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https://www.patientvoting.com/connecticut | 2022-05-27T15:04:17 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662658761.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20220527142854-20220527172854-00268.warc.gz | 0.943284 | 330 | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-21__0__32141716 | en | How to vote from your hospital bed
STEP-BY-STEP HOW TO VOTE
PATIENT VOTING TEAM
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 9-150c
If a voter becomes hospitalized within six days of the election, the voter can designate someone to deliver an absentee application to the clerk.
COVID-19 and Patient Voting
Here is how COVID-19 is affecting Patient Voting in this state:
By Executive Order of the Governor, the date of the Connecticut Presidential Preference Primary has been moved from April 28, 2020 to June 2, 2020. You may vote by absentee ballot if you qualify for one of the conditions currently in place by Connecticut, such as having an illness or physical disability that prevents you from voting in-person on Election Day. More information on this process can be found here.
However, the office of the Secretary of State has come out in support of providing absentee mail-in ballots for all voters, regardless of the formal conditions for absentee voting, to minimize the need to vote in-person at a polling station. A press announcement can be found here. These plans are still being deliberated and discussed, and the most recent updates on your ability to vote absentee can be found here or by contacting the Secretary of State's office. | politics |
https://newsroom.treato.com/treato-finds-purple-states-drive-reproductive-health-conversations-online | 2019-01-16T10:30:56 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-04/segments/1547583657151.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20190116093643-20190116115643-00449.warc.gz | 0.952892 | 321 | CC-MAIN-2019-04 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-04__0__149066320 | en | Not surprisingly, women across all states and party lines are talking about reproductive health-related issues more than four times as frequently online than men. Arizona, a Republican state, is the state with the highest ratio of female to male online conversations happening about reproductive health, with women discussing reproductive health 8.6 times more frequently online than men.
“We predict that as the campaign season continues purple states will continue to lead the online reproductive health discussion,” says Ido Hadari, CEO of Treato. “As presidential candidates make federal funding of family planning a central issue to their campaigns and laws concerning access to abortion rights are due for a Supreme Court decision, candidates should be prepared to discuss reproductive health rights not only in traditionally red states when campaigning, but also in purple states.”
Find out more information here on Treato’s reproductive health analysis .
TreatoVoice is a unique data asset that continuously collects and analyzes more than two billion patient and caregiver conversations happening across the Internet to understand what patients are saying about their experiences with their conditions and treatments. Within TreatoVoice, we have the capability to rank volumes of conversations happening geographically.
To determine the volume of reproductive health conversations happening online across the U.S., Treato collected and analyzed more than 41,000 online conversations about reproductive health related topics from January 2013 to October 2015. Rankings were determined by comparing the rate of reproductive health related conservations to all health conversations happening in that state. States political party affiliations were determined by the results of the 2012 U.S. presidential election. | politics |
https://bcss8.com/pompeo-in-saudi-arabia-to-discuss-response-to-attack-as-tensions-rise/ | 2023-02-04T14:45:32 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764500140.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20230204142302-20230204172302-00767.warc.gz | 0.964212 | 609 | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-06__0__251182874 | en | US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to hold talks in Saudi Arabia over a response to a weekend assault on two major oil facilities in the kingdom. This comes a few days after Iran denied having any role to play in the attacks that hobbled the world’s top oil exporter. The assault on Abqaiq, the world’s largest oil processing facility and the Khurais oil field put off five percent of the world’s oil supply. In addition, it cut an output of 5.7 million barrels per day. However, Saudi Arabia’s Energy minister said normal oil production would resume in a couple of weeks rather than months.
Even though Houthi, a rebel group in Yemen, claimed responsibility for the attacks saying it launched 10 drone strikes on the oil plant, a senior US official said one installation was hit “at least 17 times. Twice “precision-guided munitions hit the other oil plant. The official also said neither type of drone nor the cruise missiles could reach the facilities from Yemen. Evidence linking Iran with the cruise missiles is set to be presented at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) next week by the United States.
Just after the attack, Pompeo was quick to blame Tehran by accusing them of “an unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply.” In a tweet, United States President Donald Trump hinted at possible military action by saying Washington was “locked and loaded”- without mentioning Iran by name. Trump appears to have no timetable for action after sending Pompeo to Saudi Arabia to consult with de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Pompeo is also expected to look into the results after France had sent experts at Riyadh’s request to investigate the people behind the attacks and how they were able to do it. Trump’s position seems to be quite different from the one taken in 2017 after waiting for only two days before launching air raids against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. This was in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack.
So far, Riyadh has not directly linked Tehran with the attacks but the defense ministry said they would hold a press conference on Wednesday. The news conference is meant to “present material evidence and Iranian weapons proving the involvement of Iranian’s regime. Meanwhile, Iran has sent a diplomatic note to the United States denying any involvement in the attacks and warning it would respond to any action taken against it.
On Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addressing a cabinet meeting said the Houthi’s attacks on oil facilities was meant to be a “warning” for Riyadh to put an end to its long-running war in Yemen. “We don’t want conflict in the region… who started the conflict? Not the Yemenis. It was Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, America, certain European countries and the Zionist regime which started a war in this region,” said Rouhani in a video broadcast on state media. | politics |
http://yunghova.com/?p=11647 | 2013-05-23T08:22:19 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703035278/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111715-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.988248 | 314 | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2013-20__0__46528978 | en | On February 19, 2012 one of the best singers of all time was laid to rest. Whitney Houston was an entertainer with unmatched talent and she was given a very lavish funeral by officials in Newark, New Jersey.
The funeral cost the city’s taxpayer’s more than $187,000 in police overtime, roughly 5% of the budget for the year and some citizens are upset about that.
“I think it’s absolutely ridiculous when you have people who are unemployed and homeless, people walking up and down the streets,” Newark resident Quincy Ruffin told CBS New York. “If they wanted it to go that far, do that much, they should have been the ones providing for it.”
Others were upset they weren’t allowed near the funeral that was attended by many stars like R. Kelly, Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder and more.
“I think it was a waste of time and then now we find out what happened and how she actually died, it makes you think twice saying was it worth it or not,” resident Minerva DelValle said.
In the end city officials feel like they did the right thing by bringing in extra police.
“I was able to be witness to the thousands upon thousands of people who were desperate to attend service but held back by barriers and officers of the law,” said Democratic Councilwoman Mildred Crump. “If they had not been there someone may have been trampled, seriously hurt.” | politics |
http://parentsdesk.com/2012/06/26/congress-approves-synthetic-drug-ban/ | 2017-04-28T06:14:28 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917122865.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031202-00503-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.967413 | 437 | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-17__0__6410187 | en | Congress took final steps Tuesday to ban 26 chemicals used to make dangerous synthetic drugs known as “K2” or “Spice,” and “Bath Salts.” They’re synthetic drugs that mimic the effects of marijuana. They’re sold under various brand names in gas stations, shopping malls and online often as “herbal essence” or “plant food.”
The drugs have been readily available, but they have dangerous consequences with physical effects including hallucinations, violent behavior, increased agitation and paranoia.
According to data from a 2011 White House Office of National Drug Control Policy survey, synthetic marijuana is the second most commonly used illicit drugs among 12th graders. 11.4 percent of seniors admitted using Spice or K2 in the past year.
The American Association of Poison Control Centers says “the number of calls related to ‘bath salt’ exposure by centers across the country increased by more than 20 times in 2011 alone.”
The new ban is part of a Food and Drug Administration bill that is now headed to the President’s desk.
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa introduced the legislation in 2011 after the suicide of one of his constituents.
David Rozga was only 18 years old when he died in 2010. He had just graduated from high school in Indianola, Iowa. He and his friends purchased K-2 at a mall. After smoking the synthetic marijuana he reportedly became hyper and agitated. He returned home and shot himself.
More recently, a man in Miami, Florida attacked a homeless man and ate nearly half his face until police stopped him by shooting him to death. It’s believed he was under the influence of bath salts at the time
“This ban can’t come quickly enough,” Senator Grassley said after the Senate passed the bill. “Just about every day, there’s a new tragedy related to K2 or bath salts. The sooner this poison is off the store shelves, the better. I hope the President will sign this measure into law very quickly.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION: | politics |
https://www.itreeoflife.org/post/forest-pathways | 2024-04-21T14:57:11 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296817780.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20240421132819-20240421162819-00148.warc.gz | 0.95477 | 445 | CC-MAIN-2024-18 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__146065670 | en | how much we’re failing our forests and sets out exactly what needs to be done to bring them back to life.
Forests are essential for nature, people, and a stable climate – in the UK and around the world.
Deforestation is increasing, forest wildlife is declining, and people's livelihoods are being destroyed. ️At a time when they need us the most, we are failing our precious forests.
The report comes just two years on from pledges made at COP26 to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030. Since the global pledge to end deforestation by 2030 was made, an area of tropical rainforest twice the size of Wales has been lost.
Globally we spend at least 100 times more public funding on subsidies and incentives that have the potential to harm forests ($378 billion - $1trillion) than on positive finance for forests ($2.2bn). The report brings together the stories of where progress is being made and defines for the first time the pathways we need to build to stop destroying forests and meet global commitments.
There is hope. But we must act now to save our forests and bring our world back to life.
FORESTS ARE NOT THRIVING
They are one of our strongest allies in the fight against climate change, but the world is failing forests.
Forests suck up one third of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, are home to 80% of the world’s land-based animal and plant species, and provide livelihoods for 1.6 billion people. The need for us to protect forests is the basis for many international pledges and targets. Yet, deforestation and forest degradation have continued.
We do not need new global forest goals to protect and restore our forests. We need to put into action the goals we already have. We must tackle the systemic threats to forests, deliver the funding needed to protect and restore them, and bring national policies in line with global commitments.
The pathways to meeting forest goals are known, but progress is slow and small-scale. We must change this. Failing against forest targets will have catastrophic impacts for people, including locking us into a world of dangerous climate change. | politics |
http://gogo.tc.columbia.edu/news.htm?articleId=6651 | 2016-05-04T05:56:58 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-18/segments/1461860122501.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20160428161522-00054-ip-10-239-7-51.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.921392 | 227 | CC-MAIN-2016-18 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2016-18__0__8104525 | en | Looking Back at "The Levees"
In the latest issue of The Journal of Education Controversy, Margaret Crocco and Maureen Grolnick, who led development of TC's "Teaching The Levees" curriculum -- a 100-page teaching tool that explored civic issues raised by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath -- reflect back on their work, the extraordinary tragedy that produced it, and the ongoing need for Americans to re-examine what it means to live in a democracy.
"Thomas Jefferson once quipped that “a little revolution” is a good thing in a democracy from time to time," Crocco and Grolnick write. "We are not advocating that position here, just the notion that controversy, that is, contestation over the things we hold dear, is the lifeblood of a healthy democracy."
The article appered as "Schooling as if Democracy Matters," Volume 3 Number 1 of the Journal of Educational Controversy. http://www.wce.wwu.edu/Resources/CEP/eJournal/v003n001/ previous page | politics |
http://www.mercers.co.uk/master-mercers-speech-diamond-jubilee-lunch | 2013-05-18T15:38:21 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382503/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00098-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.955236 | 636 | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2013-20__0__7599173 | en | The Master Mercer's Speech at the Diamond Jubilee Lunch
The following speech was given in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen by the Master Mercer, Mr Thomas Sheldon, at the Diamond Jubilee Lunch hosted by the City Livery Companies and held in Westminster Hall on Tuesday 5 June 2012.
“Your Majesty, it is the greatest possible honour for me, as Master of the Mercers' Company, and on behalf of the Livery Companies of your City of London, to pay tribute to you on this most special of days . A day when the City has already solemnly marked this Jubilee at our great Cathedral of St Paul and through the colour and drama of the Thames River Pageant.
Today we mark and we give thanks for your 60 years of unstinting, unwavering commitment and service to the nation, to the wider world, and also to each and every one of your subjects here in the United Kingdom, and each and every man and woman of the nations of the Commonwealth.
How right it is that we should honour you here in Westminster Hall, a place that traces its history back nearly one thousand years and a place which has itself played such a dramatic part in our national story.
Your reign writes a further proud chapter of that extra-ordinary story. When you came to the Throne there was talk of a new Elizabethan Age. Much has changed in the last six decades, but it has been the age of Elizabeth.
You embody the very best of our national values, and represent all of which we are most proud.
You are a constant in a changing world, and a constant good, with a reign characterised by a very personal connection and affinity with everyone you meet, whether they be head of state or the youngest child.
It also gives us particular pleasure to welcome members of your family here today -The Prince of Wales & the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. Each of whom makes a distinctive and distinguished contribution to our national life. We are particularly sorry that the Duke of Edinburgh is unwell and can't be with us, but we all wish him a speedy recovery.
Today there is before us a vast concourse of the nation.
From the City's Livery Companies; a little like the Monarchy, we cherish our great history and we have a continued commitment and engagement to help to meet the demands and challenges of the modern age, and from the causes and the people across the nation we are proud to support. We also have today the marvellous young musicians of the National Children's Orchestra.
There is a vast concourse beyond these ancient walls, listening on the radio, watching on television or the internet, here in your United Kingdom and across every corner of the globe.
Your Majesty, I can think of no single individual who embodies duty, service and goodness as you do.
I can think of no individual held in greater affection and respect.
It is my honour to speak for the City's Livery Companies today, but I do so with the voices of countless millions raised alongside my own.
God save your Majesty!” | politics |
http://www.crowstheatre.com/seeds/home-to-roost/ | 2016-09-28T18:44:03 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-40/segments/1474738661763.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20160924173741-00282-ip-10-143-35-109.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.973689 | 326 | CC-MAIN-2016-40 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2016-40__0__157094515 | en | Last week in Toronto the Municipal Licensing and Standards Committee voted unanimously to defer the motion brought forward by Councillor Joe Mihevc that would allow a limited number of hens in city yards “for the purposes of producing eggs for personal consumption.” The ultimate way to ensure you are getting local and organic eggs.
The issue raised concerns from both the Animal Alliance (who had concern for the welfare of the birds) but also from other Councillors who felt it would put further strain on animal services and the police force who would presumably have to deal with a rash of chicken thefts.
In my current set up and with my current lifestyle raising chickens in my backyard isn’t really an option – though I would like to think that if things were different it would be something I would consider. And with cities such as New York and Vancouver being hen friendly I hesitate to see what the resistance is here in Toronto. You can read more about Toronto’s Backyard Chicken Underground Here. There is also a whole website dedicated to information about Backyard Chickens with information about how to keep them.
Coming up on February 15 the Toronto Food Policy Council (which connects diverse people from the food, farming and community sector to develop innovative policies and projects that support a health-focused food system) will be having meeting, one of the items on the agenda is the backyard chicken policy. The TFPC meetings are open to all and cover a wide a variety of topics relating to food policy and systems. The meeting on February 15 takes place from 2:00pm to 5:00pm at City Hall. | politics |
https://www.walterslawgroup.com/florida-bill-removes-permanent-alimony-threatens-past-agreements/ | 2020-01-28T17:57:20 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579251779833.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20200128153713-20200128183713-00347.warc.gz | 0.939058 | 391 | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2020-05__0__3405208 | en | On behalf of The Walters Law Group, Ltd. posted in Divorce on Thursday, April 18, 2013.
A bill overturning permanent alimony law in Florida has passed the Senate and is expected to face a vote in the Florida House. At least one observer believes the change threatens predominantly those whose primary contributions to their marriages were not in the form of a paycheck. Passage of the law means these financially supported spouses may be forced to renegotiate divorce agreements. The Florida Bar Family Law Section is an opponent of the bill it claims is poorly worded and endangers judicial discretion.
The observer also states that many alleged problems are already solved by existing family law in Florida. Support payments may be modified, under current law, with “substantial change in circumstances” for the payer. If the recipient enters a marriage or is otherwise supported by a new partner, this is grounds for ending alimony. Existing law also provides durational alimony and a strict law that prevents the recipient’s income from exceeding the payer’s.
Mediation is a legal requirement for Florida divorces. Both parties must attempt negotiations outside the court room. This allows for more control over outcome and expenses by the parties. Some of those past agreements included supported spouses who gave up significant assets and real estate in exchange for permanent alimony. The new law will allow payers of permanent alimony to revisit their financial obligations in court.
The supported spouse in a marriage should always remain aware of the financial situation, and this is especially true in cases of divorce. At the end of a long-term marriage, an unclear picture of assets may lead to devaluation of one party’s contributions. A divorce attorney may be able to answer questions and assist in accessing a couple’s financial documents.
Source: The Miami Herald, “Know the financials before divorce,” Jennifer Failla, April 5, 2013 | politics |
https://www.bcc.ca.gov/law_regs/ | 2023-10-02T12:24:15 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510994.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20231002100910-20231002130910-00673.warc.gz | 0.919909 | 877 | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-40__0__246754211 | en | The three state cannabis programs were merged to form a single new state department called the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC). DCC now licenses and regulates all commercial cannabis activity in California.
Visit the new cannabis website with expanded resources for cannabis businesses, consumers and the public.
The Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA) creates the general framework for the regulation of commercial medicinal and adult-use cannabis in California. The text of MAUCRSA can be viewed on the California Legislative Information website by clicking on the below link.
Pending Rulemaking Actions
Pursuant to Government Code section 11340.85(c)(9), a business or person submitting a public comment regarding a proposed rulemaking action has the right to request a copy of the final statement of reasons.
AB 2138 Rulemaking Action - Cannabis Regulation Application Process Requirements
Recently Approved Rulemaking Actions
1 CCR 100 Nonsubstantive Change (Change Without Regulatory Effect) - Billboard Advertisements on Interstate and State Highways – Approved May 19, 2021
AB 1525 Emergency Rulemaking Action – Authorization and Release of Applicant Information to Financial Institutions - Approved February 1, 2021
Readoption of Quick Response (QR) Code Emergency Regulations – Approved December 8, 2020
QR Code Emergency Rulemaking Action – Approved February 13, 2020
Cannabis Regulation Rulemaking Action – Approved January 16, 2019
Some rulemaking items are not shown below. To view the entire rulemaking record or request a rulemaking document not listed below, please contact the Bureau at [email protected].
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Initial Study/ Proposed Negative Declaration – September 2017
As lead agency under CEQA, the Bureau prepared an Initial Study/Proposed Negative Declaration (IS/ND) for the proposed cannabis regulatory licensing and enforcement program (Proposed Program). Based on the findings of the IS/ND, the Bureau determined that the Proposed Program would not have any significant effects on the environment. The IS/ND may be accessed through the link below. To view additional CEQA documents related to the IS/ND, please contact the Bureau at [email protected].
Previous Cannabis Regulations
Archives of previous cannabis regulations rulemaking actions are listed below. Please note that none of these previous regulations are currently in effect. Click here to access the current Bureau of Cannabis Control regulations. To view or request any previous emergency or proposed cannabis regulations rulemaking documents, please contact the Bureau by email at [email protected].
Emergency Cannabis Regulations – Approved December 7, 2017
In December 2017, the Bureau of Cannabis Control (Bureau) adopted emergency cannabis regulations to clarify and make specific licensing and enforcement criteria for commercial cannabis businesses under the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA). The Bureau readopted these emergency regulations in June 2018, which remained in effect while the Bureau went through the formal rulemaking process to create non-emergency regulations. None of these emergency regulations are currently in effect.
MCRSA Medical Cannabis and Medical Cannabis Testing Lab Regulations – Withdrawn October 6, 2017
In Spring 2017, California's three cannabis licensing authorities released draft regulations for the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act of 2015. These licensing authorities held several public hearings to accept oral and written comments regarding the draft regulations. The licensing authorities had planned to move forward with a separate draft regulatory package for implementation of Proposition 64: The Adult Use of Cannabis Act of 2016. However, in late June, the Legislature passed, and the Governor signed into law, the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA), which creates one regulatory system for both medicinal and adult-use (recreational) cannabis. As a result, the licensing authorities withdrew the proposed medical cannabis regulations on October 6, 2017, as announced in this news release. The three cannabis licensing authorities created emergency regulations based on the new law for the commercial medicinal and adult-use (recreational) cannabis industries. During this process, the licensing authorities considered the valuable public comments received regarding the draft medicinal cannabis regulations. None of these regulations are currently in effect. | politics |
http://www.joellane.org/joellane/history/category/joel_lane/colonel_joel_lane/ | 2017-04-30T10:47:28 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917125074.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031205-00001-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.980744 | 673 | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-17__0__126840228 | en | - Colonel Joel Lane
- Ancestors and Siblings
- Estate Inventory
- Enslaved People in 1794
- Enslaved People in 1795
- Estate Sales of 1795
- Indenture Bond signed by Joel Lane
- Apprentice Bond Signed by Joel Lane
- The Enslaved People Who Lived on Joel Lane’s Plantation
- William Lane’s Bible Entries
Colonel Joel Lane
Colonel Joel Lane was born near present day Halifax, North Carolina in 1739. In 1762 he married Martha Hinton, and after her death, married her sister Mary Hinton in 1772. There were three children born to the first marriage and nine to the second. Joel died on March 29, 1795, and Mary, his second wife, died five days later on April 3, 1795.
Active Civic and Political Life
Colonel Lane was an active participant in the affairs of North Carolina both as a colony and as a state. Joel Lane is known as the “Father of Wake County” because as a representative from Johnston County to the Colonial Assembly at New Bern in 1770, he introduced the bill for Wake’s creation from parts of Johnston, Orange and Cumberland counties. He was a colonel in the militia, justice of the peace, and served Wake County as senator in the General Assembly for eleven terms.
Revolutionary War Patriot
Lane supported North Carolina’s break from Great Britain. In 1775 he was a delegate to the revolutionary Provincial Congress held in Hillsborough. There he was appointed a member of the Council of Safety for the Hillsborough District. His brother Jesse and his nephew Martin were both patriot soldiers during the War. His father-in-law, John Hinton, was colonel of the Wake County militia and played an important role at the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge.
Participant in the Formation of the United States
Joel Lane was a delegate to the 1788 Constitutional Convention in Hillsborough. Like many of his contemporaries, he was troubled by the lack of a Bill of Rights in the original draft, and he voted along with the majority of North Carolina delegates to “neither ratify nor to reject the U.S. Constitution.” Both he and his son Henry were delegates to the 1789 Constitutional Convention at Fayetteville that did ratify the U.S. Constitution. In 1792, he was a presidential elector from Wake County.
Colonel Lane served as a member of the first Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina when it was established in 1789 until he died on March 29, 1795. Lane maneuvered to have his fellow trustees meet on a regular basis in his own backyard at Wake Court House, but this proviso was struck from the original charter for the University He then offered 640 acres of land he owned near what is now Cary, N. C., in Wake County, for the site of the university, but his offer was declined. The first student of UNC was Hinton James, son of Martha and Mary Hinton Lane’s sister, Alice, and Captain John James. Governor David Lowry Swain, grandson of Joel Lane’s brother, Jesse, served as President of the University 1835-68. | politics |
https://dotnetdavid.wordpress.com/category/world/ | 2019-12-05T17:24:17 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-51/segments/1575540481281.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20191205164243-20191205192243-00109.warc.gz | 0.962024 | 865 | CC-MAIN-2019-51 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-51__0__14547401 | en | Tonight, I decided to catch up on some of my reading and I had to stop at John Cafferty’s blog, The Cafferty File. He has posted the question, Should The U.S. attack Al Qaeda without permission? I read though hundreds of responses both for and against, with many excellent responses on both sides (and some just plain ignorant). Though I did see hints of it, I didn’t see anyone mention our country’s responsibility for global leadership.
As a proclaimed “Super Power, how our government executes it’s foreign policy sets the standard for other countries in how they interact within their own spheres of influence. It is nothing new that we project to the world a contradiction on a most global scale. In one hand, we hold freedom, honor, respect, peace and love as values that all people should strive for. In the other hand, we hold a bloody dagger of rage, torment, anguish and revenge. It’s no great wonder that our enemies hate us with such loathing and that even our allies turn their backs on us or at best, tisk and shake their heads.
Each of us has our own idea of what is means to be an American. A question I often have is what do other people in the world think is means to be and American and how do we want to be seen by them? Are we arrogant, militaristic, dictators pushing our beliefs on those who want nothing of it or are we a strong, rugged nation of people that cry foul and intervene on behalf of those who are powerless to stop the international hooligans? Are we really still the world police force, commissioned to right the wrongs of the world? The full spectrum of these simple questions spawns so many more but it comes right back to how can America be a world leader, spreading the values of freedom, honor, integrity, and peace by casting world opinion aside and just doing what we feel is the right thing to do?
Many could argue that it is simply the right thing to do and we must act to prevent the evil-doers of the world from gaining a foothold. Others would say that we are arrogant for even thinking of acting alone without a coalition of nations and we are no better than those who run around blowing up cars in crowded marketplaces. Never before 9/11 did I think about how others saw us; saw me.
However, things change. Out children will never know what it was like to wonder if we would ever be attacked. Our children will have to wonder will it happen again? If we as a nation do not stop and focus on what it is we want to be, then we will become what we fear the most; a memory. Each and everyone of us needs to be committed to the values that our country stands for in the world: Honesty, integrity, Honor, Strength, Bravery. Should the U.S. attack Al Qeada without permission? My question is why is it up to the U.S. to shoulder this burden alone? Why must others reap the rewards of freedom that were purchased with the blood of our fathers/mothers/sons/daughters?
When others are too weak to defend themselves, we have a moral obligation to intervene. We also have a right to defend ourselves from those who would see our way of life destroyed, but always, ALWAYS in an manner that doesn’t violate our core, American values. When our nation begins to start acting like we want others to see us, then the image of America may return to that of a nation that is a beacon of hope for the people of the world. Today, let’s take a minute to reflect upon what it means to be American. Let us consider the cost for our role in in the war not only now but for the future of our children. Let us consider the price already paid by our Armed Forces and the sacrifices that they have made. Let us consider what it truly means to be a leader in the the world community. Then, perhaps, we’ll be able to leave to our children an America that is a better and a world where John Cafferty won’t have to ask that question again. | politics |
https://c-s.com.au/news/carlton-car-park-heritage-listed/ | 2023-11-30T01:29:20 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100164.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130000127-20231130030127-00865.warc.gz | 0.965177 | 584 | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__302993269 | en | Last night, the City of Melbourne’s Carlton Heritage Review officially took the former Royal Women’s Hospital car park in Carlton under its protection, despite strong objections from the local community. This morning, on my way to work, I caught an interview on 3AW with David Wagner, President of the Australian Institute of Architects’ Victorian chapter celebrating the decision. In his opinion, heritage listing the controversial car park was an example of the architectural community doing its duty to protect the history of our built environment. But what about our duty to contribute responsibly to the continued development of our cities, in response to the progressive demands of a growing population?
The c.1970s car park, designed by Mockridge Stahle & Mitchell, is an exemplar of Australian Brutalism. Suffice it to say, public opinion on the building is divided. Personally, I love it. As an architect, I’ve harboured a strong affinity for Brutalist vernacular, which has had a strong influence on my own work. But do I think that a car park, of all things, is worthy of heritage protection in the context of our current housing predicament? Absolutely not.
As architects, we have a duty to respect the past, respond to the present, and be considerate of the future. Heritage listing the Cardigan House car park fails our community abysmally on two of these fronts.
In his campaign to protect the building, David argued that the building was serving a “very useful function, being a car park”. Yet, at the same time, Carlton’s local municipality, the City of Melbourne, is on a mission to decrease the number of cars on the road and increase the walkability of its streets. Simultaneously, we are hamstrung by the shortage of housing in urban areas such as Carlton. There is a stark disconnect here, between the very real needs of present day society, and the romanticised agenda of our architectural bodies.
Several local residents made submissions at the council meeting opposing the car park’s inclusion in the Carlton Heritage Review, including Katie Roberts-Hull, who said the campaign to protect the car park was “symbolic of how heritage has gone too far.”
“Protecting a car park is like protecting a cigarette factory,” she says. “It creates more pollution in the area, obviously more traffic and is a symbol of car dependency in a suburb where you don’t really need a car at all.”
As fond as I am of the building from an architectural standpoint, I have to say I agree with Katie; preserving the car park as a relic of architectural history is doing the wider community a disservice, and preventing present-day architects from contributing to the built environment in a more meaningful, relevant and sustainable way. | politics |
https://www.vipalexandriamag.com/blogs/default-blog/life-love-legacy-the-bertie-bowman-story | 2024-02-29T05:53:01 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947474784.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20240229035411-20240229065411-00157.warc.gz | 0.979223 | 1,584 | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__6987608 | en | A Capitol Hill Icon: Remembering the longest serving Black staff member in the history of the U.S. Congress
Story by Dawn Klavon | Photography Courtesy of United States Senate Federal Credit Union
Bertie Herbert Bowman’s life reads like a blockbuster Hollywood movie.
He grew up poor, one of 13 children, on his sharecropper parents’ South Carolina farm. Bowman and his siblings walked three miles to school daily, didn’t bathe in the winter and were up before dawn daily doing chores.
In 1944, at age 13, he heard a speech by S.C. Sen. Burnet Maybank, who told the audience to look him up if they were ever in Washington D.C. So, Bowman ran away and hopped a train with his sights set on the nation’s capital. After arriving at Union Station, he looked up Maybank and asked him for work. Maybank hired him, paying him $2 a week out of his own pocket to sweep the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
From those humble beginnings, Bowman epitomized the American dream, working his way up the ladder and eventually serving in a senior role with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He retired at age 90 after more than six decades as a Congressional staffer—the longest serving Black staff member in the history of the U.S. Congress. Bowman died October 25, 2023 in North Bethesda at the age of 92.
“To remember the life of Bertie Bowman is to remember his integrity and his steadfast dedication to public service,” said U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a statement issued the day after Bowman’s passing. “Throughout his life, Bertie overcame adversity, broke down barriers, and forged an inspiring future that led him from sweeping the halls of the U.S. Congress to working under 16 Chairs of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. He imprinted himself on the work and lives of every member that had the privilege to serve on our Committee across both sides of the aisle, and did so with honor, decency, and kindness.”
From Humble Beginnings
Bowman’s story is fascinating and inspirational, since he worked at the epicenter of American power for over 60 years. Back in his teens, after working for five years sweeping steps, Maybank helped Bowman get a job at a Capitol Hill coffee shop. From there, he held positions shining shoes, and befriending powerful government officials.
In 1965, when he was 34, Bowman was hired by Arkansas Sen. William Fullbright as a clerk, and then coordinator, to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Among his duties with the committee were greeting witnesses for testimony, overseeing and training committee interns and making sure microphones worked.
In 1967 he connected with a young intern from Hope, AK, in what would become a lifelong friendship. Bill Clinton, then a Georgetown undergrad, who worked as a messenger for the Committee.
“He was a little fella that I guess he needed a little nourishment for someone maybe a little older than he was, but we got along real fine,” Bowman said about former President Clinton in an interview aired on NBC news.
Clinton developed a decades-long relationship with Bowman and even wrote the foreword for Bowman’s autobiography, Step by Step: A Memoir of Hope, Friendship, Perseverance, and Living the American Dream, in 2008
“Bertie is living proof of why it is both morally right and in our country’s best interest to embrace the talents and gifts of all our people, regardless of race, educational background, or station in life." -President Bill Clinton
Surprisingly, Bowman also befriended Senator Strom Thurmond and Senator Jesse Helms, both from South Carolina and both segregationists, according to the Washington Post.
“Strom Thurmond and I, we had a good relationship,” Bowman told reporter Tom Temin in an interview. “He was of South Carolina. And a lot of people did not want him at the time when he became the Senator from South Carolina, but he ran and won. And we became good friends.”
In the mid-1960s, Bowman had applied to Howard University, but was having trouble getting accepted. Thurmond made a personal phone call to the university. Bowman was in. He attended business classes for several years at Howard, but never graduated, according to the Washington Post.
Working with the Influential
As part of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff, Bowman rubbed elbows with the likes of Senators like then-Sen. Barack Obama. Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry also worked closely with Bowman as did Vice President Joe Biden—and many other notable leaders on Capitol Hill, according to the United States Senate Federal Credit Union’s (USSFCU) website.
Bowman’s work included a role on the Architect Committee, with the Secretary of the Senate, as well as with the Foreign Relations Committee.
He retired in 1990, but was convinced to come back to work for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2000 by Sen. Helms. He also owned a limousine service and was an elected member of the U.S. Senate Federal Credit Union and member of the District of Columbia Board of Funeral Directors. So vital was Bowman’s role to the USSFCU, that in 2020, the organization named a branch of their business after him. The Bowman Branch of the USSFCU is located at 1310 Braddock Place in Old Town Alexandria.
“He has always been a fighter and an advocate. Bowman stands up for what’s right and always advocates for the ones tasked with getting the job done.” -Christopher Shrunk, USSFCU Board (2019)
Bowman’s service to the USSFCU began in 1966 as a member of the Credit Committee, according to the USSFCU, and continued for nearly 53 years. He joined the Board of Directors in 1975, totaling 44 consecutive years on the Board including two terms as the Board’s Chairman.
For his part, Bowman displayed humility and public service throughout is term with the board.
“You’ve gotta help somebody,” he said at the ceremony to dedicate the USSFCU building named in his honor in September of 2021. “Let ‘em know that you’re here to help them like someone helped you.”
