Zelan is a refugee, a mom, and a talented maker. Photo by Erin Wilson/Preemptive Love Coalition.
We tell Zelan not to fuss. We've just come from another home in the camp for Syrian refugees, and have already had cups of dark, sweet coffee. But Zelan disappears just the same, and returns with more dark, sweet coffee served in small white cups. We drink her coffee, grateful for her hospitality.
The room is small. It serves as a living room and dining room during the day—thin, plastic sheeting spread over the carpet in the center of the room serves as the 'table' when food is served. At night, sleeping mats come out, and this room is transformed into a bedroom for Zelan, her husband and their children. They have a few other small rooms here in the refugee camp: a kitchen, a bathroom, and a guest room used by a relative.
Everything is very basic, but functional. And Zelan is thrilled with it.
We hear so many stories of Syrian refugees who found safety in Iraq during the long civil war back home. We hear harrowing stories of death and destruction, of grief and loss. Stories that inventory all the wonderful aspects of life they lost when they fled.
That is not Zelan's story.
She and her family fled war, yes. But their situation in Syria was very difficult for them apart from the direct effects of falling bombs. They lived in a small village where work was impossible to come by. Services were scarce. Life was hard.
Life in a refugee camp isn't easy. The life Zelan has built over three years in a refugee camp, far from her hometown in Syria, is much better than the life she fled. It's hard to imagine.
Zelan knitting washcloths for sale in our online shop. Photo by Erin Wilson/Preemptive Love Coalition.
she graduated to more ambitious projects like sweaters, and really found her skills come to the fore when she worked up special bridal sets popular in Syria—handworked lace doilies and bedspreads that adorn a new home at the beginning of a couple's life together.
She casually mentions other types of handwork she makes–embroidering special trim to embellish garments, making jewelry and sets of prayer beads–like it's no big deal.
When we visit, Zelan is knitting washcloths that will soon appear in our online store. They are dark purple squares, with knit and purl stitches forming a basket weave pattern. Her hands work quickly and her stitches are beautifully even. I have no need for another washcloth, but watching one form on her knitting needles makes me absolutely want one.
A rare moment when Zelan's hands are at rest. Photo by Erin Wilson/Preemptive Love Coalition.
Knitting and selling washcloths is helping Zelan to continue building the kind of life she wants for her children.
She has safety in her refugee camp home—security and sense of peace. Zelan has good neighbors, and friendships built with other women who live nearby in the camp. She has access to water and electricity—her husband's work as a day laborer can usually cover those expenses. But his earnings, unpredictable at best during northern Iraq's rainy winter, can't cover all of their needs. Zelan is working to fill in the gaps.
When she finishes the washcloths and calls us to tell us that our order is ready, we'll return to Zelan's home to pay for our order. She tells us those earnings will become food for her family, clothes for her children, and the kind of unglamorous items every home needs—like a bucket or a new squeegee for the tile floors.
Zelan works with her hands because she doesn't want her home to feel empty. She creates things she finds beautiful to serve her family's needs. When you hold one of her washcloths in your hands, you hold the evidence of a woman's love for her family made tangible.
Give now and help women create new lives for their families.


In celebration of the United Nation's International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the Natural Resources Diversity & Inclusion Committee is offering free cupcakes and sweet treats.
To hear more about NRDI events, or to join in the discussion, join their listserv. Go to https://listserv.unl.edu/signup-anon; type "nrdi" without the quotation marks into the "List name" box, and subscribe using your personal or work email.


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'Honest conversations' to held with some Exeter City players when January transfer window opens
Matt Taylor said some of the out of contract senior players have to face the 'harsh reality' of needing to get game time to put themselves into the shop window for staying in professional football
Daniel ClarkLocal Democracy Reporter
Exeter City manager Matt Taylor said that January will be a time for 'honest conversations' with some of his squad about their future.
With the January transfer window set to open, Taylor said that the club would be looking to bring in additions to the squad, subject to budgets, but that there would be some players who may be on their way out of St James Park.
He said that some senior players who are out of contract at the end of the season and not playing regular first team football may have to think about leaving, even on loan, or else they may find it very difficult to be offered a professional contract in the summer.
Matt Taylor expecting Boxing Day to be a difficult game against Forest Green, but aims to give fans some Christmas cheer
Boxing Day clash with Forest Green Rovers 'good marker' for where Exeter City are
Eight senior professionals were released by the Grecians at the end of last season, with only Brennan Dickenson at Carlisle United, and Aaron Martin at Hamilton Academicals getting new deals in the professional ranks – the latter only in November.
Dean Moxey of Torquay United walks out onto the pitch before the FA Trophy First Round match between Chesham United and Torquay United at The Meadow, Chesham, Buckinhamshre on Saturday 15th December 2020. Photo: Micah Crook/PPAUK (Image: Micah Crook/PPAUK)
Dean Moxey, Craig Woodman, Gary Warren, and Lee Martin ended up joining non-league clubs, with Jared Thompson signing for Brentford's reverse team, while Lee Holmes remains out of contract.
Eight players released by Exeter City as retained list revealed
Two test positive for Covid-19 at Exeter City but Boxing Day clash still set to go ahead
Taylor said: "There will be players from us who are available to go out on loan to get game time or to move elsewhere. It is certainly going to be a time with honest conversations with players who are out of contract at the end of the season and who have not played regularly.
"They need to somehow get some game time to put themselves into the shop window for staying in professional football. That's the harsh reality of it, as of the eight players we released last season, not many got a professional deal elsewhere, so it showed how difficult it was."
Asked if City would be looking to bring anyone into the club in January, Taylor said: "We are always looking to do business, but it has to be the right business for the club and the right player and the right fit. It is never quite as easy do business in January as it sounds, but we are targeting to improve the squad."
Devon woman launches legal battle after life-changing delayed cancer diagnosis
TotnesAmie Roberts was eventually diagnosed with cervical cancer after visiting a private doctor
Man appears in court accused of Northam murder
CrimeMichael Robinson has been remanded in custody

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Closing Thought–30Jan23 lobotero.com/2023/01/30/clo… 35 minutes ago
The latest The Daily Agitator! paper.li/lobotero/13200… Thanks to @UN_News_Centre @gupdiver @wengler_mark #policy #un 10 hours ago
lobotero on Closing Thought–30Jan23
lobotero in Foreign policy, Government, Observations 22 August 2022 620 Words
Who Controls American Foreign Policy?
A question that few Americans want to ask because for the most part they do not care…..but they should for foreign policy will effect us all in some way.
Think tanks and lobbyists control everything in DC….especially foreign policy.
In a piece of news that shocked the mainstream media, but which shocked no one familiar with the academic industry writ large, retired US Army general John Allen was forced to resign as president of the Brookings Institution after it was revealed the FBI was investigating him for lobbying on behalf of the Qatari monarchy.
Of course, the real news, scarcely noted by the Washington Post, New York Times, or any other purported paper of record, is that Allen was only really in trouble because he hadn't fulfilled the pro forma legal requirements for those lobbying the US government on behalf of a foreign agent or government.
The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), under which such activities are regulated, includes several exceptions that allow for such activities without declaring a conflict of interest. Think tanks, a misnomer if ever there was one, operate under an "academic exception" that allows for engagement in "bona fide religious, scholastic, academic, or scientific pursuits or the fine arts."
Anyone who has ever picked up one of the many deadly dull social science journals where actual, bona fide empirical academic work is done knows this constitutes perhaps a fraction of what think tanks almost daily churn out.
Rather think tank commentary, touted as objective analysis, is regularly featured or cited by publications and outlets as apparently diverse as the Wall Street Journal and NPR.
Of course, think tanks are hardly alone. As Ben Freeman, a specialist on foreign influence on US policy, has documented, such democratic bastions of liberal values as the UAE and Saudi Arabia donate hundreds of millions, even billions, to universities around the country.
https://mises.org/wire/who-really-makes-us-foreign-policy-who-benefits-and-who-loses
If they churn out crap on the behest of any foreign government then they should be held accountable and register as a foreign agent.
Department of Justice's Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) Unit issued guidance indicating that think tanks and non-profits doing work at the behest of a foreign government likely have an obligation to register under FARA.
In a new Advisory Opinion — the FARA Unit's public, though heavily redacted, responses when organizations ask if they should register or not — the Chief of the FARA Unit argues that the unnamed organization in question should register under FARA as its work for foreign principals included outreach to policymakers in the defense community, facilitating "meetings and new partnerships in the United States, particularly with U.S. government officials," and has agreed to prepare a study that would "foster bilateral exchange and cooperation between" a foreign government and the United States.
As the Chief argues, each of these actions constitutes "political activity" under the FARA statute, defined as attempts to "influence any agency or official of the United States or any section of the public within the United States with reference to . . . the domestic or foreign policy of the United States."
Can think tanks be foreign agents?
There is your answer….Think tanks is one of the controlling agents of American foreign policy.
When I left college I was offered a position with a think tank….I refused because they give a conclusion they want and I was to fit the research to fit that conclusion. (BTW that refusal on my part made it possible for me to never get a gig with a think tank….I would not play ball).
Time for these people to be held up to the light.
Wake Up! Pay attention!
Remember When Comic Books Were Dangerous?
Should Veterans Choose To Act?
6 thoughts on "Who Controls American Foreign Policy?"
22 August 2022 at 0709
I have thought for a long time now that ever since the 1960s, it was the Intelligence Agencies who controlled American Foreign Policy. I have also entertained the notion that ever since the 1960s, the Intelligence Agencies have been the real working government of The United States and that the House, the Senate, The Executive Branch and the Judiciary have all been shell operations used to conceal the fact of who is really running things.
lobotero says:
Now that would make a helluva conspiracy theory…..LOL chuq
Everything seemed to change after the assassination of President Kennedy and from that time til now the government has seemed a lot different.
For me Congress started falling apart in 1980 and sped up in the 1990s….and here we are today. chuq
I would have answered 'Israel' to that question, chuq.
Best wishes, Pete.
I agree but they are not alone. chuq


