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Thank Capitalism for the Weekend!
Productivity and free markets created the weekend
Julian Adorney
Every year or two, we see renewed calls for laws mandating a 30-hour workweek. The latest is by Harlan Green, editor of populareconomics.com. It's time to put this issue to bed: laws mandating a shorter workweek hurt the very workers they intend to help.
The idea that we need maximum-workweek laws to protect workers is a myth: capitalism has driven down worker hours even in the absence of such laws. Economist Robert Whaples notes that the average workweek has been decreasing since the 1830s.
By 1938, when President Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) mandating a 40-hour workweek, such a law was virtually unnecessary. Over the previous century, market forces had driven the average manufacturing workweek from almost 70 hours to just over 50. Other industries were even lower. In 1930, for instance, railroad workers worked an average of 42.9 hours per week. Coal miners worked an average of only 27 hours.
Henry Ford implemented a 40-hour workweek in 1926 because he believed that consumers with more free time would buy more products. Other large companies followed suit; just one year later, 262 large companies had adopted five-day workweeks. For the first time, people experienced work-free weekends.
This shift wasn't the product of labor legislation. The few scattered wage laws the United States had before the FSLA were rendered largely unenforceable by the Lochner-era Supreme Court, which recognized the legality of any employee-employer contract, regardless of how many hours it was for.
The truth is that employees aren't powerless. In a competitive marketplace, they can negotiate with their boss, knowing that if they don't like the deal he offers than they can move to a different company.
What kept workweeks long in the 19th century was the same thing that pushed farmers to employ their children: productivity was low, and people had to work 70-80 hours if they wanted to produce enough to keep food on the table. This was not the fault of exploitative employers, unless parents count as exploitative. It was the fault of an underdeveloped economy.
As productivity and wages rise, employees can live on less labor, which gives them an incentive to negotiate — successfully, as we've seen — for a lower workweek.
But if exploitation isn't keeping the workweek long, why hasn't it continued to shrink since 1938?
One factor is that wages have been rising (contra the claims of progressives), which increases the opportunity cost of not working. Employees are choosing to work more and buy more goods rather than have more free time. Rising wages make the prospect of working more hours more attractive than it used to be.
Another is that the workweek is shrinking, and companies like Treehouse are experimenting with a 32-hour workweek.
So maximum-workweek laws don't help workers. But it's worse than that: such regulations actually hurt workers' ability to earn a living.
Workers are paid based on what they produce, and if they're not working as much, they aren't producing as much and can't earn as much. Maximum-hour laws reduce the ability of workers to boost their incomes by working more hours and producing more.
This is something that labor organizers have long known. Terence Powderly, president of the Knights of Labor in the 1880s, noted that employees didn't actually want shorter hours if it decreased their daily pay, but that was the trade-off that strikes and labor laws created.
Proponents of maximum-workweek laws argue that they create more jobs by spreading the work around. Writing for the Nation, Michelle Chen argues that, "A study by the National Retail Federation concedes that the overtime reforms [which essentially enforce the FLSA's 40-hour workweek] will have a job creating effect by encouraging new hiring."
If employers can squeeze John for 60 hours a week, they will; but if they can only make him work 40, then they'll be forced to hire someone else to help John.
This is wrong for two reasons. The worker hired to help John won't be as efficient as John (if he were, the employer would have hired him anyway), so transferring work from John to the new hire will make the firm less efficient. That could mean higher prices, less production, less ability to expand, or all three.
Moreover, this only helps the unemployed at the expense of the employed. If John wanted or needed the hours, tough luck for him, since he just took an involuntary 33 percent pay cut to hire the new guy.
If we want to create jobs, there are better ways than negative-sum games that punish both workers and businesses.
A 30-hour week is not impossible or even necessarily undesirable. But if we want to help workers, we'll let them decide when and how take us there, not politicians.
Julian Adorney is a Young Voices contributor. He's written for FEE, Playboy, National Review, The Federalist, and blogs at The Empathetic Libertarian.
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Maddie Cunningham
Senior Grant Writer
Email Maddie Cunningham
Maddie Cunningham joined Impact Justice as a senior grant writer in 2020. She brings five years of grant writing experience and a deep interest in social justice and human rights advocacy to the team.
Before joining Impact Justice, Maddie was the director of development and communications at Street Sense Media, an organization that works to empower people experiencing homelessness in Washington, D.C. with a street newspaper program, artistic workshops, and case management support.
Prior to her work at Street Sense Media, Maddie was the assistant director for partnerships at the Washington Office on Latin America, where she managed a $3 million grants portfolio supporting the organization's human rights advocacy and research. She also worked with a program team to lead a groundbreaking project on women, drug policy, and incarceration, which fueled her growing interest in criminal justice reform and restorative justice.
Maddie was born and raised in central Minnesota. She comes from a family of artists, including a painter, composer, and writer. Maddie graduated from Centre College with a B.A. in anthropology and sociology in 2015. She minored in Spanish and Latin American studies and spent a semester living and learning in Mérida, Mexico.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Carrie Underwood Net Worth 2020, Bio, Age, Height
Celebrity lifestyles are full of intrigues and interesting facts, that have always been interesting to people. We love reading and listening about our favorite celebrities, because we feel much closer to them when we get to know them through these stories and experiences.
Every celebrity is different and some influence us in a positive way, and other times in not such a good way. In today's text, we will learn more about the talented American country singer, Carrie Underwood. We will learn about her personal life, net worth and all the other details that you would like to know about.
Carrie Marie Underwood was born on March 10th 1983 in Muskogee in Oklahoma. Carrie grew up in a farmer village in Checotah, Oklahoma, the daughter of Stephen and Carole Underwood, and graduated in 2001 from Checotah High School.
Underwood attended the Northeastern State University, where he graduated in communications. Underwood's musical influences range from pop to country music; He commented at the auditions for American Idol that his favorite singer is Martina McBride.
Carrie has three sisters, two of whom are older, Shanna and Stephanie, both of whom are married and elementary school teachers, and a younger sister, Charlotte. He attended the school regularly until his participation in the selections of the fourth edition of American Idol in 2005.
Carrie is the daughter of Stephen and the elementary school teacher Carole. Underwood began his studies at Checotah High School, where in 2001 he graduated. Afterwards, Carrie entered the Northeastern State University, graduating in telecommunications a few years later.
At the beginning of the 21st century, Carrie began to perform various interpretations of singing, participating in various television contests, as is the case of "American idol", in the 2004-2005 season.
In this program, she performed the interpretation of the song "Alone", which ran into the top of the country charts, reaching 11th place. At the end of the season, Carrie managed to become the winner of this edition of the program. In 2005, the singer released the album "Some Hearts", with which she would get the Billboard Music Awards for several singles, as well as the "Best Soloist of the Year".
This same album gets other awards the following year, such as the "American Music Awards", "Music Row" or the "CMT Music Awards" In the year 2007, its second album is sent, which takes the title of "Carnival Ride", and with which it begins a tour that takes by name "Carnival Ride Tour"
"Play On" is released in 2009, an album that includes 13 songs, and a year later the promotion of this new title begins with a great tour called "Play on Tour". In 2010, Carrie marries Mike Fisher, a hockey player from Canada.
In 2012, a new album called "Blow Away" is released, from which some videos of their songs are extracted, which are published on the Vevo and Entertainment Tonight channels. In the year 2104, Carrie and Mike announced on their official website that they are expecting a child and that this child will be born in 2015.
Carrie's career began in an interesting way. In the summer of 2004 Carrie Underwood auditioned for American Idol in St. Louis. During the Top 11 Carrie played the song Alone of the band Heart, Judge Simon Cowell, said that not only felt that Carrie would win but would sell more albums than any other American Idol.
During one of the weeks of competition the producers said that Carrie was leading the calls of the public what made her the favorite to win the competition. On May 25, 2005, Ryan Seacrest declared Carrie Underwood the winner of the fourth season of American Idol.
The album was released on November 15, 2005, and debuted at # 2 on the Billboard 200 in the US, behind Madonna's "Confessions on a Dance Floor", selling more than 315,000 units in its first week. To date, the disc sold more than 7,600,000 units in the United States alone, with Seventh Platinum certified by the RIAA.
In addition, it sold more than 500,000 units in Canada, being Triple Platinum certified in that country.
This talented singer rose to fame by winning the 4th season of the popular American Idol talent show. Her albums have been classified multiplatinum, she was awarded with 5 Grammy awards, she was introduced in 2009 to the Grand Ole Opry, and she was named twice by the ACM to be the Artist of the Year.
His debut album Some Hearts has been certified 7 times platinum and is the best country debut album in history according to Nielsen SoundScan; is the female debut album with the highest sales compared to other female country music players in history.
Her albums were number ones in all the country charts and she was considered extremely successful in the beginning of her career. Her second album Carnival Ride, was released on October 23, 2007 and has sold 3.5 million copies to date, and obtained four numbers on the Billboard
His most recent album is called 'Play On' and went on sale on November 3, 2009 and the first single was Cowboy Casanova, which reached # 1 on Billboard Hot Country Songs. The second, was "Temporary Home", which also reached the # 1 spot in the Hot Country Songs. "Undo it", the third single, also reached # 1.
Underwood sang The Star-Spangled Banner at Super Bowl XLIV in Miami, Florida, on February 7, 2010. Carrie Underwood has sold more than 12 million albums in the United States and is the American Idol winner who has sold more albums in the US. Throughout the world, Underwood has sold more than 15 million albums and more than 20 million singles.
The first was "Inside Your Heaven", which was the theme of her promotion as the new winner of the "American Idol" program, launched on June 11, 2005. She debuted at # 1 on the HOT 100 and the POP 100 on the Billboard It has sold more than 796,000 copies, and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
The second was "Jesus, Take the Wheel." This track was released on October 3, 2005, and it was Carrie Underwood's first single to reach # 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs, keeping it for 6 weeks. It has sold more than 1,180,000 units in the United States, and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. It was the first single of this singer to have a video clip.
The third was "Some Hearts." This theme was released on October 29 on pop and adult radio, almost at the same time that "Jesus Take the Wheel" was released to country music radios.
The fourth was "Do not forget to Remember Me." This track was released on March 13, 2006. It reached # 2 on the Hot Country Songs of the Billboard, and was the second single of this singer to have a video clip.
The fifth was "Before He Cheats". This song was made on August 19, 2006. Before being officially made, the song was positioned for 20 weeks on the country music charts. When it was officially made, it reached the # 1 position in the Hot Country Songs, keeping that place for 5 weeks. It has sold more than 2,570,000 units in the United States, being certified Double Platinum by the RIAA. It is the second single of a winner of "American Idol" best-selling (behind "No Air" by Jordin Sparks with Chris Brown), and the best-selling country music single in history.
The sixth single was "Wasted". This theme was made on February 6, 2007. It reached the # 1 position of the Hot Country Songs, keeping that place for 2 weeks. It has sold more than 600,000 units, being Gold certified by the RIAA.
The second album by Carrie Underwood was released on October 23, 2007 in the United States. He debuted at # 1 on Billboard 200, having sold more than 527,000 units in his first week, earning an instant Gold. To date, it has sold more than 2,580,000 in the United States, being certified Double Platinum by the RIAA.
The first was "So Small". It was released on August 28, 2007, and reached # 1 on the Hot Country Songs of the Billboard, staying in it for 3 weeks. It has sold more than 700,000 units, and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
The second was "All-American Girl." It was released on December 17, 2007, and reached # 1 on the Hot Country Songs of Billboard, staying in it for 2 weeks. It has sold more than 844,000 copies in the United States, but in spite of that it has not yet been certified by the RIAA.
The third was "Last Name". It was released on April 7, 2008, and peaked at # 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, this being the only song by Carrie Underwood to only hold that position for a week. It has sold more than 581,000 copies in the United States, but in spite of that it has not yet been certified by the RIAA.
Thanks to this song, Carrie obtained two nominations for two awards: in the category "Best Country Song" in the "People's Choice Awards", and in the category "Best Country Female Performance" in the "Grammy Awards".
The fourth was "Just a Dream". It was released on July 21, 2008, and reached # 1 on the Hot Country Songs, retaining that place for 2 weeks. It has sold approximately 516,000 copies in the United States, but in spite of that it has not yet been certified by the RIAA. It is the current single from the album.
In her co-directing with the singer Brad Paisley of the 2008 CMA Awards, Carrie interpreted this theme, being introduced by Mrs. Leslie Ponder, who is a widow whose husband died because of the current war in Afghanistan.
Carrie Underwood also won two Academy of Country Music Awards as Entertainer of the Year, was the first female artist to win the award consecutively (2009-2010). In 2008 she became a member of the Grand Ole Opry and in 2009 she was included in the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
Carrie Underwood has an astounding net worth of 85$ million. This talented singer has managed to become one of the highest paid country singers of all time, and since she is only 36 years old, we can expect a lot more from her.
Carrie's net worth comes mostly from her songs and music, but some of it comes from her acting roles and also songwriting. She is definitely one of the most talented country singers, who has managed to bring country music closer to the younger generations.
In 219, the beautiful singer appeared in the People magazine on the list "100 reasons to love America". This only speaks about Carrie's contribution to music, especially country music in America.
Carrie Marie Underwood (Muskogee, March 10, 1983) is an American country singer, actress and songwriter who came to the fore in 2005, thanks to her victory of the fourth season of the American talent show American Idol…
In her career he has won numerous awards including six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, eleven Academy of Country Music Awards and sixteen Billboard Music Awards, and many others. As a composer she was nominated for a Golden Globes.
Her debut album Some Hearts has been called the Best Country Album of the decade (2000/2010). Daughter of Stephen, a carpenter and Carole Underwood, a primary school teacher. [4] Even as a child she sang in the church of her country and helped her parents on the farm.
In the summer of 2004, Carrie Underwood auditioned to enter American Idol, during an internship in Saint Louis, Missouri. During his audition he sang I Can't Make You Love Me by country singer Bonnie Raitt.
During his participation in the television program he manages to make it to the final, without ever going into a runoff. During the program she performed Pat Benatar's Love Is a Battlefield, Sin Wagon of the Dixie Chicks, Elvis Presley's Trouble, Man! I Feel Like a Woman! By Shania Twain and Crying by Roy Orbison.
On May 5, 2005 he won the fourth edition of American Idol. The victory includes a record deal worth at least one million dollars, the use of a private jet for a year and a convertible Ford Mustang. [5]
Carrie had a brief relationship with Chace Crawford, then got engaged in Ottawa in December 2009 with ice hockey player Mike Fisher, whom she had previously met at one of her concerts in 2008. Carrie and Fisher showed in public officially together for the first time in January 2010, at the Campana Sens Soiree, for an annual fundraiser in Gatineau. After appearing at the CMT Awards in June 2010, Carrie told reporters that Fisher was planning a surprise honeymoon for the two of them.
On July 10, 2010, the two married at the Ritz Carlton Resort in Plantation Reynolds in Greensboro, Georgia, with over 250 people present. The couple released the following statement to People magazine, signing "Mike & Carrie Fisher": "We couldn't have felt happier having found each other and shared this day with our friends and relatives."
The couple is currently in a happy marriage and they have two children together. The designer Monique she created a Chantilly lace dress for Carrie and also designed the bridesmaids' dresses. Only classical music and Bible readings were performed at the ceremony. The guests of honor were attended by Ottawa Senators, the singers Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Garth Brooks, the friends of American Idol, as well as the judges Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson.
Carrie is also a philanthropist and she enjoys helping others. She is the founder of the Checotah Animal, School and Town Foundation. She is a big time supporter of animal shelters and defender of animal rights in general.
Carrie Underwood definitely made a mark on the country music and also on the 00s in general. This talented young singer is still pretty young, and we can expect a lot more from her in the future. So far she is still concentrated on music, and we can expect something new from her pretty soon.
Full name: Carrie Marie Underwood
Date of birth: March 10st 1983
Birthplace: Muskogee, Oklahoma
Profession: Singer, Actress, Model, Songwriter
Net Worth: 85$ million
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Sixth album British indie-rock stalwarts Kaiser Chiefs! It's a new chapter for the band as they embrace a new sound!
"If 'Education, Education, Education & War' was our protest album, then 'Stay Together' is our relationship album. Brian [Higgins] brought a very different approach to song writing and recording, it was a steep learning curve but together we tried out new ideas and sounds and ended up with a new and fresh sounding Kaiser Chiefs album. Like no Kaiser Chiefs record you have heard before."
5.Why Do You Do It to Me?


