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Nancy Mace wants to end federal prohibition of cannabis
"Forbes reported on Tuesday about Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace's efforts to end federal prohibition of cannabis through her States Reform Act. The story details how both corporate giant Amazon and Charles Koch's free market advocacy group, Americans for Prosperity, are on board.
The piece also digs into the reasons why Mace thinks legalizing cannabis should be a Republican issue.
Libertarian-leaning Republicans like Mace, Rep. Thomas Massie, Sen. Rand Paul, and others have long tried to demonstrate how 'big government' can harm Americans in ways that go beyond taxation and overreaching bureaucracy.
The war on drugs has ruined countless lives for generations, particularly for racial minorities."
Read the entire story.
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Populists on the right are now openly challenging Republican war lust
My latest at Responsible Statecraft, "The fight on the right for what constitutes a conservative or Republican foreign policy continues. This time the battlefront is Russia and Ukraine.
That there is a fissure on this issue among conservatives is in a way, a big deal, showing that the 'America First' restraint approach that garnered support among the base didn't go away completely when power changed hands in Washington and its chief advocate, Donald Trump, left town. Unfortunately, many Republicans have gone back to form and are talking like it's the post 9/11-era — as if Trump's criticisms of George W. Bush's wars and nation-building had no effect on their party whatsoever…
Must read @jackhunter74 on how @TuckerCarlson @TulsiGabbard & other populists are peeling off from the Borg & asking why everyone is so bananas about going to war over Ukraine. https://t.co/TbkdMNAaUk @RichardHanania @brad_polumbo @JDVance1 @AndrewBeckUSA @jimantle @ToryAnarchist
— Kelley B. Vlahos (@KelleyBVlahos) January 26, 2022
Suddenly more conservatives and Republicans began speaking out against the prospect of U.S. military action in the region.
'The United States should not be involved in any future war in Ukraine,' charged libertarian populist Republican Congressman Thomas Massie on Monday."
Read the entire column.
Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham put 'America First' on Russia-Ukraine
From my latest at Based Politics, "Carlson brought up two important points. For one, why should Americans die because of a conflict between Russia and Ukraine? Secondly, he reminded viewers that elites in both parties will clamor for war every time an international conflict arises.
Carlson is on to something. For the Right, an 'America First' foreign policy should mean putting actual Americans before elites' interests and ideologies…
Most sensible people likely recoil at the idea of risking putting American lives on the line over Ukraine.
Yet to the degree that the American public can be convinced to support a war, how they consume their news—including mostly Republican and independent voters watching big time players like Carlson, Hannity and Ingraham—can play an important role.
Yes, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney had 9/11 as justification for their wars, but those who lived through it remember how much the conservative-leaning Fox News pushed for our military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. That two of the top personalities at Fox News now put out a non-interventionist message—something anti-war conservatives and libertarians couldn't have fathomed 15 years ago—is a sight to behold.
Former President Donald Trump blew up the old definition of what constitutes a conservative or Republican foreign policy. Today, Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham can't say 'America First' enough…"
The CDC says cloth masks don't work. Rand Paul got suspended from YouTube for saying the same thing
From Based Politics, "In August, Sen. Rand Paul told top White House doctor Anthony Fauci that cloth masks were ineffective in stopping the spread of COVID-19. He repeated this in a video, which led to his suspension from YouTube.
ABC News reported, 'YouTube has suspended Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky from uploading content for one week after he posted a video claiming most masks are ineffective in combatting COVID-19…'
But it turns out, according to the CDC itself, that Sen. Paul was right all along about cloth masks being relatively ineffective.
The New York Times reported on Saturday, 'The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday clarified its stance on various kinds of masks, acknowledging that the cloth masks frequently worn by Americans do not offer as much protection as surgical masks or respirators."
No, Rand Paul isn't 'pandemic profiteering' off his #FireFauci campaign
"Let's be clear: Rand Paul is fundraising off of his efforts to fire Fauci. He has a button on his website featuring this campaign. But what's wrong with that?
As Paul said in an interview after their latest showdown, 'I'm proud of the fact people go to RandPaul.com raising money to fire Fauci because he is a menace. Everything he said has been incorrect. And I think he is part of the problem.'
We know Paul raises money over this issue, and he has no problem admitting that he asks for donations to help fire Fauci.
But does this mean this is the actual purpose of Paul's questions?
The Washington Post's Philip Bump asked the same question on Thursday in a column titled, 'How politically helpful have Rand Paul's attacks on Anthony Fauci been?'
Using spikes in Google traffic each time Fauci and Paul have squared off, Bump determined that Paul had raised his media profile each time and, yes, that has translated into increased donations.
But this didn't seem to lead Bump to the conclusion that Paul's Fauci questions were merely or even primarily about political or financial gain.
'It's clear that Paul is trying to generate contributions and attention from his fights with Fauci (the website to which Fauci referred is online, for example), but it's not clear that this is central to Paul's political efforts."
'Nor should one assume Paul's confrontations are solely offered in bad faith,' Bump wrote. 'While Fauci has repeatedly pushed back on his line of questioning, it's a line of questioning that our fact-checkers consider to be in a gray area."
Fauci never answers Paul's questions. The media gets mad that Paul would dare question Fauci
"A planner who believes he is the science leads to an arrogance that justifies in his mind using government resources to smear and to destroy the reputations of other scientists who disagree with him,' Paul said to Fauci. 'Do you think it's appropriate to use your $420,000 salary to attack scientists that disagree with you?'
Fauci replied, 'That's not what went on. There you go again. You do the same thing every hearing.'
No, this is what Fauci does every hearing.
"Fauci didn't answer @RandPaul. In fact, he hardly ever answers Paul. But most stories on exchanges between Fauci and Paul do not focus on the fact that a government official being held accountable by a U.S. senator is never actually held accountable." https://t.co/nf8wCWKmta
— Jack Hunter (@jackhunter74) January 12, 2022
Fauci didn't answer Paul. In fact, he hardly ever answers Paul. But most stories on exchanges between Fauci and Paul do not focus on the fact that a government official being held accountable by a U.S. senator is never actually held accountable. Most reports just focus on the supposed audacity of Paul for challenging Fauci and Fauci getting mad about it.
So it becomes 'Furious' Fauci 'tearing' into Paul. That's typically the story in the mainstream press—not what Paul actually asked Fauci. Most journalists seem far less interested in that.
They want the wrestling match and to cheer for their hero."
It's apparently okay to deny the 2016 election results on 'The View'
My latest at The Week: "The View is apparently struggling to replace panelist Meghan McCain. 'Sources close to the show said that the search has stalled as executives struggle to find a conservative cast member who checks all the right boxes,' Politico reported Thursday. What are those boxes? Among them, 'They will not consider a Republican who is a denier of the 2020 election results … or is seen as flirting too heavily with fringe conspiracy theories.'
"The View" doesn't want to hire a right-wing conspiracy theorist. But maybe they should be more worried about left-wing conspiracy theorists instead, argues @jackhunter74. https://t.co/sfBKjzir1s
— The Week (@TheWeek) January 5, 2022
But the producers of The View don't seem to have the same level of concern when it comes to the equally troubling left-wing conspiracies pushed on the show.
As recently as Tuesday, rotating guest co-host and Never-Trump Republican Ana Navarro said during a discussion on the upcoming anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, 'Look, I felt that Donald Trump had not been legitimately elected. I thought he'd gotten help from the Russians.' Apparently it is okay to deny presidential election results on ABC's popular talk show — so long as the year under discussion is 2016. "
Charging Julian Assange with espionage is a greater threat to democracy than January 6
My latest at The Week, "Today the Pentagon Papers are hailed by many as an example of how a free press and people function. Yet Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), a leading Jan. 6 committee member who has positioned herself as a defender of democracy against former President Donald Trump and his supporters, wanted Iceland's government to shut down Wikileaks. 'I would like to see them move aggressively to prosecute Mr. Assange,' Cheney said in 2010, adding, 'what he's done is very clearly aiding and abetting al Qaeda.' She's far from the only leader on the Jan. 6 committee who feels this way.
"If Assange were found guilty of espionage for his actions, there is good reason to fear it would have a chilling effect on America's free press and do irreparable harm to our democracy," @jackhunter74 writes.https://t.co/ZtAxgzIZgZ
— The Week (@TheWeek) December 19, 2021
A free press is the cornerstone of any democratic society. Some will continue to argue whether the problematic Assange is actually a journalist, just as some now debate whether the Jan. 6 attack represents something greater than just the chaos of that day. But if Assange were found guilty of espionage for his actions, there is good reason to fear it would have a chilling effect on America's free press and do irreparable harm to our democracy."
Rep. Nancy Mace touts benefits of cannabis as a teenage rape victim
I recently used CBD oil for the first time to treat some bruising due to a recent accident. I was amazed at how quickly it helped soothe and heal my injury.
CBD treatment has only been legal in my home state of South Carolina since 2014. Based on my minor experience, it is insane and immoral that it wasn't available to those who might have needed it prior to seven years ago.
Congresswoman Nancy Mace is also from my home state and District 1 in South Carolina, where she continues to promote her States Reform Act. This bill would allow states to pursue their own paths concerning marijuana with no federal involvement. As the Washington Examiner reported in November, "Mace's bill would remove marijuana and THC, its main psychoactive compound, from the Controlled Substances Act, effectively decriminalizing the drugs, and allow states to regulate them like alcohol."
Mace continues to gather both Republican and Democrat support for her bill calling it, "Most bipartisan piece of cannabis legislation ever filed in the U.S. Congress" during a recent interview on the podcast Based Politics.
Some of Mace's personal comments registered with me most. When asked if working with veterans who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder inspired her to pursue reforming federal cannabis law, Mace replied, "I am not a military veteran, even though I went to The Citadel. But there are special protections for military veterans who want to make sure that they're not discriminated against if they are users of cannabis, that want to make sure that the doctors at the VA can prescribe them cannabis for medical use. So we have those protections in there."
Then the congresswoman described her own traumatic experience and what cannabis did for her.
"I was raped when I was 16," Mace said. "I have told this story before, but what I hadn't told people until I filed this bill and talked about it publicly is that when that happened."
"I had that trauma," Mace explained. "I dropped out of school. I was prescribed pharmaceuticals, antidepressants, medication, that made my feelings of depression actually much worse than they really were."
Mace continued, "I stopped taking that medication and started using cannabis. This was a long time ago. I'm 44, so we're talking a very long time ago when I was 16. But even then I knew that it's use cut my anxiety down and helped me."
"So when I talk to veterans, when I talk to people with PTSD that have some sort of physical or emotional trauma, I can feel that pain in my heart and I know why they use it because I've had that pain before," Mace said.
"As the daughter of a military veteran, as someone whose family are veterans, it's just really important that we put special protections in there for our veteran community as well," Mace added.
I know what a relative smidgen of CBD oil did for me and my injury. Mace claims cannabis helped her significantly as a teenager through one of the worst traumas a woman can endure.
I know the States Reform Act merely allows the 50 states to pursue their own paths and hopefully it passes with major bipartisan support.
But in the meantime, why should anyone, anywhere who is suffering to any degree, be denied the relief that this plant obviously provides?
Liz Cheney needs to stop citing the Constitution – she's trampled it her entire career
Since when has anyone named Cheney felt obligated to uphold the Constitution? Set aside for a moment whether or not you believe Trump is a threat to constitutional order or anything else.
Let's remember where Cheney has been a threat to the rule of law and our constitutional republic…
But if the War on Terror her father waged and Obama continued to oversee was also a war on the Constitution, Mrs. Cheney was all in on that battle too.
"The same congresswoman who now warns that former President Donald Trump threatens the 'foundations of our constitutional republic' has not cared about the most basic precepts of the U.S. Constitution for most of her career."@jackhunter74 with the ?:https://t.co/kRDwyrjCcz
— Brad Polumbo ??⚽ ?? (@brad_polumbo) November 16, 2021
A good example was when Cheney was promoting and defending CIA operative Gina Haspel in 2018, Trump's pick to head that agency. Cheney said Haspel "spent her career defending the American people" and her critics were simply "defending terrorists."
Haspel had a documented role in waterboarding abroad and other "enhanced interrogation tactics," including covering up America's role in carrying out these atrocities.
Constitutional liberties and protections, and the United States' moral complicity in engaging in this illegal behavior, mattered little to Cheney at the time.
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The biggest moments explained from Prince Harry, Meghan's Netflix docuseries
Netflix releases the first three episodes of "Harry & Meghan."
ByAngeline Jane Bernabe and Katie Kindelan
Prince Harry and Meghan are seen in a clip of their six-part Netflix docuseries titled "Harry & Meghan."
Prince Harry and Meghan's docuseries is here.
The highly anticipated first three episodes of the six-part series, titled "Harry & Meghan," were released Thursday on Netflix.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex open up in the docuseries about everything from their love story to their decision two years ago to step down from their senior royal roles.
The docuseries, directed by Oscar-nominated Liz Garbus, is billed as a "first-hand account of Harry and Meghan's story, told with never before seen personal archive." It opens by noting that interviews for the docuseries were completed by August, one month before the death of Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Here is a look at the docuseries' biggest moments so far.
Harry and Meghan take on tabloids, media coverage
From the first episode of the docuseries on, Harry and Meghan offer harsh criticisms of the media and its coverage of their relationship and the royal family.
Harry describes a childhood of being followed by paparazzi, leading up to the death of his mother Princess Diana, who died following a car crash in 1997 after being pursued by paparazzi in Paris.
"I accept that there will be people around the world who fundamentally disagree with what I've done and how I've done it, but I knew that I had to do everything I could to protect my family, especially after what happened to my mom," Harry said, referring to his decision with Meghan to leave their senior royal roles. "I didn't want history to repeat itself."
