If there's one thing you'd think the Tories might have learned over the past ten years in government, it's that trying to reform the planning system will cause an almighty row. Under David Cameron, the party ended up in a bizarre fight with the Daily Telegraph and the National Trust over its plans to build more homes. Theresa May talked about reform but characteristically never quite managed it. But despite everything else that's going on for the government at the moment, ministers have rather bravely ploughed ahead with a huge planning shake-up which makes the Cameron reforms look rather boring.

Today's Planning for the Future white paper will change the way development happens, with land categorised as being suitable for Growth (areas suitable for substantial development of new homes, schools, shops, offices and hospitals), Renewal (brownfield sites and development in areas which are already built on) or Protected (green belt, areas of outstanding natural beauty, areas at risk of flooding and so on). Applications which conform to local design codes will get the automatic green light, and councils will have 30 months to develop local plans categorising land and setting out planning policy.

There is a big fight underway, but it's not with the publications and organisations that the Tories previously offended with their last set of big reforms. This time, it's architects, who have branded the proposals 'shameful' and have warned they could lead to 'slums of the future', and campaigners for more social housing.

The Royal Institute of British Architects is complaining that today's reforms don't stop two 'potentially dangerous pieces of legislation' which will come into force at the end of August, which allow development without planning permission in certain circumstances. They don't seem at all taken with the plans for design codes which are supposed to ensure homes are good-looking and fit in to the local area.

Social housing campaigners are warning that the decision to scrap section 106 agreement by which developers are forced to include affordable housing in their plans could mean a dramatic fall in the number of new social homes being built. The white paper proposes that section 106 and the community infrastructure levy be replaced by a new nationally-set, value-based flat rate charge called the Infrastructure Levy, which it says will 'deliver at least as much if not more on-site affordable housing as at present'. But it isn't very clear on how this will happen.

The white paper does tend to refer to affordable housing as a blockage to overall supply, but promises that 'we will ensure that affordable housing provision supported through developer contributions is kept at least at current levels, and that it is still delivered on-site to ensure that new development continues to support mixed communities'.

Now, big reforms always upset organisations working in a sector, which can end up being rather conservative about the way things are done. These complaints at consultation stage don't really tend to register that much with ministers, who have come to expect them. But what really undoes any reform and particularly planning reform is if Tory backbenchers start complaining about it.

The party at large has changed its attitude over the past decade, with much better recognition among MPs that they will struggle to convert younger voters to the Conservative cause if they fail to build more homes and make it easier for people to get on the housing ladder. But the emphasis on beautiful buildings in today's white paper, along with a continuing commitment to the green belt (which, let's remember, is not designated according to quality of land, but merely to stop urban sprawl) shows that the Conservatives haven't become that much more liberal on planning. They still need to stick to certain shibboleths. The question is whether ministers have done enough of that to stop yet another Tory fight about building.

Continued here:

Will Boris's planning shake-up end in another Tory fight? - Spectator.co.uk

WASHINGTON There's a move afoot to make the District of Columbia the 51st state. Supporters say they're working to secure voting rights for residents. Critics say it's all about empowering a radical liberal agenda while ensuring Democrats control Congress.

One thing is certain, each year tens of millions of tourists flock to the capital city each year from every corner of the globe. It's a one-of-a-kind place designed specifically and carefully laid out in the constitution.

Framers' Intent

"The framers wanted to have the seat of the new federal government independent of any given state," says Roger Pilon with the Cato who has twice testified before Congress about the implications of granting statehood to DC.

"They didn't want any given state to be disproportionately influential on the new government," Pilon continued.

Neutral ground to conduct the people's business and for people living in the district, Congress would serve as their local government.

"Taxation without Representation"

Today the push from many of the 700,000 residents can be seen in the streets through the revolutionary slogan, "Taxation without representation" that's displayed on district license plates.

Since they pay federal taxes residents want the right to elect their own representatives to Congress.

Latest Proposal

Making the district a state has been debated for decades and last month the Democratic-controlled House approved it. Every Republican and one Democrat voted no.