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Raising concerns to the council
A deputation (also referred to as lobbying) is a way of contacting the council to let them know about a concern that you have that is shared with people who live or work in the London borough of Harrow.
Requests for deputations must be in writing and supported by the signatures of at least 10 residents or representatives of local organisations or businesses in Harrow.
The signatories must clearly state their names and addresses or qualifying business address. The request must explain why a deputation is required.
Deputations can only relate to an item of business already on a committee agenda.
The request must be given to the monitoring officer by 5pm at least two clear working days before the day of the meeting. Contact details can be found at the bottom of this page.
If you would like to raise a deputation you can download our deputation template.
Petitions can be a good way to highlight issues that people feel strongly about.
A petition may be used by people who live, work or study in the borough to formally register a collective request or concern about the council or its services.
We have a duty to consider and respond to all petitions we receive.
For more information please read our petitions scheme guidance.
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America's Looming Blackout? Gingrich and Woolsey Lead Elite Team to Secure the Grid
April 24, 2014 Secure the Grid
CONTACT: Emily Cashel
ecashel@sbpublicaffairs.com
Washington, DC – Recent attacks on transformer substations and other critical parts of the electric grid have underscored one of America's most serious vulnerabilities: If the power goes off and stays off, our nation and the vast majority of its population will cease to exist.
A group of the country's top experts on the grid's vulnerability and what can be done to mitigate it under the leadership of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and President Clinton's Director of Central Intelligence, R. James Woolsey has concluded to expand its mission from not only protecting the grid from space weather and attack but securing the grid from all manner of vulnerability.
The good news: we know how to fix the grid's vulnerabilities. The Pentagon has been protecting its critical assets against EMP for over five decades. Known and relatively affordable technologies can protect our power grid and the 21st Century American economy, society and population that absolutely depend upon it.
The bad news: despite the fact that such threats and their dire implications have been validated by no fewer than 11 government studies (see: http://bit.ly/1kU1KYW) the electric utilities have been resistant to efforts to address their infrastructure's vulnerabilities out of a concern about the associated costs and possible additional regulatory burden.
The Coalition has been working to reverse this and its members are among the vanguard to establish legislation to secure the grid and to educate Americans of the risk of not doing so. Legislation has been introduced in the Maine State Legislator and the U.S. House of Representatives by Coalition members. These are the first of many legislative battles Coalition members will win.
Secure the Grid Coalition is to raise awareness of the extreme peril associated with the sort of protracted distribution of power distribution system that could be caused literally at any time by space weather or a hostile power. The Coalition also seeks to ensure that practical, cost-effective and readily available steps are taken as soon as possible to protect the grid.
To find out more about the Secure the Grid Coalition go to www.SecureTheGrid.com or contact Emily Cashel with Shirley & Banister Public Affairs at ecashel@sbpublicaffairs.com or (703) 739-5920.
Tags: Press Release
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October 24, 2017 Secure the Grid
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August 11, 2016 Secure the Grid
FERC Neglects Specific Mandates To Protect Communication Networks