That same year, Bowman was honored with the title of Emeritus Board Member for the USSFCU, due to his esteem within the organization. This was the first time in the 85-year history of the Credit Union that they had awarded a board member with the status of Emeritus, according to the USSFCU.
An Acclaimed Author
In 2008, Bowman’s memoirs were published, with much acclaim.
“This is a marvelous and inspiring story about a man who, despite a difficult early life, did not lose faith in himself or other people,” wrote Barbara F. Allem, former chief clerk, Committee on Foreign Relations. “He is a person many of us aspire to be like–but often fall short of.”
In the book, Bowman wrote about his ascent from poor farm boy to esteemed Congressional staff member. With his passing in late October, the Senate community reflected on the legacy he left behind.
“Bertie was the very embodiment of the American Dream and will continue to inspire new generations of public servants to pick up where he left off,” said Cardin. | politics |
http://upword.blogspot.com/2008/10/prop-8-myths-churches-and-same-sex.html | 2017-04-29T05:25:18 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917123276.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031203-00004-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.967761 | 1,191 | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-17__0__173125112 | en | This fear is unfounded. Freedom of religion is a bedrock principle of our nation, protected in the First Amendment of the US Constitution, and in Article I, section 4 of the California Constitution. The California Supreme Court was explicit on this point in their decision. Here is a quote from the Supreme Court's opinion:
Finally, affording same-sex couples the opportunity to obtain the designation of marriage will not impinge upon the religious freedom of any religious organization, official, or any other person; no religion will be required to change its religious policies or practices with regard to same-sex couples, and no religious officiant will be required to solemnize a marriage in contravention of his or her religious beliefs. [Ca. Sup. Ct., S147999 (2008), p. 117]I would add that just as freedom of religion is still in effect, so too is freedom of speech. Churches continue to have full freedom to make their own decisions about whether to perform same-sex marriages, and to give voice to their own beliefs about the morality or immorality of same-sex marriage.
Myth: Churches may lose their tax-exempt status if they don't perform same-sex marriages, or if they advocate against it.
Some churches are nervous these days because the IRS has been investigating whether they have crossed a line into political advocacy, which would jeopardize their tax-exempt status. A recent organized protest called "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" had a few dozen pastors around the country endorsing presidential candidates from the pulpit. But the federal law is clear on what churches may and may not do in the political arena, while keeping their tax-exempt status. Churches and their leaders may speak freely on issues of public policy, even on specific legislation, and may encourage their members to support or oppose specific legislation, so long as they are not supporting a particular political party or candidate for office. They may spend an "insubstantial" (typically taken to mean less than 10%) amount of their funds on issue advocacy. The law strikes a reasonable balance, giving churches wide latitude to speak out on issues that they believe have moral or religious ramifications, while keeping them out of full-throated politics. (And also remember that churches are free to embrace full-throated politics if they wish, just not with a taxpayer subsidy for their donations.) Thus, no church or religious group will have their tax status penalized for advocating for or against same-sex marriage, or for supporting or opposing a particular proposition.
Given that churches are free to advocate against same-sex marriage while remaining tax-exempt, they are certainly not going to lose their tax-exempt status for refusing to perform same-sex marriages, if that is their belief.
It should also be noted that tax-exempt status is a matter of federal law, determined by the IRS. Thus, changes in California state law regarding same-sex marriage could not possibly have any relevance to the federal matter of tax-exempt status.
Myth: A legal policy of recognizing same-sex marriage is an assault on religious beliefs.
Some people feel that California's recognition of same-sex marriage imposes a redefinition of a religious principle, and thus is interfering in religion. However, it must be recognized that the term "marriage" has been used for a religious ceremony and a legal status, which may be related, but are not the same thing. It's possible to go to city hall and get married legally but not religiously. It's also possible to have a religious marriage but not get a state license (elderly couples remarrying later in life sometimes do this to avoid the legal complications). It's also possible for a marriage to end at different times in the eyes of the church and the state. For example, the Catholic church does not recognize divorce, so Catholic couples may get a legal divorce, but still be married in the view of their church. The state has its definition of marriage, and the churches have their definitions, and they're not always completely in synch. But it's a workable arrangement for a pluralistic society like ours. Thus, the state is defining marriage for the state's own purposes, while the churches are free to define marriage in their own way. The state's recognition of same-sex marriage is not imposed on churches any more than the state's provision for divorce is imposed on churches that don't believe in divorce.
It also must be said that not all churches oppose same-sex marriage. Some churches perform same-sex wedding ceremonies, and welcome and affirm same-sex couples. National denominations including United Church of Christ, Unitarian Universalist Church, Reform Judaism and others bless same-sex marriages as a matter of denominational policy. Other denominations, including the Episcopalians, Methodists, Lutherans, and Conservative Judaism, while lacking national consensus, have some churches and some clergy who have blessed same-sex marriages. Thus, a legal policy that would outlaw same-sex marriage is a disparagement to those religious institutions. Why should those religious marriages not merit equal recognition to all other marriages?
Further, it should be noted that even some religious leaders who oppose religious same-sex marriage also oppose unequal legal treatment for same-sex couples. California's top Episcopal bishops (who are themselves divided on whether their church should actually perform same-sex marriages) all came out in opposition to Proposition 8. And while the Adventist General Conference opposes same-sex marriage, a petition of Adventists opposing Prop 8 on the principle of religious liberty (something Adventists are quite sensitive to) has drawn endorsements from many pastors, professors, and other Adventist leaders.
UPDATE: There is a good discussion of the "scary" court cases being hyped out of context by Prop 8 supporters, as well as Q&A about concerns from a Christian perspective on the website for Adventists Against Prop 8. | politics |
https://www.spencemorris.com/ | 2022-12-07T03:21:20 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446711126.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20221207021130-20221207051130-00385.warc.gz | 0.988193 | 479 | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-49__0__294293932 | en | Born in Peoria and raised in Elmwood, Spence Morris III has deep roots in Central Illinois. Spence and his brother were raised by their mom, who supported the family through her work as a nurse after their father died. She led by example and showed her kids the value of hard work, as well as the importance of a good support system.
Spence's dad was beloved in the community and friends and neighbors rallied behind their family after he passed away. This helped his mom land on her feet and provided support for him and his brother as they grew up. Spence was fortunate to have a support system like that, but he knows that not everyone in precarious situations has a personal network to rely upon. He believes strongly that all of his neighbors should be able to live happy, comfortable lives and receive the support they need to weather difficult circumstances.
That's why he is running for Congress – Spence will work tirelessly to give people from all walks of life the opportunity to pursue their goals through access to affordable education and quality healthcare.
Spence will pursue policies that address the issues our community faces, such as the need for significant investments to bring high paying, stable jobs to revitalize struggling economies across the district.
He believes that quality education is for everyone, and that every individual deserves the opportunity to pursue their dreams without the fear of debt from student loans holding them back. Spence supports the extension of the student loan repayment freeze, and when elected will support student debt forgiveness legislation.
Spence will also focus on healthcare, especially the skyrocketing costs of prescription medication. No one should be forced to choose between filling their prescriptions and being able to keep the lights on or pay rent. Spence is committed to making healthcare affordable so people get the care they need to live long, full, happy lives.
Spence is the Director of Operations for the Illinois Central Royals, an arena league football team. He found success in his career and is proud of the hard work it took to get here, and owes much of his success to the people and organizations that supported him through his childhood, high school, and college. He has been fortunate to find a career helping players and coaches showcase and hone their skills, while also providing employment opportunities to local residents.
He lives with his fiance, Emma Heath, in Peoria. | politics |
http://www.moodycounty.net/auditor/ | 2017-04-28T06:11:13 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917122865.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031202-00451-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.911909 | 238 | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-17__0__56803116 | en | Deputy Auditor: Kathy Lunday
Moody County Auditor
101 E Pipestone Ave. Suite D
Flandreau, SD 57028
Phone: (605) 997-3161
Fax: (605) 997-9996
Office Hours: M-F 8:00-5:00
Location: 2nd Floor, Courthouse
Election Information, Voter Registration, and Absentee Ballot Application:
The County Auditor as the clerk of the County Commission is required to keep records of Commission proceedings. The Auditor’s fiscal duties include conducting a monthly verification of all bank balances and cash items in the County Treasurer’s Office and making a report of the same to the Commission, preparing warrants for all disbursements, publishing an annual report of the receipts and disbursements as well as the assets and liabilities of the County, and keeping inventory of County property. The Auditor also assists the Board with the annual budget, and calculates the annual levies.
Election duties include voter registration, ballot preparation, appointment and training of election officials, canvassing and making abstracts of the votes casts, and issuing certificates of election. | politics |
https://touchcast.com/blog-posts/the-augmented-citizen-how-ai-can-restore-trust-in-government | 2024-04-20T18:54:54 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296817674.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20240420184033-20240420214033-00663.warc.gz | 0.916256 | 1,368 | CC-MAIN-2024-18 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__138301524 | en | - Governments worldwide face declining public trust due to bureaucracy and perceived inefficiency.
- AI and automation can make government services more accessible, responsive and personalized.
- But the use of technology must be grounded in strong ethical principles to avoid marginalizing communities.
- A renewed social contract between citizens, government and the private sector is needed to guide the responsible adoption of AI.
The Crisis of Distrust
Around the world, public faith in government is eroding. Surveys show rising dissatisfaction with bureaucratic systems seen as opaque, alienating and unresponsive to people's needs. This crisis of distrust isn't merely an abstract problem - it hinders the ability of public institutions to effectively serve their citizens.
At its heart, the issue reflects a misalignment between governments and the expectations of their constituents. Industrial-era governance constructs, with their emphasis on hierarchical control, no longer resonate with an increasingly educated populace that expects more transparency and desires a greater role in shaping public policy.
Compounding matters is the stubborn persistence of social inequities that leave marginalized communities excluded from the fruits of public programs. When coupled with tone-deaf approaches to public engagement, this breeds cynicism and apathy towards civic life. Trust in government isn't an entitlement - it must be continually earned through policies and actions aligned to the public's aspirations. And today, citizens desire services that are accessible, equitable, transparent and accountable.
The Promise of Emerging Technologies
Fortunately, governments now have at their disposal powerful new tools that could help reboot their relationship with citizens. Used responsibly, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), predictive analytics, and virtual interfaces can make public services:
- Digital assistants and chatbots powered by natural language processing break down barriers for the elderly, disabled or those struggling with literacy.
- Smart workflow automation and generative AI can simplify bureaucratic processes into plain language guidance tuned to a citizen's specific needs.
- Machine learning algorithms can predict emerging needs and vulnerabilities in real-time by analyzing diverse datasets. This enables proactive assistance.
- sentiment analysis on public feedback can help agencies continuously recalibrate programs based on evolving citizen expectations.
- Adaptive learning systems can customize educational content and skilling programs to an individual's strengths.
- AI empowered by computer vision can create immersive experiences that meet citizens where they are, transcending geographical and socioeconomic divides.
Such technological capabilities hold enormous potential to redefine public services in a manner that restores civic trust and engagement. But as promising as these tools are, their effective deployment hinges on a commitment to ethical governance.
Without a steadfast commitment to ethical governance, the power of technology can easily be misdirected, exacerbating societal inequities and perpetuating injustices.
The Ethical Imperative
In recent decades, the dizzying pace of technological change has far outpaced thoughtful deliberation on its ethical implications. Too often this has resulted in overreach that ends up hurting vulnerable communities. Heavy-handed surveillance programs, opaque automated decision-making, thereckless application of untested algorithms - such misapplications of technology have rightfully provoked public backlash.
It's clear that we need to re-center the conversation on the responsible stewardship of technology. This begins by acknowledging that tools like AI don't exist in a moral vacuum - their deployments reflect the choices and values of those designing and governing them. Therefore public agencies looking to avoid past mistakes must ground their adoption of technology in strong ethical foundations centered on:
- Justice - Policies must consciously correct biases and structural inequities perpetuated by legacy systems. Technology should uplift marginalized communities, not penalize them further.
- Accountability - Citizens deserve transparency on how technologies are applied and the ability to challenge unfair or inaccurate automated decisions.
- Care - The human touch remains essential, especially in sensitive contexts. Technology should amplify the ability of public servants to provide compassionate service.
Through such an ethics-first approach, governments can harness innovation to make governance more inclusive and empowering, rather than alienating. But an enduring commitment to ethical principles requires more than platitudes - it needs concrete governance frameworks.
Public engagement is not a one-way street. Involving citizens as active participants in oversight doesn't dilute governance; it enriches it.
Towards Collaborative Governance
Governing the rapid adoption of emerging technologies requires a renewed social contract that brings together citizens, governments and the private sector. Through such a partnership approach, each stakeholder provides oversight and expertise to guide innovations in the public interest. The frameworks for such collaborative governance might include:
- Citizen Advisory Boards: Representative groups of local residents and issue experts providing ground-truth feedback on technology deployments in their communities.
- Multidisciplinary Teams: Public servants partnering with data scientists, ethicists, and social workers to evaluate technologies through diverse lenses before adoption.
- Private Sector Alliances: Harnessing private innovation and agility to co-develop solutions to public problems but with the government leading on setting social impact goals.
- Whistleblower Policies: Institutionalizing accountability by protecting public servants raising concerns about ethics violations or technical overreach related to technology use.
- Algorithmic Audits: Proactive review of automated decision-making systems to test for biases and ensure alignment with policy goals like justice and care.
With such collaborative oversight mechanisms woven into their operating models, governments can harness innovation responsibly. Technology in turn can restore public faith by making governance more participatory. The future role of public servants will involve less control and more empowering guidance - using technology to amplify citizen agency.
Let us approach emerging technologies not with timidity but with moral imagination, daring to transcend stale conventions in pursuit of new horizons.
Technology in Service of Society
At its core, governance is not about administrative efficiency but about enabling human flourishing. Technology holds enormous potential to catalyze more just, equitable and caring public services - but only if grounded in ethical choices.
By embracing collaborative frameworks that center public oversight and collective wisdom, governments can adopt emerging tools in a manner aligned with people's needs and aspirations. The result will be services designed not merely for users, but with and by citizens - the ultimate beneficiaries of the social compact between state and society.
With care, foresight and moral courage, we can craft a future where technology restores trust in public institutions by making them more transparent, inclusive and empowering. But we must never lose sight of the fact that technologies are means, not ends. The destination ahead transcends any specific tool - it is a society that enables everyone to contribute their best in fair and dignified ways. If emerging innovations can accelerate progress towards such a vision, then they are undoubtedly worth pursuing. | politics |
http://afsc.ps/w%20en/?p=527 | 2015-07-05T04:21:39 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-27/segments/1435375097204.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20150627031817-00088-ip-10-179-60-89.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.943862 | 804 | CC-MAIN-2015-27 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2015-27__0__116426594 | en | Consultancy for a short documentary film producer (3 months)
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Quaker Organization which works with people from various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace and humanitarian service. AFSC’s work in Palestine dates back to the year 1949 when the AFSC offered support and help for Palestinians seeking refuge in Gaza after the 1948 war. Since 1950 AFSC has also conducted work in Israel. Today AFSC’s work for a just and lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis is based on the principle of equal rights, including self-determination; ending the Israeli military occupation of the 1967 Palestinian territories; and the recognition of the right of return of refugees. AFSC advocates for these principles in the US. In order to maintain its independence AFSC does not accept any US government funding for its work in the Middle East.
The Palestine Youth Civic Engagement Program (YCEP) was founded in 1995 by AFSC, and since 2003 AFSC has implemented the youth civic engagement program in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to serve as a model for engaging young people in public and civic life. Young people become involved voluntarily in effective “citizen work” which contributes to the creation and sustenance of everyday civil society. The program works with young people to lay genuine, valuable, feasible and effective foundations for empowering young people to challenge the impacts of forces and structures (political, social or economic) by following non-violent means.
The Documentation of the Palestine Youth Program
The YCEP has been operational for the last nine years (2004-2012) and AFSC has identified the need to capture lessons from the PYP in order to celebrate the achievements of the youth involved and to ensure that their stories are documented as an inspiring example to others. The program has been implemented through yearly cycles. A total of ten cycles during a 9-year period were implemented and more than six thousand teenagers engaged in local social change projects and hundreds of young adult leaders benefited from coaching skills. The short documentary film will capture some of the highlights of this program and document an episode of work in the long history of AFSC’s work in the region.
Overall timeframe and duration of the assignment:
The production of the film documentary is to be completed over the period included between 15 March and 15 May 2013. The final production needs to be compete by 1 June 2013 to ensure presentation of the documentary in June 2013 during “PA celebration day”.
Objectives of the film:
Awareness-raising on the overall idea of civic engagement as vital to effective national
Highlight the work of PYP and its contributions to the development of agents of peace;
Increase YCEP publicity and to be used as tool to reach more youth groups in different communities
The producer should produce a 10’ minute-long documentary to promote the PYP achievements and to portray the success stories and initiatives of the AFSC’s program in cooperation with the local strategic partners in the West Bank and Gaza. A shorter 2’ minute version should also be produced for the website. The documentary shall be in Arabic with English sub-titles.
- Degree in journalism or mass communications.
- Considerable experience (2 years or more) in producing public information video films or TV programs, relating to social and political matters.
- Excellent technical capacities to ensure smooth and high-quality production.
- Experience in working with NGOs, and local CBOs.
- Excellent planning and organizational skills.
- Excellent ability to meet deadlines.
If you are interested in this consultancy and feel that it fulfills your professional aspirations, please send your C.V with some material and writings or link to your publications at the following email: [email protected] no later than Sunday 03/3/2013, only short listed candidates will be contacted. For more information about AFSC please visit our websites: | politics |
https://www.boadiceacol.com/boadicea-leading-the-revolt-against-plastic-straws/ | 2019-01-20T20:16:05 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-04/segments/1547583730728.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20190120184253-20190120210253-00050.warc.gz | 0.964106 | 257 | CC-MAIN-2019-04 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-04__0__232124945 | en | Boadicea Bar and Restaurant is making a stand against the amount of ‘single-use’ plastic straws used by substituting them for paper alternatives. It comes in light of the Prime Minister recently declaring ‘war on plastics’ and amid estimated figures from Greenpeace indicating that 12.7 million tonnes of plastic end up in our oceans every single year. We will now only purchase paper straws and will take the proactive step of asking revellers if they require a straw before supplying them.
Josh Campbell-Broome, Managing Director at Boadicea Bar and Restaurant, said: “We were throwing away hundreds of plastic straws each week without realising the impact. Like everyone else our eyes were opened by Blue Planet and the constant shocking stories of how much plastic is making its way into our oceans and destroying the planet. It made for uncomfortable viewing for us knowing we weren’t doing enough ourselves.
We wanted to make a stand against the levels of plastics we were consuming and despite the increase costs to upgrade to paper, it was a no brainer for us. The pressure to ditch plastics is growing day-by-day and we hope acting now will lead to other businesses in Colchester boycotting plastics in the future.” | politics |
https://publicdefender.alachuacounty.us/ | 2024-04-23T15:14:09 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296818711.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20240423130552-20240423160552-00642.warc.gz | 0.96446 | 867 | CC-MAIN-2024-18 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__73049791 | en | The Office of the Public Defender provides legal representation of the highest caliber to indigent persons who face a loss of liberty. The Public Defender also protects the constitutional and statutory rights of ALL citizens through its zealous representation of court-appointed clients
Proudly serving Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Union Counties!
The Office of the Public Defender represents adults and juveniles in all manner of criminal cases, including defending clients who are facing the death penalty. The Office also represents clients in involuntary commitment proceedings pursuant the Baker Act, in other mental health hearings pursuant to law, and in Jimmy Ryce cases.
The Office the Public Defender is staffed by highly trained attorneys, investigators and support personnel who are all committed to the mission of ensuring equal justice for all of our clients. The Office is led by the Public Defender, Stacy A. Scott.
Stacy was appointed Public Defender of the Eighth Judicial Circuit by Governor Charlie Crist in 2010. In 2012, Stacy was elected to office by the people of the Eighth Judicial Circuit, and subsequently re-elected in 2016. Stacy passionately defends the rights of indigent people accused of crimes and has dedicated her entire professional career to ensuring fairness and integrity in our criminal justice system. Prior to becoming the elected Public Defender, Stacy served as an Assistant Public Defender in the Eighth Judicial Circuit for over 10 years. She has also served as an Assistant State Attorney, and worked in the private sector as a criminal defense attorney. For over 20 years, Stacy has litigated criminal cases ranging from misdemeanors to serious felony cases.
Immediately prior to becoming the elected Public Defender, Stacy was the County Court Supervisor for the Public Defender’s Office in the Eighth Judicial Circuit. In her role as County Court Supervisor, Stacy was responsible for training and supervising all Assistant Public Defenders practicing in the misdemeanor divisions. Stacy has also practiced in the juvenile division of the Public Defender’s Office, advocating for the rights of children charged with crimes. While in the juvenile division, Stacy worked tirelessly for children who were participating in the Juvenile Drug Court Program in Alachua County, serving as a mentor both inside and outside of the courtroom. Stacy has worked in felony divisions throughout the Eighth Circuit, and has tried numerous serious felony cases.
Since taking office in 2010, Stacy has become an effective policy advocate in Tallahassee on issues related to criminal justice and on funding for Public Defenders statewide. She is a key leader of the legislative team working on behalf of the Florida Public Defenders Association (FPDA). Currently she is the Chairperson of the Appropriations Committee for the FPDA. Stacy was the recipient of the 2017 Craig Stewart Barnard Outstanding Service Award for her relentless pursuit of justice and outstanding service to the FPDA and its members. Stacy also received both the 2017 and 2018 President’s Award for exemplary legislative advocacy on behalf of the Public Defenders.
Additionally, Stacy has dedicated herself to teaching aspiring lawyers. She is an Adjunct Faculty member at the University Of Florida Levin College Of Law. Stacy has also served as Intern Director for the Levin College of Law’s Public Defender Clinic, training and supervising of a class of interns each semester. Stacy is an instructor in the Trial Practice program at UF’s law school and at the Gerald T. Bennett Prosecutor and Public Defender Trial Training Program. She has also been a coach of UF law school’s Trial Team, leading the team to two national civil rights championships in 2005 and 2007.
Stacy is committed to the highest degree of ethics and professionalism in the practice of law. Stacy has participated in regulating lawyer conduct by serving two terms on the Florida Bar Grievance Committee, 8B. Additionally, Stacy served on the Florida Bar’s Commission on Review of the Discipline System (the Hawkins Commission). She is a longtime member of the James C. Adkins Chapter of the American Inns of Court, the Eighth Judicial Circuit Bar Association and the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys.
Stacy earned her J.D. with Honors from the University Of Florida College Of Law in 1995 and holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Florida | politics |
https://nato-intl.com/joint-press-point-with-nato-secretary-general-jens-stoltenberg-and-german-defence-minister-annegret-kramp-karrenbauer/ | 2024-02-27T18:08:40 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947474676.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20240227153053-20240227183053-00597.warc.gz | 0.966592 | 1,738 | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__44287220 | en | So Minister Kramp-Karrenbauer, Annegret, welcome. It is great to see you so soon after your appointment. And let me first congratulate you on your appointment as Defence Minister of Germany.
I welcome also your strong personal commitment to our Alliance, to NATO. And Germany has been for many many years a staunch supporter of NATO and you contribute to NATO in many different ways. Germany leads the NATO battle group in Lithuania, you are one of the lead nations in Afghanistan, and you participate in NATO maritime operations and in many other missions and activities including Kosovo in the Balkans.
I also welcome the fact that you’ve been so committed and clear to the importance of increased defence spending. We live in a more unpredictable world and therefore we need to invest more in our security. We are faced with a more assertive Russia, we see the demise of the INF Treaty, and therefore there is a need for a strong unity in NATO to respond to the challenges we are faced with.
I really look forward to working together with you, addressing a wide range of different issues, and also to discuss them later on during the lunch we’ll have today. One of the issues we are faced with is the situation in Afghanistan, where we see continued violence but also new possibilities for peace.
So once again, congratulations and warm welcome to my house and to the lunch, and I look forward to working closely with you in the time that comes.
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer [Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany]:
[Translated from German]
Thank you, Secretary General Stoltenberg,
It is truly a great pleasure and a great honour, and it was also a particular wish of mine, that my first foreign trip as Defence Minister should bring me here to NATO in Brussels. I appreciate it very much and would like to express my sincere thanks for the opportunity for a personal exchange that we shall have today.
I made it very clear in my government statement, and it is also my deep conviction, that NATO is our anchor, our frame of reference for the security we are striving for together. Germany is therefore proud to be an important part of NATO and proud above all that we stand by the agreements we have made.
I am very glad that you have just mentioned once again the contribution Germany makes in the various missions and with the possibilities that we offer. But we in Germany have in recent years set ourselves the goal of building up, of rebuilding, the Federal Armed Forces. It is a goal that comes from national aims, but also from commitments and obligations to the Alliance. And to achieve this goal, in our own national interests too, we need the appropriate resources to be able to carry these efforts through. And that means we need 1.5% of gross domestic product by 2024 and we must also continue along the ever-upward path in pursuit of fulfilment of our obligations within NATO as regards the 2% target. That will be one of the upcoming tasks and one of the upcoming debates in German politics.
We are a loyal partner and a loyal member state of NATO, and we want to remain so in the future too. And with that in mind I look forward to the joint discussion, but also and above all to the joint effort.
Oana Lungescu [NATO spokesperson]: Okay, we have time for a couple of questions, DPA?
Question [DPA]: Secretary General, a question on Iran: do you personally support the US maritime security initiative? And would you recommend Allies to join this initiative. [In German]
Jens Stoltenberg: NATO Allies are concerned about the situation in the Gulf and the freedom of navigation is, of course, of great importance for all NATO Allies. And several NATO Allies have already assets in the Gulf, but there has been no request for a NATO mission in the Gulf.
NATO Allies also share their concerns about the activities of Iran in the region. Their destabilising activities; their support for different terrorist groups; the Iranian missile programme and also the fact that they have resumed enrichment of uranium. So we continue to follow the situation very closely. We exchange intelligence information about the situation and, for instance, at the Defence Ministerial Meeting of NATO in June, this was an issue that was discussed at the meeting and between NATO Allies, where also they discussed the possibility of Allies contributing assets, but not as part of a NATO mission.
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer: [In German]
Question [ZDF]: Friday will mark the end of the INF Treaty, as you’ve just mentioned. What does that mean for the security of the West and what consequences should we draw from it. How will NATO react? [In German]
Jens Stoltenberg: The INF Treaty has been a cornerstone for European security for decades, because the INF Treaty bans a whole category of weapons, all intermediate-range weapons. And therefore we have called on Russia again and again to come back into compliance and to respect the INF Treaty. The problem and the reason why we now see the demise of the INF Treaty is that Russia is violating the treaty. Russia has, over several years, deployed new intermediate-range weapons. They are dual-capable, they can carry nuclear weapons, they can reach European cities within minutes, they are mobile, hard to detect and they also reduce the threshold of any potential use of nuclear weapons in armed conflict.
Of course, we still call on Russia to come back into compliance to save the treaty, but at the same time we are prepared for a world without the INF Treaty, with more Russian missiles. And the NATO defence ministers made a decision at our meeting in June that we will respond, but we will respond in a defensive, coordinated and measured way. We will look into conventional options: air and missile defence, better intelligence, exercises and also new initiatives on arms control. We will not mirror what Russia is doing. We don’t intend to deploy new nuclear land-based systems in Europe. But, of course, we have to make sure that also after the demise of the INF Treaty with more Russian missiles in Europe, we need to make sure that we continue to have credible deterrence and defence and we will do what is necessary to maintain credible deterrence and defence.
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer: [In German]
Question [Deutschlandfunk]: I have a question on burden-sharing to both of you. [In German] And to the Secretary General, how optimistic are you that the new German Minister of Defence will be able to make sure that Germany will reach 1.5 percent GDP in 2024, maybe even 2 percent? Thank you.
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer: [In German]
Jens Stoltenberg: I am confident that Germany will make good on the promises that Germany and all other Allies made back in 2014. We have to remember that the pledge to increase defence spending was something we all agreed at the NATO summit in Wales in 2014. This is something we do because it is in our security interests to invest more.
NATO Allies reduced defence spending after the end of the Cold War because then tensions went down. But when we are cutting defence spending when tensions are going down, we have to be able to increase defence spending when tensions are increasing, as we see now. And I welcome the fact that Germany has started to increase. We have seen a significant increase in German defence spending over the last years and we have also seen the fact that Germany, as the Minister referred to, has submitted plans to NATO showing that the increase will continue, as promised in the national plan submitted by Germany to NATO.
Let me also add that I’m a politician and I know that politicians, they prefer to spend money on health, on education, on infrastructure instead of defence. And that’s the reason why we reduced when tensions went down. But sometimes it is necessary to invest more in defence. And now we see new challenges, new threats, and therefore we need to increase defence spending. And I’m absolutely certain that, not only Germany, but also other Allies, will meet the promises and the pledges they made back in 2014.
Oana Lungescu: Thank you very much.
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer: Thank you.
Jens Stoltenberg: Thank you so much. | politics |
http://www.albertastudents.ca/stakeholder-relations | 2018-07-21T15:06:46 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-30/segments/1531676592636.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20180721145209-20180721165209-00332.warc.gz | 0.898976 | 678 | CC-MAIN-2018-30 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-30__0__72396635 | en | Position Title: Stakeholder Relations Coordinator
Reporting Structure: Reports to the Executive Director
Organizational Status: Full-Time Contract
Compensation: $36,000 per year
Application deadline: July 3, 2013
Position Summary: The Alberta Students’ Executive Council (ASEC) is currently seeking a Stakeholder Relations Coordinator to help connect internal and external stakeholders to the work of our advocacy organization. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Stakeholder Relations Coordinator will be a key member of ASEC’s home office. The ideal candidate for this role will be outgoing, organized, self-motivated, collaborative and politically savvy.
Duties: The responsibilities of the Stakeholder Relations Coordinator will include:
External Stakeholder and Government Relations
• Under the guidance of the Executive Director, monitor the external environment for news items on political matters salient to ASEC
• Organize meetings with elected officials and sector partners
• Gather, read, analyze and interpret topical post-secondary education research, studies, and policy documents
• Support the senior executive team by preparing briefing notes, fact sheets, research summaries and issues backgrounders
• Provide research and analytical support as required
• Contribute to the enhancement and maintenance of ASEC’s public reputation, including acting as a public spokesperson of ASEC at functions and events
• Provide information support for presentations, government briefing packages, public relations materials, and other publications
• Help identify, lead and nurture relationships with potential sponsors and supporters of ASEC.
Member and Alumni Relations
• Proactively manage ongoing communications with ASEC members and alumni, including preparing monthly newsletters and fielding calls with ASEC members
• File and maintain ASEC’s physical archives and records
• Create, organize and maintain relevant templates, documents and records within a cloud-based storage system
• Assist members in coordinating internal conferences
• Maintain internal wikis and microsites
• Help draft internal orientation manuals, training documents and other key deliverables
• Assist in managing special projects, member-related events and initiatives
• Maintain up-to-date contact list of media contacts and inventory of press materials
• Assist in writing and distributing media kits and press releases
• Fielding media inquiries and making pitch calls
Other duties as required.
• Self-starter with good organizational skills;
• Exceptional research, writing, policy analysis and critical thinking skills;
• Able to work independently and collaborate remotely, as needed;
• Minimum of two years of post-secondary education with strong academic background in political science, communications, public policy, or related subject;
• Good understanding of and keen interest in political and post-secondary landscape in Alberta;
• Previous experience working with student advocacy or not-for-profit organizations is a bonus.
• Experience with making quantitative analysis media / public ready
• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Office, and Wordpress
• Excellent English written and oral communication skills
• Ability to work as a team member and on his/her own initiative when the situation demands.
How to apply:
Send cover letter and resume via email to [email protected]
We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those individuals selected for an interview will be contacted.
No phone calls please. | politics |
http://www.kwalee.com/2012/03/16/tiga-promoting-the-growth-of-the-uk-games-industry/ | 2013-06-19T04:48:54 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707773051/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123613-00067-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.977611 | 181 | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2013-20__0__69168261 | en | TIGA, the UK trade association for the games industry, yesterday held an important event at the House of Commons in London.
The meeting was designed to promote the growth of the UK games industry and was attended by many important figures from our line of work, including Kwalee CMO, Bruce Everiss.
There was a lunch held in the Churchill Dining Room in the House of Commons, followed by drinks at the nearby Red Lion pub. The experience was a glimpse into British history and a chance to see inside Westminster Hall, which was built in 1097 and has been central in much of England’s history.
Through events like these, the video game industry in the UK can achieve the political presence it needs to continue to compete and grow on the world stage versus the likes of the USA, Canada and Japan. Kwalee is going to be right there with them. | politics |
https://t-o.org.ua/discussiononlgbt | 2020-07-16T12:49:13 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593657169226.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20200716122414-20200716152414-00181.warc.gz | 0.965377 | 690 | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2020-29__0__133439640 | en | Discussion on LGBT and anti-gender movements in the political sphere
NGO Fulcrum UA in cooperation with NGO KyivPride and NGO Insight organized a discussion on LGBT and anti-gender movements in the political context.
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During the discussion anti-gender movements and LGBT people in Ukraine were discussed, as well as how to form the most effective response to them and how to involve political parties and leaders in supporting LGBT and gender equality.
