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Budget, Community News, Meetings, Coronavirus Update #40
Hello and welcome to 2021. Like you I have hopes for a better year than 2020, and despite the mess and horror south of our national border I still do.
New Zealand, who has been one of the world leaders in strong controls and quick response to Coronavirus has no cases and has seen a remarkable and quick economic recovery. New Zealand jobs market bounces back close to pre-pandemic levels – Country's biggest job advertising website reports 19% growth in jobs, after remarkable economic recovery in December https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/13/new-zealand-jobs-market-bounces-back-close-to-pre-pandemic-levels
It is stories like this that both give me confidence we are taking the right approach in Nova Scotia and that recovery will be much faster than I feared even a few months ago. As vaccinations roll out and the weather warms, I am hoping for a more normal summer and a return to normalcy by the Fall.
Until then we all will continue to do what we can stay safe, protect the vulnerable in our communities, and keep working as we can in these challenging times.
Halifax's new Regional Council has started our new budget process. I appreciate all the emails I get about what you would and would not like to see in the next year. The initial strategic direction report and presentation is here: https://halifax.ca/city-hall/regional-council/january-13-2021-special-budget-committee-meeting
I've had a number of complaints about some dogs in Point Pleasant Park not under control of their owners in the off-leash areas. For those using Point Pleasant Park with their dogs, there is signage that clearly indicates where dogs are permitted off leash and where they are not.
I ask all dog owners to review the rules they must follow when their dog is in an off-leash area. These include that dogs must have current municipal tags, your dog must come to you when called, dogs must not interfere with other park users, and that aggressive dogs, female dogs in heat, and puppies under three months old are not permitted in off-leash areas.
Full list of rules is here: https://www.halifax.ca/home-property/animal-services/halifax-leash-areas
Not for profit groups are reminded the deadline for the Community Grants Program applications is March 31, 2021. https://www.halifax.ca/business/doing-business-halifax/community-non-profit-resources/community-grants
Finally, Did you know HRCE has Parent Navigators who can help students and their care givers with school related challenges? Parent Navigator offer students, parents and guardians:
Response to questions about supports available for students, parents and guardians
Help for parents and guardians find and access services available in education, justice, health, community services and more
Assistance with registration for all families; including new comers to the province or Canada
Connections for families to the Students Services Team, Specialists or special program team facilitators
Missy Searl
lsearl@hrce.ca
Phone: 902 464-2000 x 4362
Stephen Somers
ssomers@hrce.ca
Budget Committee (all Council)
Wednesday, January 20, 2020, 10 am | Virtual Meeting
Friday, January 29, 2020, 10 am | Virtual Meeting
Wednesday, February 3, 2020, 10 am | Virtual Meeting
Friday, February 5, 2020, 10 am | Virtual Meeting
https://www.halifax.ca/city-hall/agendas-meetings-reports?category=1181
Halifax & West Community Council
Tuesday, January 19, 2020, 6 pm | Virtual Meeting
VIRTUAL PUBLIC HEARING – Case 22617 – Commercial garage at 207 and 209 Greenhead Road, Lakeside. VIRTUAL PUBLIC HEARING – Case 22978 – expansion to the existing residential care facility at 158 Greenhead Road, Lakeside
https://www.halifax.ca/city-hall/agendas-meetings-reports?category=140
Halifax Regional Council
Tuesday, January 26, 2020, 10 am | Virtual Meeting
Regional Centre Community Council
Wednesday, January 27 2020, 6 pm | Virtual Meeting
Roadworks Update
The following street closures or sidewalk disruptions have recently been added to the RoadWorks map
SACKVILLE ST from BARRINGTON ST to GRANVILLE ST, starting on 2020-09-19
SOUTH PARK ST from SACKVILLE ST to SPRING GARDEN RD, starting on 2020-09-17
SOUTH ST from QUEEN ST to SOUTH PARK ST, starting on 2021-01-14
You can find out road closure details on the HRM Roadworks map:
https://www.halifax.ca/transportation/streets-sidewalks/RoadWorks
Coronavirus Update #40 – economic impact of strong public health response, vaccination, government updates
Below are the weekly COVID-19 government support / program tracker update(s) for the week of December 21 – January 8 that is being collated by HRM staff. I will share these updates as I get them.
Update on Nova Scotia's COVID-19 Immunization Plan [January 5, 2020] – Province of Nova Scotia
The province has released further details on the rollout of the COVID-19 Immunization Plan for Nova Scotia. The plan will roll out in 3 phases. Phase 1 is expected to run from January to April and will focus on front-line health-care workers closely involved in the COVID-19 response, residential care residents and staff, and seniors living in the community who are 80 years of age or older. Phase 2 is expected to begin in May and will include remaining health-care workers and essential workers. Phase 3 is expected to commence in the summer of 2021, and will include all Nova Scotians who are not part of the Phase 1 and 2 priority groups. Source.
Additional Funding for the Canadian Red Cross [Update – December 23, 2020] – Government of Canada
The government has announced an additional $70 million in funding to the Canada Red Cross to support ongoing COVID-19 relief efforts. This is in addition to the $100 million previously announced in May 2020. The additional funding will be provided prior to April 2021, and will be allocated as follows:
$35 million for Red Cross personnel to support Outbreak Crisis Management activities; and,
$35 million for testing-related activities led by the Red Cross COVID-19 Testing Assistance Response Teams (CTART).
These resources are generally deployed in high priority areas hardest hit by the pandemic. Source.
Additional Mental Health and Addictions Funding for NS First Nation Communities [December 23, 2020] – Province of Nova Scotia
The province has announced $750,000 in new funding for Mi'kmaw communities and organizations across Nova Scotia for the provision of additional mental health and addictions support during COVID-19. The funding will be made available as $50,000 equal grants to each of the 13 Mi'kmaw communities across the province, as well as the Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselling Association and the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre in Halifax. Source.
Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) [Update – December 21, 2020] – Government of Canada
The government has announced that the maximum wage subsidy rate will be increased to 75 per cent for the period covering December 20, 2020 to March 13, 2021. The rate for furloughed workers will also go up to $595 for the same time period. Source.
As a transparency mechanism, the Canada Revenue Agency has also announced the launch of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy Registry, which allows the public to identify which employers are using the wage subsidy to support jobs. Sole proprietors have been filtered out of the published registry in order to protect personal information. Source.
Veterans Organizations Emergency Support Fund [December 21, 2020] – Government of Canada
Through the Veterans Organizations Emergency Support Fund, the Royal Canadian Legion will receive $14 million in federal funding to distribute to its branches across the country. This funding will help Legion branches with operational expenses such as rent, insurance, utilities and administrative costs so they can focus on providing continued programing and services. The Royal Canadian Legion has announced the Legion branches that will receive support funding. A second application opportunity will be offered in January 2021 for branches that could not make the initial deadline. Source.
Emergency Food Security Fund [Update – December 18, 2020] – Government of Canada
The government has released details on $100 million in new funding that is being provided to food banks and food security organizations across Canada under the Emergency Food Security Fund. The new funding is in addition to the $100 million announced in April 2020. The funding will be allocated as follows:
$18.5 million to Food Banks Canada;
$18.5 million to Breakfast Club of Canada;
$8.9 million to Second Harvest;
$8.9 million to Community Food Centres Canada;
$8.85 million to the Salvation Army;
$1.34 million to La Tablée des Chefs;
$30 million to Indigenous Services Canada to bolster its Indigenous Community Support Fund; and
$5 million will be allocated from reserve funds. Source.
Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI) [Update – December 21, 2020] The province has announced that, in addition to the federal RHI investment of $8.7 million, it will contribute more than $1.8 million to help ensure that the 3 approved RHI affordable housing projects are financially sustainable over the long term. The provincial funding is intended to be allocated toward the upkeep and operations management of the new affordable housing units. Source.
The government has announced that it will provide an additional $100 million in funding for food banks and food security organizations across Canada under the Emergency Food Security Fund. The new funding is in addition to the $100 million announced in April 2020. The funding will be allocated as follows:
311 – HRM's Call Centre
HRM's call centre is open 7 days a week, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday & Sunday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to respond to routine inquiries and complaints from HRM residents. Please use this service since it helps HRM keep track of issues that are of concern for residents (missed solid waste pickup, sidewalks not cleared, transit info or complaints, etc.) For more information please visit http://www.halifax.ca/311/
Call my office
Call my office for assistance with your municipal issues. Please have your 311 reference number ready. You can reach my Coordinator Liam MacSween during the business day, his phone number is 902-490-2012 and his email is macswel@Halifax.CA
Regional Council Reports and Agendas
If you want to read reports coming to Regional Council (posted mid-day Friday prior to the Tuesday meeting) or to check the agenda please go to https://www.halifax.ca/city-hall/regional-council
Halifax and West Community Council Reports and Agendas
Community Council meets on Tuesday evenings that alternate with Regional Council. Please check the webpage here for agendas (usually available a week before the meeting), locations, and times. https://www.halifax.ca/city-hall/community-councils/halifax-west-community-council
Halifax Peninsula Planning Advisory Council Reports and Agendas
Halifax Peninsula Planning Advisory Committee meets once a month to discuss and provide feedback to Council on planning proposals for the three districts on the peninsula. Please check the webpage for agendas (usually available a week before the meeting), locations, and times: https://www.halifax.ca/city-hall/boards-committees-commissions/h/halifax-peninsula-planning-advisory-committee
Posted in Coronavirus, News & Updates


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Frank's Place
Rants and Ramblings of a Stay at Home Dad
Francis Michael Linardo
Tag Archives: barak obama
Derision 2012! – A gaffe is a gaffe: except when it isn't.
So it appears the Governor doesn't want the Frank's Place vote. We here at Frank's Place are ready to pull the lever for him, but he just called us losers. Odd strategery Governor, very odd strategery.
