text:
Breaking news from Washington and beyond
Illustration by Dave Murray
Tori Otten/
January 23, 2023 / 4:19 p.m. ET
The Monterey Park Shooting Was the 33rd Mass Shooting of 2023
There have been more mass shootings in America than days in the new year.
Eric Thayer/Getty Images
People near the site of a deadly shooting on January 22, in Monterey Park, California
The tragic Lunar New Year shooting in Monterey Park, California, is the thirty-third mass shooting in the United States so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Since a gunman opened fire in a dance studio Saturday night—killing 10 people and wounding 10 others—and attempted to attack another, there have been another three mass shootings, bringing the total to 36 this year.
There have been more mass shootings than there have been days in 2023.
The Monterey Park shooting is one of the worst in California's recent history. The shooter, who has been identified as 72-year-old Huu Can Tran, used a magazine-fed semiautomatic assault pistol with an extended magazine attachment, according to police. It is illegal in California to possess this type of gun with an extended magazine.
Police say they still do not know the suspect's motive. Initially, because the attack targeted an Asian ethnoburb on Lunar New Year's Eve, an important time for the East and Southeast Asian diaspora, many members of the Asian American Pacific Islander community feared that the shooting was the latest escalation of anti-Asian hate spurred by former President Donald Trump's rhetoric about the Covid-19 pandemic.
The shooting has already spurred calls for tighter gun controls, a highly contentious topic in the United States. California has some of the strictest gun laws in the country, but clearly they're not foolproof. The issue, though, is not California's rules; it's the lack of regulation at the national level.
Conservatives are already attempting to use the Monterey Park shooting to argue that gun control laws don't work. California has the *lowest* number of mass shootings in the Nation. Gun control laws work - and we need to continue to pass laws that keep guns off our streets.
— Councilmember Sasha Renée Pérez (@SashaReneePerez) January 22, 2023
As The Washington Post noted, "The state's strict gun laws are incapable of fully preventing gun violence in a country where gun ownership is widely considered a constitutionally protected right, firearms move freely between states with vastly different regulations and gun-control measures are dotted with exceptions."
The Supreme Court ruled last year that Americans can carry handguns for self-defense, making it easier to acquire concealed-carry permits nationwide. Meanwhile, a gun manufacturer recently brought back the "JR-15," a child-size AR-15 rifle.
More on Guns
Americans Aren't Numb to Mass Shootings
Prem Thakker/
Ruben Gallego Is Running to Unseat Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona Senate Race
The Democratic representative faces a potential three-way race in 2024, since Sinema announced her switch to independent.
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call
Days after Kyrsten Sinema gallivanted around the Davos World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alps with the world's richest people, Democratic Representative Ruben Gallego officially announced his campaign to unseat the Arizona senator.
"If you're more likely to be meeting with the powerful than the powerless, you're doing this job incorrectly," Gallego said in his announcement.
Growing up poor, all I had was the American dream. It kept me going: as a kid sleeping on the floor, a student scrubbing toilets, a Marine losing brothers in Iraq.
Today, too many Arizonans see their dream slipping away. I'm running for the U.S. Senate to win it back for you! pic.twitter.com/ofUvUYRcTP
— Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) January 23, 2023
Gallego is a former Marine who served in the Lima Company, one of America's hardest-hit units in the Iraq War. Elected to the Arizona state House in 2010, Gallego led the charge to grant in-state tuition status to veterans living in Arizona. He has served in the House of Representatives since 2014 and has been a chief advocate for veterans there as well.
In a 2024 race that has already generated much intrigue, Gallego will benefit from a groundswell of Democratic and even independent support against Sinema. Polls have shown massive Democratic preference for Gallego over Sinema; independent voters have expressed net favorability for Gallego at +31 points, while Sinema was net negative at -39.
Sinema's recent decision to become an independent, however, complicates things slightly. One recent poll has found that a three-way race between Sinema, Gallego, and failing Arizona gubernatorial candidate and right-wing extremist Kari Lake could result in a slim Lake victory. The poll found Sinema garnering a meager 13 percent, with Gallego netting 40 percent and Lake edging by with 41 percent.
Of course, the poll is just one poll, and it's only the dawn of 2023. Moreover, Sinema has not expressed her intentions for 2024, nor has Lake officially announced any plans. But there have been heavy rumors of her intention to run for Sinema's seat, and she has urged her supporters to "mark your calendars" for January 29.
If Lake does run, the pressure is on Sinema to decide, first, whether she will run at all and then whether she will do so in the Democratic primary or mount a cynical, completely ego-driven campaign as an independent. Being a political independent is nothing to look down upon, but someone pretending to be an independent when their entire politics is driven by the interests of the rich and powerful is simply embarrassing.
More on Ruben Gallego
Can Ruben Gallego Really Win a Three-Way Senate Race in Arizona?
January 20, 2023 / 11:10 p.m. ET
It Seems George Santos's Old Wiki Account Confirms His Drag Past (With Some Random Lies Thrown In)
The Wikipedia page for "Anthony Devolder," one of the names Santos went by, says he won several drag pageants, starred in Disney Channel shows, and was in a movie that doesn't exist.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
Representative George Santos has called the reporting and photographic (and now videographic) evidence of him having done drag in the past "categorically false" and "outrageous."
Now it seems one of his alternate identities has added even more evidence to the pile.
In a Wikipedia page rife with spelling and grammatical errors discovered by Politico Friday, someone with the name Anthony Devolder wrote on his user page that he "startted his 'stage' life at age 17 as an gay night club DRAG QUEEN and with that won sevral GAY "BEAUTY PAGENTS.'" The page was last updated in April 2011.
Devolder (one of Santos's many aliases) also wrote that he was in a few television shows, including The Suite Life of Zach and Cody and Hannah Montana—as well as the 2009 film The Invasion, starring "Uma Turman,Chris Odanald ,Melllisa George and Alicia Silver Stone." This movie doesn't exist; The Invasion of 2007, however, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, does.
The Wikipedia user page reportedly contains information that aligns with Santos's background, like his exact birthday. His office did not provide Politico with comment, but it's tough, as with most of Santos's lies, to see how he can even provide an alternative explanation.
Other accounts likely attached to Santos, like Georgedevolder22, have been active in more recent months, editing the public-facing Wikipedia page for then-Congressman-elect Santos, including edits to Santos's personal life and removing the name "Anthony Devolder," so the page would read George Santos. Numerous accounts linked to "Georgedevolder22" have been banned by moderators due to suspicion of their linkage to each other.
All the lies come after one weeklong chapter of the enormous book of lies Santos has written. Just this week, Santos has been revealed to have raised and stolen funds meant to save a homeless veteran's dying dog and lied about his mom being at 9/11.
For the sake of any dignity Santos still has, and for the sake of reserving ink for members of Congress who didn't lie about practically every single part of their lives, may the book conclude soon.
Read more at Politico.
More on George Santos
Actually, George Santos Has Been Pretty Good for the Republican Party
March for Life Speaker Uses Damar Hamlin's Cardiac Arrest as Proof Abortion Should Be Banned
Former NFL coach Ted Dungy thought he did something with this analogy.
Screenshot/March for Life YouTube
One of the keynote speakers at the anti-abortion-rights March for Life on Friday invoked football player Damar Hamlin, who is recovering from cardiac arrest, as an analogy for why abortion should be banned.
Buffalo Bills safety Hamlin collapsed during a nationally televised game on January 2 after he was struck in the chest, stopping his heart. He was hospitalized for nine days, and while he has made a remarkable recovery, his spokesman says the 24-year-old has a long way to go.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dungy somehow decided this was the perfect comparison to banning reproductive freedom. While speaking at the March for Life, the first since Roe v. Wade was overturned, Dungy argued that because everyone came together to hope that Hamlin would live, they should also hope that people won't choose to get abortions.
Former NFL coach Tony Dungy invokes Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest as he calls on Americans to pray for an end to abortion:
"Every day in this country, innocent lives are at stake. The only difference is they don't belong to a famous athlete, and they're not seen on national TV." pic.twitter.com/RR6G6c5VfE
— The Recount (@therecount) January 20, 2023
There is, of course, no comparison. Hamlin suffered a medical tragedy. Abortion is a private decision. And it's worth noting that in spouting off about innocent lives at risk, Dungy makes no consideration for the life of the pregnant person, whose entire world might be negatively upended by the arrival of a child.
Since the loss of the nationwide right to abortion, restrictions on reproductive rights have been growing ever tighter. This week alone, Kansas lawmakers introduced a bill that would allow counties and cities to ban the procedure, undermining a vote last year by state residents, and Arkansas introduced a bill that would let prosecutors charge people who get abortions with homicide.
This kind of twisted logic coming from Dungy isn't a surprise. The former NFL coach is extreme in his views. He has for years advocated against LGBTQ rights, and this month spoke at an event hosted by a deeply anti-LGBTQ preacher. The day before coming to Washington, D.C., for the march, Dungy said that public schools are giving litter boxes to students who identify as cats. This is a widely debunked far-right conspiracy theory that stems from a refusal to let trans kids use the bathroom they want in school.
More on Abortion
Kansas Republicans Introduce Bill to Ban Abortion, Even After Voters Said It Should Be Legal
Kentucky GOP Club Blares Footage Related to Breonna Taylor's Death to People Innocently Eating Their Dinner
The Republican Women's Club of South Central Kentucky held an event with one of the cops in the raid that killed Breonna Taylor. Diners unaffiliated with the event heard and saw graphic descriptions of the raid as they ate.
Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Frontline Action Hub
The Republican Women's Club of South Central Kentucky held an event this week honoring one of the cops in the raid that killed Breonna Taylor.
The event took place on Tuesday at Anna's Greek Restaurant, a well-known local restaurant in Bowling Green, with a dining area and second-floor space where events can be held. There, former Louisville Metro Police Department Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly, one of the officers who conducted the no-knock warrant and raid that killed Taylor in March 2020, reportedly shared photos and blared video footage with gunshot noises.
The restaurant was open to the public at the time of the event. Guests, some of whom had made reservations, were not informed by management about the last-minute event happening upstairs. Guests, including people of color, there for their own dinner plans were then shocked by what appeared to be a bustling event celebrating an officer who was part of the raid that killed a Black woman in her own home.
Cayce Johnson, a guest at the restaurant that night, told The New Republic that the lights dimmed in the middle of their meal. "The woman comes back on and introduces Jonathan Mattingly, and everyone just roared upstairs—applause, cheers, and our mouths just dropped." Sound carried throughout Anna's, a retrofitted old church.
Johnson said Mattingly took the audience "back to March 2020," before going through the presentation with photos and video footage with the sound of gunshots. "One of the members of our group was a war veteran and he has PTSD, so we were just in extreme shock."
Katelyn Jones, another diner, told TNR the event also included a raffle and jokes about Covid-19. She said the event was initially so loud her father couldn't hear anything at the table.
After realizing the event included Mattingly, Johnson and her friends sought out the restaurant owner, Vilson Qehaja. Qehaja responded to the group's concerns by literally shrugging his shoulders, according to video footage. "I have no idea what's happening, so," he said as the group complained about the presentation on Taylor. "I have nothing to do with that, so."
One of Johnson's friends said, "Do you realize who that is? They killed somebody, a cop. He's a cop … I made reservations, I came from Kansas City."
"You're being served, right?" Qehaja responded.
Guests say Qehaja later simply turned up the music.
"He was drinking his coffee and staring at us, raising his eyebrows, kind of intimidating us, like, 'What are you going to do?'" Johnson said. Qehaja's behavior mimicked what event attendees upstairs allegedly were doing, as guests claimed men from the audience glared down from the second-floor balcony at restaurantgoers, seeming to warn them not to disrupt their event.
An estimated 80 people reportedly attended the event.
Since the event, Mattingly has left a glowing review of Anna's—and gotten into fights with people who say his presence disrupted their dinner. He did not explicitly deny reports of gunshot noises during the presentation.
"It is beyond reprehensible to subject anyone, let alone children and customers of African American descent, to such indecent exposure, graphic and upsetting images while they were attempting to enjoy their meal," said the Bowling Green–Warren County Branch of the NAACP in a statement. "Such disturbing occurrences must not be tolerated especially in places of public accommodation. At a minimum, these acts are devoid of humanity and violate the most fundamental principles of human decency."
TNR reached out to the Louisville Metropolitan Police Department. They had no comment.
The event took place despite earlier controversy about Mattingly's presence. He was originally slated to appear alongside Agriculture Commissioner and Kentucky gubernatorial candidate Ryan Quarles at the Bowling Green Country Club. In a post from their now-removed Facebook page, the Republican Women's Club said Mattingly was going to "share what really happened during the raid that killed Breonna Taylor, what he saw, and how the media's narrative has been corrupted and twisted to fit into a false, woke storyline." After the event garnered attention from the media and local political leaders, Quarles and the Bowling Green Country Club both backed out.
Attempts were also made to contact the Republican Women's Club of South Central Kentucky and its officers, to no avail. Regina Webb, a Republican who ran for the state House of Representatives in 2012, claimed ignorance about the event to TNR. Webb, listed by the secretary of state in 2020 as vice president and director of the Republican Women's Club, also said she was not involved in the club.
