Editor's note: TU President and CEO Chris Wood was invited to testify before Congress on innovative approaches and economic development opportunities of abandoned mine land reclamation. TU hopes to work with Congress to advance legislation to support this type of restoration work, both on coal and hardrock mines across the country. To learn more, visit standup.tu.org/mining.
When Rachel Kester went off to college, her father told her, "Find something to do that you love, and you'll never work a day in your life." Rachel later had an internship where she helped to assess water quality of a creek in the upper West Branch of the Susquehanna watershed called Potts Run — just west of State College, Penn. Cut to a decade later, and Rachel is not only doing work she loves at Trout Unlimited, she lives near Potts Run, and is working to clean up its abandoned mine drainage problems.
Potts Run is one of the more than 5,600 miles of stream in Pennsylvania polluted by abandoned mine drainage. On Thursday, I will testify before the House of Representatives in support of the Community Reclaimers Act (HR 315)—a bill to speed up the ability of groups such as Trout Unlimited to clean up abandoned coal mines.
Abandoned coal mines dot the Appalachian landscape like ticking time bombs. Pollution from abandoned coal mines affects over 10,000 miles just within Pennsylvania and West Virginia. We have made great strides in cleaning up abandoned mines thanks to a tax on the production of coal, funds from which are placed into the federal Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Fund. The AML Fund has contributed $11 billion toward health, safety and restoration of abandoned coal mines.
Funding is one limiting factor. The other is liability. Consider: TU might spend $X to improve water quality by 80 percent and restore the fishery on a stream damaged by past mining practices. But to get the stream to meet Clean Water Act standards, we might need to spend $10X more. Existing law leaves us open to the government, or others through a citizen-lawsuit, coming after us to get to 100 percent.
Cleaning up abandoned coal mines is not always overly complicated, either. Often it involves rerouting the stream or drainage from an old mine through a series of settling ponds and wetlands that have limestone and compost, allowing toxic metals to fall out of the water. The now-clean water can re-enter the stream. Consider the case of Twomile Run in Pennsylvania's Kettle Creek watershed. Abandoned mine drainage from coal mining a century ago rendered the stream lifeless. TU's Amy Wolfe and her team in Pennsylvania used a similar "passive treatment" technology to help restore three miles of Twomile Run and then reconnect it to three miles of healthy upstream habitat for native brook trout.
Thanks to Rachel, Amy, other TU staffers and our army of volunteers, Owen will soon be able to catch native brookies in his home water, Potts Run. Passage of the Community Reclaimers Act will help ensure that we can expand that work and help to turn the upper West Branch of the Susquehanna into a world-class trout fishery.


text:
Grammatophyllum est un genre végétal de la famille des Orchidaceae, de la sous-famille des Epidendroideae, de la tribu des Cymbidieae et de la sous-tribu des Cymbidiinae comptant une dizaine d'espèces d'orchidées épiphytes d'Asie du Sud-Est.

Liste d'espèces

 Grammatophyllum elegans (Fiji).
 Grammatophyllum fenzlianum (Moluques).
 Grammatophyllum kinabaluense (N. Borneo).
 Grammatophyllum martae (Philippines)
 Grammatophyllum measuresianum (Philippines).
 Grammatophyllum multiflorum (Philippines).
 Grammatophyllum rumphianum (Borneo, Moluques).
 Grammatophyllum schmidtianum (Marianes).
 Grammatophyllum scriptum : Bell Orchid (Malaisie jusqu'aux îles du Pacifique).
 Grammatophyllum speciosum : Indochine jusqu'aux îles du Pacifique).
 Grammatophyllum stapeliiflorum (Malaisie jusqu'en Papouaisie).

Galerie

Références

Liens externes

Cymbidiinae
Genre d'Orchidaceae (nom scientifique)
Orchidée d'Asie

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Shop the newest Iroquois Nationals gear
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The Iroquois Nationals Academy will promote Indigenous sovereignty locally, nationally and globally through integrative, community-led programs, designed to revitalize Haudenosaunee culture, language, and identity— core drivers of racial healing.
All programs are structured to sustain Indigenous livelihood through revitalization of Indigenous knowledges, providing educational support, and stimulating long-term economic growth opportunities. All program participants will engage with community Elders and Knowledge Holders, which will contribute to an intergenerational knowledge exchange and affirm Indigenous identity, influencing key leverage points for transformative change for Indigenous youth. The Academy will provide economic infrastructure and opportunity for families and individuals of all ages, leading to long-term systemic change, for generations to come.
The Peer Mentorship Program will support Haudenosaunee youth grades 6-12 by providing cultural enrichment and youth peer support, in their academic and personal lives.
The Gap-Year Program will provide community-led, land-based education for post-high school graduates in preparation for post-secondary and trade school education.
Nation-to-Nation Dialogue Program
The Nation-to-Nation Dialogue Program will operate as a forum for local, regional, national and international diplomacy efforts to advance transformative conversations on issues such as systemic racism, erasure and Indigenous sovereignty.
The Internship Program will economically support young adults to return home and "give back" to their Indigenous Nations by providing stable job opportunities in order to staff academy programs.
Iroquois Nationals Development Group is a Non-Stock Non-Profit with a 501(c)(3) status approved by the Internal Revenue Service. Donations are fully tax-deductible to the extent there is an excess of the contribution over the fair market value of any items received in exchange for the donation.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I would like to see St Maries celebrating mass on a sunday also mass for the children in the week and to open it up to the public.
Thank you for visiting our blog and for sharing your memories of St Marie's.
We are hoping to re-open St Marie's so that once again, you'll be able to sit inside the Church, take a moments reflection and enjoy the altar, Stations of the Cross, stained glass windows etc which will have been restored to reflect how the Church looked in it's heyday.
I'm afraid that there won't be any religious activities (such as mass) taking place within St Marie's, but I hope you'll visit the Church to enjoy the displays about the history of the Church and the important role it played in the community and that this will enable you to take an enjoyable walk down memory lane.
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to give me a call on (01928) 593 118.
in 1968 or near about,, you know what fathers and dates are like ??
E W Pugin, the son of Augustus Pugin designed St Marie's. A beautiful Church that served Moss Bank, Lugsdale, Marrabone and Newtown and all the houses up to Lowerhouse Lane and much of the old Town Centre.
My dad Joe McCann taught at St Marie's. We call went to school there, confession, first communion etc and I sang the benediction hymns with Val Casey and Irene Woodward on Sundays. Hope it's soon back looking as lovely as it did all those years ago. I loved the May processions.
St Maries Church was just beautiful. It was such a sad day when it closed. So many happy memories. Looking forward to seeing inside again.
Been following the redevelopment of St Maries via this site for a while now, just been looking at the final pictures. I too attended St Maries from nursery school (used to be at the back of the church if I remember right) through infants then juniors (seperate girls and boys back then),mass every Sunday, 1st confession,1st communion… I hadn't been inside the church for a long time before it closed and I'd forgotten how beautiful it is. I,m so pleased you've managed to keep and restore so many of the original features, the stations of the cross and statues ect. Congratulations to everyone involved, you've done a great job and a lovely old building is getting a new lease of life instead of falling into ruin. So good luck in your new base and I hope to be able to pop in soon and see it all for myself.
I was baptised and married in St Marie's. Have wonderful memories of my time at the infants school before going to Notre Dame in St Helens. A couple of years ago, when on holiday from Australia, I was fortunate enough to attend a talk on Industrial Widnes and whilst there caught up with several "girls" who attended St Marie's primary with me. I've kept in touch with them since. Even though I'm now living a great distance away and it was a long time ago it just seems like yesterday. St Marie's will always dwell in a little corner of my heart. Ellice Viggers (was Tobin).
We discovered we are cousins!


Do you have some time to devote to helping out a senior? How would you like to say "Hello" to homebound seniors and bring a smile to their faces along with a hot home delivered meal? For some, this is the only contact they have with other people, and, for the volunteer, a feeling of great accomplishment that you are contributing to a worthwhile cause.
Volunteers are needed to help package and serve seniors at one of the congregate sites located in the 34 communities of western Wayne County or in the Downriver.
Volunteers also help deliver to the homebound seniors in these areas. Volunteers deliver meals one day a week, and are reimbursed each month for their route mileage.
The liquid nutrition program needs volunteers to distribute liquid supplements at one of the 13 distribution sites once a month.
For further information please call 734-326-5202, or 800-851-1454, if you would like to volunteer for this program.


How will I charge my devices? England's electrical current is 230 volts, AC 50Hz.
Geography: Here, you'll find mostly rolling hills on the mainland, a craggy coastline with natural harbors and quite a few small islands in the nearby waters. Continental Europe lies just 21 miles away with the sea in between.
How's the weather? Always pack an umbrella, no matter what time of year you visit as rain is an all too common occurrence. Weather here doesn't tend to go to extremes here, with cooler (but not frigid) winters and temperate summers which offer an extra benefit of extra long hours of daylight between June and August.


text:
package logstash

// logstash.go defines the logtash plugin (using lumberjack protocol) as being
// registered with all output plugins

import (
	"time"

	"github.com/elastic/go-lumber/log"

	"github.com/taitan-org/inflog/filebeat/libbeat/common"
	"github.com/taitan-org/inflog/filebeat/libbeat/common/op"
	"github.com/taitan-org/inflog/filebeat/libbeat/logp"
	"github.com/taitan-org/inflog/filebeat/libbeat/monitoring"
	"github.com/taitan-org/inflog/filebeat/libbeat/outputs"
	"github.com/taitan-org/inflog/filebeat/libbeat/outputs/mode"
	"github.com/taitan-org/inflog/filebeat/libbeat/outputs/mode/modeutil"
	"github.com/taitan-org/inflog/filebeat/libbeat/outputs/transport"
)

var debug = logp.MakeDebug("logstash")

