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Guests: Bobby Ghosh, Steve Clemons, Lawrence O‘Donnell, Bill Maher, Tess
KEITH OLBERMANN, HOST (voice-over): Which of these stories will you be talking about tomorrow?
Chaos in Freedom Square: Iran‘s supreme leader directs the Guardian Council to investigate charges that the presidential election there was fixed; tens of thousands violate warnings and protests in the streets; at least one dead from gunfire from forces supporting the incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Here: The same right-wingers—who last week said it did not matter who was elected and blamed Obama—now say, if it was fixed, it was fixed because of Obama‘s policies.
Bobby Ghosh of “Time” magazine on the latest of the politics there;
Steve Clemons of the New American Foundation on the latest of the politics here.
Leon Panetta calls out the chicken hawk. “It‘s almost as if,” he tells “The New Yorker,” “Dick Cheney is wishing this country is being attacked again in order to make his point. I think that‘s dangerous politics.” “It wasn‘t quite that tough,” Panetta now says, “he was using the subjunctive test, a conditional. It‘s almost as if.”
The president versus the American Medical Association—at the convention of the American Medical Association.
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PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES: If we do not fix our health care system, America may go the way of G.M.—paying more, getting less and going broke.
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OLBERMANN: And Bill Maher versus the president about health care.
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BILL MAHER, TV TALK SHOW HOST: I‘m glad Obama is president, but the audacity of hope part is over. Right now, I‘m hoping for a little more audacity.
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OLBERMANN: Our special guest, Bill Maher.
Flight 1549: They all survived. But can they survive the battle with the airline‘s insurance company? AIG does not want to pay for more than three psychological counseling sessions for a mother and her 4-year-old. The mother, Tess Sosa, joins us.
And yes, that is AIG—the same insurance company you and I bailed out last year.
All that and more—now on COUNTDOWN.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We‘re going to be in the Hudson.
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OLBERMANN: Good evening from New York.
Imagine a four-candidate election in which no matter what else happened—John McCain was alleged to have lost his hometown of Phoenix, and George Bush was said to have been trounced in Crawford, Texas, and Barack Obama was purported to have been blown out in Chicago. Substitute those names for the three opposition candidates in Iran and you begin to get a true sense of the election aftermath in Tehran.
Our fifth story on the COUNTDOWN: That picture only complete, however, once you factor in today‘s body count.
Security forces opening fire on the crowd in Tehran‘s Azadi or Freedom Square at a rally where hundreds of thousands were protesting against the results of last week‘s presidential election. At least one man was killed, the photo too graphic to show you without your consent in advance. We can show you images of more who were seriously wounded.
Earlier, the demonstrators having chanted slogans favorable to Mir Hossein Mousavi, a leading reformist opposition candidate, who at point addressed the masses today, many of them wearing the green color of Mousavi‘s campaign, shouting, “Mousavi, we support you, we will die but retrieve our votes”; and holding up signs, some written in English reading, “Where is my vote?” Election results claiming a staggering blow out for the incumbent president, Ahmadinejad, 24 million votes against 13 million for Mousavi or 63 percent to 34 percent.
As we mentioned, not one of the three challengers winning his home district—ostensibly, not even close. Mousavi is supposedly receiving under 29 percent in his hometown. The third place finisher, Karobi, receiving less than 23 percent in his. And perhaps, most remarkable, the last place candidate, Rezai, apparently garnering less than 1 percent in his hometown.
Nate Silver‘s FiveThirtyEight.com comparing third place finisher Karobi‘s results in the last Iranian elections to the purported election results that had been released in the wake of the 2009 vote. In 2005, an election that Ahmadinejad won, mind you, Karobi still managed to defeat Ahmadinejad in 11 provinces—as shown there in the blue; Ahmadinejad, obviously, in red in that graphic.
Now, here are the ostensible results in those same 11 provinces today. Not even mirror images of each other, almost cartoon-like. Ahmadinejad is now allegedly trouncing Karobi in those provinces where he essentially got no votes.
Iran‘s supreme leader, the Ayatollah Khamenei, is ordering the nation‘s top judicial body to investigate whether or not the election was fixed. Only a day ago, however, the ayatollah had given his blessing to these election results.
At the White House, President Obama is saying, while deeply troubled by the violence, that it is up to Iran to determine its own leaders.
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OBAMA: It is up to Iranians to make decisions about who Iran‘s leaders will be; that we respect Iranian sovereignty and want to avoid the United States being the issue inside of Iran. Having said all that, I am deeply troubled by the violence that I‘ve been seeing on television. I think that the democratic process, free speech, the ability of people to peacefully dissent—all those are universal values and need to be respected.
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OLBERMANN: Let‘s turn now to “Time” magazine senior editor, Bobby Ghosh.
Great thanks for your time tonight, sir
BOBBY GHOSH, TIME: Any time, Keith.
OLBERMANN: President Obama and the U.S., have they done—have we done all that we can do without being seen as intervening or even interfering?
GHOSH: I think, given the circumstances, the president has played it exactly right. He cannot afford to be seen as criticizing the election too hard, because that would—that would make things even more difficult for Mousavi, who would then be branded as an American stool pigeon.
I think, at the moment, the best the administration can do is express concern about the violence, but then keep its distance about the actual politics that‘s playing out.
OLBERMANN: The ayatollah‘s concern about this and call for a real investigation—is that a real call for a real investigation or are such things just not done?
GHOSH: Well, I would be—I would be very surprised if there was a real investigation, especially since Ayatollah Khamenei has already declared this election as a divine assessment of the situation and essentially has given blessings to President Ahmadinejad to have another term. More likely, you will see a process, some sort of a whitewash take place.
A great deal will depend on what happens in the streets over the next few days. If the protests continue, if they escalate, if there‘s more violence, then there might be pressure on the ayatollah to do more than just issue a whitewash.
OLBERMANN: Well, then, the question becomes, in your assessment, will they, in fact, escalate on the streets? Will there be more protests? And what could the ayatollah do short of overturning that outcome?
GHOSH: Well, at the moment, the protests today were able to take place because there was not a great deal of effort by the administration, by the Republican Guard, by the hardcore loyalists to Ahmadinejad to stop the protests. It remains to be seen whether over the next few days, they begin to crackdown.
If that happens, I think—we‘ve seen protests in Tehran before, in previous years, they‘ve gone on for a couple days and then the Basijs, these loyalists of Ahmadinejad, they crackdown hard and people essentially then go home. If that process continues, sort of repeats itself, then this could die down in four or five days. But if it continues, if there continues to be a Tiananmen Square-type demonstration, I think the supreme leader will be forced to make some kind of concession.
It‘s not very clear what it is, having already spoken his mind about Ahmadinejad, he can‘t now step back. But perhaps, he could insist that Ahmadinejad carry out some of the promises that Mousavi himself brought to the election campaign. And perhaps—but it‘s a very big “if.”
And frankly, I wouldn‘t go quite that far. My suspicion is that, in the next few days, this will die down because of some very heavy-handed crackdown by the administration.
OLBERMANN: We‘ll hope there‘s some sort of other divine assessment here that prevents that from happening. In any even, Bobby Ghosh of “Time” magazine, providing us with superb insight on the situation in Iran—our great thanks for it, sir.
GHOSH: Any time, Keith.
OLBERMANN: Last week, when it appeared Ahmadinejad might lose what had been forecast to be a close election at minimum, most neoconservatives in this country then claimed that the results of Iran‘s vote would not matter, because that country‘s supreme leader is the ayatollah, not its president, and President Obama was wasting everybody‘s time encouraging democracy in Iran.
But now that Ahmadinejad seems to be stealing this vote, many of those same neocons have a new claim, now blaming the election fraud on President Obama. Why? Because apparently, only President Bush‘s foreign policy approach prevented Ahmadinejad from rigging his re-election.
To quote former Pentagon official, Frank Gaffney, “These people are thugs and they have been emboldened by our weakness.”
Some, apparently, having failed to wait for the vote not to be counted, before weighing in, to now hilarious results. At 11:55 a.m.
Friday, Bush White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer having e-mailed
“Washington Post” reporter Glenn Kessler, appearing to credit his former
boss with the reform movement‘s success. Quoting Fleischer, Friday
morning, “One of the reasons there is a substantial reform movement in Iran
particularly among its young people—is because of George W. Bush‘s top policies.” Italics, Mr. Fleischer.
And yes, he cites the Iraq war as having a positive effect, quote, “Shiites in particular, see Shiites in Iraq having more freedoms than they do Bush‘s tough policies have helped give rise to reformists and I think we‘re witnessing that today.”
The final result was 63-32.
Also, time now to bring in Steve Clemons, senior fellow of the New American Foundation and publisher of the foreign policy blog, TheWashingtonNote.com.
Thanks again for your time, Steve.
STEVE CLEMONS, NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION: Great to be with you, Keith.
OLBERMANN: So, whether or not the forces of reform succeed in Iran, Ari Fleischer has concluded George W. Bush brought it all about, all thanks to the bonanza known as the war in Iraq? Is anybody, you know, buying that? That the harsh rhetoric that isolated Iran under the Bush administration actually led to the call for change by Iran citizens, that Iran didn‘t answer?
CLEMONS: Well, I think some of the right-wing blogs here are looking into this. But, I find it odd that Frank Gaffney, John Bolton, Ari Fleischer, are of the sort that they need to make all these foreign affairs issues about us, about George W. Bush, about Obama.
What‘s going on in Iran and what‘s unfolding quite dramatically is about the Iranians and what their own hopes are. There‘s no one—particularly air Fleischer, whose comments are just frankly ridiculous—who would have thought that Mr. Mousavi would have be a reformer in this sense.
In fact, just in the middle of the election when Ari Fleischer‘s friends at AIPAC thought that Mr. Mousavi might win, they began sending e-mails saying, reminding us that he had been prime minister when the A.Q. Khan deal was done. So, you can‘t have it both ways, and that‘s what they‘re trying to do.
OLBERMANN: Frank Gaffney and others—that includes Richard Perle—having argued that it was only President Bush‘s hard line policies that were keeping Ahmadinejad in check and keeping him from stealing re-election -- is there anyone in this equation for the fact that the Iranian election calendar fell in such a way that Ahmadinejad was not up for re-election during the Bush administration?
CLEMONS: Well, I think they got an easy out to see what might have happened. Listen, you know, what I think is really important for Americans to understand is that we all sit and we critique for many years, during President Bush‘s term and under President Obama, too, wondering and knowing that the kind of democracy that Iran has is not our kind of democracy. But there is a system of checks and balances in Iran. There is a theocracy that actually keeps things unfair and unfree in my view.
But nonetheless, Iranians believe they‘ve got a social contract with their supreme leader that gives them certain types of political choice. And that‘s now been undermined. In the Iranian narrative, the United States has always been a sort of villain for having undone their democracy in 1953 and helped over throw Mohammad Mosaddeq. And now, they see their own government as having undone some of their own democratic choice and democratic voice.
And it‘s important to play that out. We‘re not part of this equation. We need to see what happens when they consolidate it. But we‘re just—we‘re just not in this equation and we need to remove ourselves and stop being pretentious on the sidelines.
OLBERMANN: Bobby Ghosh‘s theory there that under the right circumstances, if there‘s just enough protest and violence, henceforth, but not too much, that the Ayatollah .
OLBERMANN: . Khamenei‘s reaction this might be not to overturn the election—that seems to be an implausible outcome—but to come up with some sort of compromise that might lead to some significant reform. Do you buy that argument? And do you have any idea what that moderation might look like?
CLEMONS: I buy the notion that Bobby said that the Iranians have a choice here, which is very interesting, that the supreme leader could look magnanimous using the bulldog they have, President Ahmadinejad, the bulldog negotiating for the deals that the Iranians seem to want with the west, to the United states and others, and that they can use this populist harsh guy in a way to achieve those. It‘s not too dissimilar from Barack Obama using people that are in his team of rivals to try and achieve end.
So, that‘s possible, there‘s a giant gaping hole in Iranian society today and the supreme leader is going to either need to either crush it or to deal with it, and engage it somewhat, and to somewhat modify a hybrid position. But I don‘t think he‘s going to admit much fallibility in his choice of leader. What he may use the bulldog and soften him a bit with some of the things he wants.
OLBERMANN: Steve Clemons, author of the foreign policy blog “The Washington Note”—again, thank you for your insight throughout this crisis.
CLEMONS: Thanks, Keith.
OLBERMANN: The CIA has been trying to figure out Iran with mixed result since long before the coup of 1953. Now, the agency‘s director has addressed an individual more controversial than any Iranian politician or ayatollah, somebody he says sounds almost as if he‘s wishing that this country would be attacked again in order to make his point. Who would that be, according to the director of central intelligence? Former Vice President Dick Cheney.
The winner of the first Aaron Burr Award is—that and that late news of a late night apology from David Letterman to the Palin family.
OLBERMANN: The CIA Director Panetta thinks Dick Cheney is hoping for an attack on the U.S. “Of course not,” says the CIA. “Kind of,” says Panetta. Bill Maher joins us.
His battle is joined -- 15 years after Democrats lost the first round over health care reform, is it time for the president to be able to win without any GOP support? And if you do not think our current health care system needs any help, remember the plane that landed on the Hudson? We will hear from the survivor of that flight about the hell she has gone through—not because of the hero crew and rescuers but because of the airline‘s insurance company.
You‘re watching COUNTDOWN on MSNBC.
OLBERMANN: Though he made a token effort of walking some of it back, CIA Director Leon Panetta is—for the most part—standing behind what he said about Dick Cheney and the comments that came out over the weekend. It is what nearly all of us have thought, who have heard the ex-vice president‘s ghoulish criticisms of the Obama administration and national security.
Our fourth story on the COUNTDOWN: If Cheney is not hoping for a terrorist attack here just to prove he‘s right, isn‘t he acting way too close to it?
On May 21sT, Mr. Cheney said on a speech to the American Enterprise Institute that America was less safe because of President Obama‘s war policies.
Mr. Panetta responding to the Cheney speech, said this later that day to a reporter from “The New Yorker” magazine, “I think he smells some blood in the water on the national security issue. It‘s almost a little bit gallows politics. When you read behind it, it‘s almost as if he‘s wishing that this country would be attacked again in order to make his point. I think that‘s dangerous politics.”
Mr. Cheney hit back immediately at Mr. Panetta, “I hope my old friend Leon was mis-quoted. The important thing is whether or not the Obama administration will continue policies that have kept us safe for the last eight years.”
Director Panetta, speaking through a CIA spokesman, backpedaling a bit on the director‘s remarks, “The director does not believe the former vice president wants an attack. He did not say that.”
Most telling in all of this is the audible silence from the GOP leadership, only Congressman Pete Hoekstra and Senator John McCain had anything to say. Hoekstra calling Panetta‘s remarks outrageous and McCain adding, “Never did it cross my mind that Cheney would ever want an attack on the United States. It‘s unfair, and I think that Mr. Panetta should retract and retract immediately.”
HuffingtonPost.com contributor, MSNBC political analyst, Lawrence O‘Donnell, joins us now from Los Angeles.
Lawrence, good evening.
LAWRENCE O‘DONNELL, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: Good to be here, Keith.
OLBERMANN: Cheney attacked the administration on this for weeks. And before that, he attacked the Obama transition team. And before that, it was the Obama campaign. And before that, it was just any Democrat he could think of. Now, Leon Panetta takes him on.
Why him? Why now?
O‘DONNELL: Well, this interview was conducted the day that Dick Cheney gave the speech. Leon Panetta was just returning from attending President Obama‘s speech had preceded the Cheney speech. I, for one, shared what is apparently Leon Panetta‘s outrage at that Cheney speech. And I had a chance on this network to make that very clear that day.
And so, what Leon Panetta said is—he was struggling, I think, as many of us were with, in a sense, the shock of that speech. What is this man trying to say? What does he actually want?
And Panetta says it is almost—and he uses the word “almost” twice -
and he says it‘s a little bit like—he uses conditional phrasing like that which are very clear to me—where he‘s saying you‘re get a feeling in here that the only thing that could prove the vice president is right is another attack on this country, if you would take that as proof. And so, Panetta was doing that thought exercise live with a reporter having just returned from listening to that speech. Maybe if he had a day to think about it, he would have found something less controversial to say about it.
But it‘s a very understandable reaction from where I‘m sitting.
OLBERMANN: Does the walk-back sound a little odd? The CIA spokesperson said he meant it in a subjunctive case, it‘s almost as if what Cheney wants—meaning, he doesn‘t think that‘s what Cheney wants. Did somebody in the White House tell him walk it back a little bit or is this really clever way kind of, the way the Republicans always said afterwards, “Well, I didn‘t mean to imply there was any connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda”?
O‘DONNELL: I think this is very different from the Republican model on that. This is—this is stressing what he actually said. They didn‘t walk back or take back a single word. They simply stressed, as I‘ve just done that, word “almost,” which appears a couple times. Almost—if I‘m almost dead, I‘m not dead.
O‘DONNELL: And so, “almost” is one of our most important words. And they‘re just stressing that it‘s present there and Panetta didn‘t say it as an exact description of the vice president‘s motivation. He said it, I think, as a mystified listener or reader of that speech saying, “What is it that‘s going through this guy‘s mind?”
OLBERMANN: Given the fact that everything that the Obama administration has done or everything that has happened since the inauguration—including weather and traffic conditions—has been somehow worthy of GOP mention by somebody. Is it surprising that there‘s nothing in this from Michael Steele or anybody else coming out and defending Cheney other than those brief remarks from McCain and Hoekstra?
O‘DONNELL: This is surprising. And if there‘s any coherent strategy to it, then it must mean that they are looking at the defense of Cheney as a loser in terms of a public argument here. And I think that would be a very wise choice.
I think they‘re better off, actually, concentrating on what CBO had to say about Ted Kennedy‘s health care bill today. That‘s a much more productive area of criticism for them. It‘s real governing. It‘s about the future. And it‘s not about, you know, cantankerous Dick Cheney right or wrong.
OLBERMANN: From CBO to CBS, we‘re hearing tonight that David Letterman, on this topic that was so big last week, is going to make a really lengthy apology to the Palin family on the show that is broadcast tonight. I wanted to get your reaction to it. Let me just read a little part about this.
He said, he saw something on TV—saw Mark Shields about the joke. He said, “Oh, boy, I‘m beginning to understand what the problem is here, it‘s the perception rather than the intent. It doesn‘t make any difference what my intent was, it‘s the perception. I take full blame for that. I told a bad joke, a told a joke that was beyond flawed. My intent is completely meaningless compared to perception.
And since it was a joke, I totally feel that I need to do the right thing here and apologize for having told that joke. I would like to apologize especially to the two daughters involved, Bristol and Willow, and also to the governor and her family and everybody else who‘s outraged by the joke. I‘m sorry about it and I‘ll try to do better in the future.”
After something like that is broadcast tonight, is there anything left to this stuff?
O‘DONNELL: I don‘t think there is. I think this should be and sounds like the final word on it. And this really is David Letterman. I have a lot of friends of mine who have worked for him over the years. I don‘t know him personally. But this is my understanding of him.
And I‘ve heard that over the weekend, he did have time to think about this. He‘s a father himself. He had some cool time to think about it. And he could have left it where he had left it. He could have left it getting laughs at his original version of an apology and just leave it there.
But I think, both as a father and a responsible guy, having had a weekend to think about this, he decided he wanted to go to this extra point of clarification of a serious apology.
And, you know, actually, Keith, in the last couple days, from a lot of professional comedy writers, I‘ve heard more analysis of that particular joke than any that‘s ever written. And there‘s a large group out there who say, “Hey, it was a bad joke, it had a wrong concept in it, it was a bad joke.” And these are Letterman supporters and former Letterman writers, many of them.
And so, I think Dave reached a point that makes perfect sense. And I think he‘s making perfect sense in what he has to say tonight.
OLBERMANN: Any chance, briefly, that the Palins try to outclass him and just say, “Accepted”?
O‘DONNELL: Boy, if there‘s anyone in Alaska who can make them, you know, handle one of these things correctly, we haven‘t found that person yet. So, let‘s see what happens. That is the suspense here. If David Letterman does something completely reasonable, what is the Palin reaction? I have no ability to predict that.
OLBERMANN: Oh, yes you do.
OLBERMANN: Lawrence O‘Donnell of “Huffington Post” and MSNBC, and so do I, we‘ll have to tune in tomorrow to find out. Thank you kindly, sir.
O‘DONNELL: Thanks, Keith.
OLBERMANN: It‘s the classic age-old story, boy meets dog, boy flushes dog down toilet. You have to wonder what the dog might have been chasing when the kid said, “Fetch.” The dog is OK.
And Worst Persons: Did “The Wall Street Journal” really just do this? If you‘re going to imply George W. Bush as a backdoor socialist, I‘m going to have to ask you to step outside.
OLBERMANN: Two of the great landmark moments of modern music occurred on this date, June 15th. In 1956, 15-year-old John Lennon‘s first group, the Quarrymen, performed at a church dinner, which is when Lennon met a 13-year-old named Paul McCartney.
And on June 15th, 1969, almost of equal importance, CBS premiered it‘s new summer replacement series, “Hee Haw” with Roy Clark and Buck Owens, and especially, those effers, Jimmy Riddle and Jackie Phelps.
I‘m Buck, I‘m Roy. Let‘s go play Oddball.
I don‘t really do a Roy Clark impression.
We begin in North Hill (ph), Middlesex in the U.K, where Dino the cocker spaniel is stuck in a sewer pipe. And how did the puppy get stuck in the plumbing? Our affiliated British network, ITV, spoke with the culprit, the dog‘s 4-year-old Daniel Blair (ph).
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you thought it was cats that have nine live, you haven‘t met this little puppy here. When he got a little bit dirty, Daniel here, decided to give him a wash, didn‘t you, Daniel?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you put him down the toilet?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your mommy got a little bit concerned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OLBERMANN: That‘s a microphone, Daniel. Don‘t flush it. We don‘t have the money to replace it. Boy puts dog in toilet, boy flushes toilet, the plumber use a camera to locate the dog and retrieve the no longer quite as golden pooch. The relieved family would name the puppy Dino, after the plumbing company that performed the rescue. They could have also gone with the name of Steve Martin‘s dog from “The Jerk.” But probably not.