"A lot of people attending are actually people in positions of power in Bowling Green.… People are hesitant to put their name out there for fear of retribution," Johnson said. "They thought that because they were going to secretly and quietly move the event, there would be no one who knew what it was, and no one to call them out."
"We are calling them out."
Fear of a Black Uprising
Federal Judge Rules DeSantis Violated the Constitution, Dismisses Lawsuit Anyway
A judge ruled that the Florida governor should not have suspended a Democratic state attorney—but the court will not reinstate him.
A federal judge ruled Friday that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis violated the state Constitution and First Amendment when he suspended an elected Democratic state attorney last year, but the court would not step in and overturn that suspension.
State Attorney Andrew Warren sued DeSantis in August, two weeks after the governor suspended him for alleged "willful defiance of his duty." DeSantis cited in particular a joint statement Warren signed with other elected prosecutors the day Roe v. Wade was overturned, stating "our firm belief that prosecutors have a responsibility to refrain from using limited criminal legal system resources to criminalize personal medical decisions," such as abortion or transgender health care.
In his suit, Warren denied explicitly refusing to enforce laws and argued his suspension was political retaliation and a violation of his First Amendment right to free speech. He sought a judge's order to restore him to office and to bar DeSantis from taking further action against him.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle sided with Warren that his rights had been violated, blasting DeSantis's argument that the prosecutor had neglected his duty by making blanket promises not to prosecute certain cases.
"Mr. Warren's well-established policy, followed in every case by every prosecutor in the office, was to exercise prosecutorial discretion at every stage of every case. Any reasonable investigation would have confirmed this," Hinkle wrote in his ruling. In his opinion, there was "not a hint of misconduct by Mr. Warren."
But, the judge said, he was unable to restore Warren to office. He argued that the Eleventh Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which restricts individuals from suing states in federal court, tied his hands.
"The Eleventh Amendment prohibits a federal court from awarding … relief of the kind at issue against a state official based only on a violation of state law," Hinkle said in the ruling.
Not only is it frustrating to watch an elected official break the law and still get away with it, it is also worrying that this case will push DeSantis to go further. The Republican—and current favorite to face off against Donald Trump for the GOP presidential nomination—has gone to war with what he calls "trendy ideologies."
He signed Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law and pushed the so-called Stop Woke Act, which restricts certain race-based conversations and analyses in colleges. That bill has been temporarily blocked from being implemented. This week, he banned an A.P. African American studies course in schools.
DeSantis getting away with suspending Warren without so much as a slap on the wrist could embolden him to take retaliatory measures against other public officials whom he deems too "woke."
Unfortunately More on DeSantis
A Florida College Goes to War With Ron DeSantis
Kansans overwhelmingly voted to protect the right to abortion in an August referendum. Now state Republicans want to overrule the will of the voters and ban it anyway.
Kyle Rivas/Getty Images
Republican lawmakers in Kansas have introduced a bill that would allow individual cities and counties to ban abortion, directly overriding a vote last year where the majority of state residents chose to protect reproductive rights.
Almost 60 percent of Kansans voted in August to keep the right to an abortion in the state Constitution. The result was considered—and turned out to be—a bellwether for the fight for reproductive rights after the fall of Roe v. Wade a few months earlier.
But on Thursday, Kansas state Senator Chase Blasi introduced a bill that would allow cities and counties to enact abortion restrictions, arguing he was taking the issue to "a more local level."
NEWS: Kansas lawmakers have introduced a bill that would allow cities + counties to ban abortion -- despite the August referendum where Kansans voted overwhelmingly in favor of protecting abortion rights. pic.twitter.com/VYIj2JEElE
— Caroline Kitchener (@CAKitchener) January 20, 2023
Blasi apparently subscribes to the belief "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." If it becomes law, his bill would undermine the voters' decision from August.
"The irony of this bill is too much," Anamarie Rebori Simmons, spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes, told The New Republic. "The party that tried to remove fundamental protections from the state Constitution didn't get the outcome they wanted when Kansans overwhelmingly supported abortion access. This is an attempt to blatantly disregard the will of the people. Abortion rights won in a landslide, including in the home county of the bill's sponsor. Politicians serve as the voice of the people in the legislature, and Republican lawmakers should know better than to silence those they represent."
Kansas allows abortion up to 22 weeks, but the state also has multiple rules aimed at discouraging people from getting abortions, such as requiring patients to receive state-directed counseling and to undergo an ultrasound before getting the procedure. The ultrasound provider must offer the patient the option to see the image.
Democratic state Senator Cindy Holscher slammed the bill as an attempt by "extremists" to "find another path" to increase restrictions on abortion and said the measure will likely go to court if it passes.
It's not the only bill attacking reproductive rights: State Senator Mark Steffen also introduced a bill that would ban the prescription via telemedicine of abortion pills or drugs used to induce abortions.
Ashley All, a senior advisor for the reproductive freedom nonprofit Families United for Freedom, slammed the Blasi bill's hypocrisy. "It's important to remember that the amendment on the ballot in August specifically asked voters' permission for politicians to further regulate abortion and voters said NO," she told The New Republic. "These extreme anti-abortion politicians are ignoring the will of Kansas voters and attempting to eliminate our constitutional rights."
Neither bill is likely to become state law. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly supports abortion rights and thus will probably veto them both should they make it to her desk. But the legislation is an indication that the attempts to limit reproductive freedom are only getting more intense.
The Plan to Keep Abortion Rights Atop Voters Minds for the Next Two Years
After World's Worst Investigation, Supreme Court Says It Can't Find Who Leaked the Abortion Ruling
Here are all the holes in the Supreme Court's effort to find who leaked the decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
The Supreme Court has spent months investigating who might have leaked the draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, and the results released Thursday can best be paraphrased as such: "IDK, bro."
The leaked draft last May caused widespread outrage, both in and outside the highest U.S. court. Protesters took to the streets, demanding the justices protect the right to abortion, but Chief Justice John Roberts was more concerned about the sanctity of the court, calling the leak a "betrayal of the confidences of the Court." He assigned the marshal of the court and her team to investigate the source of the leak.
After a months-long investigation, the team announced Thursday it is "unable to identify a person responsible by a preponderance of the evidence."
The court also consulted Michael Chertoff, a former secretary of homeland security, who confirmed the marshal "undertook a thorough investigation."
Except … maybe not so much.
The sleuthing that's gone into identifying the Supreme Court leaker appears a little . . . thin. https://t.co/9WovtbqOb7 pic.twitter.com/a8HsBGOK62
— Cristian Farias (@cristianafarias) January 13, 2023
Investigators conducted 126 interviews of 97 court personnel, many of which were reportedly short and not exactly in-depth. Employees were asked to turn over the call and text logs from their personal cell phones, but investigators found "nothing relevant" in the records. Investigators also examined employees' search histories to see if anyone was essentially stupid enough to Google, "Is it illegal for me to leak a Supreme Court draft opinion?" It appears no one was.
Several personnel admitted they had told their partners about the opinion draft, which violates the court's confidentiality rules. It is unclear whether those staffers will face disciplinary measures and, more importantly, whether their partners were also questioned as potential leakers.
What's more, the marshal's report doesn't specify whether any of the justices themselves were questioned, focusing instead on "Court personnel" and "temporary … and permanent employees."
OK, so, I just finished the Marshal's report. It's wild. But, at the end of the day, this is really all that matters: The justices themselves were not asked questions or investigated, per what I gather from the Marshal's report. pic.twitter.com/6Dl29JiE9D
— Chris "Subscribe to Law Dork!" Geidner (@chrisgeidner) January 19, 2023
There has been plenty of speculation about who might have leaked the draft and why, but one thing is clear: This investigation was never going to give us those answers.
School Districts Across the Country Are Getting Electric Buses
Thousands of electric school buses will soon be in service and help cut greenhouse gas emissions, thanks to a major government investment.
Christinne Muschi/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Nearly 500,000 school buses carry 25 million children to school across the country every day. And now America is in a full-swing effort to replace those buses with electric ones, setting the country on the path to cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than five million tons—equivalent to removing one million cars from the road.
Though states have begun transitioning buses for years, the nationwide project follows the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which commissioned $5 billion toward the effort to replace old, diesel-fueled buses with new cleaner vehicles. The first round of funding distributed nearly $1 billion to districts in states nationwide, including Washington, D.C., and territories including Puerto Rico and Guam.
Such investments not only save millions in emissions and in fuel costs but also correlate to better health and academic outcomes for children: better school attendance, lower rates of asthma, and stronger general respiratory health and cognitive functioning. While electric buses may come at a higher cost at first, the investment pays dividends almost immediately.
And districts from coast to coast are reaping the benefits.
"Our district's diesel fuel costs are tremendous," Heath Oates, superintendent of Missouri's El Dorado Springs R-II school district, told The Daily Yonder. "My initial estimates show we're going to save around $200,000 a year, which is the cost of four beginning teachers with benefits."
Pellston Public Schools in Michigan are estimated to save 80 percent in energy use, saving the 461-student district about $33,000 annually. The estimated reduction in maintenance costs is about 60 percent, which would offer another $23,812 in annual savings.
Nevada's Clark County district, which operates the nation's largest owned-and-operated school bus fleet, with nearly 2,000 buses serving 125,000 students, has just unveiled its first electric model. Just one bus is estimated to save $60 a day in fuel costs—scale that to the whole fleet, and the district could save nearly $120,000 per day.
Beyond the massive fiscal and emission-reduction benefits, the bus rides themselves improve. Bus drivers cite the "smoother ride" and substantial noise reduction as improvements both for their own sake and in enabling them to more easily hear and communicate with their young passengers.
Policies like school bus transitions are good in their own right: The benefits they proffer fiscally, environmentally, and even socially are valuable. But they also show people across the country why policy—and policy battles—matter at all. A society acquainted with the benefits of things like electric school buses would be one eager to demand more such changes.
More on Climate
The Dawn of Gas Stove Denialism
Treasury Resorts to "Extraordinary Measures" as U.S. Hits Debt Ceiling
The Treasury Department is taking steps to make sure the U.S. doesn't default on its debt, as House Republicans and the White House continue to face off.
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
The Treasury is having to resort to "extraordinary measures" to prevent the United States from defaulting on its debt, which could plummet the country into a recession, Secretary Janet Yellen told Congress Thursday.
In a letter, Yellen explained the U.S. has reached its $31.4 trillion debt limit, forcing her to take steps to ensure the government does not default and has a little more time to solve the problem. For now, those "extraordinary measures" include redeeming and suspending new federal investments in the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund and the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund. In a letter last week, Yellen also expected that the Treasury will suspend reinvestment of the Government Securities Investment Fund of the Federal Employees Retirement System Thrift Savings Plan.
Suspending investment in these funds will preserve the country's credit until June, but Yellen noted that the amount of time these measures will work is "subject to considerable uncertainty" and urged Congress to act quickly.
She warned last week that defaulting would cause "irreparable harm to the U.S. economy."
The debt ceiling is the maximum amount of money the U.S. can borrow. The current level was set two years ago. If the government reaches its borrowing limit, it could default on its debt or fail to make a payment. Already high prices and inflation could skyrocket, sending the U.S. into a recession.
House Republicans, who hold the majority in the chamber, refuse to raise the debt ceiling and instead are trying to slash spending in other areas, such as entitlement programs, including Social Security and Medicare. But Democrats and President Joe Biden refuse to negotiate, with White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre warning Wednesday that the debt limit should not be used as a "political football."
Defaulting means the government would be unable to pay military salaries and Social Security benefits. A lower debt ceiling would also mean less funding for programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, SNAP or food stamps, and meal programs for low-income students.
During the last debt ceiling standoff in 2021, Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody's Analytics, warned that defaulting would send the U.S. into an almost immediate recession, wiping out up to $15 trillion in household wealth and nearly doubling the unemployment rate from about 5 percent at the time to about 9 percent.
"This economic scenario is cataclysmic.… The downturn would be comparable to that suffered during the financial crisis" of 2008, Zandi and Bernard Yaros, Moody's assistant director and economist, said in a report.
More on the Debt Ceiling
The Debt Ceiling Time Bomb Is Ticking Again. This Could Be the Year It Explodes.
Politics, Law, Supreme Court, Constitution, Foreign Policy, Health Care, Economic Inequality, Taxes, Washington