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ole gunnar solskjear
SACK SOLSKJAER: Three Tactical Managers That Could Replace Solskjaer at Manchester United.
The English Premier League giants Manchester United continued their terrible run of form as they suffered a 4 - 2 loss to Leicester City at King Power Stadium. The Manchester based club were the huge favourites to get all the maximum three points due to their previous results and records against Leicester City.
Three Managers That Could Replace Solskjaer at Manchester United.
The English Premier League giants Manchester United extended their winless run to two matches as they played out a 1 - 1 draw against Everton in a crunch encounter between both clubs. The Manchester based club were the huge favourites to get all the maximum three points due to their previous results and records against Everton.
Opinion: The Reason Manchester United's board of directors may fire Ole Gunnar Solskjaer by December
Manchester United's Norwegian manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjear, seems to have the backing of the Manchester United board even though the fans are agitating that he should be sacked due to some unconvincing performances by his team. These performances have led to some United fans questioning his capability to handle the squad, and even some have concluded that he is not the right man for the job.
The Best Squad That Solskjear Should Use To Save Man United From The Coming Challenging Games
Manchester United began the 2021/2022 season with a strong performance, winning 5-1 against Leeds United, drawing with Southampton, winning 1-0 against and defeating Newcastle United 4-1. According to football analysts and football fans, Manchester United boasts one of the greatest squads in the English Premier League this season, if not the best, in the current season.
The English Premier League giants Manchester United continued their terrible run of form as they suffered a 1 - 0 loss in today's league match at Old Trafford. The Manchester based club were the huge favourites to get all the maximum three points due to their previous results and records against Aston Villa.
Man United's Potential Line Up That Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Can Accommodate
Manchester United will be looking to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat to Young Boys on Tuesday when they travel to London to play West Ham United on Saturday afternoon. Ole Gunnar Solskjear will have to be very cautious this time around, particularly when it comes to line-up selection, in order to avoid repeating his petty and expensive mistakes from last season.So, how does he go about putting up the most competitive team possible from his roster?
3-4-1-2 or 4-4-2 : Two new and different Formation Solskjaer can use with Man United new signings
Since his arrival 3 years ago, Ole Gunnar Solskjear has always favoured the 4-2-3-1 formation. Sometimes he also uses the 4-3-3 formation. However, With the arrival of Ronaldo, Varane and Sancho, Solskjear should be able to think differently. One thing Pep Guardiola is good at is that he can easily use 3 different formations in a single game.
OPINION: Man United Starting XI That Can Defeat PSG
Manchester United supporters have taken pleasure in the European summer transfer window, since the team has been able to sign players that they had requested. Many of them are gushing over Ole Gunnar Solskjear, saying that the Norwegian coach will be remembered for what he has accomplished this season.
OPINION: How 4-3-3 Formation Will Make Man United Difficult To Be Defeated In Europe
In their first three Premier League games, Manchester United has collected a total of 7 points, placing them in third place in the table. They have won two and drawn one of their games. However, in those games, Ole Gunnar Solskjear largely utilized the team from the previous season in order to give his new players adequate time to adjust to their new surroundings.
3 Observations From Manchester United's First Training Session Of Week At Carrington
Manchester United will travel to the King Power Stadium this weekend, to confront Leicester City in the game-week 8 fixture of the English Premier League. In the build-up to the game, The Red Devils converged at the Carrington training ground Monday, where they completed their first training session of the week ahead of their next English Premier League showdown with Leicester City.
MNU vs LIV: 4 Key players that may miss Man United's crucial league match against Liverpool.
The Manchester based club would be hoping to end their three match winless run when they face Liverpool in a crunch encounter between both clubs. The English Premier League giants Manchester United are the huge favourites to get all the maximum three points due to their previous home records against Liverpool.
Three Tactical Managers That Could Replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United.
The English Premier League giants Manchester United continued their shambolic run of form as they suffered a 1 - 0 loss in the Carabao cup. The Manchester based club were the huge favourites to progress to the next round of the competition due to their previous results and records against West Ham United.
Manchester United's Potential Starting XI Against Liverpool
Manchester United will face Liverpool in the Premier League at Old Trafford. Both Manchester United and Liverpool have a great squad, and it will be a difficult encounter for both teams. Ole Gunnar Solskjear and Jürgen Klopp are anticipated to choose a solid starting lineup against their opponents.
3 Key Players That May Miss Man United's EPL Match Against West Ham.
The English Premier League is set to resume yet again and the top teams in the competition are set to feature in the weekend games. The Matchday 5 of the English Premier League season is set to kickoff across various stadiums in England. The Major EPL clubs which include Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspurs and Liverpool have all known their respective opponents for this weekend.
Ole Excited With The Performance Of United's Subs as Ronaldo's inpact Delight Fans
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjear has praised the impact of the teams substitutes following the dramatic 2-1 win over West Ham on Sunday. United came from behind to snatch victory thanks to goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Lingard. The latter came off the bench and was set up by a pass from fellow substitute Nemanja Matic.
"We Won't Accept This" — De Gea Reacts After Losing To Liverpool With 5-0
David de Gea, Manchester United's goalkeeper, has spoken out after his team's devastating loss to Liverpool on Sunday. Liverpool ran riot at Old Trafford on Sunday, embarrassing their fierce rivals 5:0. The biggest victory in the league's history with De Gea conceding five goals.
Opinion: why Manchester United Midfielder will remain the best in EPL even After Chelsea signed Saul
The Red Devils have always used a 4-2-3-1 formation under head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjær, the 3-4-1-2 remains a second option for the coach. Ole Gunnar Solskjear actively used these formations listed above against bigger Teams. The 4-2-3-1 involves the use of two central midfielders Paul Pogba, and Mark Mctonomy, or Fred and Bruno Fernandez as an attacking midfielder.
Opinion: Solskjear must fix Van De Beek flaws to get the best out of Sancho.
Jadon Sancho had one shot at goal against West Ham United. However, Donny Van De Beek was impressive in the heart of Man United's midfield. However, it is obvious that Donny Van De Beek and Jadon Sancho plays similar pattern of football. So, Ole Gunnar Solskjear needs to get the best out of Donny Van De Beek before he can get the best out of Jadon Sancho.
Dalot, Ronaldo in: United's likely line up against Young Boys.
Man United will face Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League. However, Ole Gunnar Solskjear might field this players against Young Boys. Goalkeeper: Tom Heaton The Englishman has not made an appearance for Man United this season. It is worth it if Ole Gunnar Solskjear gives him a chance.
Players Solskjear must start against Newcastle United.
Man United will face Newcastle United at Old Trafford. Victory will tighten United's grip in the Premier League table. However, Ole Gunnar Solskjear should not fail to start this players on Saturday. Cristiano Ronaldo The Portuguese midfielder made an unexpected return to Old Trafford. However, fans will be raring to see their saviour running about inside Old Trafford.


I read something about this survey when it was published, but shrugged it off as likely nonsense (plus, I'm swamped with other stuff at the moment, both ACA-related and otherwise).
Fortunately, my fellow healthinsurance.org contributor Louise Norris decided to see what fresh hell was going on here, and sure enough, it's nonsense.
"A recent Bankrate survey of Obamacare customers – the few Americans who actually stuck with it and paid their premiums through October – reported that 51 percent of them will not buy Obamacare policies in 2015! That implies about 3.5 million drop-outs next year, which means that Obamacare would have to enroll 5.5 million new customers to hit HHS' low-ball estimate for 2015.
Methodology: Bankrate's Health Insurance Pulse survey was conducted by phone between Sept. 25 and Oct. 19 by Princeton Survey Research Associates International with a nationally representative sample of 558 adults from households in the continental U.S. that visited the health exchanges during the previous enrollment season. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.7 percentage points.
They didn't restrict the survey to people who had enrolled in a policy through one of the ACA exchanges...they surveyed anyone who had VISITED any of the exchange websites.
Yes, 8 million people did indeed enroll in healthcare policies after visiting HC.gov, CoveredCA.com and/or the other exchange sites between 10/1/13 and 4/19/14. That's true.
You know who else "visited" those websites in the continental U.S. during that timeframe? A METRIC TON OF OTHER PEOPLE AS WELL. Reporters who already had healthcare policies visited the exchange sites to see how they were operating (or not). Politicians (or their staff members) with healthcare policies visited the sites in order to see whether they'd provide "gotcha!" material for a campaign ad. Tech geeks with healthcare policies visited the sites just out of curiosity about the technical side. In general, millions upon millions of people with no intention of actually enrolling in a policy through the sites visited them just to see what all the fuss was about.
Good God. This is pathetic. Look, I've been a website developer for 15 years. Do you know how many people visit my site each month (from the United States)? About 1,700. Does that mean that I have 1,700 brand-new website clients every month? Of course not! I'm happy if I get one new client a month, and that's fine with me.
Now, if you were to survey how many of the dozen or so clients who signed with me last year plan on continuing to use my services this year, and 6 of them said they were moving elsewhere, that would be concerning.
Look. Anything's possible. It's certainly conceivable that only half of the 2014 enrollees will keep their ACA exchange policies...but if so, that'd be an insane coincidence, because this Bankrate survey proves no such thing. Without restricting it to people who actually enrolled in a 2014 policy via the exchanges, It's just plain silly.


text:
Q: Get element from Gmail DOM with Chrome Extensions I'm trying to get an element from the DOM of Gmail. The element has a class named ".yP" (which is the element that shows the name of people who are involved in an email in the inbox list).
In the manifest field I have this entry:
    "content_scripts": [
    {
        "matches": [
            "https://mail.google.com/*",
            "https://inbox.google.com/*"
        ],
        "css": ["styles/test.css"],
        "js": [
            "libraries/jquery-3.4.1.min.js",
            "content-scripts/test.js"
        ],
        "run_at": "document_end"
    }
]

The content of the CSS file is that one:
.yP:hover {
   background-color: yellow;
}

It is working perfectly, when I pass the mouse over the element the background turns yellow.
But, the problem is when I try to get these elements in my content-script test.js. The list is always null. However, if I do the same instruction in the dev console it works perfectly.
var list = document.getElementsByClassName("yP");
console.log("List: " + list);

What I'm doing wrong?
Thanks in advance!

