New York City is becoming land of the flee because people want some space and a little bit morefreedom, actor Dean Cain told Fox & Friends on Monday.

Cain made the comment afterthe New York Post reported on Sunday that moving companies can barely keep up with the New York City residents who are fleeing the city so fast because of the pandemic and deteriorating quality of life in the Big Apple.

Perry Chance of Show Up movers reportedly told The Post on Sunday that even though the company has four of its own trucks, they had to start using U-Haul trucks as well to meet the demand.

The volume has increased by at least 70 percent in the past few months, he reportedly added, noting that 25 percent of the companys customers are heading from New York City to states such as Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

Cain said he thinks Democratic leadership is to blame for the mass exodus.

CUOMO, UNDER FIRE FOR CORONVAIRUS RESPONSE, DECLARES NEW YORK 'CRUSHED' THE VIRUS

I'm not shockedat all to see this exodus fromNew York City, Cain said on Monday.

He noted that he lives in Malibu, Calif., and he is used tohaving outdoor space and having some area tomove about.

I always felt a little bitstrange in New York City, kind oflikeI don't mean to say it in anegative waybut like living inlittle rat boxes and everybodyon top of each other, Cain continued.

That and the combination of theCOVID-19 situation and thedraconian measures of literally theworst mayor in the historyof New York City has made it soit is the land of the flee andeverybody wants to get out andget some space and a little bit morefreedom.

Host Brian Kilmeade noted that people in Los Angeles are leaving that city as well.

He then asked Cain, Do you think this is a blip ordo you think people are leavingfor good?

In response, Cain, who went to school in New Jersey, noted that he has most recently lived inCalifornia and never in my lifetime did I everthink I would leave Malibu,Calif.

I, for the first time ever amconcerned, if this election goesthe wrong way, I'm concernedabout living here in Californiaand am actually considering leavingfor the first time in my lifetime, Cain continued.So I'd like to believe it's justa blip, however things havegotten so out of control here.

He went on to point out that interms of taxes, it's insane herein California and we're just doing such a poor jobof governing that.

When I go tovisit other states sometimes Igo, Wow itd be awful nice to live hereand save an additional hugeamount of money and have a lot morefreedoms and, hmm, maybe I wouldconsider that so I hope it's ablip, but I fear it's not, Cain said.

Residents in major U.S. cities like New York and San Francisco have been leaving in droves due to various factors, including the lack of jobs during thecoronavirus pandemic and a potentialincrease in violent crime, according to a column postedearlier this month.

Large cities were already hurting before the pandemic. Now, statistics from Indeed, an employment-related search engine, have shown that major U.S. metropolitan areas have seen a greater rise in unemployment and alarger percentage of job loss compared to smaller metros, according to a piece byNoah Smith, a columnist atBloomberg.

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Apartment rent prices have already decreased significantly in certain areas. Data collected from Zumper determined thatrent prices have fallen by7.4 percent in Seattle, 11.1 percent in San Franciscoand 6.9 percent in New York City, since the same period last year.

Fox News David Aaro contributed to this report.

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Dean Cain: NYC becoming land of the flee as people leave in search of more freedom - Fox News

August 31st 2020 by AD Amorosi

photo by Priscilla Jimenez

Since her thick 2006 debut, Olesi: Fragments of an Earth, singer-composer-player-producer Georgia Anne Muldrow has paged through the catalog of Black music with spirit, speed, and freedom as her guide. Muldrow is jazz, funk, blues, hip-hop, R&B, nu-R&B, space soul, and beyond. You could compare her to early Roberta Flack, latter-day Erykah Badu, or Nina Simone and Amina Claudia Myers at any point in their careersbut youd be wasting Muldrows time. Just groove to Georgia Anne and avoid comparisons.

One wildly mercurial element that allows you entry into the poetic depths of her soul is the free jazzgentle and incendiaryof her albums Ocotea and Denderah. Recorded under the pseudonym Jyoti, a name given to her by free spirit and free jazz giant Alice Coltrane, these albums drift and dart in a fashion connecting her to her own ancestors: Muldrows father is the late jazz guitarist Ronald Muldrow; her mother Rickie Byars-Beckwith co-founded the Sound of Agape and worked with fellow free people Pharoah Sanders and Roland Hanna. Muldrow and her husband, rapper Dudley Perkins, co-founded the SomeOthaShip Connect record label, and have recorded several albums together such as last years Black Love & War under the name G&D.

This year, as Jyoti, shes released Mama, You Can Bet!, what seems like her most fully free album yet, a record that finds the Spirit of Coltrane (both Alice and John) at its loftiest and most prayerful, while managing a few Monk-worthy laughs, several Mingus remixes (Bemoanable Lady Geemix Fonk, Fabus Foo Gemix), a jagged funk edge, and a love of experimental noise and synth soul thats richly undefinable and remarkably concise.

Considering the record label and homemade music which you share with Dudley, tell me what partnership means as a married couple, as business people, and as collaborative artists.

Oh my, its everything. Its being in somebodys world, and somebody being in your world, and having those merge into one world. Theres children being raised and music being made. At this point, its like fish describing waterits been fifteen years. Its the way we get down. I see it as one of my favorite things to do, making music with Dudley. We balance each other out. As far as the label goes, its an incredible feeling to have the ability to be embraced for my creativity and not feel pressure. I dont know where Id be without him.

How did making music with your husband last time out set you up for making this album which also touches on familythis time your mother on, at the very least, the title track?

Its all part of one lifemine. Its me living, experiencing all of my family. Especially now. Before all this COVID stuff, if I wasnt working out of town, I was doing something else. Family creates the atmosphere to make what I make. This segue, though, is happening as life is happeninglike what is going on with my mother and her transference, opening up. I wanted to celebrate that with a song. When your family is always there, its like having an artists favorite still life just being stuff around the house. The catalyst is simple. The situation is complex. Youre still painting an emotional landscape.

Whats your earliest memory of your mom making music?

Oh my god. Being very small, all I can recall is having my ear to her heart, or the times I would have my ears to her back and hearing her talkthe vibration was music to me. Very calming sound. The most calming sound.

When your family is always there, its like having an artists favorite still life just being stuff around the house. The catalyst is simple. The situation is complex. Youre still painting an emotional landscape.

Jyoti stands for light and flame. Do you know why Alice Coltrane saw that in you, enough so to name you that?

When it comes down to what she sees, its like E.T. phoning home. Youre talking about someone who had an extreme awareness of, and connection with, her highest self. She always strived to merge with the greatness and realness of creation. That was her goal. She told me that the name came from the spirit, but I dont even think shed take credit for naming me that, you know? Its the name that came through for me. Its my job to inform what it is. Its my journey to own it.

What is that name Jyoti to you? What does it signify?

The beginning of something beautiful. My life changed then, and that name marked that change. Me going within and figuring out whats in there. Healing myself. Thats whats most importantI think that she would want people to know such light, to have people meditate on who they are, and who theyre not. Im trying to live up to that name with the music Im making under it. Stay open, stay curious. Uncover everyday magic. I think thats why she charged me with that name.

Since this music is so deeply personal, how do you relay it to other musicians? What sort of players do you look for? Im thinking of Lakecia Benjamin, on Ras Noise.

Theres a motif thats there in that song, and that motif is strong; strong enough for her to get what I wanted out of her. I didnt want contemporary jazz coming out of her horn. It comes down to trust, and Im trusting a musician to impart what they can. If I dont trust you, I dont even call you to jam. She came with a complete parade, and a tribute to Sun Ra. She brought all the multi-colored silk scarves. Its a joyful noise.

You made Jyoti records in 2010, 2013, and 2020: could you say if there were any life events that pushed you to speak as or through Jyoti?

Absolutely. On Denderah, I have a song called Theodosia 3:23 and thats my auntie who passed away. On the first one, theres a song titled Turiyas Smile, which was me mourning Alice Coltrane and my father. Ocotea is unique in the sense that its a tribute to free everything, free jazz. A tribute to Alice. Theres a lot of her DNA in there.