Harry also said he was afraid the media pressure would scare off Meghan, as it had done with girlfriends before her. "I was terrified of her being driven away by the media -- the same media who'd driven so many people away from me," he said.
Meghan described how her life was turned upside down after meeting Harry. She was followed by paparazzi in Toronto, where she said neighbors were paid to position a camera on her backyard.
Harry, who has taken U.K. tabloids to court in the past, also spoke about the royal rota system, where different press outlets are given access to cover the royal family.
"If you're part of the royal rota, you have priority over the story over everybody else. All royal news goes through the filter of all newspapers within the royal rota, most of which, apart from the Telegraph, happen to be tabloids," Harry said. "It all comes down to control. It's like, 'This family is ours to exploit. Their trauma is our story and our story and our narrative to control.' "
Harry's family members absent from docuseries
In the opening seconds of the docuseries, Netflix states that members of Britain's royal family "declined to comment on the content within this series."
After the docuseries aired, royal sources countered that claim, telling ABC News that "neither Buckingham Palace nor Kensington Palace nor any members of the royal family were approached for comment on the content of the series."
According to royal sources, Kensington Palace, the household of Harry's brother Prince William and his wife Kate, the Princess of Wales, received an email purporting to be from a third-party production company, via a different, unknown organization's email address.
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge watch the RAF flypast on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, as members of the Royal Family attend events to mark the centenary of the RAF, July 10, 2018 in London, England.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images, FILE
The palace contacted Harry and Meghan's production company, Archewell Productions, and Netflix to attempt to verify the authenticity of the email, but received no response, sources claimed.
According to the sources, without being able to verify the email's authenticity, the palace was "unable" to provide any response.
A source at Netflix told ABC News Thursday that communications offices for Harry's father King Charles III and William were contacted in advance and given the right to reply to claims within the series.
Both Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace, the household of King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, declined Thursday to comment on the docuseries.
Meghan's race put in the spotlight
Harry and Meghan speak out in the first episodes about what Harry calls the "race element" of the media coverage of their relationship.
Meghan was born to a white father and a Black mother and grew up biracial in Los Angeles. In the docuseries, she said her mother was asked by neighbors if she was the nanny and described witnessing her mother being called the N-word over a parking spot.
Harry says he believes the "race element" made their situation different than what other members of the royal family had experienced with the press.
"What people need to understand is, as far as a lot of the family were concerned, everything that she was being put through, they had been put through as well, so it was almost like a rite of passage, and some of the members of the family were like, 'My wife had to go through that, so why should your girlfriend be treated any differently? Why should you get special treatment? Why should she be protected?,' " he said. "I said 'The difference here is the race element.' "
Meghan's mom Doria Ragland said in the series that she told Meghan the negative treatment she received in the British press was due to her race.
A screenshot of the Netflix documentary "Harry & Megan" shows Doria Ragland mother of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
"I said to her -- I remember this very clearly -- that 'This is about race,' " Ragland said, recalling that Meghan reacted by saying she didn't want to hear that, prompting her to respond, "You may not want to hear it, but this is what's coming down the pike."
Sussexes reveal details of their love story
For the first time, Harry and Meghan share extensive details of the start of their relationship in 2016, when Meghan was an actress on the TV show "Suits."
Harry revealed he saw Meghan on a mutual friend's Instagram page and asked to be connected. The friend is not named by the couple.
They had their first date in July 2016 at Soho House in London, followed by a second dinner date at the same location.
This image released by Netflix shows Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, in a scene from the upcoming documentary "Harry & Meghan," directed by Liz Garbus.
Courtesy Of Prince Harry And Meg/AP
After two dates, Harry and Meghan went on a five-day trip to Botswana.
"We had to get to know each other before the rest of the world and the media sort of joined in," Harry said.
He later added of their romance, "When I got to know Meghan more and more, I'm like, 'Now, I'm really falling in love with this girl,' so despite my fear, I just opened my heart to see what's going to happen."
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan in a new Netflix documentary.
The couple also shared details of their engagement, which Harry said had to take place in the U.K. and with the queen's permission.
Meghan is heard on a phone call telling a friend the engagement is happening as Harry sets it up in a garden outside Nottingham Cottage, their home on the grounds of Kensington Palace.
"It's happening, it's happening, it's happening. He told me not to peek," Meghan is heard saying, later adding that she said yes immediately when Harry finally proposed.
Harry says Meghan reminds him of Princess Diana
In one clip, Meghan, who has two children with Harry, is seen holding a baby and showing them a framed picture on the wall of Harry's mom Diana, whom she calls "Grandma Diana."
Prince Harry, Meghan working on memoir, podcast: What will happen after Queen Elizabeth II's death
Princes William, Harry splitting royal household: Report
Meghan, Princess Diana share 'same trajectory,' author says
Later, Harry described the similarities he sees between his wife and his mom.
"So much of what Meghan is and how she is, is so similar to my mom," Harry said. "She has the same compassion. She has the same empathy. She has the same confidence. She has this warmth about her."
Diana, Princess of Wales with Prince Harry on holiday in Majorca, Spain, August 10, 1987.
Georges De Keerle/Getty Images, FILE
Harry also said that he sees Diana in himself too.
"I think for so many people in the family, especially obviously the men, there can be a temptation, or an urge, to marry someone who would fit in the mold as opposed to somebody who you perhaps are destined to be with, the difference between making decisions with your head or your heart," he said. "And my mom certainly made most of her decisions, if not all of them, from her heart. I am my mother's son."
Harry gives a glimpse into pressures of royal life
The docuseries is also a rare look into Britain's royal family from Harry and Meghan's perspective.
Harry is the fifth in line to the British throne. His father Charles is currently king and his older brother William is the heir to the throne.
MORE: New trailer for 'Harry & Meghan' released: Everything to know as Netflix docuseries faces criticism
Harry said his childhood memories are mostly "of being swarmed by paparazzi."
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, at centre left, and from left, Prince Charles, Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Andrew, Meghan the Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate the Duchess of Cambridge, as they watch a flypast of Royal Air Force aircraft pass over Buckingham Palace in London, July 10, 2018.
Matt Dunham/AP, FILE
"Rarely did we have a holiday without someone with a camera jumping out of a bush or something," he said. "Within the family, the system, the advice that's always given is don't react. Don't feed into it."
"There was always pressure, with its fair share of drama, stress and also tears," he continued. "And witnessing those tears, I could always see it on my mom's face, I thought, 'Who am I? What am I a part of?' "
Charles, William and other members of the royal family have not commented publicly on the Sussexes' docuseries.
Meghan's mom, friends speak out for the first time
Ragland, Meghan's mom and the only member of Meghan's family to attend her wedding to Harry in 2018, spoke out in the docuseries for the first time about her daughter being thrust into the spotlight after meeting Harry.
"I am Meghan's mom," Ragland sad, introducing herself. "And, um, the last five years have been challenging. I'm ready to have my voice heard, that's for sure, a little bit of my experience as her mom."
Ragland described her first time meeting Harry. "He's like 6'1, handsome man with red hair," she said. "Really great manners. He was just really nice and they looked really happy together. Yeah, like he was the one."
A screenshot of the Netflix documentary "Harry & Megan" shows Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and their baby son Archie.
She also described raising Meghan on her own after she and Meghan's father Thomas Markle divorced when Meghan, their only child, was young. Meghan said later in the docuseries that she would spend weekdays with her mom and weekends with her father, from whom she is now estranged.
"We had a nice network of women who really helped me raise Meg," Ragland said, saying she was helped by her mother, sister and friends.
"She was always so easy to get along with, very congenial, making friends. She a very empathic child, very mature," Ragland said of Meghan.
A screenshot of the Netflix documentary "Harry & Megan" shows Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and her son Archie.
Meghan's friends also spoke out in the docuseries, including her "Suits" co-star Abigail Spencer, "Suits" producer Silver Tree and tennis star Serena Williams.
One friend, Lucy Fraser, said she warned Meghan about the intensity of the British press in the early days of her relationship with Harry.
"I remember saying to her, 'When this goes public it is not going to be easy," Fraser said. "The U.K. media are notorious for doing whatever they can to get a story and that they will go through rubbish bins, they will try and break into accounts. They will do whatever they can to get an exclusive and make money. I remember she was quite shocked and she was like, 'Really? They would do that?' And I said, 'Well, yeah, when it's going to make them millions.' "
Meghan addresses her family challenges
Meghan, her mom and Harry all spoke about the challenges that being thrust into the royal spotlight brought on Meghan's family.
Ragland spoke about being followed by paparazzi near her Los Angeles-area home.
"I felt unsafe a lot," she said. "I couldn't just walk my dog, I couldn't just go to work. There was always someone there waiting for me, following me to work. I felt I was being stalked by the paparazzi."
She also spoke about the disappointment she said she felt when Meghan's father was accused of staging paparazzi photos shortly before the Sussexes' wedding.
"I was absolutely stunned that Tom would become part of this circus," said Ragland. "I felt sad that the media would run with this, that he would capitalize. Certainly, as a parent, no that's not what you do. That's not parenting."
Thomas Markle did not attend Harry and Meghan's wedding, and is now estranged from the couple.
Meghan alleged that her dad would not call her or Harry and said she found out through a tabloid that he would not attend her wedding.
Harry said he carries the blame for their estrangement.
"Of course it's incredibly sad what happened. She had a father before this, and now she doesn't have a father," said Harry. "I shoulder that, because if Meg wasn't with me, then her dad would still be her dad."
The final three episodes of the docuseries will be released on Netflix on Dec. 15, and appear to cover Harry and Meghan's wedding and their exit from their royal roles.
The series is part of a deal the couple inked in 2020 with Netflix shortly after they stepped down from their royal roles. The Sussexes now helm a California-based production company, Archewell Productions.
Next month, Harry will release his memoir titled, "Spare."
A screenshot of the Netflix documentary "Harry & Megan" shows Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and his son Archie.
The publisher said the book contains "raw, unflinching honesty" and described it as a "landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief."
When the book was first announced last year, Harry said it would be a "firsthand account of my life that's accurate and wholly truthful."
Prince Harry and Meghan's love story
Royal life may be behind the Duke and Duchess of Sussex but their love story is just beginning.
ABC News' Anastasia William and Zoe Magee contributed to this report.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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NYCS First Impression: Dylan Schneider 'Whole Town Talk' EP
August 26, 2019 /in Blog, First Impression /by Dylan Bestler
19-year-old Interscope Records singer-songwriter Dylan Schneider has partnered with Round Here Records to release his fourth EP titled Whole Town Talk last Friday. The EP contains four songs all co-written by Schneider, including "How to Country", "Hometown Heartless", "Bad Thing About a Backroad" and the title track "Whole Town Talk".
The first two songs, "Whole Town Talk" and "How to Country" are great party/tailgate songs. The title track written by Schneider with Corey Crowder and Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line is about an epic party thrown in his home town that got everyone talking about it. In "How to Country", Schneider sings about the things he does and the way he lives his life, reminding everyone that "Nobody gotta teach me how to country".
The next two songs, "Hometown Heartless" and "Bad Thing About a Backroad", are more vulnerable, talking about lost love. In the former, he sings "I know they said home is where the heart is, but you left this hometown heartless", proving that his smalltown is not the same without the girl he loved who moved away, while the latter twists a played out narrative about backroads and country living turning depressing after a breakup.
The Terre Haute, Indiana native's favorite genres growing were pop and hip-hop but discovered his love for country music around the age of 13. His biggest country music influence was Brett Eldredge which began when he saw him live at a show in Paris, Illinois, Eldredge's hometown. The following year at Eldredge's show in Terre Haute, he invited Schneider on stage to sing with him. Since then, Schneider has released four EPs before his 20th birthday.
"We are so excited to get to join team Dylan to help encourage, support, and create opportunities for this amazingly talented artist and writer," shares Hubbard and Kelley in a recent press release. "We've loved Dylan since the day we met three or four years ago and are so thankful to have him in our family and on our roster. Timing is everything— and for Dylan, the time is now."
"I've looked up to BK and Tyler for a long time now, and Interscope has been an amazing label home," added Schneider. "To have two monsters in the music industry like FGL and Interscope joining forces on my behalf is a dream come true. Truly humbling. This new EP has been a long time coming, but I promise it's worth the wait. This is hands down the best music I have ever written and recorded – can't wait to share it with the world." Schneider will join FGL on the remaining dates of the Can't Say I Ain't Country Tour. For tour dates and more information head to https://www.dylanschneidermusic.com/
Keep up with Schneider on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
"Whole Town Talk" is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Check out more new recently released music here on our 'New Country Music' playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.
Tags: Dylan Schneider, Florida Georgia Line, Round Here Records
https://i0.wp.com/countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/dylan-schneider-ep.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1 630 1200 Dylan Bestler https://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/logo-new-cs-white.png Dylan Bestler2019-08-26 11:01:322019-08-26 11:01:32NYCS First Impression: Dylan Schneider 'Whole Town Talk' EP
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FGL and HARDY Duet on New Country Anthem "Y'all Boys"
Adam Hambrick Releases Feel-Good "Forever Ain't Long Enough" Miranda Lambert & Maren Morris Are Just "Way Too Pretty For Pris...