text:
package es.tid.ospf.ospfv2.lsa.tlv.subtlv;

public class LinkProtectionType extends OSPFSubTLV {

	public LinkProtectionType(){

	}

	public LinkProtectionType(byte[] bytes, int offset)throws MalformedOSPFSubTLVException{
		super(bytes,offset);
		decode();
	}

	@Override
	public void encode() {
		// TODO Auto-generated method stub

	}

	protected void decode()throws MalformedOSPFSubTLVException{

	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


From left, Anthony Farrar, Jacob Davies, Emilyn Nguyen and Alea DeLong carry a constructed frame during Framing Frenzy, part of a Service Week community project. More than 200 RIT students helped Flower City Habitat for Humanity by building frames for two houses that will be erected in Rochester.
Kylie Pleakis had never hammered a nail into anything before her volunteer shift yesterday at Rochester Institute of Technology's "Framing Frenzy," but that didn't stop her from helping build walls and frames for two two-story houses for Flower City Habitat for Humanity.
Gabrielle Plucknette-DeVito Kylie Pleakis, a fourth-year applied math major from Allegany, N.Y., hammers nails to a frame during the Framing Frenzy as part of Service Week on Wednesday.
She was one of 200 RIT students, faculty and staff members who participated in the construction as part of Service Week. The week provides dozens of opportunities for students to volunteer in community services, ranging from clothing, food, book and blood drives; cemetery and trail cleanup; and donating school supply kits to elementary students.
Framing Frenzy is also one of the "50 Acts of Kindness" events held this academic year to commemorate RIT's 50th year at its Henrietta campus. The initiative encourages the RIT community to actively participate in the betterment of their communities through direct service, philanthropic giving and/or active participation in awareness-raising programs and events.
Organized by RIT's Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, Framing Frenzy was held in three shifts, as dozens of students received information about Habitat for Humanity, then instructions on what they would be doing. Soon, students were placed in small groups, given a hammer and nail-filled aprons, and started pounding away. About 20 "hammer and saw" volunteer supervisors among them told them how to line up, hold and nail together the stacked lumber.
Gabrielle Plucknette-DeVito RIT students, from left, Nicole English, a first-year student from Northborough, Mass., and Ricardo Carrion, a second-year student from Rochester, work together during the annual Framing Frenzy. More than 200 RIT students helped Flower City Habitat for Humanity by building frames for two houses that will be erected in Rochester.
Once completed, the teams walked their frames to a pile, where they were erected into a makeshift house to show how big the 1,900-square-foot homes were. They'll be built on Holworthy Street on Rochester's west side and ready for move-in this time next year.
The future owner of one of the houses visited the scene and thanked the students for their work. She and her husband, refugees from Somalia, have nine children, including one with special needs. The family is currently living in different states, so she looks forward to her family living together again in their new home.
O'Neil said many of the 200 active students in the club spend each weekend building, installing dry wall, putting on siding and other projects for Habitat for Humanity homes on sites usually in Genesee County. But this event on the RIT campus introduces more students to the work they do.
"This event is big for the RIT community to come together to make an impact on the Rochester community," said O'Neil, a fourth-year biochemistry major from Plaistow, N.H.
Andrew McPherson, a fourth-year electrical engineering major from Baldwin, N.Y., was one of several members of RIT's varsity track team to volunteer hammering nails.
"I just wanted to do a nice thing for the community and also represent the track team," he said.
The Flower City chapter of Habitat for Humanity has built or remodeled nearly 250 homes since 1984. The new homeowners, who are people who have a need for improved housing, purchase the homes after qualifying for a mortgage and agreeing to partner with Habitat for Humanity in future projects.
Flower City Habitat for Humanity CEO Matt Flanigan said RIT's efforts will save them six weeks of construction time.


text:
Q: DDD and collections and paging of related models? I have a rich model, where e.g. one model A depends on many related entities/value objects. Therefore we have methods in A for retrieving collections of related objects: getFoos(), getBars() and so on.
At one point, one or many of these related collections should not be fetched eagerly, and, moreover, should be fetched using pagination.
I do not want to 'pollute' the model with methods like getFoosPage(from, to, size). This is not part of the business, it's part of the viewing problem.
How should I solve the pagination?
Next, sometimes I need to get just A with Foos, but not Bars. Should I have a method in my repo saying: getAWithFoos()? I do not like that are returned A will be only partially populated (no boos), and you can not tell that just by inspecting the model.
For now, I am thinking in building a 'query' model, where I would have different classes for scenarios I need, like 'AWithFoos` that contains A and related Foos and so on. Does that make sense?

A: The "query model" you mention totally makes sense, actually there's a whole approach based on that (CQRS). Query side would expose Read Model Facades for all the fancy tailored display models you need, and command side has Repositories for business transactions through Aggregates.
In a traditional non-CQRS DDD app, I wouldn't be shocked to see paging and filtering parameters in repo methods though, since they are also your query objects.
You can also have a look at the Rules of Effective Aggregate Design by Vaughn Vernon. Through smaller Aggregates and more careful domain design, it addresses the kind of entity loading and performance issues you seem to experience.