Here's the low down. Governor Romney was at a private fundraiser last night. Well, private except for an iPhone video that was reportedly made or discovered by the grandson of President Jimmy Carter. More on that in a sec. In the video Romney can be heard saying that roughly 47% of the country will most likely vote for Obama. He expounded to say that those 47% are the people who take no responsibility for their lives, expect government to provide them food, shelter, clothing, etc… Here is the exact quote from the Wall Street Journal:
"There are 47% of the people who will vote for the president, no matter what," Mr. Romney said in the video. "All right, there are 47% who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what.…These are people who pay no income tax."
Quick tough guy side note: Bro, I'm not a victim, I'm a retired vet with 22 years of service. I worked for 15 years in the warehouse at Sears & Roebuck in Mays Landing NJ. Smarten up Governor.
Ok, my wounded pride not withstanding, the 47% not paying taxes Romney thinks he's talking about is actually made up of the working poor, seniors, the filthy rich (aka Romney), and wounded veterans returning from the war. And those people, the 47%ers, turns out they live in predominately red states – meaning the governor and the state legislature is made up of republicans.
Intriguing side note: A popular dig at Obama made by Romney, Ryan, and most republicans is that he's the worst president since Jimmy Carter. They have been saying that since the primary started in August 2011. Let that sink in – August of 2011. How awesome would it be if Jimmy Carter's grandson dropped the 50,000 a plate fee to go to the fundraiser just to video Romney. Talk about a dish served cold. Revenge with an iPhone.
Enough of the intrigue. Lets make a quick stop at hypocritical-ville while were here. The party of no government, the party that thinks what Romney said last night, is also the party that wants government to intervene in marriage, pregnancy, rape, religion, what language we should speak, and union strike busting. So I think we can all agree the "less government party" mantra is the biggest load of bullshit ever sold to, and then bought by, a group of people. More accurately, it's less government for the things I don't like and more government for the things I do want. That won't fit on a bumper sticker but it's at least more honest. And you know what, saying that out loud would not deter me from voting for a republican candidate if I thought they were able to fix things.
But let's get to the real issue – the media and the orgasms they were having after watching that tape. This story will go on for three days at least. You'll see headlines about a gaffe, about the race being over, about Romney making a huge mistake. None of those will be true by the way. The liberal media will ring this out like a soaked dish rag for as long as possible. The conservative media will trumpet it for a news cycle, maybe 12hrs, then bring up the bibles and guns "gaffe" the president made when he was running in 08, and then they'll drop it.
The only comparison between the two episodes that's apt is the fact neither statement was a gaffe. It wasn't a mistake by either man. The President said the "clinging to guns and bibles" line at a private fundraiser as well. So there is one other comparable fact. But it wasn't a gaffe. The President actually believed that at the time and probably still does. I guarantee the Governor believes what he said last night. So what separates the two issues.
The first is the coverage. The bibles and guns comment was really the only thing Obama said that ever got any analysis from the press. And that analysis didn't last long. Romney will get his chops busted over this for weeks and as I said it will dominate every minute of every news show not on FOX for at least three days.
The second but more obscure issue is the following comments each man-made. Obama was saying how he would need to go out there and change the minds of the people who cling to their guns and bibles. He was detailing how he would try to turn diehards because he would have to be president to everybody. Romney was explaining why he was giving up on those people because they would never be convinced to vote for him. The funny thing is Romney is right for the most part. The diehard Obama supporters will never be convinced to vote for Romney and won't support him in anything he does as president even if it would help the country. It's the same treatment Obama is getting from the conservative diehards now. Saying it out loud is just seems like bad form because it sounds like, and it will be spun like, Romney doesn't care about half of the country, while Obama was painted as trying to convert the country to his way of thinking. One statement is a positive thought, the other, negative.
The third issue – Obama made his comments with almost 6 months to go until the election, prior to his convention. Time does heal all wounds, as it did in his case. Obama did win the election convincingly. Romney has less than 60 days to put out this fire and refocus on why people aren't back to work even though wall street has clearly rebounded. It's a message that should stop Obama's second term bid in its tracks. But for some reason Romney can't seem to stay on that message.
The issue now facing Romney – can he withstand the amount of media whoring coming his way and get back to talking about things that matter. At the end of the day the fact that he called me a victim and a loser makes no difference in the real hierarchy of what's important. I can take it. He's just a soft handed, rich boy, jerk off anyway. But he may be the next great president. Don't think so? Go read The Election of 1800. Thats' the battle between Jefferson and John Adams. They said the most hurtful and heinous things about each other and their families, wives, kids, pets, the poor, uneducated, people who do manual labor, etc.. and both of those men are considered founding fathers and great presidents. Either one of those guys would have made these two current cream puffs pee their pants during a campaign or debate.
Romney's only issue now – can he get the all important Frank's Place endorsement bump.
The fact that Romney couldn't be more wrong is really beside the point.
12 Comments Posted in Diaries Tagged barak obama, democrats, fox news, Frank's Place, gaffe, gop, mitt romney, paper ballots, politics, republican nomination, votes count
Derision 2012! Summer of Stupid
You ever have that feeling when you make a prediction about something but in the back of your mind you hope it doesn't really come true? Yeah, that's where I'm at after this little beauty of a prediction. From the post Are you smarter than a campaign manager? back on May 20 I wrote this, "Anyone looking for the level of campaign discourse to be raised is in for a big disappointment."
The campaign of President Obama is making me look like Nostradamus. The post that quote is from details how the President's campaign people kept opening what they believe to be cans of whupp-ass on the Governor, but turn out to be big cans of worms instead. Every ridiculous charge they made against Gov. Romney over the summer was contradicted by the fact their guy, aka the President, had done something of equal or greater numb-nuttiness. I won't rehash it all, you can re-read it of you like. Just click the link above.
Well the gang isn't done. I guess they feel like we have not properly appreciated the level of stupidity they can rise too. However in this case to add to the degree of difficulty they have coupled stupidity with outright shamefulness.
At issue: a democratic super pac ad run by Priorities USA in which an older man, Joe Soptic, tells the tale of how Bain Capital, Romney's Bain Capital, bought the failing steel mill where Joe worked and shut it down, causing the loss of Joe's health care. Some unspecified time later his wife became ill, Joe took her to the doctor and found out she had stage 4 cancer. She died 22 days later. Joe implies in the ad that the illness occurred almost seconds after Romney personally called to cancel Joe's health insurance.
In the ad Joe implies that his wife was probably sick a lot longer then she let on, but he figures she kept quite because they could not afford the insurance. He claims he had no idea how long she was sick. The ad concludes with Joe saying he believes Romney has no idea what he has done to him and the lives of thousands of Americans. I didn't need it explained to me. Joe is implying that Romney killed his wife. Bill Burton, former Obama deputy press secretary and head of Priorities USA and author of the ad is implying Romney killed Joe's wife. The President, by not only staying silent on this hatchet job, but then co-opting part of that ad for his own campaign to use, is saying Romney killed Joe's wife. This was roughly but more eloquently the same conclusion that most political pundits on the airwaves and social media came to.
The only thing that killed Joe's wife is cancer. The steel mill in question went under in 2001. A lot of steel mills went under in 2001. Bain offered Joe a buyout but he refused it. Romney was off organizing the olympics when all this went down so I'm not sure how he even figures into this. Oh that's right the President's new strategy is to lie his pants off before they catch fire.
Joe's wife was diagnosed and died in 2006, the plant closed in 2001. By most accounts it would have closed then or before 2001 had Bain not propped it up long enough to realize some profit from it. In other words, Joe was losing his job one way or another, but he could have made some money had he taken the buyout, he refused. Had Bain not bought the plant and it closed in 2000 or earlier, Joe would not have even had an offer of a buyout. Once more, Joe's wife had a job and insurance through 2003. So she must have become ill after that time, some 2 years down range from when the plant closed.
The lies, falsehoods, faulty implications and outright made up BS in this ad would take pages and pages to unravel. Suffice to say, the President and his campaign people have decided there is no bar low enough they can't slink under, if it means falsely accusing Governor Romney of murder in an attempt to stay in office.
That was the Shameful. Now for the stupid.
This attack opens the President up to countless charges of murder. It's the same nonsense as with the dog, and the bullying. The President is guilty of far worse then what his team accuses Gov. Romney of. In this case however, the President can actually be linked to murder. It took all of 5 minutes for right wing bloggers to bring up the story of the border patrol agent Bryan Terry killed by a gun used in the failed Fast and Furious operation run by the current White House administration. See this: Red State
Why on earth would you do that if you were the Presidents election team? How could they not see what the counter attack would be and avoid it? It stagers the mind of even the most meager intellectuals among us.
The summer of stupid is just getting warmed up I'm afraid. Don't even get me started on the fake christian solidarity over some chicken samiches. I don't have time, I have to protest the presence of synchronized swimming at the olympics. What fast food chain would one go to protest something like that?
Five Guys I hope.
Leave a comment Posted in Diaries Tagged bain capital, barak obama, democrats, Frank's Place, gop, joe coptic, mitt romney, politics, venture capitalist
Derision 2012! OK, now it counts.
The pick has been made, the game is afoot.
Congressman Paul Ryan from Wisconsin is the Vice Presidential candidate for the republican ticket.
Cute Little bugger ain't he.
Photo courtesy of Congressman Ryan's official home page
Congressman Ryan serves Wisconsin's 1st District and has since 1999. The 1st district is home to Janesville, where Ryan is from, and the town of Racine.
You may have heard of Racine, it featured prominently in the Tom Hanks movie A League of their Own, about the Women's Professional Baseball League that sprung up, largely in the mid-west, during WWII when Major League Baseball was going on hiatus for the war.
After the nonsense with the recall vote in Wisconsin, the stupidity with the dog on the roof (Romney), the eating of dog (Obama), the bullying of classmates (Romney), the using and selling of drugs in high-school (Obama), we may actually get to some serious issues in this campaign.
