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Debt Rattle May 23 2020
May 23, 2020 Posted by Raúl Ilargi Meijer at 11:20 am Finance Tagged with: Africa, airlines, Argentine, Chile, coronavirus, Covid19, FBI, Flynn, HCQ, Hertz, Peru, quarantine, Remdesivir, veterans, WHO
Adam Zyglis The son of man May 19 2020
• US Grants Tentative OK For 15 Air Carriers To Cut Service To 75 Airports (R.)
• UK Confirms 14-Day Quarantine Post-Travel (Y!)
• Remdesivir Study Finds Mortality Too High For Standalone Treatment (ZH)
• NIH Trial: Redesivir Works Best In COVID Patients On Oxygen (R.)
• US Veterans Agency Has Given HCQ To 1,300 Coronavirus Patients (R.)
• COVID19 'Taking Different Path In Africa', Says WHO (G.)
• Peruvian President Extends Nationwide Lockdown Through June 30 (CNN)
• Chileans Rediscover Community Kitchens As Coronavirus and Hunger Bite (R.)
• Car Rental Giant Hertz Files For Bankruptcy (Solomon)
• This Sucker Is Going Down (Kunstler)
• Argentina Set For Default As Bondholders Reject New Terms (G.)
• FBI Launches Internal Investigation Into Its Handling Of Flynn Case (JTN)
• FBI Opened Russia Probe On Third-Hand 'Suggestion' Of Collusion (JTN)
Global new cases in past 24 hours: 107,743
New cases in:
• US + 23,591
• Russia + 9,434
• Brazil + 21.461
• India + 6,568
• Chile + 4,726
New deaths in past 24 hours:
• US + 1,260 (total deaths 97,655)
• Russia + 139
• Brazil + 1,034
• Spain + 688
• UK +351
• Mexico + 337
https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1263901535462928386
• Cases 5,326,230 (+ 107,743 from yesterday's 5,218,496)
• Deaths 340,383 (+ 5,314 from yesterday's 335,069)
From Worldometer yesterday evening -before their day's close-
From Worldometer
From SCMP:
From COVID19Info.live:
Now that their lockdowns end, the US and UK take measures they should have when they started. The cart and the horse.
How is this not insane? During the lockdowns, US airlines have kept flying everywhere, and people have entered the UK without even being checked (an official policy).
Now that the virus is solidly embedded in the home population, they start acting to prevent it from embedding itself in the population.
The U.S. Transportation Department said late on Friday it had granted tentative approval to 15 airlines to temporarily halt service to 75 U.S. airports because of the coronavirus pandemic. Airlines must maintain minimum service levels in order to receive government assistance but many have petitioned to stop service to airports with low passenger demand. Both United Airlines and Delta Air Lines won tentative approval to halt flights to 11 airports, while JetBlue Airways, Alaska Airlines and Frontier Airlines were approved to stop flights to five airports each. The department said all airports would continue to be served by at least one air carrier.
The Transportation Department said objections to the order can be filed until May 28. U.S. air carriers are collectively burning through more than $10 billion in cash a month as travel demand remains a fraction of prior levels, even though it has rebounded slightly in recent weeks. They have parked more than half of their planes and cut thousands of flights. The department has previously granted airlines waivers to cancel some additional flights and denied others. On May 12, the department said it would allow carriers to halt flights to up to 5% of required destinations.
Millions of travelers since January, and 100,000 air passengers alone from April 1-26, have entered the UK unhindered. No More! We have all the virus we need!
The UK government confirmed in a statement that it will put in place a 14-day period of quarantine for anyone that lands on British soil in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The move, which was announced at the government's daily press briefing, will be a huge blow for the airline industry that is predicted to lose $314bn this year, according to the latest prediction from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). That number is still 25% more than previously forecasted. This is also due to a 55% drop in 2020 passenger revenue compared with last year.
Home secretary Priti Patel confirmed at the daily coronavirus briefing from Downing Street on Friday that alongside the 14-day quarantine, those under that lockdown could be contacted regularly throughout this period to ensure compliance. "As the world begins to emerge from what we hope is the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, we must look to the future and protect the British public by reducing the risk of cases crossing our border," she said in a statement. "We are introducing these new measures now to keep the transmission rate down and prevent a devastating second wave. "I fully expect the majority of people will do the right thing and abide by these measures. But we will take enforcement action against the minority of people who endanger the safety of others."
When a 'pivotal' study is released on a Friday at 6pm, you know something's wrong. But we still see headlines today like:
"Gilead's drug works best in COVID patients on oxygen" and "Anti-viral drug 'remdesivir' effective against coronavirus, study finds".
Remdesivir doesn't work. It may have a little effect on people who already get oxygen, but that's it. It doesn't cure a thing.
There's a Chinese study out on a drug with the great plus that it hasn't killed anyone in phase 1 testing.
That is the new standard. All investors should move in! This could be the one!
… According to a pivotal study published in the New England Journal of Medicine late on Friday, Remdesivir, which was authorized to treat Covid-19 in a group of 1063 adults and children (split into two groups, one receiving placebo instead of remdesivir) who need i) supplemental oxygen, ii) a ventilator or iii) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), only significantly helped those on supplemental oxygen. Meanwhile, and explaining the 6pm release on a Friday, the study also found no marked benefit from remdesivir for those who were healthier and didn't need oxygen or those who were sicker, requiring a ventilator or a heart-lung bypass machine.
The NEJM, almost apologetically, stated that "the lack of benefit seen in the other groups might have stemmed from a smaller number of patients in each group." Still, as a result of the partial benefit for patients in the supplemental oxygen group, the study from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases was evaluated early and led to the authorization of remdesivir before the full trial was completed. Our findings highlight the need to identify Covid-19 cases and start antiviral treatment before the pulmonary disease progresses to require mechanical ventilation.
A visual representation of the outcomes is below; it shows that whereas there was a modest benefit only to patients who were receiving oxygen, the results were statistically insignificant vs placebo for patients not receiving oxygen, while in a surprising twist patients on high-flow oxygen or mechanical ventilator/ECMO did modestly better in the placebo group than those taking remdesivir. Also, the overall results showed a very modest, but not statistically significant improvement in the remdesivir group vs placebo. [..] Another disappointment: the study found that overall "mortality was numerically lower in the remdesivir group than in the placebo group, but the difference was not significant", in other words the alleged "miracle drug" has largely the same effect as a placebo in terms of overall disease mortality.
It looks like advertizing gone wrong.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Friday said that data from its trial of Gilead Sciences Inc's (GILD.O) remdesivir show that the drug offers the most benefit for COVID-19 patients who need extra oxygen but do not require mechanical ventilation. The peer-reviewed data was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The trial, for which final results are still trickling in, showed that recovery time for patients given remdesivir was shortened by four days, or 31%, compared to placebo patients. The biggest benefit was seen in patients who were sick enough to need supplemental oxygen, but were not on a ventilator. The data detailed in the journal is similar to early results that the NIH released last month from the study, which began in February with 1,063 participants in 10 countries.
Researchers now calculate that after follow up, 7% of patients given remdesivir will have died, compared with 12% in the placebo group, but they said the difference in the death rate was not significant. "Our findings highlight the need to identify COVID-19 cases and start antiviral treatment before the pulmonary disease progresses to require mechanical ventilation," the researchers wrote. They noted that "given high mortality despite the use of remdesivir," it is likely that the antiviral drug would be more effective in combination with other treatments for COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus. Gilead said it expects results from its own study of remdesivir in patients with moderate COVID-19 at the end of this month.
Chuck Schumer is only interested because he can smear Trump. That the VA employs thousands of doctors makes no difference. They are all wrong.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has treated 1,300 coronavirus patients with the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which a study has tied to an increased risk of death, according to a document released by a Senate Democrat on Friday. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who received the information from the VA in response to questions he submitted on the issue, said he was "deeply troubled" by the data. President Donald Trump has long urged use of hydroxychloroquine against coronavirus and recently said he has been taking it himself, despite evidence that the treatment could be harmful.
A study published on Friday in the medical journal Lancet tied the drug to an increased risk of death in hospitalized patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. In April, doctors at VA itself also said hydroxychloroquine did not help COVID-19 patients and might pose a higher risk of death. The VA, which provides care to 9 million veterans, said that about 1,300 coronavirus patients who received the drug are among more than 10,000 COVID-19 patients it has treated.
It has also dispensed hydroxychloroquine to about 7,500 patients with other conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. The VA said it will continue to dispense the drug under the guidelines of the Food and Drug Administration. In answer to a question from Schumer, the VA said it was not pressured into using hydroxychloroquine by the White House, the Department of Health and Human Services or any other federal agency. "VA, like so many medical facilities across this nation, is in a race to keep patients alive during this pandemic, and we are using as many tools as we can," the VA told Schumer.
Sure, younger population. But more than that, no health care systems, no ways to keep track of infected or dead, let alone with what.
Different path alright.
There had been apocalyptic forecasts for the potential impact of the coronavirus pandemic in Africa. On Friday evening, after the 100,000th case was reached, the World Health Organization's Africa office circulated a note saying that it now seemed clear that the pandemic "appears to be taking a different pathway in Africa." The note continued: Case numbers have not grown at the same exponential rate as in other regions and so far Africa has not experienced the high mortality seen in some parts of the world. Today, there are 3,100 confirmed deaths on the continent. By comparison, when cases reached 100,000 in the WHO European region, deaths stood at more than 4,900.
Early analysis by WHO suggests that Africa's lower mortality rate may be the result of demography and other possible factors. Africa is the youngest continent demographically with more than 60% of the population under the age of 25. Older adults have a significantly increased risk of developing a severe illness. In Europe nearly 95% of deaths occurred in those older than 60 years. WHO also noted that African governments swiftly imposed restrictive measures on their populations in an attempt to contain the spread of the disease. However, it also said that despite "significant progress in testing", rates of testing remain low in comparison to other regions.
It insisted that, despite the relatively low number of cases, "the pandemic remains a major threat to the continent's health systems". Now that countries are starting to ease their confinement measures, there is a possibility that cases could increase significantly, and it is critical that governments remain vigilant and ready to adjust measures in line with epidemiological data and proper risk assessment.
Peru has it bad.
Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra announced Friday that a national state of emergency, which includes mandatory social isolation measures, will be extended through June 30. He announced that "a national state of emergency is being declared from Monday, May 25 until June 30, including obligatory social isolation, quarantine, due to the grave circumstances that affect the life of the nation due to Covid-19," according to state news agency Andina. Vizcarra first declared a nationwide state of emergency, which included mandatory self-quarantine and closed the country's borders, on March 15. With the current extension, Peru will be under a state of emergency for at least three and a half months.
"On the first night, the word "hunger" was projected onto one of Santiago's tallest buildings."
Poor neighbourhoods in the Chilean capital Santiago have seen a resurgence in the use of community kitchens once prevalent in the darkest days of dictatorship, as coronavirus shutdowns put pressure on jobs and send thousands into poverty. With winter approaching and temperatures chilling, canteen-style operations provide plates of hot food to those with dwindling incomes or nothing at all. They are organized by neighbors, local leaders and councils, who donate money or food. "My people are getting desperate, they have nothing to eat so we asked for help and as always, the people answered," Sandra Cariz, the president of a community association, told Reuters in the Puente Alto suburb of Santiago on Friday.
The kitchens come alongside a growing number of drives circulating on social media for food, money and clothing donations. Chile has about 62,000 coronavirus cases and 600 deaths. Its economy has taken a hit unlike anything since the 1980s, government officials have said, when almost half of Chileans lived below the poverty line and the country was rocked by protests against Augusto Pinochet's regime. When the coronavirus hit in March, Chile was just recovering from intense social protests over inequality which included arson attacks and looting. Protests restarted this week, with skirmishes between police and people denouncing the highest job losses in a decade. On the first night, the word "hunger" was projected onto one of Santiago's tallest buildings.
Uber.
Hertz Global Holdings on Friday eveing filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as large debts and 700,000 vehicles mostly idled by the pandemic brought the car rental giant to its knees. The Florida-based company, which listed more than $24 billion in debt, took the action in a Delaware bankruptcy court in an effort to avoid permanent closure and a liquidation of its fleet. The company said it had $1 billion in cash to keep operating on a limited basis while it negotiated with its lenders and vendors. Its financial problems became apparent last month when it missed a round of payments. Hertz is the nation's second largest car rental agency and boasts the brands Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty, and Firefly.
"As in any extinction event, it will be the smaller organisms that survive and eventually thrive and that's how it will go in the next edition of America.."
It was only a few decades ago that Walmart entered the pantheon of American icons, joining motherhood, apple pie, and baseball on the highest tier of the altar. The people were entranced by this behemoth cornucopia of unbelievably cheap stuff packaged in gargantuan quantities. It was something like their participation trophy for the sheer luck of being born in this exceptional land, or having valiantly clawed their way in from wretched places near and far – where, increasingly, the mighty stream of magically cheap stuff was manufactured. The evolving psychology of Walmart-ism had a strangely self-destructive aura about it. Like cargo cultists waiting on a jungle mountaintop, small town Americans prayed and importuned the gods of commerce to bring them a Walmart.
Historians of the future, pan-frying 'possum cutlets over their campfires, will marvel at the potency of their ancestors' prayers. Every little burg in the USA eventually saw a Walmart UFO land in the cornfield or cow-pasture on the edge of town. Like the space invaders of sci-fi filmdom, Walmart quickly killed off everything else of economic worth around it, and eventually the towns themselves. And that was where things stood as the long emergency commenced in the winter of early 2020, along with the Covid-19 corona virus riding shotgun on the hearse-wagon it rolled in on. We're in a liminal, transitional moment of history, like beach-goers gawking at the glassy-green curve of a great wave in the throes of breaking. Such mesmerizing beauty!
Alas, most people can't surf. It looks easy on TV, but you'd be surprised at the conditioning it takes, and Americans are way, way out of condition. (All those tattoos don't give you an ounce of extra mojo.) And so, in this liminal moment, the people still trudge dutifully to the Walmarts with their dwindling reserves of cash money to get stuff, going through all the devotions that we took for granted before the wave welled up and threatened to break over us. Which is happening. Despite all the fake-heroic blather from the Federal Reserve, from Nancy Pelosi, from Mr. Trump and Mr. Mnuchin – from everybody in charge, to be really fair – and in the immortal words of another recent president — this sucker is going down. Specifically, what's going down is the aggregate of transactions we call "the economy."
[..] As in any extinction event, it will be the smaller organisms that survive and eventually thrive and that's how it will go in the next edition of America, whether we remain states united or find ourselves organized differently. Accordingly, the giants must fall. When the communities of America rebuild, it will be the thousands of small activities that matter, because they will entail the rebuilding of social capital as well as exchanges that amount to business. Social capital is exactly what Walmart and things like it killed in every community from sea to shining sea. People stopped doing business with their neighbors. It took a cataclysm for them to finally notice.