Each Magic Forest Academy book comes complete with Math, Science, Arts & Crafts, Reading, Games, Recipes and more designed specifically for each nature theme. We also provide links to numerous additional resources per nature theme, from websites with lessons plans, activities, crafts, to books, documentaries, video's, movies, toys, games, educational products and much more! To access links to these additional resources, please click the nature theme below you are interested in.
Please note that we are still building this section, so check back often! Book covers with white borders are populated and ready!


TMC (Tropical Marine Centre) pioneered the development of the UV Cleansing system and has manufactured them since the late 1970s. This UV25 Watt Pond Clear Advantage works by halting the reproduction of algae.
The ultraviolet radiation at a wavelength of 254 nanometers is extremely effective in doing so. At the heart of this UV25 is an ultraviolet lamp sealed inside a quartz sleeve. As water is pumped through the unit, ultraviolet light from the lamp destroys the green, single celled water borne algae (which makes garden ponds murky and unattractive), this UV25 will leave the water crystal clear.
The benefit of this UV25 is that there is no adverse effect on sensitive plant and pond life. The UV25 is easy to use with translucent hose connectors which glow to show that the UV25 lamp is working. The UV25 is designed for long life.
The Maximum Pond Size of the UV25 is 4000 Gallons. The pond clear advantage unit is supplied with two universal hosetailes to take 1/2", 3/4", 1" and 1.1/4" pipe.
Can these UV units be placed near the pond or do they need to be in a shed and covered from rain?