// Metrics that can retrieved through the expvar web interface.
var (
	ackedEvents            = monitoring.NewInt(outputs.Metrics, "logstash.events.acked")
	eventsNotAcked         = monitoring.NewInt(outputs.Metrics, "logstash.events.not_acked")
	publishEventsCallCount = monitoring.NewInt(outputs.Metrics, "logstash.publishEvents.call.count")

	statReadBytes   = monitoring.NewInt(outputs.Metrics, "logstash.read.bytes")
	statWriteBytes  = monitoring.NewInt(outputs.Metrics, "logstash.write.bytes")
	statReadErrors  = monitoring.NewInt(outputs.Metrics, "logstash.read.errors")
	statWriteErrors = monitoring.NewInt(outputs.Metrics, "logstash.write.errors")
)

const (
	defaultWaitRetry = 1 * time.Second

	// NOTE: maxWaitRetry has no effect on mode, as logstash client currently does
	// not return ErrTempBulkFailure
	defaultMaxWaitRetry = 60 * time.Second
)

func init() {
	log.Logger = logstashLogger{}

	outputs.RegisterOutputPlugin("logstash", new)
}

func new(beat common.BeatInfo, cfg *common.Config) (outputs.Outputer, error) {

	if !cfg.HasField("index") {
		cfg.SetString("index", -1, beat.Beat)
	}

	output := &logstash{}
	if err := output.init(cfg); err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}
	return output, nil
}

type logstash struct {
	mode  mode.ConnectionMode
	index string
}

func (lj *logstash) init(cfg *common.Config) error {
	config := defaultConfig
	if err := cfg.Unpack(&config); err != nil {
		return err
	}

	tls, err := outputs.LoadTLSConfig(config.TLS)
	if err != nil {
		return err
	}

	transp := &transport.Config{
		Timeout: config.Timeout,
		Proxy:   &config.Proxy,
		TLS:     tls,
		Stats: &transport.IOStats{
			Read:               statReadBytes,
			Write:              statWriteBytes,
			ReadErrors:         statReadErrors,
			WriteErrors:        statWriteErrors,
			OutputsWrite:       outputs.WriteBytes,
			OutputsWriteErrors: outputs.WriteErrors,
		},
	}

	logp.Info("Max Retries set to: %v", config.MaxRetries)
	m, err := initConnectionMode(cfg, &config, transp)
	if err != nil {
		return err
	}

	lj.mode = m
	lj.index = config.Index

	return nil
}

func initConnectionMode(
	cfg *common.Config,
	config *logstashConfig,
	transp *transport.Config,
) (mode.ConnectionMode, error) {
	sendRetries := config.MaxRetries
	maxAttempts := sendRetries + 1
	if sendRetries < 0 {
		maxAttempts = 0
	}

	settings := modeutil.Settings{
		Failover:     !config.LoadBalance,
		MaxAttempts:  maxAttempts,
		Timeout:      config.Timeout,
		WaitRetry:    defaultWaitRetry,
		MaxWaitRetry: defaultMaxWaitRetry,
	}

	if config.Pipelining == 0 {
		clients, err := modeutil.MakeClients(cfg, makeClientFactory(config, transp))
		if err != nil {
			return nil, err
		}
		return modeutil.NewConnectionMode(clients, settings)
	}

	clients, err := modeutil.MakeAsyncClients(cfg, makeAsyncClientFactory(config, transp))
	if err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}
	return modeutil.NewAsyncConnectionMode(clients, settings)
}

func makeClientFactory(
	cfg *logstashConfig,
	tcfg *transport.Config,
) modeutil.ClientFactory {
	compressLvl := cfg.CompressionLevel
	maxBulkSz := cfg.BulkMaxSize
	to := cfg.Timeout
	ttl := cfg.TTL

	return func(host string) (mode.ProtocolClient, error) {
		t, err := transport.NewClient(tcfg, "tcp", host, cfg.Port)
		if err != nil {
			return nil, err
		}
		return newLumberjackClient(t, compressLvl, maxBulkSz, to, ttl, cfg.Index)
	}
}

func makeAsyncClientFactory(
	cfg *logstashConfig,
	tcfg *transport.Config,
) modeutil.AsyncClientFactory {
	compressLvl := cfg.CompressionLevel
	maxBulkSz := cfg.BulkMaxSize
	queueSize := cfg.Pipelining - 1
	to := cfg.Timeout

	if cfg.TTL != 0 {
		logp.Warn(`The async Logstash client does not support the "ttl" option`)
	}

	return func(host string) (mode.AsyncProtocolClient, error) {
		t, err := transport.NewClient(tcfg, "tcp", host, cfg.Port)
		if err != nil {
			return nil, err
		}
		return newAsyncLumberjackClient(t, queueSize, compressLvl, maxBulkSz, to, cfg.Index)
	}
}

func (lj *logstash) Close() error {
	return lj.mode.Close()
}

// TODO: update Outputer interface to support multiple events for batch-like
//       processing (e.g. for filebeat). Batch like processing might reduce
//       send/receive overhead per event for other implementors too.
func (lj *logstash) PublishEvent(
	signaler op.Signaler,
	opts outputs.Options,
	data outputs.Data,
) error {
	return lj.mode.PublishEvent(signaler, opts, data)
}

