizens Bank, said: 'We are pleased to welcome the customers and associates of Entegra Bank as we build on our foundation in Western North Carolina, Upstate South Carolina and North Georgia. The merger will allow us to better serve customers across these markets with a wide range of financial products and services, while maintaining the exceptional service they expect.'
The 18 Entegra branch offices will initially operate as Entegra Bank, a division of First Citizens Bank. Entegra customers should continue to bank as they normally do at their existing branches. At a later date, Entegra Bank accounts based at 15 branches will be converted to First Citizens Bank's systems.
In addition, within six months, as required by the Department of Justice, three Western North Carolina Entegra branches — Holly Springs (30 Hyatt Road, Franklin, N.C.), Highlands (473 Carolina Way, Highlands, N.C.) and Sylva (498 East Main, Sylva, N.C.) — are being sold to Select Bank & Trust Company (Select Bank) of Dunn, N.C. These three branches are being divested as required under agreements with the Department of Justice and the Federal Reserve following their competitive market analysis. Customers of these three branches will receive information from Select Bank at a later date about the transition of their accounts.
At this time, all Entegra Bank customers should continue to bank as usual. They should use their current checks and cards. They will continue to have the same online and mobile access to their accounts. Customers with questions about their accounts can contact a representative at any of the Entegra Bank division branches or call 800.438.2265, between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m., Friday, Eastern time. For questions about First Citizens Bank, they can call the First Citizens Customer Care Center, 888.323.4732, between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. Eastern time daily.
Founded in 1898 and headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., First Citizens Bank serves customers at more than 550 branches in 19 states. First Citizens Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of First Citizens BancShares, Inc. (First Citizens) (Nasdaq: FCNCA), which has $37 billion in assets. For more information, call toll free 1.888.FC DIRECT (1.888.323.4732) or visit www.firstcitizens.com. First Citizens Bank. Forever First®.
Cautionary Notes Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain of the statements made in this Press Release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The words 'expect,' 'anticipate,' 'intend,' 'plan,' 'believe,' 'seek' and 'estimate,' and similar expressions, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, but other statements not based on historical information may also be considered forward-looking. Forward-looking statements include statements about the benefits to First Citizens Bank of the merger with Entegra and Entegra Bank (collectively, the Merger), First Citizens' future financial and operating results, plans, objectives and intentions. Forward-looking statements also include statements about when the sale of three Entegra branches to Select Bank (the Branch Divestiture) will be completed. All forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from any results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, among others, (1) disruption from the Merger, or recently completed mergers, and the Branch Divestiture with customer, supplier or employee relationships, (2) uncertainties as to the timing of the Branch Divestiture, (3) the risk that the Branch Divestiture may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, (4) the possibility that the amount of the costs, fees, expenses and charges related to the Merger or the Branch Divestiture may be greater than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected or unknown factors, events or liabilities, (5) reputational risk and the reaction of the parties' customers to the Merger and the Branch Divestiture, (6) the risk that the cost savings and any revenue synergies from the Merger may not be realized or take longer than anticipated to be realized, (7) general competitive, economic, political and market conditions, and (8) difficulties experienced in the integration of the businesses. Additional factors which could affect the forward-looking statements can be found in reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by First Citizens and Entegra and available on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. Except as may be required by applicable law, neither First Citizens nor Entegra undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this communication, which speak only as of the date hereof, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contact: Barbara Thompson First Citizens Bank 919.716.2716
MENAFN0101202000703653ID1099495349 | Tagging 2020 as the ‘year of Revival and New Glory, Olukoya urged Nigerians to pray because the year would be messy and confusing.
Read Also: Pastor Tackles MFM’s Olukoya Over Christmas ‘Unbiblical’ Comment
Here are the prophecies below:
”1. 2020 is a year where disobedience to God would yield terrible result that no deliverance can reverse.
2. More than any other year the enemy plans to bring the dog spirit (strange sexual perversions).
3. Year where round the clock prayers are needed against national restlessness.
4. This year impatience would lure many Into strange marriages.
5. A year not only to take back what the enemy has stolen but for you to occupy new territories.
6. Hot prayers are required in 2020.
7. This year would be messy and confusing.
8. Year when some many leaders would be shifted away.
9. A year where all things many have planted and watered in the past years would now begin to produce fruits.
10. Year where many who have endured season of darkness and delay would sing their song and dance their dance.
11. Year of returns of long time prodigals.
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12. Year we must return to our accient landmark ( holiness and righteousness.
