By Sebastine Obasi
There is need for the International Oil Companies, IOCs to invest in the Chad Basin and Benue Trough so as to shore up Nigeria’s oil reserve base.
Mr Alex Tarka, President of Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE),
Who stated this at a one-day virtual workshop, organised for oil and gas media professionals, also said that it is imperative for Nigeria to invest in oil exploration so as grow its economy.
“Every responsible oil producing nation should invest in oil exploration. Commercial discoveries have been made in the Chad Basin and Benue Trough. There are little risks involved. This should encourage the International Oil Companies, IOCs, to invest these areas. The government should take the lead in investing in these basins,” he said.
Also speaking, George Oguachuba, Executive Director, Commercial and Strategy, Total Nigeria Limited, identified lack of incentives as a hindrance to exploration in Nigeria. “The PIB is yet to be passed. This has discouraged the IOCs from further investment in the industry. The present production sharing contracts are demanding on the producers. It gives more benefits to government than to the producers. Lack of incentives hinder oil exploration. That is why there are no replacement in production.
Fiscal terms in the PSC are more stringent. Government should put in place incentives for producers to go into exploration, so as to grow Nigeria’s reserve base,” he said. He also explained that the production sharing contract does not affect gas production. According to him, if gas is discovered in the course of oil discovery, the producer is expected to approach the government for discussion after which agreement is reached.
For Toyin Akinosho, Publisher, African Oil+Gas Report, oil and gas media professionals should be wary of fake news as it leaves in its wake doubt, lack of trust, misinformation and confusion. ”It also has a higher chance of being believed or shared since the networks are segmented so that it’s being shared with people that already have a bias and want to believe it is true story. It does a lot of damage to the industry,” he added.
Also speaking, Yvette Dimiri, Growth Editor, Stears Business, harped on the need for media houses to embrace digital journalism with a view to simplifying issues for the teeming readers. She explained that the world has gone digital, which necessitates every journalist to be digital-driven


Taylor Scott International News
Local authorities in London are failing to do their job stamping out rogue letting agents, according to a new investigation. Since the beginning of October letting agents and property managers have had to sign up to one of three government approved ombudsman or redress schemes. But an investigation by television channel London Live says it has found failings in the legislation which shows in its current state it just isn’t working. It also suggests that Londoners are unaware they now have more powers to hold rogue agents to account if they are ripped off. If a tenant is unhappy with the way they’re treated by an agent they can go to one of these schemes to complain. If an agent refuses to comply with decisions made by these schemes, they face fines and could be banned from trading, giving the ombudsman the legal teeth they previously lacked. It's now illegal for any agent to operate without registering with a government approved ombudsman to avoid tenants paying excess fees, having their deposits withheld, or being in fear of revenge evictions. London Live asked every local authority in London if they are enforcing this, and their response ranged from Havering admitting they're not keeping track and waiting for tenants to report rogue agents, to Merton and Richmond saying it's only when they are made aware that they seek compliance. It found that Kensington and Chelsea think the law is still going through the courts so it's not clear to them which department has to deal with this. Newham is the only local authority actively taking action. They’ve issued £5,000 fines to nine letting agents who have refused to register. London renter Alex Parsons says is long overdue. ‘Just as I was about to move into a property in Waltham Forest my flat mates and I were told to pay £300 on top of the £200 I already had to pay in admin fees,’ he explained. According to Rosie Walker from Renters Rights London the scheme isn’t working at the moment as tenants are worried that if they complain they could end up without a home. ‘The redress scheme is the final tier of the complaint process, what should be happening is that the agent should be dealing with the complaints directly with the tenant and the landlord to resolve it (the problem),’ said Sean Hooker, head of Ombudsman the Property Redress Scheme. All three redress scheme operators revealed that they haven’t received a single complaint from a London tenant or landlord because not enough is being done to let people know about their new legal powers. Continue reading →
The post Investigation claims property redress scheme not working in London appeared first on Taylor Scott International.
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Volvo presently sells two EV types – the XC40 Recharge SUV and its sportier-hunting C40 Recharge cousin. Each other Volvo design will be accessible with a hybrid powertrain for 2023.
The last cars and trucks to make the jump are the XC90, XC40, and V60 Cross Region. All will occur common with Volvo’s 48-volt delicate-hybrid process. Volvo has not introduced gasoline economic system quantities, but that process boosts fuel overall economy by about 15% on most cars.
For the 2021 model yr, for instance, the Volvo S60 earned an EPA rating of 23 miles for each gallon in the town, 34 mpg on the freeway, and 27 mpg blended. Volvo additional the hybrid system to its 2022 S60, and the automobile did superior in each evaluate — 26 city/35 mpg highway and 30 mpg put together.
Volvo this 7 days also introduced that just about every 2023 model will get the company’s new Google Android-dependent infotainment method. It lets people run some Google applications, such as Maps and Voice Assistant, immediately from the automobile without the need of the need to have to hook up a telephone.
The program also permits Volvo to send out remote software updates to the vehicles. Automakers can use that technological innovation to remotely add features to a motor vehicle or resolve computer software challenges without having requiring owners to provide motor vehicles in for mend.


text:
Kino International in East Berlin was opened on 15 November 1963. The first shown movie was the Soviet Optimistische Tragödie / Optimistic tragedy / Оптимистическая трагедия by Samson Samsonov (USSR, 1963). The cinema has a screen of 17,5 metres and 608 seats in one hall. There were also a library and a youth club in this building.
It was the most important film theatre in East Berlin until the fall of the wall on 9th November 1989. On this day there was the premiere of the movie Coming Out by Heiner Carow (GDR, 1989) about young gays in East Berlin.
Today Kino International is used by many filmmakers for premieres due to the theater's ambience and is one of the venues of the Berlinale. Visitors from Berlin are fond of the theater's history and special atmosphere. The large film posters on the outside of the theater are still painted by hand.
The postcard is from 1966. The cinema advertises the movie The Leopard / Il Gattopardo by Luchino Visconti (Italy, 1963), realesed here on 7 January 1966. The poster was designed by Axel Bertram.
It is one of the rare postcards with a cinema at night - and in winter.
The cinema is still opened. It has been on the heritage list of the state of Berlin since 1990.

