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← War Deaths enumerated by Tamil-Speaking Government Servants during 2011 Census
The HR Lobby in UK: Deskbound and Devious →
Alan Keenan challenged in Verbal War
A = Preamble from Michael Roberts, 11 December 2009
When I fashioned an article entitled "The Western World's Cumulous Clouds of Deception: Blanketing the Sharp Realities of Eelam War IV" in October 2018, its Colombo Telegraph version[1] drew an adverse comment from my friend Rajan Hoole. I chose to address Hoole at length through another article in Thuppahi entitled "A Response to Rajan Hoole re Reviews of Eelam War IV and Western Deceit."[2]
This essay also entered Twitter automatically and drew an immediate public challenge from Alan Keenan, the long-time American head of the International Crisis Group in London and Europe. His jab-in-the-ribs runs thus: "What I've never understood is why Michael Roberts, a well-respected & careful scholar, doesn't push hard for a proper, independent investigation into end-of-war casualties. What's to fear from open inquiry — which the #SriLanka govt has never allowed?" — see https://twitter.com/akeenan23/status/1052136906950103040?s=21
At the same time Keenan sent me a private letter by email, one that runs to 1994 words—in effect a memorandum. It ended with this request: "Please do not quote or repeat publicly."
I have adhered to this request for a while. But recent events lead me to overturn this response. For one his request was a contrast to his position on Twitter (a medium I hate because it provides no room for citations or bibliography). For another, recent events lead me to overturn niceties and engage Keenan in verbal war.[3]
So, here then, you can see Keenan's attempt at damage control as well as his innermost lines of assessment on the war situation then in the Vanni Pocket in 2009. Placing his private communication in the public debating room is my chessboard-move to verbal war.
B = Alan Keenan's Email to Michael Roberts, circa 30 October 2018
Dear Michael
Thanks for writing. I'm sorry you aren't able to navigate Twitter – but the positive side of that is you don't waste a lot of time, like I and many others do who are on Twitter.
Before I write more, let me begin with this preamble. I write this in a spirit of openness and a shared commitment to accuracy, but with the knowledge that neither of us is likely to convince the other. I also write this with the stipulation that this is a private communication between you and me. If you read past this point and then decide to quote me or discuss this email publicly, I will consider it a breach of basic trust. I say this not because I have something to hide, just because I don't have the time to get into an endless public debate with you and others, and because anything I am quoted on on these topics has to be approved by my Crisis Group senior colleagues, which I don't have time to do. So these are personal and private comments. I am not replying to Amal for separate reasons – not the least that he refuses to engage honestly with me in public (Twitter) debates about his behind-the-scenes engagement with British politicians in his (partly understandable) battle with Tamil diaspora groups.
First, as you will see from the Groundviews story below, Crisis Group DID admit and correct its mistake in using the phrase "credible evidence" rather than "credible allegations". This was a genuine mistake. When pointed out, we corrected it – and if you go on line you will see that to this date, our correction remains in place on our website, along with an acknowledgement of the original mistake. I'm surprised you didn't find this correction in your voluminous research. Had you noticed it, you might be a little less likely to accuse me of "brazen bravado". That said, though, I think the mistake is a relatively minor one – after all, for an allegation to deemed credible, there must be some evidence for this, right? Whether eyewitness statements, or photos, or circumstantial evidence, some evidence, facts, data, must be deemed credible – i.e., worthy of being taken seriously – for an allegation to be held to be credible. While it is is absolutely essential to be precise and accurate when quoting others, and our mistake was a real one, I see the "scandal" made about it to be fairly beside the point.
Second, while you accuse me of avoiding the substance of your article, I think your reply is avoiding my main question: why aren't you calling for a proper, credible, independent, investigation into the allegations and in particular into the casualty figures? It seems to be we should be able to agree that what evidence is out there is not conclusive, and is likely never to be conclusive unless there is a real, free and fair effort to gather all the relevant documentation and speak to the relevant people. Even then, it's likely never to be a settled question, though I think we could get a lot closer I think. I am genuinely asking, as I did on Twitter: why are you not asking for such an inquiry?
Third, I didn't engage with the substance of your argument in part because it would be a very long and laborious task, and I am not currently being paid to do this. I have an overdue report on anti-Muslim violence and Buddhist nationalism to finish, and if I engaged with your article in detail, it would take days. That said, let me make four points:
— your strongest point is the fact that many LTTE fighters were not in uniform in the final fighting. This does indeed make it harder to count the number of civilians killed.