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William C. Clifton, R.I. District Court judge
Was the only minority judge on that court system
Katherine Gregg
kgregg@providencejournal.com
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — District Court Judge William C. Clifton has died, according to judiciary spokesman Craig Berke.
His 2004 appointment to the bench made him the only minority judge on the District Court and one of four minority judges in the state court system, according to the Providence chapter of the NAACP. The other three judges included Clifton's wife, then-Superior Court Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson, who is now a federal appeals court judge, and his brother, retired Superior Court Judge Edward C. Clifton.
"Bill Clifton was loved and respected by everyone, including his colleagues and staff," District Court Chief Judge Jeanne E. LaFazia said Sunday. He was kind, caring and thoughtful in all that he did. He leaves a void in the court and in our hearts. Our prayers go out to Rogeriee and his entire family."
At the point then-Governor Donald Carcieri appointed him in 2004, Clifton was 61, one of Cranston's assistant city solicitors and a principal in the Clifton & Associates law firm. He had previously worked as a special assistant attorney general and a Superior Court arbitrator.
Growing up in San Antonio, Texas, he faced not only poverty, but also the inequalities and indignities of racial segregation, Clifton told The Journal.
"I got an opportunity to feel firsthand what it was like to be a second-class citizen," Clifton said. But "I had good parents and strong parents," he said, "who urged us to work hard and get an education, because, truly, education can lift you up from poverty."
He said his parents scraped the money together to get him out of segregated schools and into Catholic schools. He went on to earn a law degree from the University of California at Los Angeles.
"I lived the American nightmare of second-class citizenship and segregation," Clifton told the Senate Judiciary Committee just prior to its unanimous vote to confirm him for the judgeship. "Yet, I also accomplished the American dream: I worked hard, I studied hard and I made something of myself. That paradox kind of shapes me and keeps me on the straight and narrow."
With Clifton's death, there are now only two blacks left on the state court bench: Superior Court Judge Melissa Long and Family Court Judge Rossie Lee Harris. The death of Superior Court Judge Walter Stone last fall, and the more recent resignation, in the face of likely dismissal, of disgraced District Court Judge Rafael A. Ovalles created two vacancies, last held by minorities, that have not yet been filled.
Calling Clifton a "consummate professional,'' lawyer Priscilla DiMaio told the senators evaluating his appointment: "I would like to see Bill Clifton become a justice of the District Court, not because he is an African-American ... [Because] the District Court would be served by a man of true integrity who will give each and every person who comes before him the true meaning of justice. He's a good, hard-working and honest person, and that's what our system needs."


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text:
Hundreds of thousands of Kiwis prescribed life-saving statins stop taking them - study
Ella Prendergast
Watch: New Heart Foundation research reveals how much red meat New Zealanders should be eating. Credits: Video - Newshub; Images - Getty
Many Kiwis prescribed statins to prevent serious health problems such as heart attacks and strokes don't take them as prescribed, new research has found.
Doctors are now trying to figure out why, saying it's a waste of money and putting at-risk groups like Māori and Pasifika at risk.
More than half-a-million Kiwis are prescribed statins to lower their cholesterol levels. Some have had a heart attack or stroke before ('secondary prevention'), and others haven't, but are deemed at risk ('primary prevention').
New research reveals how much red meat Kiwis should be eating - and it's a lean quota
Heart doctor urges Kiwis to stay away from high-fat, low-carb diets
Researchers from the University of Otago looked at data showing whether patients were taking their medicines as prescribed. They found 37 percent of those who'd never had a heart attack or stroke before weren't taking them optimally, while 41 percent had discontinued their medication for at least 90 days once or more.
Those who'd had a heart attack or stroke before were better - but still 23 percent weren't taking them optimally, and 26 percent had stopped for 90 days or more.
"A cardiac event or a stroke is not really a hypothetical - they're quite motivated, they know what's at risk," said study co-author Simon Horsburgh, senior lecturer in epidemiology at the university's Department of Preventive and Social Medicine.
"People in primary prevention, they're potentially at quite high-risk of one of these events."
Particularly if they're not taking the medication consistently.
"These are effective medications... and [you're] certainly getting much less benefit from them if you're not taking them consistently."
Health Minister admits institutional racism in health system
Pasifika called 'coconuts' by hospital staff, damning report finds
Māori and Pasifika were more likely to lapse in their adherence to doctor's orders, the research found, Dr Horsburgh calling the differences "deeply concerning".
Nearly 39 percent of Māori and 45 percent of Pacific patients taking statins for primary prevention stopped taking it, compared to only 26 percent of Pakeha.
"Statins are a very important medicine.. .but medicines in general are one of the key interventions we use to try and improve people's health in New Zealand, so it's really important that we understand what are the drivers of adherence are so that we're getting the optimal benefit out of these medicines," said Dr Horsburgh.
"If we don't understand those, we're going to be spending a lot of money on these medicines and not achieving very equitable outcomes across population groups in New Zealand."
He said there's already a lot of evidence showing minority groups such as Māori and Pasifika have trouble accessing healthcare.
"This is of particular concern when these groups are also at greater risk of death from cardiovascular disease. These findings feed into the already-large literature highlighting the inequities of healthcare service experience, particularly for Māori and Pacific people."
The study was published this week in journal PLOS One.