To Chicago, another toilet rescue story. Playing the roll of Rod Blagojevich in Saturday‘s second city production of “Rod Blagojevich Superstar” was Rod Blagojevich. The satirical play, of course, a spoof of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” It portrays Blagojevich as greedy, tactless and hair obsessed. Of course, it‘s based on the events leading up to his ouster from office.
It‘s not clear how much Blagojevich got for the appearance. You better believe he was paid to play. This play will continue to run in August. But the former governor‘s run ended after he sold his role to his under study for cab fare and a tuna fish sandwich.
Finally, to the Internets, where we find evidence of Zinedine Zidane‘s head-butting craze. Continuing on the soccer pitch, not sure exactly where this is, when it‘s from, but this time the head butt was between player and coach. If you believe their Blagojevich-like acting, there were no survivors.
President Obama brings his vision for health care reform to the nation‘s biggest lobbying group for doctors. The GOP already has its diagnosis, and the prescription is fear. Bill Maher joins us to say just do it already.
And the plane that landed in the Hudson. The passengers went through hell. Now they‘re back on solid ground and in the loving hands of the AIG Insurance Company.
OLBERMANN: The bogeyman of health care reform 2009 has been identified by the GOP, nothing less than a Trojan Horse, bringing in socialized medicine. Here we go. In our third story in the COUNTDOWN, President Obama addressed the latest fear mongering today, but the question must be and has been raised, do Democrats even need to compromise with the party of no at all? Bill Maher joins us in a moment.
Today, before the American Medical Association, a sometime critic, the president‘s 54-minute speech on health care reform was both policy and politics.
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OBAMA: Each time an uninsured American steps foot into an emergency room with no way to reimburse the hospital for care, the cost is handed over to every American family as a bill of about 1,000 dollars. It‘s reflected in higher taxes, higher premiums and higher health care costs. It‘s a hidden tax, a hidden bill that will be cut as we insure all Americans.
So when you hear the naysayers claim I‘m trying to bring about government-run health care, know this: they‘re not telling the truth. What I am trying to do—what I am trying to do and what a public option will help do is put affordable health care within reach for millions of Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OLBERMANN: The so-called public health insurance option would give consumers a choice other than private insurance. But it is the great demon, according to the GOP, a trick on the way to a scary single-payer system. The Senate Finance Committee‘s ranking Republican, Charles Tweeter Grassley, portraying it as the main problem for Democratic Chairman Max Baucus. Quoting, “the biggest challenge he has in his own caucus is that a large share of Senate Democrats really want the government to run everything.”
On the House side, Congressman Eric Cantor expected to unveil the GOP alternative in outline form on Wednesday. More deja vu all over again. All of it more evidence that Democrats should take seriously the suggestion of former DNC Chair Howard Dean, who says there should be no compromise of the public option.
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HOWARD DEAN, FMR. DNC CHAIR: This is a compromise that‘s designed to deal with problems in the Senate. But it doesn‘t deal with problems in America. I think it‘s time for the Senate to stop playing politics, do what has to be done. If the Republicans don‘t want to get on board, and certainly have never done—look, Republicans were all against Medicare when we put that in. If the Republicans don‘t want to get on board, we can do this without the Republicans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OLBERMANN: Since the battle may again be won by 30 second TV ads, one connected to the DNC is ready to roll. It cites a recent poll, 62 percent of Americans supporting a major overhaul of health care, and another new poll finding 73 percent of Americans do want that choice between private and public insurance.
Let‘s bring in the host of HBO‘s “Realtime With Bill Maher,” Bill Maher, who will be performing at the Orleans Showroom in Las Vegas July 3rd through July 5th, even though that has little to do with this topic. Good evening, Bill.
BILL MAHER, “REALTIME WITH BILL MAHER”: You don‘t know about that.
They both have to do with gambling.
OLBERMANN: An excellent point to start with. The overall picture here, health care again, Republican opposition again. Democrats at risk of caving again. Is that the natural follow?
MAHER: Yes. As you were just saying—or maybe it was Howard Dean who was just saying. I don‘t know why they need to get the Republicans on board. It‘s probably more the Democrats who are the problem. When I heard the president get that round of applause before the AMA, that‘s when I knew we were in trouble.
The AMA is a lobbying group. It‘s out for money like every lobbying group. People think of it as your friendly doctors. It‘s really not. It‘s a lobbying group. And when he said, I‘m not out to install government-run health care plans—why not? Maybe our health care situation in this country would be as good as, you know, Costa Rica‘s or Morocco‘s.
OLBERMANN: Yes, he was speaking to the second most powerful union in America, behind the Baseball Players Association. But when he spoke out for the public option today, while he did that and seemed to take a little bite, a little nibble out of the AMA, do you really think he may, particularly the president—may be willing to take an unnecessary compromise on this just for some premise of bipartisanship or other reasons? What do you think?
MAHER: I don‘t know if it‘s bipartisanship I‘m so concerned with, as caving in to corporations and lobbyists. I mean, the track record so far is not good. You know, we did an editorial on our show Friday night that was pretty hard-hitting about Obama not putting it on the line and standing up to the energy companies, the health care industry, the banks.
And previously when I had criticized Obama in front of my—you‘ve been on our show—very liberal southern California audience, they were booing me. My crowd in my studio booing me, which is fine.
But on Friday night, I was expecting the boos and they weren‘t booing anymore. They were cheering. I think they‘re getting to the point where they‘re realizing, yes, we still like Obama. He‘s our guy. We‘re glad he‘s president, but where is the beef? And it‘s easy to make speeches. What‘s hard to do is stand up against corporations. Corporations and their incredible strength are what have ruined this country so far. And this president we thought might be the one to stand up to them. I‘m losing hope. I still have audacity, but my hope is fading.
OLBERMANN: When you consider this, I mean, it‘s 20 years of, well, Democrats will eventually get some sort of health care plan, nearly 20 years. Generation haves grown up in this country hearing only, well, the Democrats will get this done. Well, not now because something else has gone wrong. It would seem there‘s very little being required of the Democrats right now, and this would be the time to act even if it is essentially by the fiat of the people who won the elections.
MAHER: Exactly. That‘s one of the points I was making on our show Friday is, if not now, when? First of all, historically, presidents have to do it, have to make their hay in the first year or two. If he doesn‘t act boldly, I think he‘s probably going to lose the mid-term elections and then have less Democratic support than he even has now.
The Republican party is at its weakest point. If he can‘t shove progressive legislation down their throats now, I don‘t know when it‘s going to happen. I was saying that what he needs to do is get a little George Bush in him personality-wise. Bush, as we all know, had horrible ideas about pretty much everything. But he was pretty good about when he wanted to get something to be done, he got it done.
Nobody was looking to go to war in Iraq, which was a horrible idea. Yet, he pushed that through. And I think Obama needs a little of that, a little of, I‘m going to get this done; I don‘t care who is with me; I don‘t care who I‘m going to upset; I don‘t care what kind of popularity I‘m going to lose over this. But I‘m going to push this through and I‘m going to do it now. I‘m going to do it in full measure.
I really haven‘t seen that from this president on the issues that matter the most, which are I think how to deal with the banks and Wall Street, energy legislation and health care.
OLBERMANN: The last president thought 2004 was a mandate. It looks like this president is not sure that 2008 was a mandate.
MAHER: Right. I mean if Bush could go to war in Iraq when nobody was thinking about it, how come this president can‘t get through something like health care reform in a way that the people really want, when people are actually for it? Again, this speech to the AMA, nice speech, but he did leave out an important part, that the AMA has been the major stumbling block to all the health care reform we‘ve tried in this century. They were the ones who stopped universal health care going into Social Security under Roosevelt. They fought tooth and nail against Medicare in the ‘60s.
Remember, they hired Ronald Reagan to record an album talking about the horrible specter of socialized medicine, which makes it sound like Stalin himself is going to put on the rubber glove and give you a prostate exam.
They fought Clinton‘s plan. They‘re not your friendly doctors. They‘re a union, like you say, and a powerful one. They‘re not your friends.
OLBERMANN: At the current cost of prostate exams, a lot of people wouldn‘t mind Stalin stopping by. Bill Maher, the host of “Realtime” on HBO. Always a pleasure, sir. Thanks once again.
MAHER: Thanks, Keith.
OLBERMANN: Take car. Captain Sullenberger saved their lives. He could not save them from what is happening now. No amount of heroic flying could save them from the American insurance industry.
Did you know when you say neo-con, you are secretly being anti-Semitic. So says Jonah Goldberg, one of tonight‘s worst persons.
And when Rachel joins you at the top of the hour, her special guest is Howard Dean on the administration‘s surprising defense on the Defense of Marriage Act, and it‘s still more surprising and disturbing terminology.
OLBERMANN: They were able to walk away from a stricken plane that had to touch down in the Hudson River. But now, to get psychological help in recovering from that trauma, the Sosa family has to face a seemingly bigger threat, trying to deal with the AIG Insurance Company. That‘s next, but first time for COUNTDOWN‘s number two story, tonight‘s worst persons in the world.
The bronze to the “Wall Street Journal” and writer Jonathan Weisman. A little historical revisionism that may have backfired: “President Barack Obama‘s chief economist on Friday defended White House economic policies against criticism that they amounted to a kind of back door socialism,” he wrote. “While Mr. Summers‘ speech was billed as a prelude to next week‘s efforts on financial market regulation, most of it was devoted to defending the administration‘s aggressive economic policies. Those policies have seen the government take control of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and insurer American International Group, inc.”
See how the journal just slipped its readers the old rubber peach? Talk about a speech by Larry Summers, Larry Summers of the Obama administration, the Obama administration, the government, the government, which is taking control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and AIG Insurance. Except the Obama administration didn‘t take control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and AIG Insurance; the Bush administration did. All of that was last Fall. But the journal was saying taking over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and AIG was back door socialism—didn‘t the journal just call President Bush a back door socialist.
The silver to Jonah Goldberg of the “National Review,” defending the far right, despite its enabling of such terrorists as Scott Roeder and James Von Brunn, writing that perhaps the left is responsible for Von Brunn because, quote, “after all, for years, mainstream liberalism and other outposts of paranoid Bush hatred have portrayed neo-conservatives, usually code for conservative Jews and other supporters of Israel, as an alien, pernicious cabal.”
I have been hearing and using the term neo-conservative for nearly a decade now. This is the first time I have ever heard it associated with any religious or ethnic group. The thought never occurred to me until Mr. Goldberg raised it. Nor did the religions of any of the people described by the term. Neo-cons, whatever their faith, are not judged by that, nor referred to by it. Neo-con may indeed by code, but for belligerents, pig headedness, stupidity, wasteful, indifference to human life, and, especially as Mr. Goldberg‘s qualifications for the title, paranoid.
Tonight‘s worst, the city council of Brooksville, Florida. Over the objection of the mayor, the four council members have approved a dress and appearance policy for city employees. They now cannot display body piercing, except in the ear. All cuts or wounds must be covered. Halter tops and Spandex are no longer permitted. Skirts worn below the waistline to expose the abdomen or back are prohibited. And best of all, underwear must be worn.
The mayor asks, how are we going to enforce that? You can do what Woody Allen did—had his crazy dictator of San Marcos do in the movie “Bananas,” all citizens will be required to change their underwear every half hour. Underwear will now be worn on the outside, so we can check. The city council of Brooksville, Florida, also known as the underwear checkers, today‘s worst persons in the world!
OLBERMANN: The 150 passengers and the hero crew aboard US Airways flight 1549 probably thought they had survived everything. They thought that way until they met AIG Insurance. The number one story, one woman‘s fight against the airline‘s insurance company, and what it won‘t pay for. And yes, it is that AIG.
After the plane made its now infamous landing in the Hudson, one image sticks. As she, Tess Sosa, and her infant were evacuating, Sosa looked back and saw her husband trying to hold her daughter above the freezing water rushing into the plane. Miss Sosa is now seeking therapy for herself and her daughter. The US Airways people say the airline issued each passenger a 5,000 dollar check, pointed out that it had no legal obligation to do so.
Enter the insurer for US Airways, AIG, American International Group, the same failed insurance giant given 170 billion dollars of taxpayer bailout money. Its response to the passengers seeking help paying for psychological counseling in the wake of what was still an awfully traumatic day. Joining me now, the survivor of US Airways Flight 1549, Tess Sosa. Thank you for your time tonight.
TESS SOSA, US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549 PASSENGER: Thank you.
OLBERMANN: You and your family still obviously would feel trauma from that afternoon. You‘d be probably unusual if you did not. What did AIG tell you when you initially called them about some help with seeking mental health therapy?
SOSA: Honestly, they didn‘t seem privy to the situation at hand, nor at all cognizant of how this was a traumatic event. When I asked a question, they posed a question to me, well, do you have health insurance? Why don‘t you have this covered by your insurance? And that was the initial stage of talks with them.
Thereafter, after some lapse of time waiting for a return call, they did offer three therapy visits a passenger.
OLBERMANN: There‘s not a lot you can get done in three sessions, is there?
SOSA: No. EMDR is effective. But again, in my case, where I had two children and a spouse, I would say I need more therapy.
OLBERMANN: Is this—do you think that this hasn‘t gotten more attention, or that AIG thought they could do this because things actually turned out so well, in terms of the outcome here? People see this as a miracle and happy ending and everybody lived and there were no serious—at least no life threatening injuries.
If there had been something like that, if there had been 90 percent survivor rate or something, do you think there would be a more sympathetic ear from the insurance company, or more of an outrage from the public if they heard of your story?
SOSA: I‘m sorry. Repeat that.
OLBERMANN: Do you think that because there were so many survivors, the trauma is not evident to people. It‘s not evident to the insurance company? It‘s not evident to the public of what you went through?
SOSA: I think a lot of the public are empathetic to what‘s happened to us. But then there are people who don‘t understand. I think unless you‘ve survived a plane crash—our case is a rarity—no one can really assess exactly how traumatic it was for all of us. I assure you we have a group and a lot of passengers on the flight were business travelers. And they‘re traveling as we speak. And all of them are going through difficulties.
My family and I have not flown as of yet. But, yes, there is a sense of this is—this was not—there were no casualties, no injuries, so be happy that you walked away. I think the main point here is, yes, it was traumatic; yes, it was a miracle. As far as AIG is concerned, I don‘t think it‘s a smart move that they don‘t treat this as a special case in terms of it‘s a historic event. Let‘s protect this event and its people—the people that were in it. I think that would have been a very smart move for AIG, in light of the bailout that they got, in light of the bad publicity they got beforehand.
I think it would have shown some corporate accountability on their end to protect and care for us, as an insurer should.
OLBERMANN: Could have turned it around and made it a big event and everybody could have been smiling.
SOSA: It wouldn‘t have taken much. It would have taken a few phone calls. Yes, we‘ll pay for your therapy. How can we help you? Also I just want to add that they continue to change their contact person, which stalls the claims. And it made the passengers feel like we weren‘t really cared about.
OLBERMANN: I can understand how you feel that way. Tess Sosa, survivor of the US Airways crash in the Hudson River. Good luck with this and thanks for coming in.
SOSA: Thank you.
OLBERMANN: That‘s COUNTDOWN for this the 2,237th day since the previous president declared mission accomplished in Iraq. I‘m Keith Olbermann, good night and good luck.
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The Gentleman’s Racer by VanderHeide Motorcycles
A carbon-fiber avant-garde machine with a patent-pending suspension setupby Sagar, on
Carbon fiber has been considered the most exotic material ever since McLaren first made use of it to build a monocoque chassis for its Formula One car, 35 years ago. And so has Rolf van der Heide, a Dutch engineer who had worked for Spyker and Carver (makers of three-wheeled road machines) in the past. He saw endless possibilities of carbon fiber composites and went on to create the motorcycle of his dreams with it.
With his brother Sjors handling the business end and industrial designer Michiel, the ‘Gentleman’s Racer’ was born. With a 100% carbon fiber monocoque chassis, a 100% carbon fiber swingarm, a 100% carbon fiber front end and a patent-pending revolutionary designed suspension system, we see this creation as a genesis of a new breed of humankind. One who is not scared witless to venture into the realm reserved only for the upper-crust.
When Rolf contacted Brink, he had already been appraised for designing the Spyker D8 Peking SUV concept car and the Vandenbrink 599 GTO, a custom spinoff of the legendary Ferrari that won him the “GOOD DESIGN AWARD” by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum. With such stalwarts sharing their oeuvre hand and imagination for half a decade, nothing less than a ‘magnum-opus’ was in order. The ‘Gentleman’s Racer’ was born.
They started with only three objectives in mind – to use the Aprilia RSV4 1000cc engine, have a carbon fiber monocoque frame and a yet to be engineered suspension setup. The designers wanted to highlight the suspension unit and make it as a visual exhibition of sorts. With the engine set already decided, they got onto working on an ingenious suspension unit known as the Hossack suspension system for the front.
Invented by a Frenchman, Claude Fior, and then copied by Norman Hossack, a former McLaren engineer, it consists of 2 forward facing wishbones, two uprights and steering linkage that is similar to the double wishbone system used in cars. Apparently, telescopic suspension units and carbon frame doesn’t go hand in hand and have failed in the past.
They attempted something ballsy, something that has never been done before, by positioning the front spring/damper element in line with the rear spring. What this did was, it canceled out opposing forces between the front and the rear shock, thereby allowing the makers to save weight in terms of having a monocoque design.
Such a setup then decided the design of the frame and bodywork where an open tunnel design across the tank made the springs visible, and this very act gave the motorcycle its character. A full-sized foam-clay model was instated, and a 3D model was rendered after which handmade carbon fiber components that use dry fibers were made in-house. Similar kinds that are on the Pagani Huarya.
At the front, you get a bulbous fairing that houses a single round projector. The fairing then engulfs the tank in one seamless curve that looks very pleasing to the eye and your brain. With the clean lines working together to scribe a linear narrative, you just feel at bliss only by looking at it. An ageless olde worlde.
The motorcycle features 100% hand built full-grain leather seats and matching handlebar grips. The handlebars also get Kellermann BL2000 Blinkers integrated into them. Hidden behind the fairing is a MoTeC C125 full-colour TFT LCD anti-reflective display giving you a vast amount of worldly information.
The tank is not normal in any way. It has been designed into the carbon fiber chassis itself and can hold up to 24 liters of power source. The rear has something called the ‘het kontje’, that is a triangular battery cover that finishes off the tapering design angle all the way to the tail light. A nice rear with hot yoga pants.
Looking out for a performer having 200 horses, they zeroed it down to the Aprilia’s RSV4 mechanical powerhouse. The RSV4 comes underpinned with a four stroke, liquid cooled, 65 degree, V-4, 999.6cc engine, which develops 201 hp of maximum power and 86 lb-ft of maximum torque. If this much power still does not quench your thirst, they will pump up it up with a racing configuration that gives you a massive 230+ hp monster and drops the weight from 385 lbs to 363 lbs to take your track records to new dimensions, but in a retro-styled way.
This four-cylinder mill comes mated to a 6-speed gearbox, which gets the assistance of Aprilia Quick Shift Electronic System (AQS) and a slipper clutch mechanism, thus making the gearshifts much more precise and faultless. The ultra-thin HP Corse Pro Series Hydroformed exhaust unit is the only shiny metal you can find on the Gentleman’s Racer.
RIDE AND HANDLING
The carbon fiber chassis gave the designer freedom to work his magic as he did not have to work in the lines of tubular steel or aluminum box frame. He had to only deal with engine attachments and suspension to work around. Don’t make this fool you into thinking that it made his job any easy.
At the rear, the Vander Heide gets an in-house developed rear-facing radiator that is efficient in cooling and for aerodynamics. The swingarm and both 17” five spoke BlackStone Tek (BST) Black Star wheels are also bespoke carbon-fiber components. Pirelli Diablo Super Corsa SC tires are made to run on these with the front getting 120s’ and the rear with 190’s and an optional 200.
To suit taller riders, they took the KTM RC8’s seating position as a benchmark and positioned the footpegs and the handlebars accordingly. Since the telescopic units give a miss at the front, one will not feel a natural ‘dive’ in the front when braked. But the company can fondle with the mechanics and even provide you ‘anti-dive’, meaning the bike will rise when you brake. This is possible because the braking and suspension units are not matched together, and this will give in to a whole other riding experience.
We believe this powerhouse also comes equipped with an electronic package like the much famed Aprilia Performance Ride Control (APRC) system, which includes a host of electronic aids, such as Aprilia Traction Control (ATC) with 8 levels, Aprilia Wheelie Control (AWC) and Aprilia Launch Control (ALC) with three different ride settings.
The Vander Heide gets Brembo dual 320mm disc brakes at the front and a single 220mm disc brake at the rear taken over from Aprilia. The brakes are coupled with Bosch’s 9MP ABS as well as Rear Wheel Lift-up Mitigation (RLM) system, also from Aprilia.
A major chunk of the design aspects was around the suspension units and its setup. At the front Double Wishbone linked by a pushrod and a rocker with Öhlins TTX damper line 36 at the rear make the scene of the lifetime. The first ever kind of setup in the history of the motorcycling world, usually seen on formula one circuits.
‘Gentleman’s Racer’ is built in a completely unconventional way, making it the free-spirited avant-garde. The brand is touted to be an entirely new and distinct premium motorcycle to re-shape the rule books or rather obliterated and flicked it out of the window entirely.
Having a world-renowned power mill under the belly, patent-pending suspension setup and exquisite materials being made use of, what you get is a lustful masterpiece that seems like it was created by some divine being taking all the time to perfect every atom of the hankering machine. When this is around, you just become oblivious to everything else.
Of course, it is a limited edition product of only 25 of them seeing the daylights ever and is priced at € 150.000 ($ 185,000). They will even customize the bike for you in terms of suitable riding positions based on your body length and weight, color schemes and they will also allow you to mount the engine onto the chassis yourself. slow clap
The company is also open to partner with newer manufacturers, especially ones with an electric powerhouse. Getting this work of art out to the open world has been a challenge, but by the looks of it, there is no reason for me to believe that it cannot be done. The build speaks for itself.