— another interesting point is the supposed "law" of the ratio of dead to injured. My response to this would be I expect it is based on situations where the injured (mostly combatants) have had access to relatively rapid medical treatment. My understanding about the final months of fighting, esp. the final few weeks, is that this was NOT the case, and that many who were injured were simply left to die, buried in bunkers, or taken to medical centres that were overwhelmed given their inadequate staff and medicines. Do you know, for instance, what the current ratios of dead to wounded are in Syria? That might be a somewhat analogous situation, at least in some situations. This is, I accept, an angle worth exploring.
— with regard to numbers killed, I was very surprised you made no mention of the Oct 2008 population figures compiled by the Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu GAs. You may not accept the figures as accurate, but it was these figures that formed the basis of Bishop Rayappu Joseph's claim of 147,000 unaccounted for. I don't think this means 147,000 were killed, but the figures are worth noting and engaging with. Perhaps you have done so elsewhere.
— finally, as to the general narrative, which you summarise as "western deceit" – why can't one equally plausibly argue that western governments believed that it was worth saving civilian lives even if this also assisted the LTTE in their goal of avoiding annihilation, believing that saving the lives of the leadership was a price worth paying for saving the lives of tens of thousands of civilians. This is how I read things. On the other side, the Sri Lankan government and military and Indian govt made the opposite choice: eliminating once and for all the LTTE leadership, especially Prabhakaran, was worth the cost of tens of thousand of civilians' lives. The Indians made some efforts to keep those numbers to a minimum; my hunch is that Gotabaya and the top generals were fine with killing lots of Tamil civilians, esp. those with close family and social ties to the Tiger leadership. In any case, I don't see why "deceit" has to come into this question: it was too different calculations of costs and benefits.
This, for now, is all I have time for. Some day, I may write something longer, and public, and I'll look forward to engaging more fully with your – and others' – arguments then. For now, though, these are my personal and private opinions, written out of respect for you and our acquaintance. Please do not quote or repeat publicly.
Thanks, and take care. Cheers
[1] It appeared first in Colombo Telegraph and I then presented the same article with a slightly different title and more illustrations in the site I control viz Thuppahi.
[2] Visit "A Response to Rajan Hoole re Reviews of Eelam War IV and Western Deceit," 28 October 2018, https://thuppahis.com/2018/10/28/a-response-to-rajan-hoole-re-reviews-of-eelam-war-iv-and-western-deceit/
[3] See the companion piece: Roberts, "The HR Lobby in UK: Deskbound and Devious," in Thuppahi.
Filed under accountability, american imperialism, atrocities, centre-periphery relations, discrimination, disparagement, historical interpretation, human rights, landscape wondrous, legal issues, life stories, LTTE, military strategy, politIcal discourse, power politics, security, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, tamil refugees, Tamil Tiger fighters, the imaginary and the real, truth as casualty of war, UN reports, unusual people, war reportage, world events & processes
6 responses to "Alan Keenan challenged in Verbal War"
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theinkbrain
Keenan's earnestly expressed folderol is indicative western liberal psychosis which expresses itself in collecting as many vipers as possible into its bosom. It ignores the fact that the poison of civil war and or other forms of social disruption must be quelled, if social order is to be maintained, and civilization itself is to survive.
Europe has been overrun with the human garbage from the dumps of Africa, the Middle East and other Islamic Nations. The EU seems hell-bent on using the scourge of Mohammedanism to shred the constitutional freedoms of Europeans. Both Church and State fiddle while Christians in the Middle East and Africa lose their freedom, their property and their lives at the hands of Koran-thumping psychopaths.
Eventually the Western social safety net will give way under the weight of millions of fast-breeding, primitive, illiterate Mohammedans who will never integrate or become productive members of society because their blind fascistic ideology instills in them a hatred of the very West which feeds their parasitism.
Keenan's kind of liberalism is very effective in tearing down freedoms and protections of the kind enshrined in the US Constitution. It makes sense to him to allow terrorists to slip through the net by hiding under the skirts of a civilian population and so live to engage in future disruption and mayhem.
In Europe the same reasoning is being trotted out when it comes to Mohammedan terrorists, who by diktat will no longer be referred as adamant practitioners of their fascist koranic ideology but as mentally ill.
What does all this have to do with SL? Well, just about everything. Muslim minority populations living in un-integrated enclaves are dry tinder waiting to burst into anarchical flames with at the first strategically placed match by the first cry of 'allahuakbar' by any mad mullah.
