NewsWorldAmericas
Obama calls for inquiry into vice claims against Secret Service
Eleven élite agents allegedly brought prostitutes to their hotel ahead of summit
Monday 16 April 2012 22:40
The US Secret Service was yesterday stepping up its investigation into claims that agents dispatched to Colombia ahead of a weekend summit consorted with prostitutes, after President Barack Obama said he would be "angry" if the allegations turned out to be true.
At least 11 élite agents with the Secret Service who were in Cartagena ahead of the President's arrival at the Summit of the Americas face possible disciplinary action for allegedly bringing local prostitutes to their rooms at the fancy Caribe Hotel, where the US delegation stayed.
Lurid reports of secret agents "gone wild" in the resort town overshadowed the summit of leaders from North and South America and threatened to become a major embarrassment for the Secret Service. According to the Daily News in New York, the agents found the women in a dingy local "love club". The Defence Department said it was also looking into whether five of its personnel may have violated a curfew and participated in wider misconduct.
Mr Obama was forced to address the affair at an end-of-summit press conference. "When we travel, we have to observe the highest standards," he said. "We're not just representing ourselves. We're here on behalf of our people. If it turns out that that some of the allegations made in the press are confirmed, then of course, I'll be angry." He made it clear that he expected a "rigorous" investigation into all the claims.
The scandal may prompt calls from Congress for an overhaul of the leadership structure in the Secret Service, an élite cadre of agents that, according to its critics, has long escaped proper scrutiny. "This really is the biggest scandal in the history of the Secret Service," Ron Kessler, author of In the President's Secret Service, said. "There's a culture in the Secret Service that's fostered by the management of just nodding, winking, favouritism."
Darrell Issa, a Republican and chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said: "They don't just protect the President, of course; they protect the cabinet members, the Vice-President, the first family, candidates. When you look at this, you realise if you can have this kind of breakdown, one that could lead to blackmail... then we've got to ask: where are the systems in place to prevent this in the future?"
The incident occurred a few days before the start of the summit and Mr Obama's arrival. Prostitution is legal in some designated zones in Colombia. Women brought to the Caribe Hotel would have been expected to leave their IDs at the front desk and retrieve them after leaving before 7am.
One of the prostitutes failed to meet the 7am deadline after getting into an argument with an agent about payment. That was reported to the police, who informed the US embassy.
AlbanyEspionage And IntelligenceGeorgia (usa)HotelsProstitutionUSAUS TV
1/0Obama calls for inquiry into vice claims against Secret Service


Dr Kamal Munir of Cambridge Judge Business School has been appointed a Pro-Vice-Chancellor (University Community and Engagement), for a first term of three years with effect from 1 October 2021.
Dr Kamal Munir
Dr Kamal Munir is a Reader in Strategy and Policy at Cambridge Judge Business School, and is Academic Director at the Centre for Strategic Philanthropy based at the Business School, and will remain in those roles during his new appointment. He is a University Race and Inclusion Champion, and is a Fellow of Homerton College.
In his role as Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Dr Munir will provide leadership on matters relating to the University’s community, with an emphasis on staff and public engagement. These areas of responsibility have increased significantly in recent years and are a priority area for the University.
Dr Munir’s new role takes over from Professor Eilis Ferran, who will complete her term in office as Pro‑Vice‑Chancellor for Institutional and International Relations at the end of this academic year. The international portfolio will be combined with the Pro‑Vice‑Chancellor (Research) role, since there are important synergies between the University’s international and research activities.
Dr Munir will lead the development and implementation of strategy and policy relating to all staff (academic and professional services). Building on the foundations put down during Professor Ferran’s tenure, he will have a focus on equality and diversity. The University’s aim is to stand out among its international peers for the excellence of its practice in this area. Dr Munir will also further develop the University’s considerable collections both as an important teaching and research resource, and in public engagement with those outside the University community: locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
There are five Pro-Vice-Chancellors, whose roles provide academic leadership to the University and support the Vice-Chancellor. They work as a team with the Heads of the Schools, the Registrary, the Chief Financial Officer and other senior colleagues, to ensure that the University maintains and enhances its contribution to society and its global academic standing.
Visit Dr Kamal Munir’s faculty webpage
communities diversity engagement inclusion Kamal Munir


www.arcamax.com
Roadshow: 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge makes style count
Daniel Golson, Roadshow on Oct 25, 2021
It might drive just like the XC40, but Volvo's latest crossover has looks that are worth the premium.
The 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge is full of firsts for the Swedish brand. It's Volvo's first car that's only available with a fully electric powertrain, with pretty much every upcoming model to follow suit. It's Volvo's first entry into the crossover-coupe market, and it's the first Volvo to only be available with a leather-free interior, like all future Volvo EVs will be. The C40 is also the company's first car that's only available to purchase online. Despite all of these firsts, the C40 Recharge just feels like, well, a regular Volvo — and a great one at that.
Driving impressions and technical data aren't what matters most with the C40. The coupeover is available with one powertrain configuration that uses a 78-kilowatt-hour battery pack and a pair of electric motors, one at each axle. The setup is identical to the XC40 Recharge, but with 408 horsepower and 487 pound-feet of torque the C40 is slightly more powerful than the XC40. Volvo quotes a 0-to-60-mph time of 4.5 seconds, a couple tenths quicker than the XC40. While the EPA hasn't officially rated the C40 yet Volvo estimates a range of 225 miles, also slightly better than the XC40's estimated 208 miles.
The C40 seems quieter on the highway than the XC40, likely helped by its better aerodynamics. The 20-inch wheels with a cool aero design and all-season tires will be standard in the US, and the C40 has nonadaptive dampers. Its ride is firm but smooth and comfortable, even on the cobblestone roads of Ghent, Belgium. There are no drive modes beyond Off-Road, though you can make the steering weight heavier and adjust the level of regenerative braking — I love the C40's true one-pedal capability. Overall, the C40 drives pretty much exactly the same as its XC40 sibling, and that's a good thing.