On average once every decade?!
Argentina is on course for a technical default on its government borrowing on Friday as the country continues to hold talks with international investors over plans to restructure its debts. Financial investors said they expected the country to miss $500m (£410m) in interest payments on its borrowing, according to the Reuters news agency, as the government tries to renegotiate its borrowing before a 2 June deadline. With the economy in recession even before the coronavirus outbreak and spiralling inflation, Argentina has about $65bn in debt owned by overseas investors, which both the state and its creditors believe is unsustainable. The government has asked bondholders to accept significantly lower interest payments on its debts and to defer payments until 2024. Investors had thus far rejected the terms proposed by president Alberto Fernández's centre-left government, which came to power late last year.
This month, a group of leading economists including Thomas Piketty and the Nobel prize-winner Joseph Stiglitz urged bondholders to take a constructive approach to restructuring Argentina's debts. They argued debt relief for the country would be "the only way to combat the pandemic and set the economy on a sustainable path". A group of international investors – including Ashmore, BlackRock and AllianceBernstein – that hold about $16.7bn of Argentinian bonds said on Friday that they recognised the country was seeking a comprehensive deal, even though failure to pay would trigger a default, Reuters reported. Sarah-Jayne Clifton, director of Jubilee Debt Campaign, said that Argentina was right to demand a deep debt restructuring and to default if lenders did not accept a deal. "Reckless lending at high interest rates helped to create the current crisis, so lenders and speculators should share in the costs," she said.
Oh, get serious.
FBI Director Christopher Wray on Friday ordered an internal investigation into the bureau's handling of the Michael Flynn case, just two weeks after the Justice Department declared that it was dropping the case against him and that federal investigators had no standing to interview the general in early 2017. Wray "today ordered the Bureau's Inspection Division to conduct an after-action review of the Michael Flynn investigation," the FBI announced on Friday. The Inspection Division essentially functions similarly to an internal affairs office found in lower law enforcement agencies. Fox News reported on Friday that the bureau will seek to identify whether any current FBI officials "engaged in misconduct" during the investigation, as well as whether or not the agency can improve its investigation process moving forward.
The bureau "does not have the ability to take any disciplinary action" against former employees, the FBI's statement said. Flynn's plight has received new attention in recent weeks, starting with the stunning Justice Department announcement at the beginning of the month. Following the department's decision, the judge overseeing the Flynn case, Emmet Sullivan, declined to immediately dismiss it per the recommendation from Justice, instead inviting an amicus curiae brief from retired Judge John Gleeson in support of continuing the case against the general.
Boy what a sh*tshow.
The FBI's probe into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia was opened on a third-hand "suggestion" of wrongdoing and the thinnest of suspicions that illegal foreign lobbying had occurred, according to a declassified memo released Friday that shows agents immediately flagged the strong limitations of their evidence. The July 31, 2016 electronic communication that officially open the counterintelligence investigation codenamed Crossfire Hurricane was obtained by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch. It shows the criminal basis for opening the probe was suspected violations of the Foreign Agent Registration Act, but it did not identify a single episode that it said violated the law.
Rather it focused on a "suggestion" passed on by Australian ambassador Alexander Downer that Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos might be coordinating with Russia the release of damaging information about Hillary Clinton. Downer had heard the information about the Russians during a bar conversation in May 2016 from Papadopoulos, who had heard it two months earlier from a European professor who had heard it from Russians allegedly. The memo shows the case agent, Peter Strzok, expressed some doubts and reservations about the limitations of the evidence even as he opened the probe. The memo cited concerns about "suggestions from the Russians that they (the Russians) could assist the Trump campaign with the anonymous release of information during the campaign that would be damaging to Hillary Clinton."
Papadopoulos "suggested the Trump team had received some kind of suggestion from Russia" that it had damaging information, the memo said. But Strzok's memo immediately noted the limitations of the allegations forwarded from the Australians. "It was unclear whether he or the Russians were referring to material acquired publicly of through other means. It was also unclear how Mr. Trump's team reacted to the offer," the memo stated. Kevin Brock, the former chief of intelligence for the FBI, said the electronic communication did not meet the bureau's rigorous standards for predicating the opening of a criminal or counterintelligence case. [..] Asked whether as an FBI assistant director he would have approved opening Crossfire Hurricane based on what was in the memo, Brock said: "Not in a millions years. I wouldn't have approved it as a squad supervisor either. This would have set off alarm bells in any FBI field for not meeting our standards for a predicate."
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Home › Forums › Debt Rattle May 23 2020
This topic has 8 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 8 months ago by Dr. D.
May 23, 2020 at 11:20 am #59119
Adam Zyglis The son of man May 19 2020 • US Grants Tentative OK For 15 Air Carriers To Cut Service To 75 Airports (R.) • UK Confirms 14-Day Qua
[See the full post at: Debt Rattle May 23 2020]
May 23, 2020 at 12:02 pm #59121
Looking deeper
http://ir.hertz.com/board-of-directors
On 18 May 2020, Stone was appointed president and CEO of Hertz, with immediate effect, succeeding Kathryn V. Marinello.[1]
http://ir.hertz.com/2020-05-22-Hertz-Global-Holdings-Takes-Action-To-Strengthen-Capital-Structure-Following-Impact-Of-Global-Coronavirus-Crisis
ESTERO, Fla., May 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: HTZ) ("Hertz" or the "Company") today announced it and certain of its U.S. and Canadian subsidiaries have filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.
operates 10,200 corporate and franchisee locations internationally.
700,000 vehicles
$24 billion in debt
the brands Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty, and Firefly.
Number of employees: ~38,000
Taking Actions in Response to COVID-19
When the effects of the crisis began to manifest in March, causing an increase in car rental cancellations and a decline in forward bookings, the Company moved quickly to adjust. Hertz took action to align expenses with significantly lower demand levels by closely managing overhead and operating costs, including:
reducing planned fleet levels through vehicle sales and by canceling fleet orders,
consolidating off-airport rental locations,
deferring capital expenditures and cutting marketing spend, and
implementing furloughs and layoffs of 20,000 employees, or approximately 50% of its global workforce.
The Company actively engaged with many of its largest creditors to temporarily reduce the required payments under the Company's vehicle operating lease. Although Hertz negotiated short-term relief with such creditors, it was unable to secure longer-term agreements. Additionally, the Company sought assistance from the U.S. government, but access to funding for the rental car industry did not become available.
White & Case LLP is serving as legal advisor, Moelis & Co. is serving as investment banker, and FTI Consulting is serving as financial advisor.
https://restructuring.primeclerk.com/hertz/
Hertz's principal international operating regions, including Europe, Australia and New Zealand are not included in the U.S. Chapter 11 proceedings and are continuing normal operations. In addition, Hertz's franchised locations, which are not owned by the Company, also are not included in the Chapter 11 proceedings and are continuing normal operations.
edit didn't work
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/hertz-files-bankruptcy-lockdowns-crush-rental-car-industry
Hertz has had a number of high-profile corporate owners, including RCA, United Airlines, and most recently Ford, which sold it to a group of private equity firms in 2005 for $5.6 billion. It was taken public a year later.
Its primary shareholder today is activist investor Carl Icahn, who owns about 38% of its shares outstanding. He continued to increase his stake in the company all the way through mid-March. Those shares, which increased the size of his stake by 26%, have lost more than 60% of their value in the two months since his most recent purchases.
Doc Robinson
"Case numbers have not grown at the same exponential rate as in other regions and so far Africa has not experienced the high mortality seen in some parts of the world."
A study from 21 May says that most African countries are "providing prompt treatment of the patients with a range of drugs especially Hydroxychloroquine, Chloroquine and Chloroquine-Azithromycin combination."
Comparative analysis of COVID-19 across the world revealed that the parameters were relatively inconsequential in Oceania and Africa continents, while Europe, North America and Asia had significantly higher cases of disease outcomes…
With respect to management of the disease in Africa, all the countries adopted the WHO protocols, personal hygiene, economic palliatives and social distancing measures…
Additionally, most of the countries are providing prompt treatment of the patients with a range of drugs especially Hydroxychloroquine, Chloroquine and Chloroquine-Azithromycin combination…
During the 75 days of observation, African countries have recorded significantly low number of deaths associated with COVID-19 and relatively high recovery rates. Countries in Africa with higher rate of recovery from the disease were found to have adopted strict adherence to some of WHO protocol to contain the disease, isolate all those who test positive to the disease and provide prompt treatment of the patients with a range of drugs especially Hydroxychloroquine, Chloroquine and Chloroquine-Azithromycin combination.
Preliminary evaluation of COVID-19 disease outcomes, test capacities and management approaches among African countries.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.05.16.20103838v2
Maxwell Quest
Two thoughts came to mind after watching the clip of Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany. First, was the word "squirm", as her uncensored pronouncements about the Russiagate hoax and Flynn prosecution must be driving the establishment absolutely mad. Secondly, her bold style reminds me of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, who also does an outstanding job. It feels good to see someone face overwhelming odds and land some good solid staggering punches. With Trump now on the attack we should prepare to see the establishment crazy-meter enter the red zone as the 2020 election approaches.
The Helena Bonham Carter clip about cellphones was spot on. Really gave me a good laugh. I have no idea what she is like in everyday life, but her work as an actress has always been 'top drawer'.
thomasjkenney
I'm not sure where you're seeing US airplanes everywhere. Here in the suburbs north of Los Angeles, it was normal to have near constant plane/helo noise 24/7. Now we have a couple airliners a day, almost no small aircraft (Van Nuys is THE small plane airport!), and a tonal shift in the helo traffic (not less, but different, more aggressive-sounding for some reason). It's been this quiet since end of March.
ThomasJKenney:
I bet the sky is nice and blue too!
The thing about landing in LA is you drop down through an incredible thick brown air above LA!
Funny though, once on the ground, if you look up the sky is blue!
You don't see that thick brown air above LA!
Quotes from around: "Probably the scariest piece of news is not about the numbers of "infected". It is a meaningless word, for there are persistent carriers who do not succumb to disease; the vast majority of the "infected" are asymptomatic, meaning they aren't sick and aren't infectious; the number of "infected" is in direct proportion to the number of tests; the tests are dubious at best, and none is verified by the methods accepted in pre-corona medicine, while the methodology approved and enforced by the WHO can't be described as scientific. It is not about deaths, for we do not experience more deaths than in 2018. Moreover, in many countries, notably in France and in Norway there are 30% fewer deaths in certain weeks of April and May in this year than in the last year." https://www.unz.com/ishamir/coronavirus-conspiracies/
We are now also seeing cases drop once states open up, perhaps from sunlight and away from apartment air-handling systems.
Now agreed by Pope John Fauci the lockdowns are doing more harm that good. Just like I said. But he only says that after it didn't rig the election they way they had hoped. NYC is dying. Democratic strongholds are revolting. We didn't need any hospitals. We didn't need any ships. We didn't need any ventilators. We're 25 million short. Wrong again, like every single time.
""We've Never Seen Numbers Like This" – Trauma Doc Sees Post-Lockdown Suicide Wave Starting" "we've seen a year's worth of suicide attempts in the last four weeks."
"Worst Unemployment Spike In History – 1 In 4 American Workers Has Filed For Unemployment Benefits In 2020"
Censorship of all doctors, science, and history: "YouTube Censors Doctor Knut Wittkowski For Opposing The Tyrannical Lockdowns"
Curves nationwide and worldwide are all roughly the same, lockdown, no lockdown, early, late, whatever. Just like I said. But now science and experts say it and you can keep saying I'm an idiot, just like always, although I'm right again, like so often. Always believe experts that are wrong, who then reverse themselves and are never discredited, instead of engineers that are right, inexpensively, far ahead of time when it still matters. They are also reviewing the data, finally, to determine who actually died of CV and who didn't. Stay tuned.
Even the variation between curves make no sense. Cambodia, no cases, big traffic with China, nothing. Russia that locked down and was free, now suddenly something, once their people-tracking plans were tested and approved. Upper Italy but not lower. It does seem to attack wealthy nations, and democratic states, and places that protest and secede like Wuhan and Milan and Iran, which is really noteable.
We did solve another problem with the unusually high transmission in Michigan, as the governor there too was salting nursing homes with CV patients by decree, then wondering how nursing homes somehow got infected, with 30-50% of the deaths occurring there. She continues this after "Grandma Killer" Cuomo Sent 4,300 Patients Back To Nursing Homes Despite Positive COVID-19 Tests" was forced to reverse.
No one cares. No one is held accountable. No one is discredited. They do it all again tomorrow. Just so long as the Enlightenment and Western culture are utterly destroyed and we return to totalitarian neo-feudalism, where the King owns the fruit of your labor, not you, everything is fine, everyone's in favor. So long as drug dealers, liquor stores, monopolies, prostitution are all open and churches, hospitals, and small businesses are closed, everything has the stamp of approval. Mothers in public parks are arrested, pedophiles are released for their safety to state-paid luxury hotels. All considered logical, necessary, and normal.
So according to St. Fauci, according to the adjusted science on the various curves, the lockdown saved no one, or at least not many, destroying the entire economy that we use to, you know, EAT, and HEAT, and pay for DOCTORS, for essentially nothing. But don't worry: like all the other science, they will ignore this science too and not look at it, just tell themselves they were right, and why your neighbor dies of alcoholism in his house, then his children were hauled off and were raped in foster care isn't because he lost his small business of 20 years' life's work because Amazon can sell online but they're arresting small business owners for posting on facebook. Nope. It's his weakness, his fault, because of course I was "helping" and didn't mean to, had no intent to, kill these thousands when I got involved and told them all what to do at the point of total violence and crushing child-kidnapping orders, because I, Karen,-are-smarter-than.
The million, hundred million, that will now die from the newly-expanded, totally warned-and-predictable foundation of totalitarianism worldwide, in Europe, Russia, New Zealand, Canada, that won't be my fault either because when I said every person had to be tracked every minute and could be rousted out of their homes and put into indefinite lockdown for no probable cause, I didn't mean the REPORTERS, few though they are. I didn't mean the RABBIS, in Queens. I didn't mean the OPPOSITION candidates, the guy who has a pension to steal, I didn't mean a business owner who didn't obey fast enough and found CPS interviewing her kids, I meant my loud-mouthed neighbor who doesn't watch his kids. I of course DID mean the Baptist pastors, the #@&$, helping fix people after hurricanes while FEMA stands on their thumbs, can't-stand-it. I didn't see it coming, although we're the smart guys and that's the whitest white swan in history, every line on every page of the whole book is written nothing but the same attempts, this same history of wrongs, and nothing could be more apparent, in the news 30 minutes after these non-laws passed, or just using common sense.
But I didn't mean. We were trying to help.
Now that the lockdown is being discredited by science, the human race may yet survive such help. It remains to be seen.
Leave people alone, as the Tao te Ching wisely suggested 3,000 years ago. They won't. They can't help themselves. It's the existence of ego. Ego always knows best and throws a deadly tantrum if told otherwise. Let it go.
Debt Rattle May 22 2020 Debt Rattle May 24 2020


