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You are here: Home / Finanace / Stocks Surge On Heels Of Georgia Runoff; NY Legalization; M&A And Financings Spike
Stocks Surge On Heels Of Georgia Runoff; NY Legalization; M&A And Financings Spike
Cannabis stocks skyrocketed this week, aided by the Democratic victory in the Georgia runoff election.
There was also Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposal for a legal cannabis program across New York State. It would allow adults over the age of 21 to buy marijuana at state-approved dispensaries, generating roughly $300 million in annual tax revenue.
We also learned that the state of Illinois revealed that more than $1 billion worth of cannabis were sold in 2020, with almost $670 million coming from adult-use sales.
Meanwhile, ETFs were all up by double digits. Over the last five trading days:
The ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF (NYSE: MJ): gained almost 17%
The AdvisorShares Pure Cannabis ETF (NYSE: YOLO): was up 15.9%
The Cannabis ETF (NYSE: THCX): rose 20.7%
The Amplify Seymour Cannabis ETF (NYSE: CNBS): advanced 18.1%
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE: SPY) was up 1.82%
Benzinga Cannabis content is now available in Spanish on El Planteo.
Jeff Siegel explained why the psychedelics market is not cannabis 2.0.
We spoke with Aphria (NASDAQ: APHA) CEO Irwin Simon following the Tilray (NASDAQ: TLRY) merger announcement. He walked us through the companies' ambitions in the beverages and international markets, big partnerships, cash flow, and more. Click here for the full interviewe.
Financings And M&A
Canopy Rivers (PINK: CNPOF) sold its 49% common equity interest in Canapar Corp. to RAMM Pharma Corp for consideration of up to $9.0 million.
Cable provider 4Cable TV International Inc. (OTC: CATV) completed the purchase of CBD-focused companies Health Care and Wellness Clinics of America LLC and Corporation Clinic LLC, for $900,000 and $350,000 respectively.
Subversive Capital Acquisition Corp. (OTCQX: SBVCF) has upsized a previously announced private placement. It recently closed the largest cannabis SPAC deal in history, merging with Caliva, Left Coast Ventures and Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter's Roc Nation. The total amounted to $63 million, versus the previously projected $36.5 million.
General Cannabis Corp. (OTCQB: CANN) raised more than $2.9 million in senior convertible promissory notes. The Colorado-based company aims to improve its financial situation, restructure debt, advance operating cash and minimize interest expenses.
Power REIT (AMEX: PW) confirmed the acquisition of two properties in Colorado, obtaining a total of 4.21 acres in Crowley County via PropCo, its wholly-owned subsidiary. Under the $1.84 million deal, Power REIT opted to provide funds for the build-out of a greenhouse and processing facility spanning roughly 21,732 square feet, the company noted.
Zenabis Global Inc. (TSX: ZENA) said it is poised to merge with an undisclosed licensed cannabis producer. The news came on the heels of Sundial Growers Inc.'s (NASDAQ: SNDL) attempts to buy the Vancouver-based company. Last week, it agreed to acquire a special purposed vehicle that owns $58.9 million of senior secured debt of Zenabis Global Inc. Prior to Sundial's move, Zenabis was in talks with a lender to extend the deadline for the repaying of $7 million of the principal amount of debt.
Columbia Care Inc. (OTCQX: CCHWF) acquired another dispensary in San Diego, taking over The Healing Center San Diego (THCSD) in a $15 million deal.
Vireo Health International Inc. (CSE: VREO) (OTCQX: VREOF) bought four medical cannabis licenses in Nevada. The Minneapolis-based company closed the purchase of permits that enable the cultivation and production, and wholesale of medical and adult-use cannabis products in dispensaries across the Silver State.
Columbia Care Inc. (OTCQX: CCHWF) intends to raise CA$130 million ($102.5 million) through a bought deal offering. Under the deal with Canaccord Genuity Corp, the New York-based company agreed to sell a portion of its common shares to a syndicate of underwriters.
Jushi Holdings Inc. (CSE: JUSH) (OTCQB: JUSHF) said it expects revenue for the fourth quarter of 2020 to be between $32 million and $33 million. That's up from previous expectations of about $28 million to $30 million. Boca Raton, Florida-based Jushi also reiterated its 2021 revenue guidance of $205 million to $255 million and 2021 adjusted EBITDA of around $40 to $50 million.
Icanic Brands Company Inc. (CSE: ICAN) (OTCQB: ICNAF) reported its financial results for the quarter ending Oct. 31, revealing revenue of CA$2.65 million ($2.09 million). That's up by 45% from the same period of 2019. The Nevada and California-focused cannabis company also achieved a positive adjusted EBITDA of CA$167,637 compared to a negative adjusted EBITDA of CA$1.5 million in the same quarter of the prior year.
See all on these results at Benzinga Cannabis' Earnings Center.
More News From The Week
Psychedelics biotech company NeonMind debuted on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) Monday under the symbol 'NEON.' The listing comes after the company successfully closed its fully subscribed initial public offering on Dec. 30, for proceeds of about CA$4.6 million ($3.6 million).
Health and wellness CBD company HempFusion Wellness Inc. commenced trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Cannabis retailer Tokyo Smoke will open nine stores across Ontario, Canada. Canopy Growth Corp. (NYSE: CGC) (TSE: WEED)'s retail brand is launching the new brick-and-mortar retail franchised cannabis locations in January.
Wana Brands expanded its footprint into Missouri. Its Wana Mango Sativa, Blueberry Indica and Watermelon Hybrid Sour Gummies are now being produced by Clovr, a Kansas City-based cannabis-infused product manufacturer, under an exclusive licensing agreement and are at medical marijuana dispensaries throughout Missouri.
"Wana and Clovr share a commitment to provide safe, reliable, consistently-dosed cannabis products to Missouri's medical marijuana patients," Wana CEO Nancy Whiteman told Benzinga. "Our gummies offer a range of ratios that allow patients to dial in their needs. In addition, we have continuously refined our premium recipe, which is vegan, gluten-free and all-natural, making our products suitable for diverse patient needs."
The Supreme Cannabis Company Inc. (TSX: FIRE) (OTCQX: SPRWF) made its first shipment of medical cannabis to Australia.
MedMen Enterprises Inc. (CSE: MMEN) (OTCQX: MMNFF) is relaunching MedMen Red across stores in Nevada and California. The brand was initially released back in November 2019. Touted as "quality cannabis at an affordable price," each product is slated to hit shelves after some 14 weeks of activities that include a "meticulous growing process."
Technology solutions and marketing services provider Enlighten launched of a cannabis-specific marketing platform called AdSuite. Ad Suite is a self-service platform that makes obtaining, running, and analyzing marketing campaigns simpler and quicker.
Top Stories Of The Week:
Top Spanish stories:
Lead image by Ilona Szentivanyi. Copyright: Benzinga.


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touched by the lord
Hetero Priests Just As Likely to Molest Kids as Gay Priests!
By Queerty Staff November 18, 2009 at 11:11am · 45 comments
Join us in writing some alternative headlines for this riveting discovery: "A preliminary report commissioned by the nation's Roman Catholic bishops to investigate the clergy sex abuse scandal has found no evidence that gay priests are more likely than heterosexual clergy to molest children, the lead authors of the study said Tuesday. The full report by researchers at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice won't be completed until the end of next year. But the authors said their evidence to date found no data indicating that homosexuality was a predictor of abuse."
→ Turns Out Child Molesting Is Not an Immutable Characteristic
→ Straight Priests Want to Stick Wafers, Etc. In Kids' Mouths, Too
→ Like Helping the Poor, Gay and Straight Priests Want to Touch Everybody
→ Parents: Don't Let Straight Priests Come Near Your Child
→ The Vatican Is Gonna Be Pissed!
Catholic Church Children headlines Kids molestation Religion Sex
Subscribe to Queerty for a daily dose of #catholicchurch #children #headlines stories and more
terrwill
"HOLY shit, we now have to use our hateful hyprotical missives against Hetrosexual marriage now"
November 18, 2009 at 11:11am
Pedophilia is not about homo or hetero. It is about age. The APA have been saying this for decades.
1EqualityUSA
ew. He looks like my alcoholic seventh grade teacher who made us read Rudyard Kipling's, "Kim", a book much esteemed by him, too much so.
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
Pedophiles are by and large heterosexual-identified, even the ones who molest boys including religious leaders.
November 18, 2009 at 1:11pm
Nuke the Vatican, Save the future!
dvlaries
" Shove THIS up your ass, Benny! "
Guess popey-boy won't be waving that report around the Vatican will he?
This would make a nice Christmas card.