Discovering Klimt" is the first in a series of interactive books for young children produced by Panarea Digital and Laberinto de las Artes. In the "Discovering…" collection notable works of art are brought to life with a narrated story, encouraging young children to look closer at the artist's portrayal.
Paintings zoom in and out of view on every page to engage readers; story words highlight as they are read. In addition, readers can drag and drop puzzle pieces back together for three different paintings in the activity at the end of the book.
The "Discovering Klimt" book, "Mommy…Are You Sleeping?" focuses on a conversation between a young girl and her mother all about the magic of dreams.
• Audio narration in English – text highlights as each word plays.
• Paintings that zoom in when touched and during story playback.
• Interactive menu for jumping to favorite story spreads.
• Puzzle activity where paintings can be assembled and disassembled as often as the reader wishes.
This content is available for iPad.


Reitman Education Solutions partners with schools and educators to help make dramatic improvements in the area of technology integration across the school organization. We offer a wide range of training and coaching opportunities for teachers, administrators, and school staff that will help improve teaching and learning at your school. We also offer consulting services in order to meet your school's specific needs.


text:
Amsterdam Travel Guide
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Schiphol Airport
Netherlands Flag
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Anne Frank House
Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art
Gay Amsterdam
Amsterdam Travel Deals
Flights to Schiphol
Shopping in Amsterdam
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Houseboats in Amsterdam
Home » Blog » Travel Guide » Getting from Amsterdam to Antwerp (and return)
Getting from Amsterdam to Antwerp (and return)
Antwerp is a city located in the Belgium region of Flanders and is known for being the world's leading "diamond city". It is also a very relaxing city to visit. Due to its long history, Antwerp has many interesting historical buildings to see. Lately, it has become a trendy city, offering the perfect mix of history and modern life.
Although Antwerp is served by an airport, it only serves flights to/from the UK. Both Brussels Airport and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport are located close by and are well connected to the city of Antwerp.
Regardless of why you need to travel between Amsterdam and Antwerp, you should know the means of transport available and how much it would cost before you start making any vacation plans.
The cheapest option to travel between Amsterdam and Antwerp is by bus. You'll travel for about 4 hours but the single ticket is €18.
Trains from Amsterdam to Antwerp
There are direct trains from Amsterdam and Antwerp (Antwerpen Centraal). You can see the timetables on the SNCB website, but you cannot purchase the tickets from there. Trains depart Amsterdam Centraal daily, every hour. The travel time is 2h 7 min.
But you can check the schedules and book the tickets via HiSpeed , which links the Thalys (Eurostar trains ) and the IC trains between Amsterdam Centraal and Antwerpen Centraal. A single adult ticket costs from €91 and the travel time is between 1h 12 min (on Thalys) and 2h 12 min (on IC trains).
>>read more about the Amsterdam Centraal Station area
Buses from Amsterdam to Antwerp
Eurolines offers direct buses between Amsterdam and Antwerp . There are up to 7 departures daily; the first bus leaves Amsterdam at 8:30 a.m. and the last one at 7 p.m. The travel time is 3h 45 min and the single adult ticket costs €18.
Should you need to travel from Antwerp to Amsterdam, the first bus leaves at 7:15 a.m. and the last one at 7 p.m. If you buy a return ticket, it would cost €25 per person.
Driving from Amsterdam to Antwerp
Another option is to rent a car and drive the 160 km between Amsterdam and Antwerp. It should take about 1h 45 min and you'll drive on A2 and A27, which are not toll roads.
· © 2019 Amsterdam Travel Guide ·


