text:
DATA MUST FALL
Internet access changed the world but excluded the poor. The very people who would benefit the most from access to the information, education, jobs and income the internet has helped unlock.
To challenge this digital divide, amandla.mobi has worked to amplify the collective voices of Black women from low-income backgrounds by turning every cell phone into a democracy-building tool.
Our Data Must Fall campaign saw our campaign supporters organise their communities, and together we petitioned, protested and sent public submissions. Our campaign eventually secured victories such as pro-poor regulations that benefited over 30 million pre-paid users [1]. The campaign also resulted in an agreement with the mobile networks to reduce the cost of some of their data bundles by 30% to 50%. This reduced the cost of mobile internet for over 13 million people in South Africa [2].
We launched our Data Must Fall petition in 2016 and helped get the attention of our leaders. In February 2017, President Jacob Zuma announced that reducing the cost of data was a priority. We continued to build public pressure until both our communications regulator ICASA and our Competition Commission, announced they would be looking into high data prices.
Working with campaign supporters, we began to escalate campaign tactics. Campaign supporters started knocking on doors, putting up posters and collecting stories about how high data prices impacted peoples lives.
We started to win. During public hearings at ICASA we played WhatsApp voice note testimonies from campaign supporters.
Breaking! #DataIsFalling @ICASA_org released their final regulations. Thnx 2 the 30,000 https://t.co/VF64hUKC9G members who did submissions, petitioned, organised + donated to support our #DataMustFall campaign. This is a 1st step, but the campaign continues! #DataCosts #Icasa pic.twitter.com/sJbECLZWh7
— Amandla! (@AmandlaMobi) April 26, 2018
Together with Indra de Lanerolle, a Visiting Researcher and adjunct lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand, we presented evidence and testimony that mobile networks were charging the poor the highest data prices, entrenching digital and economic inequality. People such as the CEO of Vodacom soon found themselves hauled in front of the commission to explain.
But mobile networks struck back and took legal action against ICASA and amandla.mobi. But thanks to an amazing pro-bono lawyer, and public pressure to name and shame mobile networks, the case was settled.
The campaign elevated the voices and experiences of low-income consumers which began shaping the public agenda. The Competition Commission slammed mobile networks for their anti-poor pricing.
#DataMustFall campaign update. Our voices were heard. Mobile networks have until June to respond to the Competition Commission provisional report, so stay tuned for campaign updates from us. pic.twitter.com/Ryiu4lz6LJ
In their final report, the Competition Commission gave the two largest mobile networks, Vodacom and MTN, until February 2020 to reduce their data prices by between 30% to 50%.
Vodacom, the largest mobile network announced that from 1 April 2020, a 1GB data bundle cost would be cut from R149 to R99. This was yet another important campaign victory, but our work was not over.
Although Vodacom has reduced its data prices, it does not mean it is now cheap. Data prices need to fall further. #DataMustFall pic.twitter.com/AkNQDAAw2J
— Amandla! (@AmandlaMobi) March 24, 2020
When COVID-19 hit, we knew it was critical to counter misinformation by calling on mobile networks to make accessing news sites free, as well as providing free data and SMS so low-income consumers could keep in touch with loved ones. The petition went viral on our mobile platform, and over half a million people were able to add their name without accessing the internet or having an email address.
Photo of amandla.mobi's innovative mobile campaign platform which does not require internet or email to access.
Our Data Must Fall campaign continues to this day. We are currently working with campaign supporters to crowdsource data and testimony to monitor the implementation of pro-poor regulations and agreements. We have already begun to identify some loopholes that mobile networks are using to undermine some of our campaign wins. While our work continues, the momentum and impact to date show how the power of amplifying the collective voices of Black women from low-income backgrounds.
[1] This figure is based on rough calculations. We detail our sources and calculations below. According to reporting on mobile networks' total number of subscribers and number of pre-paid subscribers, we calculated that around 86.3% of mobile users were pre-paid rather than contract (post-paid). The most recent report we could find on the number of individual adults using cell phones in South Africa is from a 2015 MMA report in 2015 which suggests there were 38.3 million adults in South Africa using a cell phone. ICASA's pro-poor regulations came into force from 1 March 2019. These regulations forced mobile networks to send SMS notifications when a user's voice, SMS or data bundle they have purchased is going to be depleted. These regulations impacted pre-paid consumers. If there were 38.3 million adults using cell phones in South Africa in 2015, and 86.3% of users were pre-paid users in the 2019-2020 period, a conservative estimate of the number of pre-paid cell phone users who benefited from the regulations is over 33 million people.
[2] According to the Competition Commission's Data Services Market Inquiry Report published in December 2019, there are an estimated 20.4 million people in South Africa accessing the internet via smartphones. Smartphones are not the only type of cell phone that can access the internet, feature phones are able to as well. However, their market share has gone down, and we cannot find any recent data on the number of individual feature phone users or users of so-called 'brick' phones that have no internet access functions at all. We will, therefore, only include smartphone users who benefited from data prices dropping, as we don't have data on the number of feature phone users who would have also benefited. As a result, our calculations likely underestimate rather than overestimate the number of people impacted. Using the estimate of 20.4 million people using smartphones and applying the 86.3% of mobile users being pre-paid, a conservative estimate of the number of smartphone users impacted by ICASA's pro-poor regulations to limit data bill shock would be around 17.6 million. When MTN and Vodacom reached an agreement with the Competition Commission that they would reduce the cost of some of their data bundles by 30% to 50%, these two mobile networks made up 74% of the total number of pre-paid users. So 74% of 17.6 million pre-paid smartphone users is 13 million.


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Our evening on the Silversea Silver Shadow, as we left Skagway, Alaska was quiet; a nice reprieve from my ziplining experience earlier in the day.
We arrived in Sitka, Alaska, our last port, in an early morning mist with rain. It is our only tender port. Getting off the ship was very well organized.
After returning to the pier we walked through the charming town of Sitka – which is about a 30 minute stroll if you continue on to the excellent park at its far end – where we had a very nice casual lunch at Westmark consisting of an excellent fresh clam chowder and a grilled halibut sandwich. A bit of art gallery wandering and then it was back to the pier.
Curiously, with the mist and rain starting, Silversea did not have Welcome tent or any hot beverages and it was only running one tender, so we had about a 30 minute wait taking cover under the bridge next to the pier. Not the end of the world, but not expected and not a luxury experience.
Back on board I tried to get some work done, but the internet is terribly slow and inconsistent. I am sure this is, in large part, due to the latitude and the mountains. Silversea does not offer a full cruise internet package, but rather only three choices: 100 minutes for $45, 250 minutes for $85 and 1,000 minutes for $250. Figuring I would use about 250 minutes I bought that…and then a $45 package and then another $45 package, but at about 50% efficiency it does come out to be quite pricey.
Although feeling guilty, we dined in Le Champagne for a second time and again enjoyed the experience. This time I had the King Scallops and the Dover Sole, both of which were very good. The wait staff, who are Romanian, were polished and very friendly. My dessert, however, was the only disappointment as the crepe Suzette was soggy and without great flavor.
As our last day is a Sea Day I thought I might just sleep in…until I realized we would be visiting the Hubbard Glacier between 6:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Again, being lucky on this trip, we arrived with some rain and low clouds/mist…and then it cleared. While there was a good bit of ice, Captain Alessandro Zanello – who is friendly and charming, guided the Silver Shadow within 3 miles of the glacier.
While the bow and Observation Lounge (where hot chocolate, warm spiced wine and snacks were being served) were filled with guests, we decided to slip down to a virtually empty La Terrazza for breakfast. Table for two by the window overlooking the stern? Absolutely! And now, with the Silver Shadow turning to depart Hubbard Glacier we had the ultimate in breakfast with a view.


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Found her on the 1870 Meramec, St. Louis, Missouri census (img 9) as Elizabeth Finger age 45.
Found her on the 1920 Hillsboro, Dillon, South Carolina census (dist 29 img 21) as Maud Meekins age 22.
Found her on the 1930 Marion, Marion, South Carolina census (dist 5 img 6) as Maud Meekins age 29.