AID-R is a low power, AI edge-compute platform for smart city video based analytics for assault/robbery-in-progress assessment.
Device for intelligent waste bin. This device integrates several sensors to supervise the state of the trash.
A solar-powered IoT device for monitoring sound level, air quality, humidity, and temperature.
Smart light that turn on at noon when anyone pass in street and turn off at morning also check its state and report if it need to be fixed.
Using two LDRs to get intensities in two direction and then comparing those intensities will rotate the servo motor.
A very simple project for counting cars coming in and out of a parking lot using Arduino, Processing and PHP.
A solar-powered open source kit for monitoring air quality, sound level, humidity, and temperature.
Demonstrate a secure and robust over-the-air firmware update using CoAP over 6LoWPAN with the STMicro L152RE and Spirit1 sub-GHz radio.
An ultra-low power, battery-operated recycling bin to showcase a perfect smart city IoT solution using mcThings, SIGFOX and Ubidots!
Tracking the amount of garbage inside the bins and thus can be easily geotagged and the dump vehicle can plan its path around the city.
An Internet of Things connected garbage container.
Monitor your parking lot with the LoPy using LoRa!
An Internet of Things-based smart garbage collection system!
Low maintenance, high output air pollution, sound pollution that put throughout the city without wiring.
A cluster of Raspberry Pis used to power a cryptocurrency network called Skywire. Helping to establish a private decentralized internet.
This project will demonstrate the real prototype of smart cities product including sensor data manipulation using Google Data Studio.
This is plug and play: particulate matter (PM2.5) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) plus air pressure, temp and humidity.
A fire-monitoring and crowdsourcing tool that will allow local fire managers to respond to wildfires.
Using vehicles to monitor the air quality throughout the city in real time.
Captain is a system for automatically detecting mental health and anxiety in first responders using video & audio analysis.
Count cars when they enter and exit in the parking space area, this helps find out available car parking space.
The device will keep you safe. Just have to click a button and your precise location will be shared.
Push your store to the next level with smart AI that analyse your target customers , store security , no more lines and no checkout
The device uses color indication to display traffic on the road you are driving or you have selected.