// BulkPublish implements the BulkOutputer interface pushing a bulk of events
// via lumberjack.
func (lj *logstash) BulkPublish(
	trans op.Signaler,
	opts outputs.Options,
	data []outputs.Data,
) error {
	return lj.mode.PublishEvents(trans, opts, data)
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Mohawk tobacco firm battling provinces goes 'all in'
Robbie Dickson holds a cigarette and points to a gap between the paper and the white filter.
(photo on main page: Bradley Thomas, 20, works the cigaratte packing machine while Rainbow Tobacco president Robbie Dickson looks on. APTN/Photo)
By Jorge Barrera
This one is no good, he says, the tobacco smoke escapes before it reaches the mouth, lungs. The full nicotine hit, diminished.
"The filter paper didn't seal properly, so it won't give you a very good smoke," said Dickson, president of Rainbow Tobacco. "The air will be leaking out of the filter and not going to the smoker."
Dickson, 37, fished the cigarette from a bin of discarded Deerfield smokes, the brand his company produces with the slogan, "Taste without compromise."
Rainbow is currently the only federally licensed cigarette manufacturer in Kahnawake, a Mohawk community near Montreal that has thrived off the tobacco trade.
The company is in the midst of a potentially precedent setting legal battle with three Western provinces and the outcome could not only have a major impact on inter-provincial trade between First Nations reserves, but change the face of the tobacco industry in Canada.
It could also break Rainbow.
"This could be the Alamo for Rainbow Tobacco," said Dickson.
Deerfield's slogan blares from a sign atop the Smoke King Tobacco Emporium, run by Dickson's relative.
The smoke shop sits next to a mixed-martial arts store owned by a woman who did her master's thesis on the history of the Indian agent and Kahnawake. Minding the till inside the MMA store today is professional fighter Stephane Vigneault. Behind him, around a corner, is the door that leads to the factory floor of Rainbow Tobacco.
Beneath high ceilings crossed by pipes and ventilation shafts, a machine, called the maker, pumps out a steady rhythm of cigarettes. Two women gather the cigarettes by hand and place them into plastic trays.
Once full, the trays are loaded onto a trolley.
The air is laced with the sweet scent of tobacco rising from several open bins.
About half a dozen workers are minding the machines. They make between $15 to $25 an hour depending on their experience and assigned task.
Cynthia Jacobs dips her hands into the flow of cigarettes and expertly groups the sticks into a bundle to place into the trays. She's been working here for a little over a year.
"It pays the bills," says Jacobs, who is from Kahnawake.
Nearby John Rambo, 47, is feeding the maker with fine cut tobacco.
"It's very enjoyable here," said Rambo, who lives in neighbouring Chateauguay, Que., and has worked four years for Rainbow.
Nearby, the machine called a packer is inserting cigarettes into packages, which are then mechanically wrapped.
Bradley Thomas, 20, is working at the machine. He says the tobacco trade is part of Mohawk culture.
"We've been doing it for thousands of years, before Europeans ever came," said Thomas.
An American flag hangs from the rafters. A Brazilian flag hangs against a back wall, a reminder of the Brazilians who installed Rainbow's first machines in 2004.
The current machines, from the 1970s, can pump out a million cigarettes a day.
Dickson said a Mohawk Warrior flag also hung above the workers, but it was given to Montana First Nation in Alberta as a gift.
Montana, which sits about 90 km south of Edmonton, was the first step in an ambitious plan by Rainbow Tobacco to expand its current on-reserve market in Ontario and conquer the on-reserve cigarette market in the West.
On Jan. 5, Rainbow's plans were stubbed out by the Alberta government. Agents from the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission, along with the RCMP, raided a Quonset on the reserve and seized 14 million cigarettes.
Alberta said the cigarettes were not licensed for sale in the province and were illegal.
The RCMP were initially called in by Chief Carolyn Buffalo a few days earlier to investigated a break-in at the site after several cartons of cigarettes were stolen. The federal police then tipped-off provincial authorities.
The seizure stunned Dickson who said he has faced no interference from Ontario. Dickson said he also informed an official with the Canada Revenue Agency about the plans to ship west.
"I had informed my federal agent of the prospects out west a few months before shipping out there," he said. "According to them it was within our licensing authority to deal federal territory to federal territory so I didn't expect any backlash whatsoever."
He believes it is not only illegal, but unconstitutional for provinces to interfere in trade between First Nations, which are exclusively federal jurisdiction, when the product is federally licensed.
Dickson, however, kept pushing.
In late January, he made two separate 50 carton shipments-"gifts"-to British Columbia, one to Squamish First Nation and the other to an individual. Both were seized at a courier depot by provincial authorities, with the help of the RCMP, because they weren't licensed for sale in the province.
Then, Saskatchewan authorities, with the help of the RCMP, intercepted a 100 carton shipment destined for a staff member with the Federation Saskatchewan Indian Nations. The cigarettes were meant as "gifts" and "samples" for provincial reserves in the province.
Dickson now finds himself waging a legal battle on three fronts.
In Alberta, his company and Montana First Nations recently filed a $1.499 million lawsuit against the provincial government over the seizure. The lawsuit also alleges the province defamed Rainbow by labelling the cigarettes contraband.
"The tobacco was seized without jurisdiction and upon false assertion…that the cigarettes were counterfeit and contraband…despite the cigarettes being marked Canada Duty Paid."
The case could go all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Dickson also finds himself in an unexpected and political role, championing sovereignty through the cigarette.
This is all new territory for Dickson, a former high school basketball power forward who studied engineering in two universities and worked for the band council before joining Rainbow Tobacco in 2004, the same year it was founded.
While he said the Oka crisis in 1990, which engulfed his community, opened his eyes to "how hard First Nations people had it in Canada" and to the country's "racism," he never saw himself as overly political.
His father is an electrician and his mother worked in the kitchen at the Kahnawake golf course. Dickson said he was sent to Montreal during the heat of the Oka crisis along with other students so they wouldn't miss the start of the school year in September.
"I don't consider myself a revolutionary of any sort," he said. "Basically I am a businessman, but now it has become more than just a business fight. It has become more of a fight for Native rights and our sovereignty."
He recently received an endorsement from a group of Alberta chiefs and the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations.
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo has backed the right of bands to trade amongst themselves without provincial interference.
Dickson's company has also pledged to help First Nations draft their own tobacco laws, to trump those of the provinces.
Chiefs from impoverished First Nations in Alberta and Saskatchewan see cigarettes as a short-cut to prosperity. They want to replicate the wealth on display in the communities like Kahnawake.
"There's so much poverty in my community…we have so much despair and hopelessness and part of what I wanted to do was turn that around," said Montana Cree Nation Chief Carolyn Buffalo, who is now fighting for her political life as a result of the raid.
The battle is also taking its toll on Rainbow Tobacco.
The seizure cut into his company's finances. Dickson bet heavily on selling Rainbow cigarettes on reserves in Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
He was forced to lay off his 15 permanent employees, who now work on call. New machines worth over half a million dollars are still in their wooden crates.
"We are running less than half capacity," said Dickson. "It is putting a severe financial strain not only on Rainbow, but on all our employees and families as well."
Dickson said he allowed APTN National News into his factory in an act of "desperation."
He says Rainbow has nothing to hide. It pays hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal taxes every year to run a business selling the rolled version of a plant that has been a part of Mohawk culture long before Europeans arrived.
He says the provinces are using legislation that should have no force on First Nations territory. The provinces never consulted with First Nations on their tobacco laws even though they directly impact Aboriginal rights, he says.
Dickson's decision to open his factory's doors offered a rare glimpse into a world usually kept in shadows.
The tobacco industry in general carries the stigma of making profit off a highly addictive product that can lead to excruciating death by cancer of the throat, lungs, mouth. Yet, governments at the provincial and federal level reap healthy taxes off its sales.
The First Nations cigarette trade carries added baggage since many of the players, because they refuse to pay taxes to any government as a matter of principle, operate in the black market, moving their product clandestinely while dedicated units in the RCMP and provincial police forces try to disrupt their trade with the tactics of counter-narcotics agents.
Mohawk communities are at the centre of this world.
Akwesasne, which straddles the Canada-US border, is the source of the largest amount of black-market tobacco in Canada, according to the RCMP.
Most of the cigarettes are produced on the U.S. and spirited over the border, the smuggling routes carved out during the 1990s when RJR-Macdonald, Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc., and Imperial Tobacco used the community to smuggle billions of cigarettes into Canada to avoid paying billions of dollars in taxes.
The RCMP says human, drug and weapons smuggling also cling to the black-market tobacco trade like pilot fish and its proceeds grease the gears of a wide array of criminal activities and organizations.
Kahnawake is also home to several cigarette manufacturers, but currently, only one is federally licensed: Rainbow Tobacco.
Six Nations of the Grand River, an Iroquois community near Hamilton, Ont., is home to the largest and most successful federally licensed cigarette manufacturer. Grand River Enterprises sells internationally.
Tobacco has been a part of First Nations spiritual ceremonies since time immemorial. Dickson says its commercial use today is now intricately linked to notions of sovereignty and identity.
Tobacco is political and it's lucrative.
Over the past 25 years, the tobacco industry has created millionaires and evolved into the economic engine of Kahanwake. It has the protection of the band council and the local police force.
"Tobacco is not an area we enforce, we are not tax collectors for the government," said Dwayne Zacharie, chief of the Peacekeepers police force. "We have a number of tobacco companies, 150 stores that sell tobacco…(the tobacco industry) employs thousands of people."
During a recent call-in show on local television in Kahnawake, Dickson was asked how he could justify paying taxes to the federal government.
"Not all people agree with (Dickson) having a federal license. Most of the people don't because…we don't believe ourselves to be Canadian citizens," said Brian Delormier, a board member of the Kahnawake Tobacco Association.
Dickson says he sees his relationship with Canada as more of a partnership, nation to nation, like the treaties signed between the Crown and First Nations.
It is noon, the workers have gone to lunch, and Dickson walks through his small factory, inspecting cigarette packs and the machines. He walks past the boxed equipment.
"This was supposed to be Rainbow Tobacco's big time coming now," he said. "We were looking at the West as a really significant expansion for our company."
With the planned price for Rainbow products set for about $5.50 a pack and $42 a carton, Dickson also knows a potential big payout looms if he beats the Western provinces.
All of Canada then becomes a potential market.
Reserves near urban centres are sure to draw non-First Nations smokers, eroding the dominance of Big Tobacco everywhere.
The stakes are high.
"It's all in," said Dickson.
The workers slowly begin the return to the machines. The gears start churning and the cigarettes start falling.
Tags: Alberta, British Columbia, Kahnawake, Quebec, Rainbow Tobacco, Robbie Dickson, Saskatchewan, Soverignty, Tobacco
Aiming straight as an arrow
Dene battle territorial govt's power grap
9 thoughts on "Mohawk tobacco firm battling provinces goes 'all in'"
At the end of the day the Constitution of Canada has Laws in place that need to be upheld by the Supreme Court
ZorroIsGod says:
the royles should be hung for thier atrocoties they run on the world… its a mob system… and then they play stupied with wax in thier ears…. they run military operations then set up puppet govs… we got like what 50,000 dead kids… then have the gull to state thier nice people… but all they do is run pozi markets on everyone…
The Canada Act 1982 (1982 c. 11) is an Act of Parliament passed by the British Parliament that ended all remaining dependence of Canada on the United Kingdomnnsee the britton install a military rule here on us in 1867…. and in 1982 she gave to here servence… it a ponzi sam the brits play out on the world… ponzi trade…
reaffirmed
a breach of trust guaranteed by the crown for common defense of it's possesions reaffired by the Royal Proclamation of 1763. look into Pontiac's rebellion, the whole reason for the Proclamation.
Democracy a must for First Nations… the headlinesnThis is one of thier rants that they need to bring democracy to use but who broke the trade treaty and imposed a military rule by britton… then started to teach that we were all dead and the land was empty…nnthey only have a work permit….
settlement = a temporary place to dwell in to trade… just like workers working in other countries…like LibyannIt's illegal for them to even create a country…
our relation with crown was trade not a country…. like every settlement must be approved… don't play their con game… we don't have to vote in their system… because when you do they will claim they own all… prompt themselves to dictate to us… Like they will say we are you gov… Not your an embassy for trade… Like look at their con all Canadians are immigrants… so when you say your a Canadian what are they doing… empower their con stated in 1867..nnAll settlements are under jurisdiction of who First Nations Turtle Island.. Don't let them erase our country… all they have is a work permit by the queen…nnTWO ROW WAMPUM trade treaty it illegal for them to get out of their boat and impose them selves on us…Trade treaty… Thier just runnng a scam…
I believe that this is a historic case that the Supreme Court will no doubt have to reaffirm First Nations jurisdiction across Canada. "No Question" of our long commitments to the Federal government as a whole Aboriginal body. All tribes.