13. Year of perfection for vision.
14. Year of positive and negative harvest.
15. Extra ordinary and sacrificial giving would yield powerful result this year.
16. 2020 would be an up and down year.
17. Year that the Lord shall tear in pieces kingdom of those boasting against him.
18. Season where that which that has delayed the blessing of God’s children shall be dashed to pieces.
19. Resurrection power would bring back dry bones.
20. The lord would bring fresh start for a lot of people.
21. The lord would bring fresh start for a lot of people.
22. Year for rewriting negative family history.
23. Year of aggressive prayers against voices from foundation.
24. Year of unbelievable answers to prayers.
25. Year of it can only be God testimonies.
26. Year where many captives would divorce their chains.
27. Year for consistently deploying the blood of Jesus.
28. Year when the Lord shall dash to pieces kingdom of evil rulers.
29. Many families shall climb to a new height of victory.
30. Year when sins must be more sensitive to heaven frequencies.
31. Food supplies from the kingdom of herod shall be cut off.” | 1 |
Macau Casino Workers Pushing For Better Pay, More Vacation Time Schedule Thursday Demonstration
Posted on: December 31, 2019, 08:40h.
Last updated on: December 31, 2019, 10:04h.
The New Macau Gaming Staff Rights Association, a labor group representing workers at the peninsula’s casinos, is planning a Thursday, Jan. 2 march. It’s aimed at pressing operators there to deliver increased pay and better working conditions, including more time off.
Macau casino staffers plan to march on Jan. 2 to demand higher pay and more leave time. (Image: Voice of America)
Last month, the New Macau Gaming Staff Rights Association pushed the Special Administrative Region’s (SAR) six license holders to boost casino workers’ compensation by at least five percent. But this week’s rally extends beyond the call for higher wages, expanding into the matter of what the labor group believes are onerous scheduling policies.
Many gaming workers are shift workers, and the existing holiday plan provided to them is too short,” said New Macau Gaming Staff Rights Association leader Cloee Chao in an interview with GGR Asia.
The group is demanding a mandatory 22-day time off policy, which is well in excess of Macau’s current requirement. Labor law on the SAR mandates that workers are afforded at least one day off per week, 10 holidays per year and six vacation days after a year of working for a single employer.
Interesting Timing
The march will take place less than two weeks after Ho lat Seng was sworn in as Macau’s newest chief executive.
Ho’s appointment, revealed earlier this year, drew some criticism from geopolitical experts, with some calling him a “puppet” of the regime in Beijing. Critics added that the new Macau leader has two core constituencies: China’s Communist Party and the six gaming companies operating on the peninsula.
He said he will give gaming employees even better benefits than what were asked for,” said Chao earlier this year. “I really hope he can achieve it.”
There’s some incentive for the SAR’s concessionaires to work with staffers on the pay and time off issues. Amid a slump in VIP turnover, 2019 was rough in terms of gross gaming revenue (GGR) on the peninsula. With many analysts forecasting a rebound in the second half of 2020, companies may not want to disrupt those prospects with potential labor strife.
Some Success
The New Macau Gaming Staff Rights Association is calling for a five percent wage hike, as well as bonuses equal to two months of workers’ salaries. Whether those demands are met remains to be seen, but the group has previously notched victories in prodding bonuses out of operators.
For example, Sands China, the Macau operating unit of Las Vegas Sands, in July revealed a bonus scheme equivalent to a month of salary capped at around $6,200. That plan applied to employees that had one year of continuous service as of Aug. 30.
Sands rivals SJM Holdings and Wynn Resorts also delivered summer bonuses, and that was after Galaxy Entertainment, Sands, and Wynn earlier this year increased paid maternity and paternity leaves for workers.