Stay In The Moment… I've Heard Depression Is Caused By The Past And Anxiety Is Caused By The Future.
Today's Challenge: Stay in the moment… I've heard that depression is caused by the past and anxiety is caused by the future.
I love this because it is so true. The time to live is now.


text:
Reconstructing Austronesian population history in Island Southeast Asia
Lipson, Mark
Loh, Po-Ru
Patterson, Nick
Moorjani, Priya
Ko, Ying-Chin
Stoneking, Mark
Berger, Bonnie
Reich, David
Austronesian languages are spread across half the globe, from Easter Island to Madagascar. Evidence from linguistics and archaeology indicates that the 'Austronesian expansion,' which began 4,000-5,000 years ago, likely had roots in Taiwan, but the ancestry of present-day Austronesian-speaking populations remains controversial. Here, we analyse genome-wide data from 56 populations using new methods for tracing ancestral gene flow, focusing primarily on Island Southeast Asia. We show that all sampled Austronesian groups harbour ancestry that is more closely related to aboriginal Taiwanese than to any present-day mainland population. Surprisingly, western Island Southeast Asian populations have also inherited ancestry from a source nested within the variation of present-day populations speaking Austro-Asiatic languages, which have historically been nearly exclusive to the mainland. Thus, either there was once a substantial Austro-Asiatic presence in Island Southeast Asia, or Austronesian speakers migrated to and through the mainland, admixing there before continuing to western Indonesia.
10.1038/ncomms5689
2014NatCo...5.4689L


text:
View source for Ultronomicon talk:Editing Essentials
← Ultronomicon talk:Editing Essentials
Now that it's been made clear that we're using general wikipedia neutral voice and all, I still have one question about tenses and timing. From what point in time should we be writing articles? Do we refer to all events in UQM as having already taken place? Example: "The Captain found Earth surrounded by a slave shield." Or from some other temporal point of view? Example: "The Captain will find Earth surrounded by a slave shield." Setting our persepctive to have the entirety of the game in the past makes the most sense to me. Also, are we using a mostly "out of game" perspective or a mostly "in game" one? The article on [[humans]] is awesome for an in game perspective, as is the Spathi [[Eluder]] page, but things like the [[Dreadnought]] are from a player's perspective. Obviously some entries force themselves in a certain direction (such as anything about FF and PR3 or the publishing history of the game). Frankly, I prefer the "in game" voice. I think we need to have consistency and that has to be enforced (or at least stated) by the leadership of the site (the folks what own the server), just so that we all know what direction to be working for. [[User:Mmrnmhrm|Mmrnmhrm]] 15:14, 7 Oct 2004 (CEST) ---- I agree that we need consistency, but I think that any convention should come from consensus among the contributors, and not from any "leader". To achieve consensus, we would need something like the "Village Pump" that Wikipedia has to discuss these issues (but probably with some SC related name). I'll see if I can add the basic structure for something like that in the next few days. -- [[User:Svdb|SvdB]] 08:41, 8 Oct 2004 (CEST) ---- I think this page should be as concise as possible, only mentioning the things that differ from Wikipedia or are often done wrong. But it should also be so for the text itself. No extra words if they can be avoided. My reason for this is that it is important that every contributor reads the entire text, and the smaller this page is, the larger the chance that they will actually do that. --[[User:Svdb|SvdB]] 08:41, 8 Oct 2004 (CEST) ---- As I see it, there are (at least) two major purposes to the Ultranomicon: to house general Star Control background, history, and other information which deals with the Star Control '''universe'''; to house hints, spoilers, credits, links, and other information which deals with the Star Control '''games'''. That being the case, I think it's important to have some separation of the two, particularly so that someone can enjoy reading about the SC universe without spoiling the game. Ideally there might be a separate "Topic (spoiler)" page (e.g. "Spathi (spoiler)") where information such as home world coordinates, the story as revealed during SC2, etc. can be put. The main article would have a line such as "For spoiler information, see <nowiki>[[XYZ (spoiler)]]</nowiki>". At the very least, <nowiki>{{spoiler}}</nowiki> text should be placed in all articles which contain spoilers, either at the top or just before the spoilers appear. On another note, some consensus should probably be reached about whether or not information from SC3 (aka the Third One) is valid or not, particularly when giving information about the SC2 races which does not appear until SC3 (the nature of the Precursors comes to mind as a potentially controversial issue...). -- [[User:Jacius|Jacius]] 09:10, 10 Oct 2004 (CEST) == suggestion for annexation == As far as I know, SC3 is not considered Star Control [[canon]], namely because TFB did not write it. As for the segregation of the site, I think that the best way to do it might be to maintain the regular and a spoiler-free section. This is already being done with the game hints section, which doesn't link to alien race pages, etc. This would make maintainence a lot easier, as we wouldn't have to worry about the 'spoiler content' of the main body of work, only about the content of the spoiler-free annex. It could be totally closed, with no links leading out into the main Ultronomicon. Why would someone want to look up something in the Ultronomicon while they're still playing the game? Only for hints I'd suspect. Having seperate spoiler pages for each subject only makes the Ultronomicon more difficult to use. There are or will be hints pages and walkthroughs which shouldn't spoil things you aren't looking for. It would be good to have some sort of index of these pages though, linked from the main page. I also disagree with placing <nowiki>{{spoiler}}</nowiki> everywhere. If you look up something game related, you can expect to get spoiled (though I guess that should be mentioned on the main page too). We would otherwise be placing these tags on almost each page. And indeed, SC3 is out, except perhaps for a "Star Control 3" page which mentions SC3 and the history of how it came to exist. But no story info. -- [[User:Svdb|SvdB]] ---- I don't know about the majority, but I would want to look up things to learn more about the Star Control universe, for example what happened in the first game. Not everybody who visits this site will a) have already beaten the game or b) be looking for hints or spoilers. Totally separating the "spoilers" and "no spoilers" sections (e.g. no links between articles in different sections) is not necessary, as long as it is made clear that a page contains spoilers (so as to warn people trying to avoid them). Having a link from the article about Race X to a page containing spoilers regarding this race would only make sense for ease of navigation. The problem that I forsee is somebody unfamiliar with the policy (if there ever is one) putting spoilers on non-spoiler pages, which wouldn't really be prevented by having two separate sections. Also note that there is a difference between hints ("Race X doesn't like Race Y, and violence may ensue if they were to meet") and spoilers ("To get item P, go talk to Person A at the Nth planet of the system at coordinates X.Y, and say..."). In general, spoilers tell you exactly what to do or what happens, and thus ''spoil'' the experience by not letting you explore it by yourself. Hints give you a nudge in the right direction to keep you from being frustrated. (Obviously, I think one is much worse than the other.) I'm not worried about a few hints showing up in the articles, and in fact knowing some general information about something can help you realize a good way to do something. Of course, this is all assuming that anybody besides me cares about this. If not, spoil away. Re: SC3; the general consensus (on this site and other SC fan sites) is that SC3 is not canon. I agree, but I think this is the sort of thing that should be mentioned in a "site policy." <br>--[[User:Jacius|Jacius]] 06:03, 15 Oct 2004 (CEST) ---- I don't agree with a 'spoiler' and a 'spoiler-free' section. As I said before, having a regular section with a spoiler-free annex would probably work the best. The point of the regular section isn't to expressly contain spoilers- it's just that information there might 'spoil' parts of the game for someone. I also disagree with the use of {{spoiler}}. I think that we should have a notice telling readers to assume that articles may contain spoilers unless they are browsing in the spoiler-free section. -[[User:Fadookie|Fadookie]] 06:26, 15 Oct 2004 (CEST) ---- If you want to make a page without spoilers, it cannot contain any information you learn in the game. That pretty much only leaves what is in the manual. If you would make separate spoiler en non-spoiler pages for each topic, that would leave a short text for each non-spoiler page, and a long one for each spoiler page. Imagine browsing through pages like that when you're interested in the complete picture. I have on the main page made a clear separation of spoiler and non-spoiler pages. For links to spoilers I have made the templates <nowiki>{{spoilerlink}}</nowiki> and <nowiki>{{spoilerlinks}}</nowiki>. The former is to place behind a single link, the second when a page contains links to spoilers. They should only be used from pages which themselves are considered to be spoiler-free. So for instance there is no reason why the page [[Project FAQ]] should not be readable for people who have not jet finished the game, yet it may link to [[The Ur-Quan Masters]], which does not have to be spoiler-free. -- [[User:Svdb|SvdB]] 11:36, 15 Oct 2004 (CEST) ---- == Another two cents == # I'll add to the overwhelming consensus of "ignore SC3." # If you're coming here and you don't want to know everything about the game universe, why are you here? If you're still playing for the first time, go finish that. If you're having trouble running the game then there's all of one page worth reading (the tech faq). I don't think we should worry about being spoilerful. It's going to happen. The amount of information a player starts with is miniscule and they know that. The one exception I can think of is someone who hasn't played SCI and wants to know what happened there, but even some of that is spoilerish (like the war's results until you've been playing for about 15 minutes) so where's the cut off? I say don't bother. Outside of a few special pages, the Ultronomicon will ruin the surprise of everything in the game and that's OK. [[User:Mmrnmhrm|Mmrnmhrm]] 19:32, 15 Oct 2004 (CEST) ---- I recant. The need for spoiler-free sections is slim to nil. Perhaps then, policy should be that all pages except a very few should be assumed to have spoilers (and users can add spoiling information on those pages)? The [[Main Page]] might simply have a warning along the lines of "Except for the articles listed in Category:Nonspoiler, all articles may have information which might spoil the game for first-time players." In such a case, there is no need for <nowiki>{{spoiler}}</nowiki> to be splatted all over the place :) The spoiler-free pages wouldn't deal with SC Universe at all (except a very brief overview of the first war -- the details are covered in-game by Commander [[Hayes]] anyway, and it's true that the game does not assume the player knows anything about the universe at the start), just development stuff and general hints ("Best way to get minerals" and such). The links from the spoiler-free pages to potentially spoiled pages should be marked as such, but there is no need for any marking of links (to either spoilers or non-spoilers) in other articles. --[[User:Jacius|Jacius]] 21:53, 15 Oct 2004 (CEST) == More agreeing and a different suggestion == With the small number of pages that will be spoiler free I think the logical choice would be to have a {{safe}} template marking all the safe pages, and to make it clear (on the main page) that anything else carries no guarantee what-so-ever about keeping the mystery. Encylopedia aren't really about mysteries. Marking all spoiler links is significantly harder than marking the safe links because the former are so much more rare. And now I'm off to learn templates so I can enforce my doctrine ;) [[User:Mmrnmhrm|Mmrnmhrm]] 22:18, 15 Oct 2004 (CEST) That's an excellent point. Marking safe links is definitely the way to go. -[[User:Fadookie|Fadookie]] Why mark every safe page when it is enough to just let the reader know when he/she is leaving the safe zone? Also, it may be possible to give safe and unsafe pages a different background color. It would mean that all pages would have to be marked though.
Template:Spoiler (edit)
Return to Ultronomicon talk:Editing Essentials.
Retrieved from "https://wiki.uqm.stack.nl/Ultronomicon_talk:Editing_Essentials"