The bill takes the ten square miles of Washington, DC as specified in the Constitution and reduces it to an enclave around the National Mall that would remain under Congressional control.

What's left would become the 51st state called the "Washington Douglass Commonwealth" a nod to both George Washington and Frederick Douglass.

The measure is dead on arrival, at least for now, given the Republican-controlled Senate. President Trump also opposes it.

Playing to the Base

Since the majority of DC residents are black, Speaker Pelosi and Democratic leaders saw now as an opportune time to champion the issue. "You might be wondering why DC is not yet a state and it's actually a pretty easy one to answer. It is racism," says activist Meagan Hatcher-Mays with The Indivisible Project while appearing in a video supporting statehood.

However, opponents say the push for statehood is simply about political gain.

"This proposal is nothing plainly nothing but a Democratic power grab," said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) speaking on the Senate floor.

If representation is what residents what, they could push to return parts of the district to Maryland, which ceded land to create the district in the first place, but here's the rub that solution wouldn't allow for the addition of two new US senators.

Two New US Senators

"Our cause for statehood is certainly about making sure we have two voting senators to speak up for us and making sure that our congresswoman has a vote," said Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser at a press conference about statehood.

And since DC has voted for the Democratic nominee by 80 percent or more in the last five presidential contests, statehood would virtually guarantee two new Democratic senators.

"This is not about enfranchising people, this is about expanding a Senate map to accommodate the most radical agenda that I've ever seen since I've been up here getting more radical by the day," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in opposition to the legislation.

"There's nothing these people won't do to change the face of the country and we're tired of it. We're gonna fight back," Graham continued.

51st State Control over Federal Government

Under the House plan, the federal government would become dependent on the 51st state for essentials like utilities, snow removal, and fire services.

Pilon says recent Black Lives Matter demonstrations reveal how a DC state could possibly wreak havoc."One can imagine scenarios that would be quite uncomfortable for example if you had the District of Columbia with its own state government entirely Democratic and you had a president who was Republican in the White House you could imagine the temptation to, for example, withhold services that would be essential for the federal government. Now, potentially you could have the federal government assert its authority over this state but it would raise very ticklish issues that don't have to be raised now because the Congress has exclusive jurisdiction over the District of Columbia," Pilon explained.

If the Senate and White House flip to Democratic control, the measure will likely pass as Joe Biden supports it.

Pilon argues it would then wind up in court because Congress simply doesn't have the authority to make DC a state through legislation.

"Every Justice Department that has looked at this issue from the time when Robert Kennedy was an attorney general in 1963 has said that Congress has no power to do what is contemplated in this bill," Pilon explains.

That means a new amendment to the constitution would be needed which requires ratification by three-fourths of the states.

The last attempt came in 1978 when Democrats led Congress and Jimmy Carter occupied the White House. They passed a constitutional amendment aimed at giving DC voting representation in Congress.

By the end of the seven-year deadline, only 16 states approved ratification. Fast forward to 2020 and the most recent polling shows 64 percent of Americans still oppose adding DC as a state.

See the original post here:

Inside the Push to Make Washington, DC the 51st State: Representation for Taxation or Liberal Power Grab? - CBN News

The image of a small Midwestern college is one of quiet, peaceful campus nestled in a rural town.

Some now fear the global pandemic could silence many small schools altogether.

The coronavirus upended higher education this spring. Colleges had to lock down and refund thousands of dollars of tuition to students.

On the heels of financial struggles in higher education, the pandemic could land a death blow to smaller colleges dotting rural Missouri and Illinois. Over the past several years, economists have made dire predictions that many small colleges, possibly up to half, will go bankrupt and close in the next decade.

We get concerned about it. However, we've been fortunate that we see more folks wanting to be here, said Don Lofe, interim president at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri.

Through the Civil War, world wars and plenty of economic downturns, colleges like Westminster have continued to graduate students. But over the past two years, about a dozen small colleges have closed for good. Among them is MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois. After 174 years, the coronavirus pandemic was one punch on the chin too many.