The Fiat AUBL/74 recon assault armoured car was the first Italian-designed vehicle of its class – work on it began in 1968. The build of this armoured car solely accounted for protection against small arms, but the vehicle’s low weight also granted it fantastic dynamic characteristics. The tank destroyer was one of the most perspective platforms for chassis development – the first experimental model carrying a 90mm cannon was assembled in 1979. Sometime later, a new turret was designed to carry OTO Melara’s brand-new 60mm high-ballistic cannon upon its release. The first iteration of the gun assumed manual reload. The upgraded design boosted the tank destroyer’s combat potential in comparison to that of its predecessor fitted with the 90mm cannon, all thanks to the new armour-piercing fin-stabilized shells that boasted extremely high levels of kinetic energy as well as reduced recoil.
Our players know a lot about and love the Italian AUBL/74 armoured car equipped with the 90mm cannon – the vehicle is fairly decent for its rank despite having a number of special traits you have to account for when commanding one. The 90mm cannon has no access to armour-piercing rounds – its arsenal only includes HESH and HEAT rounds, which players have to use in 99% of cases. For those tank commanders who love wheeled vehicles and can truly appreciate the FIAT’s fast speed, we present a new vehicle in this series, equipped with a high-ballistic 60mm cannon, a two-plane stabilizer, and full-fledged APDS-FS shells. This will serve as the Operation H.E.A.T. main prize for the tank commanders, and it’s simply awesome! Shall we have a closer look then?
The modified AUBL/74 HVG is promoted into rank V, simply because it rules hard. Its cannon with very high muzzle energy possesses remarkable horizontal accuracy – it pretty much acts like a laser pointer, meaning projectiles stay inside the crosshairs and on a level course even when flying over considerable distances. The cannon fires two types of rounds: the abovementioned APDS shells with normal impact and high-explosive shells. The fire rate may only be moderate because of the model’s manual reload mechanics, but the two-plane stabilizer easily makes up for that as it allows you to stay accurate even when moving at relatively high speeds. By the way, the AUBL/74 HVG is still one of the fastest ground vehicles in the game – it can go as fast as 100 km/h when travelling on roads. It wasn’t just the excellent dynamics that the AUBL/74 HVG inherited from its predecessor – but its weaknesses as well. The upgraded model still has paper-thin armour and a small compactly stationed crew. The AUBL/74 HVG pretty much can’t take a hit – even machine guns pose a real threat to this tank destroyer. However, as far as everything else is concerned, the Fiat is great: it’s fast, it has a very accurate cannon, and it fires deadly APDS-FS shells. The sniper and scout that you’ve all been dreaming of!