IGA, Sobeys Québec's retail brand, is the largest group of independent grocers in Canada and its presence in Québec dates to 1953. IGA retailers are constantly seeking new ways to serve their customers better. As a Sobeys' grocery retailer, IGA follows "The Joy of Eating Better" movement, a major directional shift taken by Sobeys Québec in 2014 that is manifested through four pillars: making responsible choices, eating healthier, discovering new local and international flavors, and cooking differently and more often, while never compromising on enjoyment.
With more than 280 grocery stores throughout Québec, IGA is constantly looking for new products to offer their clients. When adding a new product, their communications team develops a launch campaign to introduce the new offering to the media and the public.
IGA recently partnered with Les Charcutiers Pork Shop, a Montréal start-up company offering artisanal dry sausage. Les Charcutiers Pork Shop is a young, hip company with a strong identity tied to its founders and owners. To promote this partnership, IGA wanted to take a different approach to product launch announcements.
As part of a multichannel campaign, Sobeys Québec worked with Cision Distribution by Canada Newswire, to create a product launch announcement that would stand out from the crowd, convey Les Charcutiers Pork Shop's identity and IGA's vision, and increase visibility and awareness for both brands.
To achieve this, Sobeys Québec and the Cision team created and distributed a Content Centre, a branded landing page that includes a release, seven photos, call-to-action functions and social sharing options.
Les Charcutiers Pork Shop's identity was built on the authenticity of their young, passionate owners. The Content Centre allowed IGA to convey this identity through the use of bold visual elements and playing on the originality that is important to both of the brands.
The ability to add interactive calls-to-action to the Content Centre was extremely useful to the IGA team. As the first grocery store in Québec to provide an online grocery, IGA included a call-to-action button at the top of the Content Centre, which provides readers the option to order products directly from the online grocery store.
They also benefitted from the option of embedding various social channels directly on the branded Content Centre page. "The fact that we can include our live Twitter feed on the page, as well as social sharing options, and a call-to-action to drive shoppers to our online store really allowed us to keep the page fresh and have all the necessary information on one platform to showcase our brand," said Fossat.
Additionally, the Content Centre acted as a digital media kit to inform journalists, bloggers, partners and industry influencers of the launch. IGA created a targeted email campaign that included a screenshot of the Content Centre with a quick teaser to drive readers to the page where they could access all the relevant information in one space and easily download what they need.
Les Charcutiers Pork Shop's market is in Montréal. After partnering with IGA and sharing the product launch announcement, there is now awareness of their brand and the wider availability of their artisanal products across Quebec –and Canada.
When Les Charcutiers Pork Shop is mentioned in social media, the brand receives a lot of positive feedback, showing that the brand is appreciated by their targeted audience.
The Content Centre has simplified media outreach and follow-up. "When we receive requests from journalists about the new product, it is much easier and quicker to direct them to the Content Centre instead of having to find and send large documents that may not transfer via email due to size restrictions," said Fossat.