In particular, during the event Tymur Levchuk presented a research "Political views, participation and obstacles for LGBT+ community and allies". According to the study, LGBT people and their allies support Ukraine's European integration and joining NATO. Tymur suggested that LGBT community should strengthen cooperation with Ukrainian political parties which have similar goals in their party programs and also inform them that LGBT people and their allies are parties' potential voters and their their support.
Olena Shevchenko, head of NGO "Insight", said that anti-LGBT and anti-gender movements have external funding and political influence, that is why LGBT and LGBT allies have to cooperate with political parties to counter destructive movements.
The event was also attended by Milosz Hodun, representative of the liberal party Nowoczesna, who spoke about the Polish experience in countering anti-gender movements as well as the EU tools that could be useful for activists in Ukraine. He shared how LGBT community in Poland has established cooperation with political parties and how LGBT people themselves have become engaged in political movements - becoming nominees within local and national movements.
A representative of the Green Party of Ukraine Tetyana Bodun shared with the participants that the party supports LGBT people and is open for LGBT people and allies, who also share the values of environmental protection, to join.
During the discussion, participants agreed on several steps that LGBT community should take in the future:
- NGO KyivPride agreed to include a political discussion with the involvement of Ukrainian politicians and members of parliament in the Pride Week in order to build partnerships and trusting relations;
- NGO Fulcrum UA will continue working with politicians and conducting educational activities for them;
- All participants agreed on the necessity to mobilize community leaders in order to facilitate their participation in local elections;
- LGBT people should take part in activities of political parties and raise LGBT-related issues on the party congresses
- We as a community should launch educational events for LGBT and allies on the skills needed to stand for election or be an assistant to a member of the parliament - NDI has already launched a relevant training course, and NGO Fulcrum UA under the support of Norway is expecting to launch courses and internships for LGBT and allies.
This initiative is conducted by NGO FULCRUM UA with the support of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), Global Affairs Canada. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of IFES, government of Canada.
POLITICAL VIEWS, PARTICIPATION AND OBSTACLES FOR LGBT+ COMMUNITY AND ALLIES
LGBT + community and allies demonstrate high electoral activity, and the self-evaluation shows more than 64% electoral engagement in elections (by voting) in 2019.
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Feel free to write, call and visit us. We really love to communicate. | politics |
https://crowleyforcongress.com/?page_id=803 | 2020-07-03T12:38:46 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593655882051.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20200703122347-20200703152347-00438.warc.gz | 0.965978 | 1,187 | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2020-29__0__17468626 | en | Congressman Crowley Endorsed by LGBTQ+ Community Leaders
June 07, 2018
(Queens, NY) — Today, Congressman Joe Crowley (D-Queens, the Bronx), Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, was endorsed by leaders of the LGBTQ+ community in New York and across the country.
“Now, more than ever, we need bold progressive leadership in Washington to lead the fight against Donald Trump and his destructive agenda,” said New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. “That is why I enthusiastically endorse Congressman Joe Crowley for re-election. Throughout his career, Congressman Crowley has achieved concrete results for the people of his district while fighting for the values that define our country. Whether its creating good-paying jobs, protecting Social Security or defending the social safety net, Joe has delivered for New Yorkers. These turbulent times call for leaders like Joe Crowley, and I’m proud to support him.”
“Joe Crowley is the right person for the job,” said openly-gay New York City Council Member Daniel Dromm. “With the Trump White House threatening to erase the progress the LGBT-rights movement has made in recent years, it is imperative that we have a proven ally fighting for us in DC. Congressman Crowley has shown that he has the intelligence and determination to deliver for LGBT Americans. I know he will continue to help make historic gains for our community and I am proud to endorse him.”
“Congressman Crowley has long been a champion of LGBT equality. A supporter of my right to be married to Dan Hendrick, our Congressman battles in Washington on our behalf on a daily basis,” said New York City Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer. “And as the son of union parents, I know Congressman Crowley believes deeply in the rights of workers and the dignity of all work. A staunch ally of labor, our Congressman is helping to provide better pay and benefits to workers across this country.”
“Joe is one of the most progressive, effective Congress members in the country,” said former Speaker of the New York City Council Chris Quinn. “Women, LGBTQ individuals, immigrants, and so many other individuals have an ally in Joe. He has always stood with us – even when he was the only one. I proudly endorse Joe Crowley.”
“Congressman Crowley has always been there for the LGBT community. Importantly, he has the respect of his colleagues and a grasp of the issues. Beyond being a full supporter of LGBT rights, having Congressman Crowley in the room gives the LGBT community an invaluable ally who knows how government works. His leadership in the House means zero tolerance for exclusion or going backward,” said former New York City Councilman James Vacca.
“Congressman Crowley has been a consistent advocate for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community and for a woman’s right to choose. He has been at the forefront of the fight to turn Congress blue and a leading voice against the tyranny of the current administration,” said the Jim Owels Liberal Democratic Club. “Rep. Crowley has been a leader in efforts to protect immigrants and combat deportations and the breakup of families. Jim Owles Liberal
Michael Mallon, President of the Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens, said, “The Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens is thrilled to announce its endorsement of Congressman Joe Crowley! As a dedicated and determined ally, Joe has been a strong voice for the LGBTQ communities in Queens and the Bronx in Congress. With the Trump administration stopping at nothing to turn back the progress that has been made, Joe has been the outspoken, progressive leader we need in the fight for full equality. Joe Crowley has stood by us and we look forward to standing by him as we work to re-elect him to Congress.”
“The Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City is proud to endorse Congressman Joe Crowley for reelection. From his advocacy for anti-discrimination legislation to his work in helping push marriage equality over the line in New York, Joe has been unwavering in his support for the LGBT community. At a time when LGBT rights are under attack by the Trump administration and House Republicans, Joe’s fierce advocacy for LGBT New Yorkers in Queens and the Bronx is needed now more than ever. Stonewall Democrats are proud to support Congressman Crowley and look forward to sending him back to Washington to continue the fight against injustice,” said Stonewall Democratic Club’s Rod Townsend.
Congressman Crowley has been a longtime ally to the LGBTQ+ community in New York and across the United States. Congressman Crowley has led the fight for Federal funding for HOPWA – Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS – the only federal housing program for people with HIV/AIDS. He also strongly advocated for legislation to amend U.S. immigration law to allow U. S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to sponsor their permanent partners for residency.
In 2015, Congressman Crowley joined an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in support of legalizing same-sex marriage. In March of 2014, Congressman Crowley urged President Obama to issue an executive order requiring that federal contractors not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, which the president did shortly after.
In 2011, Joe whipped state legislators on the need for marriage equality in New York. In 2010, Joe voted to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy so gays and lesbians could serve openly in the military Congressman Crowley also proudly voted for legislation to expand the definition of a hate crime to include crimes motivated by bias against the victim’s sexual orientation, gender, identity or disability.
Chairman Crowley proudly represents New York’s 14th Congressional District, which includes portions of Queens and the Bronx. | politics |
http://www.smgov.net/departments/council/wrapup.aspx | 2013-12-09T01:25:15 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-48/segments/1386163839270/warc/CC-MAIN-20131204133039-00083-ip-10-33-133-15.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.877852 | 2,446 | CC-MAIN-2013-48 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2013-48__0__200141682 | en | COMPLETED DRAFT AGENDA
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA AND
(REDEVELOPMENT SUCCESSOR AGENCY CANCELLED)
CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS - 1685 MAIN STREET
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2013
MEETING BEGINS AT 5:30 P.M.
CALL TO ORDER
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
(Please note that Agenda Items may be reordered during the Council meeting at the discretion of the City Council.)
1. CLOSED SESSIONS:
1-A: Conference with Legal - Existing Litigation - Litigation has been initiated formally pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9 (d)(1) - Hopkins v. City of Santa Monica, Los Angeles Superior Court Case No. SC 115737
ACTION: Approved settlement in the amount of $96,920.
1-B: Conference with Legal Counsel - Existing Litigation - Litigation has been initiated formally pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9 (d)(1) - Lee v. City of Santa Monica, Los Angeles Superior Court Case Number SC 119369
ACTION: Heard. No reportable action taken.
The following is the order of business for items to be heard no earlier than 6:30 p.m.
3. CONSENT CALENDAR: (All items will be considered and approved in one motion unless removed by a Councilmember for discussion.)
3-A: Approval of minutes of October 8, 2013, City Council meeting.
3-B: Cancellation of a regular Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, December 24, 2013.
3-C: Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the Submittal of an Application to the California Coastal Commission Local Coastal Program Planning Grant Program for funding in Fiscal Year 2013-14 and the Execution of Documents Necessary to participate in the Program.
3-D: Purchase Order Modification for Electrical and Street Lighting Supplies - recommendation that City Council approve a change order to Purchase Order 22785-OF with Electric Supply Connection, in the amount of $45,000 to cover purchases of electrical and street lighting supplies for the remainder of FY 2013-14, resulting in a revised purchase order total not to exceed $127,250.
3-E: Approve Statement of Official Action for a Conditional Use Permit (13CUP004) and Parking Variance (13VAR005)to allow the operation of an exercise facility, and to allow a parking variance to satisfy off-street parking requirements associated with the proposed use at 2433 Main Street, with revised findings and conditions as approved on October 22, 2013.
3-F: Modification to Santa Monica Historical Society Museum Lease - recommendation to authorize the City Manager to: negotiate and execute a first modification of Lease Agreement No. 7895 with the Santa Monica Historical Society Museum, to permit alcohol to be served on Museum premises for two fundraising events per calendar year; and to update the Museum's insurance requirements.
3-G: Proposition 1B Transit Security Grant Funds Application - recommendation that the City Council adopt a resolution authorizing the application for Proposition 1B grant funds in the amount of $534,182 from the California Office of Emergency Services for the BBB's Transit Security Improvement Project; authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents to apply for the grant, if awarded, and accept all grant renewals, if awarded, and authorize budget changes.
3-H: Reject Bids for the Real-Time Beach Parking Project - recommendation to reject all bids received for the Real-Time Beach Parking Project, and direct staff to reissue a bid in order to obtain the best bidder for the Real-Time Beach Parking Project.
3-I: Purchase Order Modification and Bid Award for Pier Lumber - recommendation that City Council approve a change order to purchase order 21995-OF with Gemini Forest Products, in the amount of $40,000 for purchase and delivery of lumber to the Santa Monica Pier, resulting in a revised purchase order total not to exceed $80,000 through June 30, 2014; and approve an increase to the bid award to Gemini Forest Products in the amount of $40,000 to the bid award for purchase and delivery of lumber to the Santa Monica Pier from July 1, 2014 through October 23, 2015 for a new three-year amended agreement total amount not to exceed $195,000.
3-J: Bid Award for Purchase of Cold Milling Machine - recommendation that the City Council award Bid #4108 to Nixon-Egli Equipment Co. in the amount of $144,484, for the purchase and delivery of one Wirtgen compact cold milling machine.
3-K: Amend Purchase Order for One Additional Irrigation Truck - recommendation to approve a change order to Purchase Order No. 360797 with Thorson Motor Center, in the amount of $61,047 for the purchase and delivery of one additional compressed natural gas (CNG) special body irrigation truck, resulting in an amended purchase order with a new total amount not to exceed $179,097, and appropriate budget increases.
3-L: Award Construction Contract for Green Bike Lanes on Main Street and Broadway - recommendation that the City Manager negotiate and execute a construction contract with Chrisp Company in an amount not to exceed $523,852 for the installation of Green Bike Lanes on Main Street and Broadway, and authorize any necessary changes.
REGULAR MEETING OF THE REDEVELOPMENT SUCESSOR AGENCY
3-M: Cancelled, no business to consider.
7. ORDINANCES: (Public comment is permitted on ordinances for introduction and first reading. No public discussion is permitted on ordinances for second reading and adoption.)
7-A: Second reading and Adoption of an Ordinance Amending Santa Monica Municipal Code Chapter 2.24, Purchasing System.
7-B: Second reading and Adoption of an Ordinance approving the Proposed Development Agreement 11DEV-009 to allow a 6-story hotel development project (Hampton Inn & Suites) consisting of 143 guest rooms, up to 78,750 SF floor area, and up to 108 parking spaces within a two-level subterranean parking garage at 501 Colorado Avenue.
7-C: Second reading and Adoption of an Ordinance approving the Proposed Development Agreement 11DEV-010 to allow a 6-story hotel development project (Courtyard by Marriott) consisting of 136 guest rooms, up to 78,750 SF floor area, and up to 108 parking spaces within a two-level subterranean parking garage at 1554 5th Street.
7-D: Introduction and First Reading of an Ordinance amending Section 2.12.260 of the Santa Monica Municipal Code Granting Limited Authority to the Finance Director to Waive Debts and Taxes Deemed Uncollectable and Make Available as a Matter of Public Record a List of the Largest Tax Delinquencies.
7-E: Introduction and First Reading of an Ordinance amending Chapter 6.112 of the Santa Monica Municipal Code clarifying conditions for suspension, denial or revocation of street performance permits, and authorizing staff to promulgate official regulations governing the Pier street performance lottery system in order to prohibit certain disruptive behaviors, including but not limited to, the selling or giving away of performance space awarded by the lottery.
ACTION: Introduced, as amended.
8. STAFF ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS:
8-A: Pier Bridge Replacement Project Status - recommendation that the City Council review and comment on the proposed conceptual alternatives for the Pier Bridge Replacement Project; direct staff to move forward with the NEPA and CEQA environmental review phase of the Project considering the proposed conceptual alternative number 1 and alternative number 4; and authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a third modification to Professional Services Agreement #9642 (CCS), with T. Y. Lin International in the amount of $400,000 to provide additional public outreach, NEPA and CEQA environmental review documentation and preliminary design development, resulting in an amended agreement with a new total amount not to exceed $1,250,000.
ACTION: Approved, as amended.
8-B: Food Truck Venues in the Main Street Commercial District - recommendation that the City Council: review the survey data from the Main Street businesses and food truck patrons; and, direct staff to include in the updated Zoning Ordinance standards to permit off-street food truck venues in the Main Street area, for a period of three years with the potential for permit renewal.
ACTION: Approved, as amended.
8-C: Commemoration of Santa Monica's War Dead at Woodlawn Cemetery, Mortuary, and Mausoleum (Woodlawn) - recommendation that the City Council review and comment on the proposed design for a commemorative wall at Woodlawn honoring Santa Monica residents who have fought and died in war; and, approve the proposed design, cost and timeline.
ACTION: Approved, with amendments.
11-A: Modification to City Policy on Term Limits for City Boards and Commissions - recommendation that the City Council adopt a resolution modifying the City's policy on term limits for City Boards and Commissions.
13. COUNCILMEMBER DISCUSSION ITEMS:
13-A: Boards and Commissions Annual Appointments (Continued from 9/10/13)
No. of Appts.
ACTION: Berley appointed.
13-B: Recommendation to accept Melissa Dagodag's resignation from the Commission on the Status of Women and authorize the City Clerk to publish the vacancy.
14. PUBLIC INPUT: (Public comment is permitted only on items not on the agenda that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the City. State law prohibits the City Council from taking any action on items not listed on the agenda, including issues raised under this agenda item.)
Adjourned at 8:49 p.m.
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For a free subscription to City Council Agendas sign up at http://www01.smgov.net/win or call the City Clerk's Office at (310) 458-8211.
Any member of the public unable to attend a meeting but wishing to comment on an item(s) listed on the agenda may submit written comments prior to the meeting by mailing them to: City Clerk, 1685 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Comments may also be e-mailed to: [email protected]
Si desea comunicarse con alguien en español, llame a nuestra oficina al (310) 458-8211 y pida hablar con Esterlina Lugo.
City Hall and the Council Chamber is wheelchair accessible. If you require any special disability related accommodations (i.e. sign language interpreting, access to an amplified sound system, etc.), please contact the City Clerk's Office at (310) 458-8211 or TDD: (310) 917-6626 at least 3 days prior to the scheduled meeting. This agenda is available in alternate format upon request by calling the City Clerk's Office.
Parking is available in front of City Hall and on Olympic Drive and in the Civic Center Parking Structure (validation free). | politics |
https://carlep.gov.bt/congratulation-to-mr-houngbo-for-the-6th-presidency-of-ifad/ | 2023-09-29T13:12:28 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510516.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20230929122500-20230929152500-00301.warc.gz | 0.94802 | 304 | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-40__0__957114 | en | Congratulation to Mr. Houngbo for the 6th Presidency of IFAD.
Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo is appointed as sixth president of International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD). Prior to the presidency, Mr. Houngo was the Prime Minister of Togo.
IFAD is a specialized United Nations agency and international financial institution that invests in eradicating rural poverty in developing countries around the world.
“I have come from the rural world. I have first-hand knowledge of the harshness of this kind of life,” said Houngbo, who was appointed by IFAD’s member states at the organization’s annual Governing Council meeting.
Houngbo takes up the helm at a time when changing government priorities and the more immediate needs of humanitarian crises – like natural disasters, conflict and refugees – threaten to divert funding away from long-term development.
“We have to keep our ambition and at the same time be realistic and pragmatic,” he said. “We have to demonstrate that every dollar invested will have the highest value for money.”
Houngbo succeeds Kanayo F. Nwanze, who was President for two terms beginning in April 2009. Houngbo will take office on 1 April 2017. View more…
The Royal Government of Bhutan and the CARLEP joins the IFAD areas in congratulating Mr Houngbo for the presidency. | politics |
http://fedline.federaltimes.com/2011/08/01/10726/ | 2024-04-12T16:02:46 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296816024.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20240412132154-20240412162154-00398.warc.gz | 0.956568 | 262 | CC-MAIN-2024-18 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__113647291 | en | It wasn’t exactly a primal scream, but Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood sounded decidedly ticked this afternoon over the congressional standoff that has idled almost 4,000 Federal Aviation Administration workers.
That impasse is now in its tenth day, with no apparent end in sight. Amping up the urgency is that Congress is set to leave by week’s end for its customary August break. Meaning that, without a quick resolution, those FAA employees could stay furloughed without pay through at least Labor Day. Also affected, according to LaHood, are some 70,000 construction workers employed on FAA contracts snarled by the dispute.
During this afternoon’s conference call with reporters, LaHood and FAA Deputy Administrator Michael Huerta didn’t have much news, apart from acknowledging conversations with top members of Congress and staff. But LaHood, a former House member, pointedly chided lawmakers to act before heading out on “vacation.”
Members of Congress, of course, don’t like the v-word. For the Senate, the preferred term of art is “state work period.” House members officially label the break a “district work period.” | politics |
https://www.idinsight.org/person/kathy-calvin/ | 2024-04-22T00:47:09 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296818067.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20240421225303-20240422015303-00029.warc.gz | 0.98277 | 144 | CC-MAIN-2024-18 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__105600156 | en | Kathy Calvin is a UN Foundation Board member whose career has spanned work in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. She most recently led the UN Foundation in its work supporting global cooperation and multilateral problem solving for more than 16 years before retiring in 2020. In the 1980s, she served as press secretary for Senator Gary Hart in his Senate office and first Presidential campaign. She was also a top executive at U.S. News and World Report and was Chief Communications Officer for AOL and the then President of the AOL Time Warner Foundation. Throughout her career, Kathy has taken an active role in a range of philanthropic activities and has been a champion for the inclusion of women at all levels and in all sectors. | politics |
http://www.selfgovernment.us/10/category/gingrich/1.html | 2014-04-16T18:56:43 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-15/segments/1397609524644.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20140416005204-00087-ip-10-147-4-33.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.943645 | 419 | CC-MAIN-2014-15 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2014-15__0__109038811 | en | The Witherspoon Institute - Public Discourse
Those who oppose judicial supremacy follow in the footsteps of Abraham Lincoln himself.
Newt Gingrich’s statements about the judiciary during the December 15, 2011, GOP debate and on Bob Schieffer’s Face the Nation the following weekend ignited a firestorm over his view of American constitutionalism that has been smoldering in the media for several months now. His challenge to judicial supremacy—the idea that the Supreme Court has the last word on the meaning of the Constitution—has been much condemned, particularly because Gingrich’s argument also criticizes the declaration of judicial supremacy in the Court’s 1958 desegregation decision, Cooper v. Aaron. Ian Millhiser of Think Progress was quick to accuse the former Speaker of siding with the white supremacists of the 1950s when Gingrich first released his position paper on the judiciary in October.
Although the media’s breathless denunciations suggest otherwise, Gingrich is not the first public figure to challenge the Cooper Court’s assertion of its supremacy over constitutional interpretation. Attorney General Edwin Meese did the same in a 1986 lecture at Tulane University. Meese’s address elicited a similarly angry response from the press, especially from columnist Anthony Lewis, who made Cooper the centerpiece of his appraisal of Meese’s speech. As was the case in 1986, the debate over Cooper in the past few months has been confused, epitomized by the New York Times’ recent suggestion that Gingrich’s critique of Cooper has “disturbing racial undertones.” The Times and others misunderstand the history and law of that famous case. Those who argue that the Supreme Court is not the ultimate arbiter of the Constitution’s meaning need not deny the fact that Cooper was rightly decided; they can and do celebrate the courage of that opinion.
Cooper v. Aaron came to the Supreme Court under extraordinary circumstances, the drama of which is matched by... Read this important article at thepublicdiscourse.com ... | politics |
https://memorywf.hypotheses.org/tag/genocides | 2024-02-27T20:45:48 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947474686.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20240227184934-20240227214934-00261.warc.gz | 0.928257 | 821 | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__139987483 | en | Des étudiants participants au cours de Madame Sandrine Lefranc à la Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) de Sciences Po, ont effectué ce travail collectif et en ont fait un blog. Vous trouverez ci-dessous l’introduction de leur travail.
Pour en savoir plus, visitez leur blog :
Is the creation of a “guide” on how to prevent genocides possible?
After the Shoah and with the adoption of the Genocide Convention in 1948 the world said: “Never again”. The tragedies of the 1990s, particularly in Srebrenica and the genocide in Rwanda, however, spoke another language: It happened again.
In the aftermath, the world vowed again that this would and must not happen again. An international consensus on the need to prevent mass atrocities established and notably the end of the Cold War played into an optimism that conflict resolution was possible and that the UN could finally resume the role that was envisaged during its foundation.
This enthusiasm came along with reports on how to improve UN’s capacities in peacekeeping, peace making and preventive diplomacy. The Agenda for Peace as well as the Supplement to An Agenda for Peace “placed new emphasis on the need for the UN to address not only inter-state but also intra-state conflict, highlighting the UN’s responsibility to mitigate disputes as early as possible through preventive diplomacy, as well as addressing underlying causes”.
Another important document was the Carnegie’s Commission report from 1997 on “Preventing Deadly Conflict”. Amongst others, it clarified and broadened the concept of conflict prevention by differentiating two forms of prevention: structural and operational prevention. This approach was adopted by the UN with the report “Prevention of Armed Conflict” by Kofi Annan in 2001.
“As the concept of prevention began to take shape […] the same framework was adopted for the prevention of mass atrocities”. Most important was the evolvement of the concept of the Responsibility to Protect. In the 2001 report of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, this concept was developed referring to three responsibilities: The responsibility to prevent, the responsibility to react and the responsibility to rebuild.
Not only within the United Nations, but generally the prevention of genocides has been object to plenty of research. From various perspectives and field of studies, mechanisms underlying genocidal processes, risk factors, options for prevention and intervention and reconciliation and reconstruction of societies have been dealt with.
While research on the prevention of genocides expanded and guides and recommendations how to prevent it have been developed, the world is still struggling with mass atrocities and the world still seems to lack an idea how to prevent tragedies such as currently in Syria.
Instead of developing new ideas on genocide prevention, on who, how and when to intervene, we take another approach and question the underlying idea, that we can develop something like a “guide on genocide prevention”. Is it really possible to ascribe a recipe on how, who and when to intervene?
The blog thus aims at identifying the difficulties of creating guides on conflict prevention. It is based on the idea that better understanding the challenges of genocide prevention can play is essential for understanding how prevention of genocides and mass atrocities may work.
To answer the question whether the creation of a guide on conflict prevention is possible, we will have a look at the question of whether we can define genocides and difficulties of determining “root causes” of genocides and predict their occurrence. We will also draw conclusions from guides and research that already exist by considering how promising literature and guides on genocide prevention are. In a second step, we will try to get a better understanding about the difficulty to create guides by having a closer look at recommendations and research on the prevention of Genocide, reacting to genocides and rebuilding societies after violent conflict took place. | politics |
http://www.prixronaldduhamelaward.mb.ca/index_en.htm | 2024-02-28T03:12:20 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947474690.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20240228012542-20240228042542-00715.warc.gz | 0.946442 | 267 | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__49653480 | en | Prix Ronald-Duhamel – Ronald Duhamel Award
Officially launched in March 2005, the Prix Ronald-Duhamel – Ronald Duhamel Award was created to recognize an employee or a group of employees of a governmental or quasi-governmental body at the federal, provincial or municipal level for distinguished service to Manitoba’s Francophone community. This biennial Award is a joint initiative of the Société de la francophonie manitobaine, the Federal Government, the Manitoba Francophone Affairs Secretariat, and the Manitoba Association of Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM).
The award has been named in honour of Ronald Duhamel and his significant contributions, first as a senior public servant in the Government of Manitoba and then as a federal MP, minister and senator. During his career, Mr. Duhamel did much to promote the cultural, educational, economic and political development of the Franco-Manitoban community. He also supported a number of minority Francophone community initiatives at the national level. Furthermore, Mr. Ronald Duhamel played a leading role in representing Francophone minority community interests to his colleagues, for the purpose of raising their awareness and ensuring that the necessary influence was exerted to bring about significant change and normalize the communities’ relationship with the various levels of government. | politics |
https://relatebookmarks.com/building-cities-not-camps-advice-for-tackling-the-refugee-crisis-world/ | 2022-10-02T06:24:40 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030337287.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20221002052710-20221002082710-00146.warc.gz | 0.94799 | 1,673 | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-40__0__236381887 | en | As the risks of fragility, conflict, violence, climate change and famine have soared in recent decades, the number of people fleeing their homes and seeking shelter has risen to 27 million. By 2050, it is expected to quadruple. A large proportion of current migrants — and a much larger proportion of future climate change refugees — will not return to their home countries. Previous refugee flows, sparked by war or state collapse, have proven harsh for asylum seekers, costly for communities and politically divisive. Images from the Mória refugee camp or the detention of young children are iconic in portraying the prevailing perception of failure in current refugee hosting practices. Doubts that existing approaches to refugee integration can effectively accommodate a potentially large influx of future migrants have led host governments to consider alternative refugee policies. For example, the European Commission (2020) calls for a “new and durable European framework…that can provide…decent conditions for men, women and children arriving in the EU…and…*Convince Europeans that immigration is managed in an efficient and humane manner, fully in line with our values. Could Charter Cities be the key to developing this narrative that benefits refugees and host communities?
Chartered cities are new urban developments that are granted special jurisdiction to create their own governance systems. A well-defined legal framework, good governance, efficient distribution of public goods, and modern infrastructure can support well-functioning markets and attract investment to generate higher economic growth rates in chartered cities.Based on these principles, we propose to establish Sustainable Charter Cities in Exile (SCCEs) serve as a policy framework for host countries and international development organizations to promote refugee self-reliance and promote their integration into society. The proposal complements existing immigration policies, particularly in areas of identified procedural and logistical bottlenecks, and supports refugees’ free choice of immigration destinations.
SCCE seeks to provide refugees with a safe place, an immediately available assistance network, and an accelerated path to career and income opportunities. The guarantor country or group of countries will implement the SCCE’s statutes while guaranteeing the security of private sector investments and companies, including those from the country of origin and temporarily exiled to their headquarters. An appropriate institutional framework, guaranteed and monitored by national governments and international sponsors, and with the direct involvement of refugees and local communities, will help reduce the risk of crime, human rights violations and sexual exploitation.
These cities can be established in states or provinces that agree to free up land for urban development and/or rehabilitate and reuse sparsely populated towns. SCCEs can be located near major cities to benefit from existing infrastructure, or close to the borders of refugee countries of origin to serve as transition hubs for refugee movements. Streamlined regulations, low taxes, expedited and simplified customs, coupled with efficient urban infrastructure, will foster a productive business environment that, together with a (skilled) refugee workforce, could spur economic growth in SCCE. Multinational corporations can set up subsidiaries in SCCE, both to earn profits and to fulfill their global social corporate responsibilities. Employment opportunities and higher wages for workers in SCCE will attract refugees to these cities and create new economic opportunities for the local population. Residency at SCCE will be entirely voluntary, driven by the social support provided and the economic opportunities provided.
The model will be based on partnerships between city developers, investors, host governments and international development organisations. The initial investment in the establishment of these cities will mainly come from funds allocated for refugee integration by international organizations and host countries. These funds will be supplemented by growing taxes on businesses operating in the franchise city, with the ultimate goal of achieving SCCE’s financial sustainability.
The job opportunities and support needs of refugees and working migrants vary widely. Economic migrants are mainly young singles settled in large urban areas. They are prepared to endure a tough time and often have the skills and connections to integrate quickly into the workforce. By contrast, refugees — such as Ukrainians fleeing the war — include a large proportion of women, children and the elderly who need housing, health care, childcare and education services. SCCE can provide these refugee groups with specialized services to meet their specific needs and facilitate their transition to economic self-reliance.
SCCEs’ legal charter may allow refugees to enter an accelerated process for professional recertification and—temporary advertisement And based on their local qualifications – the right to work in their field within the SCCE. In addition to the dignity conferred by being able to serve fellow citizens in their respective fields of expertise, there will be immediate welfare benefits in allowing skilled professionals to continue their professions within and beyond SCCE. SCCE schools can have native language teachers so children don’t lose years of school and risk becoming a lost generation. Native-speaking doctors and nurses can treat their fellow citizens, including those affected by war. Civil engineers can maintain a city’s infrastructure, and public officials can work in city administration, distribute social assistance and help with immigration documents.
The development of refugee-based civil society and informal safety nets within SCCE will support efforts to prevent potential risks – including child labor and sexual exploitation – of the unclear integration prospects faced by marginalized immigrant groups, when they do not have the capacity to These risks are magnified when communicated effectively and effectively. Position yourself in an unfamiliar environment. For many refugees, the possibility of living with their fellow citizens and working in the professions they excel at may offer significant benefits over opportunities elsewhere in the host country.
Neighboring communities need to be involved in the decision-making process from the outset to overcome the risk of resident populations opposing the idea of a charter city near them. Geographically contained efforts to help host communities benefit from SCCE-generated externalities (such as subsidized construction or repair of shared public infrastructure or increased density of economic activity), coupled with adequate compensation for displaced local populations, will Helps reduce the risk of social and/or political tensions.
Rather than increasing competition for available jobs between the local population and incoming refugees, SCCE will attract investment and create employment opportunities for residents of adjacent communities. While operating under their own charter, they will not be fully autonomous or sovereign, but will be incorporated into regional and national development plans. The link between SCCE and the regional economy will grow over time, changing the perception of refugees, who will not intensify competition for low-wage jobs (especially in economically backward regions), but will transform the economic hinterland for having benefits beyond the immediate goal of managing refugee influxes. Consistent with the overarching political goal of decoupling economic growth from carbon emissions, SCCE could become a standard setting – a “testing ground” and “demonstration project” for modern and environmentally sustainable cities.
As SCCE evolves from an emergency aid center to a self-sufficient economic and humanitarian center, some refugees will gain experience and local knowledge and move out of the city to pursue their career and life opportunities. Meanwhile, local citizens can find jobs and housing in and around SCCE. Ultimately, SCCE can be fully integrated into the host country’s economy. Alternatively, SCCE could become a hub for managing future refugee flows, providing residents with social services, legal certification, professional training, and helping them integrate into recipient countries’ labor markets or improve their ability to contribute to their respective countries’ eventual reconstruction efforts.
The current refugee crisis has increased the urgency to develop a sustainable framework, possibly with SCCE as a conceptual anchor. Pilot charter cities can relieve pressure on the infrastructure and public services of cities struggling to absorb sudden influxes of refugees, and serve as a testing ground for verifying feasibility and assessing the cost of implementing SCCE in response to a potentially larger influx. refugees in the near future.
The cost of building and maintaining SCCEs can be high – but in some cases it will be less than the total direct and indirect costs of decentralized refugee integration. The political-economic advantages of the SCCE approach and its prospects for economic sustainability, especially if chartered cities are used to accommodate waves of refugees, could yield considerable returns for the initial investment of host country taxpayers and the international development community. | politics |
https://anovelwritingconcept.wordpress.com/2014/02/22/all-are-punished/ | 2022-09-25T10:46:27 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030334528.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20220925101046-20220925131046-00416.warc.gz | 0.96909 | 666 | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-40__0__40134479 | en | I read an amazing poem last week. I am not generally a fan of poetry, but this one really grabbed my attention. It was written in the 1970’s by Mitsuye Yamada. Her family was taken to a camp along with many other Japanese-Americans during World War 2 after President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 authorizing the interments. The title of the poem is To the Lady, and the very beginning of the poem states, “The one in San Francisco who asked: Why did the Japanese Americans let the government put them in those camps without protest?”
Okay, so already my dander is up! Really? Someone is going to blame the Japanese-Americans for “letting” themselves be put in “those camps”! The poem goes on, filled with irony, listing all of the things Japanese-Americans “should have” done to prevent this from happening to them and then goes on to list all of the things “the lady” would have done to stand up for her fellow Americans. The ending of this poem is probably what really has me pondering it a week later. It ends with the simple phrases:
All are punished.