A: You should consider the Lazy Load pattern If you wish to fetch items only per request
As for the need of the view. I used a different solution.
I noticed that on sophisticated views I need to load lots of entities which then in turn loaded their children. Way too much work on the DB / process memory.
So I created a Report object that basically extend the object that can populate result set from SQL result (in my case it was ZF2 ResultSet). Then all I had to do was:

*

*Set the SQL (left join or whatever, I call views that hide complexity)

*Initiate the object (passing adapter)

*Work on the result set

Its a simple one query, read only solution.
<?php

namespace MyProj\Mapper\Reports;

use Zend\Db\Adapter\Adapter;
use Zend\Db\ResultSet\ResultSet;

class AccountsWithGroupsUsersCount extends ResultSet
{
    protected $sql = 'SELECT * FROM v_accounts_with_groups_and_users_count';

    /**
     * Execute the script and initilize the users list
     * @param int $accountId
     * @param Adapter $dbAdapter
     */
    function __construct(Adapter $dbAdapter)
    {
        parent::__construct();
        $stmt   = $dbAdapter->query($this->sql);
        $result = $stmt->execute();
        $this->buffer()->initialize($result);
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


MONDAY, Oct. 13, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Giving a common local anesthetic to women undergoing breast removal surgery -- a mastectomy -- reduces their risk of persistent pain after the procedure, a new study says.
More than two-thirds of mastectomy patients experience chronic pain after surgery, which can significantly affect physical activity, physical and mental health, and quality of life. The pain also increases the risk of depression, sleep problems and use of anti-anxiety drugs, according to the authors of the study.
"Unfortunately, chronic pain is a condition that many breast cancer patients endure after mastectomy," said lead author Dr. Mohamed Tiouririne, associate professor of anesthesiology at the University of Virginia. "Our findings indicate that intravenous (IV) lidocaine can protect mastectomy patients from developing chronic pain, possibly due to the anti-inflammatory effects associated with the medication."
The findings were scheduled for presentation Monday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists in New Orleans.
The study included 61 mastectomy patients who were divided into two groups. Some received intravenous lidocaine during surgery and for up to two hours after their operation, while others were given a placebo.
Six months after surgery, 12 percent of those in the lidocaine group and 30 percent of those in the placebo group had developed chronic pain. Lidocaine was associated with a 20-fold decrease in post-mastectomy pain.
However, lidocaine was less effective among women who had breast implants or received radiation therapy. The risk of post-mastectomy pain was 16 times higher among those with breast implants and 29 times higher among those who received radiation therapy, even if they received lidocaine.
"Our study demonstrates the potential long-term protective effects of lidocaine. However, additional studies are needed to assess the effect of lidocaine treatment a year or more after mastectomy, as well as the effect it has on daily activity, mental health and depression in these patients," Tiouririne said in a society news release.
Study findings presented at meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about mastectomy.


Labour MEPs have welcomed the International Criminal Court's announcement of an initial investigation into the violence that has taken place in Burundi since April last year.
In the past year more than 400 people have been killed, thousands arrested and more than 260,000 have sought refuge in neighbouring countries fearing wider ethnic violence like the massacres which took place during the 1993-2005 civil war and the 1972 genocide.
However, new talks due to be mediated by former Tanzanian President, Benjamin Mpaka, faced more delays thie week with officials citing the need for 'further consultation'. In recent months Western sponsors, including the European Union, have withheld aid and backed UN and African Union peacekeeping initiatives vetoed by Burundi.
With the Burundian government refusing to resolve the political deadlock with opposition leaders, Labour MEPs hope this new step will create some measure of accountability for the world's poorest nation.
"Once again political violence in Burundi is making headlines. It is clear that UN and African Union attempts to defuse the situation are making no headway with President Nkurunziza, which is why I am pleased to see the ICC announcing an initial inquiry into the growing violence we have seen in Burundi since last April.
"A year on, hundreds of thousands of Burundians have fled, there is talk of arming rebels in refugee camps, starvation in the villages and a slippery slope towards ethnic violence in the capital. I hope that this renewed effort to hold Nkurunziza's government to account has a strong effect - and having experienced their views on the ICC first-hand, I believe it might.
"Without a concerted effort from its neighbours and the wider international community it is likely that the situation will deteriorate, with consequences for Burundi, its citizens and the entire region."


I first heard Lhasa's name spoken among the crumbling foundations of an old building in Lithuania. That was a year ago. But now, having finally heard her sing, heard those torpid words crawl from her throat, I'm right back there in that blown-out courtyard. And like last year, it's filled with sunken faces disguised by smiles and with quiet, deferent chatter, as a woman sings atmosphere from a plastic chair on a rickety stage. The album's called The Living Road, and it evokes just that; a series of beautifully alive places, linked by a single, winding thread.
Beth Gibbons with an accent; intense and breathy.
Posted by Andrew Ladd on Wednesday, August 3rd, 2005 under folk.
Lhasa is one of my top favorite artists. Don't forget her first album, "La Llorona" ; it's entirely in Spanish, but full of intense, captivating music.
If you like this, try this as well, you might like it ;) It's a Spanish band, and this album is with many guest vocals.
or the Portuguese fado singer Misia. Awesome stuff.
I bought this CD a while ago, and really liked it, it's nice to be reminded, it's so easy forget what's in your rack!
I subscribe to you via ipodder. I'm here working late. Fired up Con Toda Palabra. Wow. This is why I so enjoy your site.
Thanks to VC for recommending La Llorona (I haven't yet heard it); thanks to El Vikingo for recommending Mastretta (to the world music section, Robin!); and thanks to everyone else for the kind words.
As for Lhasa's Spanophony or lack thereof, I rather suspect she is a native speaker, but of Mexican Spanish rather than Spanish Spanish, which may be where the confusion is coming from. Nice article on her here.
This has been one of my favorite posts so far. I've got a penchant for really talented female vocalists and she is the perfect ear candy. Thank you for the introduction!
Good-gravy… everytime I check this blog it is fantastic. Many thanks for the introductions.
I just found this site a few days ago. Thanks for Lhasa!
I'll be sure to stop by soon again and check more of this amazing stuff you introduce here.
Catching up here: finally got The Living Road two weeks ago and have been listening to it repeatedly. Thanks for the heads-up about Lhasa — tasty stuff.
Lhasa is amazing. Went to her concert on Tuesday & fell in love with her. When I first listened that name was three years ago in a little mexican island called Holbox. Luciano is an italian man living there. He likes Lhasa. You must see her in concert at least once. She is so sweet.
Lhasa has passed away, as of Jan 1st of 2010.


text:
Why Hearing Music Touches the Soul
Posted by admin at 11:44 AM on Jun 16, 2017
Music is a language unlike any other. We all understand the power and the expression behind uplifting major thirds or a devastating minor interval, because it deeply affects humans on a psychological and physiological level. It affects chemical and electrical processes in the body, but many would argue that it does more than that – a string of artfully composed notes goes beyond sensory input and processing to touch that intangible part of us known as the soul. But why?
The Effect of Music on the Mind and Body
While the study of music's neurological effects is in its infancy, many studies reaffirm the connections among music, mood, emotion, and neuro-chemical activity. Without getting too far into the technical side of music's effect, the existing school of thought suggests that music's impact on the mind and body are real and could translate into a powerful therapy for conditions including autism, stroke, and Alzheimer's.
Music even touches people who cannot hear it in the conventional way. Beethoven was deaf and composed some of the most powerful music the world has ever heard. The vibrations, rhythms, beats, and tones that make up a composition turn music into a multisensory experience. Sound waves literally enter the ear and manipulate the eardrum in an interpretable way.
With these basic understandings of the way music affects the body, denying the power of music is difficult. It can put an infant to sleep, elicit a laugh, or precipitate tears. A terrifying sequence in a horror film can stimulate the fight or flight response. With or without words, experiencing music rarely leaves a person unchanged.
Like Chicken Soup … Maybe Better!
In a time when people work crazy hours, peace is uncertain, and chronic health conditions are on the rise, music offers a reprieve. It can take you to the Caribbean on your lunch break with the mellow sound of a steel drum band or help you find the "eye of the tiger" before a big interview. A get-together isn't complete without the right playlist, and the right song can even help you overcome heartbreak. Simply pop in some headphones, close your eyes, and immerse yourself in the soul-touching experience of your favorite playlist.
With smart devices, music discovery apps such as Pandora or Spotify, and high-quality headphones (like our Hutchee, PureSound Bluetooth headphones), you can take the power of music with you anywhere you go.
Music is a language unlike any other. We all understand the power and the expression behind uplifting major thirds or a…
4 Reasons Bluetooth Headphones Are Perfect for Summer
Summer is just around the corner, which means it's time to start thinking about fun in the sun. Warmer weather and longer…
Four Ways to Sync Your Workouts With Music
The perfect playlist can make the difference between achieving your workout goal and giving up halfway. There is a scientific…
michael@hutchee.com
Wireless Headphones Bluetooth Headphones
We love headphones!
Do you love headphones?
Bluetooth Headphones Wireless Headphones
Copyright © 2023 Hutchee
Sign In to Edit this Site