domain: artistic


text:
"Induction and Patterning of the Primitive Streak, an Organizing Center of Gastrulation in the Amniote" (2004), by Takashi Mikawa, Alisa M. Poh, Kristine A. Kelly, Yasuo Ishii, and David E. Reese
“Induction and Patterning of the Primitive Streak, an Organizing Center of Gastrulation in the Amniote,” (hereafter referred to as “Induction”) examines the mechanisms underlying early amniote gastrulation and the formation of the primitive streak and midline axis. The review, authored by Takashi Mikawa and colleagues at Cornell University Medical College, was published in Developmental Dynamics in 2004. The article primarily discusses chick embryos as a model organism for nonrodent amniote gastrulation, although it intermittently touches on nonamniote gastrulation for comparative purposes. “Induction” attempts to explain the initiation of cell differentiation and embryo organization, one of the most intriguing processes of embryology.
The primitive streak is an elongated group of mesodermal cells that move inward toward the center of the early embryo, delineating the organism’s anterior and posterior ends. The authors mainly explore the existing knowledge concerning the initiation of early primitive streak formation and the mechanisms regulating its extension and directional diversification. By gaining a better understanding of the function of the primitive streak and the main axes of development, they hope to contribute to the bigger picture of amniote embryology—that is, the early development of reptiles, birds, and mammals inside the amniotic fluid. The graphics included in the paper feature explanatory diagrams and images from the Hamburger-Hamilton Stages of chick embryogenesis.
The introduction provides a brief, general background to the early stages of embryonic development. The authors explain that the chick zygote undergoes division that produces a small disc of cells called the blastodisc, which eventually results in the formation of three germ layers: the ectoderm (outer), mesoderm (middle) and endoderm (inner). The primitive streak, which is made up of bottle-shaped mesenchymal cells, forms at the posterior of this disc and serves as the basis for gastrulation in amniotes. The formation of the streak determines the direction of the anterior-posterior (AP) axis and the more specific location of the midline axis where the notochord of the chick will eventually lie.
While the authors admit that, as of yet, little is known about the mechanisms that initiate the formation of the primitive streak, there are a number of hypotheses pertaining to the directly-related formation of the axes in the embryo. These axes are the AP, the midline, and the dorsal-ventral (DV) axes. The authors suggest that gravity and electricity may play a role together, or separately, in delineating the location of the AP and DV axes. Membrane potential and pH gradients are also thought to influence the formation of the axes. Citing a 1960 experiment by Nelson T. Spratt, Jr. and Helmut Haas, the authors remark that subdivisions of the blastodisc each give rise to a separate chick embryo, suggesting plasticity of the axes during the early stages of development.
The discussion of axis formation leads into an examination of the induction of the initial primitive streak, an event that is thought to drive the demarcation of the midline axis. Studies in whole chick embryo cultures have implicated the posterior marginal zone (PMZ) of the embryonic disc as a likely site of primitive streak induction. The authors name a number of paracrine signaling factors and transcriptional factors which have been detected in the process and are thought to have a significant effect. However, they concede that there is still some confusion as to which cells respond to the signals and how they carry the response out. The paper discusses an early hypothesis proposed in 1990 by Claudio Stern and David Canning, who postulated that there are two distinct populations of cells that make up the early chick embryo, only one of which is capable of responding to induction signals. They suggested that these responsive cells are scattered randomly and aggregate into the initial primitive streak upon signaling from the PMZ. An alternative model, formulated after studies in 2001, describes PMZ-derived signals acting on immediately-neighboring cells, as opposed to scattered cells, to induce primitive streak formation. However, this model is still under scrutiny in order to determine how those signals specify the primitive streak within the epiblast.
After presenting these hypotheses about the formation of initial primitive streak, the authors of “Induction” discuss the streak’s morphogenesis in detail. Much of this information is presented through comparison to processes in amphibians. Two studies using different fate mapping techniques are outlined in order to examine the current understanding of the morphogenetic process. The first study was carried out by Hefzibah Eyal-Giladi’s lab in 1992. Eyal-Giladi used florescent-labeled grafting methods to trace the migration of precursor cells, and found that they first migrate toward the midline and then move anteriorly toward the middle of the embryonic disc.
The second study reviewed was performed by Yan Wei and Takashi Mikawa in 2000. This later study used in vivo retroviral-mediated tagging and produced labeled daughter cells. These cells were arranged perpendicular to the axis of streak extension, whereas the rest of the dividing cells were not oriented in any particular direction. To explain the phenomenon of streak extension and shaping, Wei and Mikawa proposed an interaction between three morphological processes: active cell proliferation, intercalation, and oriented cell division. A combination of these processes would produce a large number of cells, stretch cells mediolaterally, and push the elongating cell mass toward the center of the embryonic disc, as seen in the stage II primitive streak of the Hamburger-Hamilton Stages.
In the final section of the paper, the authors review the patterning of the initial primitive streak along the AP, DV, and mediolateral axes. Expression profiles of the different genes acting on the primitive streak during its formation indicate that many of them operate on very specific zones. The specified behavior of many of these genes has produced evidence both for and against the idea that gene expression at this stage is predictive of cell fate. The fact that certain genes are only expressed in very particular regions implies that their expression must also lead to the emergence of different types of cells. However, the opposing argument contends that since gene expression is dynamic and sometimes even cyclical or oscillating, it cannot be considered a definitive indicator of cell fate at this stage of ontogeny.
Another important, though largely unexplained, phenomenon noted in “Induction,” is the pattern of cell death along the primitive streak midline. The authors are careful to explain that this cell death is not typical of apoptosis or necrosis; the dead cells are not digested but are instead incorporated in the streak midline during gastrulation and do not ingress. They also state that the mechanism behind this unusual pattern of cell death is unknown as of yet. However, since certain gastrulation markers are expressed in the emerging primitive streak prior to midline cell death, it seems that the future midline is in fact already established in the primitive streak at this point. Disruption of this cell death has been found to cause issues with laterality during development, so it is thought that this region of dead cells serves to separate the left and right sides of the embryonic disc.
The authors conclude “Induction” with questions for further study and highlight the importance of learning more about early primitive streak formation. They suggest that continued exploration of the topic will in turn reveal more information about the formation of the three germ layers essential for functional differentiation, and help establish a better understanding of the regulation of axis formation in embryos.
- Bachvarova, Rosemary F., Isaac Skromne, and Claudio D. Stern. “Induction of Primitive Streak and Hensen's Node by the Posterior Marginal Zone in the Early Chick Embryo,” Development 125 (1998): 352134.
- Chuai, Manli, and Cornelis J. Weijer. “The Mechanisms Underlying Primitive Streak Formation in the Chick Embryo,” Current Topics in Developmental Biology 81 (2008): 13556.
- Eyal-Giladi, Hefzibah, Anat Debby, and Noa Harel. “The Posterior Section of the Chick’s Area Pellucida and its Involvement in Hypoblast and Primitive Streak Formation,” Development 116 (1992): 81930.
- Mikawa, Takashi, Alisa M. Poh, Kristine A. Kelly, Yasuo Ishii, and David E. Reese. “Induction and Patterning of the Primitive streak, an Organizing Center of Gastrulation in the Amniote,” Developmental Dynamics 229 (2004): 42232.
- Smith, Jodi L., and Gary C. Schoenwolf. “Getting Organized: New Insights into the Organizer of Higher Vertebrates,” Current Topics in Developmental Biology 40 (1998): 79110.
- Stern, Claudio D., and David R. Canning. “Origin of Cells Giving Rise to Mesoderm and Endoderm in Chick Embryo,” Nature 343 (1990): 273275.
Copyright Arizona Board of Regents Licensed as Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

domain: biology


text:
Crazy Rich Asians – Netflix
If you thought only Indian weddings are as big as they can get, this film will prove you wrong. Rachel an economic professor is dating a man named Nick, but doesn’t know much about his background. When the latter’s best friend is getting married the two travel to Singapore. Out there, she learns that her boyfriend is heir to the richest family in Singapore and his family and friends are disapproving of her.
Featuring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Gemma Chan, Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina

domain: entertainment


I usually rig my projects according to the motto less is more, but I did the total opposite with the Savage Gear E-Rider. My little winter fun project during the closed season. The manufacturer calls the E-Rider a kayak, but as described in the catalog, it’s a crossover between an inflatable boat and an inflatable kayak. So definitely more of a small watercraft that can be paddled and clearly shows its advantages with the engine mount. This is exactly what makes it interesting for me!
A bit of a dry theory before we start transforming into the Batmobile: the E-Rider comes in a box and you have to be careful not to cut it open with a knife to avoid damaging it. The boat is 330 cm long, 110 cm wide and 30 cm high. The weight is 23 kg and the maximum load is specified as 190 kg. The package includes the boat (mainframe and drop stitch floor), a three section double paddle in 260 cm length, a slide on fin, a foot pump and repair kit. You cannot read the bar pressure on the foot pump, so you should at least use a pressure gauge. You can order this anywhere and it doesn’t cost much. It only takes a few minutes to set up the E-Rider and it inflates quickly. The supplied paddle can be used, but I appreciate the lower weight of high quality paddles and prefer a Bending Branches double paddle and an Aquabound SUP paddle.
First of all, I thought about which accessories I would like to install and, above all, in which position. The only option is the front bench. I drilled holes and attached two YakAttack Mighty Mounts as gear tracks for a rod holder and a camera mount. Additionally a RAM ball for the fish finder mount. At first I wanted to mount the transducer with a suction cup, but to be honest, these things just don’t hold up. My solution: the Scotty Transducer Arm 140, which I also use with a few of my kayaks. I attached the Scotty Deck Mount 241L to the motor mount, for which I had to drill 4 holes. I removed the slip discs on the transducer arm, as well as the lower 90°adapter piece, so that the transducer is in the correct position. Holds perfectly! When using a motor, be careful that the propeller is far enough in the water and does not touch the transducer when turning!
With this equipment and an E-Thrust 55 lbs motor powered by a Rebelcell li-ion battery, I put the boat on the water for the first time. During the first demo ride, I quickly realized that the seating position is not perfect for steering the electric motor, unless you have rubber bones. From this problem the idea was born to transform the boat into a small inflatable micro skiff and I had to find a way to steer the boat while standing. At this point I threw my motto overboard and started installing the YakAttack Command Stand. Very beneficial if you have all this stuff around somewhere!
Whenever I’m in Florida, I love seeing the shallow water skiffs out on the water. So why not make an inexpensive alternative out of the E-Rider? In theory, the idea was clear: the Command Stand is installed at the front and I can hold on when I steer the small boat while standing. To put this into practice I had to do a few dry runs to see how long a tiller extension needs to be. Without an extension you cannot reach the electric motor. 60 cm could work, in the end I ordered a telescopic version (60 – 100 cm). To attach the Command Stand, I had to drill again 2 holes in the front bench. I used two rings from the boat through which the rope passes for the other two attachments. Another advantage of the Command Stand is that I could now attach a safety light, a paddle holder, a cup holder and another rod holder (for the rod while driving).
First I wanted to put a large crate with 3 rod holders in the back of the boat. But that’s nonsense, because there can be no rods if you want to steer. That’s why I just have a Meiho Versus VS 3070 box in which I have the most important things (tools, repair kit, etc.). The Rebelcell 12V70 li-ion battery is now behind the back seat. The fish finder is powered by a Rebelcell 12V18 li-ion battery.
The last transformation step: the fun only really starts when a two-stroke engine comes into play! My old 1984 Evinrude with 4 hp was brought to life and even after 15 years of deep sleep it started again immediately. The tank has enough space behind the seat and the tiller extension fits both the electric motor and the Evinrude. Due to the perfect weight distribution when standing, the boat goes off like a rocket. It’s really fun!
Attention: It is essential to use a life jacket and an emergency stop switch! Please note: Boats on German inland waterways with over 3 HP must be registered!
Links to the accessories I used:
YakAttack MightyMount Switch: https://www.yakattack.us/mightymount-switch-mmsw/
YakAttack Omega Rod Holder: https://www.yakattack.us/products/rod-holders/
YakAttack CommandStand: https://www.yakattack.us/commandstand-universal-stand-assist-bar-sap-1001/
RAM Fish Finder Mount: https://www.rammount.com/shop-all/kayak/fishfinder-mounts
Scotty Transducer Arm Mount 140: https://scotty.com/product/no-140-kayak-sup-transducer-arm-mount-for-post-mounts/
Rebelcell 12V18: https://www.rebel-cell.com/product/12v18-av-battery/
Rebelcell 12V70: https://www.rebel-cell.com/product/12v70-av-battery/
Bending Branches Angler Pro Plus Paddle: https://bendingbranches.com/products/angler-pro-plus
Railblaza C-Tug Cart: https://www.railblaza.com/c-tug/
Tightline Anchor K5 Kayak Anchor: https://tightlineanchor.com/collections/shop-all/products/k5-kayak-canoe-anchor-3-5lbs
NRS Chinook Fishing PFD: https://www.nrs.com/product/40009.04/nrs-chinook-fishing-pfd