All are punished. That really spoke to me. I’ve been spending so much of my recent past mired down in research of my own family’s history involving slavery. Isn’t it amazing how history repeats itself? Any time a group of people is oppressed for any reason, it is because “we” as a society let it happen. And if it happened once, we’d be crazy to think it couldn’t happen again. All it takes is fear fanned by propaganda, which turns into hysteria. Anything seems justifiable it seems under those conditions.
In writing Burning Prospects, I had to wrangle with my own feelings regarding the fact that my ancestors were slave owners. There were scenes that I wrote with tears streaming down my face. In fact, the novel is dedicated the the slaves of Prospect Hill Plantation. Obviously there is nothing I can do to help them now. However, the legacy of slavery exists today–we see it in the news every day. When we let fear or prejudice influence our actions, we are all punished. Not just the group that is being oppressed…but all of us. It hurts our nation collectively when any citizen is denied the civil liberties promised to us in the Constitution. Why? Because it chips away at our integrity and weakens our nation by dividing us into fragments.
I do find myself grieving the blights on our nation’s history: The Indian Removal Act, slavery, the interment of Japanese-Americans and the Jim Crow laws. Let’s not become “the lady” who would ask why people would “let” themselves be unfairly treated. Instead we should be determined to learn from history and collectively refuse to let history repeat itself.
Yamada, Mitsuye. “To the Lady.” Camp Notes and Other Writings / Mitsuye Yamada.New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UP, 1998. N. pag. Print. | politics |
https://www.emedals.com/a-second-french-empire-emperor-napoleon-iii-ring | 2017-02-27T20:32:17 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-09/segments/1487501173761.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20170219104613-00457-ip-10-171-10-108.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.954506 | 240 | CC-MAIN-2017-09 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-09__0__265431215 | en | A Second French Empire Emperor Napoleon III Ring
A Second French Empire Emperor Napoleon III Ring - Bronze, unmarked, face plate illustrating the right-facing bust of Napoleon III, inscribed "NAPOLEON III" on the left and "EMPEREUR" on the right, face plate measuring 15.3 mm x 17.2 mm, the ring measuring 22 mm in diameter, exhibiting surface wear and contact marks, sticker residue on the left side panel, fine. Footnote: Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (April 20, 1808 – January 9, 1873) was the first President of the French Second Republic and, as Napoleon III, the Emperor of the Second French Empire. He was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I. He was the first President of France to be elected by a direct popular vote. However, when he was blocked by the Constitution and Parliament from running for a second term, he organized a coup d'état in 1851, and then took the throne as Napoleon III on December 2, 1852, the forty-eighth anniversary of Napoleon I's coronation. He remains the longest-serving head of state since the French Revolution. | politics |
https://www.darryljarvis.com/ | 2020-07-12T16:27:33 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593657138752.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20200712144738-20200712174738-00392.warc.gz | 0.903225 | 828 | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2020-29__0__130947932 | en | Professor Darryl S. L. Jarvis
Darryl S.L. Jarvis
BA Hons (First Class) MA Flin. PhD Br.Col.
Darryl S.L. Jarvis is Professor in the Department of Asian and Policy Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at the Education University of Hong Kong (formally the Hong Kong Institute of Education). He has served previously as Head, Department of Asian and Policy Studies, Director of the APEC Studies Centre, Associate Dean (Research and Postgraduate Studies) and Acting Associate Dean (Quality Assurance). Prior to his current appointment he was Vice Dean (Academic Affairs) at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore (NUS). From 1996 to 2006 he was Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Government and International Relations, Faculty of Economics and Business (now the University of Sydney Business School), at the University of Sydney, Australia. His research and teaching interests focus on comparative political economy and comparative public policy in Asia with a particular interest in the politics of regulation, marketisation and development.
He has published widely in the areas of international relations, regulatory politics, and the comparative political economy of development. His recent publications include Convergence and Diversity in the Governance of Higher Education: Comparative Perspectives. Cambridge University Press (with Giliberto Capano); Transformation in Higher Education Governance in Asia: Policy, Politics and Progress. Springer (With Ka Ho Mok); Institutional Entrepreneurship and Policy Change: Theoretical and Empirical Explorations. Palgrave Macmillan (with Caner Bakir); Asia After the Developmental State: Disembedding Autonomy. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press (with Toby Carroll); Markets and Development: Civil Society, Citizens and the Politics of Neoliberalism. Routledge (with Toby Carroll); Financialisation and Development. Routledge (with Toby Carroll); The Politics of Marketizing Asia. Palgrave Macmillan (with Toby Carroll); ASEAN Industries and the Challenge from China. Palgrave Macmillan (with Anthony Welch); Infrastructure Regulation: What Works, Why, and How do we Know? Lessons from Asia and Beyond, World Scientific (with Ed Araral, M. Ramesh & Wu Xun); Handbook of International Business Risk: The Asia Pacific. Cambridge University Press; International Relations and the Challenge of Postmodernism: Defending the Discipline, University of South Carolina Press; International Relations. Still an American Social Science? Toward Diversity in International Thought, State University of New York Press (with R. M. Crawford); and Post-modernism and its Critics: International Relations and the Third Debate, Greenwood / Praeger.
He has also contributed articles to journals such as Development and Change, Journal of Contemporary Asia (UK); Asian Studies Review; Globalisations (UK); Journal of Asian Public Policy; European Journal of Law and Technology; Regulation & Governance (UK); International Relations (UK); Technology in Society (USA); Energy, Politics and Society (USA); Journal of International Relations & Development; Energy (USA); Asian Survey (USA); Policy and Society (UK); Global Society: Journal of Interdisciplinary International Relations (UK); Contemporary Politics (UK); The Australian Journal of International Affairs, as well as authored a series of invited papers.
Professor Jarvis serves as the co-editor of Policy & Society: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Policy Research, co-editor of the series Studies in the Political Economy of Public Policy (Palgrave), and is the recipient of various grants from the Australian Research Council, Ministry of Education in Singapore, and the Rockefeller Foundation, New York. He has also served as chief researcher for the Ministry of Finance, Japan, on the Building Institutional Capacity in Asia (BICA) project, and as a consultant for organizations in Asia.
Born in the United Kingdom, Professor Jarvis was educated in Australia and Canada where he received his doctorate in 1996 from the University of British Columbia. He holds Australian, Canadian and British citizenships. | politics |
https://www.londonjobshow.co.uk/stratford/sponsors-exhibitors/financial-conduct-authority/ | 2019-07-19T02:33:52 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-30/segments/1563195525973.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20190719012046-20190719034046-00215.warc.gz | 0.938883 | 178 | CC-MAIN-2019-30 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-30__0__179591551 | en | The economy affects us all. When it functions poorly, the results can be devastating. That’s why we at the FCA make sure that the UK financial markets remain honest, fair and effective. It’s about ensuring firms and businesses behave responsibly, so consumers everywhere can get a fair deal.
Created by parliament in 2013, we regulate more than 58,000 UK firms undertaking a wide range of financial activities.
We are also the prudential regulator for over 18,000 of these businesses. Since then, we have made it our mission to protect consumers, promote healthy competition and enhance the integrity of the UK financial system.
When you join us, you will gain invaluable experience and develop expert knowledge working with some of the biggest names in finance.
Not only that, you will make a real difference in the financial industry and to the UK population as a whole. | politics |
https://www.ilapothecary.com/blogs/news/pride-when-a-riot-led-to-world-transformation | 2024-04-17T22:57:49 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296817181.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20240417204934-20240417234934-00171.warc.gz | 0.963387 | 608 | CC-MAIN-2024-18 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__659953 | en | Pride: When a Riot led to World Transformation
Under more ‘normal’ circumstances June would typically be the month in which many different countries all around the world take part in the celebration of Pride Month.
This year however, the pride experience is one that is surely meant for the history books. Indeed, we are currently living through quite the historical epoch. It will be the first time in our collective history where we will all celebrate and honour pride together, from afar.
June 2020 has been marked particularly by the strong wave of protests, riots, civil unrest and disobedience all throughout the USA and other countries. Where citizens from over 2000 cities and towns all across the country and beyond, raised their voices en masse. Denouncing the terrible injustices that have been and still are committed against the black community. Black trans women, mothers, fathers, daughters & sons, brothers & sisters, all of whom have been persecuted, marginalised and mistreated, suffered greatly. In the face of racism, prejudice, police brutality and even death. The violent passing of George Floyd is arguably one of the strongest ever catalysts to exact an even stronger stance in the ever-present fight for basic human rights in the US. Black Lives Matter! Reverberated on the North American continent from the 26th of May, the same sentiment still echoes up and down the country today as well as many others, who joined in solidarity.
How is this in any way relevant to Pride you might wonder?
It might be interesting for you to learn that the joyous rainbow coloured, and glitter sprinkled parades were once not so shiny and bright. The first ever pride in history was in fact, a riot. The first bricks of which, were (arguably) thrown by two trans women of colour. Marsha P Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, names often associated with the Stonewall riots, both of whom were at the forefront of the LGBTQ+ rights movement. On Wednesday June 28th 1969, in Greenwich Village, New York City.
So you see, if it wasn’t for the strength and bravery portrayed by the black trans community, the LGBTQ+ rights movement would have never been properly put in motion. Many of those currently in the LGBTQ+ community would not be able to enjoy the liberties that they fought for on all our behalves.
This is why now more than ever, we must all stand with and show support to the black communities, through their literature, art, and magnifying their voices. By looking within, and recognising our own faults we will improve our communities, our ruling bodies and by extension, ourselves. We must rise and do our best to aid and assist one and all in any way we are able.
To the entirety of the black community this is a message of gratitude and support we thank you; we love you, we see you and we support you.
Stay Healthy and Stay Safe this Pride
-The ilāpothecary Team | politics |
https://costasnetwork.com/attorney/billy-husher-esq/ | 2020-02-24T17:40:13 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875145966.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20200224163216-20200224193216-00059.warc.gz | 0.959888 | 342 | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2020-10__0__1956505 | en | Billy Husher is an Attorney at the Costas Network Law Center, LLC. He earned his J.D. and a Certificate in Constitutional Rights & Remedies at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, where he studied as a Provost’s Scholar. He graduated with honors from Southeast Missouri State University with a B.A. in Spanish and a B.S. in Political Science.
Prior to his role as an attorney, Billy worked as a law clerk with the Costas Network Law Center, LLC, the Meyer Law Office, P.C., and the Colorado Legal Services Migrant Farm Worker Division. During law school Billy also served as a Student Attorney with the University of Denver Criminal Defense Clinic and volunteered with immigration non-profits in Colorado and at the border in El Paso/Juárez.
Prior to studying and practicing immigration law, Billy worked as an advocate and activist, fighting for the rights of immigrants for years. Billy is a founding board member of Colorado People’s Alliance, a non-profit focused on grassroots organizing to fight for immigrant, economic, environmental, and racial justice. Prior, he served on the board of Rights for All People/Derechos para todos, an immigrant-led, action-based non-profit, and other various boards and committees for organizations focused on labor and international human rights.
Billy’s first career was as a union organizer in Colorado and New Mexico. For nearly a decade, Billy worked on internal and external organizing campaigns, community organizing, coalition building, political strategy and field, public policy, contract negotiations, legislative advocacy, and direct representation.
American Immigration Lawyers Association
National Lawyers Guild | politics |
http://kemeap.blogspot.com/2011/03/blind-dates-project.html | 2018-11-19T03:55:53 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-47/segments/1542039745015.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20181119023120-20181119045120-00167.warc.gz | 0.93398 | 415 | CC-MAIN-2018-47 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-47__0__145908607 | en | lundi 7 mars 2011
blind dates project
Curatorial premise and process
By Defne Ayas & Neery Melkonian
Under the title Blind Dates: New Encounters from the Edges of a Former Empire, thirteen new collaborative artistic projects were launched at Pratt Manhattan Gallery in November 2010. The exhibition, together with a series of related public programs which began two years prior to its opening, provided a rare platform, particularly in the North American context, for both artists and non-artists, who were curatorially "match-made" to tackle what remains of the legacy and rupture of the Ottoman Empire (1299-1923).
Concept & Rational:
It took a ‘blind date’ for us to meet and engage in a meaningful journey as "Armenian" and "Turkish" curators. We thought mediating similar encounters might encourage others to start undoing the complex knots that keep suspending ‘dialogue’ between estranged neighbors and distanced cultures, as they relate to a fragmented, de-territorialized cultural cartography.
The Blind Dates Project departs from the premise that the empire’s abrupt rupture and its violent reformulation into nation-states have their lingering effects on life to this day. Given the current political changes unfolding within the former Ottoman Empire territory (which once engulfed much of the Middle East and North Africa, the Black Sea and the Caucasus regions, and parts of Europe), a critical understanding of unresolved historical underpinnings become more relevant today than ever before. One could also argue that the current struggles in Egypt, Libya, Iraq and Palestine as well as the modern formation of the Armenian and Greek Diasporas are largely linked to this particular historical moment in question. Add to that a corresponding amnesia and perversion of historiography or continued denial of catastrophic events in Turkish politics today.
for more details click here: http://universes-in-universe.org/eng/nafas/articles/2011/blind_dates_project | politics |
https://worldsways.com/journal/the-case-for-impeachment/ | 2019-01-22T06:57:08 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-04/segments/1547583829665.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20190122054634-20190122080634-00330.warc.gz | 0.91977 | 722 | CC-MAIN-2019-04 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-04__0__157059892 | en | The Case For Impeachment
Allan J Lichtman, "The Case For Impeachment"
The Atlantic Makes The Case For Impeachment | Morning Joe | MSNBC
8 Possible Grounds for Trump’s Impeachment: List, Historical Analysis (2017)
Jim Zirin-What Is the Case for Impeachment?-Allan Lichtman
Allan Lichtman: Why President Trump will be impeached – BBC Newsnight
Is There A Case For Impeaching President Trump? Alan Dershowitz Says NO | Huckabee
History professor predicts mueller will reveal trump crimes that will ‘shock the nation’ — and forc
It’s Time to Impeach Trump
The Case for Impeaching Trump (Elizabeth Holtzman) – 2019
" Lichtman has written what might be the most important publication of the year."– The Hill
" It is still striking to see the complete disagreement unravel and realize that you don't need to be a zealot to visualize some version of it taking place … Lies. Misuse of power. Treason. Crimes versus humankind. Martial legislation. Lichtman tosses whatever Trump's way."– Washington Post
Professor Allan J. Lichtman, that has actually appropriately forecasted thirty years of presidential outcomes, makes the case for impeaching the 45th head of state of the United States, Donald J. Trump
In the fall of 2016, Distinguished Professor of History at American University Allan J. Lichtman made headlines when he anticipated that Donald J. Trump would beat the heavily favored Democrat, Hillary Clinton, to win the governmental election.
Currently, in clear, nonpartisan terms, Lichtman lays out the factors Congress could eliminate Trump from the Oval Office: his ties to Russia prior to and after the election, the complex economic problems of rate of interest in the house and also abroad, and his misuse of exec authority.
The Case for Impeachment likewise supplies a remarkable check out presidential impeachments throughout American history, consisting of the often-overlooked tale of Andrew Johnson's impeachment, information concerning Richard Nixon's resignation, and also Bill Clinton's hearings. Lichtman demonstrates how Trump displays many of the imperfections (as well as more) that have doomed previous head of states. As the Nixon Administration rejected the reporting of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as "character murder" and also "a savage misuse of the journalistic process," Trump has actually assaulted the "deceitful media," declaring, "journalism should repent of themselves."
Chroniclers, lawful scholars, and also politicians alike concur: we remain in politically uncharted waters– the durability of our establishments is being threatened as well as the general public's confidence in them is eroding, harmful American freedom itself.
Many people– politics aside– need to know where the country is headed. Lichtman says, with quality and also power, that for Donald Trump's presidency, smoke has ended up being fire.
- File Size: 634 KB
- Print Length: 309 pages
- Publisher: Dey Street Books; Reprint edition (April 18, 2017)
- Publication Date: April 18, 2017
- Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
- Language: English
- ASIN: B06X999PRM
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
- X-Ray: Enabled
- Word Wise: Enabled
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Screen Reader: Supported
- Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled | politics |
https://www.jobsinantwerp.be/jobs/political-attache/V337yzQQ?jlt=dDoxMCxwOjEsczoyNSxvOjM | 2021-01-17T02:38:32 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610703509104.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20210117020341-20210117050341-00776.warc.gz | 0.88938 | 142 | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-04__0__291503284 | en | The Political Attaché fulfils a supranational function within the EPP Group Secretariat and carries out the following functions and duties:
Following up of the legislative work of parliamentary committees;
Contributing in drafting amendments, briefings, voting lists, minutes, summaries, analysis, notes, etc. on subjects relating to the fields of competence;
Preparation of meetings, seminars, conferences, etc.;
Assisting the Members in the carrying out of their functions;
Translation of notes, reports, briefings and other documents;
Contributing in all activity necessary for the smooth running of the Group secretariat;
Providing backup and additional assistance in their field of expertise where needed. | politics |
http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/press.aspx?id=6605 | 2014-09-19T13:46:52 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-41/segments/1410657131376.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20140914011211-00231-ip-10-196-40-205.us-west-1.compute.internal.warc.gz | 0.955701 | 651 | CC-MAIN-2014-41 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2014-41__0__87426951 | en | August 2, 2012
Attorney General Kelly announces suit over use of foreign steel products in public works projects
HARRISBURG - The Attorney General's Antitrust section has filed legal action against several Allegheny County companies, along with their owners and directors, accused of installing foreign steel products in public works projects, in violation of state law.
Attorney General Linda Kelly said the civil complaint, filed today in the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, names Ryco Fire Protection Services, LLC, of 1215 Market St., McKeesport, along with Ryco Fire Protection Services, LP; Ryco Plumbing, LLC; Ryco Plumbing, LP; Ryco Plumbing II, LLC; Ryco Plumbing II, LP; and Ryco, Inc., all sharing the same address.
The civil suit also names Thomas Sherry, Jr., the President of Ryco, Inc.; Susan E. Sherry, the Secretary and Treasurer of Ryco, Inc.; Richard Bosco, Vice President of Ryco, Inc.; and other unidentified officers, owners and directors of these businesses.
"According to the complaint, Ryco used hundreds of fittings and hangers made in China and Poland during the installation of fire protection systems that were part of public works projects requiring the use of steel from the United States," Kelly said. "These lower-cost foreign steel products were allegedly installed by Ryco during projects involving student housing at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and school renovations for the Blairsville-Saltzburg School District."
Kelly said the defendants are accused of violating the Pennsylvania Steel Products Procurement Act, the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection law and the Pennsylvania Corrupt Organizations Act.
According to the complaint, Ryco officials submitted certifications that the materials used in these projects complied with the Steel Products Procurement Act and were manufactured in the United States, but the investigation revealed numerous pipes and fittings that were clearly marked as being produced overseas.
"Many of the foreign-made items discovered during the course of this investigation cost substantially less than the required US-made fittings," Kelly said. "The use of these non-certified and less-expensive materials generated excess profits for Ryco and allowed the company to unfairly compete against other contractors who were complying with the law."
The total value of the Ryco contracts for fire protection systems in the IUP and Blairsville-Saltzburg School District projects totaled more than $800,000.
Kelly noted that this remains an active and ongoing investigation into the possible use of lower-cost foreign steel products in Pennsylvania public works projects.
The complaint asks the court to order civil penalties of up to $1,000 for each violation and other relief, along with recovery of any payments that were made to Ryco under these contracts and the cost of the investigation.
Additionally, the lawsuit seeks to prohibit Ryco and the other defendants from submitting bids or supplying materials to any public agency in Pennsylvania or any state contract for a five year period.
The lawsuit was filed in Commonwealth Court by Chief Deputy Attorney General James A. Donahue III and Deputy Attorney General Norman W. Marden of the Attorney General's Antitrust Section. | politics |
https://worldsportnews.org/2020/05/19/us-sport-possible-again-from-june/ | 2020-06-04T11:10:08 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590347439928.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20200604094848-20200604124848-00599.warc.gz | 0.964319 | 247 | CC-MAIN-2020-24 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2020-24__0__170299279 | en | Three governors nourish the hope for a restart of US sports in June. However, in doing so, they are setting a clear prerequisite.
California’s Governor Gavin Newsom can imagine, despite the corona crisis, that sporting events in his state are feasible from June.
“Sports events, professional sports in the first week of June or so, without spectators and under very specific conditions, may be possible,” Newsom said on Monday. California is home to 18 franchises from the major US professional sports leagues.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was equally positive and interested. “I have also encouraged major sports teams to plan reopenings without fans,” Cuomo said at his daily briefing.
“The games could be televised. The state of New York will help the big sports franchises do just that. Ice hockey, basketball, baseball, soccer – whoever can start again, we’re a willing, able and able partner.”
In the state of Texas, too, sport is about to return. Governor Gregg Abbott gave the go-ahead for basketball, baseball, motor sports, soccer, golf, softball and tennis from May 31 – on one condition: no spectators. | politics |
https://roamonurown.com/foreigner/what-is-the-main-foreign-policy-agency-in-the-us.html | 2022-01-19T00:51:57 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-05/segments/1642320301217.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20220119003144-20220119033144-00242.warc.gz | 0.939463 | 815 | CC-MAIN-2022-05 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-05__0__238623910 | en | What is the United States main foreign policy?
The four main objectives of U.S. foreign policy are the protection of the United States and its citizens and allies, the assurance of continuing access to international resources and markets, the preservation of a balance of power in the world, and the protection of human rights and democracy.
Who handles foreign policy in the US?
Under the Constitution, the President of the United States determines U.S. foreign policy. The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser.
Who are the primary foreign policy makers in the United States?
The president and his top advisers are the principal architects of U.S. foreign policy, though other actors (e.g. Congress, the courts, parties, interest groups, and trade associations) are also important to foreign policy making.
What is the primary objective of US foreign policy?
The main objective of foreign policy is to use diplomacy — or talking, meeting, and making agreements — to solve international problems. They try to keep problems from developing into conflicts that require military settlements. The President almost always has the primary responsibility for shaping foreign policy.
Which of the following is a major foreign policy goal of the United States?
The primary goal of American foreign policy is national security. Another important goal is international trade.
Who are the foreign policy actors?
Foreign policy decisions are usually made by the executive branch of government. Common governmental actors or institutions which make foreign policy decisions include: the head of state (such as a president) or head of government (such as a prime minister), cabinet, or minister.
Who is the most important actor in the foreign policy establishment?
The President. The president is very influential in US foreign policy, and directs the nation’s war-waging, treaties, and diplomatic relations.
What is a responsibility of the US Senate in foreign policy?
By granting the Senate the sole power to offer advice and consent on nominations and treaties, the Constitution gives senators a major role in American foreign policy. Presidents nominate diplomats and negotiate treaties, but the Senate determines whether those nominees will serve or if those treaties will be ratified.
What is the role of the State Department in American foreign policy?
The U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity.
What are the foreign policy powers of the President of the United States?
The president appoints ambassadors, ministers, and consuls (subject to confirmation by the Senate) and receives foreign ambassadors and other public officials. With the secretary of state, the president manages all official contacts with foreign governments.
What determines foreign policy?
The main external factors that determine the foreign policy of a state are but not limited to: the international system or power structure, international law, international organizations, alliances, and military strength or arm race. … Frankel J (1968) The Making of Foreign Policy.
What is the most important objective of American foreign policy quizlet?
The objective of american foreign policy is National Security, Free and Open Trade, World Peace, Democratic Government and Concern for Humanity. However, the most important objective is World Peace because they believe its a way to guarantee national security.
What are the basic principles of foreign policy?
These Five Principles are: Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, ii. Mutual non-aggression, iii. Mutual non-interference, iv. Equality and mutual benefit, and v.
What is a foreign policy example?
Foreign policy includes such matters as trade and defense. The government chooses its foreign affairs policy to safeguard the interests of the nation and its citizens. ‘Trade,’ in this context, means ‘international trade,’ i.e., imports, exports, tariffs, exemptions, etc. | politics |
http://www.maacenter.org/blog/state-federal-medicaid-fight-could-hurt-seniors.html | 2013-06-19T21:44:24 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709224828/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516130024-00074-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.961976 | 794 | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2013-20__0__11851834 | en | Sunday, August 26th, 2012
Did you know that the state you live in could either cost you or save you tens of thousands of dollars if you ever need long-term health care services? If you didn’t know that, you need to keep reading.
Right now, several states and the federal government are in a big fight over Medicaid. Medicaid is a program for the poor, and you may think you will never need it. But many seniors are surprised to find themselves needing Medicaid to help pay for nursing home care. About 70 percent of people over the age of 65 will need some kind of long-term care services sooner or later. So, whether you are healthy now or suffer a devastating illness such as mesothelioma, the day may come when you will need some kind of long-term care.
And according to Genworth Financial’s 2012 Cost of Care Survey, the median cost for a semi-private room in a nursing home is $200 a day.
Doesn’t Medicare help? Not as much as you might assume. Medicare pays some nursing home costs for some people, but many conditions and limits apply. Overall Medicare is only paying about 10 percent of the nation’s nursing home bills. That’s why more than 6 million U.S. seniors receive Medicaid benefits, and care for seniors accounts for a quarter of Medicaid spending.
Because Medicaid is for people with limited financial assets, what often happens is that people in nursing homes deplete their own assets paying the bills until they qualify for Medicaid. That may not seem right, but that’s the system. And yes, you should look into getting a long-term care insurance policy. But right now most seniors don’t have long-term care insurance.
Unlike Medicare, Medicaid is a joint state-federal program. Each state runs its own Medicaid program, but the state programs must conform to federal guidelines in order to receive matching funds and grants from Washington. And right now, several states are rebelling against some new guidelines even though the federal government would pay nearly all of the cost.
The Affordable Care Act, known as “Obamacare,” provides for expanding the Medicaid program and raising eligibility requirements so that people don’t have to be as poor as before to qualify. This means that seniors could keep more of their life’s earnings when they sign up for Medicaid. The federal government will pay 100 percent of the cost of the expansion for three years, and 90 percent of the cost after that.
However, you might remember, the Supreme Court recently issued an opinion on the constitutionality of Obamacare. While the Court upheld the program as a whole, it did strike out much of the Medicaid language. As it stands now, a state may refuse to implement the Obamacare provision for expanding Medicaid, but in doing so the state forfeits the additional money it would have received from Washington to pay for the expansion.
As of this writing, the governors of five states have refused to expand their state’s Medicaid program. These states are Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Five other states are leaning against expanding Medicaid, but have not made a final decision. These are New Jersey, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Nevada.
Some states and the District of Columbia will accept the expansion. These states are Washington, California, Minnesota, Illinois, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Rhode Island, Arkansas, and Oregon are leaning toward accepting the expansion. The remaining states have not yet indicated what they will do.
So, as it stands now, if you find that you need long-term health care, the state you live in could make a huge difference — tens of thousands of dollars difference — in how much of your own money you can keep before you qualify for Medicaid to help pay for it. | politics |
https://inbondbank.com/articles/leaders-in-public-finance-wes-bennett-department-of-local-government-finance | 2023-02-01T06:50:28 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764499911.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20230201045500-20230201075500-00410.warc.gz | 0.933241 | 250 | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-06__0__255442511 | en | Leaders in Public Finance: Wes Bennett, Department of Local Government Finance
Feb 9, 2022
Host: Mark Wuellner, Executive Director, Indiana Bond Bank
Guest: Wes Bennett, Commissioner, Department of Local Government Finance
“Leaders in Public Finance” is a new podcast series through the Indiana Bondcast designed to highlight excellence in public finance. Through this series, you will hear from leaders across the public finance spectrum about their journey to a career in public finance.
In our fifth episode of this podcast mini-series, Mark Wuellner is joined by Wes Bennett, Commissioner at the Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF). DLGF is responsible for ensuring property tax assessment and local government budgeting are carried out in accordance with Indiana law.
In this podcast episode, hear from Wes about DLGF’s role in supporting local governments, the 5 “lanes” DLGF runs in, Wes’ philosophy on decision-making- including when to make decisions, Wes’ 4 simple rules for “being your best”, and experiences from both the local side (Clerk-Treasurer Town of Plainfield) and state side (DLGF). | politics |
https://local983.com/news.html | 2022-11-29T00:07:54 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446710684.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20221128235805-20221129025805-00675.warc.gz | 0.977917 | 860 | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-49__0__111866986 | en | DC 37 saved Parks Department workers’ jobs that were rumored to end July 1 when Parks managers erroneously terminated City Seasonal Aides despite a no-layoff pledge from Mayor Eric Adams.
“The union had a ‘handshake’ deal with the City Council and the mayor to save the 200 Parks jobs as part of the budget agreement,” said Joe Puleo, Local 983 president and DC 37 Parks Committee co-chair. “But it’s obvious Parks managers didn’t bother to read the memo.”
City Seasonal Aide Danielle Green was told by her Parks supervisor on June 30 at 5 p.m. that she was being let go. She was not alone. Word spread to 200 CSAs that they were fired effective July 1.
“It was devastating. How am I going to pay my rent?” Green asked Marlena Giga, an Urban Park Ranger and Local 983 treasurer.
The Parks management snafu had union phones ringing and City Hall officials scrambling to correct a problem that left the CSAs hired in 2021 wondering if they still had jobs.
The DC 37 Parks Committee negotiated with the City to fund CSAs’
salaries with money from the federal American Rescue Plan for COVID-19 pandemic relief.
“We were promised during the budget negotiation process by the Mayor’s Office and the Speaker’s Office that none of these people would be laid off,” Puleo said. “These Parks workers do the basic clean-up operation for minimum wage. The jobs can be hard to fill because people can earn better wages working in fast food, or at Starbucks, or Target.”
“When I thought I was laid off, I was very confused and frustrated,” said Local 983 member Steve Guarino who works at Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx. “This job is my only income. I’ve worked here for a year. We thought our jobs were extended but management said we were laid off. It was very stressful.”
DC 37 worked closely with New York City Council Member Shekar
Krishnan, chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee, and Play Fair parks advocates behind the scenes and at City Hall rallies to win a historic increase of $624 million for Parks, including 715 new permanent positions in FY 2023 city budget.
“We thought it was a go and the members’ jobs were safe,” Puleo said. Until they weren’t.
Answering a flood of calls from panicked CSAs, Puleo called DC 37
Executive Director Henry Garrido, who in turn called Krishnan. They
worked through the night to make sure the 200 Parks CSAs remained working.
“Henry Garrido’s intervention helped save the CSA jobs through Sept. 15,” Puleo said. “Without the CSAs to clean, public parks would return to the early pandemic conditions with mounds of garbage piled seven-feet high, playgrounds littered with broken glass and needles, and filthy restrooms.”
“When I heard the union saved our jobs, I was so relieved,” Guarino said. “It was unsettling to have workers’ livelihoods hang in limbo due to miscommunication between the Administration, Parks brass, and its management,” Garrido said. “These workers are single parents and people who found themselves jobless during the pandemic. Now they are the backbone of Parks’ unionized workforce, who beautify city parks and greenspaces. Their jobs are a part of the lifeline that fuels the city’s economic recovery.”
“We’re working to protect these members’ jobs beyond the summer,” Puleo added. “We’re strategizing with trades unions to expand these members’ skills and opportunities.”
As PEPTalk went to press, Local 983 and DC 37 leaders were in ongoing negotiations with the Parks Department to save CSAs’ jobs. | politics |
https://www.forourfuturemi.org/post/congressman-andy-levin-and-mi-state-representative-regina-weiss-join-for-our-future-michigan-for-lab | 2023-02-02T00:56:09 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764499954.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20230202003408-20230202033408-00572.warc.gz | 0.892325 | 482 | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-06__0__230276568 | en | Congressman Andy Levin and MI State Representative Regina Weiss Join For Our Future Michigan For Lab
FOR PLANNING PURPOSES:
June 29, 2022
CONTACT: Kenny Williams Jr.
** MEDIA ADVISORY FOR FRIDAY, JUNE 29 AT 6 PM **
Congressman Andy Levin and MI State Representative Regina Weiss Join For Our Future Michigan For Labor Event To Highlight Workers’ Rights
DETROIT, MI – On Wednesday, June 29 at 6:00 p.m., For Our Future Michigan (FOF-MI) will host an event with Congressman Andy Levin, MI State Representative Regina Weiss of the 6th district, and other Michigan groups on Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act and the Public Service Freedom To Negotiate Act and how these bills would bring more equity and stability to the Michigan workforce. The event is in partnership with Oakland Forward and activists and members from AFL-CIO, SEIU, the American Postal Workers Union & Southeast MI Jobs W/ Justice.
The event is open to the media. Please RSVP to Kenny Williams Jr. at [email protected].
Congressman Andy Levin
MI State Representative Regina Weiss of the 6th district
WHAT: In-person event with local politicians, community members, and community groups
WHEN: Wednesday, June 29 at 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: Hawthorne Park, 1400 Telegraph Rd., Pontiac, MI 48340
BACKGROUND: FOF-MI has been organizing on the ground in Michigan since 2018 in support of progressive policies and candidates, including President Biden, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, and dozens of congressional, state legislative, and local candidates.