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Vin Diesel goes Rogue
Playing fast and loose with reality as Diesel goes rogue in The Fate of the Furious
Film by Molly TempletonPosted on 04/20/2017
There are several spoilable things in The Fate of the Furious, and most of them have to do with family — "family" being the eight-film series' touchstone, its go-to word when Vin Diesel needs to intone something meaningfully.
But it is no spoiler to tell you that Diesel's Dom Toretto wins the first race he's in, because Dom always wins, eventually. He may barely scrape by, or fling himself into something ass-first, or piece together an absurd plan with the help of his family, but he'll get there.
A lot of bonkers stuff just has to happen first, and in this case, the emphasis is on "a lot": a lot of characters need their screen time in Fate, and you feel it, even as you're grinning like an idiot at the most recent explosion or car chase or The Rock vs. Jason Statham fight.
Scott Eastwood steps in as the team's pretty white guy, but it's unclear why he's there except to give Roman (Tyrese Gibson) a break from being the brunt of everyone's jokes. Just about every character still alive after the last three movies shows up eventually and we get Charlize Theron as the villainous Cipher, plus the most perfect Helen Mirren cameo on record. (I'm rooting for a spinoff starring her and hers.)
The Furious films are a weird joy in a world that needs them. Family is the most important thing, and cars, and doing the right thing in the least likely way. Furious 6 had its sleek London car chase and its impossibly long runway; Furious 7 dropped cars out of planes and put Michelle Rodriguez, one of the series' unsung VIPs, in a dressed-up fight with Ronda Rousey.
Reality is a bubble the movies long since popped, and that's part of the fun: The most incredible hacking takes place with just a spot of typing, cars are always fast enough, and the Rock eats rubber bullets for breakfast and laughs about it. It's an ongoing madcap, violent delight, but Fate's action sequences are often so stuffed with characters that it feels like we're missing the cool parts while hopping from person to person.
Fate's best fight involves one man, encumbered by a very fragile package, versus a whole plane of baddies. As a cleverly choreographed display of excellent comic timing, it's a spectacle of ferocious grace — but it's also not about the team, which may be the flaw that keeps this movie from being quite as excellent as the last few.
As plots go, "Dominic Toretto has just gone rogue" should be a great one, but it leaves the rest of the gang with a leadership vacuum — a problem that regular Furious screenwriter Chris Morgan doesn't account for. The emphasis on family — which has, in this series, always meant chosen family as much as blood relations — gets taken literally in a way that raises a lot of questions about where the story goes from here: The Fast and the Furious: The Next Generation? (Regal Valley River, Cinemark 17)
When Bad Gets Good
The worst movie in the world — The Room — to be screened, featuring in-person Q&A with leading actor at Corvallis' Whiteside Theater
Film 4 days ago
Tommy Wiseau as Johnny in The Room shortly after his iconic line, 'I Did Not Hit Her. I Did Not. Oh, Hi Mark.'
The first time I watched The Room, it was on the late-night network Adult Swim sometime in the late '00s. As the credits rolled, my … Continue reading →
When Worse Comes to Worst
Two friends fall out in Martin McDonagh's The Banshees of Inisherin
Film 3 months ago
Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell. Photo by Jonathan Hession, Searchlight Pictures.
It was Hegel who famously quipped that all we really learn from history is that people learn nothing from history. Yowza, right? And so here … Continue reading →
Witch's Brooms, Kitchen Brooms, Oh My
How Thurman Scheumack got his brooms in Hocus Pocus 2 and more
Scheumack Broom Company owner Thurman Scheumack at his shop in Eugene. Photo by David Ainsworth.
The brooms at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies? That's a Scheumack broom. The walking sticks Gandalf uses in The Lord of the Rings movies? … Continue reading →