text:
Damien Ryan's youth curfew dilemma
By ERWIN CHLANDA
Will Mayor Damien Ryan (at left), now that he is also CLP candidate, reverse his long-standing opposition in council to a youth curfew in Alice Springs?
This week Opposition Leader Gary Higgins called for such a curfew, a sure sign that this is now a major plank in CLP platform for the 2020 NT elections, due no later than August.
Independent Member for Araluen, Robyn Lambley (at right) against whom the Mayor is likely to be standing, is latching on to the issue: "Over the past 10 years, under the leadership of Mayor Ryan, the council has moved four youth curfew motions. Mayor Ryan has never supported a youth curfew.
"A Youth Curfew could be a game-changer for our town and I will not stop until I succeed in at least trialing a curfew in Alice Springs. This requires the support of the community," said Mrs Lambley in a media release.
She had moved in Parliament for a curfew on Wednesday, received the support of the two-member Opposition, but was unsuccessful.
"Unsurprisingly the Gunner Government did not support my motion for a curfew, stating that their current strategies for managing children on the streets of Alice Springs at night were working well," Lambley says in the release.
But embarrassing the Mayor clearly is a win in the political brawl in which Mayor Ryan has now involved himself, for up to the next nine months.
There are dozens of references to the council's dealing with the issue over the years (google it in our pages).
In November 2011 the Mayor got it embarrassingly wrong.
He seemed unaware that a youth curfew is official Town Council policy, as we reported: "It's called a 'Night Time Youth Strategy' and one of its measures is to have unsupervised children 15 years and under 'taken into protective care and custody if found on the streets of Alice Springs at night' between 10pm and 5am."
It had been on council's books since November 27, 2006.
We reported that Mayor Ryan "tweeted on September 2, well before the matter came before the council again later that month: 'I do not support a Youth Curfew, this proposal is not a #alicecouncil position.'"
Ms Lambley says this week "is the first time the concept of a youth curfew has been fully debated in the NT Parliament.
"I was pleased to see that some Members were at least open to the idea.
"Youth curfews operate effectively throughout the world. They are used as a child protection and crime prevention strategy," she says.
"They are a caring means of keeping the children and the community safe.
"To implement a Youth Curfew does not require changing legislation in the NT nor would it cost a huge amount of additional funding.
"A youth curfew is about children and their families learning that kids cannot be on the streets at night unaccompanied by an adult. It is not rocket science and it is not as controversial as people imagine."
We are offering Mayor Ryan the right of reply.
Posted: November 29, 2019 at 4:48 pm ⋅ ⋅ Post a comment
6 Comments (starting with the most recent)
NB: If you want to reply to a previous comment, start your comment with this notation: @n where n is the number of the comment you want to reply to.
Posted December 4, 2019 at 5:33 pm
@ Alex: I respect your view and experience as a historian. You make the claim of rose coloured glasses but when I mentioned to people who have been here longer than my 25 years, that it is not any worse, they literally laughed as the spluttered out the words "bullshit".
My wife has been a teacher here with over 30 years experience, mainly teaching grade 1, 2 and 3, and these are what could be described as kids sufferer trauma.
I am not doubting the quotes you have compiled, I actually gave up about half way through.
Maybe you are right and it is not getting worse. The problem is, it is not getting better.
People's property is getting stolen every day, look at the increase in property offences since the BDR came in, look at the many posts about people who are reporting break ins, attempted break ins theft of property etc,
This is real time current reporting, not dependent on what the editor of those publications wanted to publish (no slight on the ASN, or inference they are not reporting accurately) and you also have to consider that the stats are skewed because as many people say, it is just not worth the hassle, because nothing happens, because they are only kids.
You rebuke my argument with the quip "so you say", but my point about the town dying still holds true.
In my younger days you could start your night at the Todd Tavern, wander across the road to the Stuart arms, then onto Scotties, on to Melankas, Memo and then the SGB and the Casino. The town was alive and even midweek looked like a weekend compared to similar sized towns.
There are many factors at play too, but restaurants can only pay for so many smashed windows and thefts before they close down, and when the options for going out for a nice meal become limited, or the chance of your car getting smashed up are high, it simply becomes not worth the risk.
All of this combined with the perception of it getting worse is not good for our town, many people I have talked to have been here a long time and they are also saying they are actively looking at getting out.
Remember that even a perception can be a powerful tool, just ask the ICAC commissioner.
Once again I have a lot of respect for your knowledge and love for the town, so don't want to get into a fight with you, but again, the fact that it is not getting better may be more significant than the argument over "is it getting worse"?
Surprised!
Posted December 1, 2019 at 6:43 am
Someone once wrote: "I don't know why we bother recording history because we never learn from it."
Alex Nelson
@ Local1 (Posted November 30, 2019 at 7:07 am): You conclude your comment with this claim: "It was happening in the boom times of the 90s, but the town was not as deserted as it is now, people still went out and enjoyed Alice Springs then, people are more scared now I believe."
So you say but it's remarkable how rose-tinted some people's memories become with the passage of time.
Here's a few statements published in March 1990 following a three month consultation with businesses in the then still new full mall: "Todd Mall vandalism is costing Alice Springs traders thousands of dollars each year.
"Twenty five shops in the mall [in a week] reported having had windows broken.
"The Alice Springs newsagency alone said it had 80 windows broken in the last year. Graffiti was also a problem. Mall traders steering committee chairman Anthony Neck said vandalism was rife in the mall.
"Information I have received is that in the past 18 months almost every shop in the mall would have been vandalised, he said.
"It would be a conservative estimate to say at least one window is smashed in the mall every night.
"Mall trader Bruce Deans says he is fed up with his shops being vandalised and robbed. A garbage can was thrown through the front door [of his] shop on Monday night.
"The following night thieves jemmied the back door of the Springs Plaza and broke into his menswear store causing damage worth $1300 and stealing 20 pairs of jeans worth $1200.
[He] "fully supported a draft report prepared by the mall traders steering committee which among other things proposes day and night dog patrols in Todd Mall. He said mall traders were becoming frustrated over the situation.
"I just don't know how long this can go on, he said. Mr Deans said his shop had been burgled five times this year [that is, by mid March].
"He said the problem is the mall itself. At night it's spooky … nobody is around. It's perfect for illegal activities.
[The report] "deals with the problems and issues concerning the mall's present and long term viability.
"It slammed the security in the mall as disastrous. Prepared after three months of discussions the draft report paints a dark picture of the mall saying:
• Business premises are continually taking an intolerable barrage of vandalism;
• Tourists are harassed and intimidated during the day by drunks;
• an increase in assault, violence, robbery and rape makes the mall an undesirable place to visit especially at night.
"Mall traders have also called for the immediate upgrading of the lighting system in the mall. They want special security lights installed in vandal prone areas like the Old Alice Inn [Todd Tavern], the cinema and the Flynn Church.
"Calling the area between Parsons Street and Wills Terrace a 'ghetto' the report calls for its opening to traffic to deter vandalism. It recommends installing a security surveillance system to be operated by an independent security company" (Centralian Advocate, 16 March 1990).
That story (it wasn't even front page) was reported nearly 30 years ago.
Since then we've got improved lighting, roller doors and shutters, extensive CCTV, and the "ghetto" from Parsons Street to Wills Terrace re-opened to traffic.
One would be forgiven for thinking all our problems have been solved.
The front page of that edition featured a report on crime in the suburbs: "A police telephone poll of Alice Springs residents has revealed an alarming rate of crime in the Eastside area.
"About one third of the 174 residents spoken to on the Eastside reported being burgled in the past three years. In one particular street every house on one side had been robbed."
A fortnight later another front page story reported: "A leading Alice Springs car dealer has called for law courts to "get tough" with vandals after his Toyota dealership was the target of a mass attack this week.
"Peter Kittle Toyota's used car division was targeted in a Sunday night rampage with more than half the fleet damaged.
"This is the worst that we've ever suffered, Mr Kittle said.
"The irate dealer shunned a Territory Government proposal which would make parents of juvenile offenders responsible for their children's actions.
"The scheme might work for the average Joe Citizen but not for these little pricks, he said. I don't think their parents have the money."
The story goes on: "Windows on several cars were smashed, the office windows caved in, car bonnets damaged and other body panels on the fleet hit by rocks.
"Mr Kittle said it would take a month before the damage was fully repaired. He said at least one car dealership in Alice Springs was vandalised every fortnight" (Advocate, 6 April 1990).
In 1989 there were 11,000 cases of protective custody in Alice Springs for alcohol abuse; in 1990 it rose to 13,000 cases. The rate of murder occurred about once a month, with Alice Springs achieving the statistic of the most lethal town in the nation (the "murder capital of Australia" as we then became known).
Meanwhile, Mayor Leslie Oldfield supported a youth curfew based on the recent initiative of Port Augusta mayor, Joy Baluch. This idea was strongly resisted by Assistant Police Commissioner, Andy McNeill, who two years later defeated Oldfield to become mayor of Alice Springs.
How much was spent by the council on their junket to visit Pt Augusta to see the success and turnaround created by the curfew instigated by Mayor Joy Baluch?
WA also had major problems with youth on the streets in the nightclub area of North Bridge, the success of their curfew has been debated, but the police certainly want to see it expanded.
One of the issues was kids gravitating to neighbouring suburbs. If it was introduced here, that would not be an issue that could reduce its effectiveness.
One of the interesting points of your link to the November 2011 meeting was when Deputy Mayor Liz Martin "reiterated her opposition to a curfew as penalizing the 'future leaders of this community'."
Although I respect Liz, kids out on the street smashing things up and not going to school are not the sort of person who becomes a future leader.
Future leaders can be developed by ensuring they have a safe place and are not too tired to attend school the next day.
"Every Day Counts."
There is a lot of info on Google by searching Northbridge Curfew.
Readers and long time residents saying it is nothing new does not mean it is not worth addressing. It was happening in the boom times of the 90s, but the town was not as deserted as it is now, people still went out and enjoyed Alice Springs then, people are more scared now I believe.
The only improvement there's been with youth issues has been in the statistics. That was only achieved by reclassification of the incidents.
Let's try the curfew for 12 months and see. What's the issue in at least trying?
Short of that, people may need to carry a big stick or a paintball gun with bright coloured marking dye.
Night Patrol. Youth Bus. What a waste of money.
Police. They are too busy in this town. Do you expect them to enforce the curfew?
I have a great idea. Remember when you were young and respected police.
If you didn't they would kick you up the arse and then take you home and tell your parents what you had been up too.
Your dad would then belt you for getting into trouble.
Nowadays, and it will get worse, kids think they can do what they want.
Damaging property and assaulting innocent persons.
The day will come when they pick on the wrong person.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
How Instagram is Becoming a Millennial Marketing Treasure Trove
By Black Bear Design
There has never been a generation raised to be more technologically savvy than the Millennials. A group that now makes up the largest living generation in the U.S., is coming of age to be the newest wave of buyers, thinkers, and influencers in today's market.
From a marketing standpoint, it's vital to understand what influences Millennials. What are they attracted to, and how does that impact their purchasing power? The answer almost seems obvious; look at them and see what they all have in common—their Wi-Fi device of choice is never far from reach.
Today's Millennials are sharing more content, opinions, reviews, and feedback than ever before. Instagram alone has grown to over 500 million monthly users, and for marketers and merchants alike, this is treasure trove of useful information.
How can businesses use Instagram marketing to increase revenue?
Millennials are a powerful force when it comes to sales and promotion. A study by the McCarthy Group reported that Millennials are more likely to trust the opinions of their friends when purchasing a product than sources only interested in selling something.
Instagram comes in as the platform most used by people ages 18-34. With over 80 million photos being uploaded daily, in such a concentrated pool of Millennials, it's important to understand that those shared opinions make a stronger impact in one's buying decisions than any amount of standard marketing could.
Let's take fashion Instagrams for instance. Valfre, a chic independent clothing designer, is considered Instagram royalty for her superb marketing skills. Valfre connects with her buyers and earns their trust as if she's a personal friend. She regularly switches between "relatable" posts, such as sketches and ideas, to selling her product. Her brand is edgy-chic, and she has nailed how to get on the same level as her audience. It never comes off like she's only trying to make a profit, which only adds to her success.
Remind Your Audience That's There's a Human on the Other Side of the Screen
Just like Valfre, marketers will find success on Instagram by reaching their audience authentically and openly. Millennials put a premium on the type of company they support and from which they buy; the more trustworthy the brand, the more they will buy. Transparency, or at least a feeling of humanity in their marketing, goes a long way when it reaches a Millennial's phone screen.
Another success story comes from a Japanese leather goods manufacturer, Tsuchiya Kaban, who took to Instagram to drive awareness to their brand. They began advertising their product using images that supported human emotion, and used captions like "I adore her," about their product. This campaign ended up reaching over 508,000 Instagram users, created a 6-point lift in brand awareness, and gave a 29-point lift in ad recall. The power of Instagram and the return of investment it has for a company is exponential when performed correctly.
What You Can Do Today
The world of social media marketing is here to stay, and the faster a business jumps on the new movement, the sooner they can begin driving up their numbers. It's not hard to start. Begin by posting stunning photos with an added touch of human warmth that compels people to "like" them. An image with simple text and your company's logo won't be enough to make you the next Valfre or Tsuchiya Kaban. There needs to be a human element that will make people want to hit the follow button. Take a look at Black Bear Design's Instagram for more ideas on how to incorporate a sense of spunkiness and fun taking place behind the screen!
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text:
Rikishi Says He Said Goodbye On An IPad To His Father Who Passed Away Due To COVID
Rikishi is a WWE Hall of Famer and spent a dozen years in WWE under various gimmicks. His last gimmick as Rikishi was one that got him into the HOF, but he also wrestled for years before ever getting noticed by Vince McMahon.
Prior to WWE, Rikishi teamed with his brother, Samu, to form the Samoan Swat Team. The tag team's gimmick was similar to The Wild Samoans gimmick that Rikishi's relatives had, and during this time, he and Samu wrestled all over the world. Rikishi was asked what the biggest run the Samoan Swat Team had when he joined Table Talk w/ DVon.
"Without a doubt, I'd have to say The Steiner Brothers. We actually started working with those usos in NWA, back in the day. Once we tied up, we knew of them, but once we got to work together, it was kind of right up our alley because we worked but we kind of worked snug. We were kind of stiff," admitted Rikishi.
"We still try to find that way, but at the same time, as we kept working with these cats here, we didn't know that they had a reputation of working stiff too. So, being married to those cats there and then, finally moving up to the WWE."
The Samoan Swat Team wrestled the Steiner Brothers at NWA's Starrcade in 1989. A couple of years later, Rikishi was part of The Headshrinkers in WWF, and his team again hooked up with the Steiners at WrestleMania IX in Las Vegas.
"I think it was when Yoko wrestled Bret Hart in Las Vegas. I'm not sure what WrestleMania that was when Hogan came and won the belt back from Yoko, but we actually wrestled The Steiner Brothers during that time in Las Vegas," recalled Rikishi. "It was one of these matches for me that kind of went down in history... To be able to perform with these cats right here is probably one of the best matches we had in the tag team level.
"The easiest [team to wrestle]? I'd probably have to say you [D-Von] and Bubba [Ray Dudley]. Our matches are kind of, in a way, to work entertainment. Not to say I don't love The Steiners, but when you're working with somebody that you just care for, it's not work. It's like ribbing each other."
Rikishi has many relatives in wrestling, including his twin sons The Usos. But Rikishi also has a twin brother himself, Sam Fatu, who teamed with Haku as part of The Islanders in WWE in the 1980s.
Sam Fatu is often forgotten when people bring up all of the great Samoan wrestlers, but Rikishi heaped praise on his brother.
"My brother there, he doesn't get enough credit the way he should be, meaning that because of the new era, they don't remember him. He is the youngest professional wrestler to ever sell out the Madison Square Garden. To this day, my brother holds that record at the age of 17," revealed Rikishi.
"At 17, he doesn't know how to read. He doesn't know how to write, and back in the day, they didn't have GPS. So he had those maps but he didn't read, so what he would do when he would go eat, he would have a fan that recognized him, get those highlighters, and highlight the road.
"Most of the time, he would tell the fans he would give them tickets because they knew he was hot. He was like Hulk Hogan hot, Jimmy Snuka hot back in the day at 17 years old. He was like the Jeff Hardy back in the day."
Rikishi is part of the legendary Anoa'i family that also includes Roman Reigns, The Rock, and The Wild Samoans. That family has unfortunately been hit with many tragedies over the years, as well, that led to premature deaths of family members Yokozuna, Rosey, and Rikishi's brother, Umaga.
Another tragedy hit the Anoa'i family recently, and Rikishi revealed that another member has passed away.
"My father got hit with the COVID-19 on October the 4th. He'd been in the hospital for two months and finally, he laid to rest on October the 4th. I celebrated my brother, Umaga, he passed away December the 4th. My last name has four letters, F-A-T-U. Fatu in English means heart," stated Rikishi.
"I sit and I think about it. I missed him and I was so lost when I lost my father. I start to think about what I could have done better. What could I have done to even try to save him? The most difficult time for me was to watch my father take his last breath to a damn iPad.
"I think about all what's happening that has led that moment up to that, to where I was denied the access to hold my father's hand. I was denied the access to be there with him to his last dying breath. It makes me wonder, D-Von, that we're not through yet. There's something here for us that we have not done, my brother.
"So, what I'm saying to everyone that's got hit with this COVID-19 that's going through some hard times, keep going onward, upward. Keep going forward because there is something that's ahead for you that needs to be accomplished in your life. So, with love and respect, to all of you out there listening, thank you guys."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Table Talk w/ DVon with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Eric Bischoff On His Last WWE Run: "There Wasn't An Open Mind To New Ways Of Doing Things "
Eric Bischoff Reveals How Much TNA Owed Him When He Left