FOF-MI strongly believes in steady, good-paying jobs, decreased gender and racial wage gaps, better benefits, increased access to time off, safer working conditions, and more. The ability for workers to be able to organize, collectively bargain for better working conditions and wages, and do so without fear or intimidation, shouldn’t be a partisan issue, a privilege, or in doubt, it should just be the law of the land. | politics |
https://fogobimevub.dirkbraeckmanvenice2017.com/questioning-the-secular-state-book-39246mn.php | 2021-05-18T04:58:53 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-21/segments/1620243989820.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20210518033148-20210518063148-00265.warc.gz | 0.919638 | 2,005 | CC-MAIN-2021-21 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-21__0__136832022 | en | 3 edition of Questioning the Secular State found in the catalog.
by St. Martin"s Press
Written in English
|The Physical Object|
|Number of Pages||428|
The Jewish question (JQ), also referred to as the Jewish problem, was a wide-ranging debate in 19th and 20th-century European society that pertained to the appropriate status and treatment of Jews. The debate, which was similar to other " national questions ", dealt with the civil, legal. Catholicism and the secular state. The intertwining of the Catholic Church and politics, from World War I to Trump Steven Millies addresses this question as part of a larger exploration of Catholic voting. Paternal Catholicism accounts for the most controversial argument of Chappel’s book: that Catholic accommodation to the secular.
updated September, Additional copies can be obtained from: Internet: (search 'secular book list') (free) E-mail: [email protected] (free) Phone: () for pricing information and instructions for ordering CD or booklet Please Note: Some comments are specific and detailed. They are intended for adults to use to determine acceptibility of books. What should be the place of shariʿa -- Islamic religious law -- in predominantly Muslim societies of the world? In this book, a Muslim scholar and human rights activist envisions a positive and sustainable role for shariʿa, based on a profound rethinking of the relationship between religion and the secular state .
Abstract. This is a review of “Islam and the Secular State: Negotiating the Future of Shari‛a” by Abduallahi Ahmed An-Na‛im. An-Na‛im’s book is an important and interesting effort to build a case, grounded in Islam itself, for why Islamic societies need to establish “secular” states that are “neutral regarding religious doctrine” and do “not claim or pretend to enforce Author: Perry Dane. The American constitution establishes America as a secular state with two clauses, the establishment clause and the free exercise clause, both found back to .
Proceedings [of the] Conference on Radiation Protection in Accelerator Environments, the Rutherford Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Berks., March 1969
Comparative study of the digestibility of different proteins in pepsin-acid solutions.
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organ works of Rheinberger.
The works of Thomas Carlyle
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PIONEER GROUP, INC. (THE)
In recent decades, secularism, or the separation of religion and state, has been increasingly questioned by various religious movements and organizations. This book examines how Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh fundamentalists are seeking to overthrow established political, religious and social norms in their quest for a religiously based form of by: In recent decades, secularism, or the separation of religion and state, has been increasingly questioned by various religious movements and organizations.
This book examines how Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh fundamentalists are seeking to overthrow established political, religious and social norms in their quest for a religiously based form of government.5/5(1).
“Questioning Secularism is one of the most innovative, pathbreaking interventions into contemporary debates on the secular to date. Based on extensive ethnographic research in Egypt, the book provides a theoretically sophisticated and highly original analysis of the conceptual and practical ambivalences and contradictions at the core of Egypt’s legal and religious by: In recent decades, secularism, or the separation of religion and state, has Questioning the Secular State book increasingly questioned by various religious movements and organizations.
This book examines how Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh fundamentalists are seeking to overthrow established political, religious and social norms in their quest for a religiously based form of government. The issue of whether the state should be secular or religious has become, since the end of the Cold War, one of the greatest sources of conflict in international politics.
Many scholarly works have appeared dealing with so-called fundamentalist movements in different parts of the world and different religions, but most concentrate on the Middle East and overlook other regions such as Africa Pages: Questioning the secular state: the worldwide resurgence of religion in politics.
[David Westerlund;] -- The issue of whether the state should be secular or religious has become, since the end of the Cold War, one of the greatest sources of conflict in international politics.
Questioning the secular state: the worldwide resurgence of religion in politics / edited by David Westerlund. imprint. New York: St. Martin's Press, c The book is notable for the cultural diversity of its contributors, scholars teaching at universities in Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Sweden, and elsewhere.
As well, the work's. George Moyser; Questioning the Secular State: The Worldwide Resurgence of Religion in Politics. Edited by David Westerlund.
New York: St. Martin's Press, Author: George Moyser. Book Review To read Questioning the Secular State is a journey from the West to the East and through all different kinds of ideologies and spiritual messages.
It is a useful work as most of the groups mentioned in it are not well-known to the Western readership. Moreover, the book is well-structured and thus easy to follow. Buy Questioning the Secular State: Worldwide Resurgence of Religion in Politics by Westerlund, David (ISBN: ) from Amazon's Book Store.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on Format: Paperback. Contents Preface vii 1 Introduction: Why Muslims Need a Secular State 1 2 Islam, the State, and Politics in Historical Perspective 45 3 Constitutionalism, Human Rights, and Citizenship 84 4 India: State Secularism and Communal Violence 5 Turkey: Contradictions of Authoritarian Secularism 6 Indonesia: Realities of Diversity and Prospects of Pluralism 7 Conclusion: Negotiating the.
Questioning the secular state: the worldwide resurgence of religion in politics. [David Westerlund;] -- "The issue of whether the state should be secular or religious has become, since the end of the Cold War, one of the greatest sources of conflict in international politics.
“Freedom of Religion & the Secular State could not be more timely. If it becomes a standard text in colleges and universities, and, more generally, became a handy reference to those intimately concerned with questions regarding the separation of religion and state, then possibly, despite continuing heat over the subject, a little cool.
Opening with the provocative query what might an anthropology of the secular look like. this book explores the concepts, practices, and political formations of secularism, with emphasis on the major historical shifts that have shaped secular sensibilities and attitudes in the modern West and the Middle East.
Talal Asad proceeds to dismantle commonly held assumptions about the secular and the /5(2). 31 Deagon, Secularism as a Religion SECULARISM AS A RELIGION: QUESTIONING THE FUTURE OF THE 'SECULAR' STATE ALEX DEAGON* ABSTRACT: Section of the Australian Constitution states that the Commonwealth shall not make a law establishing any religion.
European Muslims and the Secular State book. European Muslims and the Secular State. DOI link for European Muslims and the Secular State.
The institutionalization of Islam in the West continues to raise many questions for a range of different constituencies. Secularization represents much more than the legal separation of politics and Cited by: “ Questioning Secularism is a mind-widening book.
It is not simply a contestation or reconstruction of the doctrines of secularism but an enquiry into the ways in which it continually generates questions—about necessary limitations to public expression, about the dangers of religious politics.
Globalization, Secular States, and Religious Diversity. Bruce J. Berman, Rajeev Bhargava, and André Laliberté. This book developed from the realization that religion was too often left out of discussions of the issue of democratic governance of ethnic diversity and.
that this exclusion was untenable in the context of recent controversies in. A fantastic book on the topic of separation of church and state. The book basis the majority of it's examination of the issues on concepts originally put forth by John Locke and John Stuart Mill, as well as existing case law in several countries.
A fantastic book on the topic of /5. Toward answering these questions, The Godless Constitution: A Moral Defense of the Secular State by Isaac Kramnick and R.
Laurence Moore is a good place to start. Though not without flaws, it offers a fascinating and valuable history of the relationship between church and state in America.
Regardless, the important question might be whether all it took for Christians to develop a secular/spiritual split was a line of scripture, or if this was more a product of long evolution within the environment of the Roman world.
A religion would be shaped by its environment.In his book For Marx (), Louis Althusser claims that "in On the Jewish Question, Hegel's Philosophy of the State, etc., and even usually in The Holy Family that " Marx was merely applying the theory of alienation, that is, Feuerbach 's theory of 'human nature', to politics and the concrete activity of man.The ensuing political storm, which continued unabated intohas brought sharply into focus one of the fundamental questions related to Western democracy: the nature of the relationship between religion and the state.
The 'scarves affair' was primarily a dispute between practitioners of Islam and the secular state. | politics |
https://treasonableman.wordpress.com/2018/01/27/reclaiming-the-body-politic/ | 2019-04-23T22:15:49 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-18/segments/1555578613888.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20190423214818-20190424000818-00293.warc.gz | 0.971564 | 423 | CC-MAIN-2019-18 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-18__0__53751155 | en | In an afterword to my last post here I mentioned that my then MP, Stephen Phillips, had resigned (because, as he put it, he could no longer live with the label of ‘Conservative’). I did briefly contemplate standing in the subsequent by-election but (alongside the fact that I’d be totally unsuited to the role, and both I and my wife would hate me doing it) I felt that it would be pointless standing without a clear manifesto and a core of support which an unexpected by-election left no time to develop.
As a result, though, I decided to try and start a new party focused on constitutional reform and spent several months pulling my ideas together into a draft manifesto. So far, however, I haven’t found much interest in this route and I’ve decided not to pursue it for now, though I do still have difficulty seeing how meaningful reform might come about without something like it.
The draft manifesto focuses on the reforms I believe are necessary but, for the most part, assumes that anyone reading it already accepts that our current system is deeply flawed and needs to be radically transformed. However, although many people are deeply dissatisfied with how politics currently operates, most seem to believe that relatively minor reforms (like Proportional Representation) will be enough to put it right. I therefore started writing a series of pieces laying out some of the arguments why a number of proposed reforms that are currently popular wouldn’t be sufficient. At present, I’m not planning to finish the series but I thought I’d put online the three parts that I have written:
- Untangling Electoral Reform argues that reform of the voting process needs to be clearly distinguished from reform of the system of representation.
- The Protest Voter suggests a simple reform that might give a voice to people who reject all the candidates on a ballot.
- The Roots of Polarisation looks at why swings between left and right happen and proposes a reform that would give each constituency two representatives with different (but partly overlapping) spheres of responsibility. | politics |
http://hauntedmario.com/supernatural-spotlight-2/manzanar-wwii-camp/ | 2018-01-24T03:17:14 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-05/segments/1516084893300.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20180124030651-20180124050651-00163.warc.gz | 0.984048 | 750 | CC-MAIN-2018-05 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-05__0__250694426 | en | Manzanar is most widely known as the site of one of ten camps where over 110,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II. Located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada in California’s Owens Valley between the towns of Lone Pine to the south and Independence to the north, it is approximately 230 miles (370 km) northeast of Los Angeles.
After the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Government swiftly moved to begin solving the “Japanese Problem” on the West Coast of the United States. In the evening hours of that same day, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested selected “enemy” aliens, including 2,192 who were of Japanese descent. The California government pressed for action by the national government, as many citizens were alarmed about potential activities by people of Japanese descent.
On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which authorized the Secretary of War to designate military commanders to prescribe military areas and to exclude “any or all persons” from such areas. The order also authorized the construction of what would later be called “relocation centers” by the War Relocation Authority (WRA) to house those who were to be excluded. This order resulted in the forced relocation of over 120,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were native-born American citizens. The rest had been prevented from becoming citizens by federal law. Over 110,000 were incarcerated in the ten concentration camps located far inland and away from the coast.
Manzanar was the first of the ten concentration camps to be established. Initially, it was a temporary “reception center”, known as the Owens Valley Reception Center from March 21, 1942, to May 31, 1942. At that time, it was operated by the US Army’s Wartime Civilian Control Administration (WCCA).
On November 21, 1945, the WRA closed Manzanar, the sixth camp to be closed. Although the incarcerees had been brought to the Owens Valley by the United States Government, they had to leave the camp and travel to their next destinations on their own. The WRA gave each person $25 ($329 today), one-way train or bus fare, and meals to those who had less than $600 ($7,887 today). While many left the camp voluntarily, a significant number refused to leave because they had no place to go after having lost everything when they were forcibly uprooted and removed from their homes. As such, they had to be forcibly removed once again, this time from Manzanar. Indeed, those who refused to leave were generally removed from their barracks, sometimes by force, even if they had no place to go.
The Manzanar cemetery site is marked by a monument that was built by incarceree stonemason Ryozo Kado in 1943. An inscription in Japanese on the front of the monument reads, 慰靈塔 (Soul Consoling Tower). The inscription on the back reads “Erected by the Manzanar Japanese” on the left, and “August 1943” on the right. Today, the monument is often draped in strings of origami, and sometimes survivors and other visitors leave offerings of personal items as mementos. The National Park Service periodically collects and catalogues such items.
In our recent travels, we roamed around the grounds of the camp, feeling every bit of somber energy that permeated from that place. We paid our respects to those that were lost, and hope to return in the near future. | politics |
https://www.wsisc.com/single-post/bc-premier-announced-schools-suspending-indefinitely-sites-for-free-dr-consultation-covid-19-update | 2023-09-25T09:25:48 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233508959.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20230925083430-20230925113430-00830.warc.gz | 0.758493 | 8,343 | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-40__0__36136229 | en | PM Trudeau Started $82 billion Financial Help, Premier Horgan Announced Schools Suspended and More
“…make sure that no matter where you live, what you do, or who you are, you will get the support you need during this time…”
--The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
(Originally posted on March 17, 2020)
PM Trudeau Announced $82 billion Financial Help
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that the Canada- U.S. border will close to all non-essential travel, and that the federal government is prepared to spend a combined $82 billion on direct financial help and economic stimulus in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Among the “extraordinary” aid measures unveiled: deferring the tax deadline, boosting the Canada Child Benefit, wage subsidies for small businesses, and targeted assistance for vulnerable demographics to help “bridge to better times.”
The prime minister said that all Canadians will feel the consequences of COVID-19, and many are wondering how long the current restrictions are going to last, and whether they can endure them.
PM Trudeau said the government’s suite of measures are meant to “make sure that no matter where you live, what you do, or who you are, you will get the support you need during this time.”
“In Canada, public health should never hinge on financial considerations,” Trudeau said.
Moments before PM Trudeau began speaking, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the border between Canada and the United States will be "temporarily" closed to tourists and visitors, "by mutual consent."
The major new economic measures that the federal government is taking in response to COVID-19 include $27 billion in direct assistance to workers and families, as well as making $55 billion available in liquidity to businesses to help stabilize the economy.
Speaking from self-isolation for the third time in as many days, the prime minister addressed the nation on the latest moving parts in his government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He said he remains symptom-free.
Sickness benefits beyond EI: For Canadians without paid sick leave or access to employment insurance sickness benefits, the government is introducing a new Emergency Care Benefit that will provide up to $900 bi-weekly for up to 15 weeks. The benefit, which the government estimates could cost up to $10 billion, is for workers who must self-isolate, those who are caring for a family member sick with COVID-19 and parents who are unable to earn income while schools are closed as a result of child-care duties.
Unemployment benefits beyond EI: Ottawa will also be extending income supports to workers who lose their jobs or see their hours reduced as a result of the pandemic.
The Canada Revenue Agency will provide up to $5 billion for unemployed workers without access to EI through the new Emergency Support Benefit.
Economists had been calling on the government to introduce paid leave for those who typically are ineligible for EI benefits, such as freelancers, contractors, shift workers and those who labour in the gig economy.
Wage subsidy: To help prevent layoffs, the government is also eyeing a measure that would provide businesses struggling with the economic impact of COVID-19 with a subsidy equal to 10 per cent of employee wages, up to $1,375 per employee and $25,000 per employer.
Income supports: Trudeau said Ottawa will also temporarily boost the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) over the coming months. The government is proposing to boost the maximum annual CCB payment amounts by $300 per child for the 2019-20 benefit year.
Families receiving the CCB will get an extra $300 per child as part of their May payment, the government said.
Ottawa will also double the maximum annual Goods and Services Tax Credit (GSTC), providing an average income boost of $400 for low-income income individuals and close to $600 for couples.
Finance Minister Bill Morneau told reporters single parents could be eligible for up to $1,500 in support from the two measures combined.
Tax deadline postponed: Ottawa is moving the tax-filing deadline from April 30 to June 1 for individuals, mirroring a similar move implemented in the U.S. Individual taxpayers will also be able to defer payments on taxes owed to August 31 interest-free.
The Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada welcomed the decision to move the tax deadline. However, the association also noted that Ottawa “did not provide a comprehensive update on all tax deadlines including some quickly approaching.”
Moratorium on student loan payments: Trudeau said the government is also proposing a six-month, interest-free moratorium on the repayment of federal student loans.
Lower mandatory withdrawals for retirees: Morneau said Canadian retirees will be allowed to make smaller withdrawals from their retirement accounts.
Help for Canadian businesses: The Canadian government will allow businesses to defer payments of income tax amounts until after Aug. 31. No interest or penalties will accumulate.
The government will also increase the tax credits available to small, medium and large businesses.
Trudeau was followed by Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz, who elaborated on new economic supports aimed at offsetting the wide-ranging impacts of the novel coronavirus outbreak and subsequent shutdowns.
"COVID-19 is having a significant impact on our economy, an impact that continues to evolve. At this stage, the full breadth and the scope of the impact remain unknown,” Morneau said. "Clearly the impacts of this pandemic have been profound and will continue to be profound. Households and businesses are already feeling the effects.”
BC Premier Announced Province Emergency and Schools Suspended Indefinitely
Given the current status of the COVID-19 outbreak, Premier John Horgan announced that the B.C. government has suspended all schools in the province until further notice to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 On Tuesday, March 17, 2020.
While the majority of provincial public schools are already on spring break, any remaining schools that have not yet closed are being directed to do so now.
Minister of Education Rob Fleming emphasized that we have been taking action to protect our students and staff.
Joyful Seniors Home
More Seniors Welcome and more Volunteers are Appreciated
The volunteers from the WS Multicultural Services Society have been helping elders to shop over the years, especially since the Coronavirus outbreak, helping some elders with a higher risk of going out is getting more often. According to their shopping lists, we help them shopping at various merchants, and then deliver them to their home for free. In the process, we learned that little more elderly people live alone. Although our volunteers have been helping them to shop and basically meet their needs for material life, their loneliness and fear of the epidemic are not really resolved, so we are willing to try our best to have many "Joyful Seniors Home" to house as many elderly people who really need help to live together under the eaves of many large houses. All expenses are shared according to actual expenses. Volunteers contribute their own time, energy and caring to take care of these elders 24 hours: provide exquisite and delicious three meals a day and two snacks; provide one separate room for each senior; have at least one seminar on topics of concern from the elderly each day; visits by doctors and nurses and perform regular physical examinations once every week; small special art performances thoughtfully prepared for the elderly once a week; drive and company the elderly to go out to see doctors, thus hopefully really allows them to enjoy their old age carefree. If you want to volunteer, and you, or any of your relatives and friends need such “group home” help, feel free to send email to [email protected], or call / text at 778 863 5828.
Sites for COVID-19 Updates and
Suggestion for trusted Information Sources:
BC Centre for Disease Control (www.bccdc.ca): has the most accurate and up-to-date information on COVID-19. Dr. Bonnie Henry and the Health Minister generally brief the public at 3:30 pm on weekdays, which is available live from many social media platforms, radio and TV channels including Titter @BCGovNews, BC1, Global BC (Facebook live-stream: https://www.facebook.com/GlobalBC/), etc.;
World Health Organization (WHO): https://www.who.int
With the Wuhan experience and the caring to all the people over the world, many Chinese doctors now are seeing Coronavirus related patient online for free: WeDoctor Global Consultation and Prevention Centre (available in English and in Chinese): https://promo.guahao.com/en/global/pneumonia/?_cp=1&cs=share&from=groupmessage&isappinstalled=0.
Canada is so vast and materially scarce. Because of the COVID-19, I have recently seen many reports of short-selling supermarkets, and many people are asking: Where can I buy mouth masks? Where can I get hand sanitizer? Where has the toilet paper? …Here I will share my very own shopping experiences, and I hope it is helpful to you.
N95 mouth masks, occationally are available at various Canadian Tire stores around Greater Vancouver area; hope to save more those masks for the medcial staff who are working closely with COVID-19 patients 大温哥华地区各个加拿大轮胎店偶尔有少量 N95 口罩出售；希望更多这样的口罩能够留给与新冠患者密切接触的医务人员
N95 mouth masks, occationally are available at the Home Depot stores around Greater Vancouver area; make sure to check their websites or call to comfirm before you go shopping 在大温哥华的多个 The Home Depot stores，偶尔有少量 N95 口罩出售，去之前你最好先查询他们的网站或是打电话确认一下，以免跑了空路
Various mouth masks at PlanetClean, photo taken in Feb. 2020
Delon Hand Sanitizer at Costco Richmond, photo taken on March 13, 2020
2020年3月13日Costco Richmond 有免洗消毒擦手液
Masks, hand sanitizer, hand soap and more at Various Canadian Tire stores, and some of them are even on sale 各个加拿大轮胎店有多种多样的口罩、免洗消毒擦手液、洗手液等，而且还打折！
Lot of toilet paper at Super Store 厕纸储量丰富
Plenty of rice and more at Beautiful Save on Food
Save on Food 食品丰富，还洋溢着节日的气氛
Fresh fruits and vegetables at T & T are a good source to help you to stay health
Stay strong, supportive, kind and caring for each other, and look out for our neighbours and communities, together we can beat COVID-19!
（Followed in Chinese）
对于受疫情影响失去工作，又不符合资格申请失业保险金（EI）的人，政府将发放应急援助福利金（Emergency Support Benefit），每人每两周900元，最长15周，共计$6750加元，从下个月开始申请。
为帮助家长，加拿大儿童福利金的金额将在未来几个月上涨。针对350多万个有孩子的家庭，政府将在2019-2020年度增加牛奶金（CCB，Canada Child Benefit），每个儿童增加300元。平均而言，每个家庭大约增加550元，金额将在5月开始发放。
关于企业税: 从今日起至2020年9月之前的欠税，包括Income Tax Instalment，可延至9月1日支付，期间不计利息和罚金。联邦出口发展部将有额外措施，帮助受影响的商家。
联邦财长莫尔诺 (Bill Morneau) 和央行行长波洛兹 (Stephen Poloz) 随后宣布，将援助受疫情冲击导致大范围关闭停摆的国家经济。财政援助方案包括：直接把钱发给加拿大个人和家庭；帮助受冲击最严重的行业；放宽经济刺激措施等。
鉴于目前新冠疫情爆发的情况，2020年3月17日（星期二），卑诗省省长约翰·霍根（BC Premier John Horgan）宣布省内所有学校无限期停课，直到另行通知开学，以有效防止新冠病毒的传播。
文思多元文化协会的义工们多年以来一直在帮助一些社区内的长者购物，尤其是新冠疫情爆发以来，帮助一些出门风险指数较高的长者，根据他们的购物清单，帮助他们在各个商家购物，然后免费送到他们的家里。在这个过程中，我们更加了解到更多的长者都是独自一人生活，虽然义工们帮忙购物基本满足了他们物质生活的需要，但是他们的孤独和对疫情的恐惧并没有得到真正的解决，尤其是现在各项社区活动几乎都关闭了的情况下，所以我们愿意在力所能及的情况下，设立更多的“快乐长者之家”，帮助少量急需帮助的长者，在一个大房子的同一个屋檐下共同生活，所有开销按实际开支分摊，义工们贡献各自的时间和爱心，24小时照顾这些长者：提供精美可口的一日三餐两点心；提供一人一个单独房间；每天有至少一场长者关注话题的专题讲座；每周有医生和护士探访，并进行常规身体检查；每周一次为长者们精心准备的小型专场文艺演出；开车接送陪伴长者外出，实实在在的让他们无忧无虑的安享晚年。如果您、或者您的亲戚好友需要这样的帮助，请发送电邮至 [email protected], 或致电/短信 778 863 5828。
省首席卫生官邦妮·亨利（Bonnie Henry）博士和卫生部长阿德里安·迪克斯（Adrian Dix）通常在每个工作日的下午3:30向公众通报新冠疫情，可通过多个社交媒体平台、广播和电视频道收看，包括但不限于Titter @ BCGovNews，BC1，Global BC（直播Facebook：https:/www.facebook.com/GlobalBC/）等；
（Adrian Dix）向公众通报新冠疫情Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix was giving the daily updates to media on COVID-19 on March 17, 2020
99.9% Antibacterial Multi Purpose Cleaner at Walmart with shocking price
Walmart 有99.9% 杀菌的清洗液，价格非常优惠
Costco providing wet towel for every customer at the entrance
Hand soap at Save on Food Richmond
Save on Food Richmond 供应洗手液
Plenty of rice and oil at Rice World, Plus your favorite LaoGanMa chili sauce | politics |
https://ir.darktrace.com/press-releases/2022/5/27/2e9f8c31848750b506358df217b47e7fff84c21371b79c8de4fac2f02decf588 | 2023-11-30T06:45:39 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100172.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20231130062948-20231130092948-00541.warc.gz | 0.949702 | 718 | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__69165131 | en | Darktrace CEO Calls for Dedicated ‘Tech Nato’ to Improve International Cyber Resilience
Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson spoke on Wednesday night at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) on the evolving cyber threat landscape in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She was in conversation with Professor Madeline Carr, Senior RUSI Associate Fellow and Professor of Global Politics and Cybersecurity at University College London.
Commenting on the challenge of policing both cyber warfare and international cyber crime, Gustafsson said “There remains a persistent lack of clarity around how we define an act of war in the cyber-sphere.” She called for the creation of a dedicated international cyber task force, or ‘Tech Nato’, to deliver international collaboration in agreeing and ratifying a set of cyber-norms and accountability.
Gustafsson noted that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the first time an active invasion has been supported by the tactical dismantling of national infrastructure using cyber-attacks. “The attack on the Viasat satellite that disabled Ukrainian military communications one hour before the invasion was a key component of the beginning of this war,” argued Gustafsson. She added, “We have seen UK, US and EU officials jointly attribute this attack to Russia, an immensely political act. That is unprecedented.”
Asked by Prof. Carr whether Darktrace has seen the level of collateral cyber disruption it expected, Gustafsson shared that Darktrace data showed a global increase in attacks on critical national infrastructure bodies across its customer base, including a 90% increase in high priority security incidents on the networks of energy companies in Europe during the week of the invasion, from February 24.
At the domestic level, Gustafsson called for cooperation and accountability between the public and private sectors, as well as lower tolerance for cyber attacks. She emphasized the importance of a “whole of society approach” to cyber security adding: “There is a shocking tolerance for cyber attacks, and that has to change. Organizations that are custodians of valuable, private data can not be allowed to let that data fall into criminal hands through negligence and face no consequences.”
“Issues that we had thought about speculatively have now become our reality. We are facing war in Europe and there is an essential cyber component both to the way it is being fought, and to its international ramifications,” remarked Prof. Carr. “This is a complex area which is the subject of a wealth of academic debate, and what is needed is clarity, consensus and cooperation. That is why it has never been more important to bring expert voices from across the public and private sector together as we have done this evening.”
The Royal United Services Institute is the world’s oldest and the UK’s leading defense and security think tank. Darktrace has been a member of RUSI since 2020.
Darktrace (DARK.L), a global leader in cyber security AI, delivers world-class technology that protects over 6,800 customers worldwide from advanced threats, including ransomware and cloud and SaaS attacks. Darktrace’s fundamentally different approach applies Self-Learning AI to enable machines to understand the business in order to autonomously defend it. Headquartered in Cambridge, UK, the Group has more than 2,000 employees worldwide. Darktrace was named one of TIME magazine’s ‘Most Influential Companies’ for 2021. | politics |
https://thewasat.wordpress.com/2013/09/12/american-jihadi-reportedly-killed-in-an-al-shabab-ambush-in-southern-somalia/ | 2017-04-24T15:09:28 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917119637.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031159-00091-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.956469 | 617 | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-17__0__140974481 | en | American Jihadi Reportedly Killed in an Al-Shabab Ambush in Southern Somalia
September 12, 2013 Leave a comment
Omar Hammami (right) with Mukhtar “Abu Mansur” Robow, a dissident Al-Shabab leader and member of the Rahanweyn clan group with which Hammami affiliated himself with on his year and a half in hiding from Al-Shabab.
American jihadi Omar “Abu Mansur al-Amriki” Hammami has reportedly been killed in an ambush in southern Somalia carried out by Harakat al-Shabab al-Mujahideen (Movement of the Mujahideen-Youth). Hiding in the forests of the Bay and Bakool region of Somalia, Hammami fell out publicly with Al-Shabab in March 2012 over issues of “strategy and shari’a [Islamic law.]” Hammami’s killing comes in the midst of growing internal strife within Al-Shabab related to the leadership (and criticism of it) of the movement’s amir, Ahmed “Mukhtar Abu al-Zubayr” Godane. In late June, reports surfaced that Godane had ordered the assassinations of two senior leaders of Al-Shabab who were also critical of his leadership, Ibrahim al-Afghani and preacher Mu’allim Burhan.
In his last interview, with Voice of America’s Somali language service, Hammami alleged that Godane had abandoned the “principles of our religion [Islam],” which represents a form of takfir or declaration of an individual who claims to be Muslim as a non-Muslim. In his strategic writings and audio recordings, produced both under his nom de guerre “Abu Mansur al-Amriki” and his pen name “Abu Jihad al-Shami,” Hammami argued for a strategy wedded to “pure” Islam (as defined by him), marking a puritanical streak which, as can be seen in his dispute with Al-Shabab, transcended loyalty to any particular militant group.
The Global Jihad (al-Jihad al-‘Alami) is currently eulogizing Hammami and a British militant who was also killed with a banner at the top of its main page. The banner (below) declares that “the shaykh” Hammami was martyred, using the term istishhad, which can carry a meaning of seeking out martyrdom. The banner includes a quotation from part of verse 156 of Sura al-Baqara in the Qur’an:
Inna li-lahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un (Verily we are from God and to Him we return).
The phrase is used by Muslims for those who have died. | politics |
https://www.questmedianetwork.co.uk/news/tameside-reporter/dress-code-and-drug-testing-taxi-drivers-introduced-to-keep-passengers-safe/ | 2021-09-25T11:31:35 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780057622.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20210925112158-20210925142158-00014.warc.gz | 0.96639 | 595 | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-39__0__178158079 | en | The introduction of a set of common licensing standards for taxi drivers across Greater Manchester – including a dress code and drug testing – will help put customers in 'safe hands', leaders say.
Tameside's executive cabinet have approved the first stage of the new Greater Manchester minimum licensing standards, which focuses on drivers, operators and local authorities.
The standards – which are being jointly introduced across all of the region’s ten councils – have been in the pipeline since 2018 and are aimed at delivering improved safety, ‘customer focus’, higher environmental standards and accessibility.
There are around 2,000 hackney vehicles, 11,500 private hire vehicles and upwards of 18,600 drivers currently licensed across Greater Manchester.
The more stringent rules around drivers for all vehicles will see DBS checks occur more frequently, as well as medical examinations for drivers, knowledge and English language tests.
A dress code is also be introduced which would limit drivers to wearing ‘good condition’ clothes, and ban them from wearing sportswear, sandals, hoods and offensive slogans or graphics.
It comes after licensing authorities received ‘numerous complaints’ each year about driver dress standards and personal hygiene.
The Tameside cabinet report states that in the ‘worst examples’ passengers reported drivers wearing shorts had their ‘private parts on display’.
A policy around drug and alcohol testing is also being developed to introduce testing for drivers based on complaints or intelligence received.
Ian Saxon, director of neighbourhoods and operations, said the recommendations were the product of ‘many years hard work’.
“They are very strong and supported by the travelling public,” he added.
“This is there to promote public safety and that’s our role within the taxi licensing regime.
“Protect those people who rely most of all on the taxi provision, remember large section of our community can’t necessarily use other forms of public transport and some of the most vulnerable members of the community are highly reliant on taxis and private hires.”
Council leader Brenda Warrington told the meeting that they owed it to residents across Greater Manchester ‘to be able to know that when they get into a taxi they’re in safe hands’.
“At the moment some of the drivers that we know are licensed outside of Greater Manchester from other authorities that just give away licences like toffees – it is a worry to us so I do hope and believe that this kind of arrangement across all ten of the districts in Greater Manchester will be a benefit,” she said.
“We would hope to a degree would drive out those drivers who frankly we don’t want to see because they’re not up to the standard that we would require.”
In the autumn a further report is to be published outlining the proposed standards for taxi vehicles. | politics |
https://www.pima-uae.com/news/2022/railway-to-cut-uae-oman-travel-time-to-47-minutes | 2023-11-29T01:35:56 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100047.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20231129010302-20231129040302-00696.warc.gz | 0.945263 | 740 | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__26134367 | en | A landmark agreement signed between the UAE and Oman will see the establishment of a railway network that will cut travel time between the two countries — to as short as 47 minutes.
Etihad Rail — the developer and operator of the UAE National Rail Network — has inked a deal with the Sultanate's Oman Rail to jointly establish an equally owned company, which will be called Oman-Etihad Rail Company.
With an investment of more than Dh11 billion, this upcoming infrastructure will connect Oman's Sohar Port to the UAE's rail network.
Spanning 303km, the railway will feature state-of-the-art passenger trains that will be travelling at a maximum speed of 200kph. This will slash travel time from Sohar to Abu Dhabi to one hour and 40 minutes, and from Sohar to Al Ain to 47 minutes. Meanwhile, freight trains will run up to 120kph.
The agreement was signed by Shadi Malak, CEO of Etihad Rail, and Abdulrahman Salim Al Hatmi, group CEO of Asyad.