Wait for it. The next iteration of Kuveni's curse is coming in the form of a Sinhalese/Muslim clash. SL might do well to suck it up and belly up to its Chinese master, because when the feces hits the fan, the volatile mix of liberal, western rhetoric and primitive koranic ideology will descend in a spray of malodorous, brown mist.
Admittedly it will be a path that will have to be traversed on pointy toes so as not to 'offend' militant Buddhists or fundamentalist Mohammedans. But the Keenans of the world will find a way to do it by engaging the slippery, pseudo-moralistic rhetoric of saving civilian lives.
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EARDLEY LIEVERSZ's COMMENT ON INKBRAIN'S RESPONSE, 25 December 2019:
I am not altogether familiar with Keenan. But I suspect that he is someone who criticises the conduct of Sri Lankan army. He is clearly one of these bleeding heart liberals who loves to side with the underdog and tailor the facts to suit his left wing perspective.
But I felt that the response was superbly politically incorrect. It takes guts these days to be honest and objective.
The author takes the words out of my mouth in refuting the Western liberal notion that Muslim immigrants to the West and who pose as refugees are fleeing genuine persecution and that their circumstances are no different to Jews in WWII.
We need more people like the writer who are unafraid of confronting the truth and risking the barbs of the bleeding hearts who are so much in denial. I have never read anything that's so much to the point and which eschews euphemisms. More strength to his pen.
Sri Lankan governments have dealt with the JVP, and then the LTTE, by getting the job done, without being encumbered with the virtue politics of the human rights lobby. But the next battle will make previous struggles seem like child's play. Arms alone cannot combat demographic challenges. And how does one combat an ideology which cultivates victimhood in inverse proportion to the barbarism and intolerance committed by its adherents When one worries more about the potential backlash towards the religion in whose name atrocities are committed than the victims of extremist behaviour, one is in fact encouraging a continuation of such behaviour. There are no innocents in this game if the so called innocents secretly endorse the actions of a militant minority and turn a blind eye to the consequences of intolerant behaviour, practiced across the globe, particularly where the religion concerned is a majority one.
In generating the concept of "VIRTUE POLITICS" Eardley Lieversz introduces a critical tool for contemporary politics in Sri Lanka as well as international politics. Over the past decade the world has witnessed the moral fervour of all manner of organised advocacy groups – from climate change advocates to indigenous rights to human rights and etc, etc. At times they complicate the political scenarios by sparking (inadvertently or otherwise) more extremism form right-wing and/or left-wing extremists as well as governments-in-place.
What is missed in the processes they pursue is the blindness and/or one-sided assessments they sometimes inject into particular country situations. Worse still, on several occasions their interventions have been marked by deceit and dishonesty … indeed, unmitigated dishonesty. This deceit is not confined to bloated figures odf death tolls. It embraces a passing over of relevant literature …. pretending that X or Y does not exist and using international media power to thump/thump an argument and swamp the verbal battle terrain with one's partial interpretations.
Beyond that broader point, Eardley Lieversz hits the nail on the head when he castigates the Tamil spokespersons of various shades, including those who are seeming moderate, for their toleration and even support for the LTTE's fascist programme and its manifold extremisms.
Clearly, open resistance to Pirapaharan et al was not feasible for the Tamils in Tigerland (1985-2009) and those beyond in Colombo and abroad did need to exercise caution. Till 2009. But the compliance of the many Tamils has been displayed in stark nudity since May 2009. Lieversz's birching act is a reminder of this complicity and gains in force from his scholarly background viz a Ph.D in Anthropology from Sydney University based on fieldwork in Uva in the 1980s
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I grew up witnessing education inequities all across the South, and now I wake up every day with a sense of urgency to close the achievement gap. I think we're at an opportune time in public education. We are beginning to learn what really works, but the task of moving entrenched bureaucracies to adopt proven strategies, innovate and gauge success based on student results — versus adult accomplishments or levels of activity — is Herculean. I believe that if we're going to fix public education on a grand scale, we have to start with an unshakeable belief in the limitless potential of every child. We must also recognize that it is our responsibility to ensure that all students reach their potential. On top of this sort of "cultural baseline," we need the know how — the proven strategies, approaches and techniques that turn beliefs into results in the classroom.
As a Broad Resident, Elliot Smalley worked with Charleston County School District as Deputy of Strategic Planning and Communications.


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Joshua Althauser
Bitcoin Will Hit $5 Trln Market Cap: Aaron Lasher
Breadwallet co-founder and chief marketing officer (CMO), Aaron Lasher, has projected that the leading cryptocurrency Bitcoin will reach a market capitalization (cap) of up to $5 trln in the next 10 years.