Found her on the 1910 East Brandywine, Chester, Pennsylvania census (dist 17 img 7) as Rebecca Nicholas.
Penn Yan, May 8 - Oscar H. Ackerson, 86, Penn Yan, died at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial hospital Saturday after several months illness.
Mr. Ackerson was born in Hall, May 17, 1863, a son of John and Nancy Earley Ackerson. In 1839 [sic], he married Miss Sadie Hoose at Bellona. Mrs. Ackerson died in 1931. He was well known throughout this area where for the pest years he had been a painter and paper hanger. Surviving are two daughters, Mrs. Clarke Finger, RD 3; and Mrs. Howard Monroe, Ithaca; a son, Charles, RD 5; two grandsons and one great granddaughter.
Found him on the 1900 Penn Yan, Yates, New York census (dist 142 img 9) age 37, butcher.
Found him on the 1940 Jerusalem, Yates, New York census (dist 62-12 img 11) as Ausker Ackerson age 76, widower, living in the household of his son Charles.
Found him on the 1920 Starkey, Yates, New York census (dist 187 img 13) as Calvin J. Cummings age 7.
Found him on the 1930 Torrey, Yates, New York census (dist 20 img 1) as Calvin E. Cummings age 18.
Found her on the 1940 Germantown, Columbia, New York census (dist 11-17 img 18) as Mary Fingar age 8.
Found him on the 1910 Salisbury, Rowan, North Carolina census (dist 110 img 32) age 5.
Found him on the 1920 Salisbury, Rowan, North Carolina census (dist 129 img 89) as Alton Finger age 15.
Found him on the 1930 Salisbury, Rowan, North Carolina census (dist 36 img 42) as David A. Finger age 25, single, living at home, optometrist.
Found him on the 1930 Salisbury, Rowan, North Carolina census (dist 36 img 42) age 35, single, living at home, optometrist.
Found him on the 1850 Blount, Tennessee census (dist 11 img 14) as Jos Finger age 12.
Found him on the 1870 Meramec, St Louis, Missouri census (img 9) as Joseph Finger age 32, farmer. His wife is Darkes age 25, born Tennessee. He is living next door to his brother Jonathan. Also in his household is William Clemens age 14 and John Clemens age 21, farm laborer.
Some researchers show her as Julianna Finger, some as Eulalia "Euley" Finger.
Found her on the 1850 (not stated), Cherokee, North Carolina census (img 39) as Julia Pendergrass age 55.
Found her on the 1860 Prairie, Washington, Arkansas census (img 36) as Julia Pantergrass age 66.
Found her on the 1880 Dardanelle, Yell, Arkansas census (dist 218 img 26) as J. A. Pendirgrass age 85. She is living with her daughter Harriet and her husband Robert Moore.
Found her on the 1870 Newton, Catawba, North Carolina census (img 41) as Mary Finger age 9.
Found her on the 1880 Ironton, Lincoln, North Carolina census (dist 101 img 12) as Mary Finger age 18.
Found her on the 1900 Ironton, Lincoln, North Carolina census (dist 109 img 39) as Mary Dellinger age 37.
Found her on the 1910 Dallas, Gaston, North Carolina census (dist 55 img 40) age 47.
Found her on the 1930 Ironton, Lincoln, North Carolina census (dist 8 img 27) age 67.
Found her on the 1920 Manhattan Assembly District 14, New York, New York census (dist 1021 img 5) as Maurie Finger age 9 years 6 months.
Found her on the 1880 Pike, Clark, Ohio census (dist 41 img 13) as Florence H. Austin age 26.
Found her on the 1900 Springfield Ward 5, Clark, Ohio census (dist 33 img 4) as Florens Austin age 46. Has given birth to 2 children, 2 are living.
Found him on the 1900 Newton, Catawba, North Carolina census (dist 46 img 12) age 9 months.
Found him on the 1920 Lincolnton, Lincoln, North Carolina census (dist 108 img 25) as Carl D. Honeycutt age 20, laborer, lumber co.
She had no children. - Husband Webster Finger's obituary.
Found her on the 1870 Geddes, Onondaga, New York census (img 5) as Kitty Kinney age 18.
Found her on the 1880 Syracuse, Onondaga, New York census (dist 212 img 1 above) as Kathrine Finger age 28. Address: 139 West Fayette Street. Father, mother born Ireland.
Found her in the 1902 Syracuse, New York city directory as Catherine J. Finger, widow Webster, h. 504 S. Salina suite 28.
Found him on the 1860 Salem, Champaign, Ohio census (img 43) as Frederick Landis age 61, farmer. He and his family are living next to his son's family James and Phebe Landis.
Burial place from personal observation of the footstone.
Found him on the 1910 Westmoreland, Oneida, New York census (dist 176 img 19) as William O. Law age 7.
Found him on the 1940 Westmoreland, Oneida, New York census (dist 33-102B img 5) as Oscar Law age 37, farmer.
Found him on the 1870 Saugerties, Ulster, New York census (img 95) as William Lent age 7.
Found him on the 1880 Glasco, Ulster, New York census (dist 155 img 7) as Wm L. Lent age 17.
Found him on the 1900 Fishkill, Dutchess, New York census (dist 9 img 54) as William Lent age 36. He and his family are living next to his brother Davis Lent.
Found her on the 1920 Jerusalem, Yates, New York census (dist 177 img 17) as Iva M. Blakesley age 24.
Found her on the 1930 Fayette, Seneca, New York census (dist 8 img 19) as Iva M. Lerkius age 33, wife of Ernest Lerkius, a second marriage.
Found her on the 1930 Town Creek, Brunswick, North Carolina census (dist 11 img 11) as Stella Klutz age 22.
Found her on the 1930 Benton, Yates, New York census (dist 6 img 18) as Mildred Newby age 8.
Found her on the 1880 Russia, Herkimer, New York census (dist 36 img 39) as Eva C. Pullman age 9.
Found her on the 1900 Russia, Herkimer, New York census (dist 63 img 10) as Eva C. Barney age 29. Has given birth to 4 children, 4 are living.
Found him on the 1920 Ivy Hill, Haywood, North Carolina census (dist 76 img 11) as William Rich age 7.
Found him on the 1930 Ivy Hill, Haywood, North Carolina (dist 14 img 21) as William Rich age 17.
Found her on the 1920 Clermont, Columbia, New York census (dist 14 img 13) as Florence Moore age 26.
Found her on the 1850 Lodi, Seneca, New York census (img 36) as Elmira Shannon age 9.
Found her on the 1860 Lodi, Seneca, New York census (img 25) as Almira Shannon age 19.
Found her on the 1850 Blount County, Tennessee census (dist 15 img 2) as Delila Finger age 45, head of household.
Found him on the 1850 Division 3, Tippah, Mississippi census (div 3 img 14) as Theodore Whitlow age 4.
Found him on the 1860 Southern Subdivision, Tippah, Mississippi census (img 171) as Theadore Whitlow age 15.


I asked my friends on social media to share their testimonies about how they came to know Jesus. This is the testimony from Travis Jackson, who can be found on Twitter @Travisdon1981.
"When I was very young, I acted differently from other children; I didn't make eye contact and didn't respond to people saying my name (even though I had good hearing). Once, when I lived in the country, I got away from my parents who called my name (even though they knew I wouldn't respond), and they found me in a barn next to a goose, and sitting on a horse.
A time later, my mother and several other Christians prayed over me one night, asking God to fix whatever was wrong with me. I looked at them all, not knowing what was going on. All of a sudden, I saw a cat dart to the side. Being an animal lover, I smiled, pointed at the cat, and said my first word: 'Cat!' I was three years old at the time and had never spoken a word. My mother and the others praised God for a miracle that at the time, they had not fully understood. You see, two weeks later I was diagnosed with both PDD-NOS autism and mild mental retardation. Doctors told my mother not to expect anything beyond a 5-year-old mentality from me when I was an adult.
Yet I was a 4.0+ grade point average student at Missouri Baptist University. I write poems, newspaper columns and articles, along with short stories that I hope to publish someday. I also write sermons and preach, all by the power and grace of God.