Operators there often reveal winter bonuses in January, so those announcements for 2019 could be coming over the next several weeks. | Macau casino staff plan Jan 2 rally on pay, conditions
A Macau gaming labour activist group plans a demonstration passing by the city’s downtown casino district on Thursday (January 2) to call for better pay and conditions for local casino workers.
Under Macau rules, only local ID holders can be casino dealers. The organiser of the planned rally - New Macau Gaming Staff Rights Association – called in November for the city’s six gaming operators to award their staff a pay hike of “at least 5 percent”. On Monday this week, Cloee Chao, the head of the activist group, told GGRAsia the demonstration was not only about money, but also concern about staff “health issues”.
The rally coincides with the start of a fresh government administration in Macau, under the new Chief Executive, Ho Iat Seng. Mr Ho was sworn into office on December 20 during the visit to Macau by China’s President Xi Jinping, a date marking the 20th anniversary of the handover of Macau from Portuguese administration to that of China.
In September, New Macau Gaming Staff Rights Association sent the then Chief Executive-elect Mr Ho a wish list of gaming worker needs, based on what it said was a survey among frontline workers.
The route for Thursday’s rally starts in the ZAPE district on Macau peninsula – close to where several major casino resorts including Wynn Macau, MGM Macau and StarWorld Hotel are located – and ends at the Macau government headquarters in Nam Van.
As well as a pay hike of at least 5 percent, the activist group is also calling for an annual bonus equating to two months of salary; the introduction of a mandatory allowance for working night shifts; and a “five working days” per week policy for staff on shifts, Ms Chao noted to us.
In recent years, Macau operators have been awarding annual salary increases to their staff, with the announcements made at the beginning of the calendar year. Most operators have also been making supplementary payments to staff on a twice-yearly basis in recent times, on an ad hoc basis.
“We also want 22-day annual leave,” Ms Chao told us on Monday. That is understood to be more holiday than the mandated under local labour law.
Macau workers are entitled to one rest day per week; 10 days of mandatory holidays and a minimum of six working days of annual leave after one year of service, according to local labour law.
“Many gaming workers are shift workers, and the existing holiday plan provided to them is too short,” the gaming labour activist told GGRAsia. “That pressurises family relations for these workers, as they don’t even have quality time to spend with their kids.”
Ms Chao said her group would gather signatures from casino workers turning out for Thursday’s demonstration, and submit them via a petition to be handed in at the government headquarters. | 4 |
Announcing The Public Domain Game Jam: Gaming Like It's 1924!
from the year-two dept
Gaming Like It's 1924: The Newly Public Domain Game Jam
Happy New Years, everyone. Last year, for the very first time in two decades, the US actually allowed some works to enter the public domain. This represented the end of an era in which copyright maximalist lobbyists had been able to regularly extend copyright terms each year to prevent any new works from entering the public domain. However, the backlash to such practices had become so vocal, and the evidence for why such term extensions were necessary had become so non-existent, that they didn't even make any serious attempt to extend them again, leading works from 1923 to actually enter the public domain. Well, now it's 2020, and works from 1924 have entered the public domain.
Last year to celebrate, we held our very first public domain game jam, asking people to create both analog and digital games utilizing newly public domain works. It was a great success with over 30 entries, including some really amazing winners.
This year, we're doing it again, with the Gaming Like It's 1924 public domain game jam. The rules are basically the same as last year. For the entire month of January, you can submit your digital or analog games (specific rules are at the link) based on some of the newly public domain works from 1924. If you're looking for ideas on what works are there, Duke's Center for the Study of the Public Domain has an excellent list and LifeHacker has called out some highlights as well.
Once again, we're offering up prizes (with even more choices this year) in a variety of categories: best analog game, best digital game, best adaptation of a 1924 work, best remixing of multiple sources, best "deep cut," and best visuals. We also have a wonderful and diverse judging panel, that is a mix of gaming and copyright experts (and a few who qualify as both!).
You certainly don't need to follow the path of those who won last year, but if you want, you should check out last year's winners (and all the other submissions as well) to get some ideas. The contest is open for the entire month of January, with judging in early February. We hope you'll consider entering and help demonstrate the value of a robust public domain, and the ability to build on those earlier creative works.
Filed Under: 1924, analog games, copyright, game jam, games, public domain, video games | I would like to wish readers a happy new year as we move into 2020.