This one has spirits who had passed. My mother, too, freed herself from a relationship that was overthats a certain kind of death, too. A song like This Walk talks of a death, the surety of remaining static, then speaking out. If youre not careful, you can become a very scripted person. Not me, I just want to be real. So theres a lot of things that happen to make a Jyoti record. Its the death of your family and friends, a metamorphosis of your character, a change in your heart to dig for deeper truths. Those are the things that bring a Jyoti record forward. Its the songs that I have to makethinking about nothing else, but getting this feeling out.

And musically, are there events and vibes you can speak to?

Well, theres those hard bop rhythms and the harmonics of a Jyoti record, toothat phrasingbut thats just me loving on my dad, too. I was raised with that, thats an ancestral call, an emotional call, an ever-changing call.

Whether through its writing or recording, how do you recognize if somethings Jyoti?

Its the songs that I dont need a click track to start. Its when Im going to the piano with an emotion in my heart that I cant name, and only my fingers can do the talking. Thats when I know its Jyoti. Its when Im coming with the most vulnerable Im praying. Its my subconscious mind. Im making music as if my life depended on it. FL

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In Conversation: Georgia Anne Muldrow on Finding Freedom as Jyoti - FLOOD Magazine

Lawyer Prashant Bhushan, who was found guilty of contempt by the Supreme Court, said that he will happily accept the judgement, but would file a review.

I propose to submit myself to this order and respectful pay the fine. But I reserve the right to seek the review of the conviction and sentencing, Bhushan said while reading from a statement at a press conference in New Delhi.

Bhushan was held guilty by the apex court for criminal contempt of court on August 14 over his tweets against the Supreme Court and Chief Justice of India SABobde.

Here is the full statement by Prashant Bhushan on SCs verdict:

The Supreme Court of India has announced its verdict on the contempt case against me. It holds me guilty of contempt of court and has decided to impose a fine of Re 1, and failing that imprisonment of three months and debarring me from practicing for three years. I had already said in my first statement to the Court: I am here to cheerfully submit to any penalty that can lawfully be inflicted upon me for what the Court has determined to be an offence, and what appears to me to be the highest duty of a citizen. Therefore, while I reserve the right to seek a review of the conviction and sentencing, by way of an appropriate legal remedy, I propose to submit myself to this order and will respectfully pay the fine, just as I would have submitted to any other lawful punishment.

I have had the greatest respect for the institution of the Supreme Court. I have always believed it to be the last bastion of hope, particularly for the weak and the oppressed who knock at its door for the protection of their rights, often against a powerful executive. My tweets were not intended in any way to disrespect the Supreme Court or the judiciary as a whole, but were merely meant to express my anguish, at what I felt, was a deviation from its sterling past record. This issue was never about me versus the Honble Judges, much less about me vs the Supreme Court. When the Supreme Court of India wins, every Indian wins. Every Indian wants a strong and independent judiciary. Obviously if the courts get weakened, it weakens the republic and harms every citizen.

I am extremely grateful and humbled by the solidarity and support expressed by countless persons, ex-judges, lawyers, activists and fellow citizens who encouraged me to remain firm and true to my beliefs and conscience. They strengthen my hope that this trial may draw the countrys attention to the cause of freedom of speech and judicial accountability and reform. What is very heartening is that this case has become a watershed moment for freedom of speech and seems to have encouraged many people to stand up and speak out against the injustices in our society.

I would be failing in my duty if I do not thank my legal team, especially senior Advocates Dr Rajeev Dhawan and Shri Dushyant Dave. I am more confident now than ever before that truth shall prevail.

Long live democracy! Satyameva Jayate!

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Watershed moment for freedom of speech: Prashant Bhushan on SC verdict. Read full statement here - Hindustan Times

The Trump administrations recently announced bans on Chinese-owned social media platforms TikTok and WeChat could have unintended consequences.

The orders bar the apps from doing business in the U.S. or with U.S. persons or businesses after Sept. 20 and require divestiture of TikTok by Nov. 12.

The executive orders are based on national security grounds, though the threats cited are to citizens rather than the government. Foreign policy analysts see the move as part of the administrations ongoing wrestling match with the Chinese government for leverage in the global economy.

Whatever the motivation, as someone who researches both cybersecurity and technology policy, I am not convinced that the benefits outweigh the costs. The bans threaten Americans freedom of speech, and may harm foreign investment in the U.S. and American companies ability to sell software abroad, while delivering minimal privacy and cybersecurity benefits.

The threats posed by TikTok and WeChat, according to the executive orders, include the potential for the platforms to be used for disinformation campaigns by the Chinese government and to give the Chinese government access to Americans personal and proprietary information.

The U.S. is not the only country concerned about Chinese apps. The Australian military accused WeChat, a messaging, social media and mobile payment app, of acting as spyware, saying the app was caught sending data to Chinese Intelligence servers.

Disinformation campaigns may be of particular concern, due to the upcoming election and the impact of the alleged sweeping and systematic Russian interference in the 2016 elections. The potential for espionage is less pronounced, given that the apps access basic contact information and details about the videos Americans watch and the topics they search on, and not more sensitive data.

But banning the apps and requiring Chinese divestiture also has a national security downside. It damages the U.S.s moral authority to push for free speech and democracy abroad. Critics have frequently contended that Americas moral authority has been severely damaged during the Trump administration and this action could arguably add to the decline.

The administrations principal argument against TikTok is that it collects Americans personal data and could provide it to the Chinese government. The executive order states that this could allow China to track the locations of federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail and conduct corporate espionage.

Skeptics have argued that the government hasnt presented clear evidence of privacy issues and that the services practices are standard in the industry. TikToks terms of service do say that it can share information with its China-based corporate parent, ByteDance.

The order against WeChat is similar. It also mentions that the app captures the personal and proprietary information of Chinese nationals visiting the United States. However, some of these visiting Chinese nationals have expressed concern that banning WeChat may limit their ability to communicate with friends and family in China.

While TikTok and WeChat do raise cybersecurity concerns, they are not significantly different from those raised by other smart phone apps. In my view, these concerns could be better addressed by enacting national privacy legislation, similar to Europes GDPR and Californias CCPA, to dictate how data is collected and used and where it is stored. Another remedy is to have Alphabet (Google) GOOG, -0.62% GOOGL, -0.60%, Apple AAPL, +3.39% and others review the apps for cybersecurity concerns before allowing new versions to be made available in their app stores.

Perhaps the greatest concern raised by the bans are their impact on peoples ability to communicate, and whether they violate the First Amendment. Both TikTok and WeChat are communications channels and TikTok publishes and hosts content.

While the courts have allowed some regulation of speech, to withstand a legal challenge the restrictions must advance a legitimate government interest and be narrowly tailored to do so. National security is a legitimate governmental interest. However, in my opinion its questionable whether a real national security concern exists with these specific apps.

In the case of TikTok, banning an app that is being used for political commentary and activism would raise pronounced constitutional claims and likely be overturned by the courts.

Whether the bans hold up in court, the executive orders instituting them put the U.S. in uncomfortable territory: the list of countries that have banned social media platforms. These include Egypt, Hong Kong, Turkey, Turkmenistan, North Korea, Iran, Belarus, Russia and China.

Though the U.S. bans may not be aimed at curtailing dissent, they echo actions that harm free speech and democracy globally. Social media gives freedom fighters, protesters and dissidents all over the world a voice. It enables citizens to voice concerns and organize protests about monarchies, sexual and other human rights abuses, discriminatory laws and civil rights violations. When authoritarian governments clamp down on dissent, they frequently target social media.

The bans could also harm the U.S. economy because other countries could ban U.S. companies in retaliation. China and the U.S. have already gone through a cycle of reciprocal company banning, in addition to reciprocal consulate closures.

The U.S. has placed Chinese telecom firm Huawei on the Bureau of Industry Security Entity List, preventing U.S. firms from conducting business with it. While this has prevented Huawei from selling wireless hardware in the U.S., it has also prevented U.S. software sales to the telecom giant and caused it to use its own chips instead of buying them from U.S. firms.

Over a dozen U.S. companies urged the White House not to ban WeChat because it would hurt their business in China.