text:
Gerrymandering gives incumbent state representatives a home-court advantage
James McGinnis
jmcginnis@couriertimes.com
After nine years in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Tina Davis is still astonished by some unforgettable moments — like the day every state lawmaker was given new voters.
"I remember they emailed each one of us our new districts," said Davis, a Democrat from Bristol Township. "We were on the House floor when we got them.
"You saw some people really happy and some people jumping up and down because they were happy with what they got," said Davis, who represents the 141st District.
{{tncms-asset alignment="right" app="editorial" id="1705fdeb-f045-5396-8144-720c2a36658f" width="half"}}
The year was 2012. Using the 2010 population figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau, Pennsylvania's lawmakers legally redrew political districts, selecting the towns that would vote for each candidate.
It's a common and legal procedure, yet sickening to folks like Dave Clausen, a health care consultant from Doylestown Borough.
"Gerrymandering is under the radar, but terribly insidious," he said. "People get angry about issues like abortion or gun rights, but, when redistricting occurs, it can actually change the political control of the state."
On a muggy May evening, Clausen managed to do something many might consider rare. He gathered 63 people at the BuxMont Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Church in Warrington for a two-hour PowerPoint presentation on the gerrymandering of Pennsylvania's legislative districts.
{{tncms-asset alignment="center" app="editorial" id="fd38b03a-0565-5336-92fb-1bd851b114b3" width="half"}}
"This is about whether your vote counts or not," Clausen told those attending the meeting.
Home court advantage
The Pennsylvania Constitution states that legislative districts should be "compact and contiguous" and "unless absolutely necessary, no county, city, incorporated town, borough or township or ward shall be divided (among multiple districts). "
Bucks County's Middletown (population: 45,299) is represented by three lawmakers: Republican Frank Farry and Democrats John Galloway and Davis.
{{tncms-asset alignment="left" app="editorial" id="9667ef14-fb93-589c-98e9-05a16e012d97"}}
What's the reason? Members of Fair Districts PA, a non-partisan group dedicated to ending gerrymandering, say the 2012 legislative maps were drawn around the homes of incumbents. Davis lives in Bristol Township. Galloway lives in Falls. Farry lives in Langhorne.
If the districts were drawn differently, Davis, Farry and Galloway might no longer live in the districts they were elected to represent — and Middletown could have a single state representative, though it would need more than the township's population to reach the 62,967 people needed to form an ideally sized House district.
Redistricting can have an immediate impact on municipalities, Farry said.
"As redistricting happens, there's an impact on local governments and the school district," he said. "We could have an issue with, say, PennDOT and a particular street, but then it's no longer in (my) district.
{{tncms-asset alignment="right" app="editorial" id="dc277e31-09df-5099-9e9d-0f650856c2d9"}}
"I feel that I was gerrymandered with the district changes that happened in 2012," added Farry, who believes the lines were redrawn to suit other area lawmakers.
Twenty-two miles away in Montgomery County, Upper Dublin (population: 26,142) was also sliced into three districts in the last reapportionment. It's represented by Democrat Madeline Dean and two Republicans, Thomas Murt and Todd Stephens.
{{tncms-inline alignment="left" content="
House Bill 722 would create an independent redistricting commission. The lines for congressional and state legislative districts would be draw by active voters, including four Democrats, four Republicans and three Pennsylvanians who are not registered Democrat or Republican. Elected lawmakers, lobbyists, government workers and their immediate families would be barred from serving on a commission. Introduced by Steve Samuelson, D-Northampton County, House 722 has 73 co-sponsors, including state Reps. Tina Davis, D-Bristol Township, Gene DiGirolamo, R-Bensalem, and Katharine Watson, R-144, Warrington
House Bill 569 would create a five-member reapportionment commission from a pool of registered voters living in all parts of Pennsylvania. No more than two members could be from one county. Elected officials, lobbyists and "officers of a political party" would also be barred from serving on the redistricting commissions. Introduced by state Rep. Tina Davis, D-Bristol Township, the legislation has 25 co-sponsors, among them are two Republicans.
House Bill 563 would bar the state from creating too many legislative districts in each county. For example, a county with 255,591 people could have only two state senators. District boundaries would be drawn by active voters, including four Democrats, four Republicans and three persons who are not registered Democrat or Republican. Elected lawmakers, lobbyists, government workers and their immediate families would be barred from serving on the commission. Introduced by state Rep. Ed Neilson, D-Philadelphia, the legislation was 24 co-sponsors, including two Republicans. One of the co-sponsors is state Rep. Tina Davis, D-Bristol Township.
House Bill 1114 would create separate commissions to draw the lines for congressional and state legislative districts. Members of the commissioners would be appointed by the Pennsylvania Legislative Reference Bureau, a government agency. Elected officials, state Senate appointees, and political candidates would be barred from serving on the commissions, which would include a cartographer, computer scientist, demographer, mathematician, and lawyer. Introduced by Brian Sims, D-Philadelphia, the legislation has 17 co-sponsors, including one Republican.
Source: Pennsylvania House of Representatives
" id="007e8d4c-e077-4baf-8eb7-195de3d16698" style-type="fact" title="Gerrymandering Reform in Pennsylvania's State House" type="relcontent"}}
Dean lives in neighboring Abington. Murt resides next door in Upper Moreland and Stephens goes home to Horsham, which also sits next to Upper Dublin.
When the lines changed back in 2012, the districts became more compact, said Dean and Stephens. "The most recent redistricting greatly improved my legislative district by restoring two townships that had been split previously," Stephens said.
Dean said she knows some Upper Dublin residents are unhappy with their representation in the state House.
"I know that they feel unlucky," said Dean. "They feel that they should have one person looking out for their interests. But, I feel very strongly that I am representing their interests. They have three of us representing their interests."
Serving constituents
Redistricting can lead to some unexpected challenges.
With the strange shape of her district, Davis, a former real estate agent, said it took more than four years to find a local office that was convenient to all of her constituents. Her district runs through parts of Bristol Township, Hulmeville, Middletown and Penndel.
Davis's 141st District is shaped something like a squirrel perched on a windowsill. That windowsill is the 18th district -- shaped, in part, by state Rep. Gene DiGirolamo.
The only Bucks County lawmaker to represent a single town, Republican DiGirolamo said he requested that when he was consulted by party leaders in 2011.
"We have a little bit of input, but we don't get always get our say," he said, adding that it was a political risk to draw the district lines solely around Bensalem.
"There's about 5,000 more Democrats," DiGirolamo explained, "but I thought Bensalem should be its own district."
With a population estimated at 60,419 people, Bensalem is just about the right size for a legislative district, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Pennsylvania has 12.78 million people and its 203 state representatives each should, technically, represent about 62,953 people to provide equal representation across the state.
Yet, that's not how it works in Pennsylvania.
In Philadelphia, Democrat W. Curtis Thomas has the fewest people — 57,420 — in a district that includes the Temple University's Main Campus and surrounding neighborhoods, according to a 2015 U.S. Census American Community Survey.
Also in the City of Brotherly Love, Democrat Isabella Fitzgerald represents the greatest number — 72,853 people — in a district that is also home to the highest percentage of minorities, according to the census.
Weighing in
Most of the state representatives interviewed for this project said they were consulted before their district boundaries were redrawn in 2011.
In Warminster, state Rep. Katharine Watson said she was shown the maps and discovered that her district office would no longer be located within her district.
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Gerrymandering is a real problem, Watson said, but Pennsylvania has many other pressing issues, like balancing the budget, funding the pension system and providing social services. The solution to gerrymandering, she said, is smart voting by citizens who elected lawmakers who'll govern the state in a just way.
"The way that you really beat this system is in educating the voter," said Watson. "This system was devised on the idea that individuals would definitely exercise their responsibility — not just their right, but their responsibility -- to vote — and vote knowingly on these issues."
And, that's happening, to some extent, as voters educate themselves on gerrymandering.
"It doesn't take that long to explain this issue," said Tony Crocamo, a member of Fair Districts PA.
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He drove to the BuxMont Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Church from his Lancaster County home to tell those at the Fair Districts meeting that their vote has been "watered down" using maps drawn by big data.
"They know what magazines you subscribe to, and if you subscribe to Soldier of Fortune magazine, then they are making certain assumptions about you," said Crocamo. "If you subscribe to the New Yorker, they are making other assumptions." Marketing data is then mapped down to the street level and districts are created that favor incumbents of whatever party is in power, Crocamo insisted.
On the wall behind him flashed an image of Ronald Reagan in his farewell address from the White House.
"This is the practice of rigging the boundaries of congressional districts," Reagan said in 1989 about gerrymandering. "It is the greatest single blot on the integrity of our nation's electoral system, and it's high time we did something about it."
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Twenty-seven years later, some state lawmakers, along with Crocamo and Clausen and many others, believe it's beyond high time to do something about gerrymandering.
"(Political) parties are not interested in democracy. They are interested in power," said Crocamo."They're not fighting over ideas. They're fighting over where to draw the line."
Since Feb. 13, at least 36 municipalities have passed resolutions urging the state to reform its redistricting process -- including Doylestown Borough, Middletown and Solebury in Bucks County and Ambler and North Wales in Montgomery County.
Fair Districts PA's Clausen said he's hopeful things will change. "I feel more optimistic," he said, "because I am more engaged."
James McGinnis: 215-704-0451; email: jmcginnis@calkins.com; Twitter: @james_mcginnis


The much hyped malayalam movie 'Jawan Of Vellimala' directed by Anoop Kannan turns out to be a fine watch if you forget the over expectations and pre-release hype that the movie had. Though not anywhere near to a classic cinema, the Jawan scores with its socially relevant theme - the security of a dam in a village.
StoryGopikrishnan(Mammootty) is the watchman of the dam at Vellimala, a place in the high ranges of Kerala. The people of Vellimala are proud of their dam and their village. Gopikrishnan was a soldier who had to leave the army on medical grounds; he has only one good eye. Life for Gopikrishna in Vellimala is good and is made merrier in the company of Varghese, a government employee and Koshi Oommen who is in Vellimala for personal work. To add sweetness to the proceedings comes Anitha, project Officer for the Dam who is also a socially committed soul. Debutant Anoop Kannan.
it picks up the threads from the lives of these people and connects them together to create the story with the dam and the blue hills as the backdrop,is made under the banner of Mammootty's own Playhouse and Mammootty is making his debut as a producer through the movie.'Venicile Vyapari' was the last film where Mammootty and writer James Albert worked together before.
Mammootty as Gopikrishnan plays his part effortlessly, easing into the role of an ex-soldier with one eye. His humour is natural and the slang is delivered perfectly. Sreenivasan as Varghese, is more restrained but equally effective and plays an equally important part in the film using the slangs with perfect timing. Asif Ali as Koshi Oommen and Mamtha Mohandas as the Project Officer give good support with impressive performance. New face Leona makes a good debut, while the rest of the cast like Babu Raj, Sunil Sukhada, Sadiq and Kottayam Naseer have done their expected job.
One of the highlights of the movie is the stupendous camera work by Satheesh Kurup who mops up the entire beauty of the mountains and splashes it on the screen. Bijibal's music is melodious and lifts the spirits, sounding more enchanting in the fabulous background. Art by Prasanth Madhav, Edits by Manoj and Sound Design by Renganath Ravee are impressive. Anoop Kannan has announced his arrival with "Jawan of Vellimala" and he is a director to be taken seriously. More things are expected out of him in the future.
The film gathers pace most of the time but slows down at other places; however it does not affect the tempo of the movie. The script, characterization and style are nothing spectacular but on the whole, Jawan of Vellimala is Watchable if you don't dig too deep or go without much expectations . The story is simple, Mammootty's acting is striking and all things considered, the film is a sincere effort to present a fine stuff to the viewers.