Digital currency wallet Breadwallet co-founder and chief marketing officer (CMO), Aaron Lasher, has projected that the leading cryptocurrency Bitcoin will reach a market capitalization (cap) of up to $5 trln in the next 10 years as of early September 2017, according to Market Watch.
However, he claimed that the digital currency can experience some setbacks along the way.
In an interview, Lasher claimed that the current exemplary performance of Bitcoin and other virtual currencies could be followed by a very brutal bear market.
"As a longtime Bitcoin holder, I'm greatly enjoying the recent price action, even though I understand that this bull market will likely be followed by a pretty brutal bear market. Are cryptos in a bubble? Yes, absolutely. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily."
Bitcoin's current market performance and other Lasher predictions
Bitcoin has continued to perform strongly in the market and achieved another record on August 31 to bring its total cap to more than $78 bln. The leading cryptocurrency has already surpassed the likes of Starbucks in terms of market cap. The phenomenal upward trajectory has understandably led to speculations of a possible bubble that is about to burst.
Lasher, meanwhile, has issued a warning to neophyte digital currency investors to proceed with caution in their investments. He advised that the investors should do extensive research before getting involved with the cryptocurrencies.
"I wouldn't recommend any investor get involved with cryptos without extensive research beforehand. It's not a get-rich-quick scheme, and people who blindly throw money at it are likely to a) risk too much, b) buy too high, and c) sell too soon."
Moreover, Lasher projected that there will be 10 virtual currencies worth over $25 bln within 10 years. The data from Coinmarket.com, however, showed that only Bitcoin and Ethereum have surpassed that level so far.
#Digital Currency
#Market Capitalization
#Predictions
#CoinMarketCap
Truly decentralized finance will be beyond siloed blockchains
Max pain scenario intensifies as Bitcoin drops to $31K, altcoins sell-off
Ether already 'flippening' Bitcoin, says Celsius CEO

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Private Caterers provide hog roast packages suitable for any type of event from private parties, weddings or corporate events which gives a great visual centerpiece at any occasion. Our high quality hog roast meat is purchased from Eastwoods the award winning butchers of Berkhamsted, offering free range meat and locally bred pigs. Our team will deliver your hog roast within a 15 mile radius of Leighton Buzzard. Simply select your preferred meat choice, then browse through our hog roast packages and select your choice of extras. You may add any of our other cater services to complement your hog roast, we also provide waiting staff, at an additional cost, if required.
Machinery dimensions: Width: 29" (73.7cm), Length 72" (182.9cm).
Perfect for amateurs and professionals if you are confident enough to cook and carve your own hog roast. We will deliver the machine to your chosen venue and provide your chosen meat ready to cook on our sterilized hog roast machine and demonstrate how to operate and cook to a safe temperature on arrival. Browse through the extras and salad menu for our additions to compliment your hog roast.
Includes delivery and collection of the machine from you the following day.
Our Hog Roast Package 2 option lets you experience the whole hog. Machine, gas, meat, and staff to cook, monitor and present the food in compliance with the strictest hygiene standards throughout the event. Our staff will decorate the spit roast area with gazebos, trestle tables and baskets of fresh floured rolls, sage & onion stuffing, and apple sauce. Then our chefs will carve the meat at the time you require for your guests to enjoy.


We're all guilty of late night cravings, and although all of the fitness moguls tell us not to eat before bed, there aren't many things more satisfying than some late night grub. And let's face it: if you're in college, your metabolism can probably take the hit. The following Salt Lake City restaurants are open past traditional eating hours, which means they are some of the most popular with University of Utah students.
Pizza past midnight is a college classic. Meet the Pie Hole: Salt Lake City's quintessential pizza spot. With cheap slices, surprisingly awesome quality, and a different vegan option every day of the week, the Pie Hole feels ridiculously hip without even trying. Open on weekdays until 2 a.m. and on weekends until 3 a.m., the Pie Hole will always be a favorite for Salt Lake City college students.
Technically a craft brewery and restaurant, Avenues Proper is located in downtown Salt Lake City and satisfies not just typical college student cravings, but also gourmet foodie cravings. Open until midnight on Friday and Saturday, the restaurant has plenty of options to fit the size of your late-night appetite, making it work just as well for light appetizers and socializing as for a full-on meal.
Yes, the Lake Effect is a semi-upscale bar. That said, it is a great hang out spot for college students who want a classier late night environment. It is off limits for students who are younger than 21 (for obvious reasons). It is hard to beat its small plates and sleek ambience.