Other countries might use the U.S. bans of Chinese firms as justification for banning U.S. companies, even though the U.S. has not taken action against them or their companies directly. These trade restrictions harm the U.S.s moral authority, harm the global economy and stifle innovation. They also cut U.S. firms off from the high-growth Chinese market.

TikTok is in negotiations with Microsoft MSFT, -1.47% and Walmart WMT, -1.03% and a consortium led by Oracle ORCL, -1.14% about a possible acquisition that would leave the company with American ownership and negate the ban.

Though the TikTok and WeChat apps do raise some concerns, it is not apparent that cause exists to ban them. The issues could be solved through better oversight and the enactment of privacy laws that could otherwise benefit Americans.

Of course, the government could have other causes for concern that it hasnt yet made public. Given the consequences of banning an avenue of expression, if other concerns exist the government should share them with the American public. If not, Id argue less drastic action would be more appropriate and better serve the American people.

Jeremy Straub is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science at the North Dakota State University.

This article was published with the permission of The Conversation.

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Trumps ban of TikTok and WeChat would reduce Americans freedom of speech and harm foreign investment in the U.S. - MarketWatch

The election season brings many issues to the forefront of voters minds: the economy, foreign policy, immigration, taxes, education, health care, the military, terrorism, the environment, energy and, of course, we cant escape the social issues of human rights.

Each of these issues is complex. Thats because our society is complex. There are thoughtful, insightful and honest people with positions on every side of each issue. Rarely are the issues black and white. On top of that, there are conflicting values within each issue. It can be overwhelmingly confusing!

This season is an opportunity to examine and prioritize our values. I would suggest that as we do this, the issue of freedom should rise to the very top of our list. We should look at every issue through the lens of freedom.

Freedom is what has made America great. America was founded by pioneers and patriots who deeply sought freedom. Every human being is endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We pledge allegiance to the concept of liberty and justice for all. We live in and sing of the land of the free and the home of the brave. Regardless of our culture, religion, gender or social status, we all want freedom. This desire is not something that we just learn from our parents, teachers or society. It is something far deeper, embedded in the genetic code of each human being. Freedom is what every child wants from his or her parents. Freedom is why virtually every war is fought. Freedom is why Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. mobilized armies of protesters.

Freedom allows us to grow to our potential and pursue our dreams. But freedom never guarantees the realization of any dream. It only allows for the pursuit. It also allows for failure. If we are to be free to succeed we must also be free to fail. Unfortunately, freedom also allows us to sink to the lowest levels of depravity.

Thus, freedom requires responsibility. I cannot experience freedom unless you grant it to me. Nor can you realize your freedom unless I give it to you. Despite being an unalienable right, freedom is only granted to us by others. Our responsibility, then, is to ensure that we give it to all others and that we never abuse this gift from others, showing that we can use it in a responsible and uplifting manner. So I would suggest that as we analyze any issue, that we consider its impact on our personal and corporate freedom. Will it enhance our freedom and thus our potential for growth, or will it stifle our freedom and thus repress our spirit? It may be tempting to give up a small amount of freedom for some short term gain, but we will pay in the long term if we lose our freedom. Freedom is foundational for America if we are to remain leader of the free world.

Gordon Johns

Chehalis

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Letter to the Editor: It's All About Freedom - Centralia Chronicle

With an ox-drawn wagon, formerly enslaved people cross the Rappahannock River below Martins Mill at Rappahannock Station as Union soldiers watch on Aug. 19, 1862, four months before President Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation in this image captured by Timothy OSullivan. The war correspondents glass-plate negative cracked.

An observer holds one of Timothy OSullivans images at the spot where he recorded a very rare wartime scene of African Americans fleeing to freedom behind Union army lines.

Participants cross the Rappahannock River at Cows Ford below Remington in August 2012, for the Culpeper-area communitys 150th anniversary commemoration of self-emancipation scenes captured by Civil War photographer Timothy OSullivan.

Formerly enslaved people cross the Rappahannock River below Martins Mill (right) at Rappahannock Station, as Union soldiers watch. The river, separating Culpeper and Fauquier counties, divided Confederate and Union-held territory in the summer of 1862.

The most famous picture, arguably, to emerge from the American Civil War was taken 158 years ago in the middle of the Rappahannock River, separating Culpeper and Fauquier counties, on Aug. 19, 1862.

This compelling image does not depict soldiers at war, or in camp. No, this immortal picture reveals a group of former enslaved people fleeing Culpeper for the region north of the Rappahannock that most slaves simply called the Free State.

But before I continue, here is some background.

In 1860, Culpeper County boasted about 12,000 inhabitants, including 6,653 enslaved people. More than 700 individuals owned slaves; 84 planters owned 20 or more slaves. Culpeper farms averaged 260 acres, and the average holding was 10 enslaved people.

Wheat was the money crop, and the intensive labor that planted and harvested such crops was provided almost entirely by slaves that farmers owned or hired from other sources. And when a Culpeper slave was hired off from one farm to another, it goes without saying thatin many casestheir family was torn asunder for months, on end.

Quite often, once separated, family members were never reunited. It is a fact that the planter class cared only about sustaining an enslaved family if it was profitable to do so. As these farmers saw it, they were businessmen, and slaves, after all, were commodities to be bought, sold and abused, as they saw fit. Slaveholding was a business, pure and simple. Nothing sentimental about it.

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CLARK B. HALL: Rare images record freedom in the making - starexponent.com

To mask or not to mask? That is the question.

And we've reported several times about the face mask meltdown.

Seemingly normal, full grown adults losing their minds over face mask mandates and or restrictions.

It's commonplace in today's world. And most stores have instituted a no mask no service policy.

But that hasn't stopped people from behaving badly and expressing their displeasure with what's going on in the world. Especially our friend here in Anchorage, Alaska at the Midtown Walmart location.

He goes from "godly man" to dropping all matter of f-bombs and getting in the face of an employee (several employees) asking him to leave.

Peep the meltdown that's gone viral here.Is this OK? Because you'd have to imagine if your kid reacted this way in public to something he didn't want to do you'd discipline him right? A time out?

Some folks think this was a full blown mental break down.

But while some people can't get over the oppression angle of this, does it mean that it's perfectly OK to go off on someone probably making minimum wage in a big box store who's just doing their job.

Some stores are following mandates put forth by local governments to stay open.

And if they don't they could get fined or shut down.

And it's weird because this brings to mind that whole "gay wedding cake" argument from a while back.

One argument the right-of-center mask dissenters frequently make has to do with private businesses supposedly violating the rights of the maskless by refusing to serve them. This is ironic, given there is a substantial overlap between that group of people and the folks who argued that bakeries should be able to say "no" to gay couples. (Inforum)

And now the CDC is saying businesses should avoid confrontations with clients when it comes to face masks.

Take a look at more adults behaving badly over face masks here.

Wear one or don't that is your decision. However, having a meltdown and putting some poor employee through it for following instructions from their boss is wrong.

Read More:VIDEOS: Adults Having Face Mask Meltdowns

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Tantrum Or Freedom Of Expression Over Face Masks? - wcrz.com

What has happened to us? Our freedom of speech is not for all. There is much political correctness. We are divided. We must be united and stand together as a country. We have a choice to make. Are you ready?

We need to respect all life. If that is not paramount in our daily lives, we have no hope for the future of your and my children and grandchildren. Race, color and creed. We are all in this together. Dr. Matt always said, "Right is right and wrong is wrong no in between." He spent his life helping others. How disappointed he would be with all of us.

It is time for the silent American to stand tall. President Trump takes no salary and takes abuse beyond compare. In spite of this, he has done more for our country in his first term than any other president. It is a fact; check it out. Please give him some credit. He has faults, as we all do.

This election is the most important in my life and yours. I ask you to look at our future and support him if you can. If you think this virus has changed your life, just wait and see how it will change if the radical left takes over. Do your homework.

I wonder if I am wasting my time sharing my thoughts. Most of y'all feel as I do. The other folks who read this are so full of hate and bias and won't change. Maybe if all of us put more effort into being kind and caring we can make a change.