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Sub-sea earthquakes cause tsunamis, a series of waves carrying a massive volume of water, which can be disastrous for low-lying coastal communities. Following the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, the IOC was given the responsibility of leading the implementation of tsunami warning systems, which can detect and locate subsea earthquakes within a few minutes, not only in the Indian Ocean but also in the Caribbean and the North East Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea (a warning system for the Pacific was already in place) so that evacuation plans can swiftly be put into action.
A network of regional tsunami watch providers will locate the epicentre of an earthquake and measure its magnitude. Watch providers will then assess the tsunami risk and, if necessary, issue a tsunami watch message to national authorities. Additionally a community-based programme of awareness plans will be rolled out.
To measure and assess risk, centres will use seismometers to pick up tremors and movements in the Earth's crust, tide gauges to measure changes in near-land sea level and tsunameters which are open-ocean buoys which have a pressure sensor at sea bottom for measuring waves and which, by using a surface buoy, send real-time data to watch centres via satellites.
Historically the Mediterranean and North East Atlantic is one of the most tsunami prone regions in the world and the UK is working within IOC to assist in the development of a tsunami warning and mitigation system for this region. This will use seismic data anomalies as well as sea level gauges to alert national civil protection agencies to any potential threat and will be integrated, where appropriate, into other sea-level warning systems. Steady progress has been made and France, Greece, Italy Portugal and Turkey will all be operating national tsunami warning centres in the next few months. Currently, Trevor Guymer, past head of the UK IOC Office is serving as Vice-Chairperson for the North-eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and connected seas Tsunami Warning programme.
In 2014 work was initiated to improve UK involvement in the North East Atlantic and Mediterranean Tsunami exercise. This is a training event designed to test countries' preparedness in the event of a tsunami, which involves the simulation of the assessment of a tsunami, based on an earthquake-driven scenario followed by alert message dissemination. Previously the UK has not taken part in this exercise. As such 2015 was the first year that the UK participated.
Further work has been carried out to invest in the tsunami warning system in the UK's overseas territories. Each Caribbean island needs to have a Tsunami warning contact point. In 2014 the UK facilitated the appointment of such a contact point on all of its overseas territories. Further more in 2015 the UK invested in new tide gauges around the coast of Anguilla. Tide gauges are an important component of the tsunami warning system, allowing changes in sea level, either regular or irregular in the event of a tsunami, to be detected. This information, in conjunction with knowing the epicentre of the offshore earthquake, provides an early warning of a tsunami's approach to shore.


text:
Most Romantic Hotel Bathrooms For...
Most Romantic Hotel Bathrooms For Valentine's Day
January 29, 2018 by etavares
Most Romantic Hotel Bathrooms For Valentine's Day – Are you looking for the perfect lovely place to spend the Valentine's Day weekend? These hotels, as well as their stunning and luxury bathrooms, won't let you down.
NAYARA SPRINGS — ARENAL VOLCANO NATIONAL PARK, COSTA RICA
This back-to-nature hotel in the Costa Rican rainforest welcomes adults only, so it's perfect for a romantic escape. Enjoy sustainable luxury at its finest at Nayara Springs, and take advantage of some of the many complimentary services that come with your hotel booking, including bird watching, daily yoga, and an outdoor spa.
THE BOWERY HOTEL — NEW YORK, NEW YORK
For a cozily bohemian hotel experience, look no further than the chic, warm Bowery Hotel in downtown Manhattan. Enjoy drinks in the beloved lobby bar and lounge, or check in to one of their beautifully appointed rooms to get away from it all with your honey.
LANI'S SUITES DE LUXE — PUERTO DEL CARMEN, CANARY ISLANDS
Technically, Lani's Suites de Luxe is in Spain, but you won't find it on the Iberian Peninsula. It's located in Puerto del Carmen in the Canary Islands, just off the coast of Morocco, and offers sun, surf, and total relaxation. The resort also has special packages for celebrating anniversaries, honeymoons, and other occasions with your beloved.
THE PLACE LUXURY BOUTIQUE VILLAS — KOH TAO, THAILAND
If you're seeking privacy this Valentine's Day, look no further than the Place Luxury Boutique Villas, on the coast of Thailand. Guests have the seclusion of their own villas, and vacationing couples even have the option of the ultra-romantic honeymoon villa. No matter which option you select, each villa has a private infinity pool and an ocean view.
COCO PLUM ISLAND RESORT — COCO PLUM CAY, BELIZE
Enjoy a peaceful escape to paradise at the Coco Plum Island Resort in Belize. This adults-only resort is perfect for celebrating a new romance, or renewing a longstanding love, especially if you and your partner enjoy adventure — the resort specializes in tours that take guests snorkeling, zip-lining, or into local Mayan ruins.
Read also: The Best Bathroom Lighting Ideas For Every Design Style – Part 1
BELAMERE SUITES HOTEL — PERRYSBURG, OHIO
Located in Perrysburg, Ohio, the Belamere Suites Hotel specializes in peaceful, romantic seclusion. Each suite comes with its own private entrance and parking, and rooms are fitted with fireplaces and hot tubs — ideal for cozying up over a cold February weekend.
LA MAISON D'AIX — AIX-EN-PROVENCE, FRANCE
This boutique hotel is located right in the heart of the famously romantic French city of Aix-en-Provence. La Maison d'Aix is known for its exceptional customer service and attention to detail. This is the perfect getaway for feeling pampered, from the Hermès toiletries to the scenic Provençal countryside.
BULGARI RESORT BALI — BALI, INDONESIA
Bulgari, a brand most commonly associated with ultra-fabulous jewels, also has a line of similarly splendid hotels. If you ask us, an ideal Valentine's Day features both! Check into the Bulgari Resort Bali to enjoy world-class luxury, spectacular scenery, and Valentine's-ready bookings like their secluded cliff-side villas.
THE PALACE HOTEL — NEW YORK, NEW YORK
The high-rise hotel has picture windows with stunning views of St. Patrick's gothic spires across the street, and inside, boasts thick carpets, mahogany bookshelves, and opulent crystal. Perhaps the most indulgent parts of the Palace – especially for space-starved New Yorkers — are the opulent, marble bathrooms in each suite, featuring soaking tubs (perhaps big enough for two?) and Molten Brown accessories. The views are also breathtaking.
BAUDON DE MAUNY — MONTPELLIER, FRANCE
The distinctive Baudon de Mauny hotel is a city chateau that has remained in the owner's family for seven generations. Adding to the feeling of privilege and privacy, there are just five guest rooms — each named for its Cole and Son's wallpaper pattern — along with a single pied-a-terre apartment with two bedrooms. In other words, you and your special someone will have plenty of space to yourselves. The owner's wife, interior designer Nathalie Duroyon, enlivens the spacious rooms with a chic mix of modern furniture by the likes of Rietveld and Bertoia.
HACIENDA DE SAN ANTONIO — SAN ANTONIO, MEXICO
More than two hours into the tropical terrain beyond Guadalajara, the secluded Hacienda de San Antonio has been ingeniously reconstructed on ancient foundations. Large guest rooms conceived by New York-based designer Robert Couturier open to shaded courtyards brimming with leafy plants and exquisite folk art. Guests partake in fresh-caught seafood from the Pacific and an encyclopedic selection of exquisite artisanal tequilas. The hotel also specializes in excursion for two, like picnics in the country and side-by-side horseback riding.
And also: How To Decorate Your Bathroom With Pantone's 2018 Color Of The Year
>> For more luxury bathroom furniture and accessories, click here or below to download free Maison Valentina new catalog. <<
Source: Elle Decor
Tags: Bulgari Resort Bali, Luxury Bathroom, luxury bathroom furniture, Luxury Bathrooms, Marble bathrooms, Molten Brown accessories, Most Romantic Hotel Bathrooms
See Nemo Tile + Stone Bathroom Decor Novelties At ICFF 2019
Everything About The Surface Design Show 2019!
Pantone Color of the Year for 2019 Will Be the Warm Living Coral Tone


In 2018, domestic extremists killed at least 50 people in the U.S., a sharp increase from the 37 extremist-related murders documented in 2017, though still lower than the totals for 2015 (70) and 2016 (72).
The 50 deaths make 2018 the fourth-deadliest year on record for domestic extremist-related killings since 1970.
The extremist-related murders in 2018 were overwhelmingly linked to right-wing extremists.
Every one of the perpetrators had ties to at least one right-wing extremist movement, although one had recently switched to supporting Islamist extremism. White supremacists were responsible for the great majority of the killings, which is typically the case.
The perpetrator of one of 2018's deadly shooting sprees, at a yoga studio in Tallahassee, was connected to the misogynistic incel/manosphere movement. EDITOR'S NOTE: "incel" = "involuntarily celibate."
In the wake of this attack and a similarly-motivated killing spree in Toronto, Canada, ADL's COE now tracks such incidents as extremist-related killings and has updated its database to include an earlier incel-linked incident, Elliot Rodger's 2014 shooting spree.


Birth of a Hero font contains 655 defined characters and 170 unique glyphs. The font contains characters from the following unicode character ranges: Basic Latin (93), Latin-1 Supplement (96), Latin Extended-A (128), Latin Extended-B (7), Spacing Modifier Letters (9), Greek and Coptic (73), Cyrillic (94), Latin Extended Additional (8), General Punctuation (23), Superscripts and Subscripts (1), Currency Symbols (4), Letterlike Symbols (6), Number Forms (4), Arrows (7), Mathematical Operators (17), Miscellaneous Technical (4), Box Drawing (40), Block Elements (8), Geometric Shapes (15), Miscellaneous Symbols (11), Private Use Area (4), Alphabetic Presentation Forms (2).
Birth of a Hero is a fancy, eroded font designed by Segments Design. The font is licensed as Free for personal use. You can download and use the font free for personal projects. For commercial projects please refer to the license file in the package or contact the designer directly from facebook.com.
Birth of a Hero font has been rated 4.5 out of 5 points. A total of 2 votes cast and 0 users reviewed the font.


text:
Oriana House plans gets pushback from local residents
November 6, 2018 by wcbhb3164 Addiction, Drugs, Facility 0 comments
Residents wary of plans for rehabilitation center
Tempers flared Monday night as more than 40 parents voiced fears about a potential new neighbor.
Oriana House is under contract to buy the former Woman's Home on Third Street, with plans for a rehabilitation center there.
"It's common sense, who would put these people that close to any school?" said Christina McMahon, whose son attends St. Mary Catholic School, a private school housing pre-K through eighth grade at the corner of Marion and Fourth Streets.
McMahon, other parents and neighbors were gathered in the basement of the school in a meeting called by Oriana House, a private 501(c)3 nonprofit which provides addiction treatment services, community corrections programs and behavioral health services in Ohio.
Currently, Oriana runs both a halfway house in Reno for court-mandated clients and those transitioning back into the community from prison, and Rigel Recovery Services, an outpatient substance abuse treatment program.
Oriana also contracted with the county two weeks ago to design and facilitate a drug court with Washington County Common Pleas Judge Mark Kerenyi.
Monday's meeting was about the next level in a continuum of care requested by the Washington County Behavioral Health Board in response to the opioid epidemic that has hit southeastern Ohio counties and Appalachia as a whole the hardest in the nation.
addiction Drug Addiction facility Oriana House Recovery Rehab Treatment Washington County