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Comprehensive resolution expected from OIC summit
Mobile phone services in Islamabad will remain suspended during the extraordinary session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Ministry for Interior said Thursday.
Phone services will remain suspended for three days; December 17-19 as the OIC's Extraordinary Session of Foreign Ministers will start on Dec 17. The session will focus on ways to mobilize support for providing adequate food, medicine, and shelter to millions of people in Afghanistan who are in dire need after the fall of Kabul in mid-August. The Ministry of Interior, in a notification, said that mobile phone services will be blocked from Islamabad Airport to the Red Zone. The ministry said it had sent a letter to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in this regard. The management of the Parliament House has also been handed over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for eight days to host the extraordinary session, it was reported.
In a statement issued earlier today, Assistant Secretary-General OIC Tariq Ali Bakheet said that the extraordinary session in Islamabad on Sunday will adopt a clear strategy to deal with the "humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan". He said the OIC meeting would adopt a very important comprehensive resolution, media reported. Bakheet said the forum is very "serious and committed" to supporting the Afghan people in this critical time. He said the OIC is going to mobilize all of its financial institutions and member states to get more resources to support Afghanistan.
Pakistan is the founding member of the OIC, the OIC Assistant secretary-general said, adding that the country played a very important role for the solidarity of the Muslim Ummah, and its offer to host this meeting was a clear testimony to its commitment to Islamic solidarity.
"Pakistan is also committed to regional security and international security," he added.
Inflation and unemployment have surged in Afghanistan, and international aid that made up 75% of the previous US-backed government's budget has completely dried up. The Taliban seized power on August 15 after ousting the previous US-backed government, as Washington hurriedly withdrew its troops from the country after a 20-year war. The Taliban's previous regime was toppled in a US-led invasion after the 9/11 attacks in the United States that were carried out by Al-Qaeda.
Seveen Muneer Bawney appointed head of Indus Valley School's Textile Design Department
IWMB urges citizens to report complaints against wildlife poaching in Capital
14 dead, 828 injured in 810 road accidents in Punjab
Allama Iqbal airport opens for flights landing
FBR officers are TUNELESS as a result of Aima Baig's sleight of hand


text:
@citizenschannel
Connecting Americans …
Archive: Articles
News Ambassadors Test
Digital Citizen 04/18/2021 One Comment
News Ambassadors is a reporting project designed to help American communities that hold vastly different political views to better understand each other, while giving young reporters a valuable learning experience in the creation of credible reporting. As part of an early stage experiment this spring, we asked student reporters at seven journalism programs across five states to explore local perspectives on a contentious issue: COVID mask mandates and vaccine rollouts. This audio sample showcases some of the regional differences they found:
In the upcoming pilot phase, we will expand the experiment to share recordings like this with community members themselves, who will help shape the path of inquiry that the reporters follow.
MORE AUDIO CLIPS:
Interviews were conducted by student reporters in Berkeley, CA; Marion County, FL; Randolph County, MO; Brooklyn and Harlem in New York; Macon, GA; and Orange County, CA. We found a wide range of opinions about vaccine efficacy, availability and acceptance:
The three edited montages below show the differences between locations. The first location, Moberly, MO, does not have a mask mandate:
By contrast, those we spoke to in New York's Brooklyn and Harlem were in agreement that mask mandates work and vaccines are a good thing, but they had critiques of how the vaccines were being rolled out.
The third edited clips are from the wealthy suburb of Orange County in Southern CA. Their residents were decidedly mixed on whether they wanted to be vaccinated, as represented here:
ABOUT NEWS AMBASSADORS:
The News Ambassadors project originates in prestigious journalism schools and organizations in a range of locations. Teams of student reporters will engage with community members to surface their own locality's views on contentious issues. And they will work collaboratively with other students from different backgrounds, to answer each community's questions about the 'other.' The products of their reporting will be broadcast locally and possibly nationally, and be widely disseminated online.
The divisive partisanship that threatens democracy today makes it urgent for communities to bridge differences and forge dialogue based on shared understanding of established facts. Journalists have a critical role to play. News Ambassadors will empower a new generation of journalists to tackle this challenge through news literacy, on-the-ground reporting, and a process designed to facilitate collaboration across divides. News Ambassadors will surface the kind of insights which can only be found by exploring the perspectives of those whose views are different than our own. We will prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion in the selection of partners and in decision-making. The viewpoints of the local communities where the young reporters are located will be a key element in informing the topics of the reports.
Each semester, the reporting teams in both locations will each assemble two reports. The first will be created in consultation with local groups and will describe their community, including some key issues they are facing. Working collaboratively, the second report will answer questions posed by the team in the other locality, about one controversial local issue. In the course of the semester, under the supervision of professional editors, students will gain hands-on reporting experience and build empathetic listening and self-reflection skills, as they challenge themselves and their counterparts to dig beyond stereotypes. The idea is to give young journalists tools to help them address the divisive rancor that challenges us all, and give communities a form of journalism that unites them in understanding.
A number of teaching and reporting institutions have expressed interest in participating, including Mercer University's Center for Collaborative Journalism in Macon, GA; Morehouse College Journalism and Sports Program in Atlanta, GA; USC's Annenberg Media Center in Los Angeles, CA; YR Media (formerly Youth Radio) in Oakland, CA; University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications in Gainesville, FL; University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia, MO; the Audio Department at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism in New York, NY; CUNY Newmark Graduate School of Journalism in New York, NY; and the Audio Journalism Program at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism in Berkeley, CA.
News Ambassadors is part of InterAct's Digital Citizen Project, which has been connecting Americans to their leaders, each other and the world since 1998. The project director is Shia Levitt, a longtime public radio journalist who has reported for NPR, KQED, Marketplace and other outlets and has taught radio to young people with WNYC's Radio Rookies, UNICEF, and at the college level.
news, radio
About News Ambassadors – DIGITAL CITIZEN	 07/21/2021 at 8:11 am
[…] broadcast locally and possibly nationally, and be widely disseminated online. We recently produced this series of short audio pieces with our student reporters, exploring the regional differences on issues surrounding the COVID […]
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David Duchovny, X-Files return to Vancouver as shooting for 11th season begins
Harrison Mooney
Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny in a still from the six-episode event series for the X-Files. The shows that aired last year were enough of a hit that an 11th season was ordered.
David Duchovny famously broke up with Vancouver at the end of the X-Files' fifth season, pushing for a move to Los Angeles. (Coincidentally, he later played a character on "Californication" who disliked Los Angeles just as much.)
But now he and Vancouver are back together, as the show that made him a household name gears up to film its 11th season in the city where it all began.
More like the ex-files.
"Guess where I am?" Duchovny tweeted on Thursday, alongside a picture of Vancouver's skyline, blanketed in smoke from the wildfires in the B.C. Interior.
Guess where I am? Yup. pic.twitter.com/yhNlNGTxu3
— David Duchovny (@davidduchovny) August 3, 2017
Duchovny was last in Vancouver as Fox Mulder during the summer of 2015, when the cast of the X-Files reunited for a six-episode event series that began airing in the fall of 2016. The show was a hit upon its return, leading to yet another season being ordered. Filming is set to begin next week.
Shooting on Season 11 of the X-Files begins Aug. 8, and while one can only hope the smoke is gone by then, the X-Files likely won't suffer if it isn't. Part of Vancouver's draw is the rain and fog that lends an eerie atmosphere to the creepy show — a layer of haze would only add to that.
From the looks of it, Season 11's first shooting location will be on Vancouver's west side, where a filming notice for 3rd Floor Productions was posted at the corner of West 8th and Pine. 3rd Floor Productions shares the office address listed elsewhere for X-Files TV Productions, suggesting the two are one and the same. So if you see Fox Mulder or Dana Scully sprinting past Grace Vancouver Church, that's probably why.
Not sure if anyone's sent this in yet but spotted this on the corner of W 8th and Pine @WhatsFilming pic.twitter.com/lZCipKbDDW
— Mel 🌈 (@melchirii) August 3, 2017
According to the notice, the production will be filming Tuesday, Aug. 8, from 6 a.m. to noon at the 1700-block of West 7th and 8th avenues.
Duchovny won't just be acting while he's in Vancouver, however. He's scheduled to play a concert at The Imperial Theatre on October 14. Tickets are still available.
— With files from Patrick Johnston
hmooney@postmedia.com
Follow @harrisonmooney
Is there more to this story? We'd like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com.
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Vertical Wall Restraints are the most common engineered repair for bowing or leaning walls. A steel beam or tube is installed vertically on the wall connected to the floor joists above and the concrete slab below. These connections, if done properly, transfer the lateral load of the wall to the webbing of the sub-floor above and the concrete floor at the bottom.
Carbon fiber straps combine the technologies of high strength carbon and Kevlar in a woven mesh to provide tensile reinforcement to existing walls (essentially improving the strength of a wall as if it had more steel in it).
Commonly referred to as a "dead man" anchor, this system uses bearing plates or a concrete trench to resist wall movement. An anchor plate is secured to the inside face of the wall. A rod is driven out into the soil to a specified distance and connected to a plate or concrete, which in turn pulls on the wall to help hold it up.
Similar to a Helical Pier, this system is installed to a specific torque and depth to achieve a pre-designed capacity. Minimal to no excavation required outside of the wall to be repaired. We commonly use these on commercial sites due to the larger walls and or loads, but seldom find them cost effective on residential projects.
This process requires excavation of the earth pushing on the wall. The home is then lifted slightly to allow us to restore the wall to an acceptable position. After the restoration, the home is then gently set back on the wall. Permanent restraints to strengthen the wall are left in place to ensure the problem never occurs again. The outside area is also treated to reduce the hydraulic pressure it can apply to the wall. To achieve this, gravel is filled into 30% of the backfill height before existing soil is replaced and finally code required waterproofing is applied.