text:
Luca, Disney and Queerbaiting in Animation
The themes explored in Luca have since led to accusations of "queerbaiting" - a phenomenon in which LGBTQIA+ relationships are hinted at, but never clearly expressed.
Image Via Disney / YouTube
This article originally appeared on The Conversation.
This article is republished here with permission from The Conversation. This content is shared here because the topic may interest Snopes readers; it does not, however, represent the work of Snopes fact-checkers or editors.
This article contains spoilers for the film Luca.
Back in June, Disney released Pixar's latest feature film, Luca. Set in the fictional seaside town of Portorosso, Luca is a story of adventure, escape, difference and found family. It's also, according to many, a narrative about a gay relationship – even if the film itself stops short of confirming that.
The themes explored in Luca have since led to accusations of "queerbaiting" - a phenomenon in which LGBTQIA+ relationships are hinted at, but never clearly expressed. As a queer animation researcher, I know first hand how pronounced that problem is in film and TV.
The issue with Luca comes down to the difference between queerbaiting and queer coding. Queer coding is when LGBTQIA+ creatives insert queer themes, characters and relationships into content without making them explicitly so, in order to fly under the radar of conservative censors and critics. Queerbaiting is when creators hint that characters might be queer in order to attract progressive audience but without providing any real queer representation that could risk losing conservative audiences.
Disney has yet to feature an explicitly queer protagonist in its feature films. So is Luca an example of queer-baiting?
https://youtu.be/mYfJxlgR2jw
We first meet the titular character, adolescent sea monster Luca Paguro, as he tends to the family's goatfish. He stumbles on a human artefact, awakening a keen desire to leave his everyday life behind in search of adventure above the waves. This adventure arrives in the form of Alberto Scarfano, a fellow sea monster who lives on the surface. The two boys quickly form a passionate friendship, building a makeshift Vespa and dreaming of travelling the world together.
The film can easily be read as queer. Not only do Luca and Alberto form a close achillean relationship (a masculine attraction that may or may not include romantic or sexual feelings), the themes and story beats also touch on common LGBTQIA+ experiences. Because the sea monsters of Portorosso's waters fear humans and forbid their children from entering the human realm, Luca must hide his excursions to the surface and, by extension, his relationship with Alberto.
Luca's parents discover their son's secret and try to send him to live with his uncle in the ocean's depths, but the pair escape to Portorosso. Above the water, Luca and Alberto pass as human. Yet, like closeted members of the LGBTQIA+ community, they fear the day that their secret will be discovered. In a touching celebration of queerness and found family, the townspeople actually welcome Luca and Alberto with love and acceptance when they are outed as sea monsters, enough so that other long-closeted sea monsters feel safe enough to reveal themselves.
Yet despite these queer allusions, the film quietly reasserts the heteronormativity ingrained in Disney's traditional storytelling. Instead of remaining together, Luca and Alberto are split when a third character, Guilia, entices Luca to follow her to school in Genoa in what is implied to be a far more mature and productive pairing. Luca, therefore, walks a very fine line between queer-coding and queer-baiting.
Like queer-coding, queer-baiting always has an element of plausible deniability. The trailer for Disney Pixar's Finding Dory (2016) is an arguable example. In it, a pair of women stand over a stroller, leading fans to eagerly speculate that Disney would debut its first lesbian couple. That Ellen Degeneres, who is a lesbian woman, voiced Dory only added to the speculation.
Unfortunately, the film didn't provide any conclusive proof one way or the other and director Andrew Stanton refused to comment on the matter. Whether or not Disney intended to bait its LGBTQIA+ audiences is uncertain.
Disney and queer representation
Why would a studio include queer references in a film but effectively keep them hidden? The simple answer is profit. Sean Griffin, a film professor at Southern Methodist University who has written extensively on LGBTQIA+ issues in both animation and live action film, argues that Disney's image is one of "conservative American family values – values which uphold the heterosexual patriarchal family unit".
Other animation studios like Cartoon Network have featured clearly queer characters in shows like Steven Universe.
YouTube/Cartoon Network
He points out that Disney has recognised a "'gay market' for its product, and not a 'gay agenda'". In other words, Disney is willing to create animated films and television shows that suggest queer content, but only so long as it doesn't damage its conservative image.
Disney has made some inroads in LGBTQIA+ representation in its animated work in the past few years. Pixar's short film Out (2020) focuses on a gay man struggling to come out to his parents, while the feature film Onward (2020) includes a female background character who casually mentions her girlfriend.
The series The Owl House (2020 - present) also features a bisexual female protagonist, Luz, who dates another girl, Amity. Yet even Owl House showrunner Dana Terrace initially met with resistance when she tried to include Luz's bisexuality. In an interview with Vanity Fair, she stated: "I was … told that I could not, by any means, have any kind of gay storyline among the main characters." Disney eventually relented and greenlit Luz's and Amity's relationship, but only after Terrace fought to include the storyline.
Other animation studios have featured queer protagonists to great success. Cartoon Network's Steven Universe includes multiple queer characters and relationships, as well as the first mainstream animated gay wedding – although only after similar executive resistance as The Owl House suffered. At Dreamworks Animation on Netflix, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018-2020), the series ends with heroine Adora falling in love with and kissing her adversary, Catra.
Both series remain immensely popular and continue to turn a profit for their studios via merchandise. With such a growing list of examples to draw from, Disney is overdue in creating an explicitly LGBTQIA+ protagonist for its animated films.
Disney didn't respond to a request for comment on this article.
Kodi Maier, PhD candidate, School of Arts, University of Hull
By The Conversation
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634 F. 2d 673 - Alexander v. Unification Church of America
634 F2d 673 Alexander v. Unification Church of America
Joseph ALEXANDER, Sr., and Esther Alexander, Plaintiffs-Appellants,
UNIFICATION CHURCH OF AMERICA, a/k/a Holy Spirit Association
for the Unification of World Christianity, a/k/a Creative
Community Project, a/k/a New Education Development Corp.,
Neil Salonen, Sun Myung Moon, and Unknown Others (including
but not limited to Does 1-100), Defendants-Appellees.
No. 72, Docket 80-7324.
Second Circuit.
Argued Sept. 10, 1980.
Decided Nov. 3, 1980.
Paul Traub, New York City, for plaintiffs-appellants.
Richard I. Wolff, O'Sullivan, Wolff, Karabell & Graev, New York City, for defendants-appellees Unification Church and Salonen.
Julian W. Friedman, New York City (Charles A. Stillman, Stillman & Friedman, P. C., New York City, of counsel), for defendant-appellee Moon.
Before FEINBERG, Chief Judge, LUMBARD and OAKES, Circuit Judges.
OAKES, Circuit Judge:
This case arises out of the age-old conflict between parents and their offspring occurring when the latter affiliate with a new, and perhaps different, sect that at least purports to be religious in nature. Appellants are so-called "deprogrammers" who work on behalf of parents in what they characterize as an effort to restore new converts of unorthodox religious groups to society by dissuading them from their new-found beliefs.1 In this case the deprogrammers have brought suit against the Unification Church of America ("Unification Church"), its president, Neil Salonen, and its leader, Sun Myung Moon. The action was begun after, and partly in response to, a suit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York,2 which was filed in the name of, if not actually initiated by, a young adult member of the Unification Church whose parents had sought to have "deprogrammed." After defendants-appellees moved to dismiss this case below for failure to state a claim and for insufficiency of service of process, plaintiffs-appellants moved to consolidate the suit with one brought by Theodore Roosevelt Patrick, Jr., which was making similar claims for relief against the same parties. The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, John M. Cannella, Judge, not ruling on the motion to consolidate, simply dismissed appellants' complaint for failure to state a ground upon which relief could be granted. The lower court dismissed Patrick's complaint for failure to state a claim and for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Only Joseph Alexander, Sr., and Esther Alexander appeal. We reverse and remand.
THE DECISION OF THE COURT BELOW
The court below found that service on appellees Unification Church and Moon was insufficient, but properly declined to dismiss the complaint against them on that ground because there may be other means available to effect valid service of process. See Hill v. W. Bruns & Co., 498 F.2d 565, 568 (2d Cir. 1974); Grammenos v. Lemos, 457 F.2d 1067, 1071 (2d Cir. 1972). The court did not grant appellants an opportunity to make proper service,however, because it went on to consider the merits and dismiss the complaint on substantive grounds.
The complaint was in four counts, the first labelled "maintenance," the second "42 U.S.C. § 1985(3)," the third "42 U.S.C. § 1986," and the fourth "intentional infliction of emotional distress." Count One, the "maintenance" claim, referred to the earlier filed and still pending lawsuit, allegedly brought in name only by Wendy Helander, Helander v. Patrick, Civ. No. 77-2401 (S.D.N.Y., filed May 16, 1977) (Lowe, J.), in which Ms. Helander sought $3 million in compensatory damages and $6 million in punitive damages, as well as injunctive relief, under 42 U.S.C. § 1985, 42 U.S.C. § 1983, and Section 40-d of the Civil Rights Law of the State of New York. The count alleged that Ms. Helander was without funds to bring the suit, that all legal expenses were being paid by the appellees, and that Ms. Helander would turn over to the Unification Church any judgment she receives. Appellants further alleged that the Helander suit is only one of approximately a dozen similar suits instituted in Unification Church members' names but maintained by the Church "as part of a general policy to destroy so-called 'deprogrammers', and others who had the courage to oppose the viewpoints of the Unification Church." The maintenance count claimed that these arrangements constitute champertous agreements. It also alleged that the appellees were maliciously intermeddling with the Helander suit not for the legitimate purposes outlined in the complaint in that case, but for the purpose of financially destroying appellants and discouraging them from "attempting to assert their constitutional rights."This count was dismissed on the ground that New York does not recognize champerty as a legal wrong except as provided in a state penal statute, see Lost Lots Associates, Ltd. v. Bruyn, 68 A.D.2d 1006, 415 N.Y.S.2d 99 (1979). The district court held that the statute, set out in the margin,3 is inapplicable here because, with respect to individuals, it applies only to persons engaged directly or indirectly in the business of collection and adjustment of claims, and because it prohibits only the purchase of a claim for the purpose of bringing an action on the claim. Appellees Salonen and Moon were not in the business of collecting claims, and neither they nor the Unification Church purchased or bargained for an assignment of the Helander claim, or any other claims, for the sole purpose of bringing an action. Additionally, the lower court said that the New York penal statute does not authorize a private cause of action for damages, see Coopers & Lybrand v. Levitt, 52 A.D.2d 493, 497, 384 N.Y.S.2d 804, 807 (1976).
The second count, under 42 U.S.C. § 1985(3), charged that appellees formed a conspiracy for the purpose of depriving appellants, by reason of their membership in a class of persons known as "religious counselors," "deprogrammers," or "rehabilitators," of the equal protection of the laws and of the privileges and immunities granted to them under the laws and Constitution of the United States. This count alleged "class based animus" and a malicious intent to deprive appellants of the rights of interstate travel, freedom of speech, free exercise of religion, and freedom of association, as well as the "right to pursue gainful employment." The means allegedly used by appellees were the "maintenance of specious and groundless lawsuits and the use of force, threats of use of force and intimidation." Count Three, based on 42 U.S.C. § 1986, simply alleged that appellees Moon and Salonen had the power to aid in preventing the conspiracy alleged under Count Two but failed or refused to do so. These two federal civil rights claims obviously stand or fall together. They were dismissed on the ground that there was not, as required by Griffin v. Breckenridge, 403 U.S. 88, 102, 91 S.Ct. 1790, 1798, 29 L.Ed.2d 338 (1971), "racial, or perhaps otherwise class-based, invidiously discriminatory animus" behind the alleged conspirators' actions; "deprogrammers" are not cognizable as a class for purposes of Section 1985(3).
Count Four, incorporating all earlier allegations into a claim of intentional infliction of emotional distress, further alleged that "(b)y constant surveillance of the plaintiffs, by having agents patrol the home of plaintiffs, by maintaining in an unlawful manner lawsuits ... with the sole purpose of ruining them financially and emotionally and by other equally outrageous activities which will be more fully developed through discovery," appellees have intentionally, knowingly, and maliciously inflicted "severe emotional distress and grievous mental suffering."
With respect to this count, on the motion to dismiss, the district court quite properly considered the allegations as true, despite the fact that they were lacking in detail and conclusory. The court went on to say that appellants were not entitled to relief, on the facts alleged, under the demanding standard of New York law, which permits recovery for intentional infliction of emotional distress only in cases of "extreme outrage where the tortfeasor's conduct exceeds all bounds of decency usually tolerated by society and is calculated to and does cause mental distress of a serious nature." Cohen v. Varig Airlines, 62 A.D.2d 324, 335, 405 N.Y.S.2d 44, 50 (1978). The court concluded that the conduct alleged in the complaint "cannot be considered extremely outrageous," as required by Fischer v. Maloney, 43 N.Y.2d 553, 557-58, 373 N.E.2d 1215, 1217, 402 N.Y.S.2d 991, 992-93 (1978).
We believe that the dismissal of Count One was erroneous and that the dismissal of Count Four failed to take into account certain allegations made in that count. We also believe that the court should have permitted appellants to amend and allege, as Patrick's amended complaint had alleged, that the appellees had committed a prima facie tort.
Because the parties are citizens of different states, Counts One and Four, if they state claims for relief, may be maintained under diversity jurisdiction.
We agree with the district court's conclusions as to the champerty claim made in Count One, although we believe that the court may have misconceived the issue as simply a question whether appellees' alleged conduct violated the New York penal statute4 outlawing certain types of champerty,5 and, if so, whether a private cause of action is available under the statute.6 Count One liberally construed, however, may assert a claim for abuse of process.7 As this court noted in Weiss v. Hunna, 312 F.2d 711, 716 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 374 U.S. 853, 83 S.Ct. 1920, 10 L.Ed.2d 1073 (1963), the tort of abuse of process is recognized not only under the law of most American states but under the law of New York. See, e. g., Board of Education v. Farmingdale Classroom Teachers Association, 38 N.Y.2d 397, 343 N.E.2d 278, 380 N.Y.S.2d 635 (1975); Hauser v. Bartow, 273 N.Y. 370, 7 N.E.2d 268 (1937); Rothbard v. Ringler, 77 N.Y.S.2d 351 (Sup.Ct.1947). The gist of the tort " 'is not commencing an action or causing process to issue without justification, but misusing or misapplying process justified in itself for an end other than that which it was designed to accomplish.' " Weiss v. Hunna, 312 F.2d at 717 (quoting W. Prosser, Handbook of the Law of Torts 667-68 (2d ed. 1955)). The New York courts appear to proceed on the reasonable assumption that a person is liable for abuse of process, as he would be liable for malicious prosecution, if he procures the initiation of a proceeding by a third party, see Dishaw v. Wadleigh, 15 A.D. 205, 44 N.Y.S. 207 (1897); Board of Education v. Farmingdale Classroom Teachers Association, 38 N.Y.2d at 402, 405, 343 N.E.2d at 282, 284, 380 N.Y.S.2d at 641, 644.
As we construe Count One of appellants' complaint, it alleged that the primary purpose of the lawsuits brought by appellees is not the purpose for which they may properly be instituted, namely to obtain damages for the Church members. Instead, appellees allegedly seek to compel the appellants to cease their deprogramming activities by putting them to the trouble and expense of litigation. And appellants therefore requested an award of compensatory damages. It is not material, under the liberal rules of federal pleading, that Count One was mislabelled by appellants' counsel. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(f); Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 45-48, 78 S.Ct. 99, 101-103, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957); Fort v. White, 383 F.Supp. 949, 953 (D.Conn.1974), aff'd in part, rev'd in part, 530 F.2d 1113 (2d Cir. 1976); 5 C. Wright & A. Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure § 1286 (1969). We hold that the allegations in Count One state a claim for abuse of process and that the lower court's dismissal of this count was improper.
With respect to Counts Two and Three, the federal civil rights claims, we agree wholly with the court below. A class of deprogrammers, in our view, is not the kind of class contemplated by the Supreme Court's interpretation of Section 1985(3)8 in Griffin v. Breckenridge, 403 U.S. 88, 91 S.Ct. 1790, 29 L.Ed.2d 338 (1971). Though some courts have found discrimination against a religious group to be class-based animus for purposes of Section 1985(3), see, e. g., Weiss v. Willow Tree Civic Association, 467 F.Supp. 803, 812 (S.D.N.Y.1979); Rankin v. Howard, 457 F.Supp. 70, 74 (D.Ariz.1978); Baer v. Baer, 450 F.Supp. 481, 490-91 (N.D.Cal.1978), we do not believe that a group of individuals allegedly united by philosophical opposition to the Unification Church can be considered a class of person protected by the civil rights conspiracy statute. See Rodgers v. Tolson, 582 F.2d 315, 317 (4th Cir. 1978); Church of Scientology v. Siegelman, 475 F.Supp. 950, 957-58 (S.D.N.Y.1979).
The Fourth Count is labelled one for intentional infliction of emotional distress. The court below felt that the bringing of lawsuits alleged in this complaint could not be considered "extremely outrageous" conduct, as required by New York law, Fischer v. Maloney, 43 N.Y.2d 553, 557-58, 373 N.E.2d 1215, 1217, 402 N.Y.S.2d 991, 992-93 (1978). The complaint, however, also contains allegations that the district court did not refer to and that relate to "constant surveillance of the plaintiffs" and "having agents patrol the home of plaintiffs" as well as to "other equally outrageous activities which will be more fully developed through discovery." New York decisions have upheld complaints alleging acts not dissimilar from the conduct alleged here. See Halio v. Lurie, 15 A.D.2d 62, 222 N.Y.S.2d 759 (1961) (sending taunting letters to young woman who had hoped to marry defendant and who had been deceived by him); Flamm v. Van Nierop, 56 Misc.2d 1059, 291 N.Y.S.2d 189 (Sup.Ct.1968) (hounding of a plaintiff on the streets and in public places as well as making harassing telephone calls). It seems to us, therefore, that the allegations made here are sufficient to survive dismissal of the complaint.
To be sure, Fischer v. Maloney, as the court below correctly pointed out, questioned whether the "doctrine of liability for intentional infliction of extreme emotional distress should be applicable where the conduct complained of falls well within the ambit of other traditional tort liability, here malicious prosecution and abuse of process," 43 N.Y.2d at 558, 373 N.E.2d at 1217, 402 N.Y.S.2d at 993. Insofar as the Fourth Count reincorporates earlier allegations relating to conduct which constitutes abuse of process, as discussed above, the count is not sufficient to state a claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress. But the remaining allegations in Count Four, relating to constant surveillance and the like, are distinct and stand on their own.
We reverse and remand as to the dismissal of Counts One and Four, and direct that appellants be permitted to amend these counts and to allege in the alternative a prima facie tort, the intentional infliction of harm which does not fall into any established category of tort, see Lincoln First Bank of Rochester v. Siegel, 60 A.D.2d 270, 279-80, 400 N.Y.S.2d 627, 633 (1977); Wegman v. Dairylea Cooperative, Inc., 50 A.D.2d 108, 114, 376 N.Y.S.2d 728, 735 (1975), appeal dismissed, 38 N.Y.2d 918, 346 N.E.2d 817, 382 N.Y.S.2d 979 (1976).
Needless to say, nothing stated in this opinion goes to the merits of this case or to any defense to appellants' suit, including insufficiency of service of process, although we trust that in accordance with his opinion Judge Cannella will give appellants an opportunity to make proper service where lacking. The parties are not precluded from applying for summary judgment or other such relief at the appropriate time.
Judgment reversed and cause remanded.
See generally T. Patrick, Let Our Children Go! (1976); Note, Deprogramming Religious Cultists, 11 Loy.L.A.L.Rev. 807 (1978)
Helander v. Patrick, Civ. No. 77-2401 (S.D.N.Y., filed May 16, 1977)
N.Y.Jud.Law § 489 (McKinney) provides in part:
No person or co-partnership, engaged directly or indirectly in the business of collection and adjustment of claims, and no corporation or association, directly or indirectly, itself or by or through its officers, agents or employees, shall solicit, buy or take an assignment of, or be in any manner interested in buying or taking an assignment of a bond, promissory note, bill of exchange, book debt, or other thing in action, or any claim or demand, with the intent and for the purpose of bringing an action or proceeding thereon; ...
Any corporation or association violating the provisions of this section shall be liable to a fine of not more than five thousand dollars; any person or co-partnership, violating the provisions of this section, and any officer, trustee, director, agent or employee of any person, co-partnership, corporation or association violating this section who, directly or indirectly, engages or assists in such violation, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
"Champerty" is a bargain between a stranger and a party to a lawsuit by which the stranger pursues the party's claim in consideration of receiving part of any judgment proceeds. It is one type of "maintenance," the more general term, which refers to maintaining, supporting, or promoting another person's litigation
As we read Lost Lots Associates, Ltd. v. Bruyn, 68 A.D.2d 1006, 415 N.Y.S.2d 99 (1979), on which the court below relied, it held that champerty is a viable defense to another's claim only to the extent that it is outlawed by statute. Thus Lost Lots is not controlling on the issue whether a cause of action based on champerty exists at common law in New York. To be sure, the court in Coopers & Lybrand v. Levitt, 52 A.D.2d 493, 497, 384 N.Y.S.2d 804, 807 (1976), did assert with reference to a private cause of action that champerty does not exist except as provided by the New York criminal statute. But the authority of Coopers & Lybrand is undermined by that court's reliance on Sedgwick v. Stanton, 14 N.Y. 289, 294-95 (1856), and Irwin v. Curie, 171 N.Y. 409, 411, 64 N.E. 161, 161 (1902), cases which involved only the assertion of the crime of champerty as a defense to an action to enforce an agreement
It appears, nonetheless, that there is no established New York tort encompassing maintenance and champerty. Although such a tort has made rare appearances in the decisional law of some jurisdictions, see, e. g., Schnabel v. Taft Broadcasting Co., 525 S.W.2d 819 (Mo.App.1975); Golden Commisary Corp. v. Shipley, 157 A.2d 810 (D.C.Mun.Ct.App.1960), only a lone New York Supreme Court case, Piranesi Imports Inc. v. Laverne, 36 Misc.2d 1077, 233 N.Y.S.2d 659 (Sup.Ct.1962), suggests that such a tort might exist at common law in New York. As long ago as 1887, English legal scholar Frederick Pollock noted that actions for the wrong of maintenance "are in modern times rare though possible." F. Pollock, The Law of Torts 271 (1887). And the modern American treatises do not mention the tort at all.
Appellants have not stated a claim for malicious prosecution because that tort, New York law makes very clear, applies only when a proceeding has terminated in the plaintiff's favor, see, e. g., Munoz v. City of New York, 18 N.Y.2d 6, 10, 218 N.E.2d 527, 529, 271 N.Y.S.2d 645, 649 (1966); Flaks, Zaslow & Co. v. Bank Computer Network Corp., 66 A.D.2d 363, 366, 413 N.Y.S.2d 1, 3 (1979); Lincoln First Bank of Rochester v. Siegel, 60 A.D.2d 270, 277, 400 N.Y.S.2d 627, 632 (1977)
42 U.S.C. § 1985(3) provides in part:
If two or more persons in any State or Territory conspire or go in disguise on the highway or on the premises of another, for the purpose of depriving, either directly or indirectly, any person or class of persons of the equal protection of the laws, or of equal privileges and immunities under the laws, ... the party so injured or deprived may have an action for the recovery of damages, occasioned by such injury or deprivation, against any one or more of the conspirators.