Developed multiple collateral pieces, initiated and created the Brand Style Guide and curated multiple points of view within the larger collection.
Conceived, designed and directed Gillham Studios' booth design for the first show at Surtex. Collaborated with engineers, craftsman and shipping experts to deliver high-qulity, fireproof panels that would act as interchangeable displays for the Gilham Studios team.
Any up and coming business needed a social presence. I created from the ground up all social accounts, including facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. For Pinterest, I curated collections based on color, while on Instagram I curated a thoughtful and elegant feed. I managed and posted daily to all accounts.


text:
Eclipse Travel System
Stomp V4 Travel System
Moon Travel System
Travel System Accessories
Venus Double Stroller
Gravity Stroller
Globe Travel Stroller
Astral Group 0+ Car Seat
Galaxy Group 0+ Car Seat
Mercury i-Size Car Seat
Solar Group 1-2-3 Car Seat
Radius 360 Car Seat
Cosmic Aura collection
Mono Mountains collection
Rainbow Dreams collection
Rustic Safari collection
Bunnychino collection
We are a UK based company providing quality, budget-friendly baby and nursery products. Ickle bubba has grown from strength to strength, committed to expanding the portfolio of stylish, practical and budget friendly products that are ready to meet the demands of modern family life. We are committed to ensuring that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains or in any part of our business. This commitment forms part of wider commitment to act ethically and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships and we will continue to implement and enforce effective controls and procedures to ensure that such behaviours do not occur in our business or that of our supply chain.
The organisation is controlled by a board of directorswith offices based in Swansea, Leeds and Cheltenham. The main activity carried out by Ickle Bubba is the selling of baby and nursery products throughout the year.
Labour supplied toIckle Bubba is in the implementation of its operations carried out in the locations mentioned above.
Ickle Bubba acknowledges its responsibilities in relation to tackling modern slavery and commits to complying with the provisions in the section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. We understand that this requires an ongoing review of both its internal practices in relation to its labour force andsupply chains.
We do not enter business with any other organisation, in the United Kingdom or abroad, which knowingly supports or is found to involve itself in slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour.
No labour provided toIckle Bubba in the pursuance of the provision of its own services is obtained by means of slavery or human trafficking. westrictly adhere to the minimum standards required in relation to its responsibilities under relevant employment legislation in the United Kingdom.
We have a global network of supplier from whom we source our production with a majority are based in China, Poland and the EU. Ickle bubba oversees quality control on a global basis by working with our suppliers to improve quality control measures currently in place to ensure a robust quality control programme.
During the reporting period covered by this statement, the COVID-19 pandemic had taken hold. For several months, the UK was placed into lockdown to stem the spread of COVID-19. This created several challenges for the Organisation, as it did for others across the nation.
Ickle Bubba welcomes the UK Government's decision, as confirmed in April 2020, to allow for a delay of up to 6 months in the publication of modern slavery statements without the risk of facing penalty.
Weunderstand that the COVID-19 pandemic didnot adjust the risk of modern slavery to a level above that which existed before the pandemic, which is as set out under 'POTENTIAL EXPOSURE' above.
During the pandemic, our employees still had access to the grievance procedure to raise any concerns that they may have had.
In line with emergency legislation passed by the Government, employees have been paid Statutory Sick Pay during periods of self-isolation where it has not been possible to agree a temporary period of homeworking.
Ickle Bubba's modern slavery risks were subject to the same monitoring procedures during the pandemic as at all other times.
Our Diligence Processes
Ickle Bubbacarries out due diligence processes in relation to ensuring slavery and/or human trafficking does not take place in our organisation or supply chains, including conducting a review of the controls of its suppliers.
We have not, to our knowledge, conducted any business with another organisation which has been found to have involved itself with modern slavery.
In accordance with section 54(4) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015,Ickle Bubbahas taken the following steps to ensure that modern slavery is not taking place:
Implementing our onboarding system through audits and our diligence process
Continuing to review our auditing process with corrective action plans with all our key suppliers to address the risk to modern slavery.
Continuing to train our employees and encouraging to conduct training within their organisationsupon potential instances of slavery.
Ickle Bubba has set the following key performance indicators to measure its effectiveness in ensuring modern slavery is not taking place in the Organisation or its supply chains.
Implementing an on-boarding system and on-going auditing process
All new and current supplier are required to have and up to date social and ethical compliance audit on file prior to any purchase order being raised. Any attempt to raise a purchase order without and audit report on file is automatically blocked.
Our ethical and social compliance is fully implemented and on-going with suppliers submitting corrective action plans and SMETA reports for approval to our compliance officer.
Training our employees and encouraging our suppliers to conduct training.
All employeesat Ickle bubba have been issued with the social compliance policy that we send out to our suppliers on an annual basis. We encourage our suppliers to complete regular training within their own organisations.
We have a fire but firm approach to ensure that our key values, standards and expectations are met within a timely manner. If any member of our supply chain is unable or willing to address issues, we believe to be critical we reserve the right to terminate arrangement in accordance with contractual rights to do so.
Continued Monitoring
Our Technical team here at Ickle Bubba are in regular contact with our supplier to guide and assist them through any improvements need as part of their corrective action plans. All Audits received are reviewed by trained members of the technical team to assess whether results meet the standards we expect.
This statement is made in pursuance of Section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and will be reviewed for each financial year.
Date of approval: 25th Aug 2021
Signed:A Beasley
Print name:
Job Title: Product Director
Date:25th Aug 2021
Travel System Comparison Chart
Pushchair Comparison Chart


Home Technology Facebook: What's in Mark Zuckerberg's privacy plan?
Facebook: What's in Mark Zuckerberg's privacy plan?
After a solid year of data breaches, privacy scandals and controversial policy decisions, Mark Zuckerberg now says he wants Facebook to become a "privacy-focused" social network.
Facebook's critics have laughed at the suggestion. Until now, it has been encouraging people to share more, scooping up buckets of personal data and using it to rake in advertising cash.
Will it really change, when it makes so much money from us over-sharing?
In a 3,200-word blog, Facebook's chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, said "privacy-focused communications" would become more important than open social networks in the future. In some countries, this is already the case.
However, he stressed that the option to post publicly would remain, as it let people discover "new people, ideas and content" and gave people a voice.
He also said the company would not build data centres in countries with a "track record of violating human rights".
How will this help Facebook?
A move to make Facebook more privacy-focused may help restore some public trust in the platform, which has been plagued by a year of privacy scandals and data breaches.
Adding end-to-end encryption to all private messages would mean Facebook could not be compelled by governments to hand over its users' personal messages, because it does not have a copy.
Mr Zuckerberg said an "inherent trade-off" of encrypted messaging was that criminals could hide activity such as terrorism or child abuse.
But, he said, the company was improving its ability to "stop bad actors across our apps by detecting patterns of activity".
How will Facebook make money from this?
Facebook makes most of its money by letting advertisers target their messages at very specific audiences. People share so much on Facebook that the company can build a detailed picture of their age, location, political views, likes, interests and more.
"I understand that many people don't think Facebook can or would even want to build this kind of privacy-focused platform," said Mr Zuckerberg.
"Frankly, we don't currently have a strong reputation for building privacy protective services and we've historically focused on tools for more open sharing.
The changes would take "several months" to roll out, he added.
In May 2018, it promised to launch a "clear history" feature that would let people delete personal data Facebook had scooped up. The feature has still not launched.


The Cafe Cairo is a big hit with tourists and residents of the island. This bustling restaurant, formerly called The Rum Runner, is in a prime spot on Front Street, right by the harbour. This is the dream like bistro where visitors could eat out on the finest Middle Eastern food. You can familiarize yourself with a set of choices from Egypt, Morocco and the Lebanon. The restaurant is also famous for its popular in house dishes, such as its well known lamb choices.
Cafe Cairo serves excellent Middle Eastern food, in its one of a kind dining room. The premises underwent a huge refurbishment and re-opening in 2010. It is decorated just like a classical Bedouin tent. You could dine in its delightfully decadent red drapery, where patrons can sit on plush cushions. If you feel like journeying to the heart of Egypt, while still in Bermuda, then head to Café Cairo.
Cafe Cairo has been dazzling reviewers on the travel site Trip Advisor, making it one of the most exciting restaurants in Bermuda.
We were greeted by a very friendly host. The atmosphere was lovely. The drinks here were great. he food was good. Best falafel I've ever had! The service was excellent the entire night.
We found the crowd to be a mix of ages, including mostly professional types from the island. We had a great time dancing to the mainstream music.
I think that Cafe Cairo had a phenomenal value for the money, especially compared to all the other restaurants on Front Street. The variety was great.f you like middle-Eastern/Turkish food and vibes or just want to try something exotic for a change, you will not go wrong here.
Cafe Cairo, in Bermuda – Part of Elbow Beach Cycles' Things To Do in Bermuda series!