I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior when I was 5, and that is the far greater miracle. My mental improvements, my ability to rise over my autism, and the limits my doctors claimed I would have all pale in comparison to the fact that I am a new creation, I have Jesus living in my heart, and I will walk with him in the New Jerusalem, experiencing wonders and awe-inspiring sights in eternity that cannot be grasped with human words.
What a stunning testimony to King Jesus.


text:
How the Moon Found Her Light
October 30, 2019 by Elisa Watson 2 Comments
The Moon was a dull, dirty lump of rock, floating listlessly through the cold dark expanse of space. She longed for beauty, and for purpose, but as time marched on she often feared that she would never be anything more than a useless bit of stone.
The Moon saw the Stars in the sky, countless billions of them, sparkling and twinkling with such beauty it could break her heart. She longed to be like them, shining and splendid in all their natural loveliness. She tried to shine bright like the Stars, but she didn't know how.
Days went by, and weeks and months and years. Still the Moon remained just as she was, a darkened, dirty mass with no one to talk to and nothing to do.
One day, rather unexpectedly, another dark and dirty mass came whizzing her direction. It was much smaller than she, and it seemed to know exactly where it was headed.
"Hello!" she cried. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to Earth!" cried the thing.
"What's Earth? And why?" asked the Moon.
"It's a planet!" answered the thing, whizzing past the Moon now. "And it's my job to crash into it! I'm a Meteoroid, and I make craters!" And with that, the thing was gone.
The Moon pondered this. How wonderful it must be, she thought, to know what one's purpose is. She couldn't stop thinking about the Meteoroid, and then she was struck with an exciting idea.
Maybe I'm supposed to make craters too! Maybe I'm a Meteoroid! And with all her might, she tried to fly through the night sky as she'd seen the Meteoroid do. But just as she'd failed to make herself shine like the Stars, so also she could not fly like a Meteoroid. She remained exactly where she was, bobbing dully in the same dark spot she had always occupied.
Some time later, another rock-ish thing came whizzing her direction. The Moon was terribly excited to see it, and she cried out to it immediately.
"Hello there! Are you going to crash into Earth?"
"What? No!" it answered. "I'm an Asteroid! My job is to fly through space, orbiting the Sun!"
The Sun. The Moon was frightened of the Sun, because it was so bright and hot and terrible. Most of the time she kept her back to it, and tried to forget it was even there. And yet here was this happy Asteroid, whose whole existence centered around the Sun.
"Aren't you afraid?" asked the Moon.
"Yes!" answered the Asteroid. It was now directly in line with the Moon, and it was moving quickly. "The Sun could burn me up! But its heat warms me, and its light cheers me, and its gravity keeps me in orbit. I trust the Sun!"
The Asteroid was getting farther away from the Moon now.
"Wait!" cried the Moon. "How do you do it?"
"I don't know!" answered the Asteroid, its voice growing fainter. "I just keep looking at the Sun!"
Looking at the Sun? thought the Moon. She didn't like this answer at all. She had hardly ever looked at the Sun. In fact, she'd become so used to not looking at the Sun, she wasn't even sure she could do it. She feared that if she looked at the Sun now, after all this time, its brightness and heat would destroy her.
For many long days she considered the Asteroid's answer. I look at the Sun. I look at the Sun. It kept playing in her head, and she couldn't escape it. She continued to keep her back to the Sun, but she became more and more aware of its warmth and presence, and it made her uneasy. The more she thought about her desire for beauty and purpose, the more she realized that maybe the Sun had something to do with it.
Finally, she could stand it no longer. The Moon slowly and carefully turned towards the Sun, keeping her gaze averted as she did. She felt the intensity of its heat as she turned, and was surprised to feel strengthened by this rather than hurt by it. She waited quietly for a few moments, wondering if there was something she ought to do.
Then, through the dark expanse, a powerful voice addressed her. "Moon," the voice said. "I have been waiting for you." The voice was strong and clear, the kind of voice that could terrify an enemy or comfort a child.
"Me, Sun? You've been waiting for me?"
"I have," the voice said.
"But why?" asked the Moon, and she dared a look in its direction. Rather than burning her up, as she had feared, the sight of the Sun filled her with awe. She caught her breath, and felt that she might cry. All those far-off Stars she had admired for so long, they were as nothing compared to the splendor of the Sun, whose presence and beauty were so near.
"I've been so eager for you to know me," said the Sun, "and for you to learn your purpose. You do have one, just as the Meteoroid and the Asteroid do, but you cannot do it without me."
The Moon was too astonished to speak.
"You've heard of the Earth, have you not?" asked the Sun.
"I have," she replied.
"The Earth has my light all day long, and benefits greatly from it, but it only has the light of the Stars at night, and they are so far away. You are much closer to the Earth than they are, and capable of providing it with much greater light."
"I? But I have no light!" exclaimed the Moon.
"No? No, indeed you do not. However," and here the Sun paused for a moment, a hint of laughter in its voice, "have you looked at yourself since you turned towards me, dear Moon?"
The Moon looked down at herself. To her very great amazement, bright light was burning off of her, radiating out from every inch of her that faced the Sun. "What is this?" she breathed, full of wonder.
"You long for the light of the stars, but you could never become light simply by trying, because that's not how you were made. You were not made to create your own light, but to reflect mine. This is a truth that you must understand. As long as you look at me, you'll always have my light."
The Moon found all of this nearly too wonderful to be true. So deep was her joy that words failed her, but her gratitude was clearly written in the beauty of her softly shining face.
The Moon never looked away from the Sun after that, and for all her days she glowed with the reflection of its glory. Most nights, the Earth had some or all of her gentle, silvery light, and those who looked up into the night sky saw her and were glad. On some nights, the Earth had none of her light at all. That was the way of it. But the Moon herself was never again without the warmth and radiance of the Sun.
Several years later, the very same Asteroid she'd met so long ago came whizzing by her again.
"Hello, Moon!" it said. "You're so very beautiful!"
"Thank you, Asteroid!" the Moon joyfully cried. "I took your advice, and I looked towards the Sun. He's the one who gave me this beautiful light!"
"Ah, yes," said the Asteroid, already flying off into the distance. "He does things like that. Isn't it wonderful?" And with that, the Asteroid was gone, following its appointed path through the cosmos. The Moon watched it go, her face lovely and her heart rejoicing in the purpose and beauty they had each found in the light of the Sun.
Illustrations by Emily Helquist
Elisa Watson
If you visit Elisa's website (elisajoyful.com/blog), you'll read a bit about the four boys who call her Mom, the software-CEO-turned-IRONMAN whom she calls Husband, the little girl who called their house Home for a time, and the cat and bird who will never call each other Friends.
She loves to bake but not to cook, she loves to travel but not for long, and she lives in the desert -- a place in which God is slowly but surely allowing her to see beauty. Follow Elisa at her website, or at instagram.com/elisajoyful13
Latest posts by Elisa Watson (see all)
How the Moon Found Her Light - October 30, 2019
To Infinity… - October 9, 2019
Filed Under: Featured Article, For Kids, Stories
Andrea Hafford says
Elisa, THIS IS AMAZING. Praise God for this story!!
I love this story so much!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Health Fair Connections | How do I join vendor lists for different health fairs?
Welcome To Health Fair Connections!
You're about to join an ecosystem of 5000+ providers, nationwide - with over 300+ company health fairs listed in 2016. But before you can gain access and join vendor lists, you need to create a profile.
Below are the 5 easy steps to join an interested vendor list for a particular health fair (and attend if selected).
Create a free profile on healthfairconnections.com to gain access to all health fairs listed on HFC's platform.
Once you log in, you'll be taken to your dashboard.
Click "LOCAL" on your dashboard to see health fairs nearby, or click the large graphic button to see all health fairs listed on HFC, nationwide.
Once you click "LOCAL" or the large graphic button, you'll be taken to a list of health fairs (listed chronologically).
Click "view event" to gain access to that particular health fair's event page.
Once on the event page, click "JOIN LIST OF INTERESTED VENDORS".
You can pick the "low chance" or the "high chance" option (benefits of both are listed right there).