The Abu Dhabi Government Media Office made the announcement in a tweet:
Under this agreement, the new company will lay the groundwork and workplan for the project, including its financial mechanisms and schedule. It will also handle the design, development, and operation of the rail network, which connects Sohar and Abu Dhabi, in line with the standards of the two countries.
Built on the historic and strategic relations between the UAE and Oman, this major joint venture is an extension of the longstanding collaboration between Oman Rail and Etihad Rail – both of whom seek to create new prospects in the infrastructure, transport, and logistics industries by connecting the two countries via rail.
The two parties aim to unlock new opportunities by strengthening commercial exchange and social cohesion, connecting key urban centres, facilitating travel between communities and providing seamless transport solutions between economic and industrial zones in Oman and the UAE.
Employing cutting-edge transport and rail technology, the railway network between the Sultanate of Oman and the UAE will boost the growth of the economy in both countries. It will also improve the efficiency of the supply chain, facilitate cross-border trade by linking commercial ports to the railway network, boost market competitiveness and reduce the total cost of supply chains.
The railway will provide investment opportunities and support contracts to the private sector. The new transport system will create job opportunities across sectors, develop the national human capital of both countries and kick off a new age of innovation.
On a wider scope, the project will stimulate tourism activities between Oman and the UAE, strengthen the competitiveness of the two countries in global trade and solidify their positions as logistics hubs for import and export to regional markets.
Malak said this agreement outlines a strategic roadmap for a sustainable project that will bolster the solid relations between the UAE and Oman and will play an instrumental role in facilitating national and regional trade by connecting the UAE National Rail Network with Sohar Port.
Al Hatmi, in turn, stated, "Adding a new railway capability to our logistics sector will offer trade and logistics companies outstanding investment opportunities and empower manufacturing and industrial activities to quickly expand beyond borders. The envisioned network will complement our comprehensive set of ports and logistics assets, augment our competitiveness and open faster access to global markets."
The railway, he said, also promises huge strategic economic and social gains as it promotes a more diverse, robust national economy, upgrades infrastructure and logistic services, drives forward travel and tourism, and ultimately improves the quality of life for communities on both sides of the borders by supporting the various strategic initiatives of the governments of Oman and the UAE. | politics |
http://americanglassguild.com/calendar.php | 2020-11-26T12:13:11 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-50/segments/1606141188146.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20201126113736-20201126143736-00220.warc.gz | 0.956203 | 161 | CC-MAIN-2020-50 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2020-50__0__123965185 | en | David WildeIn Canada, on November 11, we pay tribute to those fallen heroes who have defended and protected our freedom. Up here, its Remembrance Day, and in the USA, Veterans Day. We also pause, and pray for our soldiers abroad in Iraq, Afghanistan, Cyprus, Sierra Leone, Somalia and elsewhere in our troubled world.
We pray for the families who have lost a hero in recent battle or service for their country. We pray that our government leaders will do their best to reduce conflicts in the world, and reduce the risk of unnecessary loss of civilian and military lives. We pray that those who have recently voted, have taken these issues to heart before they cast their ballot.
Two minutes of silence at 11:00 am, 11/11/2008. We will remember them. | politics |
https://nepszava.us/trumps-russia-headache-gets-worse-as-sessions-struggles-to-spin-undisclosed-meetings/ | 2017-10-19T11:05:52 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-43/segments/1508187823282.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20171019103222-20171019123222-00334.warc.gz | 0.966595 | 2,284 | CC-MAIN-2017-43 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-43__0__220919136 | en | With Breanne Deppisch
THE BIG IDEA: Jeff Sessions wakes up this morning with potentially serious legal and political problems.
— The attorney general and his team are in damage-control mode, trying to explain confusing and seemingly inconsistent statements.
— A handful of top Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi and Claire McCaskill, called for his resignation overnight. Others are expected to follow in the coming hours. Many more are clamoring for a special prosecutor, both to explore whether Sessions should be charged with perjury for making apparently false statements to Congress and more broadly to explore links between Trump campaign officials and Russia during the election. There is consensus among Democrats in both chambers that Sessions must, at the very least, immediately recuse himself from all Russia-related investigations to preserve the integrity of the Justice Department and the ongoing FBI investigation, something he has repeatedly resisted.
— Notably, few Republican lawmakers are rushing to vocally defend their longtime colleague this morning. Some worry about what shoes might drop next. A few prominent Republicans are joining Democratic calls for Sessions to recuse himself, including Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and the chairman of the House Oversight Committee:
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said on “Morning Joe” that Sessions should recuse himself, though he tried to walk it back later on Fox News.
— In case you missed them, four significant Russia stories popped late last night:
The Washington Post reported that then-Sen. Sessions (R-Ala.) spoke twice last year with Russia’s ambassador to the United States, encounters he did not disclose when asked about possible contacts between members of President Trump’s campaign and representatives of Moscow during his confirmation hearing to become attorney general. “One of the meetings was a private conversation between Sessions and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak that took place in September in the senator’s office, at the height of what U.S. intelligence officials say was a Russian cyber campaign to upend the U.S. presidential race,” Adam Entous, Ellen Nakashima and Greg Miller report. The second meeting happened after a Heritage Foundation event during the Republican National Convention, when the two spoke individually in Cleveland. A Sessions spokeswoman confirmed both meetings.
Testifying under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee, he was asked in January by Al Franken what he would do if he learned of any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government during the 2016 campaign. “I’m not aware of any of those activities,” he responded. He added: “I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians.”
There’s more: Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) sent Sessions an additional written question: “Have you been in contact with anyone connected to any part of the Russian government about the 2016 election, either before or after election day?” The AG’s one-word answer could not have been more categorical: “No.”
Watch the Franken-Sessions exchange:
— The Wall Street Journal, following The Post’s report, added that “U.S. investigators have examined contacts … Sessions had with Russian officials during the time he was advising” Trump’s campaign. “The outcome of the inquiry, and whether it is ongoing, wasn’t clear,” per Carol E. Lee, Christopher S. Stewart, Rob Barry and Shane Harris. “The contacts were being examined as part of a wide-ranging U.S. counterintelligence investigation into possible communications between members of Mr. Trump’s campaign team and Russian operatives.” Three other nuggets:
- A spokeswoman told the Journal that the AG wasn’t aware that his communications have been under investigation until being contacted by the press.
- The inquiry, focused on contacts Sessions had “while serving as Mr. Trump’s foreign-policy adviser in the spring and summer of 2016,” is being pursued by the FBI, Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency and Treasury Department.
- “The FBI’s role in the investigation into Mr. Sessions’ conversations left the agency ‘wringing its hands’ about how to proceed, said one person familiar with the matter.”
— The New York Times revealed that some Obama White House officials were so concerned about possible contacts between Trump associates and the Russians that they took active measures to ensure the incoming administration would not be able to “cover up or destroy” key evidence.
“American allies, including the British and the Dutch, had provided information describing meetings in European cities between Russian officials — and others close to Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin — and associates of President-elect Trump,” three former American officials told Matthew Rosenberg, Adam Goldman and Michael S. Schmidt. “Separately, American intelligence agencies had intercepted communications of Russian officials, some of them within the Kremlin, discussing contacts with Trump associates.”
To leave as long a paper trail as possible, Obama administration officials spread information across the government. Some illustrations of how they did it from the story:
- “Some officials began asking specific questions at intelligence briefings, knowing the answers would be archived and could be easily unearthed by investigators — including the Senate Intelligence Committee…”
- “At intelligence agencies, there was a push to process as much raw intelligence as possible into analyses, and to keep the reports at a relatively low classification level to ensure as wide a readership as possible across the government — and, in some cases, among European allies. This allowed the upload of as much intelligence as possible to Intellipedia, a secret wiki used by American analysts to share information.”
- “There was also an effort to pass reports and other sensitive materials to Congress. In one instance, the State Department sent a cache of documents marked ‘secret’ to Senator Benjamin Cardin of Maryland days before the Jan. 20 inauguration.”
“The opposite happened with the most sensitive intelligence, including the names of sources and the identities of foreigners who were regularly monitored,” the Times reporters add. “Officials tightened the already small number of people who could access that information. They knew the information could not be kept from the new president or his top advisers, but wanted to narrow the number of people who might see the information.”
— Finally, the Associated Press reports that the White House counsel’s office has instructed all of the president’s aides to preserve materials that could be connected to Russian interference in the 2016 election and other related investigations. “The instructions, which were sent to White House staff on Tuesday, come after Senate Democrats last week asked the White House and law enforcement agencies to keep all materials involving contacts that Trump’s administration, campaign and transition team — or anyone acting on their behalf — have had with Russian government officials or their associates,” Julie Pace and Vivian Salama report. “The Senate intelligence committee, which is investigating Russia’s role in the 2016 election, has also asked more than a dozen organizations, agencies and individuals to preserve relevant records.” Congress will want to know why it took nearly a week for this order to go out after their request…
— Sessions’s spin is quite a stretch. Justice officials claim that Sessions’s secret sit-down with Ambassador Kislyak on Sept. 8 was in his capacity as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, not as a Trump campaign surrogate. Officials told The Post’s reporters who broke the story that the attorney general did not consider the conversations relevant to Franken and Leahy’s questions and did not remember in detail what he discussed with Kislyak. “There was absolutely nothing misleading about his answer,” claimed Sessions spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores (who used to be Sean Spicer’s #2 at the RNC).
But The Post’s Adam Entous contacted all 26 members of the Senate Armed Services Committee from 2016 to see whether any lawmakers besides Sessions met with Kislyak in 2016. Of the 20 lawmakers who responded, every senator, including Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.), said they did not meet with the Russian ambassador last year. The other lawmakers on the panel did not respond as of last night.
Claire McCaskill, the Missouri Democrat who called for Sessions to resign this morning, is a senior member of that committee and a former prosecutor. “A good prosecutor would have known these facts were relevant to the questions asked,” she said in a statement. “It’s clear Attorney General Sessions misled the Senate—the question is, why? I’ve been on the Senate Armed Services Committee for 10 years, and in that time, have had no call from, or meeting with, the Russian ambassador. Ever. That’s because ambassadors call members of Foreign Relations Committee.”
Many reporters mocked as nonsensical a clean-up statement sent out by a Sessions spokeswoman last night in response to The Post’s story:
Approached by an NBC camera crew this morning, Sessions carefully denied meeting with any Russian officials during the course of the election to talk about the Trump campaign. “I have not met with any Russians at any time to discuss any political campaign,” he said, “and those remarks are unbelievable to me and are false. And I don’t have anything else to say about that.” When asked about the calls by Democrats to recuse himself from investigating any alleged ties between Trump’s surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government, Sessions added: “I have said whenever it’s appropriate, I will recuse myself. There’s no doubt about that.”
But the continuing pushback from someone else in the Trump administration is potentially making the story worse for them. Recall that Sessions keeps saying he didn’t talk about politics:
THE GATHERING STORM – A ROUND-UP OF KEY REACTION:
This was the chief White House ethics lawyer under George W. Bush:
Misleading the Senate in sworn testimony about one own contacts with the Russians is a good way to go to jail https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/sessions-spoke-twice-with-russian-ambassador-during-trumps-presidential-campaign-justice-officials-say/2017/03/01/77205eda-feac-11e6-99b4-9e613afeb09f_story.html?hpid=hp_no-name_no-name%3Apage%2Fbreaking-news-bar&tid=a_breakingnews&utm_term=.0043b1da9c3c …
Sessions met with Russian envoy twice last year, encounters he later did not disclose
The attorney general did not disclose the encounters during his confirmation hearing. | politics |
https://nl.idebate.org/nl/news/public-debate-inclusion-african-youth-europe | 2019-11-17T04:54:21 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-47/segments/1573496668787.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20191117041351-20191117065351-00184.warc.gz | 0.973323 | 542 | CC-MAIN-2019-47 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-47__0__99140739 | en | Around 50 people participated in a public debate on the Inclusion of African Youth in Europe on Wednesday the 20th of November, the International Childrens' Rights day. Youth, often of African descent, debated employment, education and security topics with politicians, policy makers, academics and professionals in the Child's Rights House in Leiden. The youth participants were from various backgrounds and countries, with students, self-employed youth, community workers and artists among them. They had participated in an intensive training week with an After Summer School program and debate competition before the public debate. The public debate concluded the debate component of the program and introduced the next part of the project in which the participants will focus on advocacy.
The public debate started with the best four teams of the competition debating in a final on the motion that all migrants should get access to Europe, even economic migrants. This led to a heated debate on the rights of migrants and host societies. The public debate then moved on to a broader discussion, moderated by Jos van Beurden. The topics were education, employment and security. Each of these topics was introduced by one of the three best speakers of the competition: Nikish Vita, Joan van Geel and Nahom Isaac. A panel of experts then responded with insights based on their own experience, after which the audience could take a chance to discuss the issue with the panelists and speakers.Expert speakers included Labour MP Mr Van Laar, representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Ms Schuddebeurs and Mr De Nie representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A lot of interesting suggestions were given to address issues facing African youth in Europe. The suggestions ranged from more research on police practices to quota for companies to hire more people from African descent and the providing sufficient internships for youth and particularly for African youth that tend to have less well-developed networks for finding positions. The public debate ended with the announcements of the winners of the final, and the best public speaker of the event. Zaina Karekezi and Richard Ocheng won the debate competition from opening opposition. Nikish Vita was crowned best speaker of the Inclusion of African Youth in Europe project. She received her trophy from Akinyinka Akinyoade from the African Studies Centre.
The participants of the project have been very enthusiastic about debate and about the opportunities to lobby and make a difference within their communities. Many have indicated an interest in participating further in the advocacy training that will follow the debate training and competition. IDEA NL will compile a report on the basis of their experiences and the insights they brought to the debate to enable more effective trainings and help them in their commitment to become a more inclusive society. | politics |
https://prime-stocks.com/news/global-recession-fears-hit-stocks-and-bonds-rally | 2021-04-12T20:03:37 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-17/segments/1618038069133.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20210412175257-20210412205257-00500.warc.gz | 0.951874 | 339 | CC-MAIN-2021-17 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-17__0__211380365 | en | On Wednesday Asian shares fell and bonds rallied as investor sentiment soured over growing worries about world growth with the U.S.-China trade tensions showing no signs of easing. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan tumbled 0.5% after three straight days of gains. Chinese shares started on the back foot but bounced off early losses to be marginally higher. Australian shares were down 0.7% while Japan’s Nikkei lost 1.2%.
In an indication U.S. markets will fall again on Wednesday, E-Minis for the S&P 500 slipped 0.3%. In early European trading, the pan-region Euro Stoxx 50 futures and German DAX futures were 0.7% lower, while those for London’s FTSE and France’s CAC 40 eased 0.6% each.
Risk aversion has increased globally during recent days as fears of world recession resurfaced amid disappointing macro data in major economies. It happened on the background of wins for eurosceptic parties in EU elections and political turmoil in Austria. Italy’s dispute with the European Commission over its budget is also a major overhang for world markets. In Asia focus remains on the ongoing U.S.-China trade war. On Monday the U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington was not prepared to make a deal with China yet. In response, Chinese newspapers warned today Beijing is ready to strike back at the United States. Though the U.S. policy of tariff skirmish was not limited to China. Trump has also pressed Japan to reduce its trade imbalance between the two countries. | politics |
https://cosmicbirthright.org/2017/03/04/cosmic-birthright/ | 2022-12-08T16:12:10 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446711344.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20221208150643-20221208180643-00787.warc.gz | 0.939196 | 975 | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-49__0__9706283 | en | Our Cosmic Birthright:
to achieve planetary defense and world peace,
to restore paradise,
and end all forms of oppression,
by every peaceful means necessary.
This is the eve of our Cosmic Birthright. The human race in the 21st century has arrived at a crossroads where our decisions, actions, behaviors, and attitudes will determine the future of humanity and of our Mother Earth.
We have arrived at a time and place when we must answer basic questions:
Where are we? How is the weather? and Why are we here?
Where are we? On a rolling mass of blue perfection, a Goldilocks planet, perfectly balanced, orbiting a brilliantly poised star in a distant, remote quadrant of the Milky Way.
How’s the weather? Turbulent. Not long ago, our fragile Eco-system narrowly survived one of several near extinction level events that wiped out nearly every life form on the planet, including the mighty reptiles, their life force now our main source of energy.
Why are we here? Evolution is ingenious, and necessity the mother of invention. As out of the ashes of the Cretaceous extinction event rose a primate with opposing thumb and forefinger that can grasp instruments and engineer earths technology, the human race, that will someday save everyone and everything on our beautiful world teaming with life.
But there’s a problem.
We are unaware of our purpose for existence. Our lifespan akin to that of a gnat in the time-space continuum, our perspectives myopic, limited; we are focused on the minutiae of systems that have controlled and oppressed us into conformity to one single goal-not to defend mother earth-but to provide power and hegemony to a select few human beings. All of our activities, our labor, our sacrifices add up to achieving a single accomplishment- to maintain a tiny portion of humanity in power, and this at the expense of everyone and everything on earth.
We must take claim to our Cosmic Birthright, we must transform these systems of oppression into systems that secure earths future. We must accomplish this by every peaceful means necessary, for violence begets violence. Every human being on earth shares the right to accomplish planetary defense, restore paradise and secure lasting peace by ending all forms of oppression. There is no cause, no need for violence and violent uprising as these conflicts only maintain power and control for a few humans over many nations and races. War profiteers only benefit from these conflicts-this is the system of oppression that is currently in place and guarantees massive profits and untold riches to those who invest in war.
We will achieve Cosmic Birthright peacefully by recognizing we all share the same agenda, the same needs, the same interests. Clean air, water, food, shelter, health care, education, and to be guaranteed employment-not to make a few individuals exceeding rich and powerful, but to secure earths future.
We are One Earth, One Human Race;
Our True Purpose for Existence, to Protect and Defend Mother Earth, Sacred.
How do we achieve this peacefully?
1. Invest in systems and industries that support people and the planet and divest from those that do not. We can purchase, buy, sell, and trade in earth’s best interests.
2. Demand an end to poverty and starvation. Until we end all systems of oppression we will fail to achieve lasting peace. We must agree to a global standard of human rights and responsibilities.
3. Create industries, jobs, and revitalize economies with a worldwide effort to restore paradise on earth with efforts such as sustainable agricultural practices, water conservation, investing renewable energy, and implementing clean technologies and practices that have been suppressed by corporate greed.
4. Revolutionize global national defense industries to evolve into industries of planetary defense and space exploration. Recognize that war and genocide is criminal behavior and demand global agreements to settle conflicts diplomatically.
We are the successors of many generations traumatized by wars and all forms of oppression. Our attitudes, values, and behaviors reflect the thousands of years of tragedy, loss, and injustices that has plagued our human evolution. Every life form on earth has paid a terrible price in suffering to arrive at this place and time in earth’s history. At last, the technology exists capable of protecting the planet from a near extinction level event. Our human responsibility is to give meaning to and honor the sacrifices that have been made to bring us to the eve of our Cosmic Birthright.
Every blade of grass, every grain of sand, every drop of water, every breath or air, everyone and everything is our human responsibility, and we are entrusted to protect and defend our home.
It is the greatest honor to share this existence with you. Continue in peace. | politics |
http://www.tpg-ds.com/news/the-new-political-landscape/ | 2021-09-19T22:24:29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780056902.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20210919220343-20210920010343-00310.warc.gz | 0.925577 | 179 | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-39__0__110136455 | en | The day after the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Epstein Becker Green, in conjunction with Jefferies LLC, hosted “The Ballots Are Counted: How the New Political Landscape Will Shape Health Care Investing.” The event was moderated by Edward M. Kennedy, Jr., and included several thought leaders as panelists to discuss risks and opportunities arising from the results of this 45th presidential election:
- Drew Willison, Chief of Staff, U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid;
- Kimberly Brandt, Chief Healthcare Investigative Counsel, U.S. Senate Committee on Finance;
- William C. Oldaker, National Health Advisors (a bipartisan consultancy and an affiliate of Epstein Becker Green); and
- John J. Kelliher, Managing Director, Berkeley Research Group (a global strategic advisor).
Click to view the 10 takeaways | politics |
https://kwpmc.com/property-management-blog/medical-marijuana-in-your-community/ | 2023-10-04T23:02:28 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233511424.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20231004220037-20231005010037-00560.warc.gz | 0.950676 | 719 | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-40__0__211404458 | en | Medical Marijuana in Your Community
In the 2018 elections, Florida citizens approved Amendment 2, which legalized the use of medical marijuana, by a 71% margin. Florida is on track to log more than $1 billion in medical marijuana sales by the end of the year, according to a report compiled by marijuana industry analysts New Frontier Data and Arcview Market Research. The full extent of this decriminalization of a Schedule 1 substance remains to be seen and much will depend on the rules governing medical marijuana which have yet to be passed by the State Legislature and the Department of Health. In terms of your community association, it is a safe bet that you now have owners or residents using marijuana in their unit or in the common elements or that they will request the use of same as a reasonable accommodation for a disability.
On March 18, 2019, the Florida governor signed the new medical marijuana changes into law. Currently known as Chapter 2019-1, the legislation expands upon the medical marijuana laws previously implemented. Of particular interest is that the revised laws now permit the smoking of medical marijuana to fall within the definition of “Medical use.” However, the smoking of medical marijuana is limited, and is still prohibited on public transportation, in a school bus, vehicle, aircraft, or motorboat, and in an enclosed indoor workplace. Moreover, additional requirements are imposed upon physicians making a determination that smoking is an appropriate route of administration, as well as imposing limits on the amount of marijuana that may be prescribed at one time. Additional labeling requirements have also been established for marijuana in a form for smoking, including a warning that it be kept away from children and a warning that marijuana smoke contains carcinogens and may negatively affect health.
SB- 182 Medical Marijuana. If it’s for medical purposes, does it fall under the ADA? If so, does your community association have to allow marijuana smoking where cigarette smoking is permitted? The legislation permits the use of smokable medical marijuana. The bill allows minors to smoke medical marijuana if they are terminally ill and smoking marijuana is approved by a second physician. Patients are limited to 2.5 ounces every 35 days, unless the Department of Health approves an increase at a patient’s request.
Naturally, the following questions have arisen with regard to private housing providers like condominium, cooperative and homeowners’ associations:
- Do community associations have a duty to deny occupancy to residents who will be using a substance that remains illegal under federal law?
- Can a Florida resident request a reasonable accommodation to use medical marijuana and must the association grant that request?
- Can the association inquire on a purchase or rental application whether or not any of the proposed occupants in the home or unit currently use or plan on using marijuana?
- Are owners who rent out their properties required to investigate possible marijuana use and deny applications accordingly if such use is confirmed?
- Does the prescription for medical marijuana mean an individual automatically has a disability as defined by state and federal law?
If an association were to pass a rule restricting the use of marijuana, medically prescribed or otherwise, on the common areas and perhaps even inside the units, the Board would have to clearly articulate its reasons for doing so. In the case of marijuana those reasons might include:
- The fact that the use of the substance remains a crime under federal law regardless of the permissible use for certain medical reasons under Florida law.
- The fear that the smoke from marijuana may create a hallucinogenic effect and/or health impact on others.
- The impact on minors who might witness the use. | politics |
http://www.district14vfwtx.org/chaplain-corner-01mar20.html | 2021-10-20T03:30:15 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323585302.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20211020024111-20211020054111-00702.warc.gz | 0.956232 | 468 | CC-MAIN-2021-43 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-43__0__61871482 | en | Chaplain Corner - March 2020
March 1, 2020
From the Chaplain’s Pen..........................................................................Chaplain Al Lowe
I have been doing some reading lately. I have always been interested in history and am reading books of American History. I took a course at Texas A&M Central Texas several years ago which caused me to realize the importance of knowing where this nation came from, and possibly where it is going.
Right now, I am reading David McCullough's biography of John Adams. This is a pretty in depth writing of our second president of the United States and one of the Founding Fathers of our great nation. Among other things, along with Thomas Jefferson and a couple others on the committee, the Declaration of Independence was written. What I did not know is that it was signed on July 2, 1776, not July 4. I will leave it to you to do the research as to why.
We approach a very important time in the life – or death – of our nation. This year, 2020, we will vote for our Federal and political leadership, i.e. our President, Congressmen, and the local state and community leadership. No one candidate is more or less important than the other. And ALL demand our attention.
The Comrades of the Veterans of Foreign Wars have literally fought for this opportunity to vote. To be a comrade in the VFW, one must have served the military is a combat situation. Personally, I am a veteran of Vietnam and Iraq. And I take my service very seriously. As I write this note, I “pre-voted” in Texas – I voted this past Monday. I will not tell you for whom I voted, and I will not ask you for whom you voted. Only that you VOTE.
Much rides on YOUR vote. Many elections have been won or lost by a single vote – many lost because Americans failed to vote! Be that GREAT AMERICAN – express your given and fought for responsibility by voting.
Take care, I will see you down range.
Al Lowe MA, DMin
Texas VFW State Chaplain
Bible Verse Of The Month
Proverbs 2, Verse 6
"For the LORD giveth wisdom: out
of hus mouth cometh knowledge and | politics |
https://www.filmiclub.com/person/sunil-dutt-aihbd0r | 2022-10-04T10:47:48 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030337490.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20221004085909-20221004115909-00312.warc.gz | 0.990695 | 329 | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-40__0__139897924 | en | He was born on 6 June 1929 and he died on 25 May 2005. He was born as Balraj Dutt. He was an Indian movie actor, producer, director and politician. He was also the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports in the Manmohan Singh government. His son, Sanjay Dutt and Priya Dutt were also the former Member of Parliament. He was given the Padma Shri award by the Government of India. He then joined the Indian National Congress party and was elected to Parliament of India for five terms from the constituency of Mumbai North West. He was born in a Punjabi family. The family got settled in Mandoli in Yamuna Nagar district of Haryana. He completed his education from Jai Hind College as an undergraduate and took up a job at the Mumbai's BEST Transport division. He was recognized after the film ’Mother India’. He married Nargis on 11 March 1958. He did movies like: Sadhna (1958), Sujata (1959), Mujhe Jeene Do (1963), Khandan (1965), Heera (1973), Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye (1974), Nagin (1976) and Jaani Dushman (1979) and Padosan (1967). After the death of his wife, he created the Nargis Dutt Foundation. He also won the ‘Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award’ for his contribution in the film industry. He died due to the Heart-attack. Check out this page for more updates on Sunil Dutt. | politics |
https://www.uwkc.org/news/sign-up-for-lobby-day-2017/ | 2019-03-19T08:39:19 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912201922.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20190319073140-20190319095140-00393.warc.gz | 0.945826 | 297 | CC-MAIN-2019-13 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-13__0__150672331 | en | ~ Colleen Laing, Associate Director, Planning and Public Policy at United Way.
Join us and make a difference!
United Way Lobby Day
Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017
8:00am – 2:30pm
State Capitol, Olympia, Washington
- It’s fun, educational, and has an impact on the success of important legislation
- We provide training and all the information you need to comfortably talk with legislators
- We typically take about 24 people from King County and meet with between 25-30 legislators
- We meet with legislators in groups of 2-4 with an experienced team lead, so you will have leadership, back-up, and support
- Legislators are surprised and happy to hear from business people, community leaders, volunteers, and United Way supporters on human services issues
- Hear what elected officials have to say about their priorities and thoughts on the 2017 session (we usually have 2-4 presentations from legislators during the day)
- Meet business and community leaders from other United Ways around the state
- No need to be an ‘expert’ in any policy area—you’ll be talking about why you support United Way’s work
Your involvement in Lobby Day is key to our policy change!
To register download this form and return it by Feb. 17.
Don’t forget to add United Way of King County Lobby Day to your calendar for Feb. 23. | politics |
http://nextsteptech.us/latest-news/asmcs-2nd-annual-program-budget-summit/ | 2024-04-13T19:26:43 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296816832.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20240413180040-20240413210040-00023.warc.gz | 0.861317 | 261 | CC-MAIN-2024-18 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__163026158 | en | ASMC’s 2nd annual Program/Budget Summit
NextStep Technology, Inc. will be attending ASMC’s 2nd annual Program/Budget Summit (P/BS) on January 18th! We look forward to seeing you there!
Join us at ASMC’s Program/Budget Summit, where defense leaders, industry experts, and PPBE Commissioners gather to tackle our nation’s critical defense financial management challenges. This is not just another conference; it’s a powerhouse of insights and collaboration designed to equip you with the knowledge and connections you need to navigate the complexities of DFM in 2024.
Hear directly from the key decision-makers:
• PPBE Commissioners: Gain firsthand perspectives on budget priorities and key issues.
• Government Leaders: Delve into the strategic landscape and emerging threats shaping funding decisions.
• Industry Experts: Discover innovative solutions and cutting-edge technologies.
Walk away with:
• Fresh ideas for collaboration: Network with peers and forge partnerships to tackle shared challenges.
• A deeper understanding of key issues: Unpack the complexities of the 2024 defense budget and its impact on financial management.
• Actionable strategies: Equip yourself with practical insights and best practices to optimize resource allocation and drive results. | politics |
https://safety-clothes.taksmind.org/rishi-sunak-my-fears-for-the-safety-of-women-the-telegraph/ | 2023-03-29T12:38:16 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296948976.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20230329120545-20230329150545-00660.warc.gz | 0.990895 | 613 | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-14__0__275797135 | en | Rishi Sunak: My fears for the safety of women – The Telegraph
It comes following criticism of the Metropolitan Police in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer, which prompted protests over women’s safety on the streets.
McSweeney was wanted for recall to prison at the time of the murder, having breached probation following his release from a 16-month sentence for a racially aggravated assault.
Just hours before the murder, police had attended an address where McSweeney was supposed to living in order to arrest him and return him to jail. But he was not there and could not be found.
Speaking during his G20 summit trip to Bali about his approach to crime, Mr Sunak said: “I come to it as a parent. I have two young girls who I talked about over the summer. My eldest is at the age where she’s starting to walk to places by herself or is wanting to.”
He went on to say: “That brings it home. It brings it home to you as a parent … I want to make sure that my kids and everyone else can walk around safely. That’s what any parent wants for their children. It’s what anyone wants, for particularly their wife or their sister.”
He also said that he supported the prison population increasing, as it was the logical conclusion from his tough on crime stance.
Mr Sunak said: “I want to reduce crime, right? And that means I want to make sure that we catch criminals. Yeah, so that’s probably a logical consequence of catching more criminals is going to be part of that.
“We should charge more people and reduce crime and have them in jail.”
‘Danger to any woman’
McSweeney, who was described in one court hearing as a “danger to any woman”, had been in and out of jail throughout his adult life for crimes including car theft, criminal damage and violence.
In 2020, while serving yet another sentence, he was caught with a makeshift knife in prison and then launched a racially aggravated attack on a guard.
In April this year, he was convicted of the charges and sentenced to 16 months – but had spent so much time on remand that he became eligible for release on licence on June 17.
He missed two probation appointments within the first three days and on June 24, a wanted notice was issued due to the breach of his licence.
He had disappeared from the address where he was supposed to be living and instead was staying in a caravan on a funfair in Valentines Park, Ilford.
Having evaded police when they tried to arrest him on June 25, McSweeney – an alcoholic and drug user – then began stalking the streets close to his caravan.
Wearing a vest, he was captured on CCTV weaving across the pavement as he prowled the area looking for a victim. | politics |
http://pinkyiswaiting.blogspot.com/2012/06/practice-of-sati-still-prevalent-in.html | 2018-05-27T01:12:41 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-22/segments/1526794867977.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20180527004958-20180527024958-00605.warc.gz | 0.976378 | 446 | CC-MAIN-2018-22 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-22__0__168776175 | en | The Indian society might have progresses and move forward, but the social evil of Sati continues to haunt us. The shocking incident of a seventy one year old woman performing Sati in Chattisgarh a few days back is an eye opener for all of us.
Since partition there have been more than forty cases of Sati, which have been documented. A majority of the cases have occurred in rural areas, with main reasons being attributed to lack of education and awareness of the law. Sati has always been condemned even at the time of the Mughal rulers, Humayun, Akbar and Aurangzeb had made all attempts to abolish the practice of Sati. Several religious groups have condemned the practice with Guru Nanak, the first Guru of the Sikhs speaking out against it. Raja Ram Mohan Roy, at the time of independence had fought to abolish the practice of Sati during the time of the freedom struggle.
The government has made its effort to ban the evil practice. After a few incidents that were reported in the 1980’s. The government passed the Sati prevention act of 1987 and also the Rajasthan Sati prevention ordinance of 1987, for most of the Sati acts were performed in regions of Rajasthan. Jaipur was also the last princely state to ban Sati during the British Raj in the year 1846.
The Sati prevention act of 1987, makes it illegal to “abet, glorify or attempt to commit Sati”. Abetment of Sati, includes forcing someone to commit Sati. Abetment can be punished by death sentence or life imprisonment, while glorifying Sati is punishable with one to seven years in prison.
Our society has moved forward by leaps and bounds in the past few decades, but some old practices like Sati are still prevalent in rural India despite several attempts made by the government to ban them. The key is to spread awareness amongst rural areas and make the people realise the evils associated with this practice. Till such cases of Sati continue to be performed we cannot call ourselves a developed nation. It is a shame for our society till this heinous practice continues to go on. | politics |
https://sevenoaksndp.wordpress.com/public-consultations/ | 2023-05-30T12:13:32 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224645595.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20230530095645-20230530125645-00443.warc.gz | 0.941154 | 534 | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-23__0__226143062 | en | The Sevenoaks Town Neighbourhood Plan (STNP) has been created with the wishes of the local community as its main priority. Every stage of its progression, from the initial discussions on topics to be covered in the STNP, to the signing-off of the final document, have been widely advertised and invited public interaction.