Now, the good stuff. Nearly every body panel is unique to the C40: Its front end is similar to that of the XC40, but the blocked-off grille is more sleekly integrated and the standard pixel LED headlights are more angular. The logo in the grille is heated so the camera and sensors within won't get grimy in lousy weather. The lower surfacing has a more horizontal line that's continued on at the rear bumper, but the bumper itself remains the same. Exclusive to the C40 is the new Fjord blue color that was inspired by, you guessed it, the waters of Sweden's fjords, which are a deeper blue color than the dark water of lakes or the greener ocean. The blue was chosen partially because it's currently on trend, but also because it's indicative of the C40's eco-conscious vibe.
All that said, the roofline is obviously the main event. It's one continuous curve from the base of the hood to the tail, and the side windows kick up at the C-pillar to line up with the roof spoiler. The C40 will only be offered with a black roof no matter the paint color, and I think it really works. The dual upper spoilers are stylish and functional, increasing aerodynamics and hiding the hinges, while the lower spoiler at the base of the window is purely functional, improving stability. My favorite design feature is the new taillights, which extend all the way up the hatch with segmented LEDs and have cool body color inserts on the tailgate.
The C40's cabin doesn't stray as far from the XC40, but it gets some unique touches. The car is launching with an all-black color scheme consisting of suede and Microtech upholstery. And while the C40's interior is completely leather-free, Volvo is careful not to call the interior vegan. (There are animal byproducts used in the interior's creation.) Similar to what's in the Polestar 2, the Microtech material feels durable and high-end, kind of like a wetsuit or fancy bag. Coming next year will be this same material combo in another color, two textile choices and even a stunning silver wool option, though I don't know which (if any) will come to the U.S.
Spicing up the black interior are the available Fjord blue carpets and felt door inserts, which are a no-cost option and an absolute must-have. A large, fixed panoramic roof is standard, and though it's UV tinted I still wish there was a sunshade. The front cabin gets cool 3D trim pieces on the dashboard and doors that have a geometric motif, and the plastic is illuminated from behind, a very cool effect when it comes on at night. The pattern is an actual section of topographical map from the Abisko National Park in Sweden.
Standard on the C40 is a 9-inch portrait touchscreen running Volvo's new Google-based infotainment system, which is a big upgrade over the old Sensus software. The C40 does have a few new features that will come to the XC40 via over-the-air update, like a new range optimization button that adjusts the climate control for better efficiency without completely turning it off. Volvo says that more apps are in the works, including more than just the media apps currently available.
Obviously the coupe-like roof cuts into the C40's cargo space compared to the XC40, but honestly not by much. The XC40's rear hatch is already pretty raked and the C40 still gets a three-way split bench seat that folds completely flat, though rear headroom is definitely tighter for those over 6 feet tall. There are a couple of storage cubbies underneath the cargo area floor, too. Rear visibility is quite a bit worse in the C40, mostly because of the much smaller rear window, and I wish the C40 had a rear wiper. But the styling to me is worth the practicality trade-off, especially when you get to the price.
The C40 starts at $59,845 including a $1,095 destination charge, and it only comes in one trim level and no options beyond metallic paint, which costs $695 (the only no-cost color is black). Otherwise the C40 comes fully loaded, including features that are optional on the XC40. The XC40 Recharge starts at $56,395, but add those options and it's only a few hundred bucks cheaper than the C40.
Included in the C40's near-$60K price tag is dual-zone automatic climate control, heated front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel, a 12-inch digital gauge cluster, power front seats, power-folding rear headrests, an excellent Harman Kardon sound system, a wireless charging pad, a power liftgate and a heat pump for better cold weather efficiency. Also standard is Volvo's Pilot Assist adaptive cruise control system with stop-and-go, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist, road sign recognition, a 360-degree camera system and front and rear parking sensors.
The C40 Recharge is available to reserve now with a refundable $500 deposit. No C40s will be stocked at dealerships as the car is only available to purchase online, a move that Volvo will use for future EVs as well. Volvo says this is achievable thanks to the C40's small options list, and while I don't have much info on the delivery process yet, it's said to be "quick."
The C40's styling and purchase process won't be for everyone, but for design-conscious and tech-forward folk that want a solid EV, this new Volvo is a great option — and it foreshadows a lot of what's to come from the brand's more mainstream offerings.
Editors' note: Travel costs related to this story were covered by the manufacturer, which is common in the auto industry. The judgments and opinions of Roadshow's staff are our own and we do not accept paid editorial content.
©2021 Roadshow. Visit at cnet.com/roadshow. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.


Bob Saget, ‘Full House’ Star and Comedian, Dies at 65
Bob Saget, a stand-up comedian and actor beloved for his role as Danny Tanner on the 1990s sitcom “Full House,” died Sunday at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Orlando, Fla., police confirmed to Variety. He was 65.
Shortly after 4 p.m., police officers responded to a man-down call at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes hotel and discovered Saget unresponsive in a hotel room, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office told Variety. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The sheriff’s office did not have any information on a cause of death, and detectives did not find any signs of foul play or drug use in the case. The Medical Examiner’s Office will determine a cause and manner of death at a later date.
Read more: “Full House” stars John Stamos, Candace Cameron Bure and more pay tribute to Bob Saget.
Saget had recently kicked off a nationwide stand-up tour in September, 2021 that was set to run through June, 2022. According to his most recent post on Twitter, Saget had performed Saturday evening at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall in Jacksonville, Fla.
“We are devastated to confirm that our beloved Bob passed away today,” his family said in a statement. “He was everything to us and we want you to know how much he loved his fans, performing live and bringing people from all walks of life together with laughter. Though we ask for privacy at this time, we invite you to join us in remembering the love and laughter that Bob brought to the world.”