School leaders argue they still hold a valuable position in the higher education landscape: a robust liberal arts education rooted in small class sizes, strong student support services and idyllic settings.

I still believe personally, and I think a lot of people do, that there is a need for traditional college education, said Dan Westhues, a board member at William Woods University, also located in Fulton.

Higher education financial experts are less rosy on the outlook.

Forbes magazine gives colleges letter grades based on their financial health. Numerous small schools in Missouri and Illinois earn poor marks. Westminster and Williams Woods get Cs. Culver-Stockton College, Hannibal-LaGrange University and Quincy University all have Ds.

These organizations are going to tell you We're going to survive, but they're not in large numbers, said Gary Stocker, a college administrator-turned-analyst.

Stocker worked at Lindenwood University and Westminster College before starting College Viability, a website aimed at tracking and presenting college financial data to worried college officials and curious parents.

And you see some really, really ugly numbers, he said.

Many of these colleges rely too much on endowment spending and alumni donations, rather than strong student bodies to pump in tuition dollars, Stocker said. They have little cash on hand and endowments too small to weather strong headwinds.

These small rural colleges are not profitable enough year in and year out to be able to have long-term viability, Stocker said.

Itll also be harder to promote the picturesque college experience if colleges have to remain locked down and there are no in-person classes or athletics another big recruitment tool for some small schools.

We feel we provide a unique experience, said Lofe, the head of Westminster. Many colleges are going to say that, but we've been able to demonstrate that with actions. For instance, athletics, the other experiences we have on campus.

COVID-19 also upended finances for colleges. Having to send students packing in March and issue refunds was a major expense. Federal aid programs enacted by Congress in the spring helped cover some of the losses.

I would just tell you this, we managed it well, Lofe said. Our college is very stabilized right now with respect to financial matters. But throughout the years, like many colleges, revenue streams have caused issues as well as the demographics that are changing, as you know, with respect to available students in the population to go to college.

Ryan Delaney

/

St. Louis Public Radio

Westminster College Board of Trustees Chair Jim Morton and Interim President Don Lofe on the campus in Fulton, Missouri, in July.

Fewer high school graduates and the growing sticker shock of a private college education will mean schools have to evolve or possibly die out.

I don't expect a mass extinction of small private colleges, but we may see several years' worth of closures in just a few weeks or months, so I wouldn't be surprised if a few of the small private colleges in the Midwest end up closing, said Robert Kelchen, a Missouri native and associate professor of higher education at Seton Hall University.

While Westminster boasts being around since the Civil War, Culver-Stockton College can brag that it survived a tornado shortly after graduation in 2003.

Douglas Palmer is the new president of Culver-Stockton in Canton, Missouri. Any big aspirations he had when he accepted the job in February, before the pandemic, may need to wait.

I would not expect that many colleges and universities in the area or even in the country are going to be doing a whole lot of hiring or investment in capital projects until we're through this crisis, he said.

He first must focus on maintaining an enrollment of 1,100 students and paying the people who educate them. I think it's been harder here, and I think it will continue to be hard.

Recruiting traditional students to rural pockets of the Midwest, even with appealing tuition discounts and scholarships, is getting harder, said Westhues, the William Woods board member. And so we certainly have seen that over the years, but I think that's actually kind of a decent thing because what it's forced us to do is be creative, and it's forced us to evolve.

William Woods is investing in online programs and degree completion for older adults. Westminster is focused on expanding recruitment and supporting students. It also wants to find a new niche, such as cybersecurity, that "will be a strong selling point."

But going after nontraditional students will have to balance with the core product.

"The liberal arts education gives you the ability to think, think just not analytically, but creatively. And those are words but they're really, I believe in those very strongly," Lofe said. "And I believe this type of education, this type of institution provides that."

Stocker and other industry watchers advocate for mergers of small colleges to reduce costs. Health care provides an example. What were once dozens of small hospitals run by religious orders around the region are now operated by a single hospital system.

Still, the worst-case scenarios many predicted for colleges and universities this fall so far dont appear likely. Some estimates this spring suggested fall enrollments would be down by up to 20%, with students perhaps choosing to stay closer to home or take a gap year.