This year is set to be another exciting one for this district.
I said last year that 2019 was the year we were going to rebuild faith in politicians and I think we have certainly done that.
Last year, I promised that this council would prioritise fighting for jobs and investment and the progress at Summit Park proves it is doing this.
This council is behind 1,800 jobs and many more jobs will be created off the back of it.
I was particularly proud that the old DWP building in Sutton was brought back into use after standing empty for more than a decade.
I promised to continue the war on waste and fly-tipping is again down 15 per cent compared to last year, while prosecutions are up.
There is still too much fly-tipping though and the council will launch its third Big Ashfield Spring Clean in March to combat this.
Over the past two years, this council has invested the biggest ever amount of money for parks.
And this will continue in 2020 by continuing to protect green spaces and continuing to do its bit to combat climate change by delivering more charging points for electric cars, planting more community orchards and making its fleet of vehicles as green as possible.
The council will also continue to work with the police and other agencies to make the district safer.
The biggest challenge for the council this year though is that this will be the first year it receives no grant whatsoever from the Government.
This means it has raise money to maintain the high level of services it provides and will continue its investment programme so it can pour the returns back into the district.
As a council, we will fight to deliver as many services as locally possible and fight any attempts to scrap this council and deliver services from West Bridgford.
I will also continue the fight to get this council’s fair share of funding to fix broken roads and pavements and get gullies cleaned to avoid flooding.
And we will work with the new Conservative MP but will hold him to account at every opportunity. | 1 |
Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (4) runs after a reception past Michigan linebacker Jordan Glasgow (29) during the first half of the Citrus Bowl NCAA college football game, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Mac Jones threw three touchdown passes, Jerry Jeudy became the first Alabama player to top 200 receiving yards in a bowl game and the ninth-ranked Crimson Tide topped No. 17 Michigan 35-16 on Wednesday in the Citrus Bowl.
Jones connected with Jeudy for an 85-yard score on Alabama’s first snap, DeVonta Smith and Miller Forristall added touchdown grabs in the second half for the Crimson Tide (11-2), which trailed 16-14 at the break. Najee Harris ran for 136 yards and two touchdowns for Alabama.
Jeudy finished with six catches for 204 yards. His previous career-high for yards was 147 set last season against Missouri, and the Alabama bowl record had stood for more than a half-century — Ray Perkins had 178 yards against Nebraska in the 1967 Sugar Bowl.
Jones — who took over as Alabama’s starter when Tua Tagovailoa was lost for the season with an injury in November — completed 16 of 25 passes for 327 yards.
Shea Patterson completed 17 of 37 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown for Michigan (9-4), which dropped its fourth consecutive bowl game. Quinn Nordin kicked three field goals for the Wolverines, including a school-record-tying 57-yarder to end the first half and give Michigan the lead.
The Crimson Tide had two touchdown drives of 90 seconds or less — Jeudy’s score on Alabama’s first play and a long go-ahead touchdown grab by Smith early in the third quarter. They were quick-strike all season long, with 22 TD drives taking 1:30 or less and 38 TDs coming in 2:00 or less.
And the last of those was the one that put this game away for Alabama with 10:01 left.
Facing 3rd-and-11 from its own 8, Jones connected with Jeudy for 14 yards. On the next snap, Jones and Jeudy hooked up for 58 more yards. And the next snap was a 20-yard scoring pass to a wide-open Forristall.
THE TAKEAWAY
Michigan: The Wolverines have dropped 16 straight road or neutral-site games against teams ranked No. 15 or higher in the AP poll, including all 10 under coach Jim Harbaugh. The last time the Wolverines won such a game was Jan. 3, 2012 over then-No. 11 Virginia Tech.
Alabama: It was the 12th bowl or playoff-game win for Alabama coach Nick Saban. That tied him with Paul “Bear” Bryant for the most in school history. And the Crimson Tide won their 27th consecutive game when allowing less than 40 points.