In 1987, Saget was cast as patriarch Danny Tanner on ABC’s “Full House,” where he played the father of D.J. (Candace Cameron), Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) and Michelle Tanner (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen). In the show, he raises his daughters as a single dad after the death of his wife, and he was joined by his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos) and his best friend Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier) to run their adorably dysfunctional sitcom family. The show ran for eight seasons and 192 episodes from 1987 to 1994, reaching more than 17 million viewers during its peak in Season 5. From Season 3 onwards, “Full House” was in the Nielsen Top 30 TV shows.
Related: Watch Bob Saget’s Funniest Moments, From ‘Full House’ to Dirty Jokes
Netflix launched a sequel series, titled “Fuller House,” which ran for five season and 75 episodes from 2016 to 2020. Saget reprised his role on the show in 10 episodes of the follow-up, including the series premiere and finale. The show followed D.J. as she raised her own children, and most of the original cast members, excluding the Olsens, appeared on the show.
From 1989 to 1997, Saget hosted “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” showcasing hilarious homemade videos of pranks, pratfalls and cute pets. Saget was the inaugural host of the show as it started out as an hourlong special, and he kept the emcee duties for eight seasons. After he departed, the show was co-hosted by John Fugelsang and Daisy Fuentes for two seasons. Tom Bergeron took over in 2001 for a 13-year run, followed by Alfonso Ribeiro starting in 2015.
Besides “Full House” and “AFHV,” Saget was also known for narrating CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother,” where he voiced the future Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) telling his children the story of how he met his wife. The show ran for nine seasons from 2005 to 2014, and Hulu is set to release a follow-up, titled “How I Met Your Father” starring Hilary Duff, on January 18.
He directed the 1998 film “Dirty Work,” starring Norm Macdonald and Artie Lang, which was largely panned by critics and a flop at the box office but has since reached cult status among fans. In the comedy documentary “The Aristocrats,” his telling of one of comedy’s notorious jokes was noted for its raunchiness.
He also helmed the parody film “Farce of the Penguins,” played a fictionalized version of himself in HBO’s “Entourage,” hosted the game shows “1 vs. 100” and “Nashville Squares” and appeared on the mystery singing competition “The Masked Singer” in 2020.
Known for his dark, sarcastic humor, Saget’s 2014 “That’s What I’m Talkin’ About,” was nominated for best comedy album at the Grammys. He dedicated his 2007 HBO comedy special, “That Ain’t Right,” to his father, Ben Saget, who had died months earlier due to complications from congestive heart failure.
Saget was also a board member of the Scleroderma Research Foundation and raised money to help fight the autoimmune disease. His sister, Gay Saget, was diagnosed with scleroderma and died in 1993.
He is survived by his wife Kelly Rizzo and children Aubrey Saget, Jennifer Belle Saget and Lara Melanie Saget.


About Hayti Reborn
Booker T Washington referenced Durham, North Carolina as a “City of Negro Enterprise.” When he visited in 1910, he cited the ambition and tenacity of its residents to build and grow a bustling community. When W. E. B. Du Bois came to Durham in 1912, he expressed similar sentiments, he said this area of North Carolina had an “unparalleled level of black entrepreneurship”. Unfortunately, as with many urban areas in the United States this community was not left unscathed by Urban renewal initiatives in the 1960s which had a destructive effect on Durham’s black business community, especially in the Hayti and Parrish Street communities.
Hayti Reborn is a revitalization project inclusive of the redevelopment of the community surrounding Fayetteville Street Corridor without displacing the community and while ensuring their needs are at the core of all development plans.
“If capitalism can be fashioned around the idea of suppressing black lives, can it be refashioned around the idea of black parity? Can we create a new American way of life, and subsequently transform the world?” -Henry McKoy, Ph.D
Interested in Learning More? Click Here.


How Martin Luther King Inspired Nichelle Nichols to Stay on Star Trek
Aaron Savage Published: January 18, 2021
When Star Trek debuted on television in 1966, it brought with it a new vision of the future and humanity's place in the universe.
Unlike most sci-fi properties at the time, it wasn't just a show about zapping aliens and conquering the stars. It was about peaceful exploration for the sake of discovery and innovation, and about finding humane solutions to very real moral and ethical conundrums.
Sure those conundrums played out on cheesy cardboard sets that were supposed to be flashy spaceships or exotic planets, but the show was firmly rooted in the moral and political questions and crises of the time.
Here on Earth, and in America in particular, people of color were uniting to battle systemic and cultural injustices and to demand the respect and basic dignity that should be afforded to every human being. It was a time when many people probably felt American society was tearing itself apart (sound familiar?), and Star Trek didn't shy away from issues of race and discrimination.
But it wasn't just the drama of episodes like "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" that shined a spotlight on the absurdity of racism and how it can cost people their freedom and their lives. The mere presence of one Enterprise crew member in particular served as a way of normalizing the idea of not only women having an important role to play in humanity's future, but people of color as well.
Nichelle Nichols, who'd already made waves with her acting, modeling, and singing, was cast as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, who served as a member of the Enterprise bridge crew. This was 1966, at a time when leaders of the Civil Rights movement were still being killed or were in constant danger simply for asking that they be afforded basic rights, and here was a Black woman not only serving on what was essentially a submarine crew in space, but acting as a respected senior officer. She was the ship's chief communications officer, as a matter of fact.
Ratings for the first season of Star Trek were respectable, but never great, and by the time Nichelle Nichols met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at an NAACP fundraiser, she was thinking of leaving the show to pursue opportunities on Broadway.
Dr. King asked to meet Nichols at the event because, as it turned out, he was a big fan of the show. According to Nichols, he said it was the only television program he allowed his children to stay up late and watch.