Fill out the form (this info is what the hosting company will review before making their selection), and now you're on the list of interesting vendors!
The key word here is "wait."
Give the hosting company time to review the list of interested vendors. They maybe even waiting for the list to grow before making their final decisions.
HFC will do everything in our power to make sure the hosting companies make a decision and do not leave you hanging.
Once they make a decision, you'll be emailed if you're chosen (or denied).
If you never get approved or denied, this means that you were not selected for the health fair.
DO not assume you can just show up if you never get an email.
If approved by the hosting company (HFC has no control over who is selected), you'll receive an email asking you to complete the last step to officially register for the health fair.
Don't assume by receiving that email that you're automatically added to the vendor list and event materials.
You do not have a secured booth until you complete the last step of registration.
The 5 easy steps to get on an interested vendor list for a particular health fair (and attend if chosen).


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Pittsburgh Poison Center at UPMC to Offer Resource Help for Opioid, Other Addictions
The United States is faced with an unprecedented public health epidemic in the form of opioid overdoses. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), nearly half a million persons in the United States have died from drug overdoses between 2000 to 2014. In 2015, there were 3,383 unintentional drug overdose deaths in Pennsylvania alone with more deaths projected in 2016.
The Pittsburgh Poison Center at UPMC has announced enhanced services and resources for individuals and families as well as health care providers caring for patients suffering from addiction to substances including prescription opioids, heroin, alcohol, benzodiazepines and other drugs.
The Pittsburgh Poison Center has collaborated with numerous agencies to develop programs to combat this deadly trend, including the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, DEA, FBI, UPMC Emergency Medicine and Toxicology services, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and the Allegheny County Department of Human Services.
"This initiative represents a completely novel use of poison center knowledge, capabilities and resources uniquely suited to addressing this epidemic. We hope to arm the community and health care providers with additional information to combat the scourge of overdoses and addiction, and the threat they pose to our public health," said Michael Lynch, M.D., medical director of the Pittsburgh Poison Center and UPMC emergency medicine physician.
Residents and health care providers of any specialty in the 44 counties in Pennsylvania served by the Pittsburgh Poison Center can call 1-800-222-1222, to obtain information and treatment guidance for acute drug toxicity or withdrawal. The new program includes:
Initial medical screening and recommendations to aid non-medical bystanders and health care providers, alike, in the evaluation and management of drug toxicity and withdrawal symptoms.
Resources and prescription guidance and templates to assist individuals in locating and obtaining naloxone from medical providers.
County-based contact information for Single County Authorities who can facilitate detoxification and rehabilitation access and treatment.
County-based lists of rehabilitation facilities available in the caller's region.
Information and take-home resources for individuals suffering from substance use disorders.
Directed follow-up in Allegheny County through partnership with the Department of Human Services Single County Authority to ensure ongoing assistance with locating available treatment beds as well as obtaining payment assistance.
Individual phone follow-up consultation by a poison center specialist to assess treatment access and provide ongoing support.
"Substance use disorders, including opioid use disorders, are viewed as chronic, relapsing medical illnesses that occur along a continuum of severity. Most of the challenges in helping people with these disorders include facilitating referral to the appropriate level of care, as well as engagement and retention in treatment," said Antoine Douaihy, M.D., medical director of Addiction Medicine Services at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC.
For questions, contact the Pittsburgh Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222. The phone lines are staffed 24 hours per day throughout the year.


The German automaker Volkswagen and the company "Avtoberg" opened a dealership in Pyatigorsk, which operates according to the Digital concept. According to the Volkswagen press service, it is the first digital showroom of the brand in the North Caucasus.
Dealership Volkswagen "Avto Berg" has an area of 2331.8 square meters and provides a full range of services for the sale, insurance and lending of new Volkswagen cars and used cars, as well as their service, body repair, sale of spare parts and accessories. The service area is equipped with 13 service stations and 1 diagnostic line, which permits to meet maximally the requirements of customers.
It is noted that the process of car purchase in a digital auto show expands the possibilities of choice and provides customers with greater flexibility. Thanks to the area of the configurator of the car, which is equipped with a modern HD video wall, the selection of the car, the choice of colors, configuration and options becomes more vivid and emotional. The client receives the finished offer by e-mail along with the additional media content that was used in the consultation process.
The process is managed either by a brand specialist or with a client using a tablet, on which a mobile application is installed. It allows a specialist to determine the customer's wishes for the future car, configure it in the desired version, check the availability of such a version in the warehouse of the dealership. All the necessary information is displayed on the screen, while the process can be accompanied by the demonstration of videos with a demonstration of innovative technologies in action.
"The Volkswagen dealership network is expanding, but it is more important that the quality of the provided services is growing, also because of the development of the concept of digital showrooms. Digital concept for dealerships implies a fundamentally new car purchase process, and today it is available for our customers in Pyatigorsk," - said Petr Zaychek, the head of business development and Volkswagen's dealer network. As AUTOSTAT has previously reported, for the first quarter of 2019, Russian dealers of Volkswagen sold 22,075 cars, which is more by 4% than in January-March of the last year.


The Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) was developed in 1979 by Raskin and Hall, and since then, has become one of the most widely utilized personality measures for non-clinical levels of the trait narcissism. Since its initial development, the NPI has evolved from 220 items to the more commonly employed NPI-40 (1984) and NPI-16 (2006), as well as the novel NPI-1 inventory (2014). Derived from the DSM-III criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), the NPI has been employed heavily by personality and social psychology researchers.
The NPI is not intended for use in diagnosing Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Rather, it is often said to measure "normal" or "subclinical" (borderline) narcissism (i.e., in people who score very high on the NPI do not necessarily meet all criteria for diagnosis with NPD).
The psychometric properties of the NPI have been continually investigated since its creation in 1979, both by original creators Raskin and Hall, as well as a variety of researchers to come, including: Emmons, Bushman & Baumeister, and Rhodewalt & Morf. According to reliability and validity research conducted by Raskin and Hall, the NPI has strong construct validity and ecological validity. When Five Factor Model (FFM) profiles were created, expert-rated and meta-analytic studies established high correlation to the NPI profiles, indicating high reliability pertaining to personality trait and behavior correlations. These correlations are supported by research conducted by Raskin and Hall, as well as Emmons, in which strong, positive correlations to extraversion and psychoticism were found.
The NPI has weak convergent validity and some items have been argued not to reflect the central dogma of narcissism (e.g. "I see myself as a good leader"). Additionally, the factor structure of the NPI has been questioned. In research conducted by Emmons, four factors were identified through principal components analysis (PCA), including: leadership/authority, self-admiration/self-absorption, superiority/arrogance, and exploitativeness/entitlement. On the other hand, research conducted by Raskin and Terry identified seven factors, also through PCA, including: authority, exhibitionism, superiority, entitlement, exploitativeness, self-sufficiency, and vanity. More recently, research by Kubarych, Deary, and Austin have identified two factors, including: power and exhibitionism. Corry, Merritt, Mrug, and Pamp also identified two factors, including: leadership/authority and exhibitionism/entitlement. Generally, variations in data reduction techniques have been partially attributed to factor structure issues.
The NPI has also been found to have poor internal consistency.
The NPI is used in many organizations as a part of the hiring process. It is primarily used in areas where high self-serving tendencies, positively correlated to narcissism, may be a very negative aspect in the job. The NPI can not be used solely as a means of rejection, but it can be used to expect certain behaviors on the job. Some organizations pursue narcissism in the individual as a good trait, especially for leadership positions or in a group where creativity is considered a good measure.
The NPI is also considered to be a good test of the Dark Triad traits, showing strong correlation to each of the three measures in the triangle; Machiavellianism, Psychopathy, and Narcissism.
Many criticisms of the NPI call into question its validity. It has been shown that scores on the NPI are positively correlated with self-esteem, with some arguing that the test could be producing false-positives for healthy individuals. Others have argued that this outcome is expected and those expressing narcissistic traits would also express traits indicative of high self-esteem. Other studies have shown that subjects diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder actually score lower on self-esteem measured with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale than a group of healthy controls, revealing more about why the NPI is not a valid way to diagnose people with NPD.
Other tests have been developed to measure narcissism and its more specific components such as grandiosity and entitlement. The Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI), Narcissistic Grandiosity Scale (NGS), and Psychological Entitlement Scale (PES) are among those tests that have been researched to replace the NPI, though some don't directly measure narcissism and instead measure a subcategory of narcissism like Entitlement. Elements of the Five Factor Model (FFM) have also been used to measure narcissism and, although these tests show significant correlations with most other scales, some researchers suggests that these tests aren't quite ready to replace the NPI until more research has been done. The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire's Psychoticism and Extraversion scales have been shown to have a significant positive correlation with the NPI's narcissism measure, though the combination of the scales produced much stronger correlations than either of the scales alone. These strong positive correlations with other scales show that the NPI has good construct validity.
^ a b van der Linden, S.; Rosenthal, S.A. (2015). "Measuring Narcissism with a Single Question? An Extension and Replication of the Single-Item Narcissism Scale". Personality and Individual Differences. 90: 238–241. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2015.10.050.
^ a b Vater, Aline (May 2013). "The Narcissistic Personality Inventory: A Useful Tool for Assessing Pathological Narcissism? Evidence From Patients With Narcissistic Personality Disorder". Journal of Personality Assessment. 95 (3): 301–308. doi:10.1080/00223891.2012.732636. PMID 23101721.
^ a b Braun, Susan (17 May 2017). "Leader Narcissism and Outcomes in Organizations: A Review at Multiple Levels of Analysis and Implications for Future Research". Frontiers in Psychology. 8: 773. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00773. PMC 5437163. PMID 28579967.
^ Ackerman, Robert (2011). "What Does the Narcissistic Personality Inventory Really Measure?". Assessment. 18 (1): 67–87. doi:10.1177/1073191110382845. PMID 20876550.
^ Miller, Joshua D.; Price, Joanna; Campbell, W. Keith (6 December 2011). "Is the Narcissistic Personality Inventory Still Relevant? A Test of Independent Grandiosity and Entitlement Scales in the Assessment of Narcissism". Assessment. 19 (1): 8–13. doi:10.1177/1073191111429390. PMID 22156716.


Our final regular season poll for boys' and girls' basketball and our latest poll for boys' hockey. These polls consider games played through Saturday, Feb. 9, and were first released on Twitter at Twitter.com/foresports Sunday. The poll includes our core coverage area (coastal Cumberland County from Cape Elizabeth to Freeport) and is based solely on my opinion.


Please say THANK YOU in the Treasure Quest Friends chat for dashes and Mega Coins. A little gratitude goes a long way. Its HIGHLY recommended you pay attention to TQ chat, if you don't you might miss important announcements.
You must be 120 days old to play Treasure Quest.
You must stay active in Treasure Quest or you will be removed from the game. If you do not collect a coin for 90 days you will be deemed inactive.
Failure to say thank you for a mega coin in the TQ Friends chat will result in a 60 day ban from TQ.
Note: We run Voodoo security at HQ and you may be on their ban list. You can visit Voodoo's website and follow the links and directions to get unbanned. If you have questions contact the support on their website and not Treasure Quest.
The following are all against our TOS, and subject to penalties from warning to permanent ban.
Furthermore, TQ group chat is for members only. It is a privilege for us to have you, and likewise, for you to be here. Any copy/pasted TQ chat or chat of its players within the TQ Group — shared outside this group WITHOUT explicit TQ Admin consent — is a violation of not only Linden Labs TOS (See links above), but also our TOS. Anyone found to be breaking these rules will be subject to an Official Linden Lab's Abuse Report and other legal ramifications.
•You must hunt all lands, hunting the same 3 or 4 big lands over and over is grounds for a ban.
•You are limited to 20 minutes at a land collecting coins unless collecting a mega or participating in a set of dashes.
If you are not collecting and are shopping or visiting a land for other reasons then this does not apply.
Keep in mind we know if you've been collecting or not!
• You must have the Treasure Quest Friends group tag visible in your groups.
• Land Owners, Partners, and Girlfriends/Boyfriends may not collect on their own parcel.
• TP to coin/gem, double click TP to coins/gems, TP a friend to coins/gems, sitting on or touch-holding a coins/gems to get to it quickly, and avoiding a set landing point for a TQ parcel are all NOT allowed.
• Pushing/Shoving: We have zero tolerance for deliberately pushing someone away from a coin/gem they are claiming. This is an instant ban from TQ.
• No teleporting others to coin/gems.
• You must wait 40 minutes between claiming megas (from payout of last mega to first click of next mega). They will not allow you to click until the 40 minutes is up.
• When teleporting to a TQ land, you must use the parcel's Landing/Anchor Point.
• TQ is a quest game, you must search for the coins/gems. Telling others placement of coins/gems/megas is against TOS and may result in a warning and/or ban.
• Verbal abuse between players in nearby chat or the TQ Friends chat group is not tolerated. This includes threats, foul lanquage, etc.
• Each player may collect up to two (2) Mega coins per player, per 24-hour time period (Not SL time cycle, but 24-hour real life time period). This is from collection point to click point.
• You may only claim ONE (1)Mega coin at a time.
•Limit of One (1) Mega coin per land parcel, per 24-hour real life time period.
• Limit of One (1) 500 L or greater mega coin per player per 24 hour real life time period.
• Clicking on Mega Coins is at your own risk. If you miss any AFK/Captchas, miss the final verification question, or anything else such as sim restart, bad internet connection, general LL/SL server issues, TQ is not responsible and will NOT pay out for it.
• Camming to coins/gems, area search, using radar, transparent mode, de-rendering are not allowed in Treasure Quest. You must search for the coins/gems, this is a Quest! If a coin/gem is not visible to you through normal view, then it stands that you may NOT click it or collect it. Users suspected of this type of violation are subject to warning and/or ban.
•Use of hovertext to find/identify coins is prohibited as well, please disable hovertext in your viewer. If you're not sure how ask in group chat.
• If you find an inaccessible coin/gem, in plain view that you cannot click on, please copy the location and IM/report it to one of the TQ moderators.
• If anyone is caught asking for funds to leave a coin/gem they are claiming OR offering any funds to anyone to leave a coin/gem, it is an immediate ban. Not only is it unethical and rude, its dishonest and can border on bribery.
• All coins must be accessible to players, no hiding them inside objects. They may be partially hidden.
• A minimum of five (5) Cobalt .10 and five (5) Copper .25 coins — or any combination of 10 coins of equal or greater value — are required to be out at any given time. You also must have rezzed the land anchor at your landing point and be visible at all times. Other TQ items such as group joiner, hud vendor are optional items you can include on your land.
• No Private Parcels. At this time we have no plans to offer a private version of Treasure Quest.
Treasure Quest is NOT responsible for issues cause by landowners, Linden Labs, your internet service provider, or any other third parties or events outside of our control.
We reserve the right to ban any avatar, at any time, for any reason.
Treasure Quest and its staff have NO control over who a landowner bans, that is between the land owner and the person banned.
Any attempts to hack, manipulate or cheat the system are subject to immediate and permanent ban.


Are you interested in getting a job or exploring a new career?
Have you dreamed of getting an education or going into a trade?
Are you a CAFN citizen or Indigenous person living in our community?
Dän Ts'änānän is a training-to-employment program that supports CAFN citizens and community members to secure and maintain stable, longterm employment through personalized skills development, training, education and work experience programming.
The program is designed to build on your strengths and help you develop yourself to secure rewarding and fulfilling work that aligns with your dreams. Our focus is on building capacity in all citizens – CAFN staff, underemployed citizens and unemployed citizens. Our goal is to assist 250 CAFN citizens and community members through Dän Ts'änānän over three years.
How is the Dän Ts'änānän program different from other employment training?
Most employment training programs offer the same programming for everyone. The problem is that people are not all the same. What one person needs to move forward is often different than what the next person may need.
Instead of a 'one size fits all' approach, Dän Ts'änānän programs are custom designed to meet each person's unique needs are meant to help each person move forward from where they are. One person's program will look different from that of another person. We also provide each person with the support of our team members every step of the way.