PLAYING
WR Henry Ruggs III — a 2020 first-round draft possibility if he skips his senior season — was injured with 9:30 left in the third quarter and limped off while being assisted by athletic trainers. The Crimson Tide had only two players skip the bowl game for draft preparation, cornerback Trevon Diggs and linebacker Terrell Lewis. Ruggs was part of a draft-possible group that decided to play, along with Jeudy and Harris.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Alabama should stay in the top 10 for the 76th consecutive edition of the AP Top 25, moving into a tie for the fifth-longest streak in poll history.
NORDIN’S DAY
Along with the school-record-tying 57-yarder to end the half — Hayden Epstein also connected from 57 yards out in the first quarter at Michigan State on Nov. 3, 2001 — Nordin finished the day 3 for 3 on field-goal tries. It wrapped up a perfect season for kickers facing the Crimson Tide: They went 20 for 20 on field goals.
SPECIAL GUEST
Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and members of the team’s front office were on the field pregame, watching warmups. Ross is a prominent Michigan alum — there is a Stephen M. Ross Athletic Campus spanning 280,000 square feet in Ann Arbor. And the Dolphins are also one of the teams that seem likely to consider drafting Tagovailoa if he turns pro.
UP NEXT
Michigan: Opens next season on Sept. 5 at Washington, the first meeting between those schools in 18 years. It begins a home-and-home, with the Huskies going to Ann Arbor on Sept. 11, 2021.
Alabama: Opens next season on Sept. 5 against USC in Arlington, Texas. It’ll be the ninth consecutive season in which the Crimson Tide open with a neutral-site game; they’re 8-0 so far in those. | The Trump administration quietly used loopholes built into the 2017 tax cuts to give big corporations an even bigger tax savings.
The tax cut bill passed by Republicans in 2017 overwhelmingly benefited the wealthy and big corporations, according to a House Budget Committee report issued earlier this year. The law gave individuals a modest short-term tax cut while permanently slashing corporate taxes from 35 percent to 21 percent. The new law has greatly contributed to the 50 percent growth in the budget deficit since President Trump took office.
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But that was not enough for big corporations, which launched intense lobbying efforts to carve out even bigger breaks in the bill’s loopholes. The effort led the Treasury Department to quietly change rules to hand big companies an even bigger tax break, according to The New York Times , costing taxpayers billions in lost revenue.
“Treasury is gutting the new law,” University of Houston tax law professor Bret Wells told the Times. “It is largely the top 1 percent that will disproportionately benefit — the wealthiest people in the world.”
Republicans used budget reconciliation, a congressional process that allowed the Senate to pass the tax cuts with 51 votes instead of 60. But that process requires a bill that will contribute less than $1.5 trillion to the deficit over 10 years, so Republicans decided to offset the cost of the corporate tax cut by eliminating a wide range of corporate deductions and introducing new taxes.
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One of the biggest new taxes was the "base erosion and anti-abuse tax," or BEAT , which aimed to cut down on foreign companies with large American operations avoiding US taxes by sending their profits to countries with lower tax rates. The other was a provision on "global intangible low-taxed income," or GILTI , which imposed a tax up to 10.5 percent on some offshore income.
The Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that these two new taxes would add $262 billion in revenue over the next decade, which the Times noted would be enough to fund the entire Treasury Department, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Cancer Institute for 10 years.
But the new taxes also featured many loopholes, and “almost immediately” after Trump signed the tax bill, companies launched an aggressive lobbying effort to carve out breaks for themselves in the law, the Times reported.
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Chip Harter, a longtime tax attorney who advised companies on how to avoid taxes — before being appointed as the Treasury official in charge of writing rules regarding the new taxes — and his team “found themselves in nonstop meetings — roughly 10 a week at time — with lobbyists” from those companies, according to the Times report. Many of the lobbyists were from the same firms that Harter had previously worked for.
Earlier this month, the department released the final version of some of the BEAT rules that allowed companies to use a “complex currency-accounting maneuver” to avoid paying the tax, according to the Times, giving the lobbyists what they had pushed for.
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Foreign banks like Barclays and Credit Suisse also staged an aggressive lobbying effort to carve out an exemption in the BEAT law. The lobbyists included Erika Nijenhuis, who represented the Institute of International Bankers. Harter got Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to approve new exemptions for the banks earlier this year, before the tax office announced even more exemptions. In September, Nijenhuis was appointed to a job at Treasury's Office of Tax Policy.