Remembering miscellaneous details such as mobile numbers can be a tiresome drag, especially for those who lead fast-paced, busy lifestyles or simply have difficulty memorising things. However, remembering your mobile number is no longer entirely necessary; there are now a multitude of ways to retrieve your O2 mobile number without having to make note of a single thing.
Select your mobile's main menu, scroll to "Contacts," then scroll to "My Numbers." Your number will be on this list under the name "My Mobile Number." Make sure your SIM card is in your mobile before you do this.
Call O2 customer service. To retrieve the number that is relevant to your country and O2 pay plan, go to http://www.o2.com. Once you have retrieved the suitable customer care number, call and ask for your mobile number. Make sure you have the password you decided upon when you joined the O2 network at hand and you will be told your phone number within a matter of minutes. You will also be asked your full name.
Dial your home phone directly from the mobile. After a couple of rings, hang up and check your home phone's missed calls. This will instantly provide you with your mobile number. To make sure that your number won't be withheld, scroll into "Call Settings" beforehand and check that your number will not be made private when calling other numbers.
Jack Pudwell started writing in 2005 and has since gone on to write for "RoomThirteen" and "Subba-Cultcha" to name but a few publications. Most recently he has joined Sonisphere festival's official writing team as well as the esteemed U.K. publication "Powerplay Magazine" as a regular contributor.