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Fantasia Gives Birth To Son
'I feel so blessed that my son Dallas Xavier was born healthy,' says singer, who gave birth Tuesday in North Carolina.
Jocelyn Vena 12/14/2011
Fantasia Barrino gave birth to a boy, Dallas Xavier Barrino, Tuesday in North Carolina.
In a statement to People, the season-three "American Idol" winner said, "I feel so blessed that my son, Dallas Xavier, was born healthy, and is a wonderful new addition to our family. I thank all my fans for their well wishes and continued support."
In an interview with Wendy Williams back in October, the singer revealed that she was expecting a son by the end of December. Fantasia, 27, has remained quiet about who the father of Dallas is, but she has been linked to on-again, off-again boyfriend Antwaun Cook since 2010. This is the second child for the singer, who has a 10-year-old daughter, Zion, from a previous relationship.
In August, Fantasia announced she was pregnant during a show in Florida. "You are the first persons that I share this news with. And I share this with you because I can relate to you," she told the Jacksonville crowd. "And for a while I walked around figuring out what will they say and what will they think about me. But now I tell you, I don't live my life for folk. This child that I carry, God has given me this child. And I don't have to hide it from none of y'all."
Life for Barrino has been on the mend since the summer of 2010, when she made headlines for suffering a drug overdose after ingesting a combination of aspirin and a sleep aid. Rumors abounded that the singer's alleged relationship with Cook, who was married at the time, was a factor in her suicide attempt. She quickly recovered, however, to promote her album Bittersweet.
In her 2010 "Behind the Music" special, Barrino addressed her ups and downs, concluding, "I know that I am beautiful and special. I am who I am — and that's what makes me Fantasia."
Share your well-wishes for Fantasia in the comments below!


UNITED NATIONS, February 29, updated March 1 -- Problems have emerged in the UN Security Council with the draft press statement, which Inner City Press obtained and put online at 1:40 pm calling for Syria to grant the coordinator [Valerie Amos] immediate and unhindered access."
As the Security Council met about Sudan, one Council member told Inner City Press that visas are a matter of sovereignty." This member, it seems, would agree to a statement wanting Amos to get in, but not a demand.
Another member scoffed to Inner City Press that no one should be talking about visas amid the type of crackdown going on in Homs. Another opined to Inner City Press that Syria is trying to gain time for the crackdown, not wanting Amos in the country while it is going on.
Update of 5 pm -- two representatives who had concerns about the draft below just told Inner City Press that a press statement could be agreed, with "calls" or "requests" instead of "demands;" another says "in a timely manner."
The members of the Security Council express their deep disappointment at the Syrian Government's failure to authorize the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator's visit to Syria, despite repeated requests and intense diplomatic contacts aimed at securing Syrian approval. The members of the Security Council demand that the Syrian authorities grant the coordinator immediate and unhindered access.
The members of the Security Council deplore the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation, in particular the growing number of affected civilians, the lack of safe access to adequate medical services, and food shortages, particularly in areas affected by fighting such as Homs, Hama, Deraa, Idlib.
The members of the Security Council demand that the Syrian authorities immediately allow immediate, full and unimpeded humanitarian access for all populations in need of assistance, and call upon the Syrian government to cooperate fully with the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations to facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance and allow evacuation of the wounded from affected areas.
As Council consultations broke up back at 1:40 pm, one of the Western diplomats working on the draft asked Inner City Press, "Where did you get it? Don't --"
The diplomat seemed to be urging that the draft not be published, but did not explain why. Could the above be why? Specifically, that it makes it harder to make compromises, and doesn't have the shaming impact some thought that it might.
We still work on the premise that those on the moral highground benefit from transparency. Watch this site.
Update of March 1: after China "broke silence," changes were made. The statement was agreed and read out at 1:25 pm on Thursday. Inner City Press asked the new President of the Council for March, the UK's Mark Lyall Grant, about two changes: from demands to call, and to "all parties in particularly the Syrian authorities" -- does the latter mean the Council sees a need to call on the Free Syrian Army to cooperate?
Lyall Grant replied that the statement stands on its own account, and its power is that all 15 members supported it. He and the other four Permanent members of the Council met with Kofi Annan on Thursday morning but he would not summarize the "private" meeting. Others in the Elected 10 members of the Council have to wait until tomorrow. Watch this site.
Update of March 1, 2:59 pm -- China has confirmed to Inner City Press that it broke silence because it thinks all parties should be called to cooperate, citing "the case of the journalist."
Inner City Press: Specifically on the statement, and I understand compromises are made, but there seems to be that 'demand' was changed to 'calls for' and the 'focus on the Syrian government' was changed to 'all parties in Syria, particularly the Syrian authorities'. Is that simply a compromise reached with one or more members, or does it reflect some thinking in the Council, that even the Free Syrian Army or others, may need to be called on to cooperate with the UN?
Amb. Lyall Grant: The statement stands on its own account. It's a unanimously agreed statement as Press Statements always are and the power of the statement is that it has all 15 members of the Security Council supporting it.


On Saturday, May 4 from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m., we will be celebrating our accomplishments! Together, we have made possible a beautifully renovated, welcoming space that is sure to be the price of Chelmsford. Each in their own special way, all of us have contributed to this amazing success, and it's our time to shine! Celebrate, toot your own horn, express gratitude, have a great time: For all of these reasons, we cordially invite you to be an integral part of our First Parish open house!
And being good stewards of our congregation, our heritage, our Unitarian Universalist Principles, and our earth.


First Line: See us gathered here, three women stood at Richard Baldwin's gate.
Daughters of the Witching Hill is the true story of the 1612 Pendle Forest, Lancashire, England witch trials that resulted in nine executions. The story opens in the voice of Bess Southern, a poor widow and wise woman who is gifted with visions and the ability to heal. Because she is careful to use her gifts only for good, she earns a strong reputation and the respect of the tiny community she serves. She blesses people and animals, praying over them. Through her spiritual guide, Tibbs, Bess can often predict the future, too. In exchange, she receives food and clothing and other items and is able to support her impoverished family.
As the years pass, Bess passes her knowledge and skills on to her granddaughter Alizon and best friend, Anne. As Anne grows desperate to resolve a problem plaguing her family, she uses the skills she learned from Bess for evil, and a life long rivaly ensues between their two families. But it is not until Alizon unwittingly misuses her powers, that terror and suspicion from the villagers draw the women deep into trouble. Accused of witchcraft, numerous people are arrested by a local magistrate to face biased and ambiguous trials.
Mary Sharatt draws the reader deep into the story through brilliant dialogue, vivid descriptions, and ever-increasing conflict. Because she lived in Lancashire for seven years, she is able to bring authenticity and believability to this tale. Her storytelling pushes the reader into experiencing the hopelessness of poverty and the direness of circumstances the women face.
From forests, to churches, to villages, and dungeons and towers, Mary Sharratt takes us on a unique journey into a time and place familiar to us, but with a unique perspective into the beliefs and myths of the time.
There is passion, pain, love, and redemption in this marvelous story of courage and faith. The story will haunt the reader long after the last page is read. And that's the test of a really, really good book. A pleasure to read.
This sounds like a good read, thanks!