Officials at the Joint Committee on Taxation projected that the exemptions for international banks alone would cut revenue by up to $50 billion.
All told, BEAT is only likely to collect “a small fraction” of the $150 billion projection, tax adviser Thomas Horst told the Times.
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The department made the moves even as Treasury officials warned Harter that it may lack legal authority to exempt bank payments from the law. Harter dismissed the objections, according to the Times.
“We thoroughly reviewed these issues internally and are fully comfortable that we have the legal authority for the conclusions reached in these regulations,” a Treasury Department spokesperson told the Times.
Companies like Procter & Gamble, News Corp., Comcast, Liberty Mutual and Anheuser-Busch also launched an intense lobbying effort to exempt themselves from GILTI. After months of meetings with lobbyists, the department announced the rules that the companies had pushed for in June.
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As a result, companies “continue to shift hundreds of billions of dollars to overseas tax havens” and the IRS is collecting tens of billions less in revenue than Congress projected, the Times reported. In 2018, the United States lost more tax revenue than any other developed nation, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development .
But big companies may have even more tax breaks coming.
“In the coming days, the Treasury is likely to complete its last round of rules carrying out the tax cuts," the Times reported. “Big companies have spent this fall trying to win more.” | 1 |
Washington: Researchers have found that combining neurologic and blood pressure drugs may reduce breast tumour development. According to the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, adding a medication used to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder and migraines to a blood pressure medicine reversed some aspects of breast cancer in the offspring of mice at high risk of the disease because of the high fat diet fed to their mothers during pregnancy.
"We believe that our research is the first to show that we can reverse some aspects of increased breast cancer risk found in offspring of mouse mothers fed a high fat diet during pregnancy," said study researcher Leena A Hilakivi-Clarke from the Georgetown University in the US.
"This finding may have important implications in people because exposures in the womb to certain chemicals, or a mother's high fat diet, or being obese, can subsequently increase a daughter's breast cancer risk," Hilakivi-Clarke.
According to the researchers, the key drug in the study regimen was valproic acid which, among several targets, inhibits histone deacetylase (HDAC), an important epigenetic silencer of genes.
In contrast to mutations that permanently disrupt the normal functions of genes, epigenetic modifications are reversible.
Valproic acid was combined with the blood pressure medication hydralazine that inhibits another critical epigenetic regulator, DNA methyltransferase (DNMT).
Early treatment studies in people have shown that these two drugs can work in tandem to disrupt tumour growth.
These research findings demonstrate how impactful an epigenetic methyl group addition or subtraction from DNA can be.
Compounds that reduce methylation of tumour suppressor genes that are excessively methylated (hypermethylated) can be beneficial.
However, these drugs can have the opposite effect if tumour suppressor genes are not hypermethylated; they may remove methyl groups from cancer-causing genes, making these genes more active and potentially leading to more aggressive cancers.
The other key aspect of this finding involves the potential impact of diet on cancer risk. Many fruits and vegetables have compounds (such as flavones) that chemically react in the same ways as the HDAC- and DNMT-inhibiting drugs in this study.
Some compounds in these foods, especially folic acid, have opposite effects.
This research suggests that exposure to a high fat diet or endocrine disrupting chemicals in the womb might be reversed by the consumption of foods high in DNMT and HDAC inhibitors, while those who have not had such exposures might also gain a cancer protective benefit from consuming foods high in folic acid.
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Money is important. And the start of a new year is generally a good time to make some solid resolutions to manage your finances. While you need not take any giant leaps, you must start with some simple steps to manage your money well. Here are six simple measures.
Continue to invest systematically
Markets have been volatile. In 2019, the S&P BSE Sensex delivered around 14 percent, but the BSE Midcap index lost two percent and the BSE Small Cap index fell six percent. In fact, just 15 of the Sensex’s 30 stocks contributed meaningfully; the rest of the companies’ shares gave mediocre returns or lost money in 2019. These are slim pickings and, quite naturally, our fund managers have been facing challenging times.