Every person on Earth, no matter what race, religion, colour, or sexual orientation, suffers from the injustice of stereotypes. As a gay man and a car enthusiast, I noticed that the stereotypes about homosexuals don't stop with how we dress and sound, but also what we drive. I decided to take action and find out if there is any truth in the gay car stereotype.
To uncover the truth of any stereotype, we first have to define that stereotype. The commonly held belief is that gay men drive "effeminate" cars, such as small sporty convertibles, and lesbians drive butch cars such as trucks and sport utility vehicles. Do these hold any truth, or, as many other gay stereotypes, are these beliefs just ideas fueled pop culture and generalizations?
It quickly became apparent that reaching any definitive conclusion was going to be difficult. A research firm like Harris could conduct a nationwide poll, but that wasn't an option for me. Instead, I decided to take the subjective approach and poll members of my local LGBT community about the qualities they look for in a vehicle and whether certain brands influence their buying decision. The answers I received were very informative and showed an interesting trend.
Among my LGBT friends, it appears that brands do play a large part in car-buying decisions. However, those decisions aren't based on which brand makes the cutest or biggest car or truck; instead, they're based on which brands have a reputation for building reliable, safe, practical vehicles.
But what about the qualities that LGBT shoppers look for in their vehicles? Surely there has to be some truth to the stereotypes we know so well, right?
As far as I can tell, the answer to that question is a resounding "no". What I found in my brief survey is that when shopping for a new car, many gay people look for the same qualities as their straight friends: reliability, safety, value, and practicality.
To my mind, the myth of gay car stereotypes is thoroughly busted. It's possible that certain types of people are drawn toward certain types of vehicles — club kids to sports cars, contractors to pickups — but on the whole, my survey showed that gay people are very rational and level- headed about their vehicle purchases. They don't make decisions based on how cute, little, big, or butch a car is.
Maybe it isn't what we drive, but how we shop for our cars and trucks that says the most about us.