Energy levels ( x ̄ ± 1 SD) of whole soft body tissues and shells of the antarctic brachiopod Liothyrella uva (Jackson, 1912) were 9.0 ± 1.0 and 1.1 ± 0.4·kJ·g-1 dry wt, respectively. The majority of the energy in the soft body tissues was attributable to NaOH-soluble protein (17.4% dry wt) and in the shell to lipid (2.6% dry wt). An intact individual with a shell length of 3.4 cm and a wet and dry wt of 5.8 and 2.9 g, respectively, contained a total of 9.6 kJ. As dense populations of L. uva occur in the Southern Ocean, this species represents a considerable potential energy resource for predators, including sea stars and fish (ca 103kJ·m-2 in some areas). Total crude extracts of whole brachiopod soft tissues caused significant retraction of sensory tube-feet in 6 species of sympatric sea stars. Control assays employing whole crude extracts of the fresh soft tissues of the antarctic limpet Nacella concinna (Strebel, 1908) or seawater alone did not elicit significant sustained tube-foot retraction. Bioactivity was diminished in frozen extracts of brachiopod soft tissues exposed to the sensory tube-feet of the sea star Odontaster validus (Koehler, 1906), but was not diminished in the tube-foot retraction response of the sea star Neosmilaster georgianus (Studer, 1885). Lyophilized brachiopod soft tissues ground into a fine powder and embedded at a concentration of 2% (wt:vol) in agar pellets containing 5% krill caused significant feeding deterrence in an allopatric fish (the sheepshead minnow Cyprinidon variegatus Lacepede 1803). These findings suggest that, similar to temperate zone and tropical brachiopods, body tissues of this antarctic brachiopod are unpalatable to potential predators. © 1993.


text:
Severe weather could hit the Topeka area this afternoon, said Beth Lunde, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Topeka.
"Watch television or check online," Lunde said. "If you have a weather radio, turn it on."
Although Lunde said tornadoes are a possibility, the threat will be isolated. There is a larger threat of hail, she said.
"Rain is going to be a big factor, too," she said. "We've had a lot of rainfall."
That could lead to some flooding.
Topeka has received about an inch in the past 24 hours. Areas south of Interstate 70 have received as much as 2 to 2 1/2 inches, Lunde said.
The severe weather will begin to develop near Concordia and Manhattan between 2 and 3 p.m. and will arrive in Topeka between 4 and 6 p.m., she said.
Ann Marie Bush can be reached at (785) 295-1207 or firstname.lastname@example.org.

domain: news


text:
Ice Pop Holders
I have had ice pop holders on my list forever. I don’t know why I haven’t done it before now, because my kids are obsessed with frozen Gogurts and are always asking for a rag to wrap around it. Well, now that ice pop season is here (anyone else call them Otter Pops?), it was time to get them done.
I just love these, and my kids do too. They keep those cute little hands from freezing, and they look pretty darn cute at the same time! This is a super quick and simple project…the best kind!
ITEMS YOU NEED:
- hot glue
- heat transfer material OR fabric & heat ‘n bond
1. I used felt, because it’s easy to cut out, holds its shape, and is really durable. Plus it’s CHEAP! I spent .60 on two squares of felt, and it made 5 ice pop holders (with some left over). I cut it into rectangles, after I held it up to both an ice pop and a gogurt to check for width and height. Make sure to leave a little extra room on the sides for the glue.
2. Once I had the rectangles cut with a front and back for each holder, I used hot glue to glue them together. DO NOT USE LIQUID STITCH. I tried it first, and it was a disaster. I will probably end up doing mine over, because it ruined a few places on a couple of them, and it will drive me crazy. :) Glue really close to the edges, making sure to get into the corners.
3. Once the glue is dry, you can add your embellishments. Since I am in love with all things monogrammed, I added my kids’ initials, along with a small border on the front. (Century Gothic font, girls = ric rac border & boys = tiny dots border from Silhouette online store) On the back I added the same border, and a fun little “brrr…”.
Seriously people, 10 minutes. I love that.
Kierste Wade is a published author, blogger, and mom to six. With more than 20 years DIY and project experience, she has been sharing ideas on her blog since 2009. Focusing on simple and doable projects, she loves to share attainable ideas for all things home, holidays, and family. Kierste has been featured on Better Homes and Gardens, HGTV, American Farmhouse Magazine (print and online) Taste of Home, Country Living, and more.


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EDMONTON — Free speech rights protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms also apply to First Nation chiefs and council, says an unprecedented letter from the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, sent to the Kwantlen First Nation.
“The letter is simple and states something assumed as natural by any other citizen of Canada: a government may not punish a citizen for speaking out on a public issue,” writes Robert Jago, a member of the Kwantlen Nation, in a commentary from the Yellowhead Institute, a First Nation-led research centre at Ryerson University.
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The application of Charter rights on reserves is an evolving discussion, but the BCCLA letter — which is being called the Kwantlen Statement — details several instances where courts have applied it to band members. Violations of free expression rights, said Jago in an interview Wednesday with the National Post, are “extremely common on reserve” and take various forms.
“The issue of free speech on reserve is critical. Away from media attention, political repression is a frequent occurrence on many reserves,” says a press release announcing the BCCLA letter and posted on an information site for Kwantlen membership.
Veronica Martisius, a signatory of the BCCLA letter, said in an email that the objective of the letter was to “provide assistance” to those “who are feeling silenced” by the chief and council.
“We believe that First Nations people should be aware that Canadian Courts have ruled that First Nations people are entitled to invoke the protection of the Charter in response to the decisions or actions of Band Councils or Bands who derive their authority from the Indian Act, which is a federal piece of legislation,” Martisius wrote.
In October 2019, for example, the offices of the Turtle Island News in Six Nations of the Grand River, a reserve near Hamilton, Ont., was set on fire in a targeted attack.
“This was an attack on free speech and a free press in First Nation communities,” said publisher and owner Lynda Powless at the time.
There have been many other forms of free speech attacks, explained Jago, from restrictions on journalists entering reserve land, sometimes enforced by police, to banishments used as retribution, and threats.
“With the willing assistance of Canada’s police forces, chiefs and band councils have trampled over the rights of First Nations people,” says a press release about the BCBLA letter.
The Kwantlen First Nation is located along the Fraser River, but with traditional territory covering much of the greater Vancouver area. There has been a long-established hereditary governance system at Kwantlen, and recent attempts by band members to reform that system.
In March 2019, a group of Kwantlen members wrote to the chief and council saying they were withdrawing support for the hereditary governance system. This was followed by a petition signed by roughly 10 per cent of the reserve’s adult membership, which accounts for some 50 per cent of those on-reserve, asked “the chief and council to work with us in developing a new system.”
But in July, the band council issued a document, called the Safe Spaces Agreement, which asked members participating in the “engagement process” to sign in order to keep the discussions confidential and “creating safe spaces that encourage respectful and meaningful dialogue.”
With the willing assistance of Canada’s police forces, chiefs and band councils have trampled over the rights of First Nations people
Specifically, it asks those to affirm they will “not share with anyone who is not a Kwantlen member any comments or information exchanged during Kwantlen’s custom governance code engagement process.”
The BCCLA letter was sent last week to the hereditary leadership of the Kwantlen First Nation, and lays out some of the case law suggesting that the Charter protects members of First Nations.
The Kwantlen First Nation did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
As it happens, wrote Jago, the band council withdrew the Safe Spaces Agreement shortly after it was issued — and before the BCCLA sent its letter — but “the support of the BCCLA is still important and still needed.”
In its letter, the BCCLA says some members “argue that their Charter-protected freedom of expression rights are being threatened.”
“In consideration of their concerns, we ask that you give this letter due regard,” the letter says.
In his commentary, Jago cites Damien Lee, an Anishinaabeg sociologist at Ryerson, who said the reluctance of civil liberties groups to stand up for Indigenous peoples’ rights is “due to the misguided belief that band councils are traditional forms of Indigenous governance.”
“They’re not,” he said. “Elected or not, Indian Act band councils are as Canadian as the butter tart.”
This means, said Jago, that bands are the creations of colonial law. The long-term goal of Indigenous sovereignty can’t be used to protect or allow chiefs and councils to oppress their band membership.
• Email: firstname.lastname@example.org | Twitter: tylerrdawson

domain: sociology


text:
Slicker Brush – Easy2Clean
This slicker brush provides better coat care thanks to its flexible teeth. Better results without extra effort! Directions for use: First brush your dog along with the hairline, then against the hairline. For long-haired dogs, be sure to work on one section at a time.