When Nichols told Dr. King she planned to leave the show, he convinced her that what she was doing was of vital importance, and that she couldn't leave the Enterprise.
"He said, 'You cannot'", Nichols recounts in the interview below. "He said, 'Don't you understand what this man (Star Trek creator Gene Rodenberry) has achieved? For the first time on television, we will be seen as we should be seen every day - as intelligent, quality, beautiful people who can sing, dance, yes, but who can go into space, who can be lawyers, who can be teachers, who can be professors, who are in this day, and yet you don't see it on television until now.'"
Dr. King said that Rodenberry and Nichols had opened a door for the world to see Black people, and that the door could be closed if she were to leave.
"Your role is not a Black role, and it's not a female role," King said. "He can fill it with anything, including an alien."
Nichols had recently handed Gene Rodenberry her resignation. He'd told her to take the weekend to think about it, and when she returned Monday after her encounter with Dr. King, she took it back. Rodenberry, she says, was relieved to hear the story, because he felt that at last a prominent figure had realized what he was trying to achieve with Star Trek.
Throughout history, humans have used the stories they share with one another as a way of not only depicting the world as it is, but how we think it ought to be. In our time, Star Trek has been doing that for decades.
Nichols' role in the show not only inspired other performers like LeVar Burton and Whoopie Goldberg (who both played beloved characters in Star Trek: The Next Generation), but real life space explorers as well. Nichols formed a group called Women in Motion, which worked with NASA to recruit women and people of color into the space program. Among those recruited under her watch were Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut, and Guion Bluford, the first African-American astronaut.
These days, Star Trek: Discovery features the most diverse crew in the franchise's history, with a woman of color serving as the central character. While that's definitely cause for celebration, it's always worth looking back at the woman who paved the way for that spirit of inclusion and representation and the great leader who encouraged her to stick with Trek at a time when that spirit mattered the most.
LOOK: TV Locations in Every State
Filed Under: Martin Luther King Jr, nichelle nichols, star trek


Buying Homeland Insecurity
Fri 7:08 am +00:00, 6 Oct 2017
October 3, 2017 – 12:24pm — lindorff
America’s $50-plus billion annual boondoggle:
Thank god for the US Department of Homeland Security!
Thanks to its $40-billion annual budget, and Homeland Security laws like the PATRIOT Act that Congress passed quickly after the horrific attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, we have not had a major terrorist attack in the US in the ensuing 16 years.
Oh, wait a minute. My bad.
We have had some major mass murders over the ensuing years, haven’t we, including some being officially labeled “acts of terrorism.”
There was the sniper shootings of 10 people in suburban Washington, DC back in 2002. There was the execution of 5 Amish schoolchildren in their one-room schoolhouse by a gunman in 2006. There followed the 32 students and faculty killed at the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, the lone gunman who opened fire at an open-air meet-and-greet session hosted by Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords which killed six people and gravely wounded Rep. Giffords in 2011, the 12 killed in the Aurora, Colorado theater shooting in 2012, the Vietnamese immigrant who shot and killed 13 people in Binghamton, NY in 2009, the 20 grade-school kids and a teacher murdered in the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting, also in 2012, and the Navy contractor and former sailor who killed 13 in a Washington, DC industrial complex, the murder of 9 people in their church in Charleston, SC in 2015, and now this latest killing of over 58 people in Las Vegas. I’m just naming the big ones here, or particularly outrageous one like those that focused on killing little kids.
Thank god not one of these horrible incidents was considered an act of terrorism!
America’s biggest mass killers in the past quarter century: one, a terrorist, killed 49; the other, not a terrorist, killed 59. $50 billion a year spent on ‘homeland security’ didn’t stop either one. Both used legally purchased assault rifles
Of course there were some at least nominally terrorist mass killings too — the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, which killed three or four depending on whether you count the killing of a police office during the later manhunt part of the deal, the 2014 attack at Fort Hood by a deranged Army psychologist who slayed 13 people, the 2015 San Bernardino rec center attack which killed 14, and the 2016 murder of 49 at a disco in Orlando. But in most of these cases the link to organized terror was tenuous at best, and in the Orlando case in particular, which was touted at the time as the worst mass killing in modern US history (at least until this latest Las Vegas incident), the killer appears to have had no connection to ISIS and was probably just claiming a link in order to ensure that he would be killed by police, and not captured (he succeeded in that plan). We know these were acts of terrorism not just because the government calls them that, but because, well, they were committed by Muslims, which for the US government terrorism “experts” means it must be terrorism.
The few actual or supposed “terrorist’ attacks aside, what all these mass murders in the US not committed by Muslim terrorists have in common, along with many more that I did not list either because the number killed was less than 10, or because the cause was so mundane — worker laid off and went postal, family dispute, road rage or whatever — is that they were the work of lone usually deranged (and usually white) men using guns — and often guns designed for killing people.
The New York Times reports that since 2000, mass shootings and the deaths caused by mass shootings in the US have been on the rise, with the rise being especially sharp in the last six years ended in 2014 when the article was published (and when Homeland Security was supposedly fully staffed up and running like a finely oiled machine). And that rise has continued since over the next three years, especially with the help of this week’s epic Las Vegas slaughter.
So what has all that money spent on “homeland security” gotten us? What has the surrender of our right to private phone and internet conversation, our right to be left alone in our homes, our right not to be monitored in our travels, and our right not to have massive dossiers gathered on our lives, what has the militarization of our local police forces, and the training of cops to behave as occupiers and centurions instead of peace officers gotten us?
Are we more safe now?