So you can forget all that crap, it counted for nothing. We have the other player now. Now it all counts.
Born in 1970 – so yeah he's only 42, 23 years younger then Governor Romney, but more importantly only 3 short years younger than me. Maybe my guidance counselor was right.
The congressman is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio with degrees in business and political science.
Married to Janna Little and has 3 children. So we have four of the most boring faith based family men in the history of American politics going head to head for the White House. As my friend John said the other day, they are all so alike personally, they'll have to make stuff up about each other in order to attack.
Mr Ryan is Roman Catholic, coupled with the Governor's Mormon faith, this is the first presidential ticket in some time without a traditional protestant. Not sure this is an issue, no actually I'm sure this is not an issue, but with the dopiness that seems to define the President's current campaign strategy, my gut tells me we'll hear a little more about this than we should.
An odd but possibly serious fact – Ryan's father, grand father, and great grand-father all died of heart attacks before the age of 60. I'm almost positive this will come up. Medical history is common fodder for campaigns, and that's some serious history bro.
My $.02
In the interest of full disclosure, I voted for the President in 08, but I was probably voting for the Governor this time around. The president's campaigning has led me even further in that direction. This pick all but seals my vote. I mean excluding the fact the guy is a heart attack waiting to happen, from appearances and speeches he is a no non-sense business guy with the only official budget proposal on the table. That's not just between the candidates, that's all of the body politic in Washington. His economic plan, like all plans, has rough edges but some republicans even ran from it. Newt Gingrich, as you may recall, was one of the first to jump ship.
You remember Newt don't ya: big ass blow hard, ego bigger than his belly, 3x loser on the marriage/adultery circuit. Has plans for a moon base by his THIRD term as President and thinks little black kids should be taken from grade school and sent to be janitors of Moon Base Gingrich. Yeah that's him. Anyway he called Ryan a right wing radical on the morning talk shows when Team Gingrich thought they still had a shot, way back in February.
The right wing radical charge may well be true, and I don't think it is, but as of this moment no one, not even the republicans, have come up with an official budget proposal even though they don't seem to be fully behind the Ryan budget. At least Mr Ryan is working, trying to fix things, a trait that seems foreign to most politicians in DC at the moment.
For the Governor this was a good pick. Congressman Ryan gives the Governor a solid conservative to lean on. It would appear to me the two of them can get the conservative base and have a good chance at all those independents and undecideds that will sway the election.
Passed Over
Senator Rubio of Florida is a little young and Mr Rubio muddled his own history by claiming to have fled Castro's Cuba when in fact his parents left before the crackdown started. They didn't escape or flee on a raft. They bought airline tickets and basically immigrated to the US.
My pick, Senator John Thune of South Dakota, would have been a good pick, but he probably would not have brought the charge to the ticket the way Mr Ryan will.
Senator Rob Portman of Ohio was in contention but like Thune, a solid pick with no pizzaz.
Mr Ryan it is. I like it. I'll probably buy the t-shirt.
I believe the R&R campaign will be civil and focused on the issues at hand. They better be. Unlike McCain and Plain, who sidetracked themselves with the nonsense of faith, country of origin, and other derogatory tacts towards then Senator Obama, Romney and Ryan can run on actual truths. Truth 1: The President is a decent man, but his policies for the last four years have not fixed things. Truth 2: They should stand up and declare that the President is indeed an American, just not the right American for the job.
All you weak minded folk can wallow in the stupidity of wether he is christian/muslim, American/Keynyan, socialist/communist. Most of you wouldn't know a communist or a socialist if they kicked you in the ass. The irony is President Obama is losing votes from the progressives because he failed to deliver the socialism so many right wing nut jobs said was coming. It would be laugh out loud funny if it wasn't such a sad expose of the way the media, left, right, and center, seems to be able to lead the general public around by the nose.
In my opinion, much like President Bush, the current President is a good guy tying to do his best. President Obama's best is just not good enough. Dissecting his polices without slinging mud at his character should be easy enough for the likes of R&R. (credit Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina for the R&R tag)
However the President's campaign has shown a bizarre willingness to crawl in the mud, and for no apparent reason. The Governor never went there, but all the Presidents men seem in a rush to dive into the lowest level of the cesspool. (A forthcoming post titled "The summer of stupid." will go into much detail.) The Governor has yet to make a personal attack against the President.
R&R need to stay on that path. The high road should lead them to the White House.
You can read Vice Presidential candidate Ryan's speech here: Romney/Ryan 2012
9 Comments Posted in Diaries Tagged barak obama, democrats, fox news, Frank's Place, gop, mitt romney, newt gingrich, paul ryan, politics, presidential debates, republican nomination, republican presidential hopefuls, Romney Ryan 12, votes count
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Home Rock REVIEW: (Udo) Dirkschneider – Whisky a Go Go – 1/23/17
REVIEW: (Udo) Dirkschneider – Whisky a Go Go – 1/23/17
The Udo Dirkschneider era of Accept is over. It has been for a while. ACCEPT IT!
(Had to).
15 (studio) albums since 1987 under the banner of U.D.O. should have proved that point. But as with all bands that lose such an integral band member, there is always the cry for a reunion (Which actually did take place between '92 -'96). According to both camps, that ship has long sailed.
However, to appease those long time fans who have held out hope for a couple of decades, Udo has taken to the road, under the moniker of "Dirkschneider" to perform a show entirely composed of Udo era Accept songs. It's his way to say goodbye to a time long gone. Udo has always thrown a number of Accept songs into his repertoire, but he wants to leave the past in the past and tour exclusively with an U.D.O. based setlist.
So what can you expect on this tour? A very broad selection of songs that elevated and influenced scores of Metal bands from the late 70's and 80's into a heavier era. Accept brought classic-music filled riffs, chanted melodies capped off with screeching, powerhouse vocals and all of the above are on display on this tour.
Kicking off with "Starlight" from Accept's 3rd album, "Breaker", Udo ripped through his previous band's catalog like a bullet from a gun. He played all the expected classics, with a heavy dose of cuts coming from the "Restless and Wild", "Balls to the Wall" and "Metal Heart" albums. The packed Whisky crowd was eating up the trip down memory lane and were having as much fun as the band seemed to be having.
This band (Which is basically U.D.O.) is tight and brought their own spin to these classic songs while adding their own personality. Switching off leads between the ever grinning duo of Andrey Smirnov and Kasperi Heikkinen, each guitarist had their chance to shine with their solos, (including Bassist, Fitty Wienhold) each inevitably leading into the start of so many classic riffs. Udo's son and drummer, Sven Dirkschneider admirably anchored the backbeat for his dad's farewell tribute. And Mr Dirkschneider himself…? Well Udo hasn't lost a step! His voice is unmistakable and he hit every note, growl and scream with ease.
Udo kept asking the crowd if they wanted to hear more, and each time he looked surprised at the overwhelming, collective "YES" from the crowd. This led to a 5 song encore of "Metal Heart", "I'm a Rebel", "Fast as a Shark", "Balls to the Wall" and "Burning", which excited the frenzied crowd into mosh pit after mosh pit.
If this truly is a goodbye to the Accept-era Udo songs, this tour and nightly 2+ hour set act as a fitting epitaph to one of the greatest HEAVY Metal bands to come out of Germany.
FULL DIRKSCHNEIDER GALLERY
Andrey Smirnov
Fitty Wienhold
Kasperi Heikkinen
Sven Dirkschneider
Previous articleYOUR FACE HERE…
Next articleDIRKSCHNEIDER: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles, CA – 1/23/17
Erin E. February 17, 2017 at 12:42 pm
"The Udo Dirkschneider era of Accept is over. It has been for a while. ACCEPT IT!" Noooooo! Just no!
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All the news & quotes from Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham Racecourse
Press Release 28th January 2017 Cheltenham
Cheltenham Racecourse staged Festival Trials Day on Saturday, January 28; the final fixture at the Home of Jump Racing ahead of The Festival (Tuesday, March 14 to Friday, March 17).
The nine races attracted a record attendance for Festival Trials Day of 22,598, as against 20,785 in 2016.
The official going description was:
Chase and Hurdle Courses: Soft, Good to Soft in places
Cross Country Course: Good to soft, Good in places
GoingStick readings: Chase/Hurdle 6.5, Cross country 7.2 (Saturday at 6.00am)
Race-by-race reports can be found below. The Graded action appears first, followed by the remainder of the nine-race card.
2.15pm £100,000 BetBright Trial Cotswold Chase (Grade 2) 3m 1f 56y
Many Clouds (Oliver Sherwood/Leighton Aspell, 8/1) caused an upset in the G2 BetBright Trial Cotswold Chase when defeating 4/9 favourite Thistlecrack (Colin Tizzard/Tom Scudamore) most gamely by a head, rallying to regain the lead close home, with last year's winner Smad Place (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson, 7/1) another 17 lengths back in third.
It was the second victory by 10-year-old Many Clouds in the BetBright Trial Cotswold Chase, after success in 2015 and a second place behind Smad Place in 2016
Tragically, Many Clouds, who won the 2015 Grand National at Aintree in a glittering career, collapsed and died shortly after passing the winning post, despite being attended by vets.
Speaking an hour after the race, trainer Oliver Sherwood said: "I've had to have a couple of real stiff drinks to relax myself. I have been in the training game for 34 years and today was both the best and worst scenario.
"I watched the race with Alan King (Smad Place's trainer) and Many Clouds got back to win - I was on a high. My travelling head girl, Lisa, then rang me to say the horse was down. I knew the worst - I had a gut feeling.
"The only thing you can say is that Many Clouds has died doing what he loved - he loved jumping and he loved racing. I have always told everyone, he would die for you and he has gone and died for us, doing what he loved. It happens to us all, we all go at some point. He has gone out on a high.