text:
Lightrock Power secures permit for Paytherden solar farm in East Devon
Published: 29 Jul 2022, 09:30
The 49.9MW Paytherden solar farm in East Devon has been planed to be wildlife-friendly. Image: Lightrock Power.
Lightrock Power has secured planning permission for a solar plant in East Devon, after receival approval from the District Council's planning committee.
The 49.9MW Paytherden solar farm has received support from the local community with more than 200 messages on the council's planning portal.
The plans for the plant have been refined in collaboration with the community and The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) to take in consideration its surrounding biodiversity.
The Paytherden solar farm has been planned to benefit the surrounding wildlife and will help owls nest on site, improve the banks of the River Clyst nearby or improve other existing ecological corridors for reptiles, amphibians and small mammals.
Chris Sowerbutts, co-founder of Lightrock Power, said: "We face an ecological crisis as well as a climate crisis so it's so important solar farms like Paytherden benefit local wildlife as well as generating renewable energy."
Both the RSPB and Lightrock Power partnered last year to help the UK solar developer achieve a 20% biodiversity net gain on its solar farms.


There is no publicly available, comprehensive list of the supermarkets that carry Boar's Head brand lunch meats. However, many of the large supermarket chains such as Publix, Kash n' Karry and Stop & Shop feature Boar's Head brand as well as thousands of smaller grocery stores and delis across the country.
Boar's Head is a very popular brand of deli meat mainly because of its quality and positioning as a premium product. Its products do not contain any artificial flavors, filler or animal by-products to keep the flavor of the natural meat intact. The company also spends a significant amount of money on its marketing efforts and puts time into developing strategic relationships with stores.
Where Can I Buy Simple Syrup?
Where Can You Buy Free Range Organic Eggs?
What Are Some Popular Fresh Vegetables?
What Are Some Ideas for Planning a Buffet Lunch?


The Matchmaker service helps create matches between teams and players.
View Teams Seeking Players if you're looking for a team. Captains - add your team to this list!
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See the Find a Team page for other tips on finding a team to join, or forming your own new team.


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Hate Speech on Campus Term Paper
July 12, 2019 May 21, 2019 adminESSAY EXAMPLES
Hate Speech on Campus
Colleges and universities have always portrayed themselves as the bastions of free speech and expression. However, in the growing diversity of college communities, more universities struggle to maintain the balance between protecting free speech and providing a welcoming learning environment for all its constituents.
As a result, many campuses have initiated speech codes, intended to protect people and groups from hate speech, which is often accompanied by violence. This in turn has given rise to charges that though hate speech may be offensive, it is also free speech and therefore deserves protection under the First Amendment.
The first part of this paper examines arguments that hate speech deserves constitutional protection. The next part then examines how hate speech hurts victims and destroys tolerance. In the conclusion, this paper argues that the First Amendment protects even hate speech. Thus, campus speech codes and other restrictions on freedom of expression violate the Constitution.
Hate speech is free speech
In the 1980s, the growing diversity in many campuses has also prompted a rise in verbal abuse directed at minorities, such as women and people of color. In response, many universities developed codes geared towards regulating any speech that "offends any group based on race, gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation" (ACLU 1996: 94).
These broad-based policies, however, did not stop the harassment. Instead, the ACLU argues that the regulation of hate speech has simply driven the problem underground. After all, hate speech is merely symbolic of the greater problem of bigotry.
Instead of focusing on speech codes or other cosmetic changes, the ACLU believes that universities should tackle the real problems that contribute to bigotry – such as the lack of minorities on campus, raising awareness among current students and devising more inclusive approaches to different subjects (ACLU 1996).
The fact that courts have consistently ruled against even well meaning speech codes, argues the ACLU, shows the futility of addressing unpopular or unwelcome speech through restrictive policies.
Such experiences run the gamut of the political spectrum. In 1969, for example, the Supreme Court held that a public school student had the right to wear a black armband to protest the Vietnam War.
Similarly, an individual could burn a flag to protest government policies (ACLU 1966).
On the other hand, the Court has also ruled that the wearing of swastikas and burning crosses are protected by the First Amendment as well. In a 1989 case involving students of the University of Michigan, the Supreme Court also struck down a university ruling that punished an African-American student for calling a Caucasian students "white trash" (ACLU 1996).
These diverse examples show the unconstitutionality of any restrictions or policies designed to regulate freedom of speech and expression. In fact, these restrictions can have an unintended opposite effect. In Great Britain, for example, a 1965 Racial Relations Act that supposedly outlaws racial defamation has often been used instead to persecute trade unionists, anti-nuclear protesters and ironically, people of color (ACLU 1996).
In this light, many campuses have tried to come up with policies designed to initiate dialogue, protect free speech and promote tolerance. The University of Arizona, for example, assembled a team of faculty, students and administrators into a "Campus Environment Team," which provides information and referral services to its campus constituents. Other universities are actively working to recruit minority students as well as faculty. More significantly, many universities have taken steps to integrate the experiences and knowledge of other cultures into their curricula.
Hate speech is merely a symptom of the greater problems underlying society. Attempting to erase bigotry through regulating freedom of expression merely addresses the symptom and not the cure. Instead, as the ACLU suggests, "where racist, sexist and homophobic speech is concerned…more speech – not less – is the best revenge" (ACLU 1996: 95).
Hate speech should be restricted
While the ACLU frames the issue of speech codes as a violation of the First Amendment, supporters of speech codes focus on the responsibility of universities to provide equal learning opportunities.
Instead of the First Amendment, Charles R. Lawrence III (1990) uses the legal framework of Brown vs. Board of Education to study and justify the need for speech codes on campus. Lawrence argues that part of the reason the Supreme Court struck down segregation in the 1954 landmark case was the inherent message of inequality presented by separate schools.
The implication was that separate schools were messages or expressions that signified the inferiority of black children, who were somehow not fit to go to school with white children. By declaring segregated schools as unconstitutional, the Supreme Court thus ruled that the signs and symbols of the racial inferiority of black children are unconstitutional as well.
Lawrence (1990) extends this principle to cover the issue of hate speech on college campuses. He argues that the spirit of the First Amendment was to foster discussion and to initiate dialogue. By their very nature, however, racist speech is akin to "a pre-emptive strike" (Lawrence 1990: 100).
The "assaultive" nature of such speech often cows minorities into silence and submission, because trying to engage the perpetrator into dialogue will only lead to an escalation of words and to physical violence.
For Lawrence (1990), hate speech and expressions foster an atmosphere of fear and contribute to the silencing of minorities on university campuses. The minority student's right to feel safe in her dormitory, for example, can be severely compromised by racist flyers and graffiti in bathrooms and other common areas. Furthermore, it is difficult to maintain equal education opportunities when minority students run the risk of racist assaults as they pass through a university's hallways en route to class.
Furthermore, Lawrence (1990) argues that the First Amendment does not provide blanket protection to all forms of expression. For example, courts have ruled that obscene speech, libel, slander and the dissemination of official secrets were exempted from First Amendment protection.
Similarly, Lawrence (1990) points to the "fighting words" exception of the Fist Amendment as a provision relevant to hate speech.
The Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment did not protect words which "by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace" (qtd in Lawrence 1990: 100). For Lawrence, this "fighting words" provision clearly includes racist speech aimed at inciting individuals and groups into violent confrontation.
Lawrence thus argues that when they argue for the tolerance of all forms of expression, the ACLU and other civil rights activists place an unfair burden on the people of color who are the inordinate victims of hate speech. It is people of color who must suffer the emotional scars of such tolerance. It is people of color who must then give up their equal opportunity to learn in a welcoming educational environment.
Because of this effect, Lawrence argues that those who protect hate speech in the name of the First Amendment "risk making the First Amendment (into) an instrument of domination rather than a vehicle of liberation" (Lawrence 1990: 101).
Position: Hate Speech must be protected
While Lawrence presents powerful arguments on the importance of equal education opportunities, his writings fail to address the importance of defending the First Amendment from detractors of "offensive" forms of expression.
Throughout the history of this country, groups have fought to restrict unpopular and offensive speech. In the 1920s, for example, Margaret Sanger was jailed on obscenity charges after she distributed pamphlets on birth control. In the 1930s, efforts were made to ban representatives of Jehovah's Witnesses from excessive proselytizing.
More recently, American citizens who questioned the Bush administration's "war on terror" campaign have been characterized as traitors.
These diverse examples show a common thread. Time and time again, interest groups have tried to address unpopular ideas through various degrees of silencing and censorship. Instead of facing their opponents in a spirit of dialogue and debate, history is replete with examples of how a conservative status quo had tried to silence the voices of its dissenting members. Often, the only thing that stood in their way was the tenacity of civil rights activists and the courage of judges who interpreted the law.
In the case of speech codes on campus, the tide seems to be reversed. Many women, for example, seem to have acquired some power by no longer being subject to phrases ranging from "Women cannot be good doctors" to "You have a nice ass." Racial minorities can bring charges against people who use racial epithets.
However, policies restricting racist speech are necessarily broad and vague. As a result, the examples discussed previously can easily get out of hand.
In the book The Shadow University, Alan Charles Kors and Harvey A. Silvergate (1999) chronicles how the nation's best universities have enacted blatantly unconstitutional speech codes to restrict politically incorrect forms of thinking. These examples include a resident assistant who was relieved of his position for after he refused, on religious reasons, to watch a sexually explicit film on gay life. A student was threatened with…
What Is Investigational Analytics Essay
Health Care Economics in Economics, Cost-Benefit Analysis Essay


text:
require 'rails_helper'