Part of the same restaurant family as Avenues Proper, Proper Burger Co. has made a name for itself as a restaurant with delicious food that is also open until the early hours of the morning. If you want a classic hamburger, something with an ethnic twist, or even a vegan burger, this is your place.
With multiple locations in the Salt Lake City area, Spitz is a go-to restaurant for University of Utah students. The Mediterranean-inspired food is tasty and filling, and with a complimentary deck of Cards Against Humanity at every table, you know you're in for a good time.
Open until midnight on the weekends, Eva is less of a late-night grub destination than it is a great Salt Lake City restaurant that happens to be open late. Its menu is fresh, fun, and forgiving to all stomachs who don't do well with late night eats.
Happy Labor day y'all! Looking for a tasty breakfast? @evasbakery is open today. You're welcome. • 📸: Yelper Alexandria R.
Thought you couldn't find New York style pizza in the Beehive State? Think again. Este Pizzeria wants you to enjoy the famous New York slice, albeit noticeably upgraded. Even if consumed after 10 p.m., it's unlikely this pizza will make you feel gross the next day. And if you try one of their famous vegan specialty pizzas, bonus points!
The original Iceberg Drive Inn is a Utah landmark. Once a humble mom and pop burger joint, the restaurant now has locations across Utah as well as locations in Arizona and California. And although it isn't open until late late, Iceberg Drive Inn is a great spot for friends to enjoy deliciously thick shakes and perfectly crisp onion rings.
Lucky 13 Bar and Grill claims to have the world's best burger. From the looks of the restaurant's popularity, it seems this far-fetched claim is true! After all, everything does seem to taste better after midnight.


Santiago's is a venue we have played a few times, and its always been a rewarding experience, when we've (alright, I've) been in the right mood, and this gig was no different.
The Musicans Against Cancer organisers had done a grand job on the run up to push the gig on social media, and to promote via the compilation download (available here), and although not bursting at the seams the crowd was certainly in evidence.
As we were headlining all bands used my kit, which is fine (what goes around comes around, after all), but the drummer of the band on before us played cymbals without felts. This meant that I came back to the kit sans felts. The front man of the previous band got wind of this and then got on his hands and knees to find them (bless 'im) to allow the show to go on. Drums by the window is a double edged sword. If things get sticky an open sash can give sweet relief, but also if a fight kicks off in the street outside concentration can wander. On this occasion the window wouldn't open, and so sweat bands it was.
And there weren't any fights (worse luck).
In the end the evening raised some money for the charity, and we hung out with The Brazen, who also played, so everyone was a winner.


Let your own grief tell you what it needs, then do your best to give it.
Avoid people who insist you should feel better.
Cling to people who let you feel bad.
Give yourself time to do "nothing."
Put your hands in the earth.
Find someone who has experienced a loss and talk to them.
On a day when you feel better, let yourself.
Read grief books if it helps. Don't read them if it doesn't help.
Talk to your lost loved one - assume they can hear anything you have to say. Listen for the echo of an answer.
Make a refuge of your home.
Remember you are the expert when it comes to your own grief.
Listen to the whispers in your heart.


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Lit Confederate flags hung in NYC windows mysteriously disappear
Updated: August 22, 2017 12:37 AM EDT
NEW YORK — The Confederate flags had been in a Manhattan apartment window for over a year.
And then, in a matter of days last week, they were met with hurled rocks, a punched-out window, a tarp hung over them and legal action.
By Monday, the lighted flags were no more to be found in the seventh-floor windows in the East Village neighbourhood, where the Confederate symbol had been displayed alongside an Israeli flag and a colonial-era American one.
They'd attracted new attention after an Aug. 12 white nationalist rally to preserve a Confederate statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, spiraled into violence that left a counter-protester dead and stirred debate over where or whether Confederate statues and symbols belong in 21st-century America.
A man lobbed rocks at the building last week while he and others yelled for the Confederate flags to be taken down, according to video made by a bystander and posted on local news site DNAInfo. Another man, Darren Keen, put a fist through one of the flag-flyer's windows Friday night after getting to his fire escape from an adjoining roof, according to police, who arrested him on a disorderly conduct charge.
"I just lost my temper when I saw that Confederate flag," Keen said Monday. To the Nebraska-born DJ, the flag symbolizes hatred and intolerance, and it galled him to see the banner displayed across the street from an organization that mentors and educates disadvantaged, largely minority girls from the neighbourhood, where funky-chic cafes and pricey condos blend with public housing.
Still, the 34-year-old said he hoped anyone else who feels the same way would "make a sign — don't break out a window."