Lawrence Reed had a wonderful opinion piece in the NTH not too long ago about being lucky to be an American. It was just great. So from the bottom of my heart, please open your minds and your hearts; don't stick your head in the sand.

Make your vote count, plus a prayer or two.

Pat Lucky Burns

Newnan

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This is my freedom of speech - Newnan Times-Herald

June 23, 2020

To the Editor,

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

To those upset that Mount Airy will be restricted to viewing fireworks in their cars this year, due to COVID-19, while protests happened recently, I implore you to look within the document you are celebrating and understand why the two events can not respectably be compared.

The following comes from the Declaration of Independence, stating that all humans have inalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It states that when humans governments cause abuse and when they usurp humans inalienable rights, it is their right and duty to make change that government for the better. This is the document you are wanting to celebrate by the light of fireworks, it is the backbone of America as we think of it today.

So, no, I believe to compare the two events (fireworks vs. protesting) is frankly nonsense. If it isnt clear why at this point, let me try to draw connections for you so you may also have a change of perspective and embrace your fellow man, sympathize with their suffering, and hopefully join them in their efforts. If nothing else, maybe youll not feel the need to complain about having to sit in a car to watch fireworks during a pandemic.

These protests are fueled largely by the inhumane murder of George Floyd, backed by years of murder and brutality at the hands of many police officers. Lets focus solely on George Floyd, not to undermine the devastation of every soul that is no longer with us, but for simplicity sake while trying to make these connections for you. George Floyd, who had moved to Minneapolis in order to better his future, to provide for his family, in other words, to pursue happiness, was murdered (rights taken away: 1). Under the pressure of the cops knee, he lost his life (rights taken away: 2) as he needlessly had his liberty stripped from him (rights taken away: 3).

He had no opportunity for the due process of law (Bill of Rights, 5th amendment), as he was murdered before that could happen (rights taken away: 4). That inevitably led to being denied the right to a speedy and public trial (Bill of Rights, 6th amendment) (Rights taken away: 5). There are many other rights he had torn away from him, increasing with every moment of the 8 minutes and 15 seconds that officer crushed him.

He is not alone. Different sources I have seen show more than 700 lives lost by police brutality within the span of four years. As this is an issue of systemic racism, my points here dont even touch how the system deprives the population through the education, housing, healthcare, and so much more. This is what the document speaks of, when it says But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government.

Protesting is the least we should expect and hope for, the Declaration calls for the entire government to be overthrown and made anew for a better future. So far, all I have heard is pained cries asking that we reevaluate the policies and laws that allow for this behavior to continue, not only for people of color but for everyone, and to bring suspected murders to face the justice system.

So, if you are truly wanting to celebrate the Fourth of July, do it from your vehicle or at home with your family. Because our country is cracking, and we want to fix it. Do not look down on the protesters or those in the government that defend their rights, because you would be defying the very document you claim to value so dearly.

We are entitled to these inalienable rights, but you are not entitled to spread spite and ignorance just because you are having to take precautions during a holiday in the middle of a pandemic. They are asking for justice, you are crying about temporary discomfort required to protect the vulnerable within the population.

Heather Verba

Mount Airy

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There are limits to freedom - Mount Airy News

1. According to the Pew Research Center there are currently 51 Muslimmajority countries in the world.Mapping the Global Muslim Population. AReport on the Size and Distribution of the Worlds Muslim Population(Washington: Pew Research Center, 2009). Eleven of them are not included in this paper due to lack of sufficient data. These are Afghanistan, Comoros,Djibouti, Kosovo, Maldives, Mayotte, the Palestinian territories,Somalia,Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and WesternSahara. Also, there are large Muslim minorities in India,Ethiopia,China, Russia, and elsewhere, which are not included in this paper.

2. All data in this paper are obtained from theHuman Freedom Index 2019, which uses 76 distinct indicators of personal and economic freedom to rank 162 countries for which sufficient data are available. Ian Vasquez and Tanja Pornik,Human Freedom Index 2019(Washington: Cato Institute, Fraser Institute, and Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, 2019).

3. For arecent analysis of this freedom deficit in the Muslim world and its historical origins, see Ahmet T. Kuru,Islam, Authoritarianism, and Underdevelopment: AGlobal and Historical Comparison(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019).

4. The largest Muslim minorities in Western liberal democracies are in France (5.72 million); Germany (4.75 million); theUnitedKingdom(4.13 million); the United States (3.45 million); Italy (2.98 million); Spain (1.18 million); Canada (1.14 million);Netherlands(880,000); Belgium (879,000);Sweden(800,000); Austria (712,000);Australia(650,000);Switzerland(440,000); Denmark (313,000);Finland(150,000); Norway (142,500);Ireland(70,000); and Portugal (65,000). For these numbers and also the global Muslim population, see: Muslim Population by Country 2020, World Population Review.

5. James Madison, Political Observations,Letters and Other Writings of James Madison, vol. 4 (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1865), pp. 49192.

6. Daniel Philpott,Religious Freedom in Islam: The Fate of aUniversal Human Right in the Muslim World Today(New York:OxfordUniversity Press, 2019), pp. 11449.

7. Philpott,Religious Freedom in Islam, p. 52.

8. Jamal Khashoggi, What the Arab World Needs Most Is Free Expression,Washington Post, October 17, 2018.

9. Salem Ben Nasser AlIsmaily, Miguel Cervantes, and FredMcMahon,Economic Freedom of the Arab World: 2019 Annual Report, (Vancouver: Fraser Institute, 2019), p. 2.

10. Victor A. Menaldo, The Middle East and North Africas Resilient Monarchs,Journal of Politics74, no. 3 (July 2012): 70722.

11. Fareed Zakaria, The Rise of Illiberal Democracy,Foreign Affairs76, no. 6 (November/December, 1997).

12. Shadi Hamid, The Future of Democracy in the Middle East: Islamist and Illiberal,The Atlantic, May 6, 2014.

13. Hamid, The Future of Democracy in the Middle East.

14. For acritique of the Western policy of cozying up to authoritarian regimes, as long as they were secular, see Dalibor Rohac, Understanding Political Islam, Cato Institute Economic Development Bulletin no. 20, June 23, 2014.

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Freedom in the Muslim World - Cato Institute

Saint Louis, MO, Release: August 18th, 2020. For Immediate Release

Following her success with The Adventures of Wynk, Shevar Perry is set to open her solo exhibit Moments of Freedom. Her latest installment will feature mixed media collage, animated video accompanied with spoken word, and digital art. Moments of Freedom will run from August 24th-September 25th at the Boyle Family Gallery (Lindenwood's J. Scheidegger Center for The Arts).

Moments of Freedom is a compilation of spoken word, mixed media collage, and digital art that captures the brief periods of time that freedom is experienced, while being reminded that it is indeed a moment of freedom.

I feel most free while creating. Creativity is my outlet to get out bottled emotions and ideas. During the pandemic I started jumping rope. It has been a way to escape the reality, through each jump, swing of the rope and learning new rhythms I feel ultimate bliss...then it's back to reality as soon as I cut on the news, check social media, etc...

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Shevar Perry to Open Solo Exhibit Moments of Freedom August 24th, 2020 - Suburban Journals

Gold-plated final salary pension schemes are known to be the most generous out there, but that is not to say they suit everyone.

Raj Muvva, 39, a GP in Scotland, said he had transferred his money out of his NHS pension into a self-invested personal pension two years ago and had been very happy with his decision.

Mr Muvva said he had made the decision to quit the scheme when he realised that he would not have access to his full pension until he was 67. He was also concerned he would never see all his money again.

He said: I dont expect to live past the age of 85, so I do not plan to spend all of my pension. By then, my children will be grown up and I can leave something to them, but I would not be able to do that in a defined benefit scheme.

NHS doctors up and down the country have been grappling with punitive pension rules for higher earners and incomplete pension records.

Most savers can put up to 40,000 into pensions each year while getting tax relief. But higher earners see this annual allowance gradually reduced to a minimum of 10,000 a year under the so-called taper.

Faced with paying hefty tax charges, some doctors have already been forced to reduce their working hours, pull out of the pension scheme or even retire early.