Actual terrorist attacks have occurred, or at least the government is calling them that, while most of the alleged planned terror attacks the FBI says it “foiled” have turned out to be the creations of FBI “informants” — that is, people paid and planted among unfortunate low0-wattage or psychologically vulnerable people the Bureau hoped to induce into attempting some act of terror that the FBI could then swoop in and bust up, then claiming to have saved the day. That means that for all its awesome invasive technology and its multi-billion-dollar assets and interlinked law enforcement personnel, and the simultaneous erosion of our supposedly Constitutionally protected freedoms, America’s Homeland Security Industrial Complex has been remarkably unable to prevent terrorism and mass deaths.
And meanwhile, mass shootings — terrible even if they don’t get called terrorism because they are committed, for the most part, by American white men like Stephen Paddock— are becoming increasingly common and also increasingly deadly.
To me, it appears obvious that the War on Terror has been a spectacular bust — and not just the $40 billion a year spent on Homeland Security, but the $10 billion a year (at least) that we are told is spent on the National Security Agency, as well as a fair amount of what is spent on both the FBI the CIA, the National Security Council’s Office of Counterterrorism, and of course all the anti-terror budgets of state and local police.
What is really making this country unsafe, let’s just face it, is the ready availability of really deadly firearms — let’s call them Guns of Mass Destruction (GMDs).
The only reason so many people died in Las Vegas is that wack-job Las Vegas mass killer Stephen Paddock was reportedly able to obtain and bring, unimpeded, into his hotel room, some 23 high-powered rapid-fire weapons, including at least one fully-automatic rifle capable of firing dozens of rounds per second, as well as tripod mounts to make them more accurate to shoot. (That’s in addition to some 19 more such weapons police found in his home and car, including, reportedly, explosives.)
What’s nuts is that in some parts of this country, Nevada being one of them, guns, including military weapons, are so ubiquitous and so unregulated that the sight of someone checking into a hotel with enough deadly military weapons suitable for mass murder to fill several large golf bags wouldn’t raise an eyebrow. Heck, he probably asked at check-in for a bellhop to carry them for him. No doubt the hotel staff just figured the old duffer was headed for a gun show or was a salesman with product to show to gun dealers.
Hey, if the guy doesn’t look or dress like a Muslim, what’s to worry, right? Nice older white dude with a friendly southern accent? He should be okay.
Maybe now that we have a case of a friendly-seeming older white guy mowing down good decent white folks attending a good-ol’ American country and western music concert, the pro-National Rifle Assn. crowd will start to re-evaluate their absolutist position on GMDs.
My suggestion would be not banning guns, an extremist idea which will never fly in this country and which isn’t even done in Europe, but at least registering every single weapon from its point of import, sale or manufacture until it ends up in private hands. I would make it illegal to transfer a gun to someone else without that transfer being registered with the government. I’d eliminate the gunshow loophole to registration too. I have little hope that such measures could be passed, though. There is too much political opportunism among Republicans in Congress who want that NRA money and the votes of the gun-toting yahoos of Middle America who think registration is akin to giving up their right vote (though they do want everyone to have to register to do that, suggesting that they see ballots as far more dangerous than bullets!).
But if we could at least limit our American-grown terrorists to single-round-per-trigger-pull weapons, and outlaw high-capacity clips that allow them to kill more than, say, five people without reloading, we’d all be a hell of a lot safer in America. At least more of us would be able to run out of a crowded area safely when an attack happens, and there’d be more opportunity for heroic types to tackle a guy who has to stop and reload all the time.
Also, keeping America safe wouldn’t cost us in excess of $50 billion a year for an army of spooks and federal investigators, or require the surrendering of our hard-won freedoms either, so more money could be made available for treating mental health problems. And I’m not even counting here the probably hundreds of billions a year in military spending that the public somehow accepts as being necessary to combat “terrorism.”
We should give it a try. It’s obvious that the Homeland Security/War on Terror approach has been a bust. It sure hasn’t provided security in the “homeland,” and, as the spread of ISIS and al Qaeda/al Nusra or whatever they’re calling themselves demonstrates, the “War” on terror has clearly been lost. (There’s another example of wasted treasure. With just a fraction of the trillion-plus dollars spent on the 16-year US war in Afghanistan to date, the US could have paid that country’s impoverished 10 million families, who eke by on an average of $400 a year, an income of $2500 a year back in 2001 for the next decade— enough to turn the country overnight into an economic powerhouse and its people from virtual serfs to a bustling middle class and into America’s BFFs.)
We’ll never be able to prevent the domestic American nut jobs who snap and decide they need to kill a lot of people or do enough damage to be killed by the police. But at least we could reduce the carnage they can do here at home if we made it a little harder and slower for them to cause their desired mayhem.
Source: http://thiscantbehappening.net/node/3664?page=4


Whoa, this sweater has a 1,000+ person waitlist. Here's why.
Sammy Nickalls Updated Oct 10, 2015 @ 3:01 pm
Somewhere, in this big, giant world, exists a sweater. . . the sweater. The sweater that is worshipped by women everywhere for its beauty and intrigue. The sweater that has more than 1,000 people on its wait list. No, it’s not made of gold, nor does it change color to match your outfit perfectly, nor does it have a mind of its own. It’s just a perfectly ordinary, crew-neck sweater that’s just really, really darn cute.
The “.01 The Sweater” by Zady was introduced last fall as part of their The Essentials collection, and the Internet lost its mind. It sold out within 48 hours of the first two installments, according to Elle, and over 1,000 fans signed up on the waitlist. Costing $160, the sweater is all kinds of versatile — it is perfect for layering, but still can keep you warm if you decide to wear it all on its own. It’s not too tight, nor too loose, and can be thus worn in the office, out on the town, or as a cozy Netflix sweater.
TBH, we get it — it DOES seem like the perfect layering sweater that’s simple, classy, and cute. Sweaters are in abundance in fall, but the *perfect* sweater is quite the holy grail indeed.