The flag-flyer, William Green, didn't immediately respond to an email message Monday, and a possible phone number for him rang unanswered. But he has noted that he'd had the banners up for more than a year.
"I find all the alleged commotion while I'm on vacation a little suspicious," he wrote in an email that the landlord attached when filing a lawsuit against him Saturday. "Whatever the drama, 'this too shall pass."'
The suit asked a court to force the flags' removal, saying Green had violated his lease and rent-stabilization laws by creating an "anti-social nuisance" that was causing "fear, civil commotion, violence, protests and unpredictable behaviour."
Other tenants had barraged the landlord with complaints about being accosted and accused by people who wanted the flags gone, the suit said. It was withdrawn Monday.
Meanwhile, the area's city councilwoman, Rosie Mendez, cautioned residents in an open letter Thursday that flying a flag isn't illegal in itself and warned them not to break laws in response.
Still, the Democrat asked the flags' owner to take down "a symbol that is so offensive to the surrounding community."
Amid the flap, the flags and their top-floor windows were obscured Friday by a massive tarp hung from the roof, prompting the city to send building inspectors out to make sure the drape didn't endanger the public. The inspectors found the tarp was safely secured, Buildings Department spokesman Andrew Rudansky said.
The tarp, and the flags, then disappeared, though it's not clear how. A message left at the landlord's office wasn't immediately answered Monday.


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Displaying items by tag: Yemi Osinbajo
2023: Afenifere dumps South-West aspirants, backs South-East
...,warns against gang-up
The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, yesterday, said any attempt to deny the South-East the presidency in 2023 is a gang-up against the region dominated by Igbo.
Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, in a chat with Sunday Vanguard, said those opposed to Igbo President are discriminatory against the region.
The statement was interpreted in many politically informed circles to mean that the group may not back a Yoruba aspirant for the nation's highest office in 2023.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, are believed to be main contenders in the race to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari from the South-West while Senator Pius Anyim and Governor Dave Umahi among others from the South-East and also eyeing Aso Rock Villa..
Whereas Tinubu has publicly declared his ambition, Osinbajo is said to be considering running against his mentor who was single handedly responsible for his nomination to run as deputy to Buhari first in 2015 and later in 2019.
Adebanjo said: "If there is anything like power shift in Nigeria, it should go to the South-East. There is doubt about that, any other thing is just gang-up.
"There should not be any argument about that because the South-West has gotten it, the North has gotten, South-South has gotten it. You want the Igbo to remain in Nigeria but you want to discriminate against them.
"There should be no argument about where power should shift to, it should go to the South-East. Any other thing is gang-up."
[VANGUARD]
2023 presidential race
Afenifere
Pa Ayo Adebanjo
Bola Tinubu
Why I declined invitation to meet Osinbajo - Mr Macaroni
Mr Macaroni has opened up about his absence when Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo hosted a delegation of Nigerian skit makers in Abuja.
On Wednesday, Osinbajo had received the delegation who visited him under the aegis of the Nigeria Skits Industry Awards (NSIA) at the presidential villa.
The event has since become a subject of heated discussion among Nigerians on social media, with many users questioning why the entertainer was not among the delegation.
But in a lengthy Twitter thread on Friday, Mr Macaroni dismissed claim that he was "sidelined" by the organiser during preparation for the visit.
He also disclosed that he was invited but declined the request because he's "not happy with the country's leaders."
He said with his experience, he believes sitting down with government officials for deliberation does not yield results.
The comedian, born Debo Adebayo, however, said people should not condemn those who honoured the invitation.
"Honestly, I have tried so hard not to say anything about this issue but I have seen some comments and conclusions that do not really sit well with me. My conscience will not allow me to keep mute. So I have to say what I know for my conscience and posterity," he wrote.
"First, I do not think there is an association of skit makers. If there is, then I don't know anything about it. And that would be fine because I am an Actor/Thespian first before the tag "skit maker".
"So, I don't think those that went to see the VP without me or anyone else meant to sideline me. I want to believe they were invited to see The VP by the organisers of an award ceremony the same way I was invited. The only difference is that I declined the invitation.
"The reason I declined is simple. As a Citizen, I'm not happy with our leaders and I do not want to associate with them. It's ok if others believe that sitting with the Govt will change certain things and decide to try it out. I don't think they should be crucified for that.
"I have just seen too much to know that The Govt sees and hears everything. They and their workers are always on the Internet. They know what we cry and complain about and they do nothing about it. So what will sitting down with them to tell them what they already know change?