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Cloud Summit
As agencies continue modernizing their systems and capabilities, cloud computing, infrastructure and applications have become a critical piece of the puzzle. How can the government continue delivering to the nation in faster, more secure and modern ways? Hear from agency leaders about how they're approaching cloud adoption to improve the way their agencies do business.
Cloud Summit panels
Full event video, 2 hours 30 minute running time.
Hear from agency leaders about how they're approaching cloud adoption to improve the way their agencies do business. Panelists included Chris Nichols, Defense Health Agency; John Short, VA; Maria Roat, Deputy Federal CIO; Brian Conrad, FedRAMP Program Manager; Luis Coronado, Jr., DHS; George Duchak, DLA; David Stickley, Dell Technologies; Jose M. Padin, Zscaler among others.
Fireside Chat: Maria Roat, Federal Deputy CIO, OMB
The federal approach to cloud initiatives and security requires strong collaboration between agencies and a cohesive central strategy. Deputy Federal CIO Maria Roat shared perspectives about how the cloud can enable agencies long-term modernization strategies and support data efforts.
Panel: Scaling Up Health Care Delivery with Cloud
Federal health agencies are using cloud-based architectures and computing to expand and modernize electronic health records, make health data more available and scale up medical IT solutions.
Jonathan Alboum, Federal CTO and Principal Digital Strategist, ServiceNow
Chris Nichols, Program Manager and Chief of the Enterprise Intelligence and Data Solutions (EIDS) Program Management Office, DHMS, Defense Health Agency
John Short, Chief Technology and Integration Officer, Office of EHRM, Department of Veterans…
Panel: Securing the Cloud with Zero Trust
IT leaders from the Department of Homeland Security, Defense Logistics Agency and Dell Technologies discussed how telework and the shift toward edge computing triggered the need for new cybersecurity strategies, like zero trust. Panelists also discussed how federal agencies and cloud service providers can work together to enhance security, and why it's important to focus on protecting data instead of the network.
Panel: Streamlining ATO for the Cloud
In this fireside chat with GovernmentCIO Media & Research Staff Writer Melissa Harris, FedRAMP Program Manager Brian Conrad discussed how FedRAMP is uniquely positioned to augment cloud security while answering common questions cloud service providers and federal entities may have about federal cloud security.
Speaker: Brian Conrad, FedRAMP Program Manager
Panel: What Makes a Good Multi-Cloud Environment?
In this panel discussion from the Nov. 19 Cloud Summit, federal officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services discussed the benefits of multi-cloud environments, how the agencies supported IT transformation journeys for timely software deployment and service agility, and what are some of the best practices for those looking to make similar transitions.
Speakers featured in this video include:
Dave Catanoso, Director of Enterprise…
Listen: 5 Things We Learned About Cloud Security
Unlocking the benefits of the cloud requires close monitoring of security priorities.
Multi-Cloud Lessons Learned From VA, USCIS
A multi-cloud environment is critical to supporting beneficiaries and agency operations.
Faith Ryan
Deputy CIO Pushes for Long-Term Approach to IT Modernization
Cloud-based environments and capabilities have been a key part of Maria Roat's approach.
Maria Roat, Deputy Federal Chief Information Officer, OMB
Scaling Up Health Care Delivery with Cloud
Federal health agencies and organizations are looking toward cloud-based architectures and computing to expand and modernize electronic health records, make health data more available and scale up medical IT solutions. Hear from leaders across public-sector health IT to learn how they're strategizing cloud delivery.
Chris Nichols, Program Manager and Chief of the Enterprise Intelligence and Data Solutions (EIDS) Program Management Office, DHMS, DHA
John Short, Chief Technology and Integration Officer, Office of EHRM, VA
Nick Weber, Program Manager, Cloud Services for Research, NIH
Moderator: Fernanda Manzano, Senior Portfolio Director, GovernmentCIO
Securing the Cloud with Zero Trust
As agencies look to replace legacy systems with the cloud, zero trust has risen as a best cybersecurity practice to protect cloud-based environments and capabilities. Whether on-prem or in the cloud, zero trust protects the IT environment from the inside out. Learn best practices in zero trust implementation for the cloud from federal officials in this panel discussion.
Luis Coronado, Jr., Director, IT Operations, Department of Homeland Security
George Duchak, CIO, Defense Logistics Agency
David Stickley, Strategic Programs Executive, Dell Technologies
Moderator: Alex Brown, Senior Vice President, GovernmentCIO
Streamlining ATO for the Cloud
A rapidly shifting cyber threat landscape requires continuous verification of cloud infrastructure, especially as IT modernization and cloud adoption surges in federal agencies. Hear from cloud security-focused IT leaders about how federal agencies are finding new ways to streamline, automate, and accelerate the ATO process for cloud services.
Brian Conrad, Program Manager, FedRAMP
Moderator: Melissa Harris, Researcher/Staff Writer, GovernmentCIO Media & Research
What Makes a Good Multi-Cloud Environment?
Migrating to the cloud requires hybrid, multi-cloud software, platforms and environments. How are agencies applying different elements that cloud solutions offer to improve their organizations' missions?
Dave Catanoso, Director of Enterprise Cloud Solutions, VA
Steven Grunch, Branch Chief, Enterprise Cloud Services, USCIS
Jose M. Padin, Director of Sales Engineering, U.S. Public Sector, Zscaler
Moderator: Jeff Gieber, Senior Portfolio Director, GovernmentCIO
Jonathan Alboum is the Principal Digital Strategist for the Federal Government at ServiceNow. In this role, Jonathan works with federal agencies to deliver digital workflows that create great experiences and unlock productivity.
Before joining ServiceNow, Jonathan was the Public Sector CTO for Veritas Technologies. In addition, Jonathan has held a variety of senior executive positions in the federal government. His Federal government tenure includes serving as the Chief Information Officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he led the development of USDA's IT Modernization strategy, including Cloud computing, network modernization, and enhanced information security protections for a $3 billion annual technology spend. In addition, he served as a leader in USDA's Acquisition community, supporting the oversight, assessment, and strategic planning of an acquisition portfolio of more than 70,000 awards, worth $6 billion annually. Jonathan also worked at GSA as the Associate CIO for Enterprise Governance and Planning and led the creation of GSA's consolidated IT organization. He began his federal career at the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), where he served as Deputy CIO and CIO. Before government, Jonathan worked as a management consultant for both PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ventera Corporation.
Jonathan earned a MS in the Management of Information Technology from the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce and a BS in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia's School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Jonathan lives in Arlington, VA with his wife and three children. He enjoys practicing yoga, watching the Yankees, listening to Bruce Springsteen.
Jonathan Alboum
Federal CTO and Principal Digital Strategist, ServiceNow
David Catanoso has over 25 years of experience in fields ranging from database development to enterprise architecture design and enterprise cloud solutions, contributing to a solid track record of success culminating in the overall growth of multiple technology initiatives. Mr. Catanoso led a cross-organizational team over three years to design and implement the VA Enterprise Cloud (VAEC), capable of hosting most of the VA's applications. The VAEC is designed to be controlled by the VA and to accommodate all applications up to and including the FedRAMP High security level.
Prior to joining the VA in 2011, Mr. Catanoso worked in the private sector serving in roles related to project management, strategic planning, and systems integration. He also served as a Signal Officer in the US Army. A native of New Jersey, Mr. Catanoso holds a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a master's degree in Computer Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University. In 2017 he completed the Senior Executive Fellows program at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
He currently serves as Director for the Enterprise Cloud Solutions Office (ECSO) at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). ECSO enables the leveraging of cloud solutions by internal and external customers and ultimately Veterans by providing standardization and common services. ECSO will support the efficient migration to and utilization of cloud technology by project teams/business sponsors and their customers.
Mr. Catanoso is married with 4 children. He is a member of the Civil Air Patrol and the Knights of Columbus. In his spare time he enjoys alpine skiing, scuba diving, target shooting, video games and photography.
Director, Enterprise Cloud Solutions Office, VA
Brian Conrad joined the FedRAMP team in December 2018, bringing with him a wealth of technical knowledge and leadership experience. Prior to joining GSA, Brian served for over 20 years in the United States Marine Corps, gaining experience in leadership, telecommunications/IT, government acquisition, and project management.
Upon his transition from active duty, Brian joined Booz Allen Hamilton where he spent over seven years building his IT, cybersecurity, and project management skills supporting various clients across the Department of Defense including the United States Marine Corps, United States Navy, and the Chief Information Officer for the Department of Defense. During this time, Brian became recognized as a cloud computing/cybersecurity Subject Matter Expert within the Federal Government.
At GSA, Brian leads multiple efforts associated with Joint Authorization Board assessment and authorization activities that facilitate the authorization and adoption of commercial cloud services across the federal government.
Brian holds an M.S. in Information Technology Management from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, and a B.A. in History with a minor in Economics from the University of Memphis.
Program Manager, FedRAMP
Luis Coronado, Jr. is responsible for providing secure, reliable, and redundant Information Technology support to the Department and to the Management Directorate, which includes approximately 12,000 personnel located in offices across the country with more than 30 major sites across the National Capital Region. He manages a staff of more than 150 federal employees and several hundred contractors with a budget exceeding $400 million per year.
Mr. Coronado previously served as OCIO's Acting Executive Director for ITOPS. His
prior experience included serving as OCIO Deputy Chief Information Security
Officer (CISO) and Acting CISO, where he enhanced, updated, and improved the
Department's cybersecurity defense. He oversaw the Enterprise Security Operations Center and Security Engineering, ensured compliance with Federal Information Security Modernization Act implementation of the Supply Chain Risk Management Program, and supervised facilitation of the DHS High Value Asset Program and other congressional mandates.
Luis Coronado, Jr.
Executive Director, IT Operations, DHS