"He had wobbled after races before and people queried why he raced on, but what do you do with a horse like that? I thought, hand on heart, having had a wind op that he might have been struggling for oxygen and hence the reason we did it. He was better on his first run back at Aintree this season (when successful).
"It was a war of attrition today against what Colin and Joe (Tizzard) and most of the public thought was an unbeatable horse. Clouds wanted it probably a bit more than Thistlecrack did, but has paid for it with his life.
"Horses like Many Clouds don't grow on trees and it is going to be difficult to find a replacement. I have to enjoy the Hennessy and National wins and it was probably a career-best from him today.
"It is very sad for everyone - CJ (Chris Jerdin) who looks after him at home, Lisa my travelling head girl, Stefan, my head man and all the team at Rhonehurst. It is going to very tough having an empty box there tomorrow and on Monday.
"It was spine-chilling walking back down when it was announced and the whole crowd clapped. That finished me completely and I did lose it a bit then. Leighton Aspell is in bits and has gone home.
"Let's enjoy the life of Many Clouds - he was a real wonder horse. He had guts and jumping ability - with that you will always win races."
Nathan Horrocks, who rode Many Clouds in his work at home, commented: "It's a shock. You go from shouting him home to win the race and 10 minutes later he is not with us anymore.
"It's a massive loss to everybody because he wasn't just of huge importance to the yard, he was of huge importance to Lambourn and the sport.
"Honestly, you can't believe the amount of people that come up to us and say 'I hope the horse is well and we are looking forward to him running'. He has really captured the nation.
"That is our sport unfortunately and it makes you love it and hate it at the same time. I saw Tom (Scudamore) coming back down the walkway and I said: 'Hard luck, mate, Clouds has given you a race there' and he was saying: 'I couldn't get past him, he is such a hard, hard horse'.
"That was what great about Many Clouds and that was his downfall as well because he just didn't know when to quit."
This was a first defeat over fences for Thistlecrack and his trainer Colin Tizzard said: "I am so sorry. We were beaten by a better horse on the day. Two lovely horses ran themselves to the line and poor old Many Clouds. Our initial thoughts that we got beat and it was a bit disappointing but this is as sad as can be. Many Clouds was a fantastic, lovely horse.
"Thistlecrack ran his race and we are not making any excuses whatsoever. Today, on winter ground, we were beaten by a better horse - there is no question about that. They went to battle and it's just a tragic end to the race. It's what happens in our sport occasionally and we have to face up to it."
Noel Hayes, director of Sportsbook at sponsor BetBright, added: "After a truly brilliant and heroic performance from Many Clouds, racing has lost a wonderful horse and our thoughts go out to the connections."
1.45pm £70,000 Spectra Cyber Security Solutions Clarence House Chase (Grade 1) 2m 62y
An added bonus on Festival Trials Day this year was the addition of the G1 Spectra Security Solutions Clarence House Chase to the race programme. The two-mile contest was rescheduled following its abandonment at Ascot on January 21 because of frost.
The race went the way of Un De Sceaux (Willie Mullins IRE/Ruby Walsh, 1/2 Fav) who powered home by an impressive five lengths from Uxizandre (Alan King/Barry Geraghty, 12/1), who made a pleasing return to action on his first start since capturing the 2015 Ryanair Chase at The Festival. Third horse home, Top Gamble (Kerry Lee/Davy Russell, 5/1), was another two and three-quarter lengths adrift.
Un De Sceaux took the lead after the ninth fence and there was never any real doubt about the result, with the nine-year-old relishing the underfoot conditions. This was a sixth victory at G1 level for Un De Sceaux.
Ruby Walsh said: "Fair play to the horse. He has had to travel to England last week to run at Ascot, which was called off, then go home, do a bit of work and then travel back again.
"It's not just like travelling humans - it can be hard on them and it's a testament to the horse that he was able to do it.
"He was long at the second-last fence but you let him at it, he knows what he wants to do. He was good at the third-last - he got really tight to it when he was charging down on my hands.
"A lot will depend on the ground at The Festival. When the ground got quick here last March, he didn't quite have the pace for the Queen Mother Champion Chase but it is a bit easier on ground like that. He keeps going that gallop on ground like that and it makes it more difficult for the others.
"We will have to see what happens but he is more vulnerable on quick ground. On soft ground, he is very difficult to beat."
4.00pm £60,000 galliardhomes.com Cleeve Hurdle (Grade 2) 2m 7f 213y
Unowhatimeanharry (Harry Fry/Barry Geraghty, 10/11 Fav) justified favouritism in the G2 galliardhomes.com Cleeve Hurdle to cement his position at the head of the market for the Sun Bets Stayers' Hurdle at The Festival (St Patrick's Thursday, March 16).
The J P McManus-owned nine-year-old was always travelling well and took up the running after the final flight to overhaul long-time leader Cole Harden (Warren Greatrex/Gavin Sheehan, 20/1), the 2015 Stayers' Hurdle hero.
The winning distance was a length and three-quarters with the novice West Approach (Colin Tizzard/Ruby Walsh, 14/1) staying on well to take third, a further length and a half in arrears.
Harry Fry commented: "Unowhatimeanharry was giving weight to a lot of the field, certainly the principals in the run to the line. Barry looked very confident coming down the hill and I suppose the horse has done usual trick of thinking he has done enough when he hit the front.
"That is probably why he is on such a sequence - he keeps a bit in reserve. I am absolutely delighted and, all being well he is OK tomorrow, we can roll on to March.
"He is exactly the same at home. If you worked him with a 100 rated horse or a 140-plus rated horse, he would go a length up on them and stop. If he went out there and won by 20 lengths all the time, the gas would run out sooner or later. He does what he needs to and knows where the winning line is. If we can keep that pattern going, we will be happy.
"Barry was delighted with how he travelled on the ground today. He has won on good ground in the Albert Bartlett and it was pretty soft, tacky ground today so he is pretty versatile. Barry was enthusing about how well he went today so, if it's on the slow side at The Festival, even better.
"No doubt there will be something in Ireland fancying their chances in the Stayers' Hurdle and I know that Warren Greatrex is looking forward to a rematch with Cole Harden.
"It's six and a half weeks away, it's another day and anything can happen. We won't rest on our laurels and hopefully we can get Unowhatimeanharry there in similar form and look forward to the day."
Barry Geraghty added: "He has a lovely, laid-back attitude. He carried me really well through the race, got me there early enough and I would say he dossed a bit when he got to the front.
"Unowhatimeanharry keeps beating what you put in front of him and he keeps beating them by the same margin - two or three lengths. He only does as much as he has to. He is one of those types that probably slips under the radar a bit and might not get the recognition he deserves for that reason.
"Harry has done a brilliant job with him. His horses have been in great form all season and it is a brilliant set-up."
12.00pm £30,000 JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle (Grade 2) 2m 179y
The opening G2 JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle went the way of 1/5 favourite Defi Du Seuil (Philip Hobbs/Barry Geraghty), who made it five from five over hurdles with a very comfortable nine-length success over Rainbow Dreamer (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson, 6/1).
The defection of Charli Parcs, owned like the winner by J P McManus, saw Barry Geraghty take over the ride on Defi Du Seuil, who was winning for the third time at the Home of Jump Racing.
Always travelling well within himself, Defi Du Seuil tracked long-time leader Rainbow Dreamer before taking the lead ahead of the final flight and going right away on the run-in.
Philip Hobbs said: "There was no pace early on and only a few runners - Barry was probably just playing safe anyway - and I am delighted that everything went all right in the end.
"He has only ever run on soft ground, which he copes with well, but I don't think good ground would be against him as well.
"He is a fantastic horse at home, so straightforward and easy, and massively tough. He takes everything so well - takes his racing well and eats well - and just very, very straightforward.
"I don't think he will run again before The Festival and go straight there now."
Barry Geraghty added: "The ground is hard work. It's tacky and he jumped OK but I know that he can jump better. A horse crossed me at the first, which didn't help, but he pinged the last on his previous two runs here - it wasn't an option to ping it today because the ground is hard work. With an older horse, you wouldn't feel the ground so much but, on a juvenile, it is not ideal.
"He is very happy on good to soft or easy round but, the way he travels, picks up and jumps, I would say that he would be fine on genuine good ground. He has loads of experience and loads of bottle."
3.25pm £30,000 G2 Neptune Investment Management Classic Novices' Hurdle (2m 4f 56y)
Wholestone (Nigel Twiston-Davies/Daryl Jacob) recorded a third Cheltenham victory this season with another brave display in the G2 Neptune Investment Management Classic Novices' Hurdle.
Sent off the 11/4 favourite after winning the G2 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle over three miles at The International, the Simon Munir and Isaac Souede-owned six-year-old was always towards the head of affairs and moved up to take the lead a mile from home.
Wholestone found plenty under pressure and stayed on gamely up the hill to prevail by three lengths over 5/1 chance William Henry (Nicky Henderson/Davy Russell).
Nigel Twiston-Davies commented: "Wholestone is a great galloper and the rain last night really helped. If it had stayed good ground, then maybe the others might have been too quick for him but he is a galloper and a stayer.
"He schools well and, while his hurdling doesn't look clean, he doesn't lose any lengths. He is a very good jumper - it just doesn't look pretty! If he was slow over hurdles, it would be a disaster but he is not.
"He will entered in both the Albert Bartlett and the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle but I am sure that the Albert Bartlett will be the one."
Daryl Jacob added: "Wholestone has been an improving horse all year. I was a little bit worried about coming back to two and a half miles today but fair play to Simon, Isaac, Nigel and Anthony (Bromley - racing manager). They knew the rain was coming and it was a good test for him out there today.
"He just seems to keep improving and improving. He is just a lovely horse - he doesn't do anything flash, he doesn't do anything quick but he is a typical Nigel horse. They are a very, very hardy type of horses.
"I think the Albert Bartlett at The Festival could be the race for him if we get good ground. I am not going to tell my bosses what to do - they have mastered this horse from the start of the year and all credit to them."