Leading scientists slam government inaction amid global race for vaccines
Scientists say it ‘beggars belief’ that a middle-income country like SA has left itself dependent on Covax system that was set up to assist poor countries
Some of SA’s leading scientists have written a scathing letter slamming the government’s apparent lethargy in securing a vaccine for the country at a time when Covid-19 is spreading uncontrollably around the world, sparking a race among countries to get their populations inoculated.
The scientists, including the head of the Medical Research Council, Glenda Gray and academics who were once part of the advisory committee advising health minister Zweli Mkhize, called for advice given by the ministerial advisory committee on vaccines to the government to be made public.
They also questioned the silence of their peers in the vaccine advisory committee and queried why they were not asking for what they had recommended to government from September to be publicised, suggesting they had been “muzzled”.
As cases of Covid-19 rise to the highest daily levels ever in SA, the lack of a coherent vaccine strategy is leading to a growing outcry from doctors and nurses and from opposition political parties.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has faced criticism for apparently playing down the importance of vaccines, saying they are “ not a silver bullet” and emphasising non-pharmaceutical interventions like wearing masks and practicing social distancing.
The scientists were especially critical of what they said was government’s attempt to downplay the central role to be played by vaccines in containing the pandemic. The UK, Israel and the US have started rolling out vaccines for vulnerable people such as the elderly, as well as health workers, but the government has not given a clear indication of when SA will access vaccines.
In his New Year’s address, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the “vaccine will come”, while the deputy director general of the health department, Anban Pillay, suggested this would only happen in the second quarter of 2021.
In their letter, the scientists said silence from those advising government suggested that they had been enlisted in a public relations’ “damage limitation” exercise to avoid accountability for an unclear vaccine strategy.
“It is unconscionable that this has been allowed to occur and it is to the discredit of the advisory committee that it appears to have been enlisted in this exercise.”
The government is procuring vaccines through Covax, a World health partnership lead by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations (Gavi), that aims to make vaccines available to 92 low and middle-income countries. It “beggars belief that SA”, a relatively wealthy country, found itself dependent on this facility. SA, they wrote, “is not a poor country, despite the best efforts of a corrupt political class to ensure that moniker”.
The signatories, including Aslam Dasoo, convenor of the Progressive Health Forum and once a senior ANC member, said the government's failure to purchase vaccines could lead to the ”greatest man-made failure to protect the population since the Aids pandemic.”
Health workers have started a petition to ask for vaccines as they are on the front line.
Read the letter here:
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Finland, northern lights in memory of my friend, Autumn. She studied in Finland and said this was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. then her daughter was born and she named her Rory, after the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
Aguas Calientes, Peru~ Aguas Calientes, sometimes referred to as Machupicchu Town, is a town in Peru on the Urubamba River. It is the closest access point to the historical site of Machu Picchu, which is 6 kilometres away or about a hours walk.
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On of the best place to see in Greece is Santorini -a volcanic island, located in the Aegean Sea. Santorini is a part of a larger group of islands and is considered to be the most beautiful and visited of all in the area.