domain: pet


text:
SAN DIEGO (March 5, 2020)—The future of San Diego’s seniors became a little brighter today, thanks to the Sahm Family Foundation, a private foundation based in Rancho Santa Fe that announced its approval of nearly $1 million in grants to various senior centers and senior-focused agencies and programs across the county. It is one of the largest grants ever made to San Diego’s aging population.
“This is something that was very important to my grandparents when they started this foundation in 1997,” said Christopher A. Sahm, president and chairman of the Sahm Family Foundation, and grandson of co-founders Roland and Ramona Sahm. “Now we are in a position to really make a difference in this area.”
Nationally, there is a major shortage of philanthropy when it comes to senior programs and services. Less than 2 percent of all institutional giving in the United States goes to seniors. And yet, the need to support this vulnerable population continues to rise.
By 2030, San Diego will have 930,000 residents over the age of 60, a 130 percent increase since 2000. This influx will strain the already fragile network of existing services for seniors, as statistics show that 40 percent of elder San Diegans face severe economic hardship and just under 2% of Californians are insured for long-term care. The Sahm Family Foundation’s grants are helping call attention to this mounting crisis, and its board members hope other philanthropists will soon follow suit.
The 2019 grants vary in amount, ranging from $8,000 to $100,000. Examples include a $100,000 grant to ElderHelp to support its HomeShare program, which matches seniors who live alone with roommates, so that older adults may continue living in their homes as they age. Elder Law and Advocacy received $60,000 for an elder abuse prevention campaign. And another grant went to Serving Seniors to purchase two hotshot trucks, which will help the agency add two new home-delivery routes and serve an additional 73,000 meals to an additional 100 homebound seniors each year.
The foundation also awarded grants to 12 senior centers. A recent study by the San Diego Seniors Community Foundation revealed that the county’s senior centers are in grave disrepair and in drastic need of funding. The Sahm grants will facilitate equipment and various building upgrades. They will also help these centers expand their nutrition programs, transportation, caregiving, housing, and other essential services.
Additionally, the foundation awarded grants to The Old Globe and Museum of Photographic Arts in support of programming that will directly benefit older adults with lower incomes, whose access to the arts is limited or nonexistent.
The welfare of seniors is one of the Sahm Family Foundation’s three focus areas. The others are the welfare of children, along with the visual and performing arts.
About the Sahm Family Foundation
The Sahm Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, a private family foundation based in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. It was started in 1997 by Roland and Ramona Sahm to support the welfare of seniors, the welfare of children, and the visual and performing arts, in San Diego County and beyond. The foundation is currently overseen by an appointed board of directors, and grant applications are by invitation only. For more information, visit sahmfamilyfoundation.org.


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Virtual Unpacking the Book: Lisa Barr and James McAuley — Art, Assimilation, and Reclaiming a Stolen Legacy
Hosted By: The Jewish Book Council
Join Lisa Barr and James McAuley in a conversation about stolen Jewish art during the Holocaust, antisemitism, and displacement after the war, and the reclamation of the art and the narrative. Moderated by Stephanie Butnick, host of Tablet’s Unorthodox podcast.
The Saul and Gladys Gwirtzman Lecture
Lisa Barr is the award-winning author of Woman on Fire, The Unbreakables, and the historical thriller Fugitive Colors, a suspenseful tale of stolen art, love, lust, deception, and revenge on the eve of World War II. The novel won the Independent Publishers Book Award (IPPY) gold medal for “Best Literary Fiction 2014” and first prize at the Hollywood Film Festival (Opus Magnum Discovery Award). In addition, Lisa has served as an editor for The Jerusalem Post, managing editor of Today’s Chicago Woman, managing editor of Moment magazine, and an editor/reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times. Among the highlights of her career, Lisa covered the famous “handshake” between the late Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, the late PLO leader Yasser Arafat, and President Bill Clinton at the White House. Lisa has been featured on Good Morning America, TODAY, Fox & Friends, and the Australian morning news show Sunrise for her work as an author, journalist, and blogger. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband and three daughters (aka Drama Central).
James McAuley is a Washington Post Global Opinions contributing columnist focusing on French and European politics and culture, and a former Paris correspondent. He is also a contributor to the New York Review of Books. He holds a PhD in French history from the University of Oxford, where he was a Marshall Scholar. His book The House of Fragile Things has received critical acclaim from the Wall Street Journal, Art Newspaper, Economist, New Yorker, Financial Times, New York Review of Books, Guardian, and Nation.
Stephanie Butnick is deputy editor of Tablet Magazine and a host of the Unorthodox podcast. She is the author, along with her co-hosts, of The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia: From Abraham to Zabar’s and Everything in Between. She has written for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Copresented by Jewish Book Council, The Jewish Museum, and Tablet Magazine
The event listed here is hosted by a third party. My Jewish Learning/70 Faces Media is not responsible for its content or for errors in the listing.

domain: library


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Face Masks Makes People More Careless With Social Distancing, Reveals Study
With COVID-19 still infecting several people around the world and vaccines still under trials, social distancing is the need of the hour. A six feet distance between individuals helps prevent the spread of infection.
Another thing that is important is the wearing of face masks. It is something truly indispensable today. However, a novel research reveals that people who wear face masks become careless in following social distancing norms, and this is definitely not good.
This shocking revelation was discovered by psychologists at Warwick Business School. In their study, Dr Luckman and his fellow researchers showed some images to their 800 participants. The images included people doing activities like sitting, standing or walking.
Each individual in the study was asked how close they would stand next to the individual in the image in indoor and outdoor settings in times when either one of the two or no one wore a mask.
Researchers discovered that in every situation, people were okay with a reduced distance between each other if they or the other person wore a mask. What’s more shocking is that people wearing masks were comfortable standing just 1.8 metres away from other people, compared to being over two metres away without a face mask.
It was also seen that people who believed them to be one of the most vulnerable to COVID-19 maintained their appropriate distance from other individuals.
Paper author and behavioural scientist Daniel Read explained, “Our results could be particularly relevant for countries where mask usage is now high, but social distancing guidelines have been relaxed. If countries need to return to greater levels of physical distancing due to a second wave of cases, that may be harder to implement than it was when mask use was low at the start of the pandemic.'
He added, “We need more evidence to determine at what point the risks of reducing physical distance outweigh the benefits of wearing a mask. Clearly, the greatest benefit results from using masks to complement social distancing, rather than replacing it.”

domain: medical


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What are the Fortnite Ice Storm challenges and how do you complete them? In case you hadn’t noticed, the Fortnite Ice Storm event has gone live, turning the entire battle royale map white with thick snow, and – much more importantly – unleashing a fresh set of Fortnite Ice Storm challenges for players to complete over the coming days and weeks.
Most of the Fortnite Ice Storm rewards are XP dumps, but there are a couple of awesome cosmetic rewards to unlock if you grind through all of them, such as one of the cleanest Fortnite Wraps released so far, and the Winter’s Thorn Glider.
As with the Fortnitemares challenges, the Fortnite Ice Storm event will roll out over the course of a few days, with new couplets of challenges releasing every day. Today, two more challenges have been unlocked, bringing the total to four: Destroy Ice Fiends (0/250), Deal damage with Explosive Weapons to Ice Legion (0/5,000), Destroy Ice Brutes (0/100), and Deal damage with Assault Rifles or Pistols to the Ice Legion (0/10,000). There is a fifth challenge, which is simply to complete six Ice Storm challenges, which will net you the Blue Metallic Wrap. If you exclude the Wrap challenge then there are a total of 12 Fortnite Ice Storm challenges to complete.
Fortnite News on Twitter has a screenshot of the updated challenge list, below.
— Fortnite News – fnbr.news (@FortniteBR) January 20, 2019
So, how do you take down those Fortnite Ice Fiends? First, you’ll need to locate Fortnite Ice Shards around the map. These are littered all over the island and act as spawners for the various Ice Legion enemies you’ll face during the event. Once you’ve located a spawner simply hang around and keep dealing damage to Ice Fiends with whatever weapons you have. Ice Brutes are the bigger, tankier versions of Ice Fiends, and they’ll show up in the same places – there are just fewer of them per location.
Here’s a pro tip from Redditor u/GrimBap:
Undoubtedly one of the next Ice Storm challenges will be to destroy Ice Shards, so knowing that the Boombox item deals damage to the shards and distracts Ice Legion monsters is handy info. This will also make dealing damage with explosive weapons even easier as all your enemies will be grouped up around the Boombox.
Read more: Here are all the latest Fortnite skins
Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for help completing the next set of Ice Storm challenges, which will unlock exactly 24 hours after the event live, which is 19:00 GMT. Until then, good luck and don’t eat the yellow snow!

domain: game


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An image of a murdered 14-year-old boy on Google Maps will be removed – but it could take eight days.
The company said it would make an ‘exception’ and update the satellite image (warning: some people may find the content of the link upsetting), which shows the body of Kevin Barrera – who was shot in 2009 – in North Richmond, California.
His father Jose said: ‘When I see this image, that’s still like that happened yesterday.’
Google Maps vice president Brian McClendon said it was ‘working hard’ to remove the image.
‘Google has never accelerated the replacement of updated satellite imagery from our maps before, but given the circumstances we wanted to make an exception in this case,’ he said.

domain: geography


text:
Rent a cottage close to nature in Tuusniemi
At the moment, we only rent Kiviniemi’s holiday home!
Matkailu Majoinen offers spacious and sought-after holiday apartments in Tuusniemi, by the beautiful nature of Eastern Finland. Our three cabins are located a short distance from each other by the lake. Explore the options and book a relaxing cabin vacation for yourself, your family or a group of friends at the time you want.

domain: travel


Suspicious vehicle, Chagrin River Road: For the second time in recent weeks, a resident noticed a suspicious white SUV pulling up into a driveway on his street, the latest occurrence on March 22.
Theft, Hunting Hill Farm Drive: After police arrived to fill out an undisclosed theft report on March 31, the resident requested special attention by police in the area.
Suspicious vehicle, Fairmount Boulevard: An officer on patrol around 4 a.m. on March 19 noticed a suspicious car in the driveway at Squire Valleevue Farm, he investigated further and found a limousine driver waiting.
Dogs at large, Chagrin River Road: Police investigated separate reports of loose dogs running in the area or belonging on the grounds of Wildfield Stables, first on March 20, when dogs were returned there, and then on March 28, when dogs were found running on conservancy property.
Citations, various locations: A Gates Mills man was cited on March 21 during morning rush hour for speeding in the 34000 block of Cedar Road and driving without an operator's license on his person.
-- An East Cleveland woman was cited late on March 24 for improper passing along SOM Center Road (Route 91) North near Shaker Boulevard.
-- A driver was cited on the afternoon of March 28 at County Line Road and Mather Lane for driving with expired plates.