text:
L'Hermenault is een gemeente in het Franse departement Vendée (regio Pays de la Loire) en telt 843 inwoners (1999). De plaats maakt deel uit van het arrondissement Fontenay-le-Comte.

Geografie
De oppervlakte van L'Hermenault bedraagt 11,4 km², de bevolkingsdichtheid is 73,9 inwoners per km².

Demografie
Onderstaande figuur toont het verloop van het inwonertal (bron: INSEE-tellingen).

Hermenault

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Her en enda en ny street style inspirasjon fra moteuken i Paris. Jeg blir så inspirert!
Det er så utrolige mange fine og vakre antrekk. Her er iallefall mine favoritter.
Here is yet another street style inspiration from Paris fashion week.
I think there are so many beautiful and amazing outfits.
Wow, Amazing street style, I wish we had street style this cool where I live.
I am now following your lovely blog. Please check out and follow my blog for support at http://allofthatgoodstuff.blogspot.ca/ Thanks, It means a lot to me.
thank you so much for visiting and following my blog, i really appreciate it!
The last bag is amazing!


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Help - My Patient Is on a Multi-Chemotherapeutic Regimen and Is Coming for a Laparotomy! What Do I Need to Know?
Infection Prevention for the Anesthesia Professional: What is the Least I Should Know and How Do I Apply It to My Practice?
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This Epidural Catheter Is Not Working Well. What Should I Do?
When It Rains It Pours; Large AVM Heart Failure Pulmonary HTN and Now There Is V-tach!
Ah! I Can't Bear It! This Is the Worst Headache of My Life!
Oh No! Both Arteries in My Neck Are Blocked! Now What?
Surviving Septic Shock in the Operating Room and Beyond: What Do the Guidelines Say?
Numb and Number: Should We Use Regional Anesthesia in Orthopedic Trauma?
Neurologic Complications Following Epidural Placement - How to Differentiate and Manage?
Just Another Subarachnoid Hemorrhage? Or Am I Really Up-to-date on What to Do?
I Thought Three Pump Runs Were Bad but This Pulmonary Edema is Even Worse! What is Going On?
Elderly Man; Going into Shock; Needs Fluids Now!
I Passed Gas in the Operating Room. Are Volatile Agents Really Silent and Deadly to Patients With Muscular Dystrophy?
Can the Adult Patient With Morbid Obesity and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Safely Undergo Outpatient Surgery?
My Patient With a DNR Order Arrested in the OR! Now What?!
It's Just a Quick EGD in the Office...but Can I Safely Anesthetize My Patient Here?
Antifibrinolytic Use in Major Orthopedic Procedures: What's the Bloody Controversy?
Why Does My Patient Scheduled for Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Have Severe Groin Pain?
Thoracic Epidural Analgesia in the Recently Anticoagulated Patient: Is This a Good Idea?
He's 15, Needs This Operation and He's DNR!
Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy in a Child With Down Syndrome More to It Than You Think!
My Patients Never Have Residual Paralysis in the PACU, or Do They?


text:
package com.bazaarvoice.emodb.client;

import com.bazaarvoice.emodb.client.EmoResponse;
import com.bazaarvoice.emodb.client.EntityHelper;
import com.fasterxml.jackson.core.type.TypeReference;

import javax.ws.rs.core.MediaType;
import javax.ws.rs.core.Response;
import java.io.InputStream;
import java.net.URI;
import java.util.Date;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;

import static java.util.Objects.requireNonNull;

/**
 * EmoResponse implementation that wraps a Jersey {@link Response}.
 */
public class Jersey2EmoResponse implements EmoResponse {

    private final Response _response;

    public Jersey2EmoResponse(Response response) {
        _response = requireNonNull(response, "response");
    }

    @Override
    public int getStatus() {
        return _response.getStatus();
    }

    @Override
    public List<String> getHeader(String header) {
        return _response.getStringHeaders().get(header);
    }

    @Override
    public String getFirstHeader(String header) {
        return _response.getStringHeaders().getFirst(header);
    }

    @Override
    public Iterable<Map.Entry<String, List<String>>> getHeaders() {
        return _response.getStringHeaders().entrySet();
    }

    @Override
    public boolean hasEntity() {
        return _response.hasEntity();
    }

    @Override
    public InputStream getEntityInputStream() {
        return _response.readEntity(InputStream.class);
    }

    @Override
    public <T> T getEntity(Class<T> clazz) {
        // Don't attempt to read the entity as JSON unless the header indicates to do so.
        if (MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON_TYPE.equals(_response.getMediaType())) {
            return EntityHelper.getEntity(getEntityInputStream(), clazz);
        }
        return _response.readEntity(clazz);
    }

    @Override
    public <T> T getEntity(TypeReference<T> type) {
        return EntityHelper.getEntity(getEntityInputStream(), type);
    }

    @Override
    public URI getLocation() {
        return _response.getLocation();
    }

    @Override
    public Date getLastModified() {
        return _response.getLastModified();
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Mac Outlook 2011 to Apple Mail conversion often can take mind-bending amount of time and efforts. Both clients run on Mac OS X but have a different inner core and structure of how they store data. A tool or a program allowing users to export Mac Outlook 2011 to Apple Mail requires heavy processing logic. Some needs advanced features to pull it off successfully.
Unfortunately, a big lot of converters available online have nothing going on for them. They aren't built around the complexity of data extraction and conversion.
But there's one that wouldn't disappoint you.
It's called "OLM Extractor Pro" and has a special set of algorithms and a whole lot more to make your job of exporting Outlook 2011 to Apple Mail much quicker and easier and even more precise. It's a clever software tool that doesn't dwell in the past and instead brings up new, more efficient way to extract data.
The tool thoroughly scans your OLM files (from Outlook 2011) in multi-layered approach that ensures everything is converted. This allows the algorithms to cover every aspect and not overlook or partially convert any element, giving you 100% data integrity safety. Unlike other tools that have poor implementation of algorithms that end up with fragmentation.
Any other objects embedded into email bodies, like excel sheets, word docs, etc.
Only "OLM Extractor Pro" is the tool to export Mac Outlook 2011 to Apple Mail that is able to convert all these items without errors.
Even if you are a basic home user who just have a few folders to move, "OLM Extractor Pro" will help you with that tremendously. Even though it supports advanced users to migrate large databases, it also suits more basic functions for relatively smaller scale migration, and it has its amazingly built UI to thank for. The intuitive interface gets the job done easily without asking for too much from non-experienced users.
This unique mix of sophistication and simplicity makes it the most used tool to export Mac Outlook 2011 to Apple Mail.
You can download it for free and use it in a trial mode. The link is given here for downloading the setup file and export Mac Outlook 2011 to Apple Mail.