Dr. George Duchak is the Chief Information Officer for the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). He was previously the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for Command, Control, Communications, Cyber & Business Systems (C3CB). Prior to becoming a DASD, he was the founding Director of the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) in Mountain View, CA, where he served as a conduit between leading edge Silicon Valley innovators and the Department of Defense. Prior to that, he led the Air Force's and nation's premier research organization for command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) and cyber technologies as the Director of the Air Force Research Laboratory's Information Directorate, Rome, NY. There, he was selected as the Federal Laboratory Director of the Year from over 300 federal lab directors. He is also a former DARPA Program Manager where he conceived of, developed, and transitioned to the services a portfolio of programs in the broad area of C4I and Cyber. He was a private sector entrepreneur and businessman with more than a decade of private industry experience starting several companies that served the US Government by providing technical consultancy or product. His private sector experience was software product focused principally in the area of intelligence exploitation using crowd sourcing techniques, big data analytics and cloud services well before industry in general and DoD began to move in this direction. Finally, and most importantly, he is a retired naval officer.
Dr. Duchak is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, the Naval Postgraduate School, The Ohio State University, George Mason University and University of Chicago Booth Graduate School of Business earning degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Avionics, Aeronautical Engineering, Public Policy, and Business Administration. He completed the Program Management Course at the Defense Acquisition University and is a certified level 1 in Program Management as well as Systems Engineering, and level 2 in Test & Evaluation and Budgeting. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and has completed the Carnegie Mellon University Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) course and Harvard's Information Security course. He is a senior fellow Auburn University's McCrary Center for Cyber Security, a member of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance Cyber Security Committee, and a current board member of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Cybersecurity Subcommittee. Dr. Duchak is married to Sonya Milley, Esq., an attorney, and they have two grown children, Alexander and Tatiana.
George Duchak
CIO, Defense Logistics Agency
Steve Grunch is the Branch Chief for Enterprise Cloud Services at US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). He is responsible for providing cloud engineering and infrastructure services to internal business units. His branch is also responsible for providing platform engineering services for the DevOps products offered to the enterprise.
Before joining USCIS, Steve worked as contractor for the Department of Veterans Affairs. He has over 20 years of experience in delivering infrastructure services to a variety of companies in financial services, emergency management, and biotech sectors.
Steve holds a bachelor's degree in Computer and Information Science from the University of Maryland University College, and a Masters of Professional Studies in Enterprise Architecture from Penn State University.
Steve Grunch
Branch Chief for Enterprise Cloud Services, USCIS
Chris Nichols
Program Manager, Enterprise Intelligence and Data Solutions (EIDS) Program, Program Executive Office, Defense Healthcare Management Systems
Jose M. Padin is Zscaler's US Public Sector Director of Sales Engineering. Jose engages with government customers at a strategic level to identify solutions to their top IT challenges, including security and compliance, digital transformation, and cloud migration. Jose combines 20 years of IT leadership with more than 15 years of experience in the public sector, including advising the Department of Defense, federal civilian agencies, federal system Integrators and state and local governments.
As SE Director, Jose creates and communicates Zscaler technology vision for the US public sector. He and his team of engineers help government organizations understand how current and upcoming Zscaler technologies can help them fulfill their mission. He is a featured speaker and panel member at numerous industry events.
Jose joined Zscaler in 2020. Prior to Zscaler, he spent 14-years with Citrix, in various leadership positions. Earlier in his career, he gained hands-on experience in IT as a manager and engineer.
Jose earned a Bachelor of Science degree in management information systems from Rochester Institute of Technology. He is based in the Washington, D.C., metro area.
Jose Padin
Director of Sales Engineering, U.S. Public Sector, Zscaler
Maria Roat is the Deputy Federal Chief Information Officer in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of the Chief Information Officer. She was previously the Small Business Administration Chief Information Officer, and served at the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Transportation in a number of technology leadership positions. Maria began her career in the United States Navy as a Data Processing Technician and later worked for the Department of the Navy in various technology and engineering positions. She was in the private sector for 5 years deploying and managing global enterprise technology programs. Maria retired from the U.S. Navy in 2007, with 26 years of active duty and reserve service, in which she obtained the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer, Information Systems Technician.
Maria is a graduate of the University of Maryland earning a Bachelor of Arts in Information Systems Management, Harvard Business School Executive Education Program for Leadership Development, and the Navy Senior Enlisted Academy.
Maria Roat
Deputy Federal CIO, OMB
John Short is the chief technology integration officer for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization (OEHRM). Through his instrumental leadership, OEHRM has successfully migrated more than 111 billion VistA health records of 23.7 million Veterans to VA's new electronic health record (EHR) solution, as of August 2020. This migration of information enables advanced data analytics that will drive stronger connections between military service and health outcomes.
Short's career in the VA began in 2010 with various roles in cyber security, architecture, EHR interoperability, and Joint DOD/VA management and implementation. Before he joined OEHRM, Short managed all aspects of the Vista Evolution (VE) Program strategy, budget planning, development prioritization, and briefings to U.S. Congress. Short also served as acting deputy director for the Department of Defense (DOD) and VA Interagency Program Office (IPO), Rosslyn, Virginia. In this role, alongside the director of the IPO, Short collaborated with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and Standards Development Organizations. His work on the VE program and at the IPO fostered the collaborative work required for the future OEHRM vision.
Prior to joining the VA, Short ran his own consulting business. He also worked at Progress Telecom, Florida Power, Sprint, BellSouth, AT&T and Lakeland Regional Medical Center.
Short served in the U.S. Army as a Signal Corps Officer in the 35th Airborne Signal Brigade and as an Infantry Officer in the 82nd Airborne Division. He ran the Hurricane Andrew Relief Effort network hub for all communications.
John Short
Chief Technology and Integration Officer, Office of EHRM, VA
David Stickley directs Strategic Programs and manages Business Development for the Department of Defense at Dell Federal Systems Group. In this role, he leverages over thirty years of federal government experience matching Dell Technologies intellectual property with federal government customer requirements to solve operational mission challenges with the department. He represents the full range of technology, solutions and services Dell offers to include client solutions, enterprise systems, software and services to meet government Information Technology & cyber requirements. Dell Federal has cultivated close customer relationships in the U.S. government and military across the globe to help them better accomplish their mission through the use and proper application of efficient and effective IT solutions.
Prior to coming to Dell in 2015, Mr. Stickley served as a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) leading architectural engineering and design within the Defense Information Systems Agency in support of the Department of Defense's Joint Information Environment (JIE). He also served as the SES leading DISA's Services portfolio, where he managed Core Data Centers and delivered IT Enterprise Services for the Department of Defense.
Mr. Stickley served in the United States Air Force for 29 years, culminating his career as the Mobilization Assistant to the Director, Defense Information Systems Agency. He served in numerous other positions at the squadron, wing, NAF, HAF and MAJCOM levels. He commanded both fixed Communications and Combat Communications Squadrons. Mr. Stickley was the Assistant Adjutant General (Air) for the Virgin Islands Air National Guard and also served the HQ ACC staff as the ANG assistant to the Director of Communications. Mr. Stickley was then the Director, Communications, North American Aerospace Defense Command 1AF (AFNORTH)/A6, Tyndall AFB, FL. He served as the Director of Communications and Chief Information Officer for the Air National Guard. He also served as the National Guard Advisor to the Commander, United States Cyber Command, Ft. Meade, Md.
David Stickley
Strategic Program Development, Dell Federal Systems
Nick Weber serves as the Program Manager for Cloud Services at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Center for Information Technology (CIT), where he works to enable access to cloud computing capabilities for NIH and NIH-funded researchers, particularly via the NIH STRIDES Initiative. Previously, Nick worked at NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), where he led product development teams on a variety of scientific computing and infrastructure-related projects. He has a passion for applying technology and innovation to scientific research.
Nick Weber
Program Manager, Cloud Services for Research, NIH
Alex Brown is a seasoned technology consulting executive and business leader with more than 20 years of experience in building and leading multidisciplinary technology solutions teams. He oversees GovernmentCIO's development and delivery of IT strategy and emerging technologies across the federal space. He successfully led large-scale, high-profile transformation and modernization efforts for various organizations.
Alex Brown
Senior Vice President, GovernmentCIO
Jeff Gieber leads the Strategic Advisory Services, Technology and Platform Services, and Veteran Experience Services portfolios for GovernmentCIOs VA Account. His background consists of nearly 20 years strategic Health IT consulting within state and federal government. Jeff's current technical interests include Hybrid-Cloud architectures and management, platforms and containerization/Kubernetes, and Software Factories/CI/CD Automation. In his spare time, Jeff enjoys hiking, fishing, running, and skiing with his family.
Jeff Gieber
Senior Portfolio Director, GovernmentCIO
Melissa Harris is a staff writer and researcher for GovernmentCIO Media & Research, where she covers federal health and defense IT and co-hosts HealthCast.
Prior to joining the team in October 2019, Melissa worked as a technology reporter for MeriTalk, where she covered IT acquisition, Congressional hearings, and federal technology reports and events. She was also was a local news reporter for the New Jersey Hills Media Group, the Editor-in-Chief at The Oberlin Review, and an intern reporter at Homeland Security Today.
Melissa earned her Bachelor of Arts in history and English at Oberlin College.
Staff Writer/Researcher, GovernmentCIO Media & Research
Amy Kluber is managing editor of GovernmentCIO Media & Research. Previously she managed two aviation publications at B2B media company Access Intelligence. She was nominated for The Innovation in Aerospace Journalism & Publishing Award for launching and hosting an aviation podcast. Prior to that she wrote news scripts and produced videos for the network Newsy.
She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. Having traveled around the world since an early age, she grew up a U.S. Army brat born in Vicenza, Italy, and spent most of her youth living in Seoul, South Korea.
In her free time, you may find her at Disney World.
Amy Kluber
Managing Editor, GovernmentCIO Media & Research
Fernanda Manzano