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Kurt Taylor Jr. Get to know the name and the young sophomore Newton running back because by the time he's a senior, Taylor Jr. will be one of the best running backs in the nation.
Newton basketball will lose three of its best players this year to college as D.J. Hill, Antonio Smith and Donovan Grubb all signed letters of intent to play at the next level. Hill will play at the University of Mobile while Grubb and Smith grind it out together at West Georgia Tech.
A longtime rivalry will be reignited this week when the Newton/Rockdale baseball teams play a three-game series with playoff implications on the line.
Alex Grady, current Georgia Tech sophomore cross country/track and field athlete and former Newton high school valedictorian, has been voted the first-ever recipient of the Ultimate Haier Achievement Award for student-athletes and their accomplishments beyond sports according to a news release. Grady, who majors in mechanical engineering, was one of six Georgia Tech student-athletes to receive the ACC Top Six for Service Award in 2014 In less than two years he has amassed more than 210 community service hours. Grady volunteers at Peachtree Academy in Newton County. There, he helps students with their scholarship applications.
Mason Calloway and Alex Johnson are the co-athletes of the week for Newton High school and Mark Beddington is the athlete of the week for Alcovy.
Born to compete player of the year Ashton Hagans was presented his award Friday morning at Clements Middle School in front of his entire eighth grade class. With his impeccable year playing basketball, Hagans has gotten a lot of recognition, and although it's deserved, deserve has nothing to do with it.
Currently on a four-game winning streak, Newton baseball finds itself one game below .500 at 8-9 overall with a 5-4 region record. The Rams' current streak has them holding down the No. 4 spot in the region standings with a series to play against Lovejoy (1-12, 0-9 Region 2-AAAAAA) – last in the standings – and Rockdale (9-9, 6-3 Region 2-AAAAAA).
Newton added two more wins to its one win total this evening to clinch the season series against Alcovy (3-0) and continue its road to the playoffs. On a beatiful day for a doubleheader, Newton won the first of two games, 10-2 and won the second 10-6.
In a series that could determine a trip to the state playoffs or not, Newton took control of the series by winning game one against Alcovy in a bit of a shootout, 13-7.
Ashton Hagans set the middle school basketball scene on fire this year as he helped lead Clements Middle School to an undefeated season and a county championship. Hagans and his team's success has earned him Born to Compete Player of the Year honors.
After losing their first two Region 2-AAAAAA series against Lakeside and Tucker, it was vital for the Newton Rams baseball team to get a win in game three against Tucker, and not get swept. The sense of urgency was there for the Rams, and with Tucker leaving their game back in DeKalb County, it was a commanding victory for Newton 8-1 against the Tigers. In all actuality it was not a bad week for Newton baseball, though they lost the first two games of the series. Newton lost 4-3 in the first game on March 23, and lost the second ...
Donovan Grubb and Antonio Smith have verbally committed to attend West Georgia Technical College to play basketball. Both Grubb and Smith are interested in pursuing career fields in criminal justice. Grubb wants to be a police officer and Smith wants to work in forensics.
The past week has been an emotional tragedy for Newton High School and their soccer program. With the loss of fellow mate, Carlvon Betts, soccer may have been the last thing on the mind of the players and coaches. But as time progresses, the season keeps going for the Newton High Soccer program.
We all know the saying "the rich get richer," and that seems to apply to the Newton Rams football program. After an historic Elite Eight run, Newton was able to celebrate all the hard work that was put in this entire season. On top of that, National Signing Day, back in February, was a busy day for the Rams as nine players signed their letter of intent to play football at the next level. Within the last few weeks, that number has risen to 12 as three more players signed for the Rams.
"He had [lost] so much blood, and they say he broke every bone in his face and fractured his skull. It was so much blood and swelling that the CT scan wasn't giving them the reading that they needed. The body didn't look like anything was wrong with it. It was just his head," says Tracy Betts, Carlvon Betts' mother, recalling her son's fatal car accident. "They took him and decided to get the bleeding to stop. At that point he was bleeding out of his ears, out of his nose, his mouth...everything. It wasn't ...
James Hardeman, getting his first start at running back, finally got Newton on the scoreboard Friday night.
It's been two weeks since Newton last stepped under the lights of a Friday night football game, and the Rams have spent each of those days hard at work.
Alex Grady's next big task is to lead Newton in the NewRock cross country meet on Thursday.
Christopher V. Woods, of Covington, was recently hired as head coach for the Claflin University men's and women's cross country and track and field teams.
Alex Grady's third race, yielded his first non-winning time of the 2012 Cross Country season.
VALDOSTA - Newton traveled down I-75 to Lowndes County, where its offense struggled and its defense held on as long as it could.
The Newton Rams are looking for some improvements after a 32-0 loss to Eastside in week one, but will have to best a challenging opponent to do so.
Newton's Alex Grady took first place on his home turf as he helped Newton win its own cross country meet on Thursday.
The 2011 Newton Rams epitomized an up-and-down football team, punctuated by its final game of the season when, with the playoffs on the line, they beat region rival Luella in four overtimes only to find out their postseason hopes had been squashed earlier in the night with East Coweta's narrow victory.
Newton High School football coach Cortez Allen has another tough schedule - including two trips to football-crazy Lowndes County - and a "baby" at quarterback, but he also has his eyes trained on the playoff berth the team thought it had last year.
Newton's 2012 football season officially begins Aug. 31 against Eastside, but the Kemani Pitman era may have gotten started on Saturday.
Heritage's ace pitcher capitalized the K in her first name Wednesday with a no-hit, 13-strikeout performance that led the Patriots to a 9-0 win against Newton on Wednesday.
The Newton Rams softball team is still looking for its first win of the 2012 season after completing two days of action this weekend.
John Richard Moore was getting ready to start a new clinical treatment and felt that it was time to come back home last week.
Jake Reed is a hall of famer.
A busy summer proved to be a successful one for the Newton boys' basketball team.


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This week Public Health England, an agency of the British Department of Health, published a 111-page report that unequivocally describes e-cigarettes as much less hazardous than the conventional kind and recommends them as a quitting aid for smokers. "Best estimates show e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful to your health than normal cigarettes," says PHE Chief Executive Duncan Selbie in the foreword, "and when supported by a smoking cessation service, help most smokers to quit tobacco altogether." This is not the sort of thing we are used to hearing from public health officials in the United States, who tend to view e-cigarettes as a threat rather than an opportunity to reduce the death and disease associated with smoking.
The report, prepared by Peter Hajek, a professor of clinical psychology at the Wolfson Institute for Preventive Medicine, and Ann McNeill, a professor of psychiatry, psychology, and neuroscience at King's College London, finds little reason to believe that e-cigarettes are "reglamorizing smoking" or luring nonsmokers into nicotine addiction—the two main fears voiced by anti-smoking activists and public health officials who view vaping with alarm. "The comprehensive review of the evidence finds that almost all of the 2.6 million adults using e-cigarettes in Great Britain are current or ex-smokers, most of whom are using the devices to help them quit smoking or to prevent them going back to cigarettes," PHE says. "It also provides reassurance that very few adults and young people who have never smoked are becoming regular e-cigarette users (less than 1% in each group)." As in the United States, smoking rates in the U.K. have fallen as vaping rates have risen. In short, "there is no evidence so far that e-cigarettes are acting as a route into smoking for children or non-smokers."
PHE regrets that "nearly half the population (44.8%) don't realise e-cigarettes are much less harmful than smoking." Public perceptions in the United States are even more divorced from reality. According to a Reuters poll completed on June 4, just 35 percent of Americans understand that "e-smoking is healthier than traditional cigarettes." The rest, nearly two-thirds, either disagree with that statement or don't know.
If you are wondering about the source of this misperception, look no farther than the mealymouthed and sometimes outright false statements of public health agencies and anti-smoking organizations, whose misleading pronouncements about vaping are uncritically amplified by their flacks in the press. "The long-term impact of e-cigarette use on public health overall remains uncertain," says the CDC, which calls e-cigarettes "tobacco products" even though they contain no tobacco. "When it comes to tobacco products," says CDC Director Tom Frieden, "we really have to assume they're dangerous until they're proven safe, rather than the other way around." Ron Chapman, director of the California Department of Public Health, calls e-cigarettes "a community health threat" and falsely claims "there is no scientific evidence that e-cigarettes help smokers successfully quit traditional cigarettes."
The advice from private organizations that are ostensibly interested in reducing smoking-related harm is generally not any more helpful or accurate. The American Cancer Society asks whether e-cigarettes are "safe," when the relevant question is whether they are less hazardous than conventional cigarettes, which they indisputably are. "Because the American Cancer Society doesn't yet know whether e-cigarettes are safe and effective," it says, "we cannot recommend them to help people quit smoking." The American Lung Association (ALA) says it's "a myth" that "e-cigarettes are safe" but does not address the relative hazards of smoking and vaping. The ALA also claims it's a "myth" that "e-cigarettes can help smokers quit," which is demonstrably false, as the PHE report shows. The group suggests that the continuing declines in smoking among teenagers are "offset by the dramatic increase in use of e-cigarettes," which is scientifically absurd given the clear health advantages of vaping.
The consequences of such misinformation can be serious. "E-cigarettes are not completely risk free," says Kevin Fenton, PHE's director of health and wellbeing, "but when compared to smoking, evidence shows they carry just a fraction of the harm. The problem is people increasingly think they are at least as harmful, and this may be keeping millions of smokers from quitting." McNeill, co-author of the PHE report, adds: "The evidence consistently finds that e-cigarettes are another tool for stopping smoking, and in my view smokers should try vaping and vapers should stop smoking entirely. E-cigarettes could be a game changer in public health, in particular by reducing the enormous health inequalities caused by smoking."
Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.