1.10pm £60,000 Hugo's Restaurant Barbados Trophy Handicap Chase (Grade 3), 2m 4f 166y
Foxtail Hill (Nigel Twiston-Davies/Jamie Bargary (3), 10st 3lb, 12/1) put up a fine front-running performance to land the G3 Hugo's Restaurant Barbados Trophy Handicap.
Leading from pillar to post, the eight-year-old started to go away from his field going over the third last. He tired up the run-in but kept on gamely to see off Saphir Du Rheu (Paul Nicholls/Nick Scholfield, 11st 9lb, 6/1) by a length. Tenor Nivernais (Venetia Williams/Liam Treadwell, 16/1) was a further four and a half lengths back in third.
Jamie Bargary remarked: "I think it was more relief than anything else that he kept going up the hill but thankfully he got it done.
"I had him on the rail and Nigel has put a new bit on him, which seems to keep him straight. He never put a foot wrong and the longer I went, the braver he got, which is what you want in a front-runner.
"I was hoping that I hadn't gone too fast. This ground is a bit dead and, if they are a bit keen, it doesn't help their chances in the last quarter of the race. I managed to get a breather into him after the winning line, steadied it up and they all came to me. There was no point holding on top him going down the hill, so I let him roll. Luckily, I had enough in the tank after the last to keep going.
"He half-steadied into the last and pricked his ears. I heard Saphir Du Rheu coming to me but Foxtail Hill found extra up the hill and stuck his head out.
"It's my second Grade Three and I am so thankful to be riding in these races and to be given the chance. I am having a brilliant season and it is all thanks Nigel. He keeps putting me up and I can't fault him as a boss."
Nigel Twiston-Davies added: "That was very exciting. I was muttering that Jamie had gone too fast and he hadn't! I asked him afterwards if he was going a bit quick and he said that he couldn't go any slower! The horse made his mind up for him.
"Foxtail Hill relaxed after a circuit and Jamie let the horse fill up his lungs. The rest caught up but then he still had a lot left. Jumping has never been a problem - he got brought down by a tack problem on his first run - and it was superb.
"He is certainly much better going this way round. We have had some bit adjustments and things like that and it has all worked well.
"I think the Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase on the first day of The Festival is his obvious race."
Rest of the card
12.35pm £25,000 Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase 2m 4f 166y
Royal Vacation (Colin Tizzard/Paddy Brennan, 11st 9lb, 12/1) put up a superb display to land the Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase.
The seven-year-old, who benefited from the fall of Might Bite when landing the G1 Kauto Star Novices' Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day, was always in a prominent position as Burtons Well (Venetia Williams/Charlie Deutsch (3), 11st 3lb, 15/2) made the running.
In an incident-packed race, Royal Vacation took up the running approaching the second last and kept on strongly to score by eight lengths from the staying-on Potters Legend (Lucy Wadham/Leighton Aspell, 11st 5lb, 11/1) with top-weight Ibis Du Rheu (Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden (3), 11st 12lb, 8/1) a further length and three-quarters back in third.
Colin Tizzard commented: "There was an awful lot going on behind us, wasn't there? Paddy had him in the right position all the time and he always looked as though he was going to be involved in the finish. For whatever reason, nothing else came through. His jumping has been pretty good since day one - neat and accurate.
"This is a little bit unexpected. We were a bit lucky last time but Royal Vacation will go for one of the races at The Festival now. He needed practice around Cheltenham and that was lovely, absolutely fantastic.
"I suppose we will be governed by what the handicapper does. We were 141 going into today's race and perhaps he would have been a good thing for a handicap at The Festival but he won't be running off that rating now.
"We will see what happens but I am so chuffed for Jean Bishop (owner) and for the horse to win a race here."
Paddy Brennan said: "I was really, really impressed with Royal Vacation today. We always knew that he was a bit short of his best and sometimes we don't give horses enough credit. This horse is all guts and determination and he will win a lot of races because of that.
"Colin has given him plenty of runs at places like Lingfield, Ascot and even Kempton, when people question why he was running him, but that is what has made him.
"Three miles is his trip and, the better the ground, the better he will be. He is exciting for what is left this season. He definitely felt like an RSA Chase horse today - he is going to be rated over 150 now, so let's be realistic and he has got everything in his favour.
"He stays well - he might be outpaced at times but he will come home really well."
2.50pm £25,000 Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase, 3m 6f 37y
French raider Urgent De Gregaine (Emmanuel Clayeux/Felix de Giles, 10st, 50/1) caused a big upset in the Glenfarclas Cross County Chase when defeating 11/8 favourite Cantlow (Enda Bolger IRE/Adrian Heskin, 11st 4lb) by three lengths.This race had been rescheduled from The Open in November, when it was postponed due to the lack of rain.
The winner travelled smoothly under Felix de Giles and was held up to deliver his challenge to Cantlow after the last. He ran on well for an ultimately comfortable success. The veteran Any Currency (Martin Keighley/Richard Johnson, 14/1) was another 21 lengths back in third.
Felix de Giles said: "Urgent De Gregaine was the companion for Vezelay (who ran in the BetBright Trial Cotswold Chase). He has won a lot of races in France actually and he is one of the horses that only just does enough, so I didn't want to hit the front too soon.
"He is not a Cross-Country horse, in France he is chaser but the chases in France are a bit like these races. He has adapted well and we have profited from a light weight. The ground is testing and the distance long, so I think he has made the most of it today.
"I find that you really need a horse that stays well in Cross-Country races because they don't go very fast and it is a long trip. The ground is quite hard work today and I think if you can have a light weight, even if you lack a bit of quality, you can beat the better horses.
"I don't think he would be any better on quicker ground because he doesn't have a huge amount of speed but he stays very well. I think the handicapper will probably put him up a bit but I think he has shown us everything to warrant coming back here in March."
4.35pm £25,000 Steel Plate & Sections Handicap Hurdle, 2m 179yds
The concluding Steel Plate & Sections Handicap Hurdle went to William H Bonney (Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson, 10st 11lb, 5/1). The six-year-old travelled strongly throughout and was always doing enough on the run-in to see off the late challenge of Man Of Plenty (Sophie Leech/Patrick Cowley (7), 10st, 50/1) by a length. Another half-length back in third was Divine Spear (Nicky Henderson/Ned Curtis (5), 10st 6lb, 16/1).
Alan King said: "William H Bonney tanked through the race and I was a bit worried that he was doing a bit too much. He was a bit long at the last and does pull up in front but he found more when the other horse came to him.
"He might go for the Betfair Hurdle (at Newbury on February 11) now. That should put him spot on - he needed his first run at Kempton, we knew that he would come forward and he might just improve a bit more again. I don't think he has had a terribly hard race today and we will see but Newbury would be my first thoughts at the moment.
"He was wrong in the autumn and was lame for a long time. The team have worked hard to get him back and I ran him in the Supreme last season - I thought he was good enough to run in that but my horses weren't really firing at the time.
"I am delighted for (owners) Bob and Pauline. They have been great supporters. They have not been the luckiest but, by God, they deserve a nice horse."


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Political sectarianism is still sectarianism!
By John DC Gow
One of the interesting aspects of the recent 'Green Brigade' furore is how quickly some in the media and political world jumped to their defence and painted them as the victims of police brutality. Of-course, the police have their faults, but it's usually normal to wait until we have all the evidence before assuming that arrests for assault and misuse of drugs have no basis.
Strathclyde police were certainly shocked at the partisan nature of the criticism from high-profile figures, but this is their own naivety, as some have just been waiting for the opportunity. When the anti-sectarian crusade in football started, it mainly focused on Rangers fans. This was fine for many, as the established 'Old Firm problem' was soon deftly framed so as to only blame those at Ibrox.
Instead of looking at the larger picture of religion, football and the Irish troubles as the source of hatred - which would bring in both sets of fans - offending religion was made the ultimate taboo, while support for violent nationalism was called 'political'. It should never have been this way. One of the architects of the previous anti-sectarian motions through Parliament, the late Donald Gorrie, pointed out that, 'sectarianism is a convenient shorthand term to cover a complex issue, which is partly religious, partly historical, partly political and racial.'
Even though both sets of fans were expressing their tribal support for one side of Irish (and British) history versus another, the Rangers fans were demonised because some leaned towards religious sectarianism, while the Celtic supporters' overt political sectarianism was ignored or defended.
'But it's not sectarian' has now become a term to excuse bad behaviour. Singing songs about Rangers fans dying, including children, in the Ibrox disaster is bad, 'but it's not sectarian'. Chanting in support of terrorist groups who killed innocent people just because of their nationality is bad, 'but it's not sectarian'. Actual violence, whether it be against the police, stewards or opposition ball-boys is to be frowned upon, 'but it's not sectarian'. Yet, some idiot who shouts 'F*ck the Pope' is the ultimate evil because 'it's sectarian'. Morality soon becomes secondary to a label. How offended you are is decided by who says it, and not by what is said.
This reached a peak with the 'summit' convened by Alex Salmond after Neil Lennon and Ally McCoist bumped chests for two seconds after a Celtic versus Rangers game. There was great hysteria about sectarianism at the time, so the First Minister decided to show he was 'doing something' by furthering police powers surrounding football. But laws for religious sectarianism already existed, and with the complaint that political sectarianism was being ignored, his Government broadened the law to include anything offensive. Hence the 'Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012'.
The police were happy, because as shown in the written submission to the Justice Committee for the new bill, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland' (ACPOS) confirmed that the focus on religious sectarianism is detrimental to defeating the hatred that surrounds the totality of sectarianism because:
'there would not appear to be scope to capture, other than to badge it under inciting public disorder, those who sing or chant politically sectarian messages that are pro/anti IRA, UVF, UDA, Fenian, Hun etc that are intended to offend other people.' (Their emphasis.)