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'I enjoy the freedom and picking funds': why this doctor ditched his 250,000 NHS pension - Telegraph.co.uk

I was outraged reading Jay Samonss article about us losing freedoms in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic (The dangerous pursuit of safety, Ideas, Aug. 2). With more than 156,000 deaths in the United States as of Aug. 5, and that number continuously rising, we need to get this virus under control, as other countries have.

Samons says freedom costs lives and we have to accept that more people are going to die from the virus. Maybe a lot more people. I think his acceptance of lives lost to the virus in the name of freedom is ridiculous. Any inconvenience we have to endure (mask-wearing, social distancing, and staying home) is acceptable and temporary. Our freedom will still be alive, and, hopefully, so will we, when we get this virus under control.

Patricia Tong

Ashland

Surrender or reawakening?

Jay Samons argues that the Romans chose to change their republic for an empire because they preferred security to the chaos of freedom. He sees the actions taken to contain the coronavirus as akin to that trade-off. We are engaged in the greatest act of cultural surrender in human history, and, we must accept that unless we choose to destroy our own culture, more people are going to die from this virus. But there is another future that does not just rush back to the culture that we were living with until this year. Other writers have argued that this pandemic provides an opportunity to overhaul global economic and cultural institutions and behaviors. Our previous culture was unsustainable unequal education, not enough decent housing, unfair wages, and lack of health care for all. Change in the old order is starting to emerge with the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that may not have been possible without so many people not in a normal working routine. If this temporary loss of freedom to behave as we did before the pandemic leads to a more equitable and sustainable future, then it will not have been a cultural surrender as much as a cultural reawakening.

Susan Haltmaier

North Andover

Flawed reasoning

Jay Samonss The dangerous pursuit of safety is rife with false analogies and flawed reasoning. He starts with the specious claim that those trying to keep the COVID-19 pandemic contained are striving for complete safety, which he then rightly states is impossible. He claims that this imagined quest for complete safety is undermining our freedoms (freedom to assemble in large numbers during a pandemic?). After badmouthing military analogies to the pandemic, he then proceeds to use one to argue that wars are won when the attacked party decides that casualties are better than oppression. He concludes that we must accept the loss of life as the price of maintaining our freedoms and that Freedom costs lives.

The casualties of this pandemic are innocent victims, not warriors or currency to be bartered for freedom. They are defending nothing by dying. To call for limiting public health measures based on an analogy couched in superficial historical erudition is academic and intellectual malpractice.

Carl M. Cohen

Newton

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Freedom and the pursuit of safety - The Boston Globe

Welcome to Think, Texas a weekly column about Texas history.

Last week, we studied the importance of post-Emancipation freedom colonies in Texas.

In that column, I cited four main published sources that bolstered our previous understanding derived from interviews with descendants of the independent Black Texans who founded those colonies, which totaled in the hundreds.

These sources are worth repeating: Andrea Roberts primarily digital "Texas Freedom Colonies Project," Michelle M. Mears "And Grace Will Lead Me Home: African-American Freedmen Communities in Austin, Texas, 1865-1928," Richart Ortons "The Upshaws of County Line: An American Family," and Thad Sitton and James H. Conrads "Freedom Colonies: Independent Black Texans in the Time of Jim Crow."

Also last week, I shared some of the salient stories from Sitton and Conrads book. Today, Ill dig out a few more choice historical nuggets, and save others for later. The book is packed with on-the-ground storytelling.

Many interviewees commented on (the) austerities. Interviewed during 1990, Grover Williams recalled with amusement remarkable frugalities and recycling of his early life at the Flat Prairie settlement in Washington County. During cold weather, Williams and his brothers wore "jumper jackets" made of old cotton sack material fastened with baling wire instead of buttons. Baling wire also functioned as all-purpose repair material for the familys Model T Ford and farming equipment.

Williams fashioned turkey bells for their hen turkeys from snuff cans with little rocks inside. Family members wore every item of clothing until it had patches on its patches, then women salvaged every square inch of sound fabric to make into "britches quilts," rough quilts suitable for use on the floor. Williams brother Cecil went a step too far when he recycled his grandmothers plum jelly as pomade. At the rural school the brothers attended, a cloud of flies soon made Cecil a laughingstock.

Ed Stimpson offered a wonderful description of Collin County juke joints where wayward folks from freedmens settlements might or might not show up. Bootleggers circulated among the crowds in these places, identifiable because "they always wore ducking overalls and a coat too big" in which to carry their wares. Local police normally had been paid off by joint proprietors but operated in an unpredictable way.

Sometimes they raided the joint and arrested bootleggers and patrons carrying weapons; sometimes they came in, sat down, drank free booze, and joked with the ladies. Professional gamblers at the juke joint fascinated Stimpson; they were cold, calculating, sober men with hard eyes, who almost always won. Desperate amateurs might cry to their dice, "I need this point bad as a deadman needs a coffin!" but when they played the real gamblers, the dice or the cards rarely fell their way.

(A) common pattern of community origin involved a preacher leader and his assembled congregation colonizing the wilderness. After Emancipation, some freedmen felt the call to preach and gradually drew congregations of believers around them, worshiping in private homes or brush arbors. After a few years of accumulating resources, the ministers located cheap or unclaimed land and white neighbors willing to allow Black people to settle, and the congregation pulled up rent-farm roots and followed their "Moses" into the wilderness.

This exact scenario unfolded for the sharecroppers of John Wynns congregation at Hog Eye (Webberville) in Travis County. After Wynn found unoccupied sand-hill wilderness along the Bastrop-Caldwell county line and whites willing to sell it cheaply, Wynn and most of his congregation launched a wagon train to the promised land one day in the 1870s. The place became known as Wynns Colony and later St. John Colony.

The actual day of Juneteenth each year was first and foremost a great feast and picnic, prefaced by certain ceremonies and competitions. Parades were common if there was someplace to parade. Clarksville near Austin, for example, featured a procession of decorated horsemen accompanying a "Juneteenth Queen" dressed as the Statue of Liberty.

Big baseball games followed the noon meal at many Juneteenths, but Peyton Colony favored horseback competitions. In "needle races, men raced their horses to women partners standing in wagons, handed them a needle to thread then raced back to the starting place. "Cigar races" were similar, but required no partners; the men had to jump up on wagons and light cigars before racing back. Another equestrian competition was called "tournament," with horsemen trying to spear four hanging rings while riding at high speed.

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Texas History: Sizing up daily lives in the states freedom colonies - Brownwood Bulletin

This is a press release from the Coalition for Responsible Transportation, EPIC, Centro Del Pueblo, Humboldt Climate Change Action and the North Coast Environmental Center:

Professor Sarah Seo of Columbia University

Professor Sarah Seo of Columbia University will be presenting a talk for North Coast audiences [on] Thursday, August 13th, at 5:30 pm entitled Policing the Open Road. The talk will be based on Professor Seos award-winning 2019 book of the same name, which documents how the rise of the automobile in the first half of the 20th century led to a dramatic expansion of police departments in America, and to courts granting wide law enforcement discretion to police. The discriminatory patterns of policing seen in America today are in part a legacy of this legal, political and technological history.

Professor Seos groundbreaking book has been called fascinating and remarkable by theNew Yorker. The publisher, Harvard University Press, describes it this way: When Americans think of freedom, they often picture the open road. Yet nowhere are we more likely to encounter the long arm of the law than in our cars. Sarah Seo reveals how the rise of the automobile led us to acceptand expectpervasive police power. AsPolicing the Open Roadmakes clear, this radical transformation in the nature and meaning of American freedom has had far-reaching political and legal consequences.

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the talk will be held on Zoom. There will be an opportunity to ask Professor Seo questions about her work after the presentation. The event is sponsored by the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities, the Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC), Centro Del Pueblo, 350 Humboldt, and the Northcoast Environmental Center.

The sponsors encourage any interested North Coast residents to attendespecially transportation and social justice advocates, environmentalists, planners, and local elected officials. Cars and driving play a central role not just in law enforcement but also in the climate crisis, in public health, in the design of our communities, and in the everyday lives of most Americans. Anyone who wants to changeor preserveour current transportation system should first understand it. Professor Seos work sheds light on one of the least understood but most pervasive impacts of this overwhelming presence in American life.