The Kansas City Chiefs looked absolutely pathetic on offense at home in the first half versus the visiting Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
For those hoping that a visit from the Buffalo Bills would be the solution to the team’s recent offensive woes or losing ways, those hopes were cast aside quickly in the game’s opening minutes when it was clear the Chiefs were simply not going to perform well on Sunday.
The Bills, who have allowed 60 first downs over the previous two weeks, allowed the Chiefs a single first down in the entire first half. The Bills had also give up an average of 45 points over the last three weeks, all losses, but somehow the Chiefs could only manage a single field goal while playing at home.
The offensive ineptitude starts with the quarterback position, where Alex Smith looks like a (miserable) shell of his former self. At one point only weeks ago, he was mentioned in MVP talks for his incredible season he was having through the first half of the year, but lately he’s been less than stellar. Against the Bills, he was downright horrible, completing only 4 of his 11 passes for 41 yards and 0 touchdowns.
Tyreek Hill caught a single pass for 3 yards. Travis Kelce has only been targeted once. Only Demetrius Harris could manage an impressive catch of 28 yards for the Chiefs longest play, by far, of the entire day. The Chiefs also couldn’t get the running game going in the first half although Kareem Hunt only had five total carries. Yet even with those, he only ran for 4 total yards.
There was simply nothing positive about the offense at all in the first half against the Bills. From a single first down to an inability to convert on any of their six third downs or their 57 total yards to their total time off possession of only 8:43 (compared to the Bills owning the clock for other 21 minutes), the Chiefs served up some disgusting football.
Fortunately the Chiefs get the ball back to start the third quarter. Maybe there are some hopes for the Chiefs to make the right adjustments, but it’s hard to believe that will happen unless there’s a significant change in personnel or playcalling. Even with different plays, the Chiefs still might not be able to execute if Alex Smith can’t find the open receiver or remain in the pocket long enough for the play to blossom.


text:
Jane Bond: Infiltrating the Market
Agent Jane Bond is on the case, cracking the code on bonds.
Have A Question About This Topic?
The Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq, and S&P 500 have all hit record highs in recent weeks.
Retirement choices can be intimidating. Picking the right strategy.
When it comes to managing your personal finances, there’s plenty of complex advice out there. But often, simpler is better.

domain: finance


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Our search will find Edinburgh music tutors in your area by their charges and proximity to you. Our subjects include, but are not limited to, English, Maths and Chemistry from primary level right through to GCSE, A-Level and on to undergraduate level tuition. All of our Edinburgh music teachers have been reference checked and have been through our ID verification process.
If you are a Edinburgh music tutor wanting to offer your home music tutoring services in Edinburgh or anywhere else across Scotland, please register with First Tutors or find out more about what we do here.


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For hundred of years, political candidates have expressed concern (sometimes legitimate) about how big cities run elections in the United States.
But this year is different.
It marks the first Presidential election where the media feels entitled to step in and “explain” away concerns about ballot tampering and voter fraud or diminish them on the grounds they are unproven, disputed or even false.
For example, President Donald Trump, a Republican, tweeted Wednesday that the Democratic Party in Pennsylvania is “working hard to make up 500,000 vote advantage in Pennsylvania disappear — ASAP. Likewise, Michigan and others!”
Facebook flagged Trump’s claim with the statement: “Election officials follow strict rules when it comes to ballot counting, handling and reporting.”
So Facebook effectively diminished Trump’s concern because, as we all know, election officials in Philadelphia follow the rules when it comes to ballot counting, handling and reporting.
Isn’t THIS election interference?
Twitter flagged Trump’s claim with the notice: “Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process.”
Trump obviously is disputing the way Philadelphia is handling the election process. What is the purpose of Twitter’s caution that Trump’s concern is “disputed and might be misleading.” Twitter is effectively detracting from the legitimacy of Trump’s concern. Who elected Twitter?
If and when Trump files a lawsuit alleging misconduct by Philadelphia election officials, it would be highly unusual for the press to report the allegations contained in his complaint are “disputed” and possibly “misleading” Yet, Facebook and Twitter do not hesitate to denigrate the U.S. President’s concern about election fraud.
What About Philly’s History of Corruption?
Get real. Philadelphia IS notorious for corruption. So notorious that Philadelphia City Life Magazine did a story earlier this year entitled, “The Utterly Ridiculous History of Lawbreaking (and Allegedly Lawbreaking) Philly Politicians.”
City Life pointed out that more than a century ago the muckraking investigative journalist Lincoln Steffens wrote about Philadelphia in a series of articles detailing corruption in U.S. cities. “All our municipal governments are more or less bad,” opined Steffens. “Philadelphia is simply the most corrupt and the most contented.” The story went on to identify egregious episodes of corruption by city officials in recent years.
Just a few months ago, the U.S. Department of Justice criminally prosecuted a Judge of Elections in Philadelphia. Domenick J. Demuro was convicted in March for accepting bribes to cast fraudulent ballots and certify false voting results during the 2014, 2015, and 2016 primary elections in Philadelphia.
DeMuro admitted that a political consultant — whose name was not revealed by prosecutors — paid him bribes to add fraudulent votes for certain Democratic candidates running for judge positions. The consultant took fees from the candidates and used some of that money to pay Election Board officials, including Demuro.
Perhaps Facebook and Twitter should have included a reference to Philadelphia’s shady past with respect to election tampering when it flagged Trump’s concerns?
Social media is not alone.
Politico warned ominously: Trump camp stokes fear over unfounded claims of mass voter fraud in Philly. However, social media is particularly worrisome because it has the unique ability to suppress the circulation of posts and tweets and is seen by many more viewers than traditional media.
We seem to be in a new age where 20-something whiz kids of Silicon Valley feel the imperative to opine about the legitimacy of matters of national interest in the course of reporting these events. God help us.
One thought on “A New Age Of Election Interference By Media”


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«Somewhere abroad» is a classic answer to the question: «Where would you like to go on vacation with children?» Yes, foreign resorts attract our tourists with good service, a variety of offers and often good prices. It would seem that native sea coasts cannot withstand competition with such rivals. But, they are still popular. What is attractive family vacation on the Black Sea in 2018? What are its advantages, and how to avoid disadvantages so that your vacation experience remains the best? Let’s try to figure it out further.
Benefits of rest on the Black Sea coast of Russia
So, first of all, consider positive sides rest on the Black Sea.
Let’s start with the fact that now this Black Sea coast is perhaps the best in the country. It is equipped with good infrastructure. Numerous clean beaches meet the necessary requirements, and hotels have significantly improved their level of service.
Black Sea resorts have an advantage over foreign ones precisely because of their location. They are located on the territory of Russia, which means that to travel there you will not need any additional hassle with documents, visas, saba sport etc. There will be no language barriers either. Everything service is clear and accessible… In addition, there will be no need to further study local customs and traditions, which is especially important in the case of trips to exotic countries. Thus, all preparation for a visit to the Black Sea is, in fact, just buying tickets and collecting suitcases.
By the way, about tickets. You probably won’t need them. Possibility get to the resting place on your own— another plus of the Black Sea coast. Many tourists go there by car, since the roads in this direction are quite good. Numerous buses from neighboring and even more remote regions run along them. There are much more types of transport that can be used to travel to the Black Sea than in the case of foreign resorts, where you can only be taken by plane. Moreover, if you value time, air communication will allow you to get to Russian resorts in the shortest possible time. Of course, one cannot fail to note the presence of a railway connection. In addition, during the summer holidays, the number of trains going south increases markedly.
Whichever mode of transport you choose, the road to the Black Sea coast will be noticeably shorter than to overseas holiday destinations. Distance to the Black Sea is another plus of domestic tourism.
All of the above advantages combine to create another positive point. No need to apply for visas, a wider choice of ways to get to the sea, a short distance means less spending on rest, which means a significant savings for the family budget.
The best time for a vacation with a child
Traditionally, the swimming season on the Black Sea coast starts in May. But that’s how lucky. By this time, the water does not always warm up well enough. Therefore, it is preferable to go here to early summer — in June… By this time, the sea is warm enough, but the air is not yet that hot. Comfortable ratio. In the following summer months, the picture is no longer so pleasant, especially for those who find it difficult to endure too hot weather. Daytime temperature is usually 30 degrees, or even more.
Considering the climate of the region, be sure to choose a place to stay exclusively air-conditioned… The heat often does not subside even at night. It should be noted that with the end of summer, the holiday season on the Black Sea is not over.
A lot of tourists go here in September. In the so-called » the Velvet season«. During this period, the water does not have time to cool down yet, keeping the summer heat. At the same time, the air is no longer as hot. Moreover, the number of tourists in September becomes noticeably less. For some, this may become a determining factor in choosing the «velvet» season for a trip to the Black Sea.
Acclimatization as a factor of good rest
Trips to hot regions, along with a pleasant immersion in the atmosphere of relaxation, bring with them one unpleasant concomitant moment. The human body is very sensitive to changing climatic conditions, so you need to carefully monitor your health before the trip and upon arrival at the resort. And if adults for the most part endure acclimatization faster and easier, then in the case of children, everything is more difficult. Yes, tourists go to the Black Sea coast during the warm season and there will be no too sharp temperature changes. But even small fluctuations can be dangerous for the child. Therefore, before the trip, it is necessary consult a pediatrician, in order to exclude possible unpleasant moments already during the rest. For example, in the presence of cardiovascular diseases, heat will be difficult for children… And the presence of allergies can lead to trouble due to the abundance of new flowering plants on the coast.
Upon arrival at the resting place, make sure that the child is out of the sun more than normal and supports water balance organism.
Which resort to choose?
Speaking about the Black Sea coast, it should be borne in mind that it provides a choice of many resorts and recreation areas located for almost 400 kilometers… It is not surprising that they sometimes differ significantly from each other, not only in infrastructure, but even in climatic conditions. The following comparison chart will give you a detailed understanding of exactly what these differences are, helping you to choose the resort that’s right for you.