A: Your javascript is likely being called prior to the page being loaded with the class you're looking for.
Have you tried wrapping it in a window on load listener?
window.addEventListener('load', (event) => {
  var list = document.getElementsByClassName("yP");
  console.log("List: " + list);
});

See: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Window/load_event

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Airbnb's mission is to create a world where anyone can belong anywhere. To advance that mission, Airbnb announced that aviation industry pioneer Fred Reid has joined Airbnb as Global Head of Transportation.
In his role, Fred will focus on building partnerships and services that make travel seamless while delivering the kind of people-to-people hospitality Airbnb is known for around the world.


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Search Results for: gardein
© Gardein
Gardein Launches Pea & Wheat Chick*n Line in Canada
Gardein, a brand of Conagra Brands, announces the Canadian launch of its Pea & Wheat Plant-Based Chick'n line encompassing Nashville-Style Hot Chick'n Tenders, Spicy Gochujang Style Chick'n Wings and Golden Chick'n Nuggets. Conagra acquired Gardein back in 2019, with Chief Executive Sean Connolly stating at the time that the company was looking towards plant-based alternatives to meat and acknowledging that there is big business in this category. "That means the opportunity here could be in the range of $30 billion just in the U.S.," he said. "And you know, there's even more opportunity internationally." "As a leader in the plant-based category in Canada, it's more important than ever that Gardein® responds to this growing demand and expands its portfolio with deliciously convenient additions to any meal …
©Gardein
Gardein's Ultimate Plant-Based Line Adding BBQ Wings, Spicy Chicken and More
Plant-based foods brand Gardein, a Conagra-owned company, announces it is expanding its Ultimate Plant-Based line with seven new food products, including bratwurst, buffalo wings and spicy chick'n fillets. Launching in June, the collection will be available in grocery stores, mass retailers and through e-commerce. The upcoming lineup provides a wide variety of flavors and can be enjoyed at breakfast, lunch or dinner, Gardein says. The new arrivals include: Ultimate Plant-Based Chick'n Wings – Buffalo and BBQ style Ultimate Plant-Based Chick'n Spicy Fillets Ultimate Plant-Based Saus'ge Links – Bratwurst and Spicy Italian Ultimate Plant-Based Breakfast Saus'ge – Original and Spicy patties "Committed to delicious food" The Ultimate Plant-Based line first debuted in 2020 with the Ultimate Plant-Based Burger, followed by the release of Ultimate chicken tenders, …
Gardein® Suprême™ Plant-Based Burger (CNW Group/Conagra Brands, Inc.)
Gardein Launches Suprême Burger in Canada
Gardein, a brand of Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG) and Canada's #1 frozen meat alternative brand, yesterday announced the launch of the new Suprême™ Plant-Based Burger across Canada. In 2019, Chief Executive Sean Connolly said that Conagra acknowledged that there is big business in the plant-based category. "That means the opportunity here could be in the range of $30 billion just in the US […] And you know, there's even more opportunity internationally."
©Upton's Naturals
Gardein and Upton's Naturals Launch Plant Meat-Filled Canned Soups for Winter Season
Winter is coming in The US and news that Gardein and Upton's Naturals are both introducing a range of animal-free soups will be a comfort to many plantbased consumers in North America as well as the ever growing population of American flexitarians.
©PRNewsfoto/Gardein
Gardein Launches New Ultimate Plant-Based Burger With Amy Sedaris and Lance Bass
Gardein, a plant-based brand of Conagra Brands, Inc., will launch its new Ultimate Plant-Based Burger today May 28, in celebration of National Burger Day. Gardein is enlisting comedian Amy Sedaris, with entertainer and plant-based protein investor Lance Bass, to host the celebration from their Instagram accounts.
USA: Gardein Presents the Ultimate Burger
Gardein, a trademark of Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), is entering the meatlike vegan burger category with the Ultimate Beefless Burger. According to the manufacturer, Gardein's new veggie product promises a burger experience comparable to meat without compromises.
Conagra Recognises Potential Value of Gardein "Could be in the Range of $30 Billion Just in the U.S"
Conagra Brands Inc has said that is now looking towards its recently acquired plantbased brand Gardein as a potential $30 billion "opportunity" following a damaging Q4 which it says was partly owing to the price of steel.
Gardein Announces Large Scale Expansion With New Meat Alternative Products
Chicago-based Conagra Brands, Inc., one of North America's leading branded food companies, is answering the growing demand for plant-based food by expanding its line of Gardein meat-free products and meals.
Gardein Meatless Breakfast Patties © Gardein
Gardein Launch Meaty Vegan Breakfast Patties
Plant-based food brand Gardein has launched its own spicy vegan breakfast sausage patties, as the global demand for meat substitutes continues to rise. The Canadian company, who is committed to helping the world eat less meat, is the fastest growing brand in its category in Canada. It sells its products around the world through stores, restaurants and universities.
Sainsbury's Brings US Brand Gardein into the UK
January 5, 2019 November 29, 2018
US food manufacturer, Conagra Brands, has announced it will distribute the popular plant-based brand Gardein, throughout the UK in Sainsbury's stores from next year. Gardein (garden protein) is a product line of meat-free frozen foods such as plant-based fish fillets, and chicken strips, which are produced in British Columbia, Canada.
Gardein Launch New Single Serve Bowls and Breakfast Patties
Canadian plant protein brand, Gardein, one of the fastest growing national brands within the category with products available over 23,000 retail locations, 5,000 restaurants and 150 colleges and universities, have today announced a line of new vegan products to their expanding portfolio.
Wamame Foods is the Canadian innovator behind Waygu™, a plant-based alternative to wagyu beef that has been highly praised by renowned chefs. Just this month, Waygu arrived at 7-Eleven stores in Canada, with its plant-based steak strips now featuring in several ready-to-serve menu offerings such as the Southwestern Plant-Based Steak Wrap and Mexican Plant-Based Steak Wrap. Since its launch in 2021, Waygu has seen incredible success, securing millions of dollars in funding and being served at the Ted2022 Conference attended by Bill Gates, Al Gore, and Elon Musk. The beef alternative has now expanded across the US and Canada, with the help of online marketplace GTFO It's Vegan and other notable partners. Following the 7-Eleven launch, Wamame president Blair Bullus spoke to us about the …
©Konscious Foods
Konscious Foods Launches 'First-Ever' Frozen Plant-Based Sushi and Onigiri
Vancouver food company Konscious Foods announces the launch of what it calls the "first-ever" plant-based frozen sushi and onigiri. Created in partnership with Protein Industries Canada (PIC), Merit Foods, and Canadian Pacifico Seaweeds, the new products are now available at Whole Foods Markets and Choices Markets in Vancouver, with more varieties and retail locations being added. The new line consists of eight products, with four sushi and four onigiri rolls. Konscious says the items are made from non-GMO ingredients, and provide convenient and healthy snacks or meals. Konscious plant-based seafood alternatives are also available for restaurants, caterers and other commercial services. "At Konscious, our chefs create plant-based seafood that people can choose over traditional options for their own health and the health of the planet," …
Representatives from Konscious, Merit and Canadian Pacifico Seaweeds ©Protein Industries Canada
Canada: Industry Partners Invest $15.3M to Develop New Line of Alt-Seafood Products
Canada's Konscious Foods, Merit Functional Foods and Canadian Pacifico Seaweeds announce a new partnership to develop an extensive line of plant-based seafood alternatives. Created with a co-investment from Protein Industries Canada (PIC), the line will bring more than 20 sustainably sourced alt-seafood products to North American grocery stores. A total of $15.3M has been committed to the project, including a $5.5M contribution from PIC. That investment reportedly acted as a catalyst for the innovative partnership, and allowed the project to move at a faster, more efficient pace. The new products will reportedly match the taste and texture of traditional seafood with a focus on clean-label ingredients. To create the line, plant-based seafood brand Konscious Foods will incorporate Canadian-grown and -processed ingredients, including Merit's pea and …
©Impossible Foods
Panel of Judges Decide Which Plant-Based Products Compare the Most to Beef, Chicken, Fish and Pork
Consumer Reports Magazine contacts vegconomist to report it has published The Meat Lovers' Guide to Plant-Based Meat, analyzing 32 plant-based products in the categories of "beef" burgers, "chicken" nuggets and fillets, and "pork" sausages and "fish", to reveal which plant-based products compare the most to their animal counterparts. For the evaluation, the judges assessed on the basis of nutrition and taste. To obtain a nutrition score, CR evaluated the products based on calories, fiber, protein, iron, vitamin B12, saturated fat, and sodium, also assessing the ingredients list and penalizing those with more processed ingredients. For the sensory score, a "trained panel of sensory experts" undertook a blind tasting test, scoring the products on texture and flavor and how well they mimicked animal-based beef, chicken, pork …