"I don't know what was discussed in that meeting as I wasn't there. But I don't believe those that went would go there to say anything other than demanding for better governance and leadership as we all have been doing all these while.
"Where I stand is that this is election season. The politicians that have abandoned us for years will start coming back to us again to promise heaven and earth. We need to see beyond their deceit. All they care about is photo. Look around, the PR work has started massively."
The entertainer also said he has always insisted on a public place whenever politicians invite him for a meeting.
"When politicians say they want to engage me, I always tell them to pick a public place, where all members of press would be present. So that I can say my mind as I see it. When they are begging for votes, they come to us publicly. So why do you want to see me privately?" Mr Macaroni asked.
"I am no hero or saint. I am not perfect. I am only a concerned citizen who wants a better nation for myself and for every other Nigerian. I use my voice, my craft and my platform to do this and I have been greatly persecuted for it.
"This is who I am. It is who I have always been even before fame. I have suffered so much for it and sometimes I ask myself why I am the way I am. But anytime I remember how many lives I have been able to impact positively, I am at peace with myself.
"I don't think it would be fair to hold any other person by these standards. Hoping we all can promote peace and unity amongst ourselves and explore whatever means we dim fit to demand for a better Nation for ourselves and generations to come."
THECABLE
Mr Macaroni
VicePresident
Nigerian skit makers


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Ex-police officer accused of choking child with dog leash
The incident allegedly took place in 2017
December 7, 2019 at 9:14 AM EST - Updated December 7 at 9:29 AM
PASADENA, Texas (KTRK/CNN) – A former Texas police officer is facing assault charges after being accused of putting a dog leash around his stepson's neck.
The alleged incident took place in 2017 when the boy was 8 years old and walking a puppy.
"Apparently, the puppy wasn't cooperating, wasn't walking," said Pasadena Police Chief Josh Bruegger. "The child was pulling on the leash and the puppy was yelping."
That's when McKay Christensen allegedly put the leash on the boy.
"He made some statements to the effect that he was going to teach him to walk a dog properly and took the leash … placed it around the child's neck and then was pulling or jerking is what was described by witnesses," Bruegger said.
The incident was reported in June, two years after it allegedly happened.
Christensen's wife, Stacy Rodd, is also facing child abuse allegations. She's accused of injuring a different child. Rodd has four children.
"Repeatedly striking a child with a belt, not only in the area of the buttock but the back and other parts of the body," Bruegger said.
The couple could face additional charges in the future, police said.
There's a lot more to the story, according to Christensen's attorney. "From what I do know, I believe it's been blown out of proportion," said Mark Thering. "Mr. Christensen will have his day in court to explain his version of the events."
Christensen recently retired from the Pasadena Police Department after 16 years.
He turned himself in on Friday and was being held on a $45,000 bond.
Copyright 2019 KTRK via CNN. All rights reserved.
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← A 311 Bone for Community Boards, or a Snow Job?
This entry was posted in NYC Agencies, The Mayor and tagged Department of Sanitation of NYC, DSNY, Michael Bloomberg, Stephen Goldsmith. Bookmark the permalink.
In the first snow storm..Mahattan Beach roads were not plowed until a week later, after the snow storm… we pay high taxes and the services we get back from the city are minimal…it's an injustice !!!
This Mayor must do less bs and more action for this community and New York in General..


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Sep 15, 201411:00 AMBlaska's Bring It!
Some of my co-conspirators in the Great Conservative Conspiracy have been demanding that Scott Walker announce a bold agenda for his second term. Sunday, he did just that with what he calls "Continuing Wisconsin's Comeback." Is it bold enough?
No. 8 is Walker walking (heh!) the tight rope on Common Core. The last three will make our … acquaintances howl. Now, seriously, can anyone remember even one plank of Mary Burke's platform?
Notice, of course, no job numbers pledge from the incumbent. No private-sector right to work. No abolition of the income tax. No pledge to outlaw secret John Doe proceedings, which are unknown in almost every other state. No pledge to expand school choice vouchers throughout the state. All would rate (!!!!!).
For that matter, no hostile takeover of the Upper Peninsula, for which Blaska's Bring It! (one exclamation point) has been lobbying.
Who is 'demoralized, frightened, and intimidated'?
"Whims"? Madison Schools Superintendent Jennifer Cheatham operates on whims? The seven members of the school board elected by the voters of Madison — their decisions are "whims"?
Mary Burke campaigns for governor on Saturday at Fighting Bob Fest in Baraboo with the approval of Madison Teachers Inc. boss John Matthews (background). The event was sponsored by two corporations: The Progressive Inc. and The Capital Times Inc. Photo by MacIver Institute — used with permission.