Even the leading anti-sectarian organisation 'Nil by Mouth' (NbM) in their submission stated that:
'We must accept that the word 'sectarianism' transcends its dictionary meaning when applied to Scotland. [But] NbM understands that sectarianism in Scotland is a fusion of religion, politics, identity and ignorance. The context in which a particular act is performed, or certain word is spoken, is also highly significant. [My emphasis]
Those who understand real-life know that the young lad being chased by thugs while they shout 'up the Ra' is just as sectarian as the thugs who chase another shouting 'F*ck the Pope'. Neither is a theological or political expression. It might as well be baby noises, since the tribalism is basically 'them' and 'us' and it doesn't matter the excuse. Using semantics to divide behaviour that has the same source, intent and result is bizarre, yet this is what happened.
But now Celtic fans had a problem. Their 'political' excuse no longer held. Semantics didn't matter since the criteria was offensiveness, and no longer just religion. As Dr Stuart Waiton of Arbertay University, author of a good book on the issue called 'Snob's Law', and who genuinely believes in freedom of speech regardless whether it is political or religious, says:
'An important part of the [Offensive Behaviour] bill was that the law now targeted not only Rangers 'sectarian' songs, but also Celtic republican or 'political' songs that offend some people: Thus, 'evening things up'. [And] despite the limited overt promotion of the need to stop IRA type songs, politicians like Alex Salmond, and senior police officers were very clear about what needed to be done. 'These people', were bringing the game into disrepute. They were 'unacceptable in a modern tolerant Scotland'. They were part of 'Scotland's Shame' and needed to be stamped out. And so it has come to pass….Nobody should be surprised that the Green Brigade, a pro Irish Republican singing section of Celtic supporters, have been targeted by the police in the way they have been.'
While Dr Waiton is against all forms of censorship, and has as a better grasp of this issue than nearly everyone else, he still does not realise that freedom of speech is not the goal for the Green Brigade, or the politicians and journalists who are defending them. If the Offensive Behaviour Bill is repealed, many who support Dr Waiton will drop him quickly and denigrate him once he asks for the same with religious offensiveness.
He might think he knows this, as he is aware some Celtic fans want to sing their songs while stopping Rangers fans and vice versa, but it's doubtful he realises how many of the high-profile people who tell him they support or defend the right to sing about the IRA or violent Irish republicanism under the freedom of speech angle, will never do the same for violent loyalism or offending religion. Already journalist Graham Spiers will quote him in a positive way with regard to his defence of the Green Brigade, but on twitter will more than once call him 'bonkers'.
In an interesting article on the 28th of February 2012, by 'The Herald' journalist Gerry Braiden, who has been pushing hard against the new bill, called 'Fears over police misuse of anti-sectarian powers' there was a list of quotes from 'leading lawyers' who seemed to be giving their objective viewpoint. One was from:
'Paul Kavanagh, director of Glasgow and Edinburgh based legal firm Gildeas, [who] said: "While going on holiday with their families, people who have been recognised at football matches by the police are stopped routinely at Glasgow Airport. It is correct for people who sing sectarian songs or shout sectarian insults to be arrested and processed through the courts. However, what about a person displaying a banner that is not sectarian in anyway, simply walking to a football match and being told to provide his name and address to police for no apparent reason, or walking down the street with his family and being spoken to by the police as they recognised him at a football match? Where is their right to privacy? Where is the crime?'
Notice that Mr Kavanagh of Gildeas goes out of his way to state that sectarianism, which we assume is of the religious variety and not the political idiocy, is to still be stamped on. Is this really about censorship or freedom of speech? Interestingly, according to Gildeas's own twitter account, they are the 'legal representatives of the Green Brigade'. This wasn't mentioned in the article.
Another who has given support to the Green Brigade, and who is a perfect example of the double-standards being discussed, is the aforementioned sportswriter Graham Spiers. He is known as an anti-sectarian campaigner who shows zero tolerance for religious sectarianism. Yet when discussing political sectarianism there is great doubt, going to the extreme where he says IRA chants from Celtic fans are a 'complication'.
This is not to say he supports any of the IRA stuff - he is genuinely against it - but he holds different standards for religious and political sectarianism. 'Is this stuff political or is it sectarian?' he bemoans, as if singing about those who murder innocent people needs a proper label.
And before the excuse is given that Graham Spiers thinks the IRA songs are about 1916, he doesn't. He has previously written that it is not convincing to say that IRA chants from Celtic fans are a reference to a 100 year old Irish liberation movement. Instead, it is support for the terrorists of recent times. There is nothing less political, or more sectarian, than killing innocent people because of their background, yet chanting in support for the IRA is 'complicated' because many fans believe 'Celtic FC is a symbol of the historic struggle of the Irish'. While, with no hint of embarrassment, he writes that a Rangers fan who wants to include non-violent British or Protestant identity at Ibrox is, 'sounding a bit like a caveman'.
Why the difference? When Graham Spiers defends the expression of violent Irish republicanism does he really understand what it is or that it's not the same as Irish culture? Are we to believe he thinks Rangers fans singing about loyalism is complicated or part of the Irish struggle too? Will any politician or journalist defend Rangers fans as they glorify loyalist paramilitaries for their equally heinous crimes against innocent people? Of-course not – and nor should they - yet supporting the IRA is somehow valid.
The fight to repeal the Offensive Behaviour Bill has begun, and that isn't all bad since it is a draconian piece of legislation, but Rangers fans should be under no illusion that for many this is not about freedom of speech or a battle against censorship, but the right to glorify violent Irish Republicanism while still keeping violent loyalism and religious sectarianism taboo. The ideal state for many within the game is where Rangers fans will be demonised for singing their offensive songs, while Celtic fans will be ignored or defended for theirs.
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Bible Study Bill Kicks Up Controversy in N.D.
By Stephen Sawchuk — January 16, 2019 2 min read
A bill that would establish Bible study courses in North Dakota public schools has already attracted the ire of the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
The bill would alter the state's high school curriculum guidelines, requiring every high school to offer as an elective a half-unit of Bible study—either Old Testament, New Testament, or a combination. It would also allow high schools to replace a half-unit of social studies with Bible studies.
The bill has yet to move out of the state Senate's education committee. But the ACLU of North Dakota pointed out that the proposal appears to fall afoul of the establishment clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits the establishment of a state religion.
"To withstand constitutional requirements, Bible curriculum in public schools must be neutral and non-devotional, and classes cannot be used to promote one particular religion," the ACLU wrote on its blog. "Attempting to implement a Bible curriculum like this is very likely to expose a school district to litigation."
The key U.S. Supreme Court case the ACLU is referring to here is the 1963 Abington School District v. Schepp ruling. The court held that students couldn't be required to recite prayers or engage in devotional study in public schools, but religious texts could be included in the curriculum "when taught objectively as part of a secular program of education."
Sen. Aaron McWilliams, a republican who co-sponsored the North Dakota bill, told the Grand Forks Herald that he would offer an amendment to allow schools the flexibilty to offer the course or not.
Other states that have sought to introduce secular biblical studies have found it tricky to find the right balance between secular and religious study. Kentucky, which approved Bible literacy legislation in 2017, soon ran afoul of the ACLU there, after the organization found through open-records requests that many of the assignments were more suited to Sunday school than to a public school classroom.
And Texas has gotten perilously close to the line with a history state standard that requires Moses and "Judeo-Christian thought" to be taught as an influence on the Founding Fathers, something many historians dispute. The state has allowed schools to offer biblical literature since 2007, and one of the state school board members has repeatedly argued that the words "separation of Church and state" don't appear in the Constitution.
Assistant Managing Editor, Education Week
Stephen Sawchuk is an assistant managing editor for Education Week, leading coverage of teaching, learning, and curriculum.
A version of this news article first appeared in the Curriculum Matters blog.


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A Drop of Insight: how genes get passed from parent to child
We know a lot about how genes get passed from parent to child, but scientists are still unraveling how so-called epigenetic information—instructions about which genes to turn on and off—is conveyed from generation to generation.
Using the tiny worm Caenorhabditis elegans, a simple and powerful model for uncovering the fundamental workings of epigenetic inheritance, Harvard Medical School geneticists and colleagues have just discovered two new proteins contributing to this process.
Scientists studied a three-droplet structure that, tagged with fluorescent dye, reminds them of Dr. Seuss' Grinch in a Santa hat. Image credit: Kennedy lab
"We have a fantastic example here of epigenetic inheritance that we think will make important contributions to the field," said Scott Kennedy, the Philip and Aya Leder Professor of Genetics at HMS and senior author of the study, published online in Nature.
Probing further, the researchers found that the proteins form a never-before-seen membrane-less liquid droplet in the cell cytoplasm, which the team dubbed the Z granule.
The Z granule interacts with two previously identified droplets in an unexpected way that not only illuminates some of the steps leading to epigenetic inheritancebut also provides new insights intohow liquids can behave within other liquids.
"It's exciting to see three liquid droplets take shape within a fourth liquid, forming ordered configurations and not mixing with one another—that's pretty wild for a number of reasons," Kennedy said.
Kennedy and colleagues suspect that the droplets help organize the process of deciding which genes to express by allowing only certain RNAs to be turned into proteins.
Gene screen
The researchers began by screening for genes needed to transfer epigenetic information from an adult C. elegans to its progeny. They spotted two that hadn't been implicated before.
WAGO-4, shown in green, concentrates in germline cells, top, and not in somatic cells, or ordinary body cells, bottom. Image credit: Kennedy lab
The genes make the proteins ZNFX-1, short for "zinc finger NFX1-type containing 1," and WAGO-4, short for "worm-specific argonaute protein 4."
Both proteins bind to RNAs, the strings of genetic information that drive many of the phenomena associated with epigenetic inheritance.