From the desk of Barry W. Lynn
forward this message
The 2009 "Values Voter Summit" in Washington D.C. was a battle cry from the Religious Right to its followers across the country. Americans United sent several staffers to sit in on the summit, and they reported that it was clear the speakers' main intention was to spark anger towards the current administration and galvanize activists for a new front in the "culture wars."
The rhetoric was frequently quite extreme. One speaker attacked church-state separation as an idea dreamed up by Hitler. Several called for ending all public support for family planning. Others insisted that Religious Right activists need to "take back" America.
You can give AU the resources we need to stand up to this radical movement, by joining AU's Madison Society monthly giving program or making a one-time donation today.
Workshops at the Values Voter Summit included:
True Tolerance: Countering the Homosexual Agenda in Public Schools
Marriage: Why It's Worth Defending and how Redefining it Threatens Religious Liberty
Obamacare: Rationing Your Life Away
These workshops and numerous others like them were extended attacks on LGBT Americans, public education, secular health care and true religious liberty, and provided training to "values voters" to push for public policy dictated by fundamentalist religion.
The report sent to me by the AU staffers who attended the summit concluded: "In the coming months, we can expect a surge in Religious Right activity as leaders and activists demonize health-care reform in favor of faith-based policies, challenge federal laws that protect citizens from religious discrimination, and preach far and wide for a wave of new activism and plans to reach the next generation." We must do all we can to deflect these attacks on the church-state wall.
Please help equip Americans United for the task, by becoming a monthly donor or making a one-time contribution today!
518 C Street, NE Washington, DC 20002
Bill Perdue
Religion is the enemy. Religion is humankind's greatest tragedy
It's time to tax the cults, secularized their schools, hospitals and universities and close their seminaries.
It's time to create laws and regulations that forbid priests, imams, preachers, rabbis, mullahs or pastors near children without armed guards being present to protect the children.
It's time to arrest der Papenfuehrer, the college of cardinals, bishops and archbishops as accessories to rape and child molestation.
It's time to confiscate all the wealth of the roman cult to compensate their victims.
It's time to get mean.
Vo Dong Cung
One more evidence proves that is not "Pope never wrong"
When I was 12 my minister/Priest had his way with me… I hate them!!!
People, we're talking about an ancient authoritarian group which proclaims the existence of a Great Sky Wizard, which has infinite power and knowledge, but still requires that they relay his demands to the unworthy masses (mostly to avoid seeking knowledge, and to pay tithes to the priests) in the name of some "mysterious plan".
It doesn't suprise me in the least that one of these men could, with fingers still smelling of little boys, check a box on a form declaring he is "straight".
Bill Perdue wrote, "Religion is the enemy. Religion is humankind's greatest tragedy" You mean like Buddhism? Please explain how Buddhism is "humankind's greatest tragedy." That should prove amusing.
As someone who's worked both "in the trenches" of sex crimes, and has conducted research about sex offenders, this is NOT new information. The jury has not only come back in, but has definitely handed down the verdict: male sex offenders tend to identify as heterosexual. Female offenders, while more ambiguous due to a smaller sample size of them available for research, tend to lean that way too.
Again, not at all new to the world(s) that actually deal with these offenders. In fact, I'd say you're about 10-15 yrs behind…
No. 15 · shea wrote, "As someone who's worked both "in the trenches" of sex crimes, and has conducted research about sex offenders, this is NOT new information."
… not quite – they are not talking about the population as a whole but of Catholic clergy, which differs demographically from the external world. A significantly larger fraction of priests are gay than one would expect, for example, because in many cultures that are into Catholicism, men are expected to be married and the only acceptable "out" is to become a priest. It's worth checking to rule out the unlikely possibility that "gay" pedophiles might be significantly more likely to sign up than "straight" pedophiles.
Also, in the past, priests entered a seminary at a young age (early teens) and the sexual repression might have warped them in some way. It might have been harder on gay priests than straight ones given the Catholic Church's institutionalized homophobia, which is another reason to check.
Keith Kimmel
Filed under "Say it ain't so!", "Thank You, Captain Obvious!" and "No Shit, Sherlock!".
Tragically, B is incapable of researching the demented ideas that permeate all cults, including Buddhism.
"Traditionally, Buddhism teaches the existence of the ten realms of being. At the top is Buddha and the scale descends as follows: Bodhisattva (an enlightened being destined to be a Buddha, but purposely remaining on earth to teach others), Pratyeka Buddha (a Buddha for himself), Sravka (direct disciple of Buddha), heavenly beings (superhuman [angels?]), human beings, Asura (fighting spirits), beasts, Preta (hungry ghosts), and depraved men (hellish beings)."
Most gay men who were fascinated by monsters, demons, vampires and other religious figures as children give it up when they reached puberty and began to notice boys. Tragically, B remains fascinated by sky pixies and such.
Traditionally, DNC employees like B and DNC administrators like ordained bigot Leah Daughtry are members of cults.
In No 18, Bill Perdue once again proves his intellectual dishonesty by saying, "Tragically, B is incapable of researching the demented ideas that permeate all cults, including Buddhism."
The facts: In No. 10 Bill Perdue had claimed, "Religion is the enemy. Religion is humankind's greatest tragedy" I pointed to Buddhism as a counterexample, so rather than admit he was wrong,
Perdue simply lied by pretending the discussion was about something else. The facts are the Buddhism, unlike Catholicism, does not have a history of torturing people. Unlike some Christians, Buddhist organizations do not proselytize, nor do they contribute large sums of money to organizations intent on eliminating the civil rights of others.
Now, I might personally think some Buddhist beliefs (e.g. reincarnation) are crazy, but nobody in his right mind would consider Buddhism to be an instance of "mankind's greatest tragedy." Whatever one thinks of Buddhist doctrines, they don't force it on others and don't abuse people with guilt trips, nor do they start religious wars where large numbers of people are killed.
Earth to Perdue: blame the specific sects causing a problem. The ones that "live and let live" are not an issue, so leave
them alone. And above all, try for once not to make yourself
look like a complete ass by lying about what others have said.
Robert, NYC
I'm all for nailing the roman cult out of existence and with Bill on that.
I can imagine the reaction from the Catholic League's arch bigot and president, William Donohue who equates pedophilia with a gay orientation simply because he holds a Ph.D. in sociology and is an authority on the subject. Papa Ratzi is sure going to have a hissy conniption over this one.
And now there's a new website Churchouting.org that will act as a clearinghouse to out closeted gay priests and prelates who oppose marriage equality and other laws affecting LGBT people. I'm all for it. The Rottweiler in the Vatican wants to weed out all perceived gay seminarians so he's going to be pleasantly surprised that the very people he vigorously dehumanizes will be pitching in. One positive nail in the coffin to close down parishes and their schools with fewer and fewer priests to run them. Bring it on!
November 19, 2009 at 9:11am
What a disgusting, insensitive, and counter-productive image you decided to use to highlight this story.
No. 21 · Joe
I thought the boy was hot.
Maybe you should join the priesthood, or the Family Research Council, or the editorial staff of Queerty…all of whom seem to think that the sexualization of children is ok in the gay community.
I think these guys are hot.
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=471428856&albumID=480434&imageID=2057402#a=480434&i=2057203
Joe, I am sure the boi in the picture is over 18… even if only he just turned so yesterday. Its legal. Priests had sex with kids who were like 12. Thats disgusting. Don't compare me to them. I like mine young, but I like them AFTER they have hit puberty.
And while we are on this topic, I think I am gonna stir the pot a little and say I think its perfectly OK to have sex with a 16 yo. The United States has one of the highest ages of consent in the world. The average age of consent is 16 amongst world nations. Its ridiculous. Kids are old enough to get drafted at 17 and go die for their country but not old enough to smoke, drink or fuck. Yeah, right. I call bullshit!
Oh, the 2009 Kentucky Derby Part at Phoenix Rising. Now that was a day to remember. The day I botched the handicap of the Derby and wound up cashing a $300 winner on a $10 ticket that should have been a $1000 ticket but I honestly thought that damn horse had NO chance. It was a hedge bet.
So do I. Considering that I am one of them. And the little plastic penises that Clay and Carl were wearing on the hats were a nice touch. They even lit up!
'nuff said. Keith. You're a NAMBLA guy.
No one said 16 year olds can't have sex. 16 year olds can have sex. It's just prohibited for adults, who have disproportiate power over adolescents, to take advantage of that by having sex with them. The point isn't about prohibiting 16 year olds from doing something, but protecting 16 year olds from adults who might not have their best interests in mind.
it takes someone who can't otherwise get laid to want to have sex with someone without the life experience neccessary to know how to say no.