text:
Israel Health Ministry Jerusalem District Bureau building, Jerusalem, March 2011. (Creative Commons)
Report: Israeli Health Ministry Ignored US Warning in November of Viral Threat from China
The Media Line Staff
Israel knew about the outbreak of a "mysterious disease" in China in November 2019, but its Health Ministry took no precautions at the time, according to a report broadcast Thursday night on Israel's Channel 12 News. The report said that US intelligence was aware in the second week of November that an unknown, dangerous disease was spreading in Wuhan, and warned President Trump, who took no interest in the matter. However, White House officials warned NATO as well as Israel. The Israeli military then began planning for the possibility that the disease could spread to the Middle East. But senior decision-makers in the Health Ministry, who were also aware of the US report, ignored it. Earlier, ABC News in the US reported that the US military's National Center for Medical Intelligence knew in November 2019 that a dangerous epidemic was spreading in China's Wuhan region and warned the White House, the military's joint chiefs of staff, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the National Security Council multiple times. This included a detailed explanation in US President Donald Trump's daily brief. According to one of the sources quoted by ABC, "Analysts concluded it could be a cataclysmic event."
MORE FROM News Updates
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Smitten was born from a fantastic co-lab between two extraordinary wedding planners, Mary and Janna. Their experience is legendary in the industry so I was 'smitten' with helping them co-brand :) We went elegant and clean, but always with a touch of sparkle. I've assisted with the brand as well as print materials, their wedding package magazine and process infographics. Their work is incredible and flawless, I adore working with them on any project.


text:
Meet the Critics
RENT 20th ANNIVERSARY TOUR
COMING TO DALLAS
APRIL 14–19, 2020
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13
Dallas, TX December 11, 2019 – The producers of the RENT 20th Anniversary Tour announced today that single tickets for the upcoming tour engagement in Dallas, presented by Dallas Summer Musicals (DSM) and Broadway Across America (BAA), will go on sale Friday, December 13.
Single tickets for the RENT 20th Anniversary Tour start at $25 (pricing subject to change) and are available at DallasSummerMusicals.org or by phone at 800-982-2787. They can also be purchased in person at the Music Hall at Fair Park Box Office Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Orders for groups of ten (10) or more may be placed by calling (214) 426-4768 or emailing Groups@DallasSummerMusicals.org.
In 1996, an original rock musical by a little-known composer opened on Broadway… and forever changed the landscape of American theatre. Two decades later, Jonathan Larson's RENT continues to speak loudly and defiantly to audiences across generations and all over the world. And now, this Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award®-winning masterpiece returns to the stage in a vibrant 20th anniversary touring production. A re-imagining of Puccini's La Bohème, RENT follows an unforgettable year in the lives of seven artists struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. With its inspiring message of joy and hope in the face of fear, this timeless celebration of friendship and creativity reminds us to measure our lives with the only thing that truly matters—love.
The show received its world premiere off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop on February 13, 1996 to ecstatic reviews and transferred to Broadway on April 29, 1996. RENT won the 1996 Tony Award for Best Musical as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Based on original direction by Michael Greif (Tony and Drama Desk Nominations, RENT), Evan Ensign re-stages the 20th anniversary tour. Original Broadway creatives Marlies Yearby (Choreography), Angela Wendt (Costume Design), and Tim Weil (Music Supervision and Additional Arrangements) are joined by Jonathan Spencer (Lighting Design), Keith Caggiano (Sound Design), MiRi Park (Associate Choreographer), and Matthew E. Maraffi (adapting original scenic design by Paul Clay) to make up the creative team for the tour. Casting for the tour is by Wojcik | Seay Casting.
The RENT 20th Anniversary Tour is produced by Work Light Productions whose other touring productions include the 2016 Olivier Award-winning production of Jesus Christ Superstar, Irving Berlin's White Christmas, Bandstand, and the upcoming tour of the TONY award winning musical Ain't Too Proud.
About Dallas Summer Musicals:
Since 1941, the non-profit Dallas Summer Musicals Inc. (DSM) has presented the Best of Broadway to North Texas audiences. Located in the historic Music Hall at Fair Park, DSM promotes excellence in live musical theatre with year-round performances for diverse audiences of all ages, impacting the lives of children and families through education and community outreach programs, while enriching the cultural landscape of North Texas and the Southwest Region.
As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, DSM relies on a variety of funding sources to offer affordable ticket prices, preserve the beautiful historic theatre, educate young audiences and develop impactful community programs.
DSM gratefully acknowledges the support of our season sponsors, annual fund donors and corporate partners American Airlines, Texas Instruments, The Dallas Morning News, and WFAA TV Channel 8. For more information about Dallas Summer Musicals, please call 214-421-5678 or visit our website at DallasSummerMusicals.org.
About Broadway Across America:
Broadway Across America (BAA) is part of The John Gore Organization family of companies, which includes Broadway.com, The Broadway Channel, BroadwayBox.com and Group Sales Box Office. Led by 13-time Tony-winning theater producer John Gore (Owner & CEO), BAA is the foremost presenter of first-class touring productions in North America, operating in 44 markets with over 400,000 subscribers. Presentations include Disney's The Lion King, Wicked, The Book of Mormon, The Phantom of the Opera and Hamilton. Current and past productions include The Band's Visit, Beautiful, CATS, Chicago, Dear Evan Hansen, Hairspray, Mean Girls, The Producers and Waitress.
Don't Miss These Latest Reviews
THE COLOR OF DEATH
Closes on
About The Column Online
THE COLUMN reviews theater all around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex as well as national tours and Broadway productions.
The Column Awards
© The Column Online 2017. All rights reserved.
Produced by Stucko Monkey Productions.


The German DKB Bundesliga is still at the TOP of handball markets, according to Handball-Planet.com list of TOP 100 transfers before the season 2018/2019.
Exactly 34 transfers made by German teams have found place at TOP 100 list. The French teams are on the second place with 18 transfers, while on the third are Hungarians (Telekom Veszprem and MOL Pick Szeged) with nine ahead of Polish teams (8) and Spanish (7).
Next Story → Stojance Stoilov to miss first three months of the season?


text:
in: Utah, 2000, Solved,
Internet-Related Cases
Trisha Autry
Real Name: Trisha Ann Autry
Nicknames: Trish
Location: Hyrum, Utah
Date of Birth: December 12, 1984
Marital Status: N/A
Characteristics: Caucasian female. Bright red hair.
Details: In the early morning hours of June 24, 2000, fifteen-year-old Trisha Autry vanished from her home in Hyrum, Utah. Her mother, Joann, discovered that she was missing. She and her other daughters searched the neighborhood, to no avail. Sadly, Trisha's adolescence had not been easy. She was often ostracized and made fun of by the other kids at school. She also didn't have any close friends to talk with. As a result, police suspected that she may have run away. However, she had left all of her belongings behind. Her family suspected that she may have planned to meet someone from the Internet.
Prior to her disappearance, Trisha wrote several fantasy stories. She started writing one two weeks before she disappeared. According to her family, on some occasions, she would stay up all night writing. She had stayed up late the night she vanished, working on the computer in the family room. Her sister, Breanne. last saw her typing at 2:30am, and at 6am the next morning she was gone.
When Joann looked at the computer, she found that Trisha's story was not there. She was apparently doing something else throughout the night. Police focused on her computer and discovered that she had three separate e-mail accounts. She also spent large amounts of time in chat rooms. There was also evidence that she had deleted large amounts of e-mails and other files at 3am on the morning she vanished. A computer expert believes that someone taught her how to delete these files.
On several occasions, neighbors noticed suspicious activity near the Autry home. Two weeks before Trisha vanished, a neighbor had seen her get out of a red car. The neighbor felt that the way she left the car and walked back home was suspicious, as if she did not want to be seen. According to another neighbor, the car appeared again at 4am on the morning of her disappearance. The driver, a young man, got out and walked around. He appeared to be nervous. A few minutes later, a girl matching Trisha's description met him and got into the car.
On the day Trisha vanished, just two hours after she was seen getting into the car, she was seen by a clerk at the Welcome Mart a few miles from her home. The clerk said she had been looking out the window as if she was waiting for someone. The clerk asked if she was all right; she replied that she was fine. She left twenty minutes later without buying anything. The clerk knew Trisha from the neighborhood and was certain that the girl was her.
There were several sightings of Trisha throughout Utah in the months following her disappearance, giving hope for her family and police that she is still alive. One man believed that he saw her at a grocery store. He saw her enter with an older woman standing closely behind her. The woman appeared to be controlling her. A man was also with them; he matched the description of the one that picked up Trisha in front of her home. The witness believed that she was being abused and drugged.
Trisha's family and the police are hoping that she is still alive and will be found.
Suspects: None known; police suspect that the driver of the red car is responsible for Trisha's disappearance. He, who was younger and white, has never been identified. He may be accompanied by an older white female.
Extra Notes: This case first aired on the July 12, 2001 episode. It was also documented on On the Case with Paula Zahn.
Tricia's family founded the Trisha Ann Autry Foundation to support families also affected by online predators.
Cody Nielsen
Results: Solved. Six months after Trisha's disappearance, police began to investigate twenty-eight-year-old Cody Lynn Nielsen. He was a maintenance man at the Predator Research Facility near Millville, Utah, eight miles from Hyrum. Shortly after Trisha's disappearance, he was seen using a backhoe on facility property to dig deep trenches and then refill them for no apparent reason. Cadaver dogs were brought to the area where they had been made. Several dogs "hit" on one specific area in them. After digging for ten feet, authorities found a jawbone. In other trenches, more remains were found, along with clothing. Some of it had been burned. In May 2001, the remains and clothing were identified as Trisha's.
Soon after Trisha's remains were discovered, one of her friends came forward, claiming to having been raped by Nielsen one month before Trisha vanished. She claimed that he offered her a ride home from school, but instead took her to the Predator Research Facility and raped her. She also told police that he had given Trisha his pager number.
In June 2001, Nielsen was charged with kidnapping and first degree murder. He was also charged with the friend's rape. He admitted to killing Trisha, but claimed that her death was an accident. He initially pleaded guilty, but later withdrew his plea. At trial, four women testified that he had raped them. Other witnesses testified that he had stalked Trisha prior to her disappearance. In January 2004, he was convicted of her murder and given a life sentence without parole. His conviction was upheld in 2013.
Sadly, Trisha's parents have both since passed away; her father in 2001 and her mother in 2010.
Trisha Autry on Unsolved Archive
Trisha Autry Obituary
Alleged rapist a suspect in Trisha Autry homicide too
Trisha's family tells jurors: 'Evil has a face'
Man says girl's death was an accident
Utah killer of 15-year-old girl wants new trial
State Supreme Court affirms Cody Lynn Nielsen's murder conviction
State vs. Nielsen
Investigation Discovery TV features Hyrum homicide in 'On the Case with Paula Zahn'
Trisha Autry on Find a Grave