As you’d probably expect, it’s been sold out for some time. . . but guys, the .01 The Sweater is coming back. And soon! Tomorrow, October 11th, as a matter of fact, so you might want to set an alarm, because you can expect over a thousand people to jump on that sweater like it’s the end of the world. In fact, we can’t help but wonder if Zady has some extra tech people on their team for Sunday to make sure the site doesn’t crash from all the traffic.
Either way, if you’ve been one of the thousand on the wait list or you just fell head-over-heels while reading this article, make sure to hit the site tomorrow and get it while you still can!
(Image via Zady, Twitter)


What will happen to the marine animals in Mexico City after ban?
Although Mexico City has no outlet to the sea, it has long been home to marine mammals such as dolphins and sea lions. Until this month, parks like Six Flags offered shows and dolphin swim, but this will now be banned in the capital by two law reforms passed in the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District.
The amendment to the laws prohibits marine mammals from being used in shows or therapies with dolphins because of the proposal of Xavier López Adame, deputy of the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico, who said Six Flags should transfer four dolphins and five sea lions to other facilities in Quintana Roo and Baja California. “Dolphins are not owned by the company because they are wild animals, they are not like cows, permits are required to have such a species. It is the responsibility of the company to take care of it “, he said.
Mexico City bans dolphin shows
According to the deputy, the dolphins of Six Flags belongs to the company Dolphin Discovery, which will have to transfer these nine animals to other dolphinariums. This is the only company that has the marine animals in Mexico City, so it will seek a legal exit, according to a company representative. “Our habitat in Mexico City has all the permits and authorizations that are required, so for the moment we have no position on what the assembly approved, our lawyers are evaluating the situation,” Dolphin Discovery reps stated via email.
Dolphin Discovery has 21 dolphinariums in various states of Mexico, including Quintana Roo and Baja California, where lawmakers considered optimal transfer of animals. “They have much better facilities for the simple reason that here […] in Quintana Roo and Baja California are in sea water pens,” Lopez says. The decision of the transfer, however, will be of the company under the supervision of the Federal Office of Environmental Protection in a period of three to six months.
Last November, Profepa toured the Atlantis Water Park, closed to the public for a decade, but still with marine mammals under its care. Although they found that the facilities were suitable for three sea lions that lived there, they were transferred to Dolphin Discovery in Puerto Vallarta in February of this year. According to the communication of the unit , the water park handed them over to the authorities voluntarily.


If the content here has enriched your life in some way, consider making a donation to help sustain the time and cost of publishing Made in Isolation. Thank you!
MADE IN ISOLATION
Beth Secor
"Art is a comfort ..."
Right now I mostly work in gouache on paper although in the past I have painted in oil and acrylic, and also made embroideries. I am working on a giant painting of a rabbit. It's one of a series of animals I either had as a kid, or was around during my childhood.
Has your art making shifted in response to the pandemic? How?
My work hasn't really shifted much during the Coronavirus outbreak, however I have more time to paint, and it serves to calm me, as like everyone else, I feel pretty anxious.
What is the role that art can play in helping us confront our new reality?
I think it's nice for other people, as well as ourselves to see and to have something positive happening in our lives. I know a lot of people who don't normally make art or have time to make art, who are turning to it now. Art is a comfort, and it's healing, and a positive distraction.
Beth Secor is an artist and a visual arts professor living in Houston. She has been making art since she first drew on her bedroom wall when she was two years old. See more of her work here.
© 2022 by Made in Isolation


Defense Cuts Turn this Small Community into a "Welfare Town"
Categories: Videos, DoD, Budget
Many Americans may think of Washington, D.C. as the place where the majority of government employees work. In reality, more than 85% of federal workers live and work outside of the nation's capital. Those employees help power communities all across the country—like Fort Huachuca in Arizona.
Fort Huachuca and its neighboring city, Sierra Vista, have long worked together to build a thriving community. In fact, Sierra Vista's motto is "a community, a commitment - we support the fort." The city prides itself on being home to active duty service members and the families that support them. Veterans who call Sierra Vista home take advantage of the good weather, numerous places to hike and a lively arts scene.
A Community Partnership At Risk
The town's visitor guide says that "the Fort and the community have accomplished a great deal and look forward to achieving even more in the future to guarantee the exceptional quality of community life that all who live here enjoy." The small-town charm is undeniable, but those happy days of a prosperous partnership may soon come to an end.
The Pentagon is planning to cut its workforce to meet the demands of a Congress focused on the draconian budget cuts known as sequestration.
"If sequestration continues and we start to plan for the 2020 budget cuts, there won’t be anything left here," said Katie Rasdall, AFGE Local 1662 President. "It's devastating to me, it's such a beautiful place and it was such a tight-knit community and it's just getting smaller and smaller."
While some cuts due to the drawdown of forces in Iraq and Afghanistan are understandable, the planned across-the-board cuts would undermine the Army’s ability to face future mission requirements. So far, Fort Huachuca has already lost 1,100 positions in the last year and a half.
AFGE supports the bipartisan budget deal announced Oct. 26 that would suspend sequestration for the next two years and provide much-needed increases in military and domestic spending.
Local Family-Owned Businesses Face Up-Hill Battle
Though the worst has yet to come, recent cutbacks have already set off a domino effect on all of the businesses and service providers who depend on the base and to make their own living.
"It's like every time I drive down there is another business going under there was a closed sign or a for sale sign out in front of it" said Connie Smith, a 20-year-resident of the area. "Everyone has a dream and for some people that's owning a restaurant, running a print stop - whatever it might be, that's what they want to do and a lot of them are military retirees. Well, if the town dies where are they going to go?"
Unless we do something to stop these cuts, communities all across America need to prepare for the worst. '
"We are not alone," said Rasdall. "There are 27 other installations that could be facing what we're facing here."
What can you do to stop sequestration once and for all?
Call your lawmakers to tell them to end sequestration (Never use government resources or call your lawmakers on duty time).