I find it hypocritical that an adult having sex with a 16 year old is considered illegal even if its mutually consenting, yet a 16 year old straight male or female, even as young as 14 in some states are allowed to marry with parental consent, even to an adult which to me is nothing more than state sanctioned legal ephebophilia. Makes no sense.
LMFAO, and you're an idiot.
And no, I am NOT a "NAMBLA guy". I didn't say I want to have sex with 16 yos, I said there is nothing wrong with it. The age of consent is 18, which is too high. I like mine 19-20, actually.
Hey Joe, have you ever been around a 16 yo kid? Their favorite word is no. No, I wont take out the trash. No, I wont mow the lawn. What makes you think they cant say No, I wont fuck you?
Robert, nothing the religious quacks do makes any sense.
Joe wrote, "The point isn't about prohibiting 16 year olds from doing something, but protecting 16 year olds from adults who might not have their best interests in mind."
While there is more or less a world-wide consensus that children and younger teens should be protected from predatory adults, the "age of consent" is basically a judgment call and reasonable people can disagree on what it should be – children mature at different rates so no specific age is optimal for everyone. In states where the age of consent (which is set on a state-by-state basis in the U.S.) is higher than is typical in most of the world, we should be asking ourselves why it is that our teens learn to fend for themselves slower than their world-wide peers. One plausible reason is that the U.S. is so uptight about sex in general that we do an abysmal job in the sex education department. If so, that is something to fix.
No. 29 · Keith Kimmel wrote, "Hey Joe,… What makes you think they cant say No, I wont fuck you?"
For a typical 16 year old boy, it is because what they'd say won't have the phrase "No, I won't" before the "f___ you". 🙂
Keith: I suspect you've never raised a teenage boy. When a teenager says "no", that's not the end of the story. What follows after that is a repeat of the order, threats of punishment, whining, arguing, probably some shouting, and if the boy still hasn't emptied the trash, he could face any combination of punishments like a swat on the ass, grounding, loss of allowance, etc.
In the case of a boy saying "no" when his stepfather joins him in the shower and orders him to soap up his anus, the boy will get his skull cracked against the tile and be raped anyway, like my friend David was, on a nearly daily basis.
The lowest ages of consent in Europe is in the vatican and Spain. In the Vatican it's 12 (Art. 331) (1) except in dependent relationships (student and teacher) when it's 15 years (Art. 331) (2). That's more important for historical reasons, pointing to the origins of roman cult as one of the many splinter cults of judaism and the old Roman common law where the age of consent was 12.
It's probably moot since no children are citizens of vatican city and 14 year old Medici and Borgia cardinals are less common these days. Most of the child rapists are in parishes all over the world although some rapists and some who are accessories to rape like Boston's cardinal Law were given sanctuary in the vatican.
The 12 year old age of consent in roman law was reiterated in English common law and in the early English North American colonies where it ranged from 10 to 12 at a time when women and children were considered to be chattels of men. It's been going up since the Civil War.
The age of consent in US states is variously 16, 17 and 18. In Europe it seems to be trending down especially in new legal codes in former Soviet bloc states and in central Europe where 15 is common. Many nations set different and higher ages of consent for gays.
B lies about most things, including the fact that he's a paid apologist for Democrats and that all religious groups are based on superstition and ignorance.
Whether or not they're actively anti-GLBT at this or that point in their history is immaterial. Groups based on superstition and ignorance are very dangerous and they are the enemy.
B wants us to believe otherwise. He wants us to believe that there are some good bigots and some bad bigots. Poor, poor B. What will they make you say next? That Obama is not a bigot or that he doesn't pander to bigots… no, he's already said that.
That what he's paid to say over and over.
Nope, I have no kids. Don't want none, either. Yes, I understand the discipline part tho.
What you describe is rape, that's wrong at any age. I am talking about consensual fucking. I'm sorry, 16 is the age I think it ought to be at. 18 is too high and 12 is obviously too fucking low.
Who said t-shirts cant be educational.
http://www.tshirthell.com/shirts/products/a588/a588_bm.gif
"Many nations set different and higher ages of consent for gays."
They are still allowed to do that? I thought SCOTUS put an end to that…
Bill Perdue is a baldfaced liar. If he wants to claim that I'm a
"a paid apologist for Democrats", let's see him produce one shred of proof. You know, something like a pay check. He can't do it, so he just repeats his lies over and over in the hope that people will be stupid enough to believe him.
As to "all religious groups are based on superstition and ignorance" and "Groups based on superstition and ignorance are very dangerous and they are the enemy," Perdue is merely showing signs of paranoia. Buddhists and Taoists, for example, are not "the enemy": they do not promote hatred of LGBT people. It's also rather silly to rant about "superstition and ignorance" just because people living over 2000 years ago don't know what we know today – you can say the same things about Aristotle and Plato.
No. 35 · Keith Kimmel wrote, "'Many nations set different and higher ages of consent for gays.' They are still allowed to do that? I thought SCOTUS put an end to that…"
That's a joke, right? All of us should know that the U.S. Supreme Court's decisions apply only to the U.S., not other countries.
No. 36 · B – No, B, you prove you're not.
I mis-read that. I thought it said states, not nations. It used to be the practice of many states to have higher age of consents for homos.
http://www.ageofconsent.us/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/12483-age-consensual-sex/
No. 38, Bill Perdue wrote, "No. 36 · B – No, B, you prove you're not." … so Bill Perdue thinks it is OK for him to make up lies and that others are expected to spend a huge amount of effort trying to disprove those lies. Those are the tactics of someone with no integrity.
"B" Stupid
Please tell me I'm very smart for cutting and pasting wikipedia articles – someone, anyone? I want people to think I'm smart.
In No. 41, some random person wrote, "Please tell me I'm very smart for cutting and pasting wikipedia articles – someone, anyone? I want people to think I'm smart."
A comment obviously written by someone who doesn't like to see citations to articles that show a claim he made was completely bogus. I wonder if the author is in fact Bill Perdue, who does have a very dull ax to grind, and a track record of dishonesty.
B, I don't think you are "stupid". You put a great deal of thought into your posts and they are not boring. Forget about post #41, it means nothing. We all reference sources.
noclosets
Was the issue really about sex at all, I thought it was about marriage of the same sex. Oh well, and even though the vatican or however misspelled , will really be pissed off, it serves them right since they probably enjoy being pissed on too.
No. 42 · B is getting a little paranoid. It comes with the job. It's stupid to think that you can get away with writing nothing but excuses for bigots like Obama. People notice – lots of them and you get a rep.
Sleep tight.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Tammy M. Clegg: Visitation, 1 p.m. until time of celebration of life service, 3 p.m. Saturday, Fletcher Funeral & Cremation Services, 254 E. Main St., Westminster.
Janice M. Cole: Graveside service, 11 a.m. Saturday, Chapel at Evergreen Memorial Gardens, 2800 Old Westminster Pike, Finksburg.
Gunay Esendal: Graveside service, noon today, Lakeview Memorial Park, 2724 Liberty Road, Sykesville.
Gloria A. Ewing: Service, 11 a.m. today, Burrier-Queen Funeral Home & Crematory, 1212 W. Old Liberty Road, Winfield.
Marion Schaffer Frock: Visitation, 9 a.m. until time of service, 10 a.m. today, Eckhardt Funeral Chapel, 3296 Charmil Drive, Manchester.
Mildred M. Geiman: Visitation, 10 a.m. until time of celebration of life service, 11 a.m. today, St. David's Lutheran Church, 1032 Musselman Road, Hanover, Pennsylvania.
James R. "Jimmy" Jones: Visitation, 6-8 p.m. today, Myers-Durboraw Funeral Home, 210 W. Main St., Emmitsburg. Visitation, 10 a.m. until time of Mass of Christian burial, 11 a.m. Saturday, St. Joseph Catholic Church, 5055 Grandview Road, Hanover, Pennsylvania.
Thomas E. Kohler: Celebration of life service, 1 p.m. Saturday, Lake Meade Community Center Building, East Berlin, Pennsylvania.
Linda R. Lister: Memorial service, 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Church of the Open Door, 550 Baltimore Blvd., Westminster.
Nancy A. Neveker: Memorial service, 11 a.m. Saturday, Haight Funeral Home & Chapel, 6416 Sykesville Road, Sykesville.
Betty J. Noll: Memorial service, 2 p.m. Sunday, Krug Chapel at Carroll Lutheran Village, 300 St. Luke Circle, Westminster.
Richard I. "Rick" Robinson Jr.: Celebration of life, 2 p.m. today, LifePoint Church, 1701 Emory Road, Reisterstown.
Theresa A. "Tessie" Scheppske: Visitation, 3-5 and 7-9 p.m. today, Pritts Funeral Home and Chapel, 412 Washington Road, Westminster. Mass of Christian burial, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, St. John Catholic Church, 43 Monroe St., Westminster.