Not to mention employees of Trek Bicycle. Which, as you might expect, did go unmentioned.
One might argue that the Madison School District has been demoralized, frightened, and intimidated by Boss Matthews. Well, one might.
The always churlish Progressive magazine's latest target is federal appellate judge Diane Sykes. She is "Scott Walker's favorite judge." In Progressive-speak, them's harsh words.
Judge Sykes had the temerity to uphold Voter ID on Friday. That is the supposedly draconian requirement that you show proof that you really are who you say you are. Like when you buy a prescription drug. What an assault on democracy!
Our … acquaintances hold that racial minorities are too befuddled to acquire identification. Or it's too much of an inconvenience. Takes a little effort, apparently. No, our … acquaintances are apparently too busy to reach out and help folks who might need help.
Interesting picture of Mary Burke waiving a clenched fist. As I recall, the Cap Times published a similar (identical actually, minus puppeteer John Matthews) picture of Ms. Burke waiving a clenched fist at the recent State Democratic Party Convention. Of course doesn't the kinder, more loving democrats realize the veiled threats of intimidation and violence represented by the clenched fist? Of course they do.
It would seem that Mary Burke has some anger management issues. Perhaps a year off to snowboard in the South American Andes would help her to release this anger, or at least channel it to the mountain.
I would like you, as a true-blue Walker supporter, to explain and describe the effects Plank #1 will have on school districts and local units of government. Keep in mind the existing cuts that have been made to school aids and aids to local government. And the limits that have been placed by the present administration on those bodies to raise additional operating revenue. And also keep in mind there is a lot more to Wisconsin than Madison and Dane County.
When you see millionaire Queen Mary of Trek clad in denim or Hillary the Butcher of Benghazi pretending to barbeque in Iowa, those are the very cringe worthy moments that make politics so unappealing to thinking adults.
If Queen Mary wants to appeal to the shrinking unionista movement (she has them anyway) she should really paint her hand Smurf blue before raising her little Progressive fist of fury in the air.
boy, that is some agenda for four years.
hope walker doesn't tax his brain.
I see most of the posters here, already have taxed theirs.
Thank you, Governor Walker. For stopping the Milwaukee to Madison cow speed rail boondoggle in its tracks. For having the courage to stand up to the union goons controlling the education system. For doing your best to bring jobs to Wisconsin during Obama's Great Depression, while your Democrat opponent shipped jobs overseas. For being a lightning rod that took far too many hits from crazed liberal moonbats suffering from Walker derangement syndrome, who froth at the mouth from the mere mention of your name. Thanks for having the courage to implement Act 10 and save taxpayers $3 billion dollars. I can't wait to see what you and the Republican Assembly and Senate will do to make life better for people that actually want to work for a living.
Never had to show an ID to get a prescription filled.
Anony 4:19 - Wow, alternative reality Republicanism at it's best! Hellooooo, Earth to 4:14...or did I get snookered by satire? That must be it. No one could seriously make such ludicrous claims with a straight face! Ha-ha, you got me! Well played, sir.
2:57, you are one classy name-calling dude! Clever. All you guys viewing the photo and seeing the clenched "waiving" fist to be Burke's is about the best illustration of "seeing what you want to see" one could ask for. You guys are a RIOT!
Hey, Dave! Now that I actually took the time to skim your column, instead of just making fun of your commenting fans, I have to ask: Would you be willing to apply points 9, 10 & 11 to the Walker-campaign-donating beneficiaries of WEDC's largesse? Now you'd be talking. (!!!!!) Hey, takers are takers.


More than 120 farmers descended on Houghton Lodge Farm in Leicestershire last Wednesday (5 April) for the launch of AHDB Dairy's Strategic Dairy Farm. Houghton will formally showcase best practice, share key performance data and provide the inspiration for dairy farmers to learn from and improve their overall performance.
The Strategic Dairy Farm forms part of AHDB's new Farm Excellence Platform, which aims to join up the UK's fragmented knowledge exchange landscape and harness the proven benefits of 'farmer to farmer' learning in order to accelerate the uptake of knowledge.
Houghton, a newly formed joint venture between Farmcare Trading Ltd and Evolution farming, will hold regular on-farm meetings and capture and share financial and physical data via a new dashboard on AHDB Dairy's website.
Speaking at the event Tom Rawson and Charlie Crotty, partners in Evolution Farming, talked through the background to the venture, developments to date and their ambitious plans and targets for the business that will ultimately see 650 cows going through one of three parlours.