Ask your co-workers to join AFGE to grow our movement and fight these cuts.
The cuts, scheduled for 2016 and 2017, will mean the loss of 17,000 civilian jobs and 40,000 active duty troops — enough people to fill Madison Square Garden three times over. But it is just the beginning.
According to the Army’s 2020 plan, sequestration would result in cutting another 30,000 soldiers and an even higher percentage of civilian employees, creating a recession that no local economy could survive.
It's unclear where the actual cuts will take place for civilian employees, because those figures have yet to be published. We do however have details where military personnel will be hit the hardest, and it doesn't take much imagination to anticipate the major civilian cuts that will likely follow.
Location Number of Personnel to be Cut Percentage of Total Personnel
Fort Benning -3,402 -29%
Fort Hood -3,350 -9%
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson -2,631 -59%
Joint Base Base Lewis-McChord -1,251 -5%
Fort Bliss -1,219 -5%
Contractors, Although More Expensive, Escape Major Cuts
It's almost a bad joke: the Pentagon claims to need to cut costs and close major installations, yet, of its three workforces— military, civilian and contractor personnel —the most expensive, contractors, has remained relatively unscathed.
“If cutting expenses is the number one priority, then the first place DoD should target is the vast bureaucracy of contractor personnel who cost more than federal workers and are less accountable to taxpayers.”
- AFGE National President J. David Cox
Rasdall and other members of AFGE Local 1662 continue to speak out and expose what the arbitrary cuts have done to their community. She hopes that the voices of Americans in other military communities can change the course of action when it comes to military installations like hers.
"This is a real eye opener for people to fight back and open their mouth to try and change what's going on," she said.


India: India’s biggest companies are moving away from big data and into real-time analytics
India’s largest companies are making big strides towards real-timing their data analytics, with the country’s top 20 companies using technology to track sales, increase sales efficiency and drive more revenue, as per the latest survey of the industry.
The survey by market research firm IDC and the countrys top tech companies, including Flipkart, Snapdeal, GoPay, Uber and Ola, is the second of the year and includes the data of nearly 100,000 online consumers across 24 sectors, including commerce, IT, media, retail, healthcare and more.
The results, obtained by Business Line, show that online commerce is the biggest sector for which India’s top companies are now making use of the new tools.
Flipkard is the top company in the online retail sector, which has seen its revenues rise from Rs 3,000 crore in 2016 to Rs 4,000 crores in 2017.
While the total revenues of Snapdeal rose from Rs 5,000crores in 2016, it grew from Rs 2,500crores to Rs 3.8 lakhcrores during the past year.
Snapdeal also saw a 30 per cent increase in revenue during 2017.
The top 20 Indian online companies using the data include Flipkarn, Snap, Ola and Omidyar Network.
The data also shows that online shopping has become the number one source of revenue for most of the companies in the top 20, with Flipkashart and Snapdeal taking the two biggest leads with Rs 1,000 and Rs 1 lakh, respectively.
The top 20 online shopping companies in India have a total revenue of Rs 4.1 lakhcrore, and revenues are growing by 30 per per cent and 30 per percent respectively in the past six months.
Flipkyard was the number two online retail player in India, with revenues growing from Rs 1.6 lakh crore to Rs 2.8 crore in the last six months, and Olowyar had a 33 per cent jump in revenues during the same period.
GoPay, meanwhile, is growing at the fastest rate in India with revenues rising by 40 per cent in the year to date, and the company is the number four player in the country with revenues increasing by over 40 per% in the same time period.
The company is also the biggest player in IT, with revenue growing by 33 per, and is now the number five player in health care, with a 36 per cent growth.
Uber, meanwhile saw its revenues increase by 27 per cent during the last year, while Ola’s revenues grew by 40 percent.
The Top 20 online retailers in India include Snapdeal (Rs 3,800 crore), Flipkall (Rs 1,900 crore), Snapdeal Paytm (Rs 800 crore), Ola (Rs 750 crore) and Omo (Rs 500 crore).
The top 10 online retailers globally are Amazon (Rs 9,300 crore), eBay (Rs 8,200 crore), Facebook (Rs 6,500 crore), Twitter (Rs 5,300 per share) and Pinterest (Rs 4,600 per share).
How do you keep up with all the latest news from the American news portal?
Why do some people still need to use a prescription for painkillers?


Which music stores have a new HFT coupon database?
HFT is a term used to describe a financial transaction that allows an individual or company to buy or sell a specific commodity at a higher or lower price than would otherwise be possible.
These transactions can be conducted online or at physical retail stores.
A few months ago, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it had launched a database to help consumers spot HFT scams and to help prevent consumers from losing valuable data in the process.
But now, it appears the FTC may be making some changes to the system in a bid to protect consumers.
In a recent report, the FTC noted that the HFT system may have created “significant” vulnerabilities in the data it holds about consumers.
For example, the system allows companies to track the number of times an individual has visited certain sites and the type of search term they used.
In the report, FTC Deputy Director Julie R. Naughton noted that HFT was not designed to provide any “financial incentive” for businesses to use the system.
Instead, the “incentive is to help them maximize profits by making money from the HFA transaction.”
For example, if you purchase a CD for $30 on Amazon.com, Amazon may pay you a commission for the sale of the CD.
However, if the CD is returned to Amazon.co.uk for a refund, the retailer will receive the CD back.
If the refund is made after the CD has been returned to the seller, Amazon.ca will pay a fee, which is usually between 0.1 and 0.3 percent.
If the return is made by a third party, the company will pay the buyer a commission of between 0 and 1.5 percent.
In some cases, the third party may also pay an administrative fee for processing the refund, although it is not clear how much.
According to Naughson, the commission system allows HFT to make a profit.
She said, “The problem is that this system does not reward those who are most productive, so the incentive for those who can generate the most money goes to the companies that have the best algorithms.”