Janet A. Smith: Service, 11 a.m. today, Myers-Durboraw Funeral Home, 136 E. Baltimore St., Taneytown.
Dale L. Vicarini: Visitation, 10 a.m. until time of service, 11 a.m. today, Myers-Durboraw Funeral Home, 91 Willis St., Westminster.
Earl R. Wilder: Memorial service, 2 p.m. Saturday, Friendship Baptist Church, 1391 Sykesville Road, Sykesville.


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Celebrating The MLK Holiday With Socially Conscious Songs, Gospel And Dorinda Clark-Cole
By Carla Eckels • Jan 13, 2021
Credit Greater Wichita Ministerial League
It's an hour of socially conscious songs and gospel as we celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Hear new music from Jarod Lawson and classics from Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and Donny Hathaway. Plus, this week's DoubleTake features the 1976 gem "Harvest for the World" by The Isley Brothers and a version by Vanessa Williams.
We'll also talk with singer and evangelist Dr. Dorinda Clark-Cole, one of the legendary members of The Clark Sisters. Clark-Cole is the featured speaker at the Greater Wichita Ministerial League's virtual MLK program, which will be streamed live on Facebook at noon on Monday, January 18. She shares what she hopes viewers take away from her speech, and teases the possibility of hearing engaging sounds by The Clark Sisters.
MLK Day Celebrations Move Online For 2021
By Hugo Phan • Jan 15, 2021
While we're currently in the midst of a pandemic, a few Martin Luther King Jr. Day event organizers will celebrate the life of the civil rights leader through virtual events this year.


A farm sanctuary is a farm whose sole purpose is to save animals from farm factories and slaughter. The Farm Sanctuary in upstate New York was started in 1986. In this cookbook, one of the proprietors has gathered vegan recipes inspired by farm life. Think down-home cooking that is cruelty-free.
As a country girl, I was delighted to find a down-home cookbook free of animal products. Everything about the cookbook hearkens back to classic American cookbooks from the layout to the simple black and white pictures at the beginning of each section to the layout of each of the recipes themselves to the sayings peppered throughout the book. (The sayings are veganized versions of classic American ones).
The cookbook starts with an intro to the Farm Sanctuary, followed by a very personal explanation for her veganism by Stepaniak. This is followed by the more scientific explanations for eating vegan and how to do it properly. Substitutes and special ingredients are explained, and the intro is rounded out by a sample weekly menu.
The recipes themselves are divided into: tips and tails (hints and basics), beverages, breakfasts and breads, uncheeses butters and spreads, hearty soups and stews, salads and dressings, sandwiches, the main dish, sauces gravies and condiments, and happy endings (desserts). Each section starts with a photo of one of the rescue animals and their story. It's a sweet, light-handed approach to veganism that I appreciate.
So what about the recipes? They are definitely geared toward beginner plant-based cooks with a desire to replace their animal-based recipes with similar tasting ones. There's a plethora of traditional American recipes with the animal products simply switched out. As a long-time vegetarian, I found this focus not quite my style, but I can see it being enjoyed by newbies or when hosting omni friends and family or to find that one thing you still really miss like bacon or meatloaf. Personally, I found the dairy substitutes far more useful and interesting, since these can be expensive to buy, but are far healthier for you then the dairy norm.
I was able to find quite a few recipes of interest to me that I copied out. So far I've only been able to try one, but it was amazing! I tried Chuckwagon Stew on page 89. Seeking to replicate a hearty, country stew without the meat, the stew is built around tempeh. The ingredients were easy to find (I got everything at Trader Joe's), cheap, and the recipe was a quick one to make. I fully admit I inhaled half of it that very evening. I am eager to try the rest of the recipes, particularly the Crock Cheeze on page 74 and the Seitan Salami/Pepperoni on page 40.
Overall, this is a country style, omni-friendly vegan cookbook that lets the animals and recipes shine for themselves. The recipes predominantly use grocery store ingredients, the exceptions being vital wheat gluten and nutritional yeast, which are easily ordered via Amazon. They are also simple enough that any moderately skilled cook should be able to follow them with ease. I highly recommend it to omnis and veg*ns alike, as the recipes are happy, healthy, and friendly. Personally, this is definitely going on my to own wishlist.
Note that the second edition has a different subtitle and more recipes.
An interesting book for me to find and try.
I have been meaning to say for a couple of months just how impressed I am by you! Your involvement and enthusiasm in your new profession and going to the conference and being exicted by it. And your novel! And still finding time to read and blog and eat well and go to the gym! Good for you!
And thank you!!! Your kind words mean a lot to me. I do work hard, and it's nice that someone noticed.


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FST Stage Directions
Breaking the Fourth Wall…
FST Playwright Collective
Visit Joe Whitefeather (and bring the family!)
The '70s: More Than A Decade
A Place in the Sun: A Tribute to Stevie Wonder
Reel Music
Children's Theatre
Notes from the Producing Artistic Director
Past Shows & Programs
New York State of Mind: All the Hits of Billy Joel With The Uptown Boys
The Jersey Tenors: Part II
Rock & Roll Reignited With Not Fade Away
Maytag Virgin
Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash
Laughing Matters (Variant 6)
Friends In Low Places
The Play That Goes Wrong
America In One Room
Jukebox Saturday Night with The Swingaroos
Shades of Bublé: A Three-Man Tribute to Michael Bublé
Great Balls of Fire
Rounding Third
My Lord, What A Night
Sophie Tucker: The Last of the Red Mamas
Vintage POP!
Three Pianos
The Playwrights Project
Faces of FST
That's Amoré!
Outlaws and Angels
The Nether
The Marvelous Wonderettes
Ethel Waters: His Eye is on the Sparrow
Come Together: When the 60s Met the 70s
The Swingaroos: Hollywood Serenade
Who Loves You
A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Unchained Melodies
Guitar Girls
Hand to God
Cherry Docs
Buyer & Cellar
Am I Blue? The Ethel Waters Story
By Michael Nichols and Becca Jennings
Blues music bubbled up from the American South in the 1870s, carrying the voices of former slaves and freed men to the swanky nightclubs of the North and Midwest in the early 20th century. Blues' distinct sound and its emotional weight became the lifeblood of many African American singers and musicians. Actress and singer Ethel Waters was one of them. It was this music that launched Waters' career in the 1920s, transporting her from a life of poverty to Broadway and silver screen stardom.
Ethel Waters: His Eye is on the Sparrow by Larry Parr tells the true, heartfelt, and commanding story of Waters' musical and personal journey.
"In high school, I read Ethel Waters' autobiography," shared Parr. "The book was a revelation to me, because it was before the Civil Rights Movement and I was very ignorant about what went on in the real world. I carried the book around in my heart for decades."
It was this book that would later inspire Parr to author a play paying tribute to Waters' incredible career.
Jannie Jones in FST's World Premiere production of Ethel Waters. Photo by Forrest MacDonald.
Florida Studio Theatre played a key role in helping Parr advance this play from concept into its final form and spotlight. It was FST's own Producing Artistic Director, Richard Hopkins, who called Parr in 2003, encouraging him to write that play about the life and music of Ethel Waters. Parr accepted Hopkins' challenge.
"I read everything I could about Ethel and talked to people who knew her," said Parr. "Every day, I listened to her music and thought, 'Now, what songs will help me tell this part of her life?'"
Once the play was drafted, FST stepped in to support Parr again, holding near weekly readings of the play in an intense development process, until the musical arrived at completion.
Then, in 2005, FST produced the World Premiere of the production starring FST favorite Jannie Jones as Ethel Waters. Called "Soul-stirring" by Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and "Remarkable" by Pelican Press, the production was a hit with FST audiences.
Now, fourteen years later, Jones will return to the emotionally-charged role in this summer's production.
"She is a towering talent who grabs theatergoers' hearts and doesn't let go," said Parr of Jones. "She loves the story of Ethel Waters and is always anxious to perform this play. I am so grateful to have someone of her stature in my corner."
"We have had a long relationship with both Parr and Jones," said Hopkins. "It is only fitting that the revival will be directed by another FST favorite, Kate Alexander."
Director Kate Alexander hopes the audiences will feel the heart of the play, learning more about the life of Ethel Waters and her impact.
"Witnessing Waters' journey as she overcomes hardships, poverty, and a deeply racist culture to reach the pinnacle of American stardom is inspiring," said Alexander. "Every step of the way, music is her guide. This is a deep hero's journey in which the odds are formidable, and Ethel Waters is a true heroine."