The event is free and open to the public. People can register to receive the Zoom link athttps://transportationpriorities.org/policingtheopenroad/.

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Columbia Professor Sarah Seo to Talk about 'Cars, Police and Freedom in the United States' on Thursday - Redheaded Blackbelt

Prince Harry HRH as was has long had to endure cruel snarks about, among other things, his paternity, yet in Finding Freedom, he confirms one thing beyond a doubt: he is 100% his mothers son. Just as 1992s Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words, by Andrew Morton, gave readers an intimate look at the royal family from the perspective of a disgruntled member of the firm, so this book repeats the trick with Dianas younger son and his wife, Meghan Markle. What this semi-sequel lacks in novelty, it makes up for in cattiness (aimed largely and this is the only real surprise of the book at the woman born Kate Middleton, now known as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. Well return to that in a tick.)

Writers Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie insist Harry and Meghan were not involved in the book. Given the deluge of personal minutiae from Harrys emoji habit to Meghans favourite hair highlight shades as well as their litigiousness when it comes to undesired invasions of privacy (they are currently engaged in legal battles with the Mail on Sunday and an American paparazzo), this seems about as credible as Dianas similar protestations of innocence, all of which Morton scotched about 10 seconds after she died. But whereas Diana chose a tabloid hack as her Boswell, who knew a good story when he saw it, Harry and Meghan opted for two royal journalists. This means the reader is subjected to the Sylvie Krin style of writing that is de rigeur in the genre (I could just about stomach Harry and his famed ginger locks, but details of his and Meghans glamping trip to Botswana, on which their days were spent getting closer to nature and their evenings, closer to each other made me briefly furious that the book hadnt come with a health warning). Less forgivable than the predictable fluff is how the authors fluff the tale. Because Harry and Meghan definitely have a story to tell, but it is not the story in this book.

By now, everyone and certainly everyone who will buy this book knows the outlines of this saga: Harry, the scampish prince, meets Meghan, the beautiful American actor, who wows him with her glamorous civilian ways (In fact, Harry, Durand and Scobie exclusively reveal, lived within a bubble of sorts). They marry and live happily ever after if by living happily ever after we mean the British tabloids were wretched to Meghan, her father Thomas behaved even worse, Harry fell out with his brother and then he and Meghan opted out of the whole shebang and moved to Los Angeles. (The book opens with a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote beloved of people who post slogans on Instagram: Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Whether shacking up in director Tyler Perrys $18m mansion in Beverly Hills is quite the pathless existence Emerson had in mind is a question for another day.)

Morton proffered up Dianas eating disorder and Charless affair with Camilla; the most Scobie and Durand get are that Buckingham Palace was bad at protecting Meghan from the press, and William and Kate werent very warm to the new couple. That Meghan was treated abominably by an institutionally racist and sexist British press is a fact, and the book, with satisfying brevity, alludes to one particular tabloid columnist whose obsession with Meghan ranges from hysterical to certifiable. He is deftly dismissed as a social-climber with a grudge after not receiving an invite to the wedding.

It is not Harry and Meghans fault that their book has come out in the middle of a global pandemic, but it does underscore their occasional tone deafness in the latter half of the book. Even in the best of times, one would be tempted to break out a tiny violin to accompany their complaints about the institution directly following on from details of their luxury holiday in Ibiza and a stay chez Elton John in Nice. Finding Freedom chokes the reader with banal details (if you ever wondered if Meghan craved sweets during pregnancy, this is the book for you), yet it is opaque when it comes to real insights, such as how much Meghan encouraged the press in the early days of her relationship with Harry. Perhaps the most WTF moment is a casual mention that they were forced to let [their sons night nanny] go in the middle of her second night of work for being unprofessional and irresponsible. Call me shallow, but Im a lot more interested in why a couple would sack a nanny in the middle of the night than Meghans cravings. As for Harry, he comes across as goodhearted but oversensitive and impetuous to a degree one can only describe as Diana-esque, whereas chilly William is 100% a Windsor.

The Sussexes were hung out to dry by the palace and the press; the question the book fails to answer is why, when they were such a boon to the brand. Last year there was a widely circulated rumour that they were being used to distract from some ugliness involving William. Finding Freedom has the space to respond to every other media claim, but on this it stays schtum.

Yet the real story here is Prince Andrew. While palace courtiers bitchily leaked Meghans yoga schedule, the spare from the previous generation merrily lived his life, despite his known friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The couple prefer to keep their thoughts [on that matter] to themselves, Scobie and Durand coyly note in one of only two references to Epstein in the book, yet here is where Harry and Meghan have a real argument: why were they given such a rough time when a man accused of sleeping with trafficked young women (which he denies) was granted so much leniency for so long?

Their silence may tell its own story. Despite all the fuming, the book is very cautious when it comes to the senior members of the royal family, and its interesting that its Kate who is the focus of the criticism rather than William. It may well be that, despite claiming he has finally found freedom, Harry is keeping a door open to his gilded cage. His mother could have told him that pulling punches doesnt make for a satisfying book, but perhaps he also learned from her that burning bridges doesnt make for an easy life.

Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family is published by HQ (20). To order a copy go to guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.

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Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand Harry and Meghan and the making of a modern royal family - The Guardian

Madeline Pratt wanted a different kind of career. The corporate structure wasnt working for her anymore and she wanted more flexibility with her schedule to meet the needs of her family. Thus Fearless in Training, her female forward consulting firm, was born. Pratt and her team work directly with entrepreneurial women, progressive accountants, and technology innovators to offer them help in starting, growing and scaling successful enterprises. Today the Poulsbo, Washington-mompreneur enjoys the freedom being her own boss has given her as well and the satisfaction that she is living a meaningful life.

Pratts story, as told to The Story Exchange 1,000+ Stories Project:

Fearless In Training is a female forward consulting company that works directly with entrepreneurial women, progressive accountants, and technology innovators to offer them help in starting, growing, and scaling successful enterprises. Built on a foundation of expertise in the realms of technology, marketing, education & business development, the firm offers collaborative & catered consulting services to help clients achieve their wildest business dreams.

Corporate work wasnt for me, and the more I talked with many of my friends, I learned it wasnt for them either. We women want to be engaged in business and building businesses that we believe in, but our lives are complex and require flexibility. It can still be so hard to find that in a corporate environment, and as much as I learned during my time working for someone elses company, I knew that I could find more balance and fulfilment in starting my own. More than meeting my own needs though, I wanted to be able to show other women that entrepreneurship can accelerate them on the path of equality and help them earn more without having to constantly compromise their needs.

Success for me has always been about seeing the impact that my work has on other people, and rather than being a destination, its a path that I think we proceed down when weve aligned our highest work with what we do every single day. For me, this looks like envisioning future goals clearly, and then aligning my life towards achieving them. Ive always said that the goal of anything that I do is to make a difference in the life of at least one person a day. Each time someone reaches out to me to let me know that something I said, wrote, or shared made an impact on them, I see that as a reminder that I am living a deeply meaningful and successful life.

My biggest success to date has been building out my team at Fearless in Training and a company culture that encourages us to show up and be seen as we are. Ive always loved growing teams and mentoring new hires to find their place inside the company and the work that theyre truly passionate about. When I first dreamed of starting my own company, I always pictured us as a team of incredibly talented and creative women from all walks of life. Bringing that vision to life and getting to work together with these amazing women is one of the greatest highlights of my career.

My greatest goal for my company is to grow our reach and connect with more female entrepreneurs to empower them on a path of business equality. Weve grown our revenue by 500% YoY and with it were growing our team and our capacity to serve more clients. I believe that the COVID crisis will inspire a lot more women to take control of their careers and begin working on a business of their own, and my goal is for us to continue to grow our company in order to be able to connect with these ambitious entrepreneurs to provide them the education, resources, and support they need to build thriving businesses of their own.