But as of now Westminster, William Woods and most other small colleges say students are planning to return when campuses reopen this fall, even if it won't be for a typical semester.

Follow Ryan on Twitter: @rpatrickdelaney

Originally posted here:

Small Midwestern Colleges Have Been Through It All. Can They Make It Through The Pandemic? - KSMU Radio

With the Congress under attack from various quarters over what was seen by many as a subtle shift in its position on the Ram temple issue, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday rejected allegations that the grand old party was being "BJP-Lite" and asserted that Lord Ram is not the "property" of the saffron party.

Seeking to clear the air on what he said were "widespread misrepresentations" he had heard during the course of the day, Tharoor put out a series of tweets to spell out his party's stand on the Ram temple issue.

In his tweets, Tharoor also addressed those Muslims who say that they feel let down by the Congress and cited verses from the holy Quran, asking "who exactly betrayed you?"

"Not those who stand for an inclusive India, who have neither attacked you nor preached hatred against you," he said, addressing the section of Muslims riled by the Congress' stand.

Tharoor's remarks assume significance as they came after Indian Union Muslim League, a major ally in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, passed a resolution expressing displeasure over Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's statement on the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Ahead of the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony in Ayodhya, the Congress general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh issued the statement, hoping that the groundbreaking ceremony becomes "a celebration of national unity, fraternity and cultural affinity". Priyanka's remarks were seen by its allies, including the Muslim League, as a subtle shift in Congress' position on the emotive issue.

Several Congress leaders had also welcomed the "bhumi pujan" ceremony and hailed the Ram temple construction.

Former party president Rahul Gandhi said Lord Ram is the ultimate embodiment of supreme human values and can never appear in cruelty, hatred or injustice.

Hitting out at the BJP, Tharoor said, "Shri Ram is not the property of BJP. He is the ideal man whose image is deeply etched in the hearts and minds of millions. Gandhiji always sang his hymns and died with "Hei Ram' on his lips. He talked about a Ram Rajya where all would live in peace and prosperity. Can't let his name be hijacked!"

The universal appeal of Ram and Sanatan Dharma cannot be commandeered by those who chant either hymns or slogans, he said, asserting that Lord Ram belongs to all humanity.

For Hindutva, Ram is a God to be worshipped; for Gandhi, Ram represented ideal qualities that every person should practise and seek to emulate, he said.

"Let's be clear: @INCIndia was NEVER opposed to the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, but to the criminal demolition of the Babri Masjid. In 1989, Rajiv Gandhi ji allowed VHP to do shilanyas on non-disputed land nearby as an alternate site: At the same time it was NOT Rajiv Gandhi who ordered opening of the locks at the masjid, but the district judge of Faizabad who ordered the locks to be opened in 1986!!" Tharoor said in his tweets.

"Whatever you feel about today's events, the Masjid's demolition is a blot on our conscience. As Rahul Gandhi said in 2007, 'My father said to my mother that he would stand in front of Babri Masjid. They would have had to kill him first'," the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said.

Hitting out at some Left-liberal intellectuals accusing the Congress of being "BJP-Lite", Tharoor said many leaders welcomed the Ram temple after the Supreme Court judgement, but they did not instigate Hindus against Muslims.

"They did not make hate speeches against the Muslim community. They hailed the ideal Ram ji," he said.

"To those who insist there is no difference between the political parties in India, I ask: is there is no difference between those who would respectfully have come to an accommodation with the Muslim community on a Ram mandir, and those who, with rage and hate, destroyed the mosque?" the former Union minister asked.

Earlier in the morning, ahead of the foundation laying ceremony, Tharoor tweeted, "Lord Shri Ram epitomises justice for all, righteous conduct, fairness and firmness in all dealings, moral rectitude and courage."

"These values are much needed in such dark times. If they spread throughout the land, Ram Rajya would not be an occasion for triumphalist bigotry," he said, using the hash tag 'JaiShriRam'.