Orange Line is the name given to Delhi Metro Airport Express similar to Blue and Yellow Lines. If you have a flight from Terminal 3 (T3) of Indira Gandhi International Airport or a train to catch from New Delhi Railway Station then Airport Express is the best mode of transport.
Airport Express metro route covers a distance of approximate 23 km and serves six stations viz. New Delhi, Shivaji Stadium, Dhaula Kuan, Delhi Aerocity, Airport and Dwarka Sec. 21. The Airport Express trains on Delhi Airport Metro route runs at a gap of 15 minutes.
There is Check-in facility available for selected flights at New Delhi Metro Station from 6 hours to 2 hours before the schedule departure. Air India and Jet Airways have their check-in counters at New Delhi Metro Station.


It's five years after Return of the Jedi: the Rebel Alliance has destroyed the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, and driven out the remnants of the old Imperial Starfleet to a distant corner of the galaxy. Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting Jedi Twins. And Luke Skywalker has become the first in a long-awaited line of Jedi Knights. But thousand of light-years away, the last of the emperor's warlords has taken command of the shattered Imperial Fleet, readied it for war, and pointed it at the fragile heart of the new Republic. For this dark warrior has made two vital discoveries that could destroy everything the courageous men and women of the Rebel Alliance fought so hard to build. The explosive confrontation that results is a towering epic of action, invention, mystery, and spectacle on a galactic scale--in short, a story worthy of the name Star Wars.
Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!


Are You a Contractor, a Job Hopper or Savvy Career Planner?
Home/Blog/Recruiter's Corner/Are You a Contractor, a Job Hopper or Savvy Career Planner?
In the mid-90s, a loud buzz in recruitment was that "the future" of employment was going to turn contract — i.e. companies would primarily hire individuals for functional roles on a per assignment basis. The assignments could last months or years and would be negotiated at regular intervals. This new paradigm, it was thought, would enable corporations to hire the right expertise precisely when needed, eschewing long-term or open-ended employment commitments as well as pricey benefits packages. The press loudly proclaimed this pending job market revolution, telling us we ALL needed to prepare for it.
At the time, I remember thinking that constantly looking for your next gig sounded like an exhausting way to make a living. No benefits? No career development? Was this new model a good thing?
More than a decade later, how exact was this foretelling in terms of what actually happened in A/E? In our market space, the closest we've come to this scenario is outsourcing, and this occurs pretty rarely. Other industries are better-suited to effectively utilize outsourcing than ours is.
However, this doesn't mean that there hasn't been a change in the A/E consultant's employment paradigm; change has certainly occurred. But, unlike the scenario proffered above, this change has been employee driven rather than employer driven.
Our industry generally hires talent for specific types of projects with the inherent promise that a machine is in place to continually "feed" the employees work as key projects pass through the funnel. While an individual performs a functional (technical) role, they simultaneously glean skills in maneuvering the team, office, organization and market as a whole. Functional skills and organizational skills represent two different axes on the career development chart.
As organizations have become flatter and "corporate ladders" have shed rungs, employees have adjusted the way that they perceive their careers. Employment tenures are shorter, as in the contract-for-hire scenario, but professionals' demands for diversified experiences are what is causing this. We now look at each axis to find potential growth opportunities.
For example, Mike can bring his functional skills – highway-centric NEPA planning — to a new employer, where he will apply his expertise to passenger rail corridors. The resulting experience serves to grow Mike's functional domain. Karen can move on to hold the same function in another organization – that of Manager of Traffic Engineering – yet fulfill an additional organizational role of business development lead, a role that was very competently covered at her last employer's operation by someone else.
Career paths are now plotted in this fashion: Employees set long-term goals and look for a mix of experiences that add to the figurative toolbox necessary to achieve those goals. Often, this means making the choice to change employers at each juncture rather than wait out the inertia of an organization which has no desire to shake things up.
The fact is, companies don't have the infrastructure they used to…the ladder is often very short (and broad), and you can't ascend it in a direct fashion. Consequently, professionals have adapted. No longer is your career defined by a ladder of progressive responsibilities as you "climb" the corporate hierarchy with an ever-increasing technical or organizational domain in your purview.
Your value today and your ability to contribute to any organization is better defined by the parts in your greater body of work. If we've ever talked, you know I call this your professional toolbox, and in it you hold skills developed while fulfilling a number of different — often lateral — roles that are technical, organizational, and sales related. Your objective in this modern-day game of life is to collect the right tools to provide you with the foundation to reach your professional goals.
Often, acquiring these tools requires you to change companies and jobs. From my view, this is the extent of "contract work" in the A/E consulting marketplace…Here YOU, the employee, are in the driver's seat.
"Often, this means making the choice to change employers at each juncture, rather than wait out the inertia of a functioning organization which has no need to shake things up." Very relevant and true statement, especially for high performing individuals in lower performing organizations. These lower performing organizations often hire these hi-po candidates, but they can't meet the career needs. As a result, the hi-po quickly outgrows the organization and moves on. This will become more apparent over the next few years as the job opportunities improve. The economy has merely slowed the job-hopping tendancies of these type of employees. More saavy organizations are already building plans to reduce the upcoming "brain drain" to retain the future leaders of their organizations.


I am still shaken by what I have read of the recent incident between the local firefighter and Alan Simons. At 72-and-a-half, I occasionally take my bicycle down to the Bent Creek [Experimental Forest] or the North Carolina Arboretum for a ride (mainly, I hike). But I would never ride my bike on the Blue Ridge Parkway or any rural road that did not have a designated bike lane. Like many a local vehicle driver, I have cussed out on-road bicyclists who ride double or singly in the middle of the lane.
I have a partial solution that does not require taxing all of us for designated bike lanes on some rural roads frequented by on-road bicyclists: Why not have them pay for a yearly license tag ($15?) as a Use Tax? And have all the tax go to paving shoulders for designated bike lanes.
As an 8-year-old living in St. Paul, Minn., (this was 1945), I had to pay $5 for a tiny metal tag to put on my bicycle seat. They told us all this money went toward bike safety (we had to show yearly that we knew the "rules of road" before we bought the tag).
And maybe legislation in this direction would get under-50cc moped operators licensed, registered and insured!
As a frequent rider I would support this also.
I would like to add the income we have paid the violent fire-man for the last month or two. He should be the first out there adding some sweat equity (and his pay) to build some bike lanes.
Even though we are taxed to death already, this would be a good start to raise some funds for bike lanes. Asheville is long overdue some easier places for bikers.
I think all these pedestrians who just HAVE to have sidewalks and crosswalks should be taxed to pay for them and should wear a tag around their necks so we can see who contributed to the high cost of all this concrete and who is just freeloading by walking on them for nothin'.
Many ride for necessity and dont have the luxury of choosing their routes, Yale.
Riding in this manner is not against the law.
Perhaps you need to return to the DMV and re-take the road test. You seem unaware of current laws.
As a person who makes up statistics, I can attest to the fact that 86.3% of "moped" riders are riding those no-license-required motorized bicycles because they lost their license driving drunk too many times and are too fat and lazy to get on a non-motorized bicycle for their trips to the liquor store and Hardees.
I'm glad you enjoy bicycling for fun. Many people ride for transportation, whether by necessity or choice. It's a free country. Before you get bent out of shape about those bicycles "choosing" to clog up "your" roads, remember that a driver's license is a privilege, not a right. That's a choice you chose to make for the same reason: it's a free country.
If you want to limit bicycling to bike lanes only, you're going to have to redo every street, highway, and back road down to every country dead-end except the interstate. Bicycles are allowed on every road except the interstate. Why? Because it's a form of transportation. Everyone seems to have forgotten that and only sees them as "in MY way." Blows my mind how egocentric and road-rage prone this area has become.
Honestly I wish there were bike lanes because the majority of bikers I see break the road rules. I constantly see them running red lights and cutting through traffic. I hardly ever see one that is cycling safely. If cyclist want respect, they should start obeying the rules.
Genni-Dont you see lots of cars breaking rules of the road, too?
Speeding? Rolling through stop-signs? Running cyclists off the road? You cant characterize ALL bicyclists based on how a few act.
It's more than a few, and the tired comparison to cars speeding is hardly relevant. If bicyclists want due consideration from other users of the road, they would all take it seriously when other bikers habitually break the rules and set rotten examples for all cyclists. All I ever hear is excuses about it. That's not going to make anyone any less hostile.
Because getting "hostile" at every biker because of the actions of a few is a totally 'reasonable' response.
Just like every car who has run me into the ditch is the fault of EVERY driver on the road.
I mean, if you see a car speeding and dont turn it into the police makes you just as bad, by your logic, James. And despite what you claim, almost all cars I see break some kind of law.
It's funny how you people make up excuses to not acknowledge that bikes have a legal right to be on the road. i suspect it's because you all dont even know the rules of the road.
Trust me, when I see you driving past me, speeding, i'll be sure to call 911, since you clearly feel that is the responsible action to take.
It would make more sense if bicyclists received a tax credit.
Compared to motor vehicles, bicycles conserve more public resources.
What we want to do is *encourage* people to ride their bikes — not punish them.
Like HOV lanes, the thing to do here is just build the bike lanes and hope that people will be enticed by them to transition away from driving cars.