My greatest challenge as a woman and entrepreneur is integrating the growth of my company with the needs of my family. As my kids grow and change, they go through stages and need different things from me, so Im constantly having to sit down and reassess what needs to shift and what needs to come first. Its an ongoing process, but I was smart enough to choose a husband that not only supports my work, but also partners with me completely to figure out how to best integrate our work and our family. It takes a lot of communication and childcare, but over the years weve figured out how to build a life that allows us both to have our dream careers while raising our two kids.

On a personal level Ive dealt with anxiety for just about as long as I can remember. Only in the last half of this decade have I really begun to know the words I need to describe it to other people. You see up until recently, people didnt even talk about anxiety much less describe what it felt like for them.

My most important role model has always been my mother. She has always been a trailblazer, completely unafraid to blaze her own path and follow her dreams. Watching her everyday growing up built within me the confidence that I could start my own company, and that I didnt have to build a life around anyone elses expectations. She is my greatest supporter, and Im her biggest fan.

Website http://www.FearlessInTraining.comTwitter @madelinekprattFacebook http://www.facebook.com/fearlessintrainingofficial

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She Wanted More Freedom and Meaning From Her Career - The Story Exchange

This week in Washington IP, both houses of Congress are quiet during August recess but patent and IP policy issues are front and center at the Hudson Institute, which is hosting events to explore how light regulatory frameworks can increase innovation, as well as the importance of injunctions for standard-essential patent owners. Elsewhere, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine look at how federal R&D and commercialization funding programs for small businesses have been implemented by the National Science Foundation, and both the Urban Institute and the American Association for the Advancement of Science look at how data collection practices and technological platforms intersect with issues of racial equity.

The Hudson Institute

Author Matt Ridley on How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom

At 12:00 PM on Monday, online video webinar.

Throughout history, technological revolutions have been able to spring to life thanks in part to reduced levels of regulatory interference and few, if any, laws protecting entrenched interests. This event will feature a discussion with Matt Ridley, member of the UKs House of Lords and author of How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom, to discuss various case studies featured in the book on how governmental regulatory frameworks affected innovation during the Industrial Revolution, the Digital Revolution and the Biotech Revolution. Moderating the discussion with Ridley will be Adam Mossoff, Chair, Forum for Intellectual Property, Hudson Institute.

The Brookings Institution

Why The World Is At a Turning Point With Artificial Intelligence and What To Do About It?

At 3:00 PM on Monday, online video webinar.

The advent of artificial intelligence has inspired reactions ranging from doomsday concerns over threats to humanity to hopes that AI will usher in a wave of productivity that can spur the next economic revolution. This event, hosted by Brookings Center for Technology Innovation, will explore the current state of AI technology as well as policy decisions that could shape AI as a social force for either good or ill. The event will feature a discussion including John Allen, President, The Brookings Institution; Darrell M. West, Vice President and Director, Governance Studies, and Senior Fellow, Center for Technology Innovation; and moderated by Nicol Turner Lee, Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, and Director, Center for Technology Innovation.

The Hudson Institute

Injunctions for Standard-Essential Patents: Safeguarding Innovation in the United States, Europe, and Beyond

At 12:00 PM on Tuesday, online video webinar.

Standards in cellular communications, like 4G LTE and 5G, as well as other digital communication technologies are enabling a rapid pace of innovation in the form of smart facilities and connected cars. The interplay between patents and communications standards is complex and injunctions can be an important tool to ensure that a technology implementer is paying a fair and reasonable royalty to tech developers for the use of their technology. This event will feature a discussion with a panel including Claudia Tapia, Director of IPR Policy and Legal Academic Research, Ericsson; Adam Mossoff, Chair, Forum for Intellectual Property, Hudson Institute; Urka Petrov?i?, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute; and Christoph Ann, Professor of Law, Technical University of Munich.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Review of the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs at the National Science Foundation: Committee Meeting 3

At 6:00 PM on Tuesday, online video webinar.

Both the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs facilitate the distribution of federal R&D expenditures to aid American small businesses in commercializing technologies. Seed funding made available through SBIR and STTR by the National Science Foundation between 2007 and 2016 has funded early stage commercialization efforts for about 400 companies per year. This event will begin with introductory remarks by Maryann Feldman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Scott Stern, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The event will also feature discussions with Michael Kearney, The Engine, and Jason Rathje, AFVentures.

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Race to the Future? Values and Vision in the Design of Technology and Society

At 11:30 AM on Thursday, online video webinar.

The increasing use of algorithms, which often reflect the viewpoints of their creators, in technological platforms has led many to look at the ways that modern technologies can reinforce systemic inequalities along racial or other lines. This event will feature a discussion with Dr. Ruha Benjamin, Professor of African American Studies, Princeton University, and author of Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code.

Urban Institute

Centering Racial Equity in Data Use

At 2:00 PM on Friday, online video webinar.

While researchers and data analysts strive to gain an objective view of a particular study subject through data collection, practices regarding data collection can be used to disadvantage those whose demographic data like race or income can be abused. This event, co-hosted in partnership with the Urban Institute, the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership and Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy, will explore recent findings on equitable data practices that are responsive to the needs of various communities. Speakers at this event will include Bridget Blount, Senior Director of Data Initiatives, Baltimores Promise; Sue Gallagher, Chief Innovation Officer, Childrens Services Council of Broward County; Leah Hendey, Codirector, National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership, Urban Institute; and Kassie Scott, Research Assistant, Urban Institute.

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This Week in Washington IP: Injunctions for SEPs, How Innovation Flourishes in Freedom, and Reviewing SBIR/STTR at the National Science Foundation -...

By Nicola Jones, Elizabeth Presler-Marshall, Sarah Baird, Joan Hicks, Guday Emirie, Workneh Yadete, Yitayew Alemayehu, Bezawit Bekele and Elshaday Kifle Woldevesus

Introduction

Existing evidence suggests that most Ethiopian adolescents have experienced at least one form of age- or gender-based violence (Pankhurst et al., 2018; Save the Children, 2011), and although declining over time, according to the latest Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) (2016), harmful traditional practices are estimated to affect a significant proportion of the countrys girls, including child marriage (40% of girls 1519 years) and female genital mutilation and cutting (47% of girls 1519 years), (CSA and ICF, 2017).

This report on adolescent bodily integrity and freedom from violence is one of a series of short baseline reports focused on emerging mixed-methods findings from the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) longitudinal study baseline data collection. Drawing on a gender and capabilities framework, the report focuses on adolescents experiences and perceptions of age-, sexual and gender-based violence in Ethiopia, paying particular attention to gender and regional differences in risks and access to services as well as those between adolescents with disabilities and those without. The report also discusses the range of change strategies currently being implemented to fast-track social change, as well as the related gaps in the policy and programming landscape.

Research methodology

In Ethiopia, our research sample involves a survey with more than 6,800 adolescent girls and boys from two cohorts aged 1012 years (younger adolescents) and 1517 years (older adolescents), and more in-depth qualitative research with 240 adolescents and their families. The baseline data was collected in selected sites in Afar, Amhara and Oromia regional states and Dire Dawa city administration during 2017 and 2018. The sample includes some of the most disadvantaged adolescents (adolescents with disabilities, married girls and adolescent mothers, adolescents from pastoralist and remote rural communities, adolescents from internally displaced households and child-headed households). Three subsequent rounds of data collection will be carried out in 2019/2020, 2020/21 and 2022/23 with the younger cohort when they reach 1214 years, 1315 years and 15 17 years, and with the older cohort at 1719 years, 1820 years and 2022 years. The main qualitative research will happen at the same junctures, but we will also undertake peer-to-peer and participatory research from late 2018/ early 2019 onwards on an annual basis to explore peer networks and the experiences of the most marginalised adolescents in more depth..

Key findings

Overall our findings highlighted that adolescents face significant and multidimensional risks in terms of bodily integrity and violence, but that the patterning of these risks differs considerably by gender, age and geographic location.

Age-based violence: Most adolescents experience corporal punishment at the hands of their parents and by teachers in the case of school-attending adolescents. For boys, who tend to be less compliant, this punishment can be quite severe. Girls are more likely to be punished for violating gender norms and for misdeeds beyond their control, including being late for school on account of domestic and care work responsibilities.