In a highly-anticipated event watched by millions on television, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the day laid the foundation of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The wait of centuries has ended, Modi said after performing the groundbreaking ceremony, made possible by a Supreme Court verdict last year that allowed the construction of the temple at the site where the Babri mosque was demolished by kar sevaks in 1992.

See the rest here:

Lord Ram not the 'property' of BJP: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor - Deccan Herald

A former LabradorMHA who took part in the search for the missing Burton Winters in 2012 says he hopes the search-and-rescue inquiry will help improve future operations.

Randy Edmunds, Liberal MHA for Torngat Mountains from 2011 until he lost his seat to the PCs' Lela Evans last year, said it's good the inquiry will finally be going ahead.

"Better late than never. There's so many of us that spend time out on the land and out on the ocean in this province," Edmunds told CBC Radio's On The Go on Tuesday.

"Accidentshappen, people do get lost, and this inquiry I'm hopeful that we'll adjust protocols, adjust procedures and have a plan in the event that something like this happens again."

Details of the inquiry into Newfoundland and Labrador'sground search-and-rescue operations for lost and missing persons will be released this fall, the result of a process that began in 2018 after years of advocacy following the Burton's death.

Burton, 14, died afterhis snowmobile becamestuck onsea ice nearMakkovik, Labrador.He had walked 19 kilometres before succumbing to the cold.His body was found three days after he was missing including two days before a military aircraft was dispatched to aid in the ground search.

"I think it was the missed communication, for lack of a better word, between provincial search and rescue and federal search and rescue protocols, and the confusion and the explanations that came after totally caused more confusion," said Edmunds.

"I'd like to say that this should not have happened, but it did, and some of the excuseswe heard as to why they indeed couldn't come up, these are the things that need to be addressed and we need to have a plan that's ready to be implemented, designed for these types of accidents."

Former judge James Igloliorte of Hopedale wasappointed to lead the inquiry last week.

Edmunds said there's no better choice than Igloliorteto take the lead.

"I think Jimmy Igloliorte is knowledgeableof the land, knowledgeableof the people andhe has the insight of communicating with the people on the coast of Labrador," he said.

Edmunds said withIgloliorteat the forefronthe hopes asearch-and-rescue plan can be developed on the national and provincial scale, but most importantly on the local scale, where search-and-rescue members have pre-existing knowledge of the area.

"Local is the one I trust the most. These fellows know the land, they know the environment and they always come forward in situations like this, above and beyond what they're called to do."

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

View post:

Search-and-rescue inquiry 'better late than never,' says former Torngat Mountains MHA - CBC.ca

B.C. Forests Minister Doug Donaldson has had an independent report on old-growth forest preservation on his desk since May, but it will be some time before it is released and longer before any of its recommendations are acted upon.

Donaldson appointed two experts to conduct the strategic review in October, with the forest industry struggling with poor economic conditions, the B.C. governments latest logging restrictions and continued protests calling for a moratorium on old growth logging.

Questioned on his ministrys $489 million budget at the B.C. legislature, Donaldson said the report is expected to be released soon, but that will be followed by engagement on the recommendations. The terms of reference require government-to-government talks with first nations before any decisions are made, which is expected to take several months.

Donaldson made a couple of things clear in his answers to B.C. Liberal MLA John Rustad. He isnt considering any change to the provinces definition of old growth forest, or a moratorium on old-growth logging for an industry that has seen steady increase in protected areas and restrictions on the Crown land base.

B.C.s definition of old growth is 250 years old in the Coast region, and 140 years old in the Interior. Overall, about 13.7 million hectares or 23 per cent of the total B.C. forest base is considered old growth, and 3.75 million hectares, 27 per cent of the old growth, may be harvested, Donaldson said.

Asked by Rustad if he is considering a short-term moratorium on old-growth logging until the report is considered, Donaldson responded: I have never used, and weve never used as a government, the word moratorium.