text:
Global Market Report - 11 June
Lex Hall | 11 Jun 2020Text size |
Shares are tipped to slip early on the Australian stock market after the US Federal Reserve projected a more sluggish recovery than investors expected.
The local SPI 200 futures contract was down by 66 points, or 1.08 per cent, to 6,063.0 at 8am on Thursday, indicating losses in share values early.
In the US, policymakers at a two-day meeting of the Reserve projected a 6.5 per cent decline in gross domestic product this year and a 9.3 per cent unemployment rate at year's end.
The Fed's pledge to keep monetary policy loose until the US economy is back on track repeats a promise made early in the central bank's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 282.31 points, or 1.04 per cent, to 26,989.99, the S&P 500 lost 17.04 points, or 0.53 per cent, to 3,190.14 and the Nasdaq Composite added 66.59 points, or 0.67 per cent, to 10,020.35.
In Australia, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index on Wednesday closed up 3.5 points, or 0.06 per cent, at 6,148.4 points.
The All Ordinaries closed up 6.4 points, or 0.1 per cent, at 6,269.3 points.
The Australian dollar was buying 69.95 US cents at 8am, the same value as at the close of trade on Wednesday, after hitting an almost one-year high of 70.64 US cents earlier in the morning.
China stocks ended lower on Wednesday as deepening deflation in the country's producer prices underlined the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on overseas demand, raising doubts about a swift economic recovery.
At the close, the Shanghai Composite index was down 0.42 per cent at 2,943.75.
Hong Kong shares closed little changed on Wednesday as risk sentiment was hit by a deepened deflation in China's producer prices, and investors waited for the US Federal Reserve's economic projections.
At the close of trade, the Hang Seng index was down 7.49 points, or 0.03 per cent, at 25,049.73. The Hang Seng China Enterprises index rose 0.22 per cent to 10,143.48.
Around the region, MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index was firmer by 0.41 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei index closed up 0.15 per cent.
European stocks swung both ways before settling lower on Wednesday as investors awaited the US Federal Reserve's first economic projections since the COVID-19 pandemic set off a recession in February.
After gaining as much as 0.9 per cent at the open, the pan-European STOXX 600 ended down 0.4 per cent, falling for a second straight session. Travel and leisure stocks led declines.
Food ordering firm Just Eat Takeaway bottomed out the STOXX 600, down 13.3 per cent, after saying it was in advanced talks to buy Grubhub Inc in an all-stock deal.
While no major policy announcements are expected when the Fed wraps up its meeting later in the day, investors will scrutinise its remarks on the health of the US economy, given that its virus-related loosening of monetary policy has flushed markets with money and helped global equities recover from their March lows.
The central bank's projections are expected to point to a collapse in output this year and near-zero interest rates for the next few years. Any indication that the bank could rein in its recent stimulus measures would be likely to spook investors.
The continent's markets have seen a broad recovery in recent weeks, with investors moving into cheap, growth-sensitive stocks such as banks and oil companies on hopes that the worst fallout from the health crisis is over.
However, the banking index fell 1.3 per cent despite an early boost from a Reuters report that European Central Bank officials were drawing up a scheme to cope with potentially hundreds of billions of euros in unpaid loans.
Lufthansa slid 5.7 per cent after Germany said it planned to extend its travel warning to countries outside Europe until Aug. 31.
Continental fell 3.6 per cent after a media report cited the German automotive supplier's CEO as saying it needed to save hundreds of millions of euros and would probably have to lay off workers due to a slump in demand caused by the pandemic.
The Dow and S&P 500 ended a choppy session lower on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve reassured investors of its support for the economy but projected a 6.5 per cent decline in gross domestic product this year.
The Nasdaq, helped by gains in Microsoft and Apple, managed to hold onto a good chunk of its gains and registered a closing record high for a third straight session.
In its latest policy statement, the Fed also forecast a 9.3 per cent unemployment rate at year's end, and officials saw the key overnight interest rate, or federal funds rate, remaining near zero through at least 2022.
The S&P 500 and Dow both moved between gains and losses after the statement, which included the Fed's first projections on the economy since the coronavirus outbreak, and following comments from Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.
An S&P index of bank shares, which tend to benefit from rising rates, fell 5.8 per cent in its biggest daily percentage decline since 15 April, and the S&P 500 financial index was the biggest drag on the benchmark index.
The S&P 500 was off as much as 0.8 per cent before the Fed statement.
The Fed's pledge to keep monetary policy loose until the US economy is back on track repeats a promise made early in the central bank's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Shares of Eli Lilly and Co rose late, ending up 1.3 per cent, after its chief scientist told Reuters that it could have a drug specifically designed to treat COVID-19 authorised for use as early as September if all goes well with either of two antibody therapies it is testing.
Buying in to the exuberance bubble
Global Market Report - 15 January
Firstlinks newsletter - 14 January
Lex Hall is content editor for Morningstar Australia
© 2021 Australian Associated Press Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors. This is the Morningstar service with content provided by AAP where indicated. AAP reserves all rights, including copyright, in services provided by it. The information in the service is for personal use only, does not constitute financial product advice (whether general or personal) and may not be re-written, copied, re-sold or re-distributed, framed, linked or otherwise used whether for compensation of any kind or not, without the prior written permission of AAP. You should seek advice from a professional financial adviser before making decision to acquire or dispose of a financial product.
This service is published for general information purposes only without assuming a duty of care. AAP is not in the business of providing financial product advice (whether personal or general advice), and gives no warranty, guarantee or other representation about the accuracy of the information or images contained in this service. AAP is not liable for errors, omissions in, delays or interruptions to or cessation of the services through negligence or otherwise. The globe symbol and "AAP" are registered trademarks.


Throwing an oversized cardigan never gets old, and when it's matched up to a neutralized set of dots, it just can't be anything less than perfect, especially when you throw on a pair of boots and some drapey necklaces.
I love that dress and the cardigan over the top is just icing on the cake!!
You're making me regret not buying that dress years ago!
love the polka dots! and love all the nuetrals together!
in love with your beautiful dress!
I'm such a sucker for polka dots. Cute dress!
Even though i have a polka dot phobia, I will admit that you look absolutely pretty!
Such a cute dress, love the dots!
That dress is totally awesome. I need it.
Such a cute, fun dress! Yay for polka dots!
by the way,thanks for checking and leaving a comment on my post.
oh and if you like you could check out my new outfit post too.
I love the adorable ruffled detail at the bottom!
Love your boots with this dress.
such lovely look i love the polka!
Yeah I totally love all the neutrals going on in this post. And these seriously fab boots!
That dress on you looks so pretty!
You look beautiful. I love your dress. Black and tan has become one of my favorite color combinations lately.
I just love black and brown together!
Love love love your boots!
That dress is SO cute, and I love how you styled it!
Adorable! I still love that dress so much. It's gotten so much wear! Preggers and not preggers.
amazing, I really love this lokk! good combo!
such a beautiful look!! polka dots are everywhere! the more i see them the more i want them!
You for real look like a super model.
Super cute and loving the mix of tan and black. i wish I could pull off a slouchy sweater and loose dress.


The Boite a Histoire was founded in 2017 by a group of young public historians to help connect academic history to the general public in France.
La Boîte à Histoire aims to create experiences of history. Its activities rely on a cultural mediation to stimulate an audience as diverse as possible to get involved with history. Starting with local, national and global histories, and closely informed by cutting-edge historical research and inspired by experimental archaeology, La Boîte à Histoire organises events and activities that are out of the beaten track: guided tours, pedagogical workshops in partnership with universities, museums, media, local authorities and private institutions.
La Boîte à Histoire thus wants to develop a cultural practice that encompasses both a social and pedagogical dimension. By mediating between academia and audiences outside the university, it hopes to engage with as many people as possible to help them discover their own historical awareness.
The project has been awarded the BNP Paris-UPEC prize for student's professional initiatives.


text:
The 5 Most Innovative Years for the Ford F-150
If you're looking for a Ford F-150 for sale in Roseville, chances are you're not alone. It's been America's best-selling truck for over four decades, with hundreds of thousands of F-150s sold each year. Throughout those years, innovation and quality have been the driving forces behind the pickup's success. These five model years are some of the most innovative examples of what the F-150 line has to offer and why it has been able to remain the best-selling truck in America for so long.
#1 – 1997 Ford F-150
Brawny, aggressive styling has become the norm with pickups, and we're not opposed to that. It matches the mean capability that goes along with these vehicles. There's something to be said for the understated, though, and the 1997 Ford F-150 sports one of the bubblier aesthetics we've seen in a pickup. We love a truck that practically looks like it's growling, but we can't help but smile when we see the friendly tenth-generation F-150 meandering down the road. Don't be fooled by its affable face, though.
This pickup gave new meaning to the "built Ford tough" slogan. There's a reason it's a sight none too rare to see a tenth-generation F-150 meandering in the wild. For this new series of F-150, Ford implemented an exhaustive redesign, complete with a new body, chassis, and engine lineup. The body got sleeker and more car-like, the engines more efficient and powerful. The chassis now had a fully independent front suspension, as opposed to the classic Ford twin I-beam axles, making for an easier ride.
Revolutionizing the pickup market is a tough gig. There is no other vehicle more representative of American values and traditions, and pickup drivers tend to trust technology that has withstood the test of time more than what's new and unknown. Ultimately, muscle is king in the pickup, and muscle used to be synonymous with gas-guzzling V8s; smaller, cleaner engines just couldn't get the job done in the same way. In 2011, Ford changed the game with the introduction of the new 3.5L EcoBoost V6 in the F-150, an engine designed to go easy on fuel without sacrificing power.
The EcoBoost capitalizes on turbocharging, direct fuel injection, and twin independent variable camshaft timing to make the absolute most of every drop of fuel. The result? A 365-hp engine that got up to 22 MPG on the highway. Not bad when the previous model year had a 310-hp V8 that got 20 MPG on the highway. Numbers don't lie, and soon, Ford's EcoBoost V6 was outselling the V8s, and breaking down our assumptions of what a pickup should be.
Also in 2011, the F-150 SVT Raptor debuted, a pickup that was more play than work. Built for the weekend as opposed to the 9 to 5, the SVT Raptor was an off-roading plaything with high-performance shocks by Fox and a specially-tuned suspension that allowed for plenty of travel. Fun and games aside, this truck could still go to work. Its high-output V8 made 411 hp and 434 lb-ft of torque. Talk about work-life balance.
The 1994 Ford F-150 lands in the ninth generation of this pickup series. With it came new, aerodynamic bodywork that smoothed out its sharp corners and edges. It lost some of the old-school character of pickups from yesteryears, but the enlarged grille and headlights helped style the ninth-generation F-150 in a way that felt both vintage and in vogue (at least that's the way it looks through a 2022 lens). Aside from the fresh new 'do, the 1994 F-150 received important safety upgrades, namely an airbag on the driver's side as the standard option.
In 1994, the PowerStroke turbo diesel made its debut, kicking off a family of engines that would go on to become a legend. One of the great things about the F-150 is the versatility in price and performance the line has come to represent. This is demonstrated by the SVT Lightning, a sports truck based off of the ninth generation F-150 but with a sport-tuned suspension and a V8 that put out 240 hp and 340 lb-ft of torque. Its low-slung stance and exclusively black or red paint job fit right in on the track.
The thirteenth generation of the F-Series encompassed one of the most radical changes to the line: the switch from steel to aluminum bodies. The high-strength aluminum used by Ford cuts out hundreds of pounds while maintaining durability. Again, the truck market tends to be resistant to change, and not everyone is on board with a non-steel body, but Ford's choice to go aluminum proved to be one that boosted fuel economy and payload ratings. The aluminum alloy used is resistant to rust, too.
The 2018 F-150 fell in the middle of its generation, but it got a mid-cycle refresh that made it feel distinctly different from the model years prior. It got new looks, honing in on the modern, aggressive styling we see in the F-150 today. The engine options were entirely updated and were paired with a new 10-speed transmission and stop-and-start technology.
The base engine was upgraded to a 290-hp 3.3L V6, and the most powerful offering became a 3.5L EcoBoost V6 good for 375 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. Other engine options included a 2.7L EcoBoost V6, which made 325 hp, and a 5.0L V8, which made 395 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. After a brief hiatus, the F-150 Raptor resurfaced in 2017, and the 2018 Raptor came standard with a high-output EcoBoost engine, making 450 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque.
Over the years, Ford has been responsive to market changes, keeping its finger on the pulse of consumer needs and preferences. This is demonstrated by the continual improvement of the F-150 line, so it's no surprise that the newest pickups are their most capable and versatile to date. For the 2023 model year, the F-150 is available with gasoline, hybrid, and fully electric powertrain options. It will be the second year for the F-150 Lightning, Ford's fully-electric pickup that is taking the nation by storm.
The Lightning proves that electric doesn't mean scrawny. In fact, it's quite the opposite, with up to 563 hp, 775 lb-ft of torque, and a 0-60 mph time in the mid-4 second range. Speaking of performance, the 2023 F-150 Raptor R has never been more ready to hit the trails, thanks to beefy 37-inch all-terrain tires and a supercharged 5.2L V8 good for 760 hp. For customers who want something subtler than the no-holds-barred Raptor R, Ford is adding the new F-150 Rattler to the lineup in 2023. It's more of an entry-level off-roader, with all the basics you need to get going, like specially tuned shock absorbers, standard four-wheel drive, and skid plates.
With Ford, Every Year is a Winner
Ford continues to expand on the F-150 line, adapting it to a number of different customers and lifestyles. It's exciting to see Ford break the mold again and again, redefining the pickup truck with every innovation. From introducing aluminum bodies and turbocharged engines to building all-new designs like the Raptor and Lighting, Ford is always at the head of the pack. These five model years may be our top picks, but there's really no wrong choice when it comes to the F-150. Wherever your life takes you, there's an F-150 that can get you there.
PrevPreviousThe Future of Ford Will Soon Be Here
NextLet's Make a Difference Together: Our September Blood DriveNext