But here’s some good news. According to a recent Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI)-CRISIL study, the chance of your investments earning negative returns is nil if the holding period is five years. On the other hand, it is as high as 25 per cent if the horizon is just one year. It is always recommended that investors opt for equity mutual funds through systematic investment plans (SIP) with a horizon of five to seven years.
Fortunately, investors understand this. In 2019, despite volatile markets, investors have continued with their SIPs. Monthly contributions through the SIP route stood at Rs 8,273 crore in November 2019, marginally up from Rs 8,246 crore in October.
“There is no reason, especially for salaried employees with monthly cash inflows, to stop SIPs. If the money stays put in your savings account, it will not fetch returns capable of beating inflation,” says Amol Joshi, Founder, PlanRupee, a financial planning firm. If your equity SIPs are linked to long-term goals, then stopping SIPs would mean setting your financial plan back by years.
Continue your SIPs in 2020 as well.
Choose your bank wisely, diversify
The logic of opening a bank account just because the branch is at the ground floor of your residential apartment or right next to your society, has gone a toss. Most customers of Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank had opened accounts in the bank because the branches were conveniently located and the staff served them with a smile over the years. The bank’s books, however, were allegedly cooked over the years and sadly the customers didn’t smell the stench till the bubble burst.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) suspended the troubled bank’s operations, leaving lakhs of depositors in a lurch. Though it has eased restrictions on withdrawals over time, many depositors’ funds continue to be stuck. The biggest lesson of 2019: banks can also go bust.
While we can agree that not many banks have gone bust over the years, the reality is that there are no guarantees. “For one, do not be swayed merely by the additional half or one percentage point interest rate. The financial strength of the bank should be the primary factor,” advises VN Kulkarni, former banker and financial counsellor. You could also look at spreading out your deposits across two or three banks. This will provide protection against a PMC Bank-like crisis, where the deposit insurance cover cannot be invoked at the moment as the bank is not facing liquidation yet.
Switch to repo rate-linked loans
The State Bank of India’s new retail floating-rate loan borrowers will start the year with lower interest burden. The public sector bank has reduced its repo-linked lending rate (RLLR) by 25 basis points with effect from January 1, 2020, following RBI’s repo rate cut in October. A basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point. Retail borrowers who took floating rate loans after October 1 will benefit from SBI’s rate revision.
The likes of Union Bank of India and Bank of Baroda (BoB) had already slashed rates in November, in line with the central bank’s move. If you plan to take a fresh loan in 2020, the interest rate will be automatically tied to an external benchmark – as mandated by the RBI.
While most banks have picked the repo rate as their external benchmark, Citibank has chosen Treasury Bill yields. If you had borrowed prior to October 1, 2019 (the date on which the repo-rate loan was made compulsory for new borrowers) and are servicing Base Rate or Marginal Cost of Funds-based Lending Rate (MCLR), you should switch to RLLR, even if it means shelling out a one-time administration charge. “The new mechanism ensures transparency, which was lacking in the earlier interest rate regimes,” says Kulkarni.
Get ready for your loan rates to move dynamically. A word of advice: if your loan rates go up, it’s best to pay a higher EMI and pay off your loan soon. Keeping the EMI constant and increasing your tenure (your bank could offer this choice) is false comfort. In the end, you will end up paying a higher amount as interest.
Create a larger emergency corpus
The collapse of Jet Airways this year rendered thousands of staffers unemployed. While many were absorbed by other corporates, several others continue to grapple with loss of income. From leading comfortable lifestyles – and spending beyond their means in quite a few of these cases – they had to take to the streets and demand their unpaid salaries.
A weak economic period such as the one we’re going through at the moment could throw some more shocks. And it pays to be prepared. In 2020, you must chalk out a plan to deal with such challenges. As a thumb rule, you must set aside at least six months’ household expenses in a secure, liquid instrument. This year, however, you could look at building a bigger contingency kitty. “Review your current situation, including health situation in the family, job scenario in your sector and goals that are approaching and increase the threshold, if required,” says Rohit Shah, CEO and Founder, Getting You Rich.
The amount can be parked in fixed deposits or ultra-short-term debt funds. It must be capable of paying your monthly bills, EMIs, insurance premiums, mutual fund SIPs and children’s school fees for up to 9-12 months. “However, you need to take your personal situation into account. A double-income family can do without such a large kitty. However, if you are also taking care of your elderly parents, you need to create a dedicated emergency fund to cover their household as well as routine medical expenses,” says Pankaj Mathpal, Founder, Optima Money Managers.