text:
Women's eNews (https://womensenews.org/2010/01/senate-health-deal-readmits-gender-bias-insurers/)
Senate Health Deal Readmits Gender Bias by Insurers
By: Susan Elan | January 21, 2010
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NEW YORK (WOMENSENEWS)–With the nation's interest in health care reform growing in intensity, even influencing election outcomes, the National Women's Law Center in Washington, D.C., warned on Jan. 15 that the Senate health care reform bill would not end gender rating, the practice by which insurers charge women higher premiums than men for the same coverage. In contrast, the House version would ban the practice.
Larger employers with predominantly female work forces–such as child care providers, visiting nurse associations and even some smaller school districts–would continue to be charged higher premiums "simply because of the demographics of their work force," Judy Waxman, vice president for Health and Reproductive Rights at the National Women's Law Center, said in a Jan. 15 message to their members.
The Senate bill eliminates gender rating for companies with fewer than 100 employees.
Spurred by this further disappointment with the Senate's Reid-Nelson health reform bill–which joins the House version in restricting abortion coverage–the new president of the National Organization for Women is threatening to join those opposing passage of health care legislation in its current form.
"It's beyond outrageous that our friends in the leadership in the House and Senate and the White House did not call me to tell me this," said Terry O'Neill, who was elected in June to succeed the term-limited Kim Gandy as president of NOW. "As it is, if the Reid-Nelson compromise passes, after a period of years, women in this country will have no private or public coverage for abortion care. And then they're going to sneak in the continuation of gender rating and they expect us to sit back and not call for the bill to be completely killed? They've got another thing coming."
O'Neill said the nonpartisan group NOW would support pro-choice candidates regardless of party affiliation, from independent candidates to GOP members willing to go "back to the way it was before it was taken over by extremists."
Coakley Race Crucial
The disaffection of pro-choice advocates from Democrats and the political compromises they have accepted on health reform coincides with the Tuesday loss of pro-choice Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley in the special senate race for the seat vacated by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy. Coakley's victory was considered crucial for retaining the solid 60 votes necessary for health reform passage.
Scott Brown, the victor in the Massachusetts race, campaigned on his opposition to the health care bill. The Republican Majority for Choice did not endorse Brown because the group wasn't able to scrutinize his full voting record on reproductive issues.
Kellie Ferguson, executive director of the Washington-based group, said Brown has expressed support for Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling preserving abortion as part of a woman's right to privacy. Ferguson added that Brown, as a state senator, also voted for emergency contraception for rape victims. However, he voted for parental consent for abortions too and possibly other restrictions. Because of his record, Ferguson said she believes Brown "will be someone they can work with."
The industry-friendly concession on preserving insurers' right to gender bias is part of the Senate's Reid-Nelson compromise, introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb.
That duo has left Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation, calling for changes to the Senate filibuster rule that she said makes it possible for one senator–such as Nebraska's Nelson or now Massachusetts' Brown–to block legislation and appointments.
"How can we be in this position where we are constantly fighting to prevent further restrictions?" Smeal said.
Insurance companies claim that higher overall average costs for women's health care justify the practice but women's advocates call it discriminatory.
Women pay up to 48 percent more for health insurance than men, Smeal said.
Bills Restrict Abortion Access
The House and Senate health care reform bills, now undergoing reconciliation in Washington, both restrict access to abortion.
The House's Stupak-Pitts amendment bans all coverage of abortion in insurance plans to be offered in a newly created insurance exchange.
The Senate's Reid-Nelson compromise forbids any federal subsidy or funding to pay for abortion coverage.
Under the Senate version, women in theory could buy coverage as long as they pay for it separately with their own money. But individual states could "opt-out" and pass legislation prohibiting their insurance exchange from having plans that cover abortion at all.
Groups ranging from the YWCA to the American Medical Student Association warn that both bills create a clear incentive for health insurance plans to stop covering abortion. Currently, up to 85 percent of health insurance plans do cover these procedures.
Amid the turmoil over health care reform, Ellen Malcolm, president of the pro-choice EMILY's List, announced earlier this month that she is stepping down.
Stephanie Schriock, 36, a key political architect of the election of Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, will replace Malcolm, 62, on Feb. 1.
Malcolm, who founded EMILY's List in 1985 to elect pro-choice Democratic women to office, and Schriock, who also headed the campaign of Sen. Al Franken, a Democrat from Minnesota, could not be reached for comment on how the health care reform debate would affect the strategy of one of the largest political action committees in the nation.
Matt Burgess, an Emily's List spokesperson, told Women's eNews that Malcolm will continue serving the organization as chairwoman of the board.
Malcolm, who has served for 25 years, announced the search for a new president in July 2009 on the EMILY's List Web site.
Three Male Lawmakers to Blame
In a Dec. 20, 2009, e-mail–forwarded to Women's eNews by Burgess–Malcolm blamed "the fiasco around abortion coverage in health care reform" on the general male-domination of Congress and three male lawmakers in particular: Stupak, Nelson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, who heads the smallest minority party since 1979 but nevertheless has managed to keep his 40-member caucus unified in its opposition to health care reform.
"Our elected women are the ones who fought long and hard to defeat the Stupak-Nelson forces in Congress," Malcolm wrote.
Seventeen percent of lawmakers in Congress are women, according to the Center for American Women and Politics Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers.
During interviews with Women's eNews, pro-choice leaders leveled no criticism at Democratic female lawmakers, although Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, the first woman speaker of the House, admitted in published reports that she had given in to abortion opponents in her party to save the health care reform bill.
NOW's O'Neill expressed doubt about the ability of the two-party system to protect women.
"The Republicans are implacably opposed to women achieving our rights and the other party knows we have no place to go," she said.
The Feminist Majority's Smeal said she wants closer scrutiny of the Catholic bishops for ignoring restrictions on political activism by a tax-exempt religious institution.
Catholic Bishops Exert Pressure
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said it would fight any health care reform bill that did not contain restrictions on abortion. The bishops told priests across the country to talk about the legislation at all masses, to include the anti-choice information in more than 19,000 parish bulletins and to mobilize parishioners to contact Congress.
The bishops also repeatedly visited the offices of members of Congress, Smeal said. She urged Congress members "to get the same backbone" the Washington, D.C., City Council showed when it refused to bow to pressure from the bishops over the legalization of gay marriage.
"We are supposed to have a separation of church and state," Smeal said. "Religion should not dictate. There are the mullahs in Iran and the bishops here."
"The Catholic community led by their bishops must make their voice heard in the public square," Sister Mary Ann Walsh, director of media relations for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, told Women's eNews in response to Smeal's criticism. "Anything short of that would be to abdicate their responsibility as citizens and Catholics. The bishops defend the weak and defenseless. Someone has to. All U.S. citizens ought to. Health care reform is about saving lives, not taking them."
Walsh did not respond to questions about the possible violation of the bishop conference's tax-exempt status.
Susan Elan covered politics at daily newspapers in the New York metropolitan area for more than a decade. She has also worked as a reporter for an English-language radio station in Paris.
EMILY's List
http://www.emilyslist.org
http://feminist.org
NARAL Pro-Choice America
http://www.prochoiceamerica.org
http://www.now.org
Spain's Abortion Law Under Threat Despite Rescue
By: Juhie Bhatia (Managing Editor) and Hajer Naili | February 9, 2015
The ruling party is pushing ahead with a restriction on minors and the current abortion law—safeguarded in September–could be weakened by a decision of the country's Constitutional Court. But for now, pro-choice activists are breathing a sigh of relief.
Europeans Chip Away at Abortion Rights, U.S.-Style
By: Hajer Naili | December 22, 2014
Spain's failure to pass a major abortion restriction in September is far from a death knell. Anti-abortion activists in Europe have more funding, rising partisan influence and plenty of tactical lessons to borrow from the U.S. Story reported with Juhie Bhatia.
2 thoughts on "Senate Health Deal Readmits Gender Bias by Insurers"
Dianne on January 21, 2010 at 4:59 pm said:
Give it a break. Ladys lets face it ,our gender has it made. We get everything and anything we want. Isnt it time we admit it. Lets work on true equality
peter333 on May 29, 2010 at 5:50 pm said:
Of course we need that reform. We need to change that poorly working health care system at last. All European countries have way better developed health care systems. We are one of the most powerful or maybe the most powerful country in the world and we have such a poor health care system… It is funny. Obama is a great man and I believe that his ideas can change something for sure. Nowadays it is very hard to get normal medicare in our country. For example my local doctor have told me to use Avandamet every single day few times a day. How can I do that if it is so expensive? I am left without proper health care and without money at all. Obama's reform will make medications cheaper and the situation in our society will get better. I believe in that. Thanks for the nice article by the way. Keep posting them in the nearest future too.


text: Q: Локализация аннотаций данных через API в ASP.NET Core Стоит задача - реализовать локализацию сайта, чтобы ресурсы хранились в БД, но взаимодействие с ним происходит с помощью API. Получение общих ресурсов страницы сейчас реализовано через контроллер локализации, на который отправляется запрос на получение данных после загрузки страницы через AJAX. Опираясь на статьи (https://metanit.com/sharp/aspnet5/28.6.php, https://metanit.com/sharp/aspnet5/28.9.php) встал вопрос получения ресурсов в моём слуае. Как сделать получение ресурсов для аннотация данных (прим. атрибут валидации свойства) через api в Startup.cs? Или можно реализовать это как-то по-другому? Вижу выход в хранении таких данных в локальных файлах ресурсов, но по задаче все ресурсы должны храниться в БД.