Peer-to-peer violence: Primarily perpetrated by boys against other boys, peer-to-peer violence is widespread and is rooted in boys need to demonstrate their masculinity.

Sexual and gender-based violence: For girls, the links between verbal violence, physical violence and sexual violence are complex and difficult to disentangle. Girls are at risk of verbal harassment when they are young and increasingly at risk of sexual assault as their bodies mature. Although at lesser risk, some boys in our research sites reported incidences of sexual violence perpetrated against boys something that is still a taboo to discuss.

Political violence: Adolescents were also at heightened risk of being caught up in the political violence that was widespread during the baseline data collection period in 2017/2018. This was especially pronounced in East Hararghe where there were large numbers of internally displaced persons due to ethnicity-based violence between communities in Oromia and Somalia regional states.

Child marriage: Rooted in attempts to control girls sexuality, child marriage shows remarkable variation in incidence and patterning across locations. In South Gondar (Amhara), for example, child marriage is often still arranged by parents but is overall declining; in Zone 5 (Afar), there are limited signs of change with the majority of girls married before 18 years; while in East Hararghe (Oromia), girls in some locations are choosing child marriage in a context where there are few other options for adolescents (and adolescent girls in particular).

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C): FGM/C is a deeply rooted cultural practice carried out on girls at very different ages in our research sites (ranging from early infancy to early adolescence). Our findings suggest that in Afar and Oromia, where historically the practice was more invasive, there appears to be a trend towards the less invasive sunna form rather than elimination of the practice.

Change strategies

In terms of programming and policy efforts, very little is currently being done to reduce corporal punishment within the home and within schools as well as peer violence, whereas there are some multi-layered efforts to address sexual and gender-based violence especially child marriage and, to a lesser extent, FGM/C. GAGE findings, however, highlight that tailored approaches are lacking to address harmful traditional practice in hotspot communities.

Policy and practice implications

Our mixed-methods research findings on the patterning of adolescent girls and boys perceptions and experiences relating to age- and gender-based violence, including harmful traditional practices, as well as current programming efforts to tackle such violence, point to a number of key policy and practice priorities as follows:

Engage with adolescents to address underlying social and gender norms that perpetuate violence: Directly tackle the social norms that leave boys at risk of age-based violence, including bullying, and girls at risk of sexual violence and harmful traditional practices, focusing on masculinities and beliefs about girls' sexuality (including those related to age at marriage and FGM/C) by expanding and strengthening attention to these topics into civics classes, youth centres, and other non-school-based platforms. Complement classroom-based approaches with the design and rollout of mass media and social media campaigns to tackle harmful social norms underpinning age- and gender-based violence, beginning with urban adolescents where mobile phone and internet connectivity is considerably higher.

Engage with parents and communities to raise awareness about adolescents vulnerability to multiple forms of violence and prevention and response pathways: Community conversations and messaging by health extension workers, traditional and religious leaders as well as Ethiopias new social worker cadre are needed to tackle corporal punishment in the home and at school, bullying and sexual and gender-based harassment and violence. Guidance for parents in the form of parenting classes, community conversations and media campaigns (in urban areas) could help parents of adolescents understand the risks their children face, become exposed to nonviolent parenting practices, and also how to report and follow up on cases of violence. It is critical that such community engagement efforts also highlight the risks of child marriage and FGM/C, especially the most damaging forms. Given considerable variation across and within regions in terms of the underlying drivers, perpetrator profiles, and age at which adolescents are most at risk of harmful traditional practices, care needs to be taken to tailor approaches and messaging to context specificities. This is important if the governments ambitious targets to eliminate child marriage and FGM/C by the mid-2020s are to be realised, especially given that our findings along with the broader literature suggest that social norm change processes are often complex and non-linear.

Work with schools to support non-violent classroom management techniques, backed up by anonymous reporting options for students and teacher discipline where needed. Parentteacherstudent association efforts to codify punishments should be reshaped to focus on the rationale for and practical guidance regarding positive discipline approaches.

Strengthen formal justice mechanisms by increasing awareness of and response mechanisms to age-, gender- and sexual-based violence as they affect both boys and girls within the police, prosecutors and judges, whilst simultaneously expanding the coverage, resourcing and mandate of local gender units to provide more specialist inputs. Reform efforts should engage with traditional justice mechanisms given their resonance at community level but be careful to avoid reinforcing discriminatory gender norms and local community cleavages, and to promote formal reporting and improved prosecution rates.

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Adolescent bodily integrity and freedom from violence in Ethiopia - Ethiopia - ReliefWeb

Raj Khosla

Borrowers who opted for the loan moratorium must be a worried lot as the RBI-mandated relief programme ends this month. The prospect of missing EMIs and reducing credit scores is giving them sleepless nights. Debt and stress are lifelong partners. Even in normal times, the burden of debt causes uneasiness, which takes the form of a mild discomfort for the financially comfortable to an overwhelming anxiety and fear among those with unstable finances. COVID-19 has added a new dimension by throwing pay cuts and job losses into the mix: quite debilitating!

The mixed use of debt

Debt can be both good and bad. Good debt should be embraced because it uses future income to create assets and helps build a credit history. Bad debt however, should be avoided, like the pandemic, because it steals from the future and misallocates precious resources to unproductive expenses. A high level of debt pushes an individual into long-term financial distress.

Good or bad, the best debt is one that is paid off comfortably and at the earliest. There are obvious benefits of foreclosing a loan. The longer it continues, the higher is the interest outgo. Investments build wealth for you; debt burdens you with interest.

ALSO READ:Loan moratorium: When interest compounding works against you

In the current situation, where stock markets are looking jittery and fixed income options are offering low returns, pre-paying outstanding loans seems like the best utilisation of funds. Bank deposits are relatively safer but the post-tax returns cant beat the savings from paying off outstanding loan. Keep in mind that a penny saved is a penny earned. For a loan at 8.5 per cent, every Rs 1 lakh you pre-pay saves Rs 8,500 in interest. If the interest rate is 12 per cent, for every Rs 50,000 prepaid, you stand to earn Rs 6,000 by saving on interest.

There are two broad strategies to get rid of outstanding debt: the avalanche technique and the snowball method. Both have the same underlying goal: achieve freedom from debt at the earliest. It is a great feeling that gives peace of mind to the individual. Let us examine the two methods in detail.

Triggering a debt avalanche

This method pays off debt by attacking the costliest loan first. Start by making a list of all your debts. Mention all the loans, including credit card outstanding, car, personal, education and home loans. Even loans from friends and relatives should be in the list.

Next, rank these loans on the basis of the interest rates they charge. Typically, credit card debt is the costliest loan, charging an annualised interest of 36-48 per cent. Paying off credit card outstanding should be everybodys top priority. Then comes other unsecured debt such as personal loans and travel loans, followed by car loans and loans for assets. At the bottom of the heap are tax-advantaged loans, such as education loans and home loans. These loans have a very low effective rate of interest due to the tax benefits the borrower gets on the interest paid. For instance, if an individual in the highest 30 per cent tax bracket takes a home loan at 8.5 per cent and claims deduction for the interest paid, the effective interest rate works out to less than 6 per cent.

Making a repayment snowball

The avalanche method gets rid of high-cost debt at the earliest. But while it makes eminent mathematical sense, the snowball method has a greater impact on the mindset of the borrower. The snowball method ranks the loans in the order of size and attacks the smallest loan first before moving on to the next debt.

This method may not be financially correct, but tends to click with a lot of borrowers. It is very heartening for the borrower to see a loan getting repaid in full. The sense of accomplishment tends to motivate her to save more. As the snowball gathers pace, all loans get paid off.

ALSO READ:Extension of COVID-19 loan moratorium - know the implications

However, there can be problems because some loans come with foreclosure penalties. Be mindful of the charges that you will be slapped with when you pay off a car loan or personal loan before the due date. Also, neither the avalanche nor the snowball will work if you dont stop piling up more debt. Theres no point in pre-paying a personal loan at 18 per cent when you have added more credit card debt that charges 36 per cent.

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Breaking the loan shackle: How to win freedom from debt - Moneycontrol.com