Ethel Waters: His Eye is on the Sparrow begins in FST's Keating Theatre on June 28. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here or call 941-366-9000.
floridastudiotheatre June 6, 2019 October 11, 2019
Previous Previous post: The Man Behind the Musical
Next Next post: A Play's Journey: The Beginnings of the Ethel Waters Story
Artist Spotlight: Meet the Choreographer behind "The Legend of Georgia McBride"
Jim Prosser's 30th Year With FST!
A Note from "Ring of Fire" Director, Ben Hope
Artist Spotlight: Meet The Wanderers' Travis Keith Battle
A Welcome Return with Michael Maricondi
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Alert: James Clapper DOES IT – White House SHELLSHOCKED
Former National Intelligence Director James Clapper just did it on national television. The White House is shellshocked by this news, but Clapper has more to worry about now.
Appearing on CNN, the anti-Trump bureaucrat said "it's really regrettable" that President Trump and his supporters are pushing for the whistleblower's "unmasking, which I think is a breach of faith and trust."
He went on to say how this "will have a chilling effect, clearly, on others who observe wrongdoing," but there's at least one problem here: The whistleblower reportedly did not have firsthand knowledge of the Trump-Ukraine phone call.
Furthermore, the reason why Trump and others have called for the whistleblower to be revealed is to hold Democrats accountable. There is already evidence to suggest that this was yet another setup.
According to a report by investigative journalist Paul Sperry on federal court documents, CIA officer Eric Ciaramella, the alleged whistleblower, is "a registered Democrat held over from the Obama White House."
Sperry also noted that Ciaramella "worked with former Vice President Joe Biden and former CIA Director John Brennan," two major Trump critics. It should come as no surprise, then, that Trump and Republicans want to explore further.
Schiff lashes out as impeachment trial begins
Former State Attorney General Delivers Bad News To Adam Schiff
BREAKING: Trump Lawyer Comes Forward – Pelosi Is FUMING
BREAKING: Jesse Watters Stuns White House – Trump Is…
JUST IN: Photo Evidence REVEALED – Sex Scandal Rocks The Nation
"A free people [claim] their rights, as derived from the laws of nature." — Thomas Jefferson
© 2015-2020 Conservative Institute. All Rights Reserved.


Eurobrands Distributor, Inc. (EDI) is the official importer and distributor of the Peugeot brand in the Philippines. As a full-service automotive distributor, EDI is committed to providing the Filipino car buying public with the complete automotive ownership experience deserving of a respected automotive brand with a 200-year heritage. As such, apart from bringing in a diverse line-up of quality vehicles, the company is also committed to building an entire workforce devoted to provide quality service and parts availability, a competent dealership network, marketing and communications efforts as well as customer satisfaction strategies and corporate social responsibility initiatives.


Background: Non-diagnosed depression might postpone the physical healing of patients and negatively affects prognosis. The rate of major depressive disorder among patients of general practitioners in the United States reaches 10 percent and among patients admitted to the inner wards reaches 15 percent.
Patients and Methods: A cross sectional study on physician of two hospitals was performed. A questioner was designed to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice of non-psychiatrist physicians towards depression treatment.
Results: Non-Physiatrist physicians' score in knowledge and attitude was 6.7 and 103.75, respectively. Gender and the area of specialization of the physicians had no significant effect on their knowledge, attitude and medical treatment methods applied by them.
Conclusions: The study highlights a low level of knowledge of physicians about depression. Further studies are paramount to assess the efficacy of interventions applied to improve current situation.
Depression is a mood disorder manifested by depressed mood, pessimism, anhedonia, low energy, psychomotor retardation, and low self-esteem (1). Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder and is associated with a number of physical illnesses (2). Unipolar depression was the fourth leading cause of disability in the world in 1990; moreover, it is predicted that it will have been the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular disorders in 2020 (3). Depression is common among the patients seeking treatment from medical practitioners with different specialties, clinics, hospitals, and primary care centers; meanwhile it often goes undiagnosed especially when co-existing physical disease is the main complaint. Un-diagnosed depression can also prolong the recovery from physical illness and worsen the prognosis. Therefore, all physicians should be able to diagnose and treat its mild forms (2).
Recent surveys show that 20% of Iran's population suffers from one psychiatric disorder in which depression and anxiety have a higher prevalence.
Stigmatization is a major issue associated with psychiatric diseases in Iran. Physicians should give sufficient information about the nature, diagnosis, and treatment of this disorder to the patients as well as their caretakers to prevent the possible issue of stigmatization (4-6).
Depression is usually treated medically; meanwhile evidence shows that depression is undertreated in the primary care centers. On the other hand, it is shown that if depression is treated optimally in the primary care centers, the prognosis and treatment outcome will be much more effective. Psychotherapy methods such as problem solving are also useful for mild to moderate depression. If the patient prefers this method, it can be an appropriate surrogate for medical treatment (2). Depression constitutes 10% of office-practice patients in the United States; besides, 15% of medical ward's patients (hospitalized cases) also have depression (4).
This study was designed to investigate the knowledge and attitude of non-psychiatrist physicians about treatment of depressed patients, in Bou-Ali and Amir-Almomenin hospitals in Tehran.
A cross-sectional study was made of all physicians practicing at Bou-Ali and Amir-Almomenin hospitals (training hospitals of Islamic Azad University). A questionnaire was developed based on the relevant references. The questionnaire consists of four sections: 1) Demographic data consisting of age, gender, and years of experience as their medical practice (following graduation from medical school), and their specialty area. 2) Questions about their knowledge 3) Questions about their attitude 4) Questions in regard to their therapeutic approach. Physicians were asked to fill the forms after given appropriate time (15 minutes).
20 voluntary physicians filled the questionnaire with 2 weeks interval to assess its reliability. Interclass coefficient of the questions ranged from 0.81 to 0.87 with a median of 0.84. Content validity of the questionnaire was evaluated by some three faculty members of the psychiatry department. The figure for Cornbach's alpha of the questionnaire was 0.77. For the calculation of Knowledge score, a score of 1 is given to each "yes" response and 0 to the "no" ones. In terms of attitude, scores of 5, 10, 15, and 20 were given to the "strongly agree", "agree", "disagree", and "strongly disagree" responses, respectively.
Descriptive statistics was used to run the data. Interclass coefficient and Cronbach's alpha of the questionnaire were measured to assess reliability and validity. Chi square test was used for compassion among groups. Analysis was performed using SPSS software. At the P < .05 level of significance, the result was accepted.
Forty-four questionnaires were filled by physicians. Fifty-one percent of physicians were male. Forty-seven percent were in surgical specialties (Obstetrics/gynecology, general surgery, neurosurgery, otolaryngology, ophthalmology, and urology), 52.3% were in medical specialties (Internal medicine, pediatrics, neurology, cardiology, radiotherapy-oncology, radiology, dermatology, and general practitioner.
Answers to the questions on knowledge of the physicians are summarized in Table 1. Physicians' knowledge score about the treatment of depression was 6.7 ± 0.95. Physicians' attitudes towards depression are shown in Table 2. Score of attitude of the physicians about depression was 103.75 ± 1.5.
No significant difference was observed in total knowledge score of physicians in different specialties (P < 0.05) .There is no significant difference between male and female physicians considering the knowledge, attitude, of therapeutic approach (P < 0.5).
This study shows that non-psychiatrist physicians show a moderate knowledge, attitude, towards treatment of depression. Similarly, a study in Zahedan showed that knowledge of general physicians about the efficacy and prescribing new drugs have been relatively low.
In a study performed in Taiwan, only one-third of physicians believed in solely medical management; however, 70% of our physicians believe in solely pharmacotherapy. This implies that non-psychiatric physicians generally do not believe or are not aware of these treatment modalities. It seems that non- psychiatric physicians consider depression similar to that of physical illness, and they treat it with the similar therapeutic approach. This is further highlighted by relatively poor performance in questions regarding psychotherapy (3-8).
In another study, only 50% of physicians were confident about their diagnosis of depression; on the contrary, in the findings of our study where 11% of physicians were confident about their diagnosis of depression, approximately 61% had low confidence about their diagnosis and 27% could not diagnose the depressed patients (3, 4). It seems that, in comparison with the research performed in Taiwan, our physicians are less confident in diagnose and treatment of depression. Comparing the study in Taiwan mentioned above, our physicians had better knowledge about the pharmacotherapy of depression (65% versus 50%). Physicians in our study were not very knowledgeable about specific indications of these drugs as jugged by lack of knowledge about the similar activities of anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medications, as well as the time needed for them to have effect. Therefore, it is suggested to run re-educational programs regarding diagnosis of depression and the need for psychiatric consultation (3-5). We did not find a significant relation between therapeutic approach and the level of knowledge. This implies that probably our non-psychiatrists will treat patients without proper insight, which is of concern and should be further evaluated.