RSpec.describe "event_attendees/show", :type => :view do
  before(:each) do
    @event_attendee = assign(:event_attendee, EventAttendee.create!(
      :voting_setting => "Voting Setting",
      :meeting_status => "Meeting Status",
      :order_of_appearance => "Order Of Appearance",
      :council_member => nil,
      :event => nil
    ))
  end

  it "renders attributes in <p>" do
    render
    expect(rendered).to match(/Voting Setting/)
    expect(rendered).to match(/Meeting Status/)
    expect(rendered).to match(/Order Of Appearance/)
    expect(rendered).to match(//)
    expect(rendered).to match(//)
  end
end


text:
Essays From The Curator
Notes on Racist Jokes - Essays From The Curator - Jim Crow Museum
Notes on Racist Jokes
"What do you call a black with a Harvard education?"
There is a black man who listens to racist jokes. He laughs at jokes about blacks being lazy, ugly, and unintelligent. He enjoys jokes about black women as perpetually pregnant parasites chasing welfare checks. He laughs at jokes that portray black men as sex-obsessed criminals. This man laughs at jokes about violence against black women, men, and children. And, he laughs at jokes about whites.
This man, this black man, exists. I know he exists because many whites tell me he exists. I tell them that jokes that stereotype and dehumanize blacks are not funny; they tell me about the black man who listens to -- and laughs at -- racist jokes. How offensive could the joke be if a black man offers his approval? He, that man, can take a joke. He has transcended political correctness. He has given his approval -- spoken and tacit. Why should they listen to me and not him, they ask? He is, after all, a darker black man.
"Did you hear the one about the Chukchi farmers?"
Laughing at racist jokes or ethnic jokes may not indicate that the laugher holds enmity toward the victimized group, but the laughter is not likely unless the laugher is familiar with the stereotypes directed against the group -- and accepts that the stereotypes are true. An American hearing a Greek joke about Pontians or a Russian joke about the Chukchi will not, in all likelihood, laugh. We do not know the stereotypes of the Pontians or the Chukchi -- and we do not have opinions on the accuracy of the stereotypes. We do not know the Pontians or the Chukchi. But we do know Mexicans. It would be difficult to be an adult American and be unfamiliar with the stereotype that Mexicans are lazy; however, one may reject the stereotype, making jokes about lazy Mexicans unfunny. Of course, if one does have prejudiced views toward an ethnic group, say Mexicans, anti-Mexicans prejudice is validated, and may be extended, by jokes that defame Mexicans. The stereotype of the unemployed, sombrero-wearing, sleeping Mexican is easily contradicted by the thousands of Mexicans and Mexican Americans working long and hard in corporate offices, fruit-bearing fields, and every job category in the United States.
"I am not racist, but I like a good (racist) joke."
Anthropologists accept as an axiom that laughter develops and strengthens bonds between people. Laughter within a group reflects a level of comfort that the members have with one another. The more they laugh the more they bond. Jokes that play on racial stereotypes of the other may strengthen relations among members of the in-group. Add the common desire to not be different and situations are ripe for listening to and not challenging jokes that degrade out-group members, in this case racial groups. Listeners may even laugh at jokes that are not funny to them because they value their membership in the in-group.
I have colleagues who claim that racist jokes do not perpetuate racial stereotypes. They argue that a racist joke, alone, cannot make an individual accept racial stereotypes. They are right. It is unlikely that hearing a joke about Haitians being violent is sufficient, by itself, to make the hearer accept the belief that Haitians are violent; yet it introduces the belief to some listeners and reinforces the stereotype in the minds of other listeners. The racist joke is part of a larger puzzle; it combines with unfavorable portrayals in movies, television shows, novels, and video games to perpetuate the belief that Haitians are more violent than other Americans, especially white Americans. The derogatory depictions of Haitians are interrelated, interconnected, and mutually reinforcing. The fact that the joke does not act alone -- or is not successful alone -- hardly diminishes its important role in the perpetuation of racial stereotyping.
It is an unfortunate truth that few if any minority groups escape stereotyping. Indeed, sociologists use "victims of stereotyping" as one of the criteria for being conceptualized as a minority. To the stereotyping one, the Dutch are seen as stingy. Jews are viewed as greedy. The Dutch want to keep their money; the Jews want their money and yours. These stereotypes are reflected in the phrases, "Going Dutch," and "Jew you down." The Japanese are stereotyped as smart but sneaky. Puerto Ricans are brilliant entertainers, but likely to stab you with a knife. The list of stereotypes of minorities, especially peoples of color in the United States, is a long one. The stereotypes are found in material culture -- for example, souvenir objects, tee-shirts, and posters -- and also popular culture, especially newspapers, television shows, popular music, radio programs, magazines, including pornography, and the Internet. If popular culture is what "ordinary" people want, like, and listen to, then it is clear that racist jokes are basic to American culture. Racist jokes that originate in one mind are spread via the Internet, found by a "creative" writer, placed in a movie, heard by millions, repeated by thousands in private conversations, returned to the Internet, and reshaped by other minds.
When told by members of the dominant group, racist jokes reflect ethnocentric notions of racial superiority. The joke's victims (butts) are seen as odd or weird. At best, the victims are quaintly amusing; at worse, they deserve to be mocked and ridiculed. They are inferiors. They are less intelligent. They are physically ugly. Their behaviors are indicative of moral failures and cultural deficiencies. A white person telling a joke that ridicules blacks as dim-witted thieves suggests, in effect, that blacks are inferior to whites. Jokes that defame racial minorities are passed from one generation to another, rehashed, functioning as ego massages for any white listening to the jokes -- even those who do not laugh. This is racial joking as propaganda.
"I've heard worse . . ."
Some jokes are worse than others. Jokes that question the human-ness of a racial group are worse than jokes that mock the spending habits of a group. To say that the Dutch are cheap is an insulting and faulty generalization, but it does not suggest that they are "out of the tribe." Many of the jokes directed against blacks compare them to monkeys, apes, and gorillas -- often unfavorably. Most of the jokes aimed at blacks demean their work ethic, mock their physical features -- dark skin, big lips, nappy hair -- or tap into traditional stereotypes: blacks are lazy, eat excessive amounts of chicken and watermelon, love big cars, steal, embrace welfare, especially food stamps, and are sexually deviant. A flawed human is better than a sub-human. The jokes that characterize blacks as simians don't suggest that blacks are culturally different, or even culturally deficient; they are not humans, at all. This may explain, in part, the popularity of jokes about blacks being lynched, hanged, pushed out of airplanes or off cliffs, run over by cars, shot by guns, eaten by alligators, drowned, or burned alive. These "funny stories" represent jokes as hate speech. There are, obviously, Americans who would not laugh at these death jokes; though some of them laugh at jokes that imply that blacks are worthless, cultural leeches.
"What's the difference between a Jew and a pizza?"
Sociologists conceptualize Jews as an ethnic group, not a racial group; nevertheless, Jews are treated with a disdain usually reserved for minorities of color. This is not to say that all jokes about Jews are equally offensive. Most anti-Jewish jokes exaggerate the old stereotypes that they have big noses and are obsessed with money; these jokes are nasty and, on the whole, inaccurate descriptions of Jews; however, the loathsomeness of these jokes pales in comparison to the jokes about Jews as Christ-killers, children of Satan, and as literal blood drinkers. Like blacks, Jews are victimized by jokes that make fun of their deaths, especially deaths during the Holocaust.
The venom of racist jokes is increased by using racial slurs to describe the targeted group. So, "What do you call a white man surrounded by one hundred blacks?" becomes "What do you call a white man surrounded by one hundred niggers?" And, "How do you blindfold an Asian? becomes "How do you blindfold a gook?" Many Americans will laugh at a racist joke if it does not include a racial slur -- though the demeaning stereotypes remain.
"I hate black people, too."
There is a black man who listens to racist jokes. I began this essay with that sentence, and, to be honest, the remainder of that first paragraph was disingenuous because it implied that that black man was fictional. I know there are many blacks who listen to and tell jokes that demean African Americans; they try to tell the jokes to me. Some of these jokes are told with irony or self-deprecating sarcasm. Unfortunately, there are blacks who have internalized the anti-blacks loathing that is apparent in racist jokes. Chris Rock, the popular black comedian, is not the only African American who says, "I love black people, but I hate niggers." In his stage routine, niggers are lazy, ignorant, sexually irresponsible, "low expectations having motherf**kers." The niggers he believes to be real are the source of much of the racist humor that is directed against blacks. When middle-class blacks (the class that produced Rock) tell anti-blacks jokes they are referring to blacks unlike themselves: blacks who are poor and undereducated, blacks who are loud and obnoxious, in other words, blacks who they believe are embarrassing the race by self-stereotyping. When I hear blacks telling racist jokes, I tell them that those jokes may be found on white supremacy Web sites, for example, www.resist.com, the brainchild of White Aryan Resistance. There are blacks (and whites, yellows, reds, and browns) who are anti-intellectuals, connivers, malcontents, criminals, thugs, and marauders, but there are no niggers.
Scholars debate whether blacks (and other racial minorities) can be racist against whites, but there is no debate that blacks can hate whites. Much of this hatred is confined to bitter commentary and diatribes that remain in-group -- and tend not to be expressed in jokes that live long and spread. There are black comedians who pander to the anti-whites feelings apparent in their black audiences. White men are ridiculed as being physically weak, sexually inadequate, cowards; white women, as sexually promiscuous "freaks." Black audiences laugh, and nod their approval, when whites are said to smell like dogs -- and hate blacks. There are relatively few "white jokes" on the Internet; however, there are many jokes that defame white ethnics -- Irish Americans, Polish Americans, Italian Americans, and Jewish Americans -- and poor Americans, so-called rednecks, trailer trash, and white trash. The jokes that defame these whites are, in the main, created and spread by other whites, not minorities of color.
Sometimes racist humor masks a racist attitude; sometimes it reveals a racist attitude. Politicians are vilified for telling racist jokes. This makes sense. A bigoted politician undermines democratic ideals. A mayor who finds "Spic jokes" funny cannot be trusted to make decisions about immigration -- or many other issues. There is an element of insensitivity always -- and an element of hatred sometimes -- with racist jokes. One would hope that a mayor, minister, educator, or other person occupying a position of authority would meet would-be racist joke tellers with a short rebuff: "I don't find racist humor funny or clever, please try something different."
"All humor has a victim, why should races be exempt?"
There are those who claim that political correctness has run amuck. Get a sense of humor, they say, lighten up. Quit being sensitive. Learn to laugh at yourself; learn to laugh at others. Humor is good. True, but humor at the expense of others is divisive and selfish. Humor that relies on racial stereotyping promotes an us-versus-them dichotomy. It ensures our membership in the in-group by excluding others. It promotes an unjustified sense of superiority. Hatred as humor is still hatred. How is humor that insults and deliberately ridicules whole segments of the population good for America?
"Those who get offended by racist jokes are the true racists, not the ones who tell the jokes."
Acknowledging racism does not make one a racist. Indeed, acknowledging racism may be the first step in eradicating it. The reality is this: many Americans enjoy racist humor -- so many Americans listen to and tell racist jokes that one could argue that racist jokes are normative in this country. These Americans resent someone telling them what they can and cannot say. They have a right to listen to and tell racist jokes. Having a right does not make you right. I do not often embrace absolutist sentiments, but I am reminded of some words that an elderly man said to me when I was a child: "Right is right, if no one does it; wrong is wrong, even if everyone does it."
Here is a black man who does not listen to racist jokes. He does not laugh at jokes about blacks being lazy, ugly, and unintelligent. He does not enjoy jokes about black women as perpetually pregnant parasites chasing welfare checks. He does not laugh at jokes that portray black men as sex-obsessed criminals. This man does not laugh at jokes about violence against black women, men, and children. And, he does not laugh at jokes about whites.
David Pilgrim
Curator, Jim Crow Museum
Edited 2012