domain: geography


text:
The potential costs of suburbanization are, of course, broader than farmland loss and
rising infrastructure costs. The decentralization of people and jobs also affects existing
communities and the quality of life for residents in old and new places. Low-density
suburban development increases automobile "dependence" as residents must drive
further to shop, work, and otherwise meet their needs. This dependence in turn increases
demand for more roads and also increases pollution. Both of these arguments are suspect,
however, since they both ignore other complicating elements.
Urban development and redevelopment is influenced by a number of "push" and
"pull" factors. Pull factors are a particular communitys characteristics
that attract people to live in it. The possibility of a larger house on a plot of land
might attract, or "pull," someone from a cramped city dwelling to a suburb or
rural town. The proximity to cultural and entertainment events such as professional sports
or the opera might pull others into downtown areas. Providing the kinds of neighborhoods
and housing opportunities people want is critical for developing, redeveloping, and
rejuvenating cities of all sizes. Large cities, for example, have a number of features
that attract businesses and people: roads, cultural activities, diverse and inexpensive
housing opportunities, and easy access to mass transit.
Equally important, however, are the push factors. Many cities suffer from poorly
functioning school systems, high tax rates, anti-competitive regulations, and old and
deteriorating housing stock. Cities may upgrade their housing stock, improve transit
opportunities and decorate their downtowns with new sports stadiums and casinos, but if
they do not address such basic push factors as poor schools, high taxes and crime, they
will continue to stagnate and decline.

domain: sociology


text:
Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan Paperback / softback
This title will strongly appeal to cat lovers and social media buffs looking for the next new cat thing. Expert author has won awards for his translations and is second to none in interpreting Japanese folklore. Rarely seen woodblock prints will appeal to art collectors. Folklore buffs will like the newly translated tales.
- Format: Paperback / softback
- Pages: 120 pages
- Publisher: Chin Music Press
- Publication Date: 07/11/2017
- Category: Folklore, myths & legends
- ISBN: 9781634059169

domain: entertainment


text:
Laws Can Be Unethical
Suter, P M
Minerva anestesiologica 2010 Jul; 76(7): 548-9
ICU teams have the difficult emotional burden of continuing complex life-sustaining therapy beyond the limits of what is felt to be reasonable. Among the reasons leading to a delay in the withdrawal of intensive therapy is the unwillingness or unpreparedness of the team or family members, or inadequate laws. We all have the responsibility to promote a legal framework allowing end-of-life decisions that ensure the autonomy, dignity and integrity of all citizens, in addition to the humane practice of medicine.
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

domain: literature


text:
From Smart Garden comes the Luniere Oval light. This handy little decorative light is perfect for bringing a little charm and quirk to your garden. Providing beautiful, ambient lighting that will enhance any garden space. With three functions- White light, Colour changing or fixed colour. This Solar light can last for up to 6 hours per day, but also comes with a usb cable meaning you can charge it via the mains for year round use.
– Contemporary solar light
– Provides up to 6 hours of light via solar power (can be plugged into mains and charged via usb)
– 3 functions- steady white, colour changing, steady colour
H- 21cm – W- 15.5cm

domain: design


text:
Wood Crafts & Carving - 36 - Extreame Savings! Save up to 41%
Extreame Savings! Up to 41% off on Wood Crafts & Carving at Birzula. Top brands include Pitkin Unichrome Ltd, Stackpole Books, Dover Publications, Fox Chapel Publishing-, Dover Pubns, Ebury Press, Amer Ceramic Society, Sterling, Wildfowl Carving Magazine, Fox Chapel Publishing, Brand: Japan Publications Trading, Brand: Fox Chapel Publishing, Brand: Sterling Pub Co Inc, Books, Rizzoli, & Heart Prairie Pr. Hurry! Limited time offers. Offers valid only while supplies last.
Carving & Painting an American Kestrel with Floyd Scholz
ean: 9780811724937, isbn: 081172493X,
Sharp, full-color photos clarify each step of the carving and painting process Carving tips from an award-winning artist Full-size, ready-to-use patterns with an extensive resource list for carvers In this sixth book of the Carving and Painting serie...
Carving Shorebirds: With Full-Size Templates
ean: 9780486242873, isbn: 0486242870,
Sixteen full-size patterns (all double-page spreads) for 19 North American shorebirds with clear carving directions and step-by-step instructions. Color photos of completed projects appear on covers. Introduction....
Carving Early American Weathervanes: 16 Decorative Projects
ean: 9780486252230, isbn: 048625223X,
Weathervanes have been familiar sights atop American buildings since Colonial Times when they embellished countless homes, public buildings and business enterprises, While many of the more ornate models were made of copper, a large number of the popu...
ean: 9780091868543, isbn: 0091868548,
Mosaics offer a medium to experiment with a wide variety of materials and to create imaginative color schemes. The authors, Kaffe Fassett and Candace Bahouth, are accomplished designers known especially for dramatic color combinations, and for their ...
Genuine Origami: 43 Mathematically-Based Models, From Simple to Complex
mpn: 9784889962512, ean: 9784889962512, isbn: 4889962514,
Like his counterpart in the U.S., prominent origami artist and scientist Robert J. Lang, Jun Maekawa approaches origami from the perspective of mathematical and geometric principles. In Genuine Origami, Maekawa takes readers, step-by-step, through th...
Carving Signs: The Woodworker's Guide to Carving, Lettering, and Gilding
ean: 9781565231313, isbn: 1565231317,
Whether carving signs for personal use or starting a business carving signs for other people, this book is filled with the information professional and hobbyist woodworkers need to get started making wooden signs. It includes tips on which woods work...
Painting Waterfowl with J.D. Sprankle
ean: 9780811728935, isbn: 0811728935,
423 color photographs & 8 x 11. Step-by-step instructions for painting 14 different birds.& Color charts for exact paint mixtures & First paperback edition Jim Sprankle's definitive work on waterfowl carving shows, in exquisite detail, every step of ...
Hobo & Tramp Art Carving: An Authentic American Folk Tradition
sku: QX-054-X5-6199806, ean: 9780806931852, isbn: 080693185X,
A vibrant tribute and how-to introduction to a craft that was once immensely common yet has become rare today. Hoboes used to use their pocketknives to whittle distinctively whimsical pieces, many containing a characteristic ball-in-the-cage or chain...
Sculpting in Wire (Basics of Sculpture)
mpn: 713688874, ean: 9780713688870, isbn: 0713688874,
Very much aimed at beginners, there are 6 projects of increasing difficulty, aiming to teach people how to sculpt in wire from the most basic starting point up through to soldering....
New & Traditional Styles of Chip Carving: From Classic to Positive Imaging
ean: 9780806985749, isbn: 0806985747,
A guide to both new and traditional styles of chip carving. The book includes various projects some of which feature positive imaging including a Rosewood clock that combines a free-form incised owl with positive-image doves and a clock dial....
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domain: hobby