A cohort of 446,763 including 61,460 with acute MI were identified.
Taking any dose NSAIDs for 1 week, 1 month, or more than a month was associated with an increased risk of MI.
With use of 1-7 days, the probability of increased MI risk was 92% for celecoxib, 97% for ibuprofen, and 99% for diclofenac, naproxen, and rofecoxib.
Corresponding odds ratios (95% credible intervals) were 1.24 (0.91 to 1.82) for celecoxib, 1.48 (1.00 to 2.26) for ibuprofen, 1.50 (1.06 to 2.04) for diclofenac, 1.53 (1.07 to 2.33) for naproxen, and 1.58 (1.07 to 2.17) for rofecoxib.
Higher dose of NSAIDs corresponded with greater risk of MI.
Use for longer than 1 month did not appear to exceed risks associated with shorter durations.
Bally M, Dendukuri N, Rich B, et al. Risk of acute myocardial infarction with NSAIDs in real world use: Bayesian meta-analysis of individual patient data. [Published online ahead of print May 9, 2017]. BMJ. doi:10.1136/bmj.j1909.


The deadly Ebola Virus Disease, which raged in some African countries including Nigeria in 2014, has staged a return in northwestern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, killing 17 people.
Congo's health ministry on Tuesday described the fresh outbreak as a "public health emergency with international impact".
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization, WHO, in Geneva, said lab tests in the DRC confirmed the presence of Ebola virus in two out of five samples collected from patients.
A team of experts from the WHO, Doctors without Borders, DRC, and Equateur province travelled to Bikoro on Tuesday to beef up coordination and carry out investigations, it said.
Ebola is one of the world's most notorious diseases, being both highly infectious and extremely lethal. It is caused by a virus that has a natural reservoir in the bat, which does not itself fall ill, but can pass the microbe on to humans who hunt it for "bushmeat".


text:
<?
use TextDB\Enum\LanguageCodes;
use TextDB\Enum\PluralForms;

$localeData = [

	# English US
	LanguageCodes::EN_US => [
		'plurals' => [PluralForms::ONE,PluralForms::OTHER]
	],

];

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Do you like upgrades? Brighton Townhomes in Silver Valley, Portrait Homes multi-award winning master planned community. Professionally designed with upgraded rock fireplace surround, new tile and vessel sink in the main bath. This open plan concept plan flows from spacious kitchen into large living room. All 3 bedrooms upstairs with tastefully designed ensuite in the master bathroom. The private, fenced yard with patio is perfect for BBQing and the Kids and Dogs. Large tandem garage with ample storage for your toys or a workshop in the back. Minutes to Alouette Lake, nature trails, Black Sheep Pub/Restaurant and Yennoden Elementary. Maintenance free grass turf in the backyard! Large complex playground for the kiddies.


What I want in my life is not a perfect person, but a good person.
Great guy 42yrs old. Great personality love skiing and traveling when I can.
Hello to you who is viewing my profile. welcome, lol.
I'm a Cub looking for a wild cougar for some long term fun!
True love is hard to find but once we found it we should hold it with much care like an egg. I'm fairly trustworthy and sincere looking for stable and everlasting relationship .