In today's competitive job market, guesswork, your intuition, or a dartboard aren't the answer to establishing a variable compensation strategy. Gain insight into the "best-practice" process used to set pay that is legally defensible, perceived as fair and able to attract, retain, engage, and motivate a high-performing workforce. Explore the role of "total rewards" and obtain an overview from compensation professionals on program communication and administration.
Recognize commonly used compensation phrases and explain which data to use in a survey.
Respond to employee questions about their pay.
Defend how market pay information helps drive good decisions about employee pay.
This course is a prerequisite for attending the Compensation Program Design: A Workshop program.
Designed for newcomers to HR and those looking to broaden their HR knowledge.


text:
Q: In dropdown menu main li parent pushing its siblings I made a simple dropdown menu but the problem is the main <li> parent pushes its siblings after the dropdown effect.
So if you hover over Drop 1, then Link 3 then link 6, Drop 2 will get pushed to the right because Drop 1 li will increase in width.
How to prevent this?
FIDDLE:

A: You need to use position: absolute; for the child elements and set the drop downs position as per your requirement.
Demo
.menu > li > ul {
    position: absolute;
}

Note: If you want, this can be accomplished with pure CSS, for the
  question of smooth drop downs, you can use CSS transitions

A: Just use position: absolute for your last list:
.menu > li li ul {
    position: absolute;
 }

Demo

A: Check here DEMO http://jsfiddle.net/ksXNL/3/
ul {
    padding: 0;
    margin: 0;
}

ul.menu {
    display: table;
    float:left;
}

.menu li {
    float:left;
    display:inline;
    list-style: none;
    width:100px;
}
.menu li a{
    background:red;
}
.menu li ul{
    position:relative;
    left:0;
    top:0px;
    z-index:10;
    width:100%;
}
.menu li li{
    position:relative;
    left:0;
    top:0px;
    list-style: none;
    padding-left: 10px;
    width: 100%;
    z-index:10;
}
.menu li ul li a{
    background:green;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Show data with the same name only once I need to show my billing history, so user can automatically submit by clicking submit. But instead of showing all transactions, I only have to show for each billing_name, so I should use SELECT DISTINCT right?
<?php
$query3 = "SELECT DISTINCT billing_name, billing_reference_num FROM billing_history";
$result3 = mysqli_query($link, $query3) or die(mysqli_error($link));
while ($row3 = mysqli_fetch_array($result3)) {
    $billing_name = $row3['billing_name'];
    $billing_reference_num = $row3['billing_reference_num'];
    ?>
    <?php echo $billing_name ?>
    <?php echo $billing_reference_num ?>
    <?php
    $queryBill = "SELECT * FROM billing_history WHERE billing_name = '$billing_name'";
    $resultBill = mysqli_query($link, $queryBill) or die(mysqli_error($link));
    while ($row4 = mysqli_fetch_array($resultBill)) {
        $billing_name_id = $row4['billing_name_id'];
        $account_id = $row4['account_id'];
        $account_number = $row4['account_number'];
    }
    ?>
    <input type="text" name="transaction_amount"/>
    <input type="submit" value="Submit"/>
    <input type="hidden" name="billing_name_id" value="<?php echo $billing_name_id ?>"/>
    <input type="hidden" name="billing_name" value="<?php echo $billing_name ?>"/>
    <input type="hidden" name="billing_reference_num" value="<?php echo $billing_reference_num ?>"/>
    <input type="hidden" name="account_number" value="<?php echo $account_number ?>"/>
    <input type="hidden" name="account_id" value="<?php echo $account_id ?>"/>


text:
package org.thymeleaf.templateparser.markup;

import java.io.BufferedReader;
import java.io.CharArrayReader;
import java.io.Reader;
import java.io.StringReader;

import org.attoparser.IMarkupHandler;
import org.attoparser.IMarkupParser;
import org.attoparser.MarkupParser;
import org.attoparser.ParseException;
import org.attoparser.config.ParseConfiguration;
import org.attoparser.select.BlockSelectorMarkupHandler;
import org.thymeleaf.IEngineConfiguration;
import org.thymeleaf.engine.ITemplateHandler;
import org.thymeleaf.engine.TemplateHandlerAdapterMarkupHandler;
import org.thymeleaf.exceptions.TemplateInputException;
import org.thymeleaf.resource.CharArrayResource;
import org.thymeleaf.resource.IResource;
import org.thymeleaf.resource.ReaderResource;
import org.thymeleaf.resource.StringResource;
import org.thymeleaf.templatemode.TemplateMode;
import org.thymeleaf.templateparser.ITemplateParser;
import org.thymeleaf.templateparser.reader.ParserLevelCommentMarkupReader;
import org.thymeleaf.templateparser.reader.PrototypeOnlyCommentMarkupReader;
import org.thymeleaf.util.Validate;

/**
 *
 * @author Daniel Fernández
 * @since 3.0.0
 *
 */
public abstract class AbstractMarkupTemplateParser implements ITemplateParser {

    private final IMarkupParser parser;
    private final boolean html;

    protected AbstractMarkupTemplateParser(final ParseConfiguration parseConfiguration, final int bufferPoolSize, final int bufferSize) {
        super();
        Validate.notNull(parseConfiguration, "Parse configuration cannot be null");
        this.parser = new MarkupParser(parseConfiguration, bufferPoolSize, bufferSize);
        this.html = parseConfiguration.getMode().equals(ParseConfiguration.ParsingMode.HTML);
    }

    /*
     * -------------------
     * PARSE METHODS
     * -------------------
     */

    public final void parseTemplate(
            final IEngineConfiguration configuration,
            final TemplateMode templateMode,
            final IResource templateResource,
            final String[] selectors,
            final ITemplateHandler templateHandler) {
        parse(configuration, templateMode, templateResource, true, selectors, templateHandler);
    }

    public final void parseFragment(
            final IEngineConfiguration configuration,
            final TemplateMode templateMode,
            final IResource templateResource,
            final String[] selectors,
            final ITemplateHandler templateHandler) {
        parse(configuration, templateMode, templateResource, false, selectors, templateHandler);
    }

    private void parse(
            final IEngineConfiguration configuration,
            final TemplateMode templateMode,
            final IResource templateResource,
            final boolean topLevel,
            final String[] selectors,
            final ITemplateHandler templateHandler) {

        Validate.notNull(configuration, "Engine Configuration cannot be null");
        Validate.notNull(templateMode, "Template Mode cannot be null");
        Validate.notNull(templateResource, "Template Resource cannot be null");
        // Selectors CAN be null
        Validate.notNull(templateHandler, "Template Handler cannot be null");

        if (templateMode.isHTML()) {
            Validate.isTrue(this.html, "Parser is configured as XML, but HTML-mode template parsing is being requested");
        } else if (templateMode.isXML()) {
            Validate.isTrue(!this.html, "Parser is configured as HTML, but XML-mode template parsing is being requested");
        } else {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException(
                    "Parser is configured as " + (this.html? "HTML" : "XML") + " but an unsupported template mode " +
                    "has been specified: " + templateMode);
        }

        final String templateResourceName = templateResource.getName();

        try {

            // The final step of the handler chain will be the adapter that will convert attoparser's handler chain to thymeleaf's.
            IMarkupHandler handler =
                        new TemplateHandlerAdapterMarkupHandler(
                                templateResourceName,
                                topLevel,
                                templateHandler,
                                configuration.getTextRepository(),
                                configuration.getElementDefinitions(),
                                configuration.getAttributeDefinitions(),
                                templateMode);

            // If we need to select blocks, we will need a block selector here. Note this will get executed in the
            // handler chain AFTER thymeleaf's own TemplateHandlerAdapterMarkupHandler, so that we will be able to
            // include in selectors code inside prototype-only comments.
            if (selectors != null) {

                final String standardDialectPrefix = configuration.getStandardDialectPrefix();

                final TemplateFragmentMarkupReferenceResolver referenceResolver =
                        (standardDialectPrefix != null ?
                            TemplateFragmentMarkupReferenceResolver.forPrefix(this.html, standardDialectPrefix) : null);
                handler = new BlockSelectorMarkupHandler(handler, selectors, referenceResolver);
            }

            // Each type of resource will require a different parser method to be called.
            final Reader templateReader;
            if (templateResource instanceof ReaderResource) {

                final Reader resourceReader = ((ReaderResource)templateResource).getContent();
                templateReader = new ParserLevelCommentMarkupReader(new PrototypeOnlyCommentMarkupReader(new BufferedReader(resourceReader)));

            } else if (templateResource instanceof StringResource) {

                final Reader resourceReader = new StringReader(((StringResource)templateResource).getContent());
                templateReader = new ParserLevelCommentMarkupReader(new PrototypeOnlyCommentMarkupReader(resourceReader));

            } else if (templateResource instanceof CharArrayResource) {

                final CharArrayResource charArrayResource = (CharArrayResource) templateResource;
                final CharArrayReader charArrayReader =
                        new CharArrayReader(charArrayResource.getContent(), charArrayResource.getOffset(), charArrayResource.getLen());
                templateReader = new ParserLevelCommentMarkupReader(new PrototypeOnlyCommentMarkupReader(charArrayReader));

            } else {

                throw new IllegalArgumentException(
                        "Cannot parse: unrecognized " + IResource.class.getSimpleName() + " implementation: " + templateResource.getClass().getName());