text:
Lost's Tania Raymonde Joins Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D
Published: Jul. 13. 2011 3:15 AM
For most normal people, the news that a pretty up-and-coming actress has been cast in a horror movie is so commonplace that it's barely even news at all. But for those of us who know the numerological meaning of the numbers and the location of the Dharma hatches and why polar bears can live in the jungle, the casting of Tania Raymonde in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D means just one thing: Alex is back! That is, Raymonde-- who played Ben's unerringly gorgeous daughter Alex on Lost-- is joining the cast of the slasher movie, marking one of her most significant film roles since the show went off the air last year.
She'll play the best friend to Alexandra Daddario, the White Collar and Percy Jackson & The Olympians actress who is the main character of the horror reboot. The two girls travel to Texas to pick up the main girl's inheritance, and either she's actually inherited her "deranged cousin Leatherface," as the syntax in the Deadline piece suggests, or Leatherface is getting in the way of her collecting her cash and getting the hell out of there. Either way you can probably bet this won't end well for the two girls, though I guess the law of horror movies says one of them has to survive. Usually the sassy best friend doesn't stand a chance, but come on! Alex was kidnapped from her mother, raised by a mysterious group of Others and survived an attack from Keamy and company (well, temporarily) even when her boyfriend Carl bit it. She's got a fighting spirit and I'm counting on her to win.
Directed by John Luessenhop, who last made the bank heist thriller Takers, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D will be released by Lionsgate, presumably at some point in the dregs of next summer. Maybe by then 3D will have petered out to the point that we only associated it with salacious horror movies-- the true home of 3D, if you ask me-- but that's probably a little much to ask for. Still, that bloody chainsaw in 3D is probably going to be something to see.
television 5y Maria Bello And One More Added To David E. Kelley's The Trial Jessica Rawden
news 9y Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D Cast Includes Original Leatherface Sean O'Connell
news 11y Interview: The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle Writer-Director David Russo Perri Nemiroff
Jun 11, 2021 Ghostbusters: Afterlife Rating TBD
Jul 2, 2021 Top Gun: Maverick Rating TBD
Dynasty And Beverly Hills, 90210 Actor Peter Mark Richman Is Dead At 93 television
Soul On Pace To Unseat Incredibles 2 For One Pixar Milestone news
xXx: State Of The Union: 10 Behind The Scenes Facts About The xXx Sequel news


Who remembers The Eamonn Andrews Show ? I was only reminded of it as I learnt that Esther and Abi Ofarim promoted their song Cinderella Rockefella on it in 1967. According to Andy Archer, a Radio Caroline DJ, it was the last song to be played on Caroline South before its radio ship was towed into harbour over unpaid debts.
What is my Eartweaser this week?


'I knew something was different before I opened my eyes. I sat up and slowly allowed myself to come round. It was September 2012 and for nearly three years I'd woken without noticing the sound of birdsong. My first thoughts each morning were usually the sinking realisation of the mess I had made of my life. I'd promised myself I would never gamble again and then, after the briefest moment of sanity, I'd start thinking of how I could get some money to place my first bet of the day.I'd been oblivious to everything except my own selfish ambition.
Today the house was unusually quiet. It was enough to distract my addiction voice. Where was the usual sound of children's TV programmes? As I walked downstairs, there was no sound of my two young boys banging the table with their spoons or calling for more scrambled egg. There was no reassuring sight of my wife Emma making packed lunches or brewing coffee. They had gone.
Emma was right to leave. I was self-destructing and, like a whirlpool, I was sucking in everything around me. The day she'd found my bank statement had been awful. Her beautiful smile had gone, but she stood by me. She even stood by me the day I lost my job. You can't expect to continue as a Director of a Financial Services Company when you run up debts of £27,000 on your corporate expenses card.
But Emma couldn't watch as I began to sell our possessions to fund my gambling. I sold my wedding ring, a unique gold band inscribed with a message of love from the Old Testament book Song of Solomon. I sold my city suits for the same price as tea towels. The buyer didn't even check what was in the plastic bag, he just weighed it and gave me a few pounds. I would put the money on a ten leg multiplier bet. Impossible odds, but I convinced myself I would win everything back and make things right again.
Over the next few weeks, on my own in a house I couldn't afford to heat, with five months rent owing and living off a sack of mouldy potatoes, I began to consider what it would be like for the boys if I wasn't around. And then I had a visitor: my Mum, Christian writer and speaker Jennifer Rees Larcombe. I was in Derbyshire, for for Mum to drive up from Kent unannounced was quite a surprise. I considered hiding at first, but she had come so far. 'Tomorrow you're going to be evicted. You have a choice: walk the streets or come back and stay with me', she said.
It sounds like a simple choice, but this had been my home. Leaving meant facing up to reality. I had an hour to collect the last of my belongings: a few pictures and some clothing. I looked at the empty mantelpiece where once the Sword of Honour had taken pride of place, a gift from the Queen for passing out of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst at the top of my intake. It should have been a priceless object to be passed down through the generations, but I'd sold it to fuel my habit. I went into the boys rooms, their beds still unmade from the morning they left. I cried a lot. I was broken. It was just what I needed. Pride had prevented me from seeking help for too long.
That night, back in the room I had grown up in, I got down on my knees and prayed a simple prayer. I asked for forgiveness. I asked to be fixed; I invited Christ back into my life. I had enjoyed a close walk with The Lord, but as I had become more successful in the world of finance, my relationship with God had taken second place and as my gambling habit took over, I had no time for Him at all. Now I had one black bin liner of possessions and £70,000 of debt. But somewhere deep inside me, I felt a sense of peace.We downloaded browser protection onto our computers and I began my journey of recovery. And every day I didn't bet, things got a little better. My self-esteem was still low, I knew I was forgiven, but I found it hard to forgive myself. I started swimming each day and set myself the challenge of training for a solo attempt at swimming the Channel.
I started attending Gamblers Anonymous meetings and was surprised to discover I wasn't the only one to lose everything. But I couldn't understand why they kept talking about a 'higher power' or a God of my own understanding'. I wanted to shout out the truth: 'It's God!
I rediscovered the joy of God's Word and made time each morning and evening to pray and listen to Him. As the weeks passed some amazing things happened. I was offered a work contract that would allow me to pay off my debt much faster. I saw the boys as often as I could, sometimes driving the eight hour round trip in a day. Time with them was precious and Emma could see I had changed, but trust is so hard to win back and I accepted that my marriage was probably over. I just didn't give up hope.When the last penny had been paid I trained as a debt adviser and now volunteer each month to help people who are experiencing financial hardship.
In August 2013 the Daily Mail ran a double page article about me losing everything. I wanted people to understand the dangers, although it was hard sharing my faults so publicly. I needn't have worried, I was overwhelmed by the positive response from people who were suffering. That article led to may appearances on national television and radio and ultimately, to my autobiography.,In January 2014 I ran The Recovery Course at Tonbridge Baptist Church and 40 people suffering from addictions of all kinds attended. It's a 14-session programme which, like the Anonymous Fellowships, follows the 12 steps, but puts Christ firmly at the heart of recovery, dealing with the inner pain, not just the symptoms. We have now run three courses and seen incredible healing and restoration in people's lives.
In September 2014 I swam to France, raising money for charity. But best of all, after almost two years apart, Emma and the boys moved back home. Six years after I placed my first 'free' £5 bet, we are reunited as a family and The Lord has restored my life. But not just back to where it was, better than that. I now have my priorities in the right order. Relationships and family come before money. I have peace, joy and happiness. Every day I wake up I listen to the birdsong and I don't ever waste the opportunity to tell everyone I can that in Christ there is hope, restoration and perfect freedom. On Christmas Eve the doorbell rang and there was a FedEx parcel for me. It was an odd shape. My Sword of Honour had been found by a military collector who contacted one of the newspapers that had run my story. A number of people from my church covered the cost of buying it back. What a gift!