Progression of the STNP has been organised via regular Steering Group meetings, all of which are open to the public, with Agendas and Minutes posted on the Town Council’s website.
Full documentation of the engagement activities are available via the 2022 Consultation Statement, which was submitted to Sevenoaks District Council (the Local Planning Authority) as part of the Statutory Neighbourhood Development Plan process.
A summary of the main consultation events that have been held is also provided below:
1st October 2013: Sevenoaks District Council consultation on the Neighbourhood Plan area
24th March 2014-June 2014: Town Wide Survey to identify Key Themes for the NDP – 889 questionnaires completed
11th-12th December 2015: Public Consultation event on the Neighbourhood Plan Themes
12th May 2017-14th June 2017: Public Consultation on the Northern Sevenoaks Masterplan
31st January 2020-31st March 2020: Regulation 14 Consultation on Draft Neighbourhood Plan – 268 responses received
22nd September 2022-4th August 2022: Regulation 16 Consultation on Submission Draft Neighbourhood Plan – 36 responses received
5th May 2023: Public Referendum – 5,871 responded received (see below breakdown of Referendum results)
Question asked: “Do you want Sevenoaks District Council to use the neighbourhood plan for Sevenoaks Town to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?”
|Number of Votes||Percentage|
|Number of votes cast for ‘No’||1,292||22.0%|
|Number of votes cast for ‘Yes’||4,294||73.1%|
|The number of ballot papers rejected was as follows:||Number of ballot papers|
|A||want of an official mark||0|
|B||voting for more answers than the voter was entitled to||13|
|C||writing or mark by which voter could be identified||1|
|D||being unmarked or wholly void for uncertainty||271|
Electorate: 15,185 Ballot Papers Issued: 5,871 Turnout: 38.66% | politics |
https://nycjunta.almerindo.net/2009/10/19/iran-vs-saudi-arabia/ | 2019-09-20T11:58:17 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-39/segments/1568514574018.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20190920113425-20190920135425-00147.warc.gz | 0.960097 | 231 | CC-MAIN-2019-39 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-39__0__113872857 | en | China Economic Review highlights this WSJ story on American diplomatic efforts to get the Chinese to buy more oil from Saudi Arabia. The idea is that if China buys less oil from Iran, they will be more inclined to support the sanctions the Americans are proposing.
What about a converse situation? Instead of pressuring the Chinese to abandon their Iranian contracts, we could be lifting sanctions and doing more business with Iran. Didn’t someone once say that if goods don’t cross borders, armies will? We should be increasing ties to the Iranians – including business, academic and cultural connections – so as to decrease animosity.
Some will say that this would “reward” the Iranians for “bad behavior.” Nonsense. What have sanctions brought us, except more hostility? Even the Iranian protesters who were out on the streets demonstrating against Ahmedinejad do not favor sanctions against the regime they have far more reason to despise than we do.
If we really care about the brave Iranian souls who were out fighting for democracy this summer, we should reject sanctions and work toward the normalization of relations, which means doing business together. | politics |
https://www.youthapac.org/climate | 2021-04-21T01:03:11 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-17/segments/1618039503725.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20210421004512-20210421034512-00009.warc.gz | 0.887701 | 287 | CC-MAIN-2021-17 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-17__0__249687842 | en | The science is clear, countries have a short window of time to take the urgent action necessary to limit average global temperature rise to a safer 1.5 °C. Global warming is already causing long-lasting changes to our climate system and threatens lives and livelihoods around the world. We have a once-in-a generation opportunity - through the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - to ensure a more sustainable, equitable and prosperous future for all.
In the recent past, we are witnessing increased interest, engagement, and activism by youth on the climate agenda. Through climate strikes etc. young people have demanded governments and other relevant stakeholders to take collective actions on climate change. With this context in mind, it is important to engage the voices of young people and identify actionable initiatives to lay the foundation for ambitious climate actions.
Register for the event here ❯
Download event concept note ❯
UNDP is supporting governments to advance the climate agenda
Photo from the National Writeshop of the Special Report on Youth for Climate Action in Viet Nam, UNDP Viet Nam
More on Climate Change
Stories of young innovators across Asia-Pacific addressing environmental challenges
Learn why it's so important we work toward reversing the effects of climate change
How UNDP is advancing climate change initiatives in Asia-Pacific
More Resources ▼
20 Insights on NDCs in 2020 - Report | politics |
https://nationalcitizensassembly.ca/ | 2023-12-11T03:26:52 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679103464.86/warc/CC-MAIN-20231211013452-20231211043452-00318.warc.gz | 0.901776 | 1,570 | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__301132097 | en | A National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform:
Backed by evidence, powered by people
A vote will be happening in Parliament on a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform
The quality of our democracy is facing unprecedented threats. Low voter turnout, mistrust in institutions, polarization, and hostile partisan politics are of deep concern to many. Making progress on electoral reform requires political leadership, but politicians alone won’t fix the system that elected them.
A vote will be happening in Parliament on a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform!
BACKGROUND ON THE MOTION COMING TO A VOTE
In February, 2023, MP Mike Morrice (Kitchener Centre) put forward a private members motion for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform (motion M-76). A motion can have a maximum of 20 joint seconders and the motion quickly achieved that, with MPs from four parties seconding it.
Unfortunately, Mike Morrice’s motion would not have come to a vote in the House of Commons because his name was too far down the list in the “order of precedence” for private members business. The order is established by a random lottery draw at the beginning of each Parliament.
In June, 2023, building on the momentum and cross-partisan support, MP Lisa Marie Barron (Nanaimo-Ladysmith) put forward a new motion for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform (motion M-86).
This motion was debated for the first time on November 7, 2023 and will be voted on most likely in early 2024.
What is a Citizens’ Assembly?
A Citizen’s Assembly is a “mini-public” convened to study and give recommendations on a specific issue.
A National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform:
- Is a non-partisan, independent, trusted process
- Is composed of citizens selected at random, like a jury
- Includes Canadians from all walks of life, with special care to ensure that participants reflect Canadian society, including by age, gender, ethnicity and region of Canada
- Engages citizens to learn from experts, thoughtfully consider an issue, and make a recommendation
Without pre-judging various kinds of electoral systems, a citizens’ assembly will review options to improve our current electoral system. They would be free to recommend keeping the status quo (first-past-the-post), ranked ballots, or a proportional system (including proportional ranked ballots, or any other made-for-Canada PR).
Who supports a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform?
- seconding MP Mike Morrice’s motion for Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform (M-76)
- seconding MP Lisa Marie Barron’s motion for a Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform (M-86)
- supporting a resolution for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform that was officially adopted as Liberal Party policy at the party’s May 2023 national convention.
- responding to invitation to have their name added to this website in support
NOTE: MPs who are Ministers or Parliamentary Secretaries can express public support for a Citizens’ Assembly, but cannot second a private member’s motion in Parliament. We invite all MPs to support a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform! If your MP would like to be added below, they can simply fill in this form.
Notable non-partisan Canadians also back a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform – click to see who’s in support.
MPs and former MPs who support a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform
Notable NON-PARTISAN endorsers
of a National Citizens’Assembly on Electoral Reform
Directeur exécutif d’Apathy is Boring, une organisation caritative non partisane qui soutient l’engagement des jeunes dans la démocratie canadienne.
Dave Meslin, electoral reform and ranked ballot activist, author of “Teardown: Rebuilding Democracy from the Ground Up”
Alex Himelfarb, Former Clerk of the Privy Council, Director Emeritus of the Glendon School of Public and International Affairs
Melissa S. Williams, Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto. Founding Director of University of Toronto’s Centre for Ethics.
Alex Neve, OC: Senior Fellow, University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, former Secretary General, Amnesty International Canada
Sheryl Lightfoot, Vice Chair and North American Member on the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), Canada Research Chair of Global Indigenous Rights and Politics
Monique Deveaux, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Ethics & Global Social Change, University of Guelph
Steve Morgan, Director of the UBC Centre for Health Services and Policy Research (CHSPR). Research Lead for the National Citizens’ Reference Panel on Pharmacare
Shoni Field, Member of BC Citizens’ Assembly, Member of the Vancouver Independent Election Task Force.
Linda Silver Dranoff, Order of Canada, founding chair of the Feminist Legal Analysis Section of the Ontario Bar Association, writer, activist.
EKOS Poll: A strong majority of Canadians back a National Citizen’s
Assembly on Electoral Reform
In December, 2022, EKOS found that 76% of Canadians,supported a Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform. See the full poll results here.
Support for a National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform by party voters:
Motion M-86, Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform
(a) the House recognize that,
(i) representative democracy is a fundamental part of Canadian society,
(ii) in Canada’s current electoral system, the majority of voters cast ballots for a candidate who does not get elected, and many voters feel that election results do not accurately reflect their views,
(iii) a Leger poll conducted in September 2020 showed that 80% of Canadians support the idea of striking a non-partisan, independent citizens’ assembly on electoral reform,
(iv) many Canadians are concerned with the health of Canada’s democracy, including voter distrust and disengagement, low voter turnout, and the polarization of politics,
(v) all politicians, and all parties, are widely perceived by the public to have a vested interest in the design of the electoral system,
(vi) citizens’ assemblies have considerable legitimacy and public trust because they are independent, non-partisan, representative bodies of citizens,
(vii) citizens’ assemblies have been used successfully in Canada, Australia, Belgium, France, Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom to tackle difficult issues through nuanced public deliberation,
(viii) a citizens’ assembly on electoral reform would give citizens a leadership role in building consensus on a specific model for electoral reform for Canada; and
(b) in the opinion of the House, the government should create a Canadian citizens’ assembly on electoral reform, which would,
(i) consist of citizens selected by sortition, an impartial selection process to ensure the assembly’s independence and non-partisanship,
(ii) reflect the diversity of the Canadian population, including a representation and meaningful participation of age groups, genders, ethnicities, languages, socioeconomic backgrounds, and geographic regions including from First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples,
(iii) determine if electoral reform is recommended for Canada, and, if so, recommend specific measures that would foster a healthier democracy. | politics |
http://archive.ammonia21.com/articles/7702/australia_passes_hfc_phase_down_legislation | 2024-04-14T09:04:25 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296816875.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20240414064633-20240414094633-00438.warc.gz | 0.930864 | 780 | CC-MAIN-2024-18 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__177254286 | en | The Australian government has passed legislation to phase down HFCs from 2018 and deliver an 85% reduction by 2036.
Parliament House, Canberra, Australia
In a demonstration of its commitment to achieving its Montreal Protocol obligations, the Australian government has successfully passed a bill to amend the existing Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management (OPSGGM) Act by adding an HFC phase-down plan.
Both houses of parliament passed the bill, introduced in March, on 19 June.
The new bill, entitled the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Legislation Amendment Bill 2017, obliges Australia to start phasing down HFC imports from 2018 to achieve its Kigali target of an 85% reduction by 2036. No HFCs are manufactured in Australia itself.
“The Coalition Government's early action on passing this legislation demonstrates our continued international leadership and will constitute a significant domestic [greenhouse gas] emissions reduction of up to 80 million tonnes,” said Josh Frydenberg, Australia’s minister for the environment and energy.
“The bill will achieve these environmental outcomes at the same time as significantly cutting red tape, including reducing the number of businesses required to hold a license by one third, halving the reporting obligations, and reducing the number of invoices sent by 94%,” Frydenberg said.
“The Coalition Government's early action on passing this legislation demonstrates our continued international leadership and will constitute a significant domestic [greenhouse gas] emissions reduction of up to 80 million tonnes.”
– Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg
The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, agreed in October of last year, puts in place an HFC emission reduction plan that is estimated to save up to 72 billion tonnes in carbon-dioxide equivalent emissions by 2050.
Greg Picker, executive director of Refrigerants Australia – a refrigerant suppliers and users group – said the legislation would grant industry long-term regulatory certainty and deliver an improved environmental outcome.
“Refrigerants Australia has long contended that a predictable phase-down in HFCs can assist the industry and deliver a range of benefits including reduced costs to consumers, better performance of refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment, improved energy efficiency and significant emission reductions,” said Picker.
The reduction scheme will begin on 1 January 2018 with a 25% reduction of the baseline granted to Australia under the Kigali Amendment.
Hailing the passage of the bill, Senator Louise Clare Platt, representing the opposition Labor Party, said: "Although hydrofluorocarbons make up only 2% of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions, their contribution to our emissions has been increasing, because they have been used to replace other ozone-depleting chemicals that are being phased out under the Montreal Protocol.”
“This bill now means that Australia's phase-down is consistent with the international HFC phase-down under the Protocol that was agreed in Kigali in October last year,” Pratt said.
“A predictable phase-down in HFCs can […] deliver a range of benefits including reduced costs to consumers, better performance of refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment, improved energy efficiency and significant emission reductions.”
– Greg Picker, Refrigerants Australia
Mark Padwick, president of manufacturers group the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturers of Australia (AREMA), said it would give industry the regulatory certainty it needs to invest in new technologies.
“Manufacturers must contend with a range of issues when they select which refrigerant to use. They need to consider safety for the consumer, energy efficiency, cost, suitability and environmental impacts,” Padwick said. | politics |
http://www.cbj.gov.jo/pages.php?menu_id=122&local_type=0&local_id=0&local_details=0&local_details1=0&localsite_branchname=CBJ | 2017-05-23T18:40:35 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-22/segments/1495463607649.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20170523183134-20170523203134-00367.warc.gz | 0.905493 | 523 | CC-MAIN-2017-22 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-22__0__188161990 | en | I. The total nominal value of any of Government securities issuance shall be determined within the provisions governing that issuance.
II. The maturity period of Government securities shall not exceed 30 years from the date of its issuance.
The Governor shall issue directives on the conditions for authorizing persons to deal in the primary market for Government securities.
Sufficient funds to meet public debt and its obligations shall be included in the General Budget Law.
If the date of repayments of any public debt amount coincides with an official holiday of the Government or commercial banks, debt re-payment shall be made on the next working day.
The Central Bank shall be responsible for public debt issuance and the Governor shall, in an agreed upon manner, provide the Minister with reports on the situation of this debt.
Government securities shall be traded in the Amman Stock Exchange and may be traded elsewhere.
The Government shall not provide financial guarantees for any party except in exceptional and justified cases for investment related to the projects of national interest and Government entities provided that the Council of Ministers, upon recommendations from the Minister, approves the issuance of such guarantees.
The public debt represents an absolute and unconditional obligation by the Government and therefore Government securities and Government loans are considered equivalent in terms of their payments priority. Public Debt
Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, the Government domestic borrowing shall be carried out by issuing Government securities and the Government shall be prohibited from direct domestic borrowing from commercial banks or any other institutions.
The outstanding domestic public debt may not, at any time, exceed (60%) of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at current prices of the latest year for which data is available.
The outstanding external public debt may not, at any time, exceed (60%) of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at current prices of the latest year for which data is available.
Despite of any notwithstanding provisions of any other law, the total outstanding public debt may not may not, at any time, exceed (80%) of (GDP) at current prices of the latest year for which data is available. General Provisions
The provisions of article (22) and Article (23) shall enter into force on the date approved by the Council of Ministers.
Notwithstanding the provisions of any other legislation or any contradictory clauses in this law, the Government debt due to the Central Bank shall not exceed the outstanding debt on the date this law enters into force.
The Public Debt Law Number (1) of 1971 and all its amendments are abolished.
The Prime Minister and the Ministers are committed to execute the provisions of this law. | politics |
https://outlineafrica.co.za/african-economies-are-poised-to-benefit-from-brics-expansion/ | 2024-03-04T15:21:55 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947476452.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20240304133241-20240304163241-00425.warc.gz | 0.9455 | 1,094 | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-10__0__134575577 | en | The long-awaited acceptance of six new member states to join the BRICS marks a new era in the evolution of the geo-economic bloc into a multilateral grouping that unequivocally advances the interests of developing nations.
At the conclusion of the successful three-day BRICS summit, held in Johannesburg from 22 to 24 August, BRICS chair and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates (UAE) will officially become full members of BRICS from 1 January 2024.
The welcoming of the new members into BRICS is a first phase in a series of planned expansions of the bloc, which will result in the restructuring and rebalancing of the existing global economic and monetary system into a one that is equitable, fair, inclusive, and transparent.
Since most of the new members are mainly oil, gas, and food producers, they will help ensure energy and food security for BRICS member states and countries of the global south.
Currently BRICS is a bloc of fast-growing developing economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS), representing 42% of the world’s population and 32 % of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP). The enlarged BRICS will represent 46% of the world population and 37% of global GDP, thereby eclipsing the total GDP of G7 economies which currently account for 30% of the world’s GDP.
BRICS also strengthened the New Development Bank (NDB), also known as BRICS Bank, by extending membership to the bank to Bangladesh, Egypt, and UAE. The expansion of the multilateral financial institution, seen by many people as a BRICS’ version of the World Bank, will increase the number of NDB’s members to nine. The other members are Uruguay and the five BRICS member states.
In a 26-page official announcement, known as Johannesburg II Declaration, issued by BRICS states on the last day of the summit, the bloc also pledged to continue strengthening the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA), an IMF-like mechanism established in 2015. The CRA was capitalised with an initial funding of $81 billion to provide protection to BRICS states in times of liquidity crises.
This rapid institutionalisation of BRICS is contributing to growing interest in the multilateral bloc. More than 20 countries knocked on its doors to apply join it prior to the Johannesburg summit. The enlargement of the bloc will no doubt give impetus to the growth in its global stature and status.
The bloc’s expansion will boost global trade and diversify supply chains of member states, benefitting the economies of the developing world, particularly Africa.
Africa is yearning to forge a fruitful and beneficial relationship with BRICS. It is for this reason that about 30 African heads of state were invited to attend the summit by President Ramaphosa under the auspices of the BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue.
The continent, led by South Africa, is keen to collaborate with BRICS to unlock trade and investment opportunities that will be facilitated by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which is being implemented by 47 African countries.
The AfCFTA is the world’s largest free trade area that will consolidate fragmented African markets into a single market consisting of resource-rich countries with combined GDP valued at around $3.4 trillion and a population of 1.3 billion people that includes 300 million middle-class consumers.
AfCFTA will eliminate import tariffs on 88.3% of 5,000 products currently being traded on the continent.
The BRICS countries already a have strong relationship with the continent, but this relationship must be expanded to address the uneven trade patterns that exists between the continent and the bloc to ensure a win-win partnership.
For instance, the value of trade between China and Africa increased from $10 billion in 2000 to $282 billion in 2022 while India has been significantly promoting the development of small- and medium-scale enterprises on the continent. On the other hand, Brazil and Russia have been heavily involved in the mining and energy sectors in Africa.
However, African countries mostly export unprocessed minerals while they buy high-value manufactured imports. For the relationship to be truly beneficial to both parties, the composition of trade between BRICS and Africa must be altered to ensure that the continent is assisted to diversify its economy to add value to its minerals.
South Africa, as the most industrialised country on the continent, is best placed to serve as an entry point for the bloc’s members that want to beneficiate minerals in Africa.
The balancing of trade patterns will also require transfer of skills and technology to African countries to ensure that they transform their economies into industrial exporters.
The continent also noted the announcement by BRICS countries that they have tasked their Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors to explore use of local currencies and alternative payment instruments to facilitate trade and investment transactions.
A report will be tabled at next year’s BRICS summit in Russia, where more light will be shed on the matter. This will be a further step in the institutional development of BRICS and many countries will be watching this development with keen interest including further expansion of BRICS. | politics |
http://arabou.edu.kw/index.php/news/item/80-aou-president-receives-iraqi-ambassador-to-kuwait | 2018-04-22T16:29:10 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-17/segments/1524125945624.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20180422154522-20180422174522-00224.warc.gz | 0.961135 | 269 | CC-MAIN-2018-17 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2018-17__0__122593056 | en | Prof. Moudi Al-Humoud, President of the Arab Open University, received Iraqi Ambassador to Kuwait Mohammad Bahar Al-Oloum with the Second Secretary of the embassy of Iraq, Yassmin Hassan, at her office at the AOU Headquarters where addressing several topics related to bilateral relations between Kuwait and Iraq in addition to conditions and events in the region.
Al-Humoud expressed her pleasure on this visit and presented to the Ambassador a brief about the University’s educational system, blended learning, which is delivered in its eight branches operating in a number of Arab countries, including Kuwait. Several topics related to the University were also addressed at the meeting such as the AOU educational environment, student services, partnership agreements with international universities and research centers, aspirations, educational and research objectives, and its development strategic plans in the Arab world.
From his part, Bahar Al-Oloum thanked Al-Humoud for the warm welcome and he appreciated the role of the University and its achievement and excellence at regional and international levels, wishing Al-Humoud and the University every success.
At the end of the meeting, Bahar Al-Oloum presented an honorary shield to Al-Humoud in recognition of her efforts and effective role in serving education and strengthening scientific cooperation with brotherly and friendly countries. | politics |
https://www.asfpac.com/ | 2023-09-27T05:43:53 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510259.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20230927035329-20230927065329-00383.warc.gz | 0.955104 | 911 | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-40__0__53839523 | en | “I’m optimistic about the future of America because together, we can move our nation in the right direction – an America that is strong and free.” - ASA HUTCHINSON
Join the America
Strong and Free Team!
Meet Asa Hutchinson
Governor Asa Hutchinson served as the 46th Governor of the State of Arkansas. In 2018, he was re-elected with 65 percent of the vote, having received more votes than any other Republican candidate for governor in the State’s history.
Asa Hutchinson’s time as governor is distinguished by his success in securing over $700 million per year in tax cuts, safeguarding the retirement pay of veterans from state income tax, shrinking the size of state government, creating over 100,000 new jobs, and leading a national initiative to increase computer science education.
The Governor’s career in public service began when President Ronald Reagan appointed him as the youngest U.S. Attorney in the nation for the Western District of Arkansas. In 1996, he won the first of three consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.
During his third term in Congress, President George W. Bush appointed Governor Hutchinson to serve as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration and later as the nation’s first Undersecretary of Homeland Security for Border Protection.
Governor Hutchinson’s experience and wealth of knowledge established him as a national resource, especially in the areas of trade, energy, and national security. He has been invited to the White House numerous times to participate in discussions regarding healthcare, Medicaid, and education issues facing our nation.
January 10, 2023 marked the end of Governor Hutchinson’s second term. He is a former Chairman of the National Governors Association; Co-Chairman of the Council of Governors; and Chairman of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC), Southern States Energy Board (SSEB), and the Southern Regional Education Board.
Governor Hutchinson grew up on a small farm near Gravette. He is a graduate of Bob Jones University and the University of Arkansas School of Law. He and his wife, Susan, have been married for 49 years, and have four children and seven grandchildren. Firm in his faith and practice, and spurred by his love of country, Governor Hutchinson looks forward to sharing his forward-looking vision of consistent conservative leadership for all Americans.
In the News
Getting Past the MAGA Mentality Isn’t For the Faint-Hearted, The Washington Post
Non-election-denying Republican governors Asa Hutchinson (Ark.), Charlie Baker (Mass.) and Doug Ducey (Ariz.) all left office with strong approval ratings.
Asa Hutchinson: It Was a Great Moment for America Having President Biden Show Courage Traveling to Ukraine, Fox News Radio
Asa Hutchinson, who was the 46th Governor of Arkansas, spoke to Brian Kilmeade about Ohio Governor Mike DeWine doing an outstanding job in response for the people of East Palestine impacted by the disaster. Hutchinson feels the people of East Palestine need support from the federal government and the Biden administration to provide the resources needed. Hutchinson believes it was a great moment for America that our President showed courage traveling to Ukraine. Hutchinson says the bigger picture is Russia & China colluding to fight the United States through their proxy efforts in Ukraine. Hutchinson added, it is really important for Republicans to unite in support of Ukraine, their sovereignty, their freedom, and their fight against oppression.
Poll: Republican Presidential Race Between DeSantis and Trump Tight, The Magnolia Reporter
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (42.27%), Former President Donald Trump (41.81%), Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson (12.27%), Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley (3.63%)
Older Voters Balk at Nikki Haley’s Competency Test, POLITICO
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, 72, on Tuesday said there was no need for more restrictions on voters’ choices. “The U.S. Constitution lays our requirements to hold the office of President of the United States, so let’s stick with that,” Hutchinson, who is considering a run for president, said in a statement to POLITICO. “Additionally, there is a mental acuity test every time a candidate stands before voters in a town-hall setting, a diner on the campaign trail, or on a voter’s door step.” | politics |
http://theinfowarriors.com/republican-jewish-council-holds-gop-candidate-panel-%E2%80%94-minus-ron-paul/ | 2013-05-24T11:36:08 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704645477/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114405-00049-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.954379 | 255 | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2013-20__0__166109924 | en | November 30, 2011
It looks like the Republican Jewish Coalition’s GOP 2012 panel to be held on December 7 will not include candidate Ron Paul.
“As Mike Allen previewed in Playbook, the event will allow the seven candidates taking part — Ron Paul is not attending — 35 minutes each to speak,” writes Maggie Haberman for Politico.
It is not clear if Ron Paul declined to participate or if the RJC decided not to include him. Adam Kredo of Washington Jewish Week wrote: “Note that Texas Rep. Ron Paul, no good friend of Israel, will not be in the house.”
Kredo’s comment was posted on the RJC website.
During the last GOP debate, Paul said that the U.S. should be less involvement in Israel’s affairs. “I think they’re quite capable of taking care of themselves,” he said.
Paul’s response came after he was asked if he would support an attack on Iran if he was president. “Why does Israel need our help? We need to get out of their way,” he responded.
Both Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich voiced support for an attack under certain conditions. | politics |
https://marquis-paris.com/2015/11/22/french-spirit/ | 2023-05-31T03:17:53 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224646257.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20230531022541-20230531052541-00534.warc.gz | 0.944585 | 585 | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-23__0__119857713 | en | Organizing a photo shoot late November 2015 in front of the Eiffel Tower adorned with the colors of our flag, only a week after the attacks that hit our city. It seems frivolous and inappropriate.
Frivolous in the view of the immeasurable pain those who have lost dear ones are experiencing.
Frivolous in the view of of the unnamable damage inflicted upon our republican values, which, in the space of a few hours, were outrageously violated.
Frivolous in the view of the worries that wreck the heart of every Parisian mother, myself included, since I now have to track – against all my personal convictions – my teen and forbid her from going to some places, or just answer my 5 year old’s questions about whether people really died and if the badies have been arrested.
How did we get to the point of imposing such measures of precaution to a 16 year old, who should only have to worry about her exams, her friends, and her sentimental life? How did we get to the point where you have to answer such questions coming from a 5 year old?
An absolutely indignant affront in two acts: the dead, the trauma for all first, the inability to provide a secure environment for those you love, and especially your children second.
So why this firm desire, unstoppable, unquestionable to take pictures in front of our beautiful Iron Lady armed with our colors: blue, white, red?
Because I am French. Like all French, I am awfully proud and dauntless. I wished – like the unquantifiable number of people on the Esplanade du Trocadero that evening – to make the symbolic Parisian pride mine. Symbol of an outraged Paris, a broken Paris, a tormented Paris – to paraphrase the General de Gaulle – but a free Paris. A fearless Paris.
Because the only vital spark we – civilian population- are left with in these difficult times is that of remaining human and altruistic but tall, proud and ready to face adversity nonetheless.
I think it’s the same vital momentum that encouraged my dear teen to drop flowers of at the Flame of Liberty, Pont de l’Alma and to go Place de la République. An irrepressible need for communion but also an irrepressible need to remain standing and dignified.
So in fact, no. A photo shoot in front of the Iron Lady is not as frivolous as it seems. It’s my way of honoring everything it embodies, France, its values, its people. A people that stands firm and upright, sometimes a tad bold and boastful but above all courageous and dignified.
A way to say that we will not stop living. And in addition: we will make it known.
November 22, 2015 | politics |
https://www.shanghailiterary.com/tslr-online/2019/6/17/review-of-hos-curating-revolution | 2019-10-19T15:43:26 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-43/segments/1570986696339.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20191019141654-20191019165154-00116.warc.gz | 0.971983 | 2,005 | CC-MAIN-2019-43 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-43__0__165356578 | en | By Emily Williams
In late May 2018, an exhibition opened at the Shanghai Workers’ Cultural Palace entitled “Red Shanghai: Documents and Objects” (红色上海文献实物展). Over 500 objects were on display, ranging from propaganda posters and newspapers to Mao badges and military medals, and dating from the founding of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921 through to the Reform Era – all loaned by local collectors. The objects, the exhibition text claimed, directly reflected Shanghai’s role in China’s revolution. We might tend to associate Shanghai more with cosmopolitan capitalism than with Communist construction, but, as the exhibition made clear, the city can easily stake a claim to preeminence in Chinese socialist development. Less explicitly, the exhibition also suggested the power of objects in shaping our understanding of place, history, and politics.
This is the topic of Denise Y. Ho’s important new book Curating Revolution: Politics on Display in Mao’s China. An assistant professor of twentieth-century Chinese history at Yale, Ho deftly and persuasively argues that exhibitionary culture was one of the key ways in which Mao-era citizens were taught not just how to understand history, but also how to make revolution: exhibitions were both textbooks and handbooks. Through exhibitions in museums, memorial sites and “living exhibitions” throughout the city of Shanghai, visitors imbibed the approved narrative of history and revolution, but they also learned the rituals of being a revolutionary citizen, and, it was hoped, took them to heart. Indeed, one might argue that what was being curated through the multitude of exhibitions that Ho outlines is less revolution itself, and more revolutionary subjecthood, the new Socialist man and woman of New China.
While an emerging body of literature over the past decade has insisted on the social, cultural, and political importance of Maoist material culture, Ho’s exceptional archival and oral historical research makes her book stand out. Her book provides an abundance of new evidence and well-formed case studies, and, by probing the organizer’s motivations, highlighting the complex politics that they were juggling, and surveying a range of visitors’ responses (from political awakening to bored dismissal), Ho brings to life these often little-known exhibitions. The book’s six chapters are organized thematically and roughly chronologically, and convincingly demonstrate how thorough exhibitionary culture was.
The first chapter looks at the establishment of the commemorative museum at the site of the CCP’s First Party Congress. This process turned out to be anything but straightforward. When the project began in 1951, no one was even sure exactly where the meeting had been held. Furthermore, constructing a narrative that celebrated the event of the First Congress, while simultaneously excluding those many early members who had left the party (through choice or force) and giving a central role to a then rather unimportant Mao Zedong proved to be no easy task. Although the chapter suffers from some overlap with the Introduction on the history of museums in China, it serves as a fascinating introduction to the swirling eddy of interests and ideologies that curators had to navigate.
The second chapter switches tack and investigates the area known as Fangua Lane in Shanghai’s Zhabei district. Badly damaged in the wars of the 1930s and 1940s, Fangua Lane was associated with poverty and squalor until it became a model worker’s village in the early 1960s and was given a makeover. Eighteen of the old shantytown houses were eventually preserved, and Fangua Lane became a “living exhibition,” a site for school groups and work units to visit, where they saw old and new architecture side by side and, equally importantly, listened to the residents’ stories of the transformation of their lives in New China. But as Ho carefully teases out, Fangua Lane’s efficacy as a living exhibition was compromised by the fact that the transformation depicted was available only to a minority of Shanghai’s poor.
The third chapter focuses on Anti-Superstition Exhibitions and highlights one of the key targets of exhibitionary culture: children. While the young revolutionary successors were born in New China and thus educated under the CCP, parental and grandparental influences perpetuated the existence of “feudal” and “superstitious” beliefs. When surveys showed persistent belief in supernatural forces, exhibitions were mounted that tried to offer scientific explanations for ghosts, gods, and spirits. But as Ho clearly demonstrates, these exhibitions had limited effectiveness because they functioned by proffering another type of faith (in science) in place of existing faiths.
While Chapter Two focuses on pre- and post-Liberation transformation, Chapter Four considers the Class Education Exhibitions of the mid-1960s, which presented the differences between rich and poor in pre-Liberation China and suggested to their viewers that the class enemies, who in Shanghai were mostly former capitalists, were plotting a comeback. Class ideology was made material in these exhibitions through the juxtaposition of objects owned by the poor and the rich, which aimed to provoke an emotional response from the viewers, to heighten their proletarian conscience, and to remind them of the need for perpetual class vigilance.
The display of objects formerly owned by Shanghai’s rich took new form after the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, as the fifth chapter outlines. The numerous house searches carried out by Red Guard groups provided mountains of “treasures,” which were displayed as the “achievements” of the Red Guards. These exhibitions disappeared in 1968 with the wrapping up of the Red Guard movement, and as Ho suggests in other chapters, the exhibitionary culture of the remaining years of the Cultural Revolution was very different. While Ho does not make this point explicitly, it is a good reminder that the Cultural Revolution was not a monolithic whole, as the phrase “10 years of chaos” suggests. Rather, the political movements waxed and waned and the exhibitionary culture mirrors this.