            }

            this.parser.parse(templateReader, handler);

        } catch (final ParseException e) {
            final String message = "An error happened during template parsing";
            if (e.getLine() != null && e.getCol() != null) {
                throw new TemplateInputException(message, templateResource.getName(), e.getLine().intValue(), e.getCol().intValue(), e);
            }
            throw new TemplateInputException(message, templateResource.getName(), e);
        }

    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Pool evaporation is inevitable… and evaporation costs in so many ways.
An indoor swimming pool continuously produces large quantities of chlorine or salt-laden water vapour through the process of pool water evaporation. This can rot a building from the inside out and can also affect indoor air quality.
When humidity goes to high and a building has cold surfaces or air leaks to outside it causes numerous problems. The moisture from the pool coming into contact with cold surfaces produces rust, blistering of paint, deterioration of structural supports and many other negative cosmetic effects on your building. Repair or replacement of damaged items is very costly and difficult to get right.
low-molecular-weight volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Many VOCs are poisonous and introduce odour.
Naturally, most people may think that in order to fix these problems, you need to ventilate the space more, but in actual fact, the opposite is more effective.
There are 2 ways to deal with swimming pool high humidity.
Reduce the moisture from being emitted in the air.
By using an Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV), humidity and discomfort can be reduced. The added bonus of the ERV compared to conventional dehumidification is that fresh air is constantly being brought into the building. This sort of a system on its own can also exacerbate the problem by introducing more air flows on top of the water which can inadvertently raise humidity.
The more efficient solution is to constantly pressurise a well constructed relatively airtight building, which in turn creates a layer of still air on top of the water, which inturn reduces evaporation in the first place. By creating a layer of still air on top of the water, it's like a mechanically induced layer of insulation on all surfaces including the water. This process significantly reduces evaporation of the water, which in turn significantly reduces humidity without the need for dehumidification.
Combining a positive pressure system with Air tightness, in conjunction with an ERV is the ultimate solution.
airtight building envelope. Target 2-3 m3/h/m2@50Pa, its critical!
Integrate ERV/HRV to bathroom/shower ventilation services.
2. Wet Area finishing: e.g. blue-board or cement sheet walls and ceilings, corrosive resistant finishes, etc… The Air tightness layer should be vapour impermeable, and the insulation layer should be continuous on this layer.
3. Insulation should be continuous, on walls connected to outside, as well as on walls connected to dry zone areas.
4. Doors to outside or dry areas should never be pinned open. Otherwise, pressure cannot be maintained. The other issues are, that doorways are usually located down low, and air flows down low, on top of the water can increase humidification.
5. Heat the air as well as the water (e.g. 26C water & 24C air).
and returns condensate to the pool.
7. Use a Pool Blanket when the pool is not in use (reduces evaporation by 30%).
8. Surface-mounted lighting – to prevent any 'break' in wall or ceiling (moisture can penetrate and/or insulation coverage may be compromised). The air barrier must be in line and continuous with the thermal insulation layer.
9. Monitor conditions – indoor and outdoor air temperature, indoor humidity and water temperature.
10. Pressure test your building on a regular basis, to ensure, your aquatic centre is performing.
We can introduce or enable a more airtight building envelope, where a pressurized mechanical system with Heat recovery ventilation could then be retrofitted.
Reporting on where issues are so that you can get other companies to remediate.
Building performance is king, get that right, and its amazing the things that you can do.


Internet dating safety is a problem which comes up very frequently when individuals are requested their opinion concerning the benefits and drawbacks of utilizing Online dating sites to locate a partner.
Dating on the web has existed for several years now, yet many people continue to be concerned about their safety when considering dating on the web. But can there be any have to be more concerned about your safety with internet dating compared to dating within the "real life"?
Furthermore, there are various types of "safety" – physical, emotional and identity. Let us take a look at all these consequently because they connect with internet dating.
Both women and men could be victims of physical attacks by individuals they meet up with on internet dating sites, but actually females are more likely to be the receiving finish. However, there are many more installments of women being physically assaulted and raped by complete other people in the pub, or by men they meet in bars along with other get joints, than you will find victims of Online dating perpetrators. Statistically, women will fare far better – a minimum of when it comes to their physical safety – by selecting Online dating his or her option to locate a man.
Because ladies have much a significantly greater chance to screen their potential dates before meeting them in tangible existence. Obviously, you should never judge a magazine by its cover, but by asking numerous of questions regarding a possible internet dating partner, you'll be able to obtain a better knowledge of their psyche, and particularly their attitude towards people of a potential partner.
Should you go and among individuals dating agencies that have a pro-active role by utilizing scientific techniques to "match make", then the probability is, possibly, better still that you'll finish track of a "safe" dating partner.
That one applies equally to women and men. Be cautious about falling for each other too rapidly but for the wrong reasons, otherwise your emotional safety is going to be put at potential risk. Lots of people a new comer to internet dating are full of excitement, and therefore are more wanting to jump right into a relationship rapidly than individuals who've been playing the dating scene for some time. An essential bit of internet dating advice here's: have patience! Spend some time and check out a variety of profiles prior to going on any real-world dates. This is also true for men and women that haven't been inside a romantic or sexual relationship for several weeks or years.
Also, watch out for the internet dating "sharks" or "players". If you're searching for any lengthy-term relationship, just bear in mind whatsoever occasions there are a lot of folks using Online dating websites just being an avenue to meet up with as many folks as you possibly can – incidents where with dishonest motives for example searching for wealthy partners to scam. Fundamental essentials minority, however, since many people that use internet dating services perform the right factor.
Consider the safety of the identity whatsoever occasions. Limit the quantity of private information you place up with regards to you, because there are lots who use online dating services for purposes apart from individuals that these were produced. Quite simply, identity thieves who get a variety of private information from internet dating sites for their very own dishonest gain. Just exercise good sense here, though, and you ought to not become a victim of this option.


Until 2005, handmade and digital didn't have much interaction with each other, as authentic craft goods were more the provenance of the local art show, craft fair or farmers' market. But Etsy, intentionally named with a nonsense word to denote its founder's dedication to building everything on the site "from scratch," that year built the marketplace that connected the world's knitters, essential oil makers, antique gurus, folk artists, crochet masters and assorted other handmaking mavens to a single digital destination.
Flash-forward 12 years and 1.2 million sellers, about 60 million or so users and an IPO later, and Etsy is now pretty much synonymous with handmade eCommerce. The world of 2017 is very different from the nascent eCommerce into which environment Etsy first stepped out, as marketplaces that were then a novelty are now what everyone seems to be trying to build. And Etsy has some large and scary competition in the form of Handmade At Amazon — the mere launch of which was enough to trim Etsy's stock price notably.
But Etsy remains committed to battling back and last week announced the launch of its secondary marketplace aimed at serving the sellers on its platform. Craft supplies aren't entirely new to Etsy, but about a year ago the site decided to develop a distinct marketplace for them. Etsy Studio is the culmination of that effort, and the eCommerce marketplace is tracking toward a digital portal offering 8 million products as opposed to the 33,000 that many big-box retailers make available.
The question, of course, remains as to whether Etsy can keep its grip on the hearts and minds of the handmade crafter and independent entrepreneur as Amazon pushes ever deeper into their territory. So we decided to ask a few Etsy merchants how they felt.
In the small cohort of merchants with whom we spoke, the most common and ongoing theme was that as smaller sellers, they were mostly happy to have more venues to sell as opposed to fewer. One noted that few people think much of anything about her jam businesses appearing at a different farmers' market every weekend between June and October — and with digital, it is much the same issue — and as for the store owner, she wants to be wherever there are customers.
Which isn't to say there isn't a different feel to the marketplaces — since most sellers did not describe a personal affinity for Etsy, or what many referred to as the community.
All of the merchants we spoke to were small — and selling online is a sideline occupation rather than a full-time calling.
That meant ease of use for their platform was noted as their greatest desire — and the issue they found lacking in their experiences online with both Etsy and Handmade At Amazon. Marketplaces make it easier — most of our digital merchants noted that the availability of a marketplace that made it comparatively easy to hang a shingle on has been a life-changing boon to their ambitions — but easier and easy aren't the same thing.
And standing out is always an issue — especially with so many similar goods and services proliferating.
All of our merchants noted being "intrigued" by the concept of Etsy Studio, if not entirely sold, because how useful it is depends so completely on what it makes available for purchase. Finding material is always an issue in the handmade world, Etsy's crafters told us, but depending on what it is one makes, the odds of it being available in a marketplace (even with 8 million goods available) seems unlikely.
But all of our crafters were encouraged by the growing interest in handmade and unique goods and were happy to see Etsy get competition, because more venues are basically good news.
Now if someone could just make customer discovery easier, they said, there would be almost nothing left to ask for.