It is noteworthy that a large number of physicians studied did not correctly answer the pharmacology questions, 63% of them wrongly answered the question on the "time to take effect" of antidepressants. Meanwhile, 65% of the subjects identified MAOIs as the medication with highest complication rate.
Physicians of medical specialties, surgical specialties, and general practitioners were not significantly different considering the attitude, knowledge and approaches, which is in line with the fact that these groups had comparable education areas about depression in their medical trainings and also continues medical education programs following graduation. In this study, 72% believe they are not capable of managing depression in their patients, also 90% of respondents reported that they would ultimately refer the depressed patients to a psychiatrist. In a dissertation written in Zahedan, general practitioners used the referral system less frequently comparing to that of the study we have made (3, 8).
Physicians had little information regarding psychotherapy and the time that it needs to take effect, which is similar to other reports. Therefore, we suggest better discipline in this regard.
Maybe this problem is rooted in the fact that in our country depression is not yet considered as a serious health problem and non-psychiatrist physicians with variable level of knowledge treat patient in various approaches. This may lead to confusion and complications for the patient.
In conclusion, this study highlights the low level of knowledge of physicians about depression. Further studies are of paramount importance to assess the efficacy of interventions applied to improve current situation.
We express our gratitude for the physicians of Bou-Ali and Amir-Almomenin hospitals for their kind cooperation.
Implication for health policy/practice/research/medical education: This article is recommended for general practitioners and those who are involved in strategic planning for depression.


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Understanding the Log4j Vulnerability that Lasted for Years
On December 9, 2021, reports surfaced about a new zero-day vulnerability in popular Java logging framework, Log4j, termed Log4Shell. It was first identified as impacting servers used to host the popular game Minecraft, but its potential impact reaches far beyond that. Here's what you need to know about Log4j, the Log4Shell exploit, and considerations for similar zero-day exploits.
FTC Warning
A January 4, 2022 bulletin by the FTC warns organizations of legal action if they do not fix
the Log4j vulnerability. "The duty to take reasonable steps to mitigate known software vulnerabilities implicates laws including, among others, the Federal Trade Commission Act and the Gramm Leach Bliley Act. It is critical that companies and their vendors relying on Log4j act now, in order to reduce the likelihood of harm to consumers, an to avoid FTC Legal action." (link to bulletin)
What is Log4j?
Log4j is a Java-based logging utility written by Apache Software Foundation. The initial release was 21 years ago in 2001 and it has been updated numerous times over the years. As the name suggests, Log4j is used by developers to keep track of what happens in their software applications or online services within application logs. Because Log4j is a universal code module for application logging in Apache, the most widely used web server software, Log4j is literally found in millions of servers across the world.
Log4Shell Vulnerability
Log4Shell (CVE-2021-44228) was a zero-day vulnerability identified in Log4j. Despite being used by millions of companies, the vulnerability existed unnoticed since 2013 until it was discovered and privately disclosed to Apache on November 24, 2021 by a member of Alibaba Cloud's security team. The flaw was publicly disclosed on December 9, 2021. Apache gave Log4Shell a CVSS severity rating of 10, the highest available score.
The vulnerability takes advantage of Log4j's ability to allow requests to arbitrary servers, permitting attackers to execute arbitrary Java code on a server or other computer, or to leak sensitive information. Affected commercial services include Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare, iCloud, Minecraft: Java Edition, Steam, and Tencent QQ.
According to the security company Wiz, the vulnerability affected 93% of enterprise cloud environments and in the first five days alone, hackers launched more than 1.2 million attacks on companies globally. It has been described as the 'most serious' security breach ever by The Washington Post and "by far the single biggest, most critical vulnerability ever" by Venable.
Fortunately, the fix to the originally identified vulnerability was fairly simple and Apache released a new version of Log4j (2.15.0) even before publicly disclosing the flaw, which many companies were able to apply before attackers could exploit the vulnerability in their environments. However, not all companies acted swiftly enough to update to the new version before they were attacked, so companies such as ONUS experienced attacks because of the Log4j vulnerability, even though they applied the patch within four days of the vulnerability being publicized. Apache ultimately released three additional versions in December (2.16.0, 2.17.0 and 2.17.1) to address other identified security vulnerabilities in Log4j, so the battle continues between hackers and organizations.
Addressing Zero-Day Vulnerabilities Like Log4j
When zero-day vulnerabilities are identified, the race is on for software developers to address the vulnerability and issue a software patch before that vulnerability becomes known to cyber attackers. Even if the software developers issue the software patch first, they can only do everything they can to notify their customers. The application of the software patch, in many cases, must be performed by the customer itself. Prompt application of software patches to address Log4j vulnerabilities saved many – but not all – companies from cyber-attacks resulting from the vulnerability. The National Vulnerability Database (NVD) hosted by NIST includes databases of security checklist references, security-related software flaws, misconfigurations, product names, and impact metrics, including Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) score to indicate the severity of the vulnerability.
It's important to apply security patches as soon as possible to exercise your duty of care in minimizing risk. Hackers don't give you a grace period! Organizations should also be prepared for incidents like zero days and their IR plan and tabletop exercises should include this type of scenario. Creating a Zero day run book and running through a drill will ensure that the team is prepared.
Strong Patch Management Program
Prioritize systems
Identify sources for patch and vulnerability information
Monitor for patch releases
Assignments to personnel
Review, Test, Approve, Deploy, Validate
Incident Response Readiness
Incident Response Plan (IRP)
Tabletop exercises
Technology review for monitoring, alerting, and logging effectively SIEM, EDR, MDR, IPS, Log aggregation, Threat monitoring
Segregation of backups
Up to date DR/BCP (Data Recovery/Business Continuation) plan
Commonality of attack
HALOCK Breach Bulletins
Recent data breaches to understand common threats and attacks that may impact you – featuring description, indicators of compromise (IoC), containment, and prevention.
Categories: HALOCK Breach Bulletin


Millions of rural residents receive almost 50% less funding for their public services compared to their neighbours in England's largest cities, leading to calls for an end to the 'postcode lottery' of government funding and for a 'new deal' for county areas.
Collectively, England's 37 county areas, received £3.2bn less than the English average (including London and towns and cities outside rural areas) this year, new statistics reveal.
This means that on average, county councils received £650 per person for public services in 2017/18, such as adult social care, buses, libraries, bin collections, pothole repairs, and children's social services. In contrast, a city or metropolitan borough resident receives £825 for their services, whilst those in inner London enjoy £1,190 per person.
Leaders of England's largest rural councils are gathering this week at the County Councils Network Annual Conference, where they will tell government ministers in attendance that they need a new deal for their rural areas and communities otherwise frontline public services will have to be cut.
This is because county authorities face a funding black hole of £2.54bn by 2021, due to austerity and these funding inequalities between rural and urban areas.
"Our services are threatened and under pressure like never before. Unless these inequalities are addressed, many of the highly valued services to our public will diminish or disappear.
"For too long now, the 26 million people in England's shire counties have not received a fair share of national resources.
"This means our Shire heartlands are receiving an eye-watering £3.2bn less than other parts of the country for services.
He will warn the gathering of predominately Conservative councillors, that there are growing concerns that the government's review of local government finance will not resolve historical inequalities, and 'fudge' the issue, a situation he argues, will not be tolerated by county MPs.
With county leaders having little choice but to raise council tax to make sure the shortfall, they warn that their residents are unfairly subsidising the services enjoyed in other parts of the country.
The average county council tax bills is now £1,661; whilst councils such as Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea have been in a position to freeze their bills, last year offering residents in multi-million pound homes rates as low as £669 and £1,059 for average Band D properties.


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What Happened at the Horrifying Whitman Massacre in Walla Walla?
The Whitman Massacre took place on November 29th, 1847.
The killings of Marcus Whitman, his wife, and eleven others is also referred to as the Tragedy at Waiilatpu by the National Park Service. The attack lasted several days, with most of the killings taking place on the first day.
What led up to the attack on the Whitman's?
In 1836 Marcus Whitman M.D. and his wife Narcissa Prentiss Whitman started a Protestant mission on Cayuse land near the Walla Walla River at Waiilatpu. The Cayuses and Whitmans were cordial at one time. Tribal members celebrated the birth of the Whitman's daughter, Alice Clarissa in 1837. In 1839, Alice Clarissa drowned.
Whitman turned away from helping the tribe to supporting white settlers.
The Cayuse watched as thousands of settlers traveled through their country using up firewood, killing game without permission, and adding outbuildings to the mission. The Cayuses wanted the Whitmans and settlers to leave.
An epidemic of measles broke out in the community.