Tagging ZNFX-1 and WAGO-4 with fluorescent molecules revealed that they are located almost entirely in germline cells, which lead to sperm and eggs. That further raised the scientists' confidence that the proteins are involved in inheritance.
Droplet dynamics
The researchers watched C. elegans develop from a fertilized egg into an adult and discovered that ZNFX-1 and WAGO-4 begin life as part of a droplet called the P granule.
That made sense to the team; P granules are known to be the worm version of droplets found in germ cells across animal species, including humans.
P granules and other liquid droplet organelles, also called liquid-like condensates, intrigue scientists because their purpose is mysterious and because they remain distinct from the cytoplasm even though they lack a membrane.
Z granules, shown in green, perch on the edge of cell nuclei, indicated in red. Image credit: Kennedy lab
"There's no bag holding them together," said Kennedy. "It's like a drop of oil in water, except they're not made of oil."
What surprised Kennedy and colleagues was that as the worms matured, ZNFX-1 and WAGO-4 bubbled out of the P granule and formed their own droplet, the Z granule. The P and Z granules somehow stuck close together without merging.
"They sit right next to each other and don't float off," said Kennedy. "How do they do it? And why?"
As the team continued to watch, a third droplet, previously discovered by HMS scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital and called the Mutator foci, took shape and joined the cluster in the same perplexing way.
With each granule fluorescently labeled, the tripartite structure reminded Kennedy of a snowman or Dr. Seuss' Grinch at Christmastime: a green P-granule head wearing a red Z-granule hat with a white M-granule pom-pom.
The fact that the granules form in a particular place within C. elegans and in a specific order with respect to one another during embryonic development suggested to Kennedy that the whole assembly is genetically programmedand not incidental.
Additional clues about the purpose of the granules lay in their location in the cell: They perch on the nuclear membrane next to pores where RNAs emerge.
Before those RNAs fully enter the cytoplasm to be translated into proteins, "they have to go through this phalanx of granules, probably in a particular order," said Kennedy.
The arrangement led the researchers to suspect that the Z granule makes decisions about RNA processing and then records those decisions for future generations.
"The granules act like sieves or gatekeepers, asking, 'Should I express you? Do I want you to become a protein?' and 'Do I want my children to remember that you should or shouldn't become a protein?'" said Kennedy.
Overall, the three-droplet structure may help organize the flow of protein-making instructions from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, the authors said.
"Gene expression is incredibly complicated. This could be a system by which you order it, so A happens before B happens before C," said Kennedy.
The researchers suspect there are at least two more droplets involved that haven't been definitively identified yet, which would make the structure even more complex.
"This C. elegans system is powerful because we're poised to figure out the precise role of these droplets and to test whether they're necessary for epigenetic inheritance," said Kennedy.
Source: HMS


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"Attention to detail made it feel more like a home than a holiday cottage"
"We found Inver Rose at a time when we most needed somewhere perfect to stay. It couldn't have been better, it was all so very comfortable. Just like home."
"Beautiful view, could sit there all day and look out the window"
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"House was great...... everything was above our expectations"


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In an era long ago, The Immarikh Empire, inspired by the teachings of the Eternal Ray, led a campaign to unify the world through military force. A well decorated general and champion of the people, General Gwyvaren Zamaendis, was a war hero who had led countless successful campaigns across many lands. Many thought him to be the divine emissary of the Eternal Ray, and in a way, he was—unbeknownst to many, he was a Godbrand. He fully embraced the belief that, through the Empire's military might, other peoples could be forced to see the Eternal Ray's unifying light and wisdom. His military tactics were without peer and often were such a show of force and guile, that many kingdoms surrendered with little bloodshed. At the height of the Empire's power, it largely went unopposed as it annexed territory after territory into its burgeoning borders.
The first real resistance would come from a region of the world inhabited by beasts. They had no organization to speak of; they were savages and anarchists. The beasts were clusters of tribes and clans who had, before the Empire's arrival, fought endlessly amongst themselves. With a common enemy in their midst, they turned to fending off the Empire. Their tactics were vicious, unpredictable and unorthodox. With countless forays into the region by the Empire with little progress to speak of, General Zamaendis was sent to the theater to coordinate large scale operations.
He would taste the unfamiliar bitterness of defeat as his enemies' strategy was completely foreign to him. Furthermore, the guerilla warfare in which the beasts engaged was devastatingly antithetical to General Zamaendis' tactics. As the war would continue to rage on for ten years, it exacted its toll on the Empire's resources. With the loss of half of their regional forces and most importantly, their reputation for being unstoppable, the Empire became desperate. General Zamaendis on the other hand had spent the last ten years spiraling down the path of zealotry, clutching to extremist doctrine he had formulated from the once pure ideals of the Eternal Ray. Years of harrowing battles had inexorably changed his mind. Now convinced the feral beasts would never and could never ascribe to the Empire's promise of salvation through unity, he set out to destroy them. Having disposed of the fear of turning into his enemy, he finally embraced his enemy's strengths and exploited their weaknesses in order to devise his very own merciless tactics. Implementing a newly trained special force assembled from the Empire's most resolute and dedicated soldiers, Zamaendis was finally able to rout the beasts once and for all. What few survived, scattered and fled.
Prior to the end of the war and because of the tarnished image of the Empire from its protracted hostilities with the beasts, a series of opportunistic insurgencies sprouted in an atmosphere of civil unrest: People sought independence from the now fallible Empire. Zamaendis, seemingly aware of the true source of the insurgencies, used his military and political clout to convince the Empire it had a new cunning enemy trying to destroy it surreptitiously from within. He called it the Dead Void and he was so convincing about its existence that the Empire granted him the resources for a new military branch for internal affairs. The soldiers of this new branch, called Inquisitors, were handpicked from the special forces Zamaendis used to conquer the beasts. Their sole purpose was to root out subversive elements inside the Empire by any means necessary. Zamaendis would become the Inquisitors' sole leader and given the title: Rector. Bestowed with the power of Judge, Jury and Executioner, the Inquisitors ruled the rebellious regions within the Empire with one thing—fear.
The Inquisitors most important weapons were not swords and crossbows, but fear, paranoia and hatred. Inquisitors were taught to blindly believe that the ends justify the means when it came to preserving belief in the Eternal Ray. As the Inquisitors adopted more extreme and unsavory practices, their development was all sanctioned by one man: Rector Zamaendis. It was he who signed off on their every move, devised their every strategy and it was his Inquisitors that held the Empire's citizens in an iron grip.
Centuries have passed since the fall of the Immarikh Empire, but the Inquisitors survive to this day, albeit recognized widely by the name: The Dawnblades. The title of Inquisitor is now reserved for a rank of enforcer endowed with divine powers. Armed with the Zamaendian Doctrine and no longer shackled by the confines of the Empire, the Dawnblades fight an endless battle against the Dead Void.
The Inquisitor
As the Dawnblades have presences all over the known world, an Inquisitor might find themselves stationed in any number of lands. In some lands, they are tolerated and in others, they are met with great hostility. The Dawnblades are a large militaristic power that has a sizable amount of political influence and it is not uncommon for them to ally themselves with countries to deal with perceived threats. They are well known for their zealotry and the organization's mercurial nature means that it doesn't form longstanding political ties.
At its core, it is still very much a religious practice which attempts to unify all the gods under the umbrella of the Eternal Ray. As such, it is very common for Inquisitors to do missionary work in towns and cities of all sizes. As missionaries, they are tremendously aggressive, even going so far as to accuse people of worshipping the Dead Void. In addition, part of a missionary's responsibilities is reappropriating any lost scriptures or religious artifacts as they are considered paramount to the Dawnblade identity.
Individual Inquisitors regularly travel the world incognito in order to unearth new Dead Void machinations. It is not uncommon for them to enlist the aid of other adventurers when their comrades are not present. Dawnblades do have a rather robust information network as agents can be found in many cities. Additionally, Inquisitors are known to hide in the ranks of Temple Priests, so another Inquisitor may be nearer than one thinks.
The Inquisitor is a Healer who dons chain mail and brandishes flails and maces in the thick of battle. They are a front line combatant who infuses their weapons with divine power and heals nearby allies efficiently and effectively. They have decent survivability, but are by no means a tank. Inquisitors are also a competent mid-ranged combatant but their heals at this range are not as potent. It is at this range that they can let loose divine elemental powers and where they sabotage enemies, making use of a collection of abilities referred to as Suspicions of Heresy. With enough Suspicion generated, the enemy is branded a Heretic and the Inquisitor can inflict significant damage to them.
Debuffs
Emergency DPS
Primary Stats
Favored Armor
Favored Weapons


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Mauby: No Longer The Caribbean's Bitter Sweet Secret
I confess… Mauby, a tree bark-based Caribbean drink, is a beverage with which I have a love-hate relationship. Love from the perspective of nostalgia… Hate from the perspective of taste. Nevertheless, I as a Barbadian, feel like I need to stake my claim to what is an irrefutable part of my heritage and that of the wider Caribbean region— particularly as this good-for-you drink is rapidly gaining traction as a functional beverage in the global market.
By way of introduction, mauby (mauby in the English Caribbean, mavi in the Spanish Caribbean, and mabi in the French Caribbean) is a centuries old brew made from the bark of the columbrina elliptica, better known in the region as the mauby tree, and boiled with sugar and a variety of spices.
Many would agree that it is an acquired taste.
I for one can't help but hang on to memories of an innocent childhood in Barbados, being repeatedly hit by the bitter-sweet flavor of the bark of the snakewood (Colubrina elliptica) tree. You'd think I would have learned my lesson after the first or hundredth time. But no, the oppressive tropical heat of my childhood home would frequently entice me to the fridge door— overlooking the odds— reaching in misplaced hope for the unmarked sweaty pitcher that on very rare occasions also housed sweet tamarind or apple juice.
"BLECH."
My father would laugh as I cringed in disgust at the pungent flavor that seemed to stick to my tongue…
It's true. Mauby is bitter and it isn't for everyone.