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Browse: Home > 2015 > November > Racial Politics Flavor Debate Over Banning Menthol Cigarettes
Racial Politics Flavor Debate Over Banning Menthol Cigarettes
By Myron Levin on November 17, 2015
Kool, introduced in the 1930s by Brown & Williamson Tobacco Co., was one of the early menthol brands, and until the 1950s the most popular. This 1937 ad was one of many that promoted Kool as soothing to the throat. (Cigarette ads courtesy of the Stanford University collection)
Lorillard Tobacco donated nearly four times as much to Republican candidates as to Democrats in the 2014 congressional elections. No surprise there — most businesses count on Republicans to hold the line on regulations and taxes.
But Lorillard made a striking exception for one set of Democrats: African Americans. It gave campaign cash to half of all black members of Congress, as opposed to just one in 38 non-black Democrats, according to an analysis by FairWarning of records from the Center for Responsive Politics. To put it another way, black lawmakers, all but one of whom are Democrats, were 19 times as likely as their Democratic peers to get a donation.
It's not hard to see why. The election campaign overlapped a debate crucial to Lorillard: Whether to add menthol, the minty, throat-numbing additive, to a list of flavorings banned from use in cigarettes in 2009 on public health grounds. Lorillard's Newport cigarettes have been the top-selling menthol brand, accounting for billions of dollars in annual sales. And who most favors menthols? Black smokers, by a wide margin.
For decades, the tobacco industry has maintained what amounts to an informal mutual aid pact with some black organizations. Over the years, cigarette makers have donated generously to members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and to its affiliate, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation; to major groups like the National Urban League, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the United Negro College Fund; and to a host of smaller African American organizations. In return, some of the groups have helped the industry fight anti-smoking measures. Other times, critics say, they have simply turned a blind eye to the harmful impact of tobacco on the black community.
This story also published by:
News & Record (Greensboro, N.C.)
FloridaBulldog.org
Industrial Safety & Hygiene News
InDepthNH
Investigative Reporting Workshop
Menthol cigarettes, once a niche product, now account for about 30 percent of U.S. cigarette sales. But a study cited by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that menthols were the choice of 88 percent of black smokers and 57 percent of smokers under 18.
The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, the landmark 2009 law that authorized the FDA to regulate tobacco products, included a ban on candy, fruit and spice flavorings because of their appeal to young smokers. But in negotiations that led to adoption of the law, menthol was given a pass. In July 2013, after complaints from public health groups, the FDA put out a call for public comments on whether menthol, too, should be restricted or banned.
Menthols account for about 30 percent of U.S. cigarette sales, but are preferred by more than 80 percent of black smokers. Newport is the most popular menthol, and second best-selling brand in the U.S. behind Marlboro.
Not a peep
Several other countries have banned menthol or imposed deadlines for eliminating it. But not a peep has been heard from the FDA since it asked the public to weigh in more than two years ago. This past June, in a display of confidence, Reynolds American Inc., which includes R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., completed a merger with Lorillard, paying more than $27 billion for a company that depended on menthols for about 85 percent of sales.
The menthol limbo fits a pattern, according to public health advocates, who say the FDA has been all but paralyzed by excessive caution and, when it has tried to act, by successful legal challenges from the industry. In November 2011, the agency was blocked in court when it tried to require graphic warning labels on cigarette packs like those in at least 75 countries. And it has yet to complete the rulemaking process that would extend its oversight to cigars and e-cigarettes, which are increasingly popular among teens.
The failure to act is "inexcusable." said Joelle Lester, a staff attorney with the Public Health Law Center in St. Paul, Minn. "Prohibiting menthol in tobacco products should be a very high priority." Agency officials declined to be interviewed. A spokesman said in an email that the FDA "is continuing to consider regulatory options related to menthol.''
Banning menthol would be politically difficult under any circumstances, but observers say it will be impossible without strong support from African American leadership groups. And despite support for a ban from some black public health advocates, African American politicians and organizations have been largely silent.
Joelle Lester, staff attorney at the Public Health Law Center, St. Paul, Minn.
Some of the smaller groups that have received tobacco money over the years–the National Black Police Association, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, or NOBLE, the National Black Chamber of Commerce and the Congress of Racial Equality — have opposed a ban, claiming it would trigger illicit trade in menthol cigarettes. This, they say, would result in lost tax revenues, rising law enforcement costs and widespread arrests in the black community.
The NBPA launched a write-in campaign that brought more than 36,000 comments opposing a ban, according to an FDA document. That group did not respond to interview requests. But John Dixon, a past president of NOBLE and the police chief in Petersburg, Va., said he thought banning menthol would harm "the minority community, because the majority of menthol smokers are minorities." He added that "prohibitions cause a whole other host of problems," including an added "burden on law enforcement." NOBLE lists RAI Services Co., part of Reynolds American, as a current donor. But Dixon said this "would not have any influence, one way or another,'' on the group's positions.
A complicated relationship
The relationship between tobacco companies and black groups "is complicated,'' said Delmonte Jefferson, executive director of the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network, a CDC-funded nonprofit.
Delmonte Jefferson, executive director of the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network
In recent years, minority groups have attracted a wider range of corporate sponsors, making tobacco funding less important. But "there was a long time that it was only the tobacco industry that would support" some of them, Jefferson said. "To do an abrupt turn against the same companies—that's kind of hard for them to do."
While smoking rates for black and white adults are comparable, blacks suffer higher death rates from tobacco-related ailments, including some types of cancer and cardiovascular disease. According to the CDC, about 47,000 African Americans die annually from smoking-related illnesses, making tobacco use the largest preventable cause of death for black Americans.
Menthols do not appear to be any more toxic than other brands. "A menthol cigarette is just another cigarette and should be regulated no differently," said David Howard, a spokesman for Reynolds American, in an email to FairWarning. But health authorities view menthols as a starter product, saying that menthol's anesthetizing effect helps beginners tolerate the harshness of tobacco smoke, making them more likely to become addicted to nicotine.
"Menthol has no redeeming value other than to make the poison go down more easily,'' said a report in the American Journal of Public Health.
New York Yankees star Elston Howard touted Kool's throat-soothing "extra coolness'' in this 1962 ad.
Some research also suggests that menthol smokers are more nicotine dependent and have more trouble quitting. For these reasons, said a 2013 FDA report, it is "likely that menthol cigarettes pose a public health risk above that seen with non-menthol cigarettes." The industry disputes this. According to Reynolds' spokesman Howard, "The best available scientific evidence demonstrates that menthol cigarettes do not cause people to start smoking earlier, smoke more cigarettes … or make smokers more addicted than non-menthol cigarette smokers."
"African Americanization" of menthols
In any case, the industry has worked hard to befriend the black community. Early on, cigarette makers touted menthols as good for smokers with a cough or cold, and "African Americans became attached to the notion" that menthols were safer, according to public health activist and researcher Phillip S. Gardiner. The companies reinforced the popularity of Kool and other brands by sponsoring cultural events and pouring marketing dollars into black media and neighborhoods–all part of what Gardiner called the "African Americanization of menthol cigarette use.''
The industry's hiring practices were also progressive for their time, winning gratitude in the black community. In the 1950s the White Sentinel, a white supremacist publication, urged a boycott of Philip Morris for having "the worst race-mixing record of any large company in the nation." It "was first in the tobacco industry to hire Negroes instead of Whites for executive and sales positions,'' the White Sentinel lamented, and "the first cigarette company to advertise in the Negro press.''
Phillip S. Gardiner, program officer with the University of California's Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program
Led by Philip Morris, the top U.S. cigarette maker and part of Altria Group, tobacco companies also became charitable pillars of African American cultural, educational and political organizations. In 1987, for instance, the company donated $2.4 million to more than 180 black, Latino and women's organizations and local chapters.
Relentless discrimination
That same year, the National Black Monitor, a now-defunct magazine, published an article ghost written by an official from R.J. Reynolds, which had funded journalism scholarships for African American students and in 1985 was named advertiser of the year by a black newspaper publishers group. The article compared the treatment of tobacco companies to that of oppressed blacks.
While racial minorities no longer face "the systematized injustice they once did,'' the article said, "relentless discrimination still rages unabashedly on a cross-country scope against another group of targets — the tobacco industry and 50 million private citizens who smoke.''
At the annual convention of the NAACP in 2009, two members of the group's Berkeley, Calif., branch tried to convince the organization to adopt an aggressive anti-tobacco stand. The two — Valerie Yerger, then an assistant professor of health policy at the University of California, San Francisco, and Carol McGruder, co-chair of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council — tried to introduce a resolution that called on NAACP leadership to make tobacco control "a national priority'' and push for a menthol ban.
Valerie Yerger, associate professor of health policy in the School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco
The resolution had not been vetted in advance of the convention, as was customary, and as Yerger and McGruder recalled, their request to introduce it on an emergency basis was not well-received. The late Julian Bond, then NAACP chairman, "was not going to have any conversation with us about this," Yerger remembered. "He was in our face yelling at us, OK? I was determined not to cry, but this was, like, a hero that I grew up with,'' she said. "As a young black kid, you grow up knowing who the hell Julian Bond is…'' McGruder didn't recall Bond getting angry, but said "he wasn't happy about it [the resolution] and he wasn't going to entertain it."
Amid declines in smoking and consolidation in the industry, the flow of tobacco money to minority organizations seems to have ebbed in recent years. But the industry "still has a pretty heavy influence financially," said Jefferson of the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network.
Last year, Altria donated $1 million to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. During the 2013-14 election cycle, tobacco companies donated $115,650 to black lawmakers and their affiliated PACs, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Lorillard was the most generous, distributing $56,500 to 23 black members (there are 46 total) and related PACs. The Black Caucus chair, North Carolina Rep. G.K. Butterfield, got $5,000 from Lorillard. Rep. Sanford Bishop of Georgia got $10,000. South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn received $2,000 from Lorillard, and his BRIDGE PAC took in $5,000 from Lorillard and $10,000 from Altria.
Executive ties
Carol McGruder, co-chair of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council.
Shuanise Washington is president and CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which sponsors leadership training, awards scholarships and hosts an annual legislative conference attended by thousands. Washington, who declined to comment for this story, is also a past vice president for Altria, which gave the CBCF between $100,000 and $249,000 in both 2013 and 2014, according to the foundation's website. Altria spokesman David B. Sutton said the gifts mainly support the foundation's fellowship and internship programs, reflecting the company's "long history of focusing on diversity and inclusion."
In addition, the foundation listed RAI Services, part of Reynolds American, as contributing between $5,000 and $15,000, and cited Altria as a corporate partner at its most recent legislative conference in September. "How can you talk about health equity," asked anti-tobacco activist Jefferson, "when you are sponsored by a killer of public health?"
Among Lorillard's campaign donations was $1,000 to Rep. Robin Kelly of Illinois, who heads a panel called the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust. At the caucus foundation's legislative conference, she issued a 144-page report, "Health Disparities in America,'' on health problems afflicting minority citizens. It included entire sections on childhood obesity, nutrition, HIV/AIDS, lupus, sleep disorders, oral health and gun violence. Tobacco was barely mentioned. Kelly did not respond to interview requests.
No. 1 flavor product
The 2009 legislation that gave the FDA power to regulate tobacco products grew from a deal between tobacco control groups, anti-smoking members of Congress and Altria. But the menthol exception did not sit well with some black public health advocates.
Kool ad from 2006. By then Kool was an R.J. Reynolds brand through a merger with Brown & Williamson Tobacco.
"How do you justify removing all of the flavorings which were minuscule in use … but leave the No. 1 flavor product…? It makes no sense at all," said William S. Robinson, the former head of the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network, which withdrew its support for the bill in protest.
Seven former secretaries of Health and Human Services, including Dr. Louis W. Sullivan and Joseph Califano, weighed in with an open letter to Congress. "Menthol should be banned so that it no longer serves as a product the tobacco companies can use to lure African American children," it read. "We do everything we can to protect our children in America, especially our white children. It's time to do the same for all children.''
Lorillard, which soon after agreed to donate $1 million to the International Civil Rights Center and Museum in its hometown of Greensboro, N.C., put a different spin on the social justice issue.
Self-appointed activists
"Some self-appointed activists have proposed a legislative ban on menthol cigarettes in a misguided effort to force people to quit smoking by limiting their choices," the company said in ads in the black press. "The history of African Americans in this country has been one of fighting against paternalistic limitations and for freedoms.''
Ultimately, Congress kicked the menthol can down the road. An amendment to the tobacco control act called for the formation of an expert panel, the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee, to study and report to the FDA on the public health impact of menthol, "including use among children, African Americans, Hispanics, and other racial/ethnic minorities."
2009 ad for Newport, the flagship brand of Lorillard Tobacco, which in June merged with Reynolds American.
The panel issued its report in 2011, concluding that "removal of menthol cigarettes from the marketplace would benefit public health in the United States.'' The FDA, however, waited two more years before requesting public comments. Then in July 2014, the agency suffered a legal setback . A federal judge ruled that the agency could not base any decisions on the advisory panel's findings. The ruling came in a lawsuit by Reynolds and Lorillard claiming that the FDA had violated ethics laws by appointing experts to the panel who had conflicts of interest for having previously taken anti-tobacco stands. The decision is under appeal.
The ruling didn't bar the FDA from acting, because its own staff had prepared a separate report that reached essentially the same conclusions. But for reasons agency officials won't discuss, nothing has happened since.
Some activists have given up on the feds and moved on to local campaigns. In December 2013, for instance, the Chicago city council passed an ordinance barring the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes, cigars and e-cigarettes, within 500 feet of schools. In Berkeley, Calif., a ban on the sale of menthol and other flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, within 600 feet of schools will take effect in 2017. Similar legislation has been proposed in Baltimore.
"I'm not expecting anything" from the FDA, said McGruder, one of the activists rebuffed by the NAACP. "I don't think that they have … the guts.''
Douglas Weber of the Center for Responsive Politics contributed to this story.
Posted in FairWarning Investigates | Tagged Cigarette Smuggling, Product Hazards and Recalls, Smoking and Tobacco Industry | 8 Comments
Myron Levin is editor of FairWarning.
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8 comments to "Racial Politics Flavor Debate Over Banning Menthol Cigarettes"
S. Ari Bendavid August 16, 2016 at 4:34 pm | Permalink
The US Govt. Needs to get out of the business of interfering with citizens private lives. If I want to smoke a menthol cigarette I will smoke one. No need for the overbearing government in Washington to tell us all what is good for us. I have spent a lifetime ignoring their intrusion. The only laws I abide by are not doing harm to others, stealing, and other such things. I have smoked menthols among other things besides tobacco. And I don't give a damn.
Uncle Gary December 21, 2015 at 6:18 pm | Permalink
Perfect example. There was a report that air pollution was responsible for 200,000 American deaths.
Were some percentage of those deaths also reported as deaths from smoking cigarettes? Is it possible to attribute a cause of death to one factor?
Another problem is criminalizing cigarette smoking. I have received three tickets for smoking a cigarette in public from the Santa Monica Cops. (BTW, I'm a 63 year old white guy).
None of the tickets were received in an area posted non-smoking. One was when I was standing 10 feet down wind from a bus stop. The cop said it didn't have to be posted.
I have $3,700 in fines overdue, because the fine is $250, but you can't plead not guilty unless you post a $1,250 bond. I do not understand why this is permitted in America.
Anti-smoking laws are prone to inexcusable and abusive enforcement at all levels.
Uncle Gary December 19, 2015 at 5:33 am | Permalink
On a more technical note, I've always questioned how deaths from non-tobacco caused lung cancer is accounted for.
Data always appears to be presented as all lung cancer deaths are from smoking tobacco. There must be implied technical adjustments made, but they are not presented with the data crunch.
How many non-tobacco lung cancer deaths occur every year in the U.S.? Are the rates higher in the black population than other ethnic groups?
A couple of impoverished communities in L.A. (Compton and Industry) have recently been in the news because of their high levels of industrial toxins. Does the high rate of toxins in the environment of poor communities enhance the effects of cigarette smoking on lung cancer in those communities?
I'm not suggesting there is not a causal connection between lung cancer and cigarettes, simply wondering if the numbers are exaggerated because multiple causative agents of lung cancer cannot be accurately accounted for.
Oh yeah. I've smoked two packs a day for decades, so I may be biased. I am also seriously annoyed that prospective HUD regulations on smoking will effectively exclude me from public housing. These types of regulations are frequently tyranically enforced by public housing nannies.
A whole lotta brothers on The Row aren't all that worried about future possibilities that are gonna kill us in ten or fifteen years.
I'm just sayin:
http://verysmartbrothas.com/the-rapidly-decreasing-value-of-hope-in-the-criminal-justice-system/
Uncle Gary December 17, 2015 at 10:37 pm | Permalink
Yeah right. Menthol cigarettes are a way bigger problem than mass incarceration or homicide by cop. What we need is another legal excuse to stigmatize and criminalize black Americans. After all, prohibition has been an extremely beneficial policy for alcohol and drugs. Right?
Bill Godshall November 19, 2015 at 11:16 am | Permalink
There is no evidence that banning the sale of menthol cigarettes would benefit public health.
But a menthol cigarette ban would:
– create a huge black market for untaxed and unregulated menthol cigarettes,
– reduce cigarette tax revenue, and funds for SCHIP and smoking cessation programs,
– demonize and stigmatize black menthol smokers as criminals.
From 2004-2009, CTFK, ACS, AHA, ALA lobbied Congress to enact the Philip Morris sponsored TCA by deceitfully claiming it was necessary to protect children from candy flavored cigarettes (which accounted for 99.9% of all nicotine vapor products currently on the market.
Jeanne Weigum November 18, 2015 at 10:01 am | Permalink
Menthol lures youth, all youth but particularly LGBT and African American youth, to tobacco. It is unacceptable. There is substantial evidence that menthol makes tobacco use easier to start and harder to stop, thus contributing to health disparities.
The Chicago ordinance that imposes restrictions on menthol sales near schools is proving difficult, perhaps impossible, to enforce so other alternatives should be considered. Minneapolis' ordinance limiting the sale of flavored tobacco products (excluding menthol) to adult only establishments goes into effect in January, 2016 and Saint Paul is considering a similar ordinance. Both cities will look at placing the same sales restrictions on menthol flavored products in the near future. In Saint Paul the number of stores allowed to sell these 'adult only' products will be 16 adult only stores, down from the 262 that now sell them. This seems like a legally defensible way to regulate Menthol sales and is worth consideration in other communities.
Jeanne Weigum is a tobacco control advocate living in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Christine Schutzman November 18, 2015 at 6:47 am | Permalink
Wonderful article! I will definitely be sharing this. Would you please provide the names of the members of the Congressional Black Caucus that accepted money, or a link to where to find that information easily? It would be greatly appresciated!!
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Q: What symmetry operation mixes states with different $\ell$ in hydrogen atom? We can mix states with different $m$ in hydrogen atom by rotating it around some axis (not coinciding with $z$). Thus rotation is the symmetry operation which mixes states with different $m$.
As hydrogen has hidden symmetry, which leads to degeneracy in $\ell$, there must be some symmetry operation, which would mix different $\ell$'s. What is this operation? I understand that this symmetry is related to Laplace-Runge-Lenz vector conservation, but I don't quite see what symmetry operation corresponds to it.