text:
Top issues: Old-age support, living costs, health care
Jacqueline Woo on 17 Feb 2015
Singaporeans' wishes, going by the pre-Budget feedback exercise, include:
- Government support in old age, particularly for those who have not fully paid up housing loans.
- Greater withdrawal flexibility from the Central Provident Fund (CPF) scheme upon retirement.
- Not cutting the employer CPF contribution rate for those aged 50 and above, to encourage more seniors to work while helping them save more for their retirement.
Having enough to retire, health care and cost of living pressures have emerged as the top concerns for Singaporeans, going by the Government's pre-Budget 2015 feedback exercise.
The three issues accounted for about one-third of all feedback received - 2,900 responses in all.
The Budget will be delivered by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam at 3.30pm on Monday. Parliament will start sitting at 2.30pm that day.
The feedback exercise, run by the Government's citizen engagement arm Reach and the Ministry of Finance, sought views on areas that Budget 2015 should address.
Many called for more government support in old age, as concerns mount over having enough funds upon retiring to cope with rising living costs, particularly if housing loans are not all paid up.
Some want greater withdrawal flexibility from the Central Provident Fund (CPF) scheme upon retirement, while others said early CPF withdrawals should be allowed on a case-by-case basis to cater for unexpected needs.
Some also suggested not cutting the employer CPF contribution rate for those aged 50 and above, to encourage more seniors to work while helping them save more for their retirement.
Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower and Reach chairman, said the recent recommendations from the CPF advisory panel will help address some of these concerns.
"We look forward to a second set of recommendations... due later this year, and in totality, we hope that Singaporeans will have greater peace of mind about having enough for their old age."
Health-care issues were also prominent in the feedback. Some fear medical and hospitalisation costs becoming more unmanageable, especially for patients with chronic and life- threatening conditions. Others felt the deductible for MediShield Life and private health insurance should be lowered.
But Dr Khor said that under MediShield Life, the compulsory basic health insurance scheme set to replace MediShield, all Singaporeans will be "covered for life with better benefits, and premiums will be made affordable with premium subsidies".
On the cost of living, many sought more financial aid to subsidise "everyday goods and services". Some said daily necessities should be made more affordable, especially for the jobless, the lower income and the elderly.
Many also felt their salaries had not kept pace with inflation.
Parents fretted about rising education costs, and sought subsidised childcare fees for middle-income families and free childcare for low-income ones.
Dr Khor said the Government is looking at the rising cost of living through various measures.
"But a key way to help Singaporeans cope with the cost of living must be to enable and equip them with the relevant skills, so that they can have better jobs and better pay," she said.
A live webcast of the Budget speech will be available on www.singaporebudget.gov.sg and the Singapore Budget mobile app, available for download on the Apple and Android platforms.


Could you lend us a tree?
You've helped over 100 orphaned squirrels this year. While in care each group is provided with a wooden den box to give them a place to hide. Once these squirrels are old enough to go out on their own, we release them with their den box to provide them with a familiar safe place to retreat to while they are adjusting to their new surroundings.
We are looking for people in the Greater Toronto Area who would be willing to have a group of squirrels released, along with their den box, on their property. We need properties with at least one mature tree in the backyard to affix the den box to (with 3 screws). Squirrel groups are released onto a property within a predetermined distance from their original location as defined by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.
If you're interested in helping these squirrels get the best possible start at a life in the wild, please contact lendatree@torontowildlifecentre.com with your name, phone number and address.
"Thanks for the box of squirrels. I had fun watching them this morning as they explored the yard" says a lend a tree participant.


At Renew Life, we believe that vibrant health begins in the gut. Digestive care and cleansing is our specialty so we understand how the human digestive tract functions. This enables us to formulate highly effective natural health products to treat a wide range of digestive disorders. In addition to our award-winning line of herbal cleanses, probiotics, and fish oils, Renew Life provides a unique selection of therapeutic products. These include specially formulated intestinal and organ support formulas, as well as fast-acting digestive relief aids and comprehensive total-body health supplements. Our goal is to help Canadians overcome their digestive issues and improve their overall health, one gut at a time!


It all started when Nadia Gamal El Din, Rahet Bally's Founder, gave birth to Yassin. She doesn't have siblings & her friends didn't have kids yet so she was looking for a place to answer her questions & offer her much needed new-mom support. She was surprised that there isn't a single trusted, support platform for moms. And that was the trigger; Rahet Bally was born.
She started by visiting a huge number of doctors & experts to bring them on board to Rahet Bally, to offer moms on the spot answers to all their questions, free of charge, in numerous fields. She managed to have over 100 doctors & experts in just one month. She was so excited & relieved to see moms going to sleep with some peace of mind because of Rahet Bally.
She then continued hustling & coming up with brilliant pillars to support moms; intellectually, mentally, physically, spiritually & emotionally. She did it all with her baby boy. She took him to meetings, worked on her laptop with one hand & hugging him with the other. She had so much passion & willpower to bring every single mom peace of mind, because she deserves it.
It makes our heart so happy that we're a beautiful, growing, drama free community of over 30,000 moms. But that's not just it; did you know that we haven't had a single dramatic/judgmental post since we started 2 years ago?
Our moms are genuinely supportive & respect each & every question/concern. They support each other around the clock & go the extra mile for each other.
We're a real, big, blossoming family.
That's why they're special. May we always serve them well.
It makes our heart so happy that we're a beautiful, growing, drama free community of over 30,000 moms. But that's not just it; did you know that we haven't had a single dramatic/judgmental post since we started 2 years ago? Our moms are genuinely supportive & respect each & every question/concern. They support each other around the clock & go the extra mile for each other. We're a real, big, blossoming family.
We wanted to bring all our moms & exclusive stores & services to one place, where everyone can enjoy everything with the ultimate peace of mind.
So we created Wonderville; a 3-day sensational festival with over 100 different, phenomenal activities, stores & on the spot services, all free of charge!


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text:
Q: Understanding of A Proposition of Parametric Equation of Line Proposition. Show that the parametric equation $\overrightarrow {X}=\overrightarrow {X}+\overrightarrow {V}+t(\overrightarrow {U}-\overrightarrow {V})$ represents the line through $\overrightarrow {U}$ and $\overrightarrow {V}$ if $\overrightarrow {U}$ and $\overrightarrow {V}$ are any two vectors which are not equal.
Can you give a hint to prove?

A: Hint:
The correct equation is $\vec X=\vec V +t(\vec U-\vec V)$, with $t \in \mathbb{R}$. Note that for $t=0$ we have $\vec X= \vec V$ and for $t=1$ we have $\vec X=\vec U$.
And for the other values of $t$ we have a vector $\vec X$ that points to a point of the line that passes thorough the two points pointed by the vectors $\vec U$ and $\vec V$.
(Note that here a vector is pointing to a point).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Just some of the delicious, nutritious food whipped up at The Food Chain.
In every series of MasterChef, the budding chefs find themselves whipping up meals for a host of hungry mouths. Looks pretty nerve-wracking and exhausting doesn't it? Well some of the volunteers at one of our funded projects, The Food Chain, do this on a weekly basis.
The charity exists to ensure that people living with HIV in London get the nutrition they need to stay healthy. Big Lottery funding goes towards their Eating Positively project which is an interactive cooking programme that helps people better manage their diets and equip them with the cookery know-how to make nutritious meals.
The programme, taught by the organisation's dietitians, invites people living with HIV to come along and get involved in hands-on classes where they prepare and cook an entire menu, and in the process they are given the chance to broaden their knowledge of nutrition and learn new cooking skills to lead a healthier lifestyle.
The classes are free and suitable for everyone from beginners to experienced cooks.
So what happens to all this food? The organisation also runs the Eating Together scheme which invites those living with HIV to come along and eat some of the nourishing food and have a chat with others in a similar situation.
You can find out more information about volunteering for The Food Chain here.
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