The FTC also noted that this incentive system does create “significant risks for consumers.”
According to the FTC, HFTs could “inhibit the discovery of fraud or other misconduct by preventing them from learning about the use of this fraud protection scheme and potentially allowing them to circumvent the rules to commit fraud.”
In the case of a “corporate data breach,” a company could potentially be liable for up to $1 million in fines and a civil penalty of up to one percent of a company’s profits.
The FTC report did not address whether or not other states have begun to take steps to protect against HFT.
However the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced last year that it is launching a data breach response program.


An Essential for Every Pastor: Being a Man of the Word (Titus 1:9)
David Huffstutler | September 21st, 2020 | 0 Comments
Titus 1:6–9 is a key passage for determining who may or may not be a pastor in a church. Titus 1:6 describes how a pastor leads his family, and Titus 1:7–8 describes his character. Titus 1:7 lists five character traits that a pastor should not have, and Titus 1:8 lists six that he should. In the Greek, Titus 1:9 continues the sentence from Titus 1:7–8 and assumes the imperative verb “must” (dei) to give us a seventh positive requirement for the pastor: “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”
We could generally sum of Titus 1:9 with this—a pastor must be a man of the word. More specifically, we could explain this verse with four statements.
A pastor has been taught the trustworthy word.
New Testament Greek sometimes uses whole prepositional phrases to describe a noun. Literally put, a pastor must be “holding fast to the according-to-the-teaching trustworthy word.” So, when Titus 1:9 requires that a pastor hold fast to the word, it’s a word that is described in two ways. It is according to the teaching, and it is trustworthy. And if it is according to the teaching, the pastor himself has been taught this word so as to be able to hold fast to it and teach it himself. Churches and their pastors should teach men who are able to teach. Bible colleges, seminaries, and institutes can aid this teaching, but however it is done, a pastor is someone who has been taught the trustworthy word.
The phrase “the trustworthy word” uses the same Greek words (pistos, logos) that Paul uses in the Pastoral Epistles when he says “This saying is trustworthy” (1 Timothy 1:15; 3:1; 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:11; Titus 3:8). These “sayings” always refer to a summary statement about the gospel or to a statement about the one who proclaims it. These passages show us that the “trustworthy word” is the gospel that leads sinners to salvation in Christ and to subsequent life of godliness.
Similarly, Paul commends Timothy as a “good servant of Christ Jesus” for teaching the brothers in that which he had been trained, “the words of the faith,” a phrase which uses these words again (1 Timothy 4:6). Timothy was an example of someone who preached the trustworthy word because he was trained to do so. Like Timothy, pastors must know this trustworthy word inside and out and all of its related doctrines as best they can. A pastor is someone who has been taught the trustworthy word.
A pastor holds firm to the trustworthy word.
“Hold firm” is technically a participle, an “-ing” kind of word in the English. Mentioned earlier, the main verb of Titus 1:7–9 is “must,” so the pastor “must” be “holding firm.” This same verb (antechō) is used to describe one being “devoted” to a master (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13) and how we should “help” the weak (1 Thessalonians 5:14). It literally means to “hold against” one’s self whatever the object may be. As Titus 1:9 demands, a pastor must firmly hold the trustworthy word to himself. By doing so, he will save himself and his hearers (cf. 1 Timothy 4:15–16).
A pastor instructs in sound doctrine.
To fully understand this point and the next, we should note that a pastor will not be “able” (dunatos) to instruct in sound doctrine or rebuke those who contradict unless he first holds firm the trustworthy word. The two small words “so that” indicate that one action leads to two others—the pastor holds firm the trustworthy word “so that he may be able” to “give instruction” and “rebuke.” A pastor cannot instruct something that eludes his grasp, let alone know how to rebuke someone who is contradicting.
The translation “give instruction” is an interesting choice for the ESV since it is the only one of 109 instances of parakaleō to be translated this way. To be fair, parakaleō has a range of translations, shaped by context, varying quite a bit—comfort, urge, beg, invite, ask, appeal, exhort, entreat, plead, and encourage. So, when the action of parakaleō involves “sound doctrine,” it would mean at the least to “give instruction,” but these other choices are not far behind. “Sound doctrine” comes from the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 6:3), “follows… the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13), and thus “accords with godliness” (1 Timothy 6:3). It opposes sin (1 Timothy 1:10; cf. 1:9–10), rebukes sinners (Titus 1:13), and cannot be endured by those who are ruled by their passions (2 Timothy 4:3). Thus, sound doctrine must be instructed and exhorted, and those who hear it should be urged, invited, and asked to submit thereto.
A pastor rebukes those who contradict sound doctrine.
A pastor who is taught, holds firm, and instructs the word of God will be opposed by unbelievers. In Titus’s context, some of these unbelievers professed to know God, upset families in the churches, used the church for personal gain, and needed to be silenced through rebuke (Titus 1:10–16; cf. 1:9, 13). Titus was to do so “with all authority” (Titus 2:15) and avoid those who persisted in strife (Titus 3:10–11; cf. Romans 16:17–18; 2 John 10–11). Titus was to name the sinner and the sin, just as John the Baptist did with Herod for his unlawful marriage “and for all the evil things that Herod had done” (Luke 3:19).
Titus 1:9 is just one verse, but it teaches much about how a pastor is to be a man of the word. A pastor must have been taught the word, hold firm thereto, and instruct others in sound doctrine. When opposed, the pastor must rebuke those who contradict. May God help all of us as pastors and Christian leaders to live according to Titus 1:9.
About David Huffstutler
David pastors First Baptist Church in Rockford, IL, serves as a chaplain for his local police department, and teaches as adjunct faculty at Bob Jones University. David holds a Ph. D. in Applied Theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. His concentration in Christian Leadership focuses his contributions to pastoral and practical theology.