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KU mourns death of longtime film and media studies professor
Chuck Berg, a longtime professor of film and media studies at Kansas University, hugs Mary Doveton, executive director of Theatre Lawrence, at a groundbreaking for the new Theatre Lawrence building on Thursday, May 10, 2012. Berg died July 26 at Lawrence Memorial Hospital at age 75.
By Joanna Hlavacek
Kansas University is mourning the death of Charles "Chuck" Berg, a longtime professor in the school's department of film and media studies.
Berg, 75, died Tuesday, July 26, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.
"Chuck Berg's many contributions to our university spanned nearly four decades, during which he was able to share his love of film and music with countless students and colleagues," KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little said in a news release. "On behalf of the university, I would like to extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends and loved ones."
A jazz lover, U.S. Army veteran and KU alumnus, Berg returned to his alma mater as a faculty member in 1977. He eventually became a force in the creation of film and media studies at KU, where he shared his expertise in television, music (outside of the classroom, Berg was an accomplished saxophonist) and popular culture.
After multiple diagnoses, cancer fighter never down for the count.
Focusing his research on American history and pop culture, Berg taught a variety of classes in film-media history, theory, criticism and production. During his time at KU, Berg wrote a book, "The Encyclopedia of Orson Welles," as well as several academic and journalistic articles and commentaries on media, music and other subjects in the arts and entertainment realm.
In 1999, Berg was selected by students as a Mortar Board Outstanding Educator, and a year later was awarded the Kansas University W.T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence.
"Many of his students who went on to influential careers in the film and media industries and in academia cite Chuck's positive outlook and infectious goodwill as a motivating factor in their lives," said Michael Baskett, associate professor and department chair of film and media studies, in the KU news release.
In his statement to the university, Baskett described Berg as a supportive colleague who selflessly shared his time and energy with other faculty, staff and students.
"Chuck and his gracious wife and partner, Beth, were a dependable and caring team that nurtured the department through difficult times, leaving it a better place than they found it," Baskett said. "We are all better people for having the chance to know Chuck and miss him sorely."
A service for Berg will be held Nov. 19; further details will be announced later by Warren-McElwain Mortuary and Cremation Services.
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George and Hickey were a powerful combination for Savannah Christian
Tim Guidera
Trying so hard to beat each other made it easier for Carrie George and Brittany Hickey to beat just about everybody they played this year.
The Savannah Christian teammates were in competition against one another most of the preseason, both wanting to shoot the low score in every practice round and both hoping to earn the No. 1 spot in the lineup. That edginess started preparing the entire SCPS team.
But it wasn't until the first regular-season tournament, when George and Hickey teamed up in a scramble format, that the pair became partners and better friends and the Red Raiders became just about unbeatable.
"That's just the way it is. If you don't have competition, you're not going to improve,'' said George. "It was a friendly competition, but we both wanted to win. That helped us both.''
Just not as much as George and Hickey helped SCPS, which won all but one match during the regular season, claimed the Region 2-AA championship and finished second in the state.
The team's top two players led the Raiders in scoring at every event and were named co-most valuable players by coach Doyle Kelley at the end of the season.
Fittingly, George, Hickey and their games are linked again as they share the Savannah Morning News' Greater Savannah Girls' Golfer of the Year honors.
"They basically gave us a 1-2 punch that most teams didn't have,'' said Kelley, who coaches boys and girls golf at SCPS. "They both work extremely hard and have improved a lot over the last couple of years. They had such similar seasons that it would be difficult to choose between them. So we pretty much swapped up who was No. 1 and 2 all year.''
Kelley couldn't really make a bad choice in that scenario.
In George, he had probably the longest-hitting female player in Savannah/Chatham County high school golf. Her drives that routinely exceeded 250 yards helped her overpower the shorter courses SCPS played this season and set her up to post a scoring average of 84 for the season. They also caught the attention of Armstrong Atlantic State coach Michael Butler, who signed George to a scholarship.
It didn't hurt that she won the Savannah/Chatham Co. championship individual title or that she often broke 40 in her team's nine-hole matches to which the Raiders' only senior also brought an additional role.
"It was my job to keep everybody in line and make sure everybody was where they were supposed to be on time,'' said George, whose teammates included two juniors and a freshman. "We're girls, so we like to talk a lot. I had to get everyone focused.''
Hickey uses a different style of play, but is similarly serious about golf.
She's not as long as George, but she makes up for it around the green.
"That's what I practice on most and I think that's where I get some people,'' Hickey said of her short game. "I know I can't outdrive some girls, but I can catch them around the green.''
She caught and passed everyone at the region tournament, shooting a 79 to win low-medalist honors and lead SCPS to first place. That was one of several times during the season when the junior paced the Raiders, suggesting Hickey will be stepping into the team's leadership role next season.
That would be just the next way the two best players in girls high school golf this season might continue to be linked as they were by sharing the Raiders' MVP award this season.
"I kind of knew that was coming,'' said Hickey, who also posted an 84 stroke average. "We were so close the entire season that it would have been hard to pick one of us above the other. We were always right next to each other.''
And now they are one more time as co-players of the year.


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