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a multi-platform art happening created and curated by jah justice @ peripheral forms
#cyborgs brings together work from across disciplinary divides for a multiplatformed art experience focused on Donna Haraway's concept of the cyborg as a queer political body. #cyborgs connects photography, digital images, video, score based performance, digital avatars, social media residencies, and potent fusions of them all.
The website for #cyborgs serves as a nodal grouping that brings the works and the artists closer together on the indexes of the algorithims. From this base of operations, the work oozes out into the world through a publication, business cards, two pop-up installations, and a screening.
Artists: Alex Hovet, Chloe Patricia ONeill, Crystal Jiko Sasaki, Daniel Pinheiro, Desta Matla, Emma Dickson, fabiola larios, Fratolish Hiang-Perpeshki, Garrett Lynch, HOUSE OF KILLING ft Esben Holk, Izabela Koczanowska, karl munstedt, Kello + Anneli Goeller, Kevin A. Perrin, Dr. Lila Moore, Maggie Hazen, Manion Kuhn, Mores McWreath, Nicci Yin, Noah Travis Phillips, Peter Whittenberger, s-ara, Sam Lavigne, SEICA, Tara Youngborg, thereisamajorprobleminaustralia, Tim Tsang, William Wolfgang Wunderbar.
inquiries: justice @ peripheralforms.com
First Friday @ Shout House and #cyborgs publication release party!
Friday July 6th, 6:30-9:30PM, Shout House [210 SE Madison St (Portland, OR)]
#cyborgs Screening at the Clinton Street
Tuesday July 17th, 7:30-9PM, Clinton Street Theater [2522 SE Clinton St (Portland, OR)]
#cyborgs Live @ Performance Works Northwest
Thursday July 26th, 7:30-10:30PM, Performance Works NorthWest [4525 SE 67th Ave (Portland, OR)]


Background and objectives: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the potential of 3D image acquisition by means of the CBCT triple scan protocol to calculate 3D virtual mandibular autorotation.
Methods: The centre and arc of rotation of the mandible in 50 consecutive prospective orthognathic cases were calculated. ‘CBCT scan 1’ was performed in centric relation while ‘CBCT scan 2’ was performed with a forced opening of the bite due to the thickness of the Alginot all-in-one impression. In order to evaluate the mandibular displacement between ‘CBCT scan 1’ and ‘CBCT scan 2’, both CBCT scans were rigid registered on the maxillary anatomy using voxel-based registration (Maxilim).
Results: In only 25% of the cases no condylar dislocations or translations did occur. This finding was explained by the fact that ‘CBCT scan 2’ was not performed in centric relation in the original protocol. Therefore another 50 consecutive orthognathic cases were analysed that all underwent a modified CBCT triple scan protocol where the patient was scanned with an Alginot all-in-one impression taken also in centric relation.
Conclusions: Modification of the triple scan CBCT protocol allows to calculate the virtual centre and arc rotation of the mandible.
Key words: 3D; mandibular autorotation; virtual