Dairy Farmers of Canada's annual Symposium on nutrition and health is held in Moncton on November 1, 2018. For more information, click here.
The Continuing Education Faculty of the Université de Montréal is hosting a conference on November 8, 2018. For more information, click here (information provided to NBAD was only available in French). The conference will be in French, however they will have simultaneous translation available.


If you are a fan of shooting games and like playing exciting action avatar games where you will feel like a true hero while destroying the enemies on your way, there are plenty of games that offer you that kind of experience. But, because there are many action games developed, finding the most interesting one can be confusing. So, we did our research and we have for you one highly addictive and exciting action avatar game. Let's discuss it.
Developed for both IOS and android users, this an exciting action avatar shooting game which is offering the players to have fun shooting and killing their enemies to become heroes and save the city by creating their own avatar character. Each time the player is shooting, he is enjoying the amazing HD design with sharp graphics and the coolest shooting sound effects. On the avatar action game, the player will become the hero if he destroys and tackles the enemies, keeping his character alive as long as possible to save his city from ISIS, killing the bosses and the commander one by one.
This as the addictive and challenging shooting avatar game will test the player's skills of shooting and creating a strategy while letting him feel like a real hero. On the game, the player is asked to save the city from the ISIS commander and his companions. With creating his own avatar and staying in the game as long as possible, the player has the chance to tackle the enemy while unlocking new and powerful weapons in the process. To get to the ISIS commander, the player needs to kill all the bosses on by one. Players need to tackle the tank of the enemies and gather their own strength and collect their own tank to become more powerful and reach the ISIS commander to free their city. Shooting precisely and creating a strategy will allow the players to become the heroes and destroy the enemies on their way to free their city.
Download this game on App Store and Google Play now for free.


text:
National Malta Public Transport rolls out first fully-electric bus
National [WATCH] Monaco Telecom can't say yet whether Vodafone takeover will lead to redundancies
Court & Police Fake bomb hold-up lands man in the dock
The online bullying nightmare: thousands contact teen hotline
Online teen hotline already draws in over a thousand users in 2016 who seek help for various issues, including bullying
9 March 2016, 7:36am
by Martina Borg
Teen support website kellimni.com has already registered some 1,422 interventions in just the first two months of 2016 – a further indication of the unique challenges issues like online bullying pose, both for its victims and their parents.
Its co-ordinator, James Buhagiar, explained that given last year's total of 3,156 interventions, 2016 was set to be a particularly productive year for the multi-platform service. He added that the service offered support to youngsters going through various challenging situations. including bullying, among others.
"Since the beginning of the year, we have also introduced a new smart messaging system, which works similarly to systems like WhatsApp, besides our long standing e-mail and chat services," Buhagiar said, adding that the service would be launched officially later this year.
Buhagiar explained that the service had grown significantly since its beginning in 2011, starting with an e-mail service and form, and moving on to an online chat service, and finally launching the smart messaging service.
The service, a joint effort between SOS Malta, Salesians of Don Bosco, Agenzija Zghazagh and Agenzija Appogg, is currently celebrating its sixth anniversary and it has also just undergone changes in its website and service.
"Over time we have managed to increase the services we offer, and the number of interventions reflect that," he said, adding that the service had also increased the times it operates in, with the organisation attempting to increase chat availability to include even Sundays.
"Our services have to respond to the trends occurring in technology, which very much dominates teenagers' and children's lives," he said, explaining the decision to begin operating the smart messaging system.
In fact, according to the data forwarded to MaltaToday, smart messaging has already led to 226 of the total interventions this year.
Buhagiar stressed that this platform still maintained the organisation's focus on anonymity, allowing teenagers to seek assistance even if they do not wish to be open about it.
"There's no shame in seeking assistance, and it is the first step in overcoming any form of bullying," Buhagiar said, adding that isolation often makes people more susceptible to bullying.
In his comments, Buhagiar said that when someone was cut off from peers, or even family members, it became easier for them to be targeted.
"In a way, it's this loneliness that leads to things like cyber-bullying," he said, adding that this was one of the most common complaints the organisation received.
Buhagiar explained that very often, fighting bullying depended almost entirely on how much help they manage to obtain, as well as the support network they have.
"The first step to defeating bullies, whether they operate in the digital world or not, is to speak to someone, which is kellimni.com's ethos," Buhagiar said.
"It's easier to bully someone on an online platform, because there's an element of anonymity, and besides, it often provides a platform that is hidden from the prying eyes of adults," he said, adding that in their experience, cyber-bullying was often a continuation of other forms of bullying.
In fact, in their comments to MaltaToday, Agenzija Appogg said that on a local level, most cases of cyber bullying treated by the agency were cases in which the bullying started at school or youth centre and then persisted online.
"In many instances the bullies know the victim very well and there were occasions where the victim and the bully were best friends and as soon as their friendship ended the cyber bullying started," they said.
Furthermore, the agency explained that cyber bullying is different in that it can happen day and night, given that the victim can be reached even in the safety of their own home.
"It can seem like there's no escape from the taunting and humiliation, and it may potentially be witnessed by thousands of people," they explained.
Buhagiar explained that cyber attacks, which ranged from indirect comments and superimposed photos, to direct attacks and insults delivered on social media, were facilitated when and if parents were not avid internet or social media users.
"Bridging this gap is one of the best things we can do to ensure that people become more aware of this form of bullying and therefore put an end to it."
Buhagiar explained that raising awareness about what cyber bullying is can go a long way, both in encouraging youngsters to open up about any incidences, and in helping them to avoid becoming targets.
"Being aware of when they should or shouldn't engage with bullies can go a long way," he said, adding that many young people were initially unaware of what constituted unacceptable behaviour on an online platform.
Buhagiar further explained that victims of cyber-bullying often expressed concern and fear at their loss of control, which might be externalised in self-destructive behaviour.
"Unlike the real world, virtual reality means that once something is in the public domain, you tend to lose all control over it. Self-harm is sometimes used by victims of cyber bullying as a misguided attempt to regain control," he said, adding that luckily, self-harm seemed to have gone out of fashion.
Interestingly, Agenzija Appogg said that in some cases the reaction to the loss of control was entirely different, causing anger problems in victims. "The intense feeling of helplessness people feel when being bullied can become deeply rooted and can blow up in outbursts of rage whenever the person feels he is being threatened or cornered, even later in life," they explained.
Buhagiar added that users of the service had admitted to feelings of disinterest in school, and feeling lost, but that it wasn't common for users to intend inflicting damage on themselves. However, given the anonymous nature of the service, Buhagiar explained that it was hard to determine how bullying incidences can affect victims in the long term.
Agenzija Appogg added that in the short term, bullying and cyber-bullying could effectively lead to anxiety when using social media or e-mails, and subsequently to more withdrawal from social settings.
The agency also explained that changes in mood, anxiety, behaviour, sleep patterns and appetite could all be indicators that someone was going through some form of bullying.
"In the long term, cyber bullying can cause weakened self-esteem, with victims feeling helpless and like they are incapable of facing the world," they said, adding that victims of cyber bullying may have doubts about their ability to handle social situations and incidences of conflict.
"These feelings of weakness or incompetence can haunt them in their education, their work lives and in their relationships," they added.
Asked about the best ways to tackle cyber bullying and make the internet safer for younger generations, Buhagiar said that there were already quite a few services available to offer support online, and that campaigns were also occasionally implemented to raise awareness.
"Ultimately, society needs to understand that the internet and social media in general are tools, and that no matter how good their intentions are, there will always be people willing to use them inappropriately," he said, adding that he was against the idea of blocking access to certain sites as a preventative measure.
"The best thing to do is to truly understand the tools that are commonly used and to monitor the use of these tools as much as possible," he added.
Martina Borg focuses on lifestyle and society issues
More from Martina Borg Martina on Twitter
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