RELATED: B.C. has the most sustainably managed forests in the world

RELATED: Teal-Jones shuts down B.C. coast logging operations

The Coast region, which includes Vancouver Island, the Central Coast area designated as the Great Bear Rainforest timber supply area and Haida Gwaii, has 7.55 million hectares of forest, with 42 per cent old growth. And 33 per cent of the west coast region is protected or reserved, Donaldson said.

Vancouver Island forests are 73 per cent Crown land and 27 per cent private, much of it the legacy of colonial Governor James Douglas 1850s deal with coal baron James Dunsmuir to trade land for construction of the Esquimalt and Nanaimo (E&N) Railway.

A focus of anti-logging protests for decades, Vancouver Islands Crown forests are 39 per cent old growth, nearly half of which are protected or reserved.

The review was completed in January by Garry Merkel, a professional forester and member of the Tahltan Nation in northwest B.C., and Al Gorley, a professional forester and former chair of the Forest Practices Board that audits logging in B.C.

@tomfletcherbctfletcher@blackpress.caLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

BC legislatureforestry

Go here to read the rest:

What exactly is 'old growth' BC forest, and how much is protected? - Agassiz-Harrison Observer

Indias credentials as a responsible member of the international community faced a serious challenge in 2019, and continue to do so into 2020. New Delhi, long seen as a possible anchor for stability in Asia, plunged the region and the world in a territorial and religious dispute under the shadow of a nuclear war.

India did this by taking a brash unilateral action in Kashmir on 5 August 2019, revoking semi-autonomous rule in a disputed territory, and inviting Indian citizens a billion of them to throng Kashmir to buy land and turn roughly 13-million Kashmiris into a minority. And since India is predominantly Hindu and Kashmir is predominantly Muslim, this is a recipe for a Bosnia-style genocide that would drag in nuclear-armed neighbors Pakistan and China, and likely other powers.

The crisis is compounded by a communication blackout and nearly a million Indian soldiers patrolling the streets of Kashmir. Sporadic curfews have led to shortages in food and medicine. When the crisis began, it was so sudden it caught regional and big powers off guard. The world was busy in the Iran crisis, Syria, the China trade war, and fresh attempts at peace between Palestinians and Israel. Pakistan and the United States were busy making headway in an Afghan peace deal. The surprise Indian escalation in Kashmir threatened to derail Islamabads peace efforts in Afghanistan, and negatively impact President Trumps 2020 reelection bid.

If India keeps upping the ante in Kashmir, public anger inside Pakistan will push Pakistani leaders into a corner. Pakistan, the decades-old flagbearer of Kashmirs right to self-determination, has made it clear it will not allow India to annex Kashmiri territory and push Kashmiris out as refugees.

The Indian action triggered an unprecedented global reaction. This is likely the first time that Indian leaders find themselves at the receiving end of a global backlash, a situation they did not experience at any time since India became a country out of British colonies in 1947.

This is a stunning fall from grace for a country that was expected to play a role commensurate with its size, and where liberal values were supposed to foster a tolerant, constructive view of the neighborhood and the world. Instead, India is undergoing the birth pangs of a violent, segregationist, fascist ideology based on a twisted version of the peaceful religion of Hinduism. This new ideology targets Christianity, Islam, and Indias own underprivileged class of untouchables, the Dalits.

Behold the latest version of India: the worlds largest democracy is embroiled in the worlds largest military curfew and the largest communication blackout. This international dispute, simmering since 1947, is the worlds oldest pending conflict in the UN Security Council, preceding even the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which hogs the spotlight but is probably not as urgent as Kashmir at this stage, both militarily and in terms of the humanitarian crisis.

For all its international stature, India is unable or unwilling to maturely resolve a territorial dispute with a smaller neighbour. Kashmir has not been resolved mainly because Indian leaders will not sit down with Pakistan and work around an impartial UN-supervised referendum where Kashmiris decide their future.

Up until now India had hoped to ride out the conflict by stalling Kashmir peace talks, knowing that smaller parties Pakistan and Kashmiris cannot force India to come to the negotiating table. New Delhi uses this stalemate to its benefit to perpetuate the conflict.

India is not ending the war in Kashmir by choice. But India invites potential global intervention by