text:
Taurusby Fernando Vieira
Lay out like a pro with this super comfy, oversized and unique artist-designed Beach Towel. The soft polyester-microfiber front and cotton terry back are perfect for, well, drying your front and back. This design is also available as a bath and hand towel. Machine washable. Towel Dimensions: 74"x37"
ABOUT THE ART
Taurus was the second sign of the zodiac established among the ancient Mesopotamians – who knew it as the Bull of Heaven – because it was the constellation through which the sun rose on the vernal equinox at that time. Due to the precession of the equinox, it has since passed through the constellation Aries and into the constellation Pisces (hence our current era being known as The Age of Pisces). The Bull represents a strong-willed character with great perseverance and determination. In Egypt, Taurus was seen as the cow goddess Hathor. Hathor was the goddess of beauty, love, and happiness, and she represented all of the riches seen in cattle as the providers of nourishment. Roman astrologers considered Taurus ruled by Venus, the goddess of beauty.
Digital, art, colors, animal, zodiac

domain: history


text:
ANNIE JONES LANDS LEADING CHILD ROLE IN HIT MUSICAL SCHOOL OF ROCK
Ahead of its premiere in Melbourne this October, the Australian cast of the School Of Rock musical has been revealed.
Taking on the coveted role of Dewey Finn, portrayed by Jack Black in the 2003 feature film. is Sydney-based actor, composer and performer, Brent Hill.
With musical theatre credits that include Little Shop Of Horrors, Once and Rock Of Ages, Hill was recently seen alongside Hugo Weaving in Sydney Theatre Company's The Resistible Rise For Arturo Ui and in Eddie Perfect's Vivid White.
He will be joined on stage each night by 36 incredible Australian performers aged between nine to 13, including Kempton Maloney (Wind In The Willows), Orlando Schwerdt (Carmen, Matilda), Tiana Mirra (Strictly Ballroom), Annie Jones (The Sound Of Music) and Aston Doomer (The King & I, The Bodyguard).

domain: artistic


text:
“Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature’s laws wrong, it learned to walk without having feet. Funny, it seems to by keeping it’s dreams; it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else even cared.”
― Tupac Shakur
In the grand scheme of things, 27 years is not actually a long time. A limited resume of life experience is somewhat expected at 27. The world is still an oyster. Everything is funny as long as it’s happening to somebody else. But in some cases, life is the antagonist at 27. One can find themselves encountering numerous peculiar and seemingly unfortunate events. Opportunity finds a way to knock at the most inappropriate moment. No matter which way you ride, its uphill and against the wind. Virtue is its own punishment. But, just as the rose finds itself thrust into the most inhospitable conditions and yet still manages to seek the sunlight, so will the traveler who is Chasing Murphy.


text:
This Chinese zodiac design is simply precious for a baby or even younger kids. The 12 animals that represent the zodiac signs are hand drawn in a sweet style with beautiful colors. The animals are scattered on a background that is recolor-able. We have chosen to use soft cream colors, that are gender neutral, however they can be easily changed to any pastel or in fact to any other color - we have 100s of colors to choose from.
.We chose a round label with the child's name and year of birth for personalization in red and then paired it with the matching sign zodiac sign - which in this case is the dragon.
To figure out your zodiac animal, see image with dates, characteristics and compatible sign. See additional details on converting from the Gregorian calendar to the Chinese calendar.
As always with YouCustomizeIt, you can change anything about this design (patterns, colors, graphics, etc.) for free. Our design library is loaded with options for you to choose from, or you can upload your own. Need Help? You can always contact us or chat with us for support from real people (no chat bots or call centers).
Protect your counters from hot pots and pans with our personalized trivets! Both ornamental and functional, these tiles make excellent additions to your kitchen's decor. Purchase one as a gift for a loved one who enjoys cooking, or create one for yourself that coordinates with your kitchen's theme!
We sell multiple versions of these trivets and each has a different style. Regardless of the style, we print your personalized design atop a heat resistant tile to make your design long-lasting, while shielding your countertops from any heat. The central tile also has a glossy finish to really make your design stand out.
Lastly, we also sell a hot pad, made of a thick, heavy-duty, ceramic. The tile is shaped into a square, and measures at 6 by 6 inches, and is 0.25 inches thick. A glossy coat will cover this tile, making your design seem bolder and brighter.
To clean these trivets and personalized hot pad, simply wipe its surface with a dampened cloth and some light detergent.
Take a peek in the Kitchen category of our Home and Garden department for even more ornamental additions to your household's decor! Among our assortment, we carry kitchen mats, oven mitts, and personalized aprons. Customize a few additional products to complement your kitchen's theme, or consider purchasing something for a loved one as an ornate, but practical gift!
|Style||No Frame (Tile Only)|
|Product Dimensions||Approx. 6" x 6"|
|Printable Color||Full Color|
|Department||Home + Garden|
|Theme||Astrology / Zodiac
Cow / Ox
Horse / Pony
Dog / Puppy
Sheep / Lamb
|Design Gender||Gender Neutral|
|Personalization Style||Name or Text|


text:
Atlanta Housing Rent Vouchers Refused by Landlords
- Over the past couple of years, affordable housing in Atlanta has become harder to find.
- To help low-income individuals and families receive housing, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development began giving out rent vouchers.
- Despite these rent vouchers, Georgia’s laws still allow landlords to refuse rent vouchers when tenants are paying their monthly balance.
Over the past couple of years, affordable housing in Atlanta has become harder to find. As a result, to help low-income individuals and families rent affordable housing, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) began giving out housing vouchers. The Section 8 vouchers can be used to help pay for rent. But recently, there has been some controversy regarding whether landlords have the authority to refuse tenants’ rent vouchers.
Current Housing Laws Regarding Rent Vouchers
Georgia’s current housing laws allow landlords to refuse rent vouchers. Unfortunately, this means those who rely on government assistance will have a harder time finding housing. In addition, the current state housing laws regarding rent vouchers have made it difficult for local governments to intervene and make a change.
Image Credit: Daniel Tadevosyan / Shutterstock.com
Despite the difficulties of improving housing laws in the local communities, Atlanta City council member Amir Farokhi warned property owners about rejecting these vouchers. In his letter, Farokhi cited a 2020 anti-discrimination ordinance prohibiting landlords from refusing these rent vouchers and including sources of income as a category to be protected from landlord discrimination.
The Atlanta City Council approved the ordinance brought forth by council members Antonio Brown and Amir Farokhi in a 13-2 vote. However, despite Farokhi's attempt to reduce and prohibit discrimination within the real estate market, the current state laws conflict with the ordinance, leading to lawyers questioning the legality of this local law. Due to the fact the ordinance is not legally enforceable, this has not prevented landlords from rejecting rent vouchers.
Recommended Read: The Cost of Rent Has Gone Up in Many Cities
Why Landlords are Refusing Rent Vouchers
Currently, one main property owner in Atlanta is refusing these rent vouchers, and that is Carter Haston. This issue arose when six renters at EDGE on the Beltline, a building that rents studio apartments, contacted Atlanta City Council member Amir Farokhi. They said the property owner, Carter Haston, was not allowing the vouchers to be used to help pay their rents.
Haston refuses rent vouchers because the government, specifically HUD, has stopped paying them. On February 25, 2022, HUD stopped writing rent checks to the six tenants at EDGE on the Beltline.
Image Credit: Olivier Le Moal / Shutterstock.com
So, the tenants believed the government was helping them pay their rent, but no one was actually paying the rest of the money Haston was entitled to. Consequently, on June 28, 2022, Haston issued a termination notice to the six tenants as they had not paid the full rent amount through no fault of their own, and stated that they would not be participating in this program again.
Recommended Read: The U.S. Economy is in a Housing Crisis. Here’s Why.
What will Happen Next?
Unfortunately, despite Farokhi’s valiant efforts to help improve the housing situation in Atlanta, no steps can be currently taken due to the local laws' conflict with state laws. For the new local laws to be implemented, Georgia’s housing laws must be revised to allow Atlanta to move forward with this ordinance and help those with incomes below the poverty line find affordable housing.
Furthermore, HUD not paying some tenants’ rent vouchers could lead to more landlords becoming reluctant to accept applicants who rely on government assistance as it might mean they do not receive the total amount they are owed monthly.
The Money Wrap-Up
The Housing Choice Voucher Program, or Section 8, is a program used in the city of Atlanta and other parts of the country. Low-income people rely on this program to help them find the housing they need. However, because of the continued flaws within the program, such as them not paying the rent checks of the six tenants mentioned above, more landlords within Georgia may also begin refusing rent vouchers. If this happens, it could lead to an increase in homelessness.
Right now, a government body needs to step up and begin paying rent checks to landlords of those who have rent vouchers so they do not receive termination notices and end up on the streets.
Main Image Credit: William Potter / Shutterstock.com

domain: law


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Virtual Course on Selected Topics in Financial Inclusion for CAPTAC-DR in Costa Rica
December 7-18, 2020
The CICDC presented its first virtual course for the IMF’s Central America-Panama-Dominican Republic Regional Technical Assistance Center (CAPTAC-DR) in Costa Rica on December 7–18, 2020. The course on Selected Topics in Financial Inclusion was delivered by staff from the IMF’s Institute for Capacity Development. It was conducted in Spanish and included case studies on regional issues such as digital finance and remittances. Thirty government officials from seven countries (Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama) successfully completed the course. CAPTAC-DR Coordinator Mr. Lisandro Abrego expressed his appreciation to the CICDC for making the course possible and looked forward to continued collaboration between the two centers.