Ho’s final chapter is a fascinating analysis of the Shanghai Museum. Despite its self-proclaimed status as a socialist museum, it was clearly doing something rather different from the other exhibiting units discussed. Shanghai Museum officials spent the early years of the Cultural Revolution defending the “Four Olds” (old customs, old culture, old habits, and old ideas) as cultural relics, and took thousands of privately-owned antiques under the Museum’s protection to prevent their seizure in Red Guard house searches. Ironically, the Shanghai Museum as we know it today – one of the world’s preeminent collections of Chinese art – would have been impossible without the Cultural Revolution. While many objects were returned to their original owners in the 1980s, thousands of objects were also taken permanently into the museum’s collection.
While the research presented is impeccable, the book’s argument would have been stronger if Ho had further developed her key concept of “curation,” which she uses to describe all stages of putting on a display (collecting, display, creation of narratives, etc.). While the process is, of course, a holistic one, labelling these all as “curation” at times erases the different politics inherent in different stages of the process. Ho outlines a framework of curating in two modes: one as a state in power, the other as a revolutionary movement. These two frameworks work well to show the contradiction the Communist movement faced after 1949. On the one hand, it was a revolutionary movement dedicated to change and upheaval, but it was also a state in power, aiming to ensure stability, and Ho notes the possible overlaps of these two frameworks. The class education exhibitions, for example, both affirmed CCP rule and mobilized the masses for further revolutionary action.
These overlaps come out clearly, but at times Ho could have done more to pull out the conflicts between these two curatorial modes. For example, relics of imperial China feature in both chapters five and six, but they appear in very different curatorial strategies. In Red Guard exhibitions, they are evidence of elite exploitation of workers and wealth inequality; in the Shanghai Museum, they are reminders of the magnificence of Chinese civilization. For Red Guards, house searches were opportunities to find loot and glory, while for Shanghai Museum officials such searches were desperate attempts to stave off disaster. Exhibits at the First Party Congress site and the Shanghai Museum constantly tried to navigate the changing political winds, whereas Class Education Exhibits and Red Guard Achievement Exhibits were direct responses to or outgrowths from political campaigns. They produced very different exhibitions as a result, and Ho’s insight on what this tells us about the process of “curation” would have been appreciated. Ho writes of these exhibitions letting objects speak, but to me the objects felt largely silent, or, if they spoke, they were compelled to tell a story driven more by politics than materiality.
That small criticism aside, this book is a much-needed addition to the growing body of literature that aims to take seriously the material culture of the Mao era and the ways it has been seen and experienced. This is crucial, because as the 2018 Red Shanghai exhibition demonstrates, the story of Shanghai’s – and China’s – revolutionary history is still being curated today.
Denise Y. Ho Curating Revolution: Politics on Display in Mao’s China, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018
Emily Williams is a Lecturer in China Studies at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in Suzhou. Her research looks at Chinese and international collections of Mao-era material culture. | politics |
https://stopnujboycott.blogspot.com/2007/05/reuters-calls-for-reversal-of-boycott.html | 2023-12-02T01:23:07 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100309.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20231202010506-20231202040506-00706.warc.gz | 0.941279 | 204 | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__83604923 | en | The NUJ chapel at Reuters passed the following motion unanimously:
"This Chapel rejects the motion, passed at the Annual Delegates Meeting of the National Union of Journalists in April, calling for a boycott of Israeli goods.
This chapel takes no position whatsoever on the underlying issue addressed by the motion, believing that all such political positioning by the union runs counter to our commitment as Reuters journalists to maintain professional objectivity and freedom from bias.
This chapel notes that such positioning threatens to undermine our ability to work in harmony with colleagues of various nationalities and opinions.
This chapel believes motions that take sides on geopolitical matters divide the union's membership and undermine the solidarity it needs to defend our professional interests and campaign for the freedom, safety and welfare of fellow journalists around the world.
The Chapel mandates its representatives to inform the NUJ of its decision and to advocate and vote for a reversal of the motion at the first opportunity. It mandates its representatives to bring this decision to the attention of the Reuters trustees. " | politics |
http://votifi.com/discussions | 2014-03-08T08:02:34 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1393999654003/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305060734-00009-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.96631 | 614 | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2014-10__0__164871079 | en | We should not fall into the trap of thinking that there is only one way to get things done. Our economy can be stimulated through government spending or through tax incentives or through lowered interest rates. Obviously, at all times, all the levers are involved to some degree in changing the nominal growth rate of the economy. At this juncture interest rates are already quite low. Negative real interest rates can produce damaging sectorial differences.
The high income 1%, 5%, 10% and 20% tax bracket individuals as classes are paying income taxes. Let's not exaggerate. Many may not be paying a "fair" share. That should be addressed. I would not recommend a federal, personal income tax rate over 60% at any income level. People might actually move to the Crimea to avoid a 90% income tax rate. If one layers a state income tax rate of up to 12% on the federal rate One reaches a potential 72%. Some cities have local income taxes as well. A combined burden of 75%, or anything over 50% should motivate most tax filers to look for tax shelters.
The federal government should offer attractive tax shelters for the "victimized," who must pay a combined tax rate over 50%. These tax shelters should not be in the Bahamas or Guernsey Island, they should be in the United States and its territories.
The most effective, fiscally-responsible, manageable and job creating tax shelter has been the federal, investment tax credit. This was first introduced in the 1960s to spur business investment in the post Korean War era. An investment tax credit of 10% or 20% (at different times for different types of investment through the 1980s) would allow a business to reduce its tax bill by 10% or 20% of the amount it invested that year in new production assets. Such investments usually produce jobs, somewhere along the line, in the economy. In some cases there is a multiplier effect with new jobs drilling for oil producing new jobs building pipelines and refineries as in the 1980s. Also in the 1980s a 20% investment tax credit for energy investments was supplemented in Jerry Brown's California with a 30% investment tax credit for investments in clean electricity generating systems. At the time, that meant, primarily, wind power and geothermal power. With the additional fiscal stimulus of the Vietnam War there was also upward pressure on prices leading to high interest rates by the early 1990s.
In short, raising nominal tax rates on high income individuals and businesses, while providing a tax credit for job producing investments in targeted, critical sectors such as geothermal, solar and wind power, electric vehicles and even transit passes for employees using mass transit to get to work, could be a very good strategy for getting the underemployed and unemployed across the country back to work in ways less harmful to the planet. Eventually, Republicans and Democrats in Congress will remember how to get useful things done and maybe Big Oil will get on the bandwagon redirecting its cash toward windmills and away from oil and gas wells. | politics |
https://clarkdale.town.codes/CZC/12-1-160 | 2020-08-12T00:24:42 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-34/segments/1596439738858.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20200811235207-20200812025207-00564.warc.gz | 0.91902 | 178 | CC-MAIN-2020-34 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2020-34__0__152562589 | en | A. The “Subdivision Committee” (as defined in Section 12-2-020) is hereby established and shall consist of the following members or their duly authorized representatives:
1. Director of Community Development
2. Director of Public Works and/or Utilities Departments
3. Planning Commission Chair or designee
4. Town Engineer
5. Police Department
B. Representatives of other public agencies may be requested to participate on a cooperative basis at the request of the Director of Community Development, but shall not be members.
C. It shall be the duty of the “Subdivision Committee” to review all Minor Subdivision Plat applications.
D. The “Subdivision Committee” shall meet as often as necessary, pursuant to the Arizona Attorney General Opinion 75-7 regarding Open Meeting Law. (Prior code § 12-1-1) | politics |
http://ita.doc.gov/nacp/workplan.asp | 2017-03-30T18:25:38 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218199514.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212959-00360-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.87893 | 519 | CC-MAIN-2017-13 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-13__0__117184616 | en | North American Commercial Platform
- North American Commercial Platform (Home)
- North American Competitiveness Workplan (NACW)
- North American Competitiveness and Innovation Conference (NACIC)
- North American Leaders Summit (NALS)
- North American Success Stories
U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Collaboration
- High Level Economic Dialogue (HLED)
- 21st Century Border Management
- High Level Regulatory Cooperation Council (HLRCC)
U.S.-Canada Bilateral Collaboration
- External Links, Press Releases and Fact Sheets
- Export Opportunities to Canada
- Export Opportunities to Mexico
North American Competitiveness
Work plan (NACW)
The United States, Canada, Mexico are collaborating on a North American Competitiveness Work Plan (NACW) to promote prosperity across North America and to strengthen our position as the most economically-competitive region in the world. The NACW provides a roadmap for trilateral cooperation that promotes prosperity across North America and enhances the competitiveness of the region.
In October 2013, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker met trilaterally in San Diego with Canadian Minister of International Trade Ed Fast and Mexican Secretary of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal to discuss initiatives that the three commercial ministries could work on to enhance the business platform in North America. In 2014, Secretary Pritzker, Minister Fast, and Secretary Guajardo formally endorsed a North American Competitiveness Work Plan to enhance trade and deepen the economic relationship of the continent. Secretary Pritzker, Secretary Guajardo, and Canadian Minister Freeland last met in May 2016 to agree to a 2016-2017 Work Plan focused on three pillars: 1) Supply Chain Efficiency; 2) Innovation and Economic Development; and 3) Stakeholder Consultation and Outreach. The U.S., Canada, and Mexico are currently carrying out this scope of work.
- Trilateral Trusted Traveler Arrangement
- Single Window
- North American Measure of Trade in Value Added
- Cooperation on Standards
- North American Clean Energy Partnership Initiative
The International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, manages this global trade site to provide access to ITA information on promoting trade and investment, strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. industry, and ensuring fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein. This site contains PDF documents. A PDF reader is available from Adobe Systems Incorporated. | politics |
https://bicjobs.com.gh/job/industry-development-advisor-at-tony-blair-institute-for-global-change-1642527572_87746aaab2576464 | 2022-05-22T22:56:11 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662550298.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20220522220714-20220523010714-00267.warc.gz | 0.926787 | 537 | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-21__0__136794223 | en | The President and Government of Ghana have a vision of a ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ through job creation and value addition of its natural resources. The government has restored macro-economic stability and strong growth performance and has made a bold and public declaration to accelerate industrialization, particularly through vertically integrated value addition with Ghana’s raw products. This is in addition to a range of other investment opportunities in key national infrastructure, vehicle manufacture, pharmaceutical, garment, technology, petrochemical, retail, tourism, energy and agro-processing industries.
The Ministry of Trade & Industry is tasked with delivering on this ambitious program of industrial transformation, and to do so has put forward a 10-Point Agenda:
In support of this agenda, TBI is seeking an Industry Development Advisor to be based in the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), working closely with the Minister, Deputy Ministers, Directors, and other key stakeholders to implement economic priority initiatives.
The role will focus on the development of new industries and strengthening of existing industries in Ghana. Given the demand in government, political momentum, global interest and existing TBI’s footprint, we are looking to focus on textile and garment, pharmaceuticals and agro-processing, with flexibility to adapt course if the situation evolves. The role will involve liaising with the private sector in the respective industries to understand their needs and challenges, but will be mostly about facilitating inward investment and supporting MOTI and government put in place the building blocks of industrial policy to ensure a thriving private sector in the focus industries.
The Advisor will be part of a growing TBI team embedded in various agencies of the government of Ghana, working on investment, agriculture, digitisation and health. TBI seeks to provide extensive support to the government of Ghana, leveraging on our expertise and network on delivery, investment and policy; as well as to facilitate cross-government coordination.
This is an initial fixed term role of two years.
Specific duties include:
Investment promotion and facilitation
Maintain constant knowledge in the key sectors
We are looking for an outstanding individual with a proven track record of delivery and industry development in the public or private sectors.
The successful candidate will thrive in an environment where the importance of personal initiative coupled with teamwork is critical. Above all they will build effective relationships, win trust, and help shape and influence change in Government.
Above all, we are looking for individuals with high levels of enthusiasm, resilience, and a can-do attitude. Experience of living and working in developing countries is desirable but not essential. | politics |
http://materboniconsilii.edu.mt/launching-of-the-publication-remembering-sette-giugno-1919-100th-anniversary/ | 2024-04-21T17:08:35 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-18/segments/1712296817790.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20240421163736-20240421193736-00553.warc.gz | 0.944579 | 328 | CC-MAIN-2024-18 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2024-18__0__135757273 | en | On Thursday 6th
June 2019, the Senior 2 students of Mater Boni Consilii St. Joseph School
together with the Head of School Dr.
Kenneth Vella, Ms Elaine Spiteri and Ms Lara Calleja were invited by the
Office of the Speaker within the Parliament of Malta for the launching of the
book Remembering Sette Giugno 1919 by Dr Alexander Cutajar and published by
The book launch also
marked the 100th Anniversary celebrations from the events of the Sette
Giugno. The students had the opportunity
to sit together with the Deputies and Members of Parliament for the
inauguration of the book. During the event there were also official speeches by
the author, Mr Gordon Pisani on behalf of the publishers, Professor George
Cassar and also speaker of Parliament Dr Anglu Farrugia, the Hon Minister of
Education and Employment Evarist Bartolo and the Hon Robert Cutajar on behalf
of the Opposition.
Certainly, this would
remain a very memorable experience for our girls, considering that ours was the
only school invited for this launching. At the end of this activity, speaker Dr
Anglu Farrugia presented a set of interesting research books to Dr Vella headmaster,
and also encouraged the Head of school to send more students to visit the
parliament in the coming months. Dr Vella thanked Dr Farrugia for the
invitation and also presented him with a copy of the school publications The
Link and Nitlob Miegħek. | politics |
https://www.vapun.com/news/kentucky-could-be-facing-e-cigarette-tax-increase | 2020-09-21T18:36:51 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600400202007.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20200921175057-20200921205057-00182.warc.gz | 0.980007 | 290 | CC-MAIN-2020-40 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2020-40__0__48795291 | en | By: Angela Garrity
Spectrum News reports that e-cigarettes could be facing a tax increase in Kentucky in 2020. The General Assembly Session isn’t scheduled for months, however that isn’t stopping lawmakers in the bluegrass state from planning.
Senate Majority Caucus Chair Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, says officials are contemplating a tax increase on e-cigarettes during the 2020 budget session.
Lawmakers increased the excise tax on cigarettes by fifty cents during the 2018 budget session, but left e-cigarettes out. Raque Adams says that's because there still wasn't much information surrounding the products.
"There were a lot of different ways that states were trying to tax vaping products, and e-cigarettes, and there really wasn't a good uniform way to capture all of those products underneath current definition," she said. "I think that is a discussion we are going to have this budget session, is parody between actual cigarettes and the vaping products."
It is too early to tell how much the tax would be.
"What that will look like, I don't know," Raque Adams said. "I would assume it would be on par with how we tax cigarettes now. So, I don't know if it will be successful or not successful, but I know that's a conversation that we are going to have once we start to talk about the budget."
Read the full story here. | politics |
https://real-money.net/illegal-unregulated-gaming-pennsylvania/ | 2023-12-07T23:12:19 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100705.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20231207221604-20231208011604-00594.warc.gz | 0.958349 | 439 | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-50__0__127073602 | en | The widespread prevalence of illegal and unregulated gambling in the United States has been undeniably underscored by the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) new report, which centers on its harm to citizens.
The hundreds of thousands of machines located across the country, including a particularly large amount in Pennsylvania’s “gray market” skill games industry, serve as a primary example of this issue that plagues many states.
This comprehensive report brings attention to the lack of oversight and supervision in these cases—nearly 67,000 machines remain unregulated within Pennsylvania alone—calling for national legislation to prevent further harm to individuals.
The illegal gambling machines played in person generate revenue significantly higher than their online and sports betting counterparts, according to a study recently compiled by The Innovation Group for the American Gaming Association. The report estimates the total revenue from these illegally played machines comes out to an astounding $27 billion each year nationwide.
It also estimates that Americans’ non-sanctioned play of online slots, poker and table games have a lower annual revenue of $13.6 billion, while illegal online sportsbook falls even lower at $3.8 billion. Clearly, gambling enthusiasts in America are opting for gaming on the go rather than via other means or at sanctioned events.
The report on unregulated gaming machines in Pennsylvania has set alarm bells ringing, as it has emerged that this particular state is among the highest in terms of having a large concentration of these devices.
In comparison to other states like Kentucky and Virginia, where these games are commonplace but lack legal approval, Pennsylvania seems to have numbers far higher than those locations; with an estimated total of 12,269 in Kentucky and 8,184 in Virginia respectively. This is indicative of the vast scale at which unregulated gambling is going unchecked across the state.
In a statement, AGA President Bill Miller said, “Illegal gambling is arguably the greatest threat to our industry. The unfortunate reality is about a third of the U.S. gaming market is being captured by illegal or unregulated gambling. We will use this research to strengthen our case to federal and state policymakers and law enforcement agencies for the need to act now.” | politics |
http://www.xpats.com/headlines?page=5 | 2017-12-18T12:52:38 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948616132.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20171218122309-20171218144309-00419.warc.gz | 0.952575 | 214 | CC-MAIN-2017-51 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-51__0__77882180 | en | A Catalan independence march through the EU district of Brussels on Thursday attracted 45,000 demonstrators, according to police.
The Catalan National Assembly claimed the turnout was "one of the biggest demonstrations in years" in the Belgian capital.
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has just announced that Brussels is no longer in consideration to host several matches of the Euro 2020.
Belgium has reached an agreement with the Netherlands and Luxembourg to apply a common standard for all electric car charging points across the three countries.
Next Sunday, 10 December, rail authority SNCB will launch its new schedule, which includes several more S trains running through Brussels. Schaerbeek and Forest-Est in particular will see more trains.
Fans gathered on Brussels' Grand-Place to pay tribute to French pop star Johnny Hallyday, who has died from lung cancer at the age of 74.
Private ambulances in Brussels will be subject to new regulation in an attempt to "clean up" the medical transport sector and put a stop to "cowboys". | politics |
http://www.plumassierracattlemen.com/member-speaks-before-the-assembly-agriculture-committee-in-favor-of-ab-243/ | 2019-06-16T21:29:11 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-26/segments/1560627998298.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20190616202813-20190616224813-00204.warc.gz | 0.904861 | 169 | CC-MAIN-2019-26 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2019-26__0__63096751 | en | Plumas-Sierra Cattlemen’s member, and CCA Second Vice President, Pat Kirby, spoke before the Assembly Agriculture Committee in favor of AB 243, a CCA-sponsored bill, beside the bill’s author, Assemblyman Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove) and CCA’s Justin Oldfield.
AB 243 seeks to establish the California Beef Commission to promote the collective interests of California’s beef and cattle producers.
California ranchers support an increase in the current assessment by an additional $1.00, however they want to ensure the increase is spent solely to benefit California ranchers and that there is a refund provision. AB 243 accomplishes this objective.
The bill passed unanimously out of the Assembly Agriculture Committee today and will be heard next in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. | politics |
http://www.hamden.org/page.cfm?p=3219 | 2017-04-25T00:46:28 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917120001.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031200-00071-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | 0.938008 | 228 | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2017-17__0__264676992 | en | On February 29, 2016, the Hamden Board of Education approved the 2016-17 operating budget. The approved budget totals $85,826,552, representing a 3.26% increase over last year's approved budget.
Superintendent Goeler presented his 2016-17 proposed budget to the Board of Education on January 26, 2016. The proposed budget totals $86,093,676, representing a 3.58% increase over the previous year. Approximately 95% of the increases included in the proposed budget are non-discretionary.
The total budget for Hamden Public Schools that was approved by the Hamden Legislative Council for 2015-2016 is $83,120,625, and includes staffing, instructional programs and materials, equipment, building operations expenses (gas, electricity, maintenance/repair, water, telecommunications) transportation and other miscellaneous expenses.
Additional Budget Documents
2016-2021 Capital Projects 6-Year Plan Approved by Board of Education, March 10, 2015
Questions about the Hamden Public Schools budget should be directed to Michael Belden, Director of Finance, Management and Operations. | politics |
https://www.telicka.eu/en/articles/detail/957 | 2022-05-24T02:26:27 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662562410.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20220524014636-20220524044636-00062.warc.gz | 0.955954 | 320 | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2022-21__0__222390662 | en | JURI Committee approved a proposal for an update of copyright rules in Europe. In its current version it may lead to a restriction of the right to information.
The Legal Affairs Committee approved a proposal for an update of copyright rules yesterday, including the controversial articles 11 and 13. Despite the fact that many members of ALDE group were against the adoption of these articles - including me - the ALDE Group issued a press release yesterday where it supports its adoption.
That is why I would like to reiterate that I stand for an initiative that calls for deleting or editing article 11 of the proposal. I have already presented my reasons for doing so in my previous comments. I am convinced that the adopted text could have negative consequences on the free information flow on the internet and could lead to censorship of the internet. Article 13 might have similar negative consequences.
Some Czech media have attacked me for my position and claimed that I follow the google lobby. That is far from true. I have decided not to ignore opinions of many professionals, academics and the civil society. There are many studies that show the potential negative consequences of the changes. Furthermore, the measures adopted have not worked in practice. In Spain, small publishers suffered from a dramatic drop in visits to their websites. In Germany, it actually reaffirmed the dominant role of Google because the majority of local publishers issued a free licence to the company.
The new rules should not lead to a restriction to the free flow of information or censorship. Therefore, we must seek new set of rules that finds the right balance between the rights of creators and a free internet. | politics |
https://kentmacdonald.com/2011/04/28/reallocating-scarce-funds-for-the-public-good/ | 2023-05-30T04:15:32 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224645089.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20230530032334-20230530062334-00223.warc.gz | 0.963415 | 818 | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-23__0__193590625 | en | Cost and Affordability
In recent years, there has been much discussion about the notion of higher education affordability. On one side of the argument are those who simply believe that the taxpayer should underwrite all education; that higher education is a human right. In fact, some of these low/no tuition advocates believe free tuition is simply an entitlement.
On the other side of this discussion are scholars such as Richard Vetter (Ohio University and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity) and Robert Zemsky (University of Pennsylvania and The Learning Alliance). These iconic thought leaders have challenged many aspects of higher education including productivity, learning and market–mission challenges. In addition, they both seem to believe that higher education is getting more expensive yet remains affordable (for most).
So where might all this go? The reality is that public funding is scarce and in most cases, there is little hope of any significant new funding for most public colleges and universities. In Ontario, perhaps the situation is worse than many jurisdictions. To the credit of the current government, new funding is being allocated to colleges and universities. Unfortunately, after years of under-funding, the Province remains the lowest funded post secondary system in the Country, tuition is artificially regulated and grants/FTE students have been frozen for the next five years.
Reallocation of Public Investment
Therefore, assuming there will be no increase in public investment in higher education, how will existing scarce funding be allocated for the greater good? I would suggest that one approach is to redistribute existing funding from universities to community colleges. This approach can be implemented in the UC / Cal State / CC system in California to the post secondary system in Nova Scotia. My rationale is this:
- Students who attend university are disproportionately more wealthy that those who attend college.
- Students attending university are typically better prepared academically for success. That is, many will graduate regardless of the quality of the learning experience and most often leave university without any need for additional support services.
- University graduates earn a higher wage. In other words, their ability to earn (and pay back debt) is disproportionately higher compared to a college student.
As communities need more post secondary graduates, it is the community college that is best positioned to lead this objective; in fact, community colleges in North American have been the institutions that have been most able to democratize higher education to the masses for over 100 years.
Recognizing that college tuition is typically lower than that of a university, there are still simple questions that must be answered. That is, if universities attract students from more wealthy families… If universities have students more academically prepared… If universities have graduates who are more able to earn higher wages and therefore are more able to pay back debt (in this case taxpayer-subsidized education)… Then why is it that universities are also receiving a disproportionately higher amount of public funding compared to colleges?
This is not a simple situation, however all jurisdictions require more graduates coming from their colleges and universities. Therefore, over the next two years, I would recommend a reallocation of 25-35% of public funding from universities to colleges. Thereafter, allow universities to de-regulate tuition to recoup this financial adjustment. The reality is, demand will not be reduced and the university graduating class is best positioned to repay this modest increase in debt (if there is any debt at all).
As an ardent supporter and benefactor of our colleges and universities, I believe that this decision would be of benefit to both the community and to those students who we most need to enter and graduate from our systems of higher education. A reallocation of public funding would be a tangible reminder that the higher education system has been established not for the private good but rather for the public good. In the end, universities remain viable and strong; students (in particular non-traditional students) access and graduate at a greater rate; and the taxpayer receives a greater return on their investment. | politics |
https://chantellglenville.com/right-to-own-a-gun/ | 2023-03-27T07:10:12 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296948609.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20230327060940-20230327090940-00600.warc.gz | 0.973961 | 2,002 | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2023-14__0__22697895 | en | “It’s my right, you can’t take my rights away from me”
So goes the defensive cry of thousands who are upset with the anti-gun rallies taking place in the US following the Florida shooting last week.
But really, all I can think every time I hear this is:
So. F**king. What?
Saying you should be able to own a gun because “It’s my right” is not an argument.
That is just clarifying the current state of affairs.
Most people are not debating whether or not you have the right to own a gun**.
Just because you currently have the right to do something though it doesn’t necessarily follow that you should have that right.
People can be wrong. And we have been wrong numerous times before in the past. The second amendment was passed in 1791. That’s a LONG fricken time ago.
You know what was also cool in 1791?
Yup, owning slaves was a legal right back when it was decided people should have the right to bear arms.
“In 1842, the novelist Charles Dickens, on a book tour of the United States… listened with a mixture of horror and contempt as Americans defended their utterly indefensible “rights” to tote guns and carry Bowie knives, right along with their “right” to own other human beings who could be shackled, whipped, raped, and mutilated at will…
… keeping slaves was defended as a Constitutional right with the same vehemence that we hear today when it comes to keeping and bearing arms, and perhaps with more foundation.”
CHRISTOPHER DICKEY for The Daily Beast
I’m not America bashing here, we did the same thing in the UK in 1791 too. In April 1791 William Wilberforce tried to enforce a bill in parliament to abolish the slave trade but we were still so attached to our “right” to own slaves at the time that it was defeated.
In a lot of countries people had the right to own slaves in 1791.
That doesn’t meant anyone should have had the right to own slaves.
Just because something is someone’s “right”, i.e. they have a legal entitlement to do so, it doesn’t mean it’s actually correct that they do.
We have been wrong about a lot of things in the past.
We were very wrong about whether people should have had the right to own slaves. So much so that slavery was declared a violation of global human rights in 1948 by the UN.
Why should the right to bear arms be exempt from such scrutiny?
If you own a gun, think it’s ok for average citizens to own guns or are a staunch defender of the second amendment, ask yourself why? Why is it that you care about having that right and think that you need it? What benefit does that right actually give you?
Are those answers worth the harm that right has already caused and will probably cause again in the future?
None of the reasons I’ve heard anyone voice so far even come close to justifying the potential harm of defending that right. The most frequently cited reasons being:
1. It’s in the constitution. If you take away this right what’s to say you won’t take away others
The right to bear arms has been taken away in a lot of countries before without other rights just randomly being retracted too. There is no evidence to suggest that in deciding that actually we shouldn’t have a specific right, because it causes harm, that other rights will be taken away.
Unless other rights were also deemed to be causing harm there would be no reason to change them as well.
Someone isn’t just playing eeny meeny miny mo and picking rights to take away at random. The right to bear arms is doing active harm to the American population therefore it would make logical sense to take it away to protect the freedom of the American people.
“I know the Forefathers said you had a right to own a gun, but they also said you could own people … the Constitution is a lot like our grandfather. He’s wise, we love him, and he means well. But, he’s getting really, really old and every once in a while he says something crazy and we gotta go to the other room and discuss what we’re gonna do about him.”
Michael Che on SNL
2. We need this right to be able to protect ourselves against a tyrannical government
Look I can understand why you all are a little more worried about that than normal at the moment with the giant Cheeto in office, I would be too, but those of you who own guns, ask yourselves honestly is this the real reason you own them or think you need to own them nowadays? Yes, to be able to protect yourself from a tyrannical government was one of the original reasons the right was granted in the first place but that was written less than 10 years after the American Revolutionary War making it a very pertinent concern at the time.
How much of that is a real life concern that you actually have, on a daily basis, now?
There are certainly a lot of other countries out there that no longer have the right to bear arms but who haven’t been over thrown by tyrannical governments as a result.
3. To protect myself
I agree to a large extent with the desire to have a gun for protection. If I were living in a country where almost anyone could get themselves a gun in 10 minutes then I would probably feel like I needed a gun in order to be able to protect myself too. Let’s face it without one I wouldn’t stand a chance up against another gun.
But that misses the point. If the right to own a gun were taken away then guns wouldn’t be what you would have to protect yourself from in most instances if attacked.
You can tell me that you don’t think stricter gun control (or getting rid of the right to bear arms) will stop gun violence. And of course it won’t stop ALL gun violence but in places like the United Kingdom, Australia, a lot of Europe and Japan to name a few, where it is much harder to get a gun, the incidences of mass shootings and gun violence in general are much lower.
Of course certain criminals still get their hands on guns but only the most dedicated ones. It’s so difficult to get a gun the average criminal just uses weapons more readily at their disposal. And while I don’t want to be stabbed with a knife any more than I want to be shot with a gun at least harm can only really be inflicted on one or two people at a time and the person using the weapon has to be much more skilled if using a knife.
How much harm would the shooter have caused in the Florida shooting if all they had was a knife instead?
Or how different would the attack in Las Vegas have been if the perpetrator had only had a knife?
A knife being used instead of a gun wouldn’t have stopped these tragic events taking place but the number of people injured and killed would certainly have been greatly reduced.
By stopping people from having easy access to guns the amount of damage that can be done in a short space of time is greatly reduced. That leaves more time for law enforcement to arrive to apprehend the perpetrator and more chance of people being able to fight back and defend themselves. It would also make it less likely that people without any form of combat training, i.e. your average Joe, would think they can pull off a large-scale attack.
If there is any chance that you giving up your “inalienable right” to own a gun could save even one child’s life wouldn’t that be worth it? What negative impact on your life could giving up that right possible have to make it out weigh the potential benefit of saving a child?
While I strongly believe the only true solution is to get rid of access to all guns for civilians this is at least a very good start and full respect to this man for doing something that is so counter to his other strongly held beliefs.
Mental illness did not cause the Florida shooting or the Las Vegas shooting or the Orlando massacre, access to guns did. There are mentally disturbed people in all countries in the world but in those with strict gun control they still don’t have shootings like these. That’s because people don’t have access to the guns to carry them out.
Neither did a lack of teachers being armed cause the Florida shooting or any of the other similar high school attacks. In a lot of countries where there are little to no school shootings the teachers aren’t armed. The shootings just don’t take place because the kids can’t get their hands on the guns in the first place.
Access to guns causes these tragedies.
Whether or not there are responsible gun owners is irrelevant. If there are ANY irresponsible gun owners would it not be worth it, for the greater good of your country, to take away access to all to be safe?
Are there really any benefits you get from owning a gun that are greater than the right children should have to go to school without fear of death, or of people to go to a concert or a nightclub and feel safe?
Just because it’s your right to own a gun it doesn’t mean it should be. | politics |
https://zenithnaija.com/buhari-appoints-amokachi-as-special-assistant-on-sports/ | 2021-03-06T09:38:32 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-10/segments/1614178374616.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20210306070129-20210306100129-00488.warc.gz | 0.975509 | 330 | CC-MAIN-2021-10 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-10__0__102523578 | en | President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Daniel Amokachi, former Super Eagles forward, as the special assistant on sports.
The letter confirming Amokachi’s appointment was signed by Boss Mustapha, secretary to the federal government, and dated August 17, 2020.
In a statement on Thursday, the ministry of youth and sports development said the former Eagles assistant coach is expected to advise the president on sports matters.
“I am pleased to inform you that Muhammadu Buhari , President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has approved your appointment as Special Assistant on Sports,” the statement read.
“The appointment takes effect from the 11th of August, 2020. As Special Assistant on Sports, Amokachi is expected to advise the President on all sports matters.
“The Former Everton of England player was earlier in the year named Nigeria’s Football Ambassador. Although a ceremonial role, as Ambassador he is expected to mentor youngsters.”
The appointment comes about six months after the president named the 47-year-old as the country’s football ambassador.
Amokachi was part of the Nigerian team that participated in the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups in USA and France respectively.
He won the 1994 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) and also helped secure the Olympic gold medal in 1996, scoring in the final against Argentina.
During his time as coach, Amokachi managed Nasarawa United and later Enyimba FC of Aba. In April 2007, he left his role as assistant coach of the Nigeria national team. | politics |
http://ictca2017.conf.tuwien.ac.at/index.php/mayor-s-reception | 2021-12-03T22:59:50 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-49/segments/1637964362919.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20211203212721-20211204002721-00290.warc.gz | 0.947813 | 148 | CC-MAIN-2021-49 | webtext-fineweb__CC-MAIN-2021-49__0__27509833 | en | Mayor’s Reception: Monday, 31 July 2017, 19:00, City Hall
- On Monday evening, the Mayor’s Reception will be held at the Vienna City Hall (Rathaus), located in the center of Vienna.
The City Hall is one of the most beautiful buildings in Vienna and serves as the seat of both the mayor and the city council of the city of Vienna. It was designed by Friedrich von Schmidt and built between 1872 and 1883. The distinctive Neo-Gothic style of the City Hall with its magnificent and fabulous halls provides a perfect setting for the conference’s reception.
Vienna City Hall (© WienTourismus/Christian Stemper) | politics |
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