text:
State Plastics Preemption Laws (September 2019)
The Growing Shadow of State Interference
Local Solutions Support Center (2019)
Today, many of America’s cities, towns, and counties have less power than they did at the start of the year to protect the health and safety of their communities or to respond to the unique needs and values of their residents. That’s because between January and June 2019, state legislatures across the nation continued a troubling trend of passing more laws forbidding or “preempting” local control over a large and growing set of public health, economic, environmental, and social justice policy solutions.
For more preemption research, see the Grassroots Change Preemption Research page.
Is Big Soda winning the soft drink wars?
Without most of the nation noticing, the beverage industry has found a way to snuff out local sugar taxes—by squashing them at the state level.
Plastic Bags & Other Disposable Containers
See the complicated landscape of plastic bans in the U.S.
National Geographic, 8/15/2019
“The plastic industry is putting a lot of their money on preemption, and they’re winning,” says Jennie Romer, an attorney at the Surfrider Foundation, a group that advocates for pro-environment policies…
Groovy: Former NY Times Editor Wants to Return to 1960 Gun Laws
Proving once again that ignorance is no bar to publication in the U.S. legacy press, former executive editor of the New York Times Howell Raines has offered his inane take on the current gun control debate in a piece for the Washington Post…
However, were Raines’ proposal to be carried out, there would be some ways in which firearms laws would be more restrictive.
In 1960 gun-owners did not enjoy the strong state firearms preemption laws that they do today. Old versions of ATF's State Laws and Published Ordinances are replete with all manner of local registration, may-issue licensing, permit to purchase, and carry ordinances that have been wiped off the books by state preemption laws.
The same goes for the Right-to-Carry. The Right-to-Carry revolution did not start until 1987, when Florida passed its landmark legislation. Prior to 1987, there were 9 Right-to-Carry states. Today there are 42. Before this sea change, many Americans could only lawfully exercise their Right-to-Carry at the discretion of a government official. [Emphasis added]
Los Angeles City Council Tells Sacramento 'No' to 4 a.m.
The bill, SB 58, introduced by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, would create a five-year pilot program beginning in 2022 that would allow bars to remain open until 4 a.m. in Cathedral City, Coachella, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Palm Springs, Sacramento, Fresno, San Francisco and West Hollywood…
"We are the second biggest city in the country. When the state legislators want to do something in this city, they should talk to us before they make proposals so we can be engaged, so I will be supporting Mr. Koretz because I think it's important that our colleagues in Sacramento respect this council," Council President Herb Wesson said.
California organizations fight for soda tax
Javier Morales with [the Praxis Project] says the goal is to improve the health of the community…
"Fresno had very high rates of heart disease. If we look at the congressional districts, we're 10 out of 80, and 13 our of 80 for heart disease," says Chris Madsen, a professor at the Berkeley School of Health.
By implementing that tax in Fresno, organizers say it would raise about $7 million…
Morales says there are coalitions trying to repeal that preemption. [Emphasis added]
Colorado regulators, oil-rich Weld County reach agreement on local-control rules
DENVER Colorado regulators have signed an agreement with the state’s most productive oil and gas county to coordinate their drilling rules.
The state Oil and Gas Conservation Commission on Wednesday released the text of the agreement, outlining deadlines for drilling permits in unincorporated parts of Weld County.
The agreement is aimed at avoiding conflicts between the industry-friendly county and state regulators who are bound by a new law to put public health and safety ahead of energy production.
The law also gives local governments new regulatory powers, which prompted Weld County to write its own rules and claim that the county, not the state, had authority over well locations. [Emphasis added]
Adams County Ushers in the "Local Control" Era With New Oil and Gas Rules
Four months after lawmakers at the State Capitol passed a landmark energy bill, Colorado’s new, more localized era of oil and gas regulation has officially begun.
Miami Beach Commissioners Look to Challenge Florida's Lax Gun Laws
Miami New Times, 9/5/2019
Despite the unfortunate distinction of having some of the most devastating mass shootings in the nation, Florida remains a fairly gun-friendly place. A state law passed in 2011 actually prohibits local governments from passing restrictions on firearms that are stricter than what's allowed at the state level. Local officials who flout that law can be thrown out of office and personally fined up to $5,000 — a punishment that's being challenged in court.
Appeals court agrees to speed up gun case
The News Service of Florida, 8/28/2019
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The 1st District Court of Appeal agreed Wednesday to speed up consideration of a high-profile battle over a state law that has threatened tough penalties for local officials and governments that approve gun regulations.
Florida bills seek to allow local governments to regulate guns, plastic bags
Don’t show up to a gun fight armed with plastic bags unless, that is, you’re bracing to do battle over state preemption in the Florida Legislature.
Democrats have pre-filed two 2020 bills seeking to impose home rule over gun laws and in the regulation of plastic shopping bags and foam containers.
As expected, Republicans reject Democrats call for gun control special session
Senate Bill 134, Sen. Annette Taddeo, D-Miami, would repeal a 1987 preemption law prohibiting local governments from adopting gun regulations more restrictive than the state’s. It has not been assigned a committee.
Editorial: A fee on single-use plastic bags has been found to be an effective way to reduce their use that also generates money for environmental initiatives.
The Gainesville Sun, 8/25/2019
Florida’s 3rd District Court of Appeal ruled Aug. 14 that state law preempts local governments from banning retailers and restaurants from giving out single-use plastic bags and Styrofoam containers. The Gainesville City Commission subsequently voted to rescind its ban, while the Alachua County Commission previously revoked its ban after a lawsuit threat from the Florida Retail Federation. [Emphasis added]
Cities are stymied in banning plastics — and the state is doing nothing about it, they say
Miami Herald, 8/22/2019
Single-use plastic bans in Florida are being rolled back as quickly as they are rolled out…
The municipalities aren’t changing their minds on the need to reduce plastic waste; they’re walking back policy to avoid a legal battle. They have each received letters from the Florida Retail Federation, the lobbying group representing retail giants Walmart, Target and Publix, among others, alleging the bans violate state law and threatening to sue the local governments. [Emphasis added]
Officials eye Winneshiek County mining
In 2015, following concerns over frac-sand mining, the supervisors made an ordinance that prohibits subsurface mining. Winneshiek County Supervisor Dean Thompson was heavily involved in the research behind the ordinance and brought the proposal to hire the law students for the mining study to the rest of the board…
While he believes Winneshiek County is in “good shape” with its ordinance, he acknowledged any ordinance can be challenged. In addition, he noted the state bars counties from regulating confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), removing any local control over those industrial operations. County governments fear the state could do the same with mining, he said. [Emphasis added]
Capitol Digest: Local control vs. state pre-emption
Lee-Gazette Des Moines Bureau, 8/28/2019
LOCAL CONTROL VS. STATE PRE-EMPTION: Gov. Kim Reynolds on Tuesday appeared to stray from a Republican precept of favoring state pre-emption over local control in certain regulatory circumstances.
GOP policymakers have supported the statewide regulation of commercial animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, in siting decisions and in setting a minimum wage. They fear allowing local decisions would create a hodgepodge of rules among counties.
Bonner County Commissioners moving forward with lawsuit over gun ban at Festival at Sandpoint
SANDPOINT, Idaho.- Festival at Sandpoint faces cancellation as City of Sandpoint and Bonner County battle over firearms ban.
Nathaniel Rateliff, The Avett Brother, and Kool & The Gang. A star-studded line-up for the 2019 Festival at Sandpoint.
It drew big names this year, but now is threatened, in danger of moving, or even cancellation.
In a letter sent to KHQ, outside counsel representing the Bonner County Commissioners and others demand the Sandpoint city attorney to reconsider its ban on firearms and refrain from enforcing a private party's ban on public property.
Bill would overturn local gun ordinances
THE LEGISLATURE’S PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE will hear public testimony on firearms bills on Wednesday. In roughly equal numbers, the 68 bills before the Committee would either tighten gun control in the state or loosen it.
One of the bills proposing to loosen gun control, House 2122, would prohibit cities and towns from enacting or enforcing “any law, ordinance or regulation concerning the lawful ownership, use, possession, transfer, purchase, receipt or transportation of weapons.”
FORAG, local farmer join lawsuit against bill
Fulton Sun, 8/22/2019
Local activists have joined a lawsuit to halt Senate Bill 391.
That bill, set to take effect Aug. 28, would prevent local governments and health departments from passing rules about agricultural operations that are stricter than state regulations. On Monday, Cole County Judge Patricia Joyce issued a temporary restraining order.
Judge halts new Missouri law on large farm regulations
It’s being called a blow for Missouri farmers. Earlier this week, a law was blocked that would have shielded livestock farms from stringent local health rules…
Critics of this law say it’s unconstitutional and infringes on local control. Critics of concentrated animal feeding operations oppose the bill saying they worry about water quality and odors.
Editorial: Parson should let mega-hog-farm law die. It's the conservative thing to do.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 8/23/2019
A new Missouri law that prevents counties from setting their own standards for incoming industrial-level livestock operations — mega-hog-farms and the like — is appropriately under legal attack from both environmentalists and county governments.
Silver City braces for coming 5G service
Silver City Daily Press, 8/24/2019
The thing that really rankles town officials, though, is the authority that state law and the Federal Communications Commission — and therefore, the proposed ordinance — are giving telecom companies to basically install their equipment where and when they want, with little input from the town. Aiman-Smith’s ordinance gives the town as much control as seems possible under state and federal law — but that isn’t much.
Philly soda tax: Here’s how much money it has raised, and how it’s been spent
The Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/21/2019
But opposition from the beverage industry is not expected to end, especially as other cities consider or implement taxes on soda. Philadelphia was the first major U.S. city to pass a tax on soda, and other cities are watching how it plays out…
The tax also faces challenges from Harrisburg, where a bill introduced in the state legislature this spring would preempt and eliminate the city’s tax. A similar measure failed to gain enough support to pass last year. The current bill is being pushed by Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative of grocery stores that includes Jeff Brown’s ShopRite and Fresh Grocer Stores in Philadelphia.
McKinney ponders health dangers of 5G technology
The Texas Monitor, 8/23/2019
Cities that have delayed or rejected the technology are hoping they can get around a federal law that preempts local control regarding some elements of telecommunications, including radio frequencies. So far, there have been no legal challenges to local 5G bans, however.
Turner wants increased local authority for gun control
Houston Chronicle, 8/21/2019
Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday said he wants state lawmakers to give cities and counties more flexibility to address gun violence in response to mass shootings this month that killed 31 people, including 22 in El Paso…
Current state law mostly forbids local governments from passing measures that restrict gun usage.
Plastic bags are killing horses and cows across the state
Stephenville Empire-Tribune, 8/14/2019
Last year, the Texas Supreme Court struck down the city of Laredo’s plastic bag ban, effectively ending about a dozen similar policies in other Texas municipalities…
In its ruling, the court said that single-use bags are considered garbage and fall under the state’s solid waste disposal law, which preempts municipal ordinances. [Emphasis added]
The Texas Legislature Passed Ten Bills Protecting Your Second Amendment Rights During the 2019 Session. These Measures All Take Effect on September 1.
House Bill 3231 improves and modernizes Texas’ firearms preemption law, specifically with regard to zoning authority that could be otherwise be used by cities and counties to circumvent state law and regulate the sale or transfer of firearms and ammunition at the local level.
Opinions Vary On How Large Wisconsin Livestock Operations Should Be Regulated
Green County resident Bethany Storm thinks the law should rely on local expertise, instead of treating Wisconsin’s varied landscape with one-size-fits-all regulations. "My local county land and water conservation staff know the landscape in Green County," she said. "They know that 95% of my town sits on karst rock over very little topsoil. They know that barnyards that were built straddling our trout streams have caused problems in the past. Wisconsin needs local control back." [Emphasis added]


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A stunning knit blanket with intricate pointelle pattern throughout and heirloom trim.For Wheat shade please see other listing.Size: 100cm x 100cm (43 x 43")
Designed in Australia | Produced ethically
Care | Cold gentle cycle machine wash with like colours. Tumble dry on low or lay flat to dry without delay. Do not bleach, wring or soak.
Image credit: Bubbles of Sunshine Photography & @_our.little.story


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Though it took a decade before a verdict was handed down on the 2009 Maguindanao massacre case, prosecutors of the Department of Justice (DOJ) believe it was worth the wait.
“As the saying goes, the justice delayed is justice denied, but at this time may not necessarily be true,” said City Prosecutor Amor Robles who led the prosecution team.
“It is worth the wait,” she assured.
On Thursday (Dec. 19), Quezon City Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes promulgated the Maguindanao massacre case and convicted a total of 43 persons including former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) governor Datu Zaldy Ampatuan, former Datu Unsay mayor Datu Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan Jr., and former Shariff Aguak mayor Datu Anwar Ampatuan Sr.
“We can safely say that our prosecution evidence is intact, solid and whatever the outcome I think justice was really, actually served,” Robles stated.


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People who are traveling to the West Coast might feel enlightened to know that, starting in January of 2018, recreational marijuana became legal in California. In fact, recreational marijuana is now legal up and down the West Coast of the United States, including the state of Alaska. So California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska are places to go to if you want to get your smoke on, your vape on, or your eat on.
Of course, there are restrictions and regulations to buying recreational marijuana. For example, you cannot be twelve years old and buy pot from a store. There are age restrictions, and people must show their identifications.
On Monday, January 1st, many retail marijuana shops opened their doors in California for the first time to usher in the New Year with legal, recreational marijuana. Because of legal regulations, only a handful of cities in the state of California had shops that sold recreational marijuana. So, on January 1st, 2018, San Diego, San Jose, Berkeley, San Diego and others had recreational pot stores. More municipalities were set to issue licenses. These included San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Even though this is considered a great victory by many people, it creates more tensions between the federal government and the state governments. Many people in the federal government tend to be against legalization of marijuana, and there are federal laws that make it illegal—or at least provide grounds for people to get into trouble if they are caught possessing it or using it. These laws contrast with the lax state laws of places like California where recreational use is now legal.