Buy adequate health insurance
Insulating your family against financial shocks that medical emergencies can bring about is yet another resolution you ought to make. Given the rising cost of healthcare expenses, a Rs 3-5 lakh health cover may not suffice. “A coronary bypass surgery can set an individual back by at least Rs 5-10 lakh, depending on the hospital and his medical conditions. The cost of cancer treatment will fall in the same range,” points out Nikhil Apte, Chief Product Officer, Royal Sundaram General Insurance. Many assume that their employers’ group scheme and a basic independent cover of Rs 3-5 lakh are adequate. “Many believe they will need higher covers only when they age and that they can enhance their sum insured later. What they do not realise is they will develop health issues as they age, making it difficult to increase the cover then,” he adds. It is best to buy a large cover when you are young and healthy.
However, do not buy a single, large cover. Instead, opt for a base sum insured of Rs 5 lakh and add a top-up cover of Rs 10 lakh to your portfolio. You can look at critical illness covers too. The latter, typically, are fixed benefit plans where a pre-agreed sum is handed out upon diagnosis of the illness. It can be used to cover recuperation costs as also expenses not covered by your base policy. Critical illness policies that cover 10-15 ailments offer more comprehensive protection than disease-specific covers that take care of merely two-three ailments such as cancer, cardiac and renal failures.
Protect yourself against frauds
As more people take to their mobile phones for money transactions, the chances of digital frauds increase. Some end up paying money to scammers through their bank UPI app when, in fact, they are meant to be the recipients. Then, there are others who unwittingly share their bank account or card details and PIN to swindlers posing as banking officials. Phishing emails masquerading as official emails from banks or the income tax department also lured many into divulging such details.
In 2020, resolve to be more vigilant. Never share your bank, card, CVV, OTP and PIN with anyone. Shun unsecure links, emails and calls seeking such details, even if they seem authentic. Not sure which mutual funds to buy? Download moneycontrol transact app to get personalised investment recommendations. | 2019 is the year of revelations. Self-revelations most of all.
For the sake of a few stories, I've had to dive deep into whether I wanted to have more kids (the answer is probably no) and reveal some never-before-spoken-about aspects of my marriage to a foreigner.
I've realised it's tough exposing a part of yourself online to thousands, especially for someone who normally keeps things close to my chest. But it's a retrospective and introspective exercise (much like this one) that has its benefits — producing fresh insights, for one. In my case, it made me more appreciative and kinder to the husband.
My desire to maintain some online privacy also went out the window when I was asked to contribute some personal content for Instagram. But as with all things, once you get over the initial psychological barrier, it gets easier.
Being inquisitive, or kaypoh, by nature about the lives others lead (which probably accounts for my love for reality TV), I never fail to be fascinated by people, and that's probably what I love most about my job.
And with people, love and relationships is definitely a big part of what makes us all human.
This year, I learnt what being a sex coach entails, found out all about sugar dating from a sugar baby (look out for it) and talked to Japanese women who'd love to marry Singapore men. Why? Because they're seen to be "less traditional" and would allow them to have a career.
However, from the Singaporean men I spoke to at the Japanese dating event, what scared our "lion men" off Singaporean girls were their fierce, independent streaks. So were these Japanese women barking up the wrong tree?
Well perhaps not, as from my knowledge, there have been two success stories so far — one couple from the agency has successfully gotten hitched, while another has committed to a long-distance relationship that is working towards marriage.
In this year, I've also been inspired by people who've had to take the road less travelled, either due to personal circumstances or to pursue their passion/calling in life. All entailed stories of personal sacrifice and times of despair, but the trade-off to them is always worth it.
The trick to survive in this so-called life I guess is to know who you are and try not to compare yourself with others (remember, comparison is the thief of joy?). Other lessons gleaned: just be yourself — somebody, somewhere will love you for it, and simply do more of what makes you happy.
Here's to a wonderful 2020 for all.
candicecai@asiaone.com | 1 |
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