Personal feelings aside… Just like that family member who you don't give a hoot about till they reach a' foreign (travel abroad) and make it big, I am here to claim this cultural phenomenon on behalf of all Caribbean people, because rumor has it that our relative is about to take the world by storm.
Froots is a Barbadian natural juice brand. Froots mauby is made of of mauby, water, sugar, cinnamon, … [+] spice, clove, nutmeg and essence.
I mean… in 2021 the global functional beverage market was valued at almost $130 billion and by 2030, it is projected to plummet to a value of $279.4 billion, according to TechCrunch. New Food Magazine says that the top priority for functional beverage consumers is immunity, gut and heart health— all of which are benefits of mauby.
With health benefits associated with the improvement of arthritis, reduced inflammation, increased stamina, lower blood pressure, reduced cholesterol, fighting diabetes and treating gastrointestinal issues, mauby is perfectly poised to benefit from the functional beverage boom.
Not to mention, many people (other than myself) think mauby is refreshing and delicious.
My daddy, may he rest in peace, loved a tall, cold glass of mauby. And he was not alone.
In countries like Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad, Guyana, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, as well as other English-speaking Caribbean countries, mauby is synonymous with culture.
In fact, a song by the name of Mauby even won "Tune of De Crop" at Barbados' 2022 annual carnival, better known as Kadooment or Crop Over. Singer Brucelee Almightee (Bruce Robinson) even seized the opportunity to endorse a popular local mauby brand, Froots.
Cultural significance aside, mauby's historical relevance is undeniable. The production and consumption of this homemade brew is in fact as old as the earliest people to inhabit the English-speaking Caribbean.
Richard Ligon's "A True and Exact History of the Island of Barbadoes" (1657) stated that Barbados' Carib women made "mobbie" (the earliest version of mauby) from red sweet potatoes. Not surprisingly, the Tainos' (Caribbean's indigenous Carib people) word for red sweet potato is mâ'bi.
Historians say that there is sufficient evidence to conclude that the drink was conceived in the English-speaking Caribbean.
During the 1700s to 1800s, British colonists in Barbados would develop a fermented version of the sweet potato brew, using tree bark instead of sweet potatoes, as a replacement for alcoholic beverages from England. This was consumed across the social spectrum.
African slaves would continue to produce the drink, even after the British began to replace it with alcohol from home, and Ligon said in his book that slaves drank "nothing but mobbie."
Mauby woman fills a glass from the canister on her head in Barbados, 1950. Official Barbados … [+] photograph compiled by the Central Office of Information. Catalogue Reference: INF 10/39/8. Photograph No D 48708.
UK National Archives
Fast forward to the mid 1900's, "mauby women" would become a popular figment of Bajan culture, transporting massive canisters of the golden brown beverage on their heads, releasing catch faucets that would relinquish the popular beverage into the cups of those who craved the rich syrupy taste of mauby bark, boiled with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and orange peel.
Today, mauby continues to be one of the most popular beverages in the region. Outside of special occasions, very few people brew their own mauby, as ready-made syrups which can be mixed with water are far more popular and available in every supermarket. The beverage also features on a plethora of regional fast food menus, including Barbados' famous eatery, Chefette. Barbados' Mount Gay Rum, known as "the rum that invented rum" even manufactures a spiced rum distilled with mauby bark, named Mauby Rum (43°) for the local market.
From an export perspective, Trinidad's Mauby Fizzz is one of the more well-known mauby brands in the global market, and is available at ethnic retailers as well as on Amazon.
Outside of the English-speaking Caribbean, Caribbean mauby brands are popping up in ethnic grocery stores and restaurants, and the Latin market has adapted the recipe, in its mavi or mabi.
In Florida, Cuban organic grain and gluten free bakery and café chain, Organic Girly (OG) has been producing Mavi Clásico, fermented with with ginger root and Ceylon cinnamon, since 2020. Says OG: "You either love or hate it. There is no in-between. It sort [of] tastes like root beer, but you'd have to taste it. When fermented like OG does, it's good for arthritis, reduces cholesterol, treats diarrhea and may help fight diabetes."
One of the more popular takes on the beverage on the US market is MABÏ, made by Dominican Republic-born, and Brooklyn-based Ana Bautista.
MABÏ
"Being born in NYC and raised in the Dominican Republic by a Dominican father and a Dominican-Chinese mother, I felt the need to implement more cultures into each bottle," says Bautista.
"We include ingredients from all over the world: our main superstar, mauby bark from the Caribbean, green tea, hibiscus flowers and monk fruit from Asia, chamomile from Egypt, rooibos from South Africa, and the list goes on. I decided to make my own version of mabí, a remix, if you want to call it that. We put all this goodness together in a recyclable glass bottle, and boom, MABÏ was born."
According to a recently conducted Frito Lay Snack Index, nearly half of snackers want to consume something nostalgic, that reminds them of a particular period in time. Pinterest has flagged the trendiness of "ancestral eats," and getting back to one's roots. For Caribbean people, the nostalgia of mauby is undeniable.
For non-Caribbean people, the functional beverage movement coupled with the trendiness of Latin-owned brands spells a unique moment for mauby. It is evident, however, that snazzy packaging, good-for-you ingredients and a creative take on traditional mauby recipes is creating more cross-cutting global reach for Latin brands than their English-speaking Caribbean counterparts.
But according to Rebecca Shurhay, marketing analyst at Flavorchem, Downers Grove, Illinois, there is much to be said for authenticity. Authentic flavors and ingredients from the region, as well as exotic and unexpected flavors are gaining traction.
The current opportunity for brands from markets such as Trinidad, Barbados and Jamaica is to capitalize on the good-for-you elements and the cultural and historic authenticity of the Caribbean's oldest drink.
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Susan G. Komen®: Women Should Have Access to/Coverage for Mammography
·By Natalie Scalabrino
·In Community News
Andrea Rader
press@komen.org
SUSAN G. KOMEN®: WOMEN SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO, COVERAGE FOR, MAMMOGRAPHY
World's Largest Breast Cancer Organization Reiterates that Screening Should Be Based on Individual Risk and is Decision for Women and their Health Care Providers
DALLAS – Oct. 20, 2015 – The Susan G. Komen® breast cancer organization today said that all women should have access to regular mammograms when they and their health care providers decide that it is the right time for screening based on individual risk for breast cancer, and that the screening tests should be covered by third-party payers such as insurance companies and government programs.
Komen's statement came following the release of new American Cancer Society (ACS) screening guidelines, published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). In the guidelines, ACS raised its recommended age for annual screening mammograms from 40 to 45 for women of average risk for breast cancer, with biennial mammography for women 55-74. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) also has drafted guidelines that would raise the recommended age for regular mammography to 50 for women of average risk.
"We have a great deal of respect for the ACS and the USPSTF, their expert committees and their thorough review of the scientific literature to inform the current guidelines. Although guidelines may differ regarding the age at which routine screening should begin, there is agreement that mammography is the best available tool for detecting breast cancer and that women and their health care providers should decide when those screenings should begin for individuals," said Dr. Judy Salerno, President and CEO of Susan G. Komen.
Salerno said that the continuing debate over the timing of mammography fails to address several important issues.
"First, the medical field is moving toward determining individual needs for screening based on a woman's risk, such as family history of breast cancer. Ultimately, women must have better and more accurate information about their individual risk for breast cancer so that they and their providers can make informed decisions about the screening schedule that is right for them. Knowledge is power," she said. Information about breast cancer risk is available on komen.org.
"Second, it is estimated that about one-third of women who should be screened do not access these services. This means that we must take all steps necessary to ensure that women don't face economic or other barriers when their health care providers recommend screening. It's well established that early detection, combined with effective treatment, reduces mortality from breast cancer."
"Third – and this is a point we've made often – we absolutely must continue to invest in finding screening methods that are more accurate, cost-effective, easy-to-administer, and more widely available than mammography," Salerno said. Komen has invested more than $33 million to date into research to find better screening technology for breast cancer, such as blood and tissue tests.
The ACS recommendations are not binding on health care providers or payers, Salerno noted, "but we are concerned that they have the potential to lead to reduced accessibility to and coverage for health screenings from both private and public insurers."
In addition to its new recommended screening ages, ACS said clinical breast exams – the manual palpation of the breast and axilla (underarm) by trained health care providers – are no longer necessary as they did not reduce mortality from breast cancer and because better screening tools, such as mammography, are available. Clinical breast exams are usually conducted during routine "well woman" doctor visits, often beginning when a woman is in her 20s.
"As a practical matter, clinical breast exams take very little time, are not invasive, and may be the only form of breast screening available, especially in rural areas and for younger women who are not at an age when regular mammography would be indicated," Salerno said, adding that more information is needed on the efficacy of clinical breast exams.
Salerno said Komen and its scientific advisors will closely review the ACS recommendations, including mammography and clinical breast exams.
She acknowledged concerns about "overtreatment" for breast lesions or tumors that are found early but might not develop into cancer. "This is a real issue, but one that also requires education, so that women can have discussions with their health care providers about the course of cancer treatment that is right for them. And more research is needed to help determine which women may go on to have invasive cancer. A woman cannot make a decision about treatment, however, if she hasn't been screened."
Komen also is investing in research that would allow health care providers to accurately differentiate between breast lesions that will become cancerous, and those that won't.
About Susan G. Komen®
Susan G. Komen is world's largest breast cancer organization, funding more breast cancer research than any other nonprofit while providing real-time help to those facing the disease. Since its founding in 1982, Komen has funded more than $889 million in research and provided $1.95 billion in funding to screening, education, treatment and psychosocial support programs serving millions of people in more than 30 countries worldwide. Komen was founded by Nancy G. Brinker, who promised her sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would end the disease that claimed Suzy's life. Visit komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN. Connect with us on social at ww5.komen.org/social
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