To do this, we work one on one and privately with you. We take the time to listen to your story and to understand your individual situation. From here, we continue to work together with YOU to map out the steps that will help you move past your barriers, starting exactly where you are today and moving ahead one step at a time.
Our team will help you with your first steps – whether it is getting support for substance use, overcoming physical or mental health barriers, improving your literacy and numeracy skills, education or work experience. When you are done, you may start a good job or a college education. Your program will be a mixture of individual work, classroom work, and on-the-job training, all supported with regular contact with your Job Coach and your Wellness Support Worker. The team is there to guide you and celebrate every step you take.
Since every program will be different, some people may take longer than others to work through their program. Our team is here to support you when you are facing challenges or feeling stuck or overwhelmed.
you would like to improve your skill set and develop along your career path with more on-the-job training and/or formal education (including CAFN staff).
You'll tell them your story and talk with them about your dreams for your life and the kind of job you would like.
Together, you will create a plan for moving forward, starting right where you are today.
Your Wellness Support Worker will continue to check in with you often throughout the program.
As you create and work through your plan, part of your support may be from your Job Coach or Financial Literacy Coach.
They will help you access resources that will support you on your career path, write a resume and apply for jobs.
Your Job Coach will be in regular contact with you during your placement, to ensure you aren't getting stuck or frustrated. And to cheer you on!
When you are finished the Dän Ts'änānän program, you will ideally have a good job or be starting formal training at Yukon College for a degree, diploma or a trade.
When our people work, our community works better.


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July 12, 2018 July 12, 2018 Trey VaughtLeave a Comment on Daily Recap — July 11
Daily Recap — July 11
"The stronger a man is, the more gentle he can afford to be."
— Elbert Hubbard
A NEW ROCK BOTTOM
I'd love to begin this Recap with the good news of how our POTUS is overseas kicking ass, taking up for the working men and women of our country. Unfortunately, the establishment GOP will be providing our lead story this evening, and for the usual reason: cowardice.
Republicans on Capitol Hill say they're considering holding former Trump-hating FBI lawyer Lisa Page in contempt after she failed to show up under subpoena today, but her lawyer maintains she's more than willing to cooperate and House leaders have resorted to "bullying" tactics.
House Speaker Paul Rino said today he was "very disturbed" by Page's refusal to show up and indicated he is willing to hold her in contempt of Congress.
"She was a part of the mess that we uncovered over at DOJ," said Rino.
And by "we," he means the Republicans who have actually been persistent in digging information on this story. People like Devin Nunes, Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz, definitely no one like Paul Rino, who would have all of this kept under wraps were he able.
"She has an obligation to come and testify. If she wants to come plead the Fifth that's her choice, but a subpoena to testify before Congress is not optional, it's mandatory. We will do what we need to do to protect this branch of government."
Rino is talking a good game. But talk is about as cheap as the US dollar after several of his massive spending bills.
WHAT'S HER EXCUSE?
Page, or her lawyer anyway, claims that she wasn't given proper access to pertinent documents and was thus unprepared to testify.
"All she is asking is to be treated as other witnesses have under the Committees' own rules," said her attorney, Amy Jeffress. "She has offered to voluntarily appear before the Committees later this month. She simply needs clarification of the scope of the Committee's interest in interviewing her and access to relevant documents so that she can provide complete and accurate testimony."
House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte isn't buying that garbage, noting the committees informed Page in friggin December they would seek to speak to her. He said holding her in contempt was now on the table, but he hadn't made a "final decision" on next steps.
"She's known for about seven months," said Goodlatte. "We've been talking to her attorney for over a month."
A previously unreported letter shows that negotiations have, in fact, been ongoing, but the decision by members of the House Judiciary Committee to sign on to an April 2018 referral of Page — along with several other former FBI and DOJ officials, and Hillzdawg Clinton — for a criminal investigation, raised the stakes.
.According to Jeffress, Page has volunteered to testify later this month, as long as she receives more details about the scope of the committees' questioning and access to certain FBI files. Jeffress said the Justice Department confirmed late last night that the files would be made available to her.
For a while, at least, she appeared to be telling the truth. By all accounts (available at the time), the FBI was unable to grant access to the files due to a "technical glitch." You know, just like they had a "technical glitch" when trying to find 6 months worth of Page's texts during the IG probe. That FBI just has the worst darn luck when it comes to producing classified material related to the lovebirds. Even Meadows was understanding of her situation.
Meadows said he understood that the FBI failed to provide relevant documents to Page that she needed in order to prepare for her deposition. He said he spoke to the FBI directly on Wednesday morning and that officials confirmed a "technical glitch" prevented them from sharing the files. Page, he noted, went to the FBI and waited for three hours to obtain her files, only to be denied.
"If indeed she showed up and waited for three hours at the FBI, shame on them," Meadows said.
"I'm trying to confirm right now whether it's a delay or a stall tactic," he said. "Obviously, she's known that she's a witness with pertinent information … yet at the same time, I don't want to falsely accuse her of something if this was through no fault of her own.
And then came this less-than-enthused tweet from Meadows:
"Contrary to what her attorneys are telling the media, we just learned Lisa Page actually DID review documents at the FBI yesterday. Her failure to appear before Congress this morning had little to do with 'preparation'–and everything to do with avoiding accountability."
Holy cow. So not only is she dodging a congressional subpoena, but she lied about her reasoning for doing so? What the hell can these people not get away with?
A handful of House Judiciary and House Oversight committee members reportedly gathered an hour after Page's interview was scheduled to start to discuss next steps.
After the meeting, Rep. Meadows said that the committee planned to give Page two options to comply with the subpoena: Appear for a closed-door interview later this week or testify alongside her former married lover Peter Strzok at a public hearing scheduled for tomorrow.
Maaaaaaaaaan wouldn't that be fun. A side by side with the lovebirds? Definitely a popcorn-worthy spectacle.
Goodlatte confirmed in an interview on Fox that Page has been given those options to appear this week, but if she doesn't, she could be held in contempt as soon as Friday.
"She does not have days or weeks to do this. She's got to decide now," Goodlatte said. "We will hold her in contempt and that's a serious matter."
I'm sure she's shaking in her boots.
According to a couple congressional sources, the committee would vote to hold Page in contempt on Friday, which would set the stage for a full House vote next week.
WHAT WOULD CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS REALLY MEAN?
Following a contempt citation, should it be issued, the presiding officer of the chamber is instructed to refer the matter to the U.S. Attorney for DC. According to the law it is the duty of the U.S. Attorney to refer the matter to a grand jury for action.
However, while the law places the duty on the U.S. Attorney to impanel a grand jury for action, some proponents of the unitary executive theory argue that the Congress cannot properly compel the U.S. Attorney to take this action against the Executive Branch, asserting that the U.S. Attorney is a member of the Executive Branch who ultimately reports only to the President and that compelling the U.S. Attorney amounts to compelling the President himself. They argue that to allow Congress to force the President to take action against a subordinate following his directives would be a violation of the separation of powers and infringe on the power of the Executive branch. The legal basis for this position, they contend, can be found in Federalist 49, in which James Madison wrote "The several departments being perfectly co-ordinate by the terms of their common commission, none of them, it is evident, can pretend to an exclusive or superior right of settling the boundaries between their respective powers." This approach to government is commonly known as "departmentalism" or "coordinate construction."
Given that PDT just tweeted this out, though:
"Ex-FBI LAYER Lisa Page today defied a House of Representatives issued Subpoena to testify before Congress! Wow, but is anybody really surprised! Together with her lover, FBI Agent Peter Strzok, she worked on the Rigged Witch Hunt, perhaps the most tainted and corrupt case EVER!"
…..I don't think he'll mind seeing the book thrown at Page.
Others argue that Article II of the Constitution requires the President to execute the law, such law being what the lawmaker (e.g. Congress, in the case of statutory contempt) says it is (per Article I). The Executive Branch cannot either define the meaning of the law (such powers of legislation being reserved to Congress) or interpret the law (such powers being reserved to the several Federal Courts). They argue that any attempt by the Executive to define or interpret the law would be a violation of the separation of powers; the Executive may only—and is obligated to—execute the law consistent with its definition and interpretation; and if the law specifies a duty on one of the President's subordinates, then the President must "take care" to see that the duty specified in the law is executed. To avoid or neglect the performance of this duty would not be faithful execution of the law, and would thus be a violation of the separation of powers, which the Congress and the Courts have several options to remedy.
And now for what you really wanted to know:
The criminal offense of "contempt of Congress" sets the penalty at not less than one month nor more than twelve months in jail and a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000.
So there ya go. That's would could possible happen to Page. What will actually happen is she'll end up testifying before the committee, but this time she'll know all of Strzok's answers to questions ahead of time. That's what all this is really about.
She was afraid of being ambushed, and she should have been. Because she deserves to be. An employee of the FBI should be ready to answer to Congress for whatever they want, because FBI employees are supposed to be upstanding people.
Not this floozy.
Listen, I know you want to see people in handcuffs. I do too. Lisa Page deserves to be in them right now. So do many of her colleagues.
All I can tell you is the same thing I've been telling you since January of last year: PDT holds all the cards here.
He has the informational power to bring it all out. Everything related to Strzok and Page he could declare to be unclassified right this second. And by his mere declaration (and a little paperwork), voila! it would be law.
As long as that fact remains, there will always be the question of why he's sitting back. And sorry, I don't believe he's concerned with patience or, frankly, the health of our institutions. Trump cares about defeating his enemies, maybe as much as he cares about his own children. That's how he is.
So when PDT has had enough, I guess he'll step in.
Orrrrrr maybe there's a reason he's not exercising his power. All I can say is stay tuned because we'll definitely find out sooner or later.
ROSENSTEIN INVOLVED WITH KAVANAUGH?
I know, I know. Trust me, I had the exact same reaction you did upon hearing the news that Fraud Rosenstein is inserting himself into the vetting of our SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Rosenstein sent an email this week to the nation's 93 US attorneys requesting each one to provide up to three prosecutors "who can make this important project a priority for the next several weeks," according to the Failing New York Times.
The subject line of Rosenstein's email read, "Personal Message to U.S. Attorneys from the Deputy AG."
"As a result of Judge Kavanaugh's extensive career in public service, DOJ may need to review a large volume of documents," Rosenstein wrote. "In order to complete the project within the time requested, we may need the equivalent of more than 100 full-time attorneys."
The majority of the assistant US attorneys who participate will not be coming to the main DOJ headquarters in Washington, but can work remotely reviewing documents before production.
I know there is a lot of hand-wringing and paranoia related to this issue so let's cut the small talk and get to the heart of the matter.
The Office of Legal Policy at the Justice Department, which is supervising the project, has always assisted with nominations and is composed of mostly career attorneys. While the individual 93 US attorneys leading each office are political appointees, the vast majority of attorneys who work at the Justice Department across the US are in career positions.
That Rosenstein has requested help reviewing documents is not so much an unprecedented move by the DOJ, but an action taken in an effort to efficiently wade through an unprecedented number of documents.
How many, exactly? Well, an official of the George Dubya Bush Library has identified over a million documents concerning Kavanaugh that could potentially be responsive to document requests. "We have also identified approximately 429,870 pages and 667,824 electronic files of potentially responsive records that must be processed," Shannon Jarrett of the George W. Bush Library and Museum said in a letter last April to Gabe Roth, who has made a request on behalf of his group, Fix the Court.
More importantly, THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL REVIEW. This isn't a bunch of coochie cappers sitting around like Media Matters employees looking for off-color jokes Kavanuagh made about women in 1974. What's happening is called a "privilege review."
A privilege review is a process by which parties or their lawyers review each document that may fall within a discovery request or order to determine whether the document contains information subject to the attorney-client privilege or the work product doctrine; typically, privilege review is conducted to ensure that privileged materials are not inadvertently produced in response to a discovery request or order.
The relevant types of privilege are likely to be 'legal advice privilege' and 'litigation privilege'. Legal advice privilege attaches to confidential communications and evidence of those communications, between a client and its lawyers which were created for the purpose of giving or obtaining legal advice.
Basically, this is a review to ensure that Kavanaugh's rights as an attorney/jurist aren't violated in the congressional review process. Once attorney/client documents and their ilk have been redacted, then the political hacks in Congress can take over to do the actual hatchet job.
Here is the bottom line: Kavanaugh has a LOT of documents from his career and Dims are going to try to use this to their advantage to drag the confirmation process out past the midterms. It won't matter, since the GOP is actually poised to gain Senate seats and thus give itself an easier process anyway, but it's all Cryin' Chuck has to hang his hat on right now. Dingy Harry Reid killed his filibuster. He's gotta work with the hand he's got.
Frankly, this order probably came down to Rosenstein from the White House itself. If you want this process to be expedited, this isn't a bad thing.
I realize that this won't be convincing to some, and the conspiracy theories will make their rounds regardless of what actual information is available, but no one can say I didn't give them the facts.
SHOWDOWN IN BRUSSELS
I've waited my entire adult life to hear a POTUS speak the truth straight to the faces of our European "allies." Today, PDT fulfilled that dream for me and then some.
He demanded today that NATO members immediately increase their defense spending to meet a 10-year goal years ahead of the alliance's stated deadline, which, as I explained yesterday, was a deal struck between NATO and Barry Soetoro in 2014.
"What good is NATO if Germany is paying Russia billions of dollars for gas and energy? Why are there only 5 out of 29 countries that have met their commitment?" PDT tweeted shortly after scorning the globalists for not spending more on their own defense and relying too heavily on the U.S. for protection.
"The U.S. is paying for Europe's protection, then loses billions on Trade," he added. "Must pay 2% of GDP IMMEDIATELY, not by 2025."
Waiting until 2024 for our so-called allies to pay the minimum for their own defense may have been good enough for the Obama clan, but this is a new day and, for the first time in ages, American taxpayers have a true blue representative to call their own.
After eliciting concessions from the table full o' commies on increasing spending (though we don't yet have it in writing), in classic Trump fashion, he immediately began the high-ball, demanding that the alliance soar past 2% and really protect themselves from Hackin' Vlad by upping their defense spending to a cool 4%. Of course, that will never happen in a million years, as not even we spend that much (we're currently at 3.6%), but it's nice to see someone aim high for a change.
And also in class Trump fashion, he took credit for the increase in defense spending by several alliance members while drawing a contrast between his own leadership and that of his predecessors. He acknowledged that those before him had broached the issue of defense funding with NATO allies, but said that they "never did anything about it because I don't think they understood it or they just didn't want to get involved."
It was the latter, Mr. President.
But while he was pleased to see progress, he stated plainly that it's "not nearly enough."
"Many countries are not paying what they should. And, frankly, many countries owe us a tremendous amount of money for many years back, where they're delinquent, as far as I'm concerned, because the United States has had to pay for them," Trump said.
"So if you go back 10 or 20 years, you'll just add it all up. It's massive amounts of money is owed," he continued.
He's not wrong.
"You know, we're protecting Germany, we're protecting France. We're protecting everybody. And yet we're paying a lot of money to protect," Trump said.
CALLING OUT HYPOCRISY:
This was undoubtedly my favorite portion of today's summit.
For months (or years, depending on the person), any American with a couple brain cells to rub together have been asking really pertinent questions related to the so-called Russian threat in Europe.
For example, if Russia is such a threat, why do we have to beg and plead to get European countries to pay for their own defense? One would think that with such a big, bad foe breathing down their necks right across the border, Europe would be chomping at the bit to increase defense spending across the board.
But that's just not the case. The fact is only 5 out of 29 countries have hit the (more than reasonable) 2% mark for their own defenses, and the monies that are actually spent toward that end are often used as nothing more than another government welfare program rather than fielding well-trained, well-funded killers ready to take down the Russians.
The truth, ladies and gentlemen — and I've seen this with my own eyes all over the world from Europe to the Middle East to Asia — is that they expect us to do it for them. Perhaps that's mostly our fault for allowing them to grow so dependent. Perhaps we found it in our country's interest to allow these countries to depend on us so long as we got to be the big dogs on the block.