Nearly half of the Indian population living near the Whitman Mission died. More than a dozen white people became ill. Only one died. Marcus Whitman was called to treat the wife of a Cayuse head chief. The chief told Whitman he would kill him if his wife died. She survived, but others didn't.
The attack on Whitman Mission occurred on November 29th, 1847.
A group of Cayuses armed with clubs tomahawks, and guns pushed their way into the Mission. Marcus Whitman was attacked with a tomahawk plunged into the back of his head. By nightfall, 9 people were dead, including the Whitmans. Narcissa was shot.
You can read in detail about the Whitman Massacre here.
How Many in America: From Guns to Ghost Towns
Can you take a guess as to how many public schools are in the U.S.? Do you have any clue as to how many billionaires might be residing there? Read on to find out—and learn a thing or two about each of these selection's cultural significance and legacy along the way.
Historic cities: 10 metros with the oldest homes
New Jersey Real Estate Network collected U.S. Census Bureau data to understand which metro regions have the most old homes, which include houses built in 1949 or earlier.
LOOK: What 25 Historic Battlefields Look Like Today
The following is an examination of what became of the sites where America waged its most important and often most brutal campaigns of war. Using a variety of sources, Stacker selected 25 historically significant battlefields in American history. For each one, Stacker investigated what happened there when the battles raged as well as what became of those hallowed grounds when the fighting stopped.
These are the battlefields that defined the United States military's journey from upstart Colonial rebels to an invincible global war machine.
FAFAAWFF 2Pack Dog Whistle, Dog Whistle to Stop Barking Neighbors Dog, Adjustable Ultrasonic Silent Dog Whistle, Professional Recall Dog Training Whistles, with Lanyard
EBYTOP Old Lady Costume for Kids 100th Day of School Costume Wig 100 Year Granny Glasses Grandma Little Old Women Cane Accessories,8-10 Years


Caroline Link 's career as a director began with immediate success both at the national and international level when her first feature film BEYOND SILENCE (1996) was nominated for an Academy Award® as Best Foreign Language Film in 1997. After completing her second feature film, ANNALUISE AND ANTON (1999), a children's movie based on the Erich Kästner novel of the same name, she directed NOWHERE IN AFRICA (2001), which won the Academy Award® for Best Foreign Language Film in 2003. In 2013, she directed EXIT MARRAKECH, which premiered as a Special Presentation at the Toronto IFF and won the Gryphon Award for Best Film at the Giffoni IFF. ALL ABOUT ME (2018) is Caroline Link's latest feature film as a director.


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Wilbert Lek new managing director Rotterdam Partners
On 1 November, Wilbert Lek will become the new managing director of Rotterdam Partners. Lek has been International Trade & Investment manager at Rotterdam Partners since September 2018.
Wilbert Lek (49) has extensive (international) experience in marketing and sales. For example, he was involved in setting up NL International Business (instigated by VNO-NCW and MKB Nederland) in 2017, as one of the initiatives aimed at strengthening public-private partnership in international trade facilitation. Prior to that, he spent several years working in China and Thailand. In China, he was the General Manager of Bank of Beijing. Lek started his career at ING where he was also Head of Marketing (SME and Business Banking) at ING Nederland. He studied Business Economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Jacob van der Goot, president of the Supervisory Board: "We are delighted to have been able to appoint Wilbert Lek as managing director of Rotterdam Partners. Over the past year, Wilbert has proved himself a true 'Partner' as International Trade & Investment manager – he can hit the ground running. Rotterdam Partners is coming to the end of a rather turbulent period – one which the organisation has navigated with flying colours, also by helping to bring the Eurovision Song Contest to Rotterdam. We wish Wilbert and his Rotterdam Partners every success in the coming years!"
Wilbert Lek: "I'm very much looking forward to working with my colleagues at Rotterdam Partners, as well as with our many partners in the Rotterdam region and abroad, to make my contribution to the sustainable growth of the Rotterdam economy. And help develop a strong Rotterdam, known worldwide as one of the most attractive cities in Europe to base a business, organise a congress or visit as a tourist."
Lek succeeds Jeroen Kuyper who resigned as director in May. As interim director, together with Renske Satijn, Lek has already been responsible for the daily management of Rotterdam Partners in recent months.
More information or questions?
Judith Boer Press officer +3110 790 01 54
j.boer@rotterdampartners.nl


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How China is enabling an environmental crisis in the Balkans
Chinese investments are inflaming a health and environmental emergency in the western Balkans. Why are politicians turning a blind eye?
Air pollution protestors in Bosnia-Herzegovina make their voices heard. Much of the Balkans region is suffering from poor air quality, with many pointing the finger at Chinese investment in environmentally unsound industries. (Photo by Elvis Barukcic/AFP via Getty Images)
Touching down at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport around Christmas 2019 felt like flying into a smoky, shaken-up snow globe. Cosy in my window seat, I could barely see the plane's wing. This charm, however, was quickly broken after a very forthcoming taxi driver explained to me that the "festive whiteout" was actually a toxic smog engulfing the Serbian capital.
The pollution cloud hung over the city for days, possibly weeks, and to my shock I saw many locals donning face masks (and gas masks) to fight the invisible enemy – in pre-Covid-19 times a rare sight in Europe. Conditions were particularly bad that winter, with other Balkan capitals – Sarajevo, Skopje and Pristina – joining Belgrade among the world's top ten most polluted major cities for a while.
Pollution blights the western Balkans
Unfortunately, this was no one-off. Across the western Balkans – made up of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – annual concentrations of dangerous particulate matter are often multiple times the maximum levels allowed under EU air quality guidelines. The consequences are deadly.
Serbia is the country with the highest rate of pollution-related deaths in Europe (making it the ninth worst globally), according to the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution, while a recent UN environment report found that airborne pollutants are causing nearly 20% of premature deaths in western Balkan cities.
The Chinese started building without conducting a proper environmental impact assessment. Miljan Radunović, Serbia's National Convention on the EU
This is nothing short of an "air pollution crisis", says Ioana Ciută, energy coordinator at CEE Bankwatch Network, a leading environmental watchdog in central and eastern Europe.
The financial fallout is shocking too. In 2016, emissions from coal plants alone caused about 8,000 cases of bronchitis in children and 2,000 cases in adults, costing the western Balkans €3.6bn, according to a recent EU report. This is without taking into consideration other respiratory diseases and cancers caused by air pollution.
It may be no coincidence, therefore, that as of January 2021, North Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina were among the world's top six countries with the highest Covid-19 deaths per capita, while Serbia, Kosovo and Albania ranked in the top 50, according to data compiled by Statista. New research does indeed suggest a link between air pollution and a vulnerability to coronavirus.
Where coal is still king
A winter's stroll around Belgrade is an exercise in fumigating oneself in the smoke of what is essentially an enormous open bonfire. The smell saturates your body, hair and clothes.
Like many other western Balkan cities, most homes in Belgrade still use wood-burning heaters, not least due to high levels of energy poverty. Outdated systems such as these are driving the region's excessive air pollution, alongside 'dirty' industry (coal plants, mines, steel mills), much of which is located very close to large cities such as Belgrade (see map below).
Coal has been king in the western Balkans for many decades, especially in resource-rich Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. In the second half of the 20th century, the two countries were the energy hubs of what was then Yugoslavia. Today, they still rely heavily on coal for the lion's share of their electricity production.
It may come as no surprise, therefore, that the majority of the Balkan's most polluting coal-fired power plants are located in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and that the region's Communist-era facilities pollute as much as the rest of Europe combined.
How does China fit into this?
Enter China. While most EU members have begun the process of phasing out coal, many parts of the western Balkans have made significant efforts to prop up the industry over the past decade, thanks largely to swathes of Chinese finance and construction. To make matters worse, the majority of projects involving China have fallen desperately short of EU environmental standards.
Chinese state-owned construction companies have been involved in five coal projects in Europe, all of which can be found in Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. Probably the most notorious of these relates to Kostolac, Serbia's oldest state-owned coal plant. Its new 'B' unit is currently being built by China Machinery Engineering Corporation (Cmec), paid for by a huge loan from Exim Bank of China. Exim also provided $608m for the expansion of Kostolac's opencast lignite mine, once again with a sub-contract for CMEC.
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"Kostolac is outdated, inefficient and polluting," says Miljan Radunović, a consultant and member of Serbia's National Convention on the EU. "The Chinese started building without conducting a proper environmental impact assessment," he adds, all of which led Bankwatch to submit a formal complaint to the EU Energy Community.
Worse still, the construction of Kostolac's desulphurisation mechanism – which filters pollution – was delayed by CMEC in recent years, thereby making the plant's (highly toxic) sulphur dioxide emissions the highest of any facility in the western Balkans, and 14 times higher than global standards, according to a Bankwatch report.