domain: news


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My tipsy turvy story of how I came to be the wine blogger known as the Travelling Corkscrew…
I’m Casey and I LOVE wine, love to blog and love to share my experiences with whoever is keen to listen. I am also a bit of a social media addict with a slight case of itchy feet and suffer from a serious case of food envy.
I ended up on the shores of Australia, Perth to be exact, in 2012 and I fell corkscrew over bottle with it. There is literally so much wine within a fingertip’s reach in WA.
In 2018 I sadly said goodbye to Perth when my beloved husband got a job in Gippsland, Victoria. We decided to hop on over to the east coast for a bit of a look around whilst I start up my small business, Grand Cru Digital, specialising in Search Marketing and more specifically SEO.
In 2020 we moved to live amongst the Bellarine Peninsula wineries and we are loving our little beach / vineyard home.
So what’s my story? Why wine? Here is a quick taste:
- When I was 15 years old I became an after-school cellar hand at Cottle Hill Winery in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand.
- While studying my Bachelor of Communication Studies/Public Relations degree in Auckland I worked for the New Zealand wine retailer Glengarry.
- I spent 4 years living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates where I worked for the illustrious duty-free fine wine and luxury spirit store – Le Clos.
- While in Dubai I completed my Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) levels 2 & 3 Certificate qualifications.
- 2010 the Travelling Corkscrew was born out of my love for writing, wine and communicating.
- In 2011, Mr. Spittoon (now husband) and I spent the year backpacking around Europe with a particular emphasis on visiting wine regions (ahhh the memories!).
- 2012 I arrived in Perth, Western Australia with an empty wine glass and my taste buds at the ready.
- In 2013 I challenged myself to taste 365 different wines.
- I love writing about wine, which is why during my time in Perth, I wrote for a lot of fab wine and travel publications as well as doing a radio interview – read all about my guest appearances here.
- Completed the Wine101x, World of Wine: From Grape to Glass online course with a final grade of 96% – see my edX certificate here.
- 2018 I moved to Victoria, Australia and started up Grand Cru Digital
- In 2018 I was also awarded the Spirit of the Swan award at the 2018 Swan Valley Wine Show
- In 2020 we moved to the Bellarine Peninsula
So that is me in a wine glass.
Like, everyone, I am still learning all about the mysteries of the wine world, however, I am studying extremely hard, after all – a girl has got to do her research.
My main philosophy and advice for everyone is:
If you like it, drink it & enjoy every last drop!


text:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued almost $912,000 in grants to households in Cole and Miller counties, an agency spokesperson told the News Tribune.
Following flooding and tornadoes April 29 through July 5, President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration for Missouri on July 9 for 26 counties.
With a major disaster declaration in place, FEMA hit the ground running in several counties, including Cole and Miller. It opened disaster recovery centers in Jefferson City and Eldon to provide one-on-one help to survivors, and FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance teams went door-to-door in both counties to help victims register for federal assistance or to provide information.
FEMA provided $678,800 in individual assistance grants to 146 households in Cole County, FEMA spokesman John Mills said. Individual assistance grants are for basic home repairs, temporary rental assistance and other needs not covered by insurance, which may include replacing damaged personal property.
In Miller County, FEMA provided $233,000 in individual assistance grants to 53 households.
"Most insurance policies cover homeowners and renters for tornado damage," Mills said. "By law, FEMA cannot duplicate insurance benefits or assistance provided by other programs or organizations."
FEMA gave $7.2 million in individual assistance grants to 1,488 households in 26 Missouri counties for flooding, storm and tornado damages that were not already covered under insurance, he said.
Of the $59.8 million in flood insurance claims FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program has paid, more than $937,000 went to Cole County flood insurance policyholders, Mills said. There were about 1,735 flood insurance claims statewide, with 25 from Cole County.
Eighty-two counties, plus the city of St. Louis, were also eligible for public aid under the disaster declaration issues in July.
About a dozen entities in Cole County requested public assistance grants from FEMA, Mills said, including Cole County and Jefferson City governments and the State Emergency Management Agency. FEMA has received more than 500 requests for public assistance statewide, he added.
"FEMA is actively working with eligible applicants to help them receive 75 percent federal funding through the state for disaster-related expenses," Mill said. "All three of those entities that I mentioned specifically — Cole County government, Jefferson City government and State Emergency Management Agency — FEMA has staff working with those entities now."
Disaster-related expenses could include debris removal costs, emergency protective measures and permanent work projects to restore damaged infrastructure and facilities.
FEMA does not directly reimburse local governments and other entities, Mills said. After FEMA reviews documentation, he added, Missouri will receive approved FEMA funding and the state will reimburse local governments and nonprofits.
While Mills does not know when reimbursement will occur, he said "it will be in the coming months."
The U.S. Small Business Administration also set up shop in Jefferson City, operating a business recovery center in Jefferson City in July and August to work with businesses impacted by flooding and tornadoes. SBA representatives were also at FEMA's disaster recovery centers in Cole and Miller counties.
The SBA offers low-interest loans for property damage and/or economic injury to businesses, renters, homeowners and nonprofits in places hit by declared disasters.
In Cole County, the SBA has approved 19 loans — 17 for homes and two for businesses — as of Tuesday, said Garth MacDonald, SBA public information officer. The loans come to a total of $699,100, with $502,000 of that being from home loans, he added.
The SBA approved five home loans in Miller County as of Tuesday, for a total of $339,300, MacDonald said. The SBA did not approve any business loans in Miller County, he added.
As of the end of September, insured losses in Missouri following tornadoes in Jefferson City, Eldon, Golden City and Carl Junction are estimated to total nearly $170.6 million, said Lori Croy, director of communications for the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance. More than 5,194 claims were reported, she added.

domain: finance


text:
Demi Lovato Shares Struggles With Concert Crowd
During a performance in New York, the singer said that last year she "was not in a good place."
Demi Lovato took the stage at New York’s Hammerstein ballroom on Saturday to perform to a crowd of adoring fans. With just days until the release of her album, Unbroken, the 19-year-old singer had more to share than just a few songs.
Lovato took a moment to talk candidly about her struggles in the past year. As she was preparing to sing her most recent single, “Skyscraper,” she paused to speak to the audience.
PHOTOS: Disney Generation's New Rising Stars
“A year ago today ... I was not in a good place,” she said. “I needed help and I want anybody in this audience to know that if you’re struggling with one of the issues that I dealt with or a different issue, that you can get help, that you can recover and it’s possible if you just tell someone.”
Lovato spent three months in a facility last year, dealing with “emotional and physical issues.” She has spoken openly about being bullied as a child, and had an eating disorder. She also said that she later turned to cutting.
“I want to thank you guys for being there for me every single day I was away. I wouldn’t be here without you guys today,” she said to the crowd.
STORY: Demi Lovato's Track Listing Reveals Missy Elliot, Jason Derulo Collaborations
Lovato, who starred on The Disney Channel’s Sonny with a Chance, performed in New York as a promotion for her third studio album, which will hit stores on September 20.
“SO excited for the show tonight!,” she wrote on her Twitter just hours before the show. “You guys are the best... NYC are you READY?!!!!”
Lovato will also perform at Los Angeles’ Club Nokia on September 23. Both of the shows sold out in minutes after the tickets went on sale in August.

domain: celebrity


text:
From January 1, 2019, electricity customers from Latvenergo, the electricity company Elektrum, will increase their electricity bills from 0% to 15%, according to the Latvenergo project manager, Ilvija Livmane.
"Elektrum" sends new applications for the next period for every customer who ends the price by the end of the year, according to the terms of the contract. Price changes are individually, depending on the amount of electricity used. For example, two customers with a similar type will use the "Elektrum 600+" product. If one takes 600 hours of kilowat (kWh) per month then the kilowat hourly electricity (kWh) consumption will vary, even within one product, depending on the amount of electricity used. the other 900 kWh per month, then the price per kWh for one product will be different, "said Latvenergo spokesman.
The company stated that, in the 10 months of 2018 compared to the same period in 2017, electricity prices rose to the 49% stock exchange. Livmane also stressed that electricity is only one of the components in the electric bill, accounting for about one third of the total payment. "The share of electricity in next year's home bills will increase by 33-35%. However, as the electricity bill is only one-third in the entire bill, the total cost of the bill will be 0- 15%. A significant number of customers, such as protected users, will not be the changes at all or very small. In turn, the increase in the bill will affect the power of connection and the amount of electricity used by other users , "explained the company's representative.
Janis Bethers, Chair of the Enefit Board, Estonia's electricity producer Eesti Energia told the LETA agency that the prices of the electricity market change every hour. "We do not publish prices once a year, we set them in the market situation. The changes start from January 1, it sounds like an old fashioned fashion," says Bethers.
Lattelecom's electricity brand, tet, Arthur Pielen-Pelen replied, will the company's customers increase electricity prices next year, which now answered today, that each or 92% of the "tet" customers have chosen one of & The tariffs associated with the price of electricity exchange – that the customer pays for the electricity used every month in line with electricity exchange prices. In turn, the fixed service will remain the same price in 2019 as it is currently – 51 euro of the megawat (MWh) without VAT, which is 0.051 euros per kWh.
Baltic Marketing Manager Ievadas Čerņjevs said that the company does not intend to change electricity tariffs next year. The latest tariff changes took place in September this year, when 23.6% increased, and Baltcom's final price to the electricity user increased by around 10% and currently EUR 0,05617 excludes VAT (VAT) per kWh.
"Baltcom" provides for the sale of electricity at a fixed price every 12 calendar months. Each year the company sets the price for the new trading period of electricity, depending on the situation on the electricity market, that is, prices can decrease, and it can also increase. Baltcom's electricity price for the next trading period depends on the closing date of the contract, which is not often in January 1, "Chernyyev stated.
Elektrum customers have received recent notices indicating changes in electricity prices from January 1 the following year. Although customers spend the price the same, or even lower, many electric tariffs increase.
In Latvia, the electricity market was opened in 2007. Its opening was implemented gradually according to the Electricity Market Law. In 2007, the market was opened to traders who used electricity high, from April 1, 2012, electricity consumers were taking part in the market with so much use of electricity, and from 1 November 2012, other traders could buy electricity from & Free market. From January 1, 2015, the market was opened to homes.
A free market means that the electricity price is installed by the electric merchants in a combined competition, and its retail price comes from the wholesale and marking of the merchant's electricity and marking.
The wholesale electricity price of the electricity market, Pwll Nord, is determined and depends on the supply of electricity producers and demand for electricians in a specific hour, as well as on the costs and capacity of generating local power generators, transfer system capacity, carbon dioxide emission quota prices and world energy prices. The Public Utility Commission monitors the open electricity market.