Whatever the cause, the reality is we're involved in an unfair and unsustainable arrangement to protect Europe at a time when we're $21 trillion in debt.
The questions go beyond the mere hypocrisy of inaction, though. Indeed, there have been some actions that demand scrutiny, and even maybe….*gasp*…..accountability!
Before today, not many people were aware that Germany had a natural gas pipeline to Russia that accounts for nearly 70% of its energy consumption. They know now, Jack.
"If you look at it, Germany is a captive of Russia," PDT said during his meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. "They got rid of their coal plants. They got rid of their nuclear. They're getting so much of the oil and gas from Russia. I think it's something that NATO has to look at. I think it's very inappropriate."
LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO……..Weren't expecting that line of remarks, were you fellas?
"It's very sad when Germany makes a massive gas oil and gas deal with Russia where you're supposed to be guarding against Russia, and Germany goes out and pays billions and billions of dollars a year to Russia," Trump added.
Here's what he didn't add, but that's why I'm here.
That pipeline is no accident. Remember that I told you Putin is nostalgic for the prominence of the former USSR. Just as our POTUS promotes our interests across the world, so does Putin. But his strategy is a bit different.
By making Germany so dependent upon Russia for energy, Trump is correct that Putin has made Germany captive. And that's the point.
Remember the whole Uranium One thing, where Russia sought (and succeeded in) transferring so much of our uranium via one of their state-controlled companies, Rosatom? The reason the FBI had a counterintel probe going related to that transaction is because it's a national security concern. They knew full well what Putin was doing when that deal was offered, but it went down anyway.
You know why?
Because that's what Putin does. He looks for traitors in every country, people for whom money takes precedent over country. In Germany, he found his guy in former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who as Germany's top energy guy couldn't wait to sell out his country to Russia interests to pad his own pockets.
In the U.S., he found a treasure trove in the form of Hillary Clinton, another politician who, as Roger Stone put it, "would steal a hot stove."
Putin's vision is to get as many world powers as possible entangled in Russian energy so as to give himself the leverage to punch far above his weight. To his credit, it's been largely successful, as Russia's influence on the world stage far exceeds what its GDP should allow.
PDT respects the fact that Putin has been able to grow such influence while wielding so little power. He sees him as a worthy adversary. You can agree with that, disagree with it, love it, hate, hug it, kick it, kiss it or just scream at the sky, but that's the fact of the matter. Trump respects people who go to bat for their nation.
See, at least when Putin lies to your face, he doesn't do it under the pretense of being an "ally."
And by the way, will someone remind me of why, exactly, Putin wanted Trump to win so badly?
The logic isn't strong with this one.
NOW WHAT:
This was just the first in what will be a series of meetings with soulless globalists throughout Europe. Upon leaving Brussels, he will travel to London for a long-awaited visit, before stopping at one of his extremely nice golf courses in Scotland.
Hey, I'm not kissing butt like Twinkletoes Graham. It's a nice course.
He's then expected to meet with OMG PUTIN in Helsinki for a highly anticipated summit in which they'll discuss how best to steal the 2020 election while kicking dogs and slapping babies.
I'm kidding, people. I already told you, PDT wants Putin to cut defense ties with Iran and will use energy as a means of getting there.
In the meantime, a prediction of mine came true today in the form of British PM Theresa May deciding that PDT might be a good guy to have on her side right now, with Brexit going down the tubes along with her approval ratings.
She released a statement today talking about how pleased she was that PDT and Putin were meeting on Monday because it's "necessary if we're ever to have a chance of peace."
The London trip will be interesting but it's all just details until the big Vlad Summit.
I'll be here to provide play-by-play like no other.
Trumpers have been waiting forever for DC to do something about the terrorist organization known as Antifa. We now have at least one guy on Capitol Hill trying to make something happen.
The "Unmasking Antifa Act," introduced by Rep. Dan Donovan of New York, would impose harsh penalties on anyone who "injures, oppresses, threatens, or intimidates any person" while wearing a mask or disguise. The legislation, which could send people to prison for up to 15 years, Jack, mirrors controversial state laws originally designed at cracking down on the Ku Klux Klan.
The so-called antifa movement, or anti-fascist movement, originated from resistance to European fascism in the run-up to World War II and supposedly refers to leftist activists opposed to the far-right, racism, and capitalism. Adherents might work with local anti-fascist organizations, but the movement is otherwise autonomous.
The group itself is nothing new, to be sure, but the Trump election victory transformed them from benign, maladorous hippies into rabid fascists — yes, fascists — who seek to silence opposing political views at all costs.
That's what fascism is, people. It seeks to destroy dissent in create uniformity by any means necessary. Orwell could not have written this any better.
UNCONSTITUTIONAL BILL?
Some critics, coochie cappers to be precise, feel that the bill may be unconstitutional because it targets a particular group. However, their legal standing is shaky at best.
Constitutional challenges to state anti-masking laws have previously proven difficult. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor previously heard a KKK challenge on a New York anti-masking law when she was a circuit court judge. Sotomayor's opinion "said the anti-masking law didn't interfere with their expression because they could express their affinity for the KKK through other means like their robes and their signs."
The bill would be unconstitutional if it targeted Antifa for their political views, but it doesn't. It targets their tactics and can be applied to anyone, not just Antifa. Lots of bills mention the names of groups or people. Many are even dedicated to particular groups or people. So long as their consitutional rights aren't being violated, it's all kosher.
BIG PICTURE:
This should have been at the president's desk before the end of the 2016 election, not that it would have been signed, as we'd be silly to expect Obama to come down hard on his own brownshirts.
It's better late than never, though, and though the cynical side of me assumes this to be a way for Donovan to get into the papers before the midterms, I'll take cynical political motives over inaction.
Will it pass? If we had competent politicians on our side, it absolutely could. Antifa have given us a treasure trove of footage and statements that could make for a very effective PR campaign and put red state Dems in a very difficult position.
But this is the GOP, so no, it probably won't happen.
STRZOK DUE ON THE HILL
Lisa Page didn't make it to her testimony today. Let's see how her boyfriend does. Two powerful committees — Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform — will publicly grill Strzok tomorrow.
Strzok, who is under subpoena just like his mistress Lisa Page, has agreed to appear but has criticized House Republicans as having a "disdain for the truth." He has called for lawmakers to release the transcript of an 11-hour interview he gave investigators behind closed doors last month, which I'm certain he wouldn't mind a bit since he hid behind his lawyer for every tough question.
Just to remind you for the millionth time….
Strzok was not a rank and file minion for the Hillzdawg probe, but rather a key investigator in both Clinton email probe and the counterintelligence investigation into the PDT's alleged ties to Russia.
Page, meanwhile, was a close adviser to then-Deputy Director Deep State McCabe, who more or less worked wearing a "Clinton, Inc." name tag.
Also, Inspector General Horowitz recently found that he "could not rule out" bias in Strzok's decision to leave classified emails on Spanky Weiner's laptop while rushing into the phony Trump probe.
Yes, the IG essentially said he thinks he looked the other way so he could target the president.
YOU MAY WANT TO BRING THAT UP TOMORROW, GOP.
But if reports are true, it looks like they may be doing just that.
Following his recent closed-door testimony, Republicans hinted strongly that they had learned unspecified new information that is connected to the FBI's handling of investigations during the 2016 campaign — but provided no evidence or specifics to substantiate their claims.
The GOP members who attended that interview were particularly interested in the timeline of events surrounding the opening of the PutinGate probe, the exact window of time I just mentioned, in which they knew hundreds of thousands of emails had been found on that laptop.
I'm heartened that the GOP are asking the right questions, or at least appear to be.
We'll see how many good ones they ask tomorrow. More importantly, we'll see how many get answered. I'm less than hopeful.
I don't yet have a time for Strzok's testimony tomorrow, but these things tend to begin around 10am EST. I'll be sure to post more exact information as soon as I can.
Time to see how our favorite spook does under the bright lights!
There it is, homeskillet. You know the drill: questions, comments, concerns, memes, insults, compliments, stickers, jokes, emojis and, if we have time, complaints.
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