Chinese funding (and in most cases construction too) has also been entrusted to the expansion of Bosnia-Herzegovina's Stanari and Tuzla coal plants, while memorandums of understanding have been signed for three other state-owned facilities across Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Problems with air pollution were pre-existent [in Smederevo]. However, China's takeover has exacerbated these issues to alarming levels. Tena Prelec, University of Oxford
The feasibility study for the Tuzla project, like Kostolac's, "massively downplays" the costs of emissions and ignores many air and water pollution impacts, according to a recent report from Greenpeace's Unearthed. Is it any wonder then, that Serbia's official data on national air pollution is accused of being unprofessional, and unreliable too.
"If these governments go through with the proposed expansions, it is a huge problem environmentally and politically speaking," says Simon IIse, director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, an agency for green visions and projects. "It takes them one step closer to being locked into a high-carbon future and, most likely, unsustainable debt, and one massive step away from EU integration." Coal plants are designed to last for an average of 50 years.
Outside the energy sector, Chinese companies have financed and constructed other projects of environmental disrepute. As the above map shows, most of these have been in Serbia, Beijing's staunchest European ally, a regional hub for China's Belt and Road Initiative activity and a back door into the EU market.
Take the money, forget the environment
Chinese investors have been involved in other 'dirty' projects that EU companies and banks would not, or at least could not, touch.
The primary example of this is Smederevo, Serbia's largest steelworks. Saving it from financial ruin, the mill was acquired in 2016 by China's HBIS, which promised to transform the plant into one of Europe's most environmentally friendly steel facilities.
"Zero improvements have been made," says Radunović. "Alongside killer particles in the air [and red rain], you can see pictures of how vegetables and cars in the city of Smederevo are layered in toxic dust."
Toxic sediment on cars near Smederevo. (Photo by Centre for Investigative Journalism of Serbia)
A recent report found that an unusually high proportion of Smederevo's citizens have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Nonetheless, protests against the plant's environmental impact, alongside deteriorating safety standards and labour rights under HBIS, have been consistently ignored by the Serbian government.
"Problems with air pollution were pre-existent [in Smederevo]. However, China's takeover has exacerbated these issues to alarming levels," says Tena Prelec, a research fellow at the University of Oxford's Department of Politics and International Relations. "The Chinese have increased production capacity to levels that exceed the ability of the plants to keep pollution under control. Pledges to make plants more eco-friendly have not borne fruit yet."
The exact same can be said of Serbia's Bor copper mine, a decades-old state-owned facility that, after falling into major financial trouble, was bought by China's Zijin in 2019.
The company says it will invest a total of $1.26bn into the mine to modernise it. However, an expansion proposal in late 2020 failed to conduct a proper environmental impact assessment, according to Belgrade's Renewables and Environmental Regulatory Institute (RERI). Only a few months earlier, the City of Bor filed a criminal complaint against Zijin due to excessive air pollution.
Many governments in the western Balkans have no sense of responsibility to the future. Senada Šabić, IRMO
"Many governments in the western Balkans have no sense of responsibility to the future," says Senada Šabić, a senior research associate at Zagreb's Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO). "They are ready to sign any kind of Chinese loans, or sell whatever, in order to keep some people employed. It is short-term thinking and the human and environmental cost is devastating."
Further evidence of this is on display at Linglong tyre factory and Mei Ta automotive component facility – two Chinese investments in Serbia. Linglong's environmental assessment study was shambolic, according to RERI, and in mid-2020 police barred activists from public discussions on the planned factory that, incidentally, will be built on land that was gifted to Linglong by Serbian authorities. Meanwhile, the already operational Mei Ta plant stands accused of dumping wastewater into the local river. In both cases, the national government stands accused of turning a blind eye.
Last but not least is the Boljare to Bar highway in Montenegro, funded and built by China. "The project made zero economic sense," says IIse. "It is overpriced and far too large for the country's size." Worse still, ongoing construction has caused severe ecological damage along the Tara river, according to Unesco. For a region that remains highly agricultural and littered with open mine pits, ecological disturbances are a genuine cause for concern. Indeed, the western Balkan ecosystem is highly vulnerable to climate change, especially from droughts or floods, as seen in the 2014 cyclone that cost dozens of lives and approximately $3.8bn in damage.
The environmental impact of Chinese investment in the western Balkans is, however, gaining recognition in the EU. For example, in January 2021, a group of 26 MEPs (from 15 countries) wrote a strongly worded joint letter to the European Commission, warning of the "impending environmental damage" caused by Chinese industrial projects in Serbia.
Why China's draw is stronger than the EU's
Chinese investment in the western Balkans was largely non-existent before 2010. Over the past decade, however, it has run rampant along with accusations of this investment showing a remarkable disregard for public health and the environment. Who and what is to blame?
"The Chinese can play by the rules, but only if you make them do it," argues Radunović. "Their default setting is to replicate in the non-EU parts of the Balkans what they have been doing in China, Africa, Latin America and other parts of the world where they are used to much less environmental regulation."
This would therefore mean the responsibility falls upon the western Balkan governments to keep Chinese companies in check. In most cases, however, they have not. Rather, governments across the region, especially Serbia's, have only reinforced their commitment to coal and hold a carte blanche attitude towards the Chinese.
The most generous explanation for this negligence might be a lack of environmental awareness. Bankwatch's Ciută contends that many of the region's governments, utilities and mainstream energy experts are simply ignorant of EU standards, and think that renewable energy cannot cover traditional energy supplies.
This is reflected at a grassroots level too, since climate change activism is not strong or widespread in the western Balkans – meaning there is less pressure on governments to reform. "You don't win elections here by talking about the planet," says Radunović. "You still win them by dividing people over who is Muslim and Christian."
However, a bigger part of the story points to endemic corruption, not a lack of awareness. "In this region, doing business with China involves very politicised, state-to-state deals that are not made public," says IIse. "We are talking about mafia-like public procurement and bidding structures in which party loyalists get the best cut and subcontracting opportunities." Environmental considerations, therefore, are very much secondary at best, he adds. Clientelism and patronage networks are a particularly pervasive issue in some of Serbia's dealings with China, as highlighted by a recent report from the Centre for Strategic Studies & International Studies (CSSIS).
Government apologists, on the other hand, argue that environmental concerns are a financial and moral luxury that only the most developed countries can afford, while for poorer authorities the priority is to meet soaring energy demands and save jobs, such as the thousands that would have been lost at Smederevo and Bor had China not stepped in (where, indeed, few others would).
"Contrary to IMF or EU loans and investment, Chinese money comes quickly and with less strict requirements or strings," says Agnes Szunomár, assistant professor at Corvinus University of Budapest. "And for some western Balkan countries, especially Serbia, there is a feeling that the EU has turned its back on them, so why play by its rules? This is why Serbia's economic dealings with China are also political moves, and vice versa," she adds.
Although political barriers to the EU accession do exist – a waiting room and geopolitical balancing act that Serbia plays with aplomb – the aforementioned economic arguments are unsound. For one, the New Green Deal means that EU money for major renewable energy projects is now even more accessible for non-EU Balkan countries, says IIse. It is, therefore, hardly a 'financial luxury' to phase out coal plants and attract EU loans for green infrastructure. Ending high coal subsidies across the western Balkans, a policy that disincentivises decarbonisation, would help shift distorted perceptions and calculations surrounding coal's viability.
Although the Serbian government extols Chinese investors as economic messiahs, it is worth remembering that loans from China almost always require the involvement of Chinese construction companies, labour and materials, thereby undercutting the positive spillover effects for the local economy – as highlighted by CSSIS's report. So much for 'saving jobs'. There is also the fact that Chinese infrastructure loans in the western Balkans (and many parts of the world) run a high risk of becoming debt traps.
It is not too late for non-EU western Balkan countries to make the strategic shift towards green infrastructure, a move that would create thousands of future-facing jobs. The medium to long-term benefits are unquestionable, both in terms of finances, public health and the environment, not to mention the path to EU integration. China is by no means an inevitable barrier to this; in fact, there is an opportunity for Beijing to help the western Balkans build much-needed EU-grade infrastructure.
Sebastian Shehadi is political editor at Investment Monitor and a contributing writer for the New Statesman. He joined from the Financial Times, where he was an editor at fDi Magazine (undertaking dozens of high-profile interviews with the likes of Ban Ki-moon and Portuguese PM Antonio Costa). Sebastian's special interest include geopolitics, corrosive capital and emerging markets, and he has written for the FT, BBC, Sifted and Middle East Eye. Prior to his journalism career, he served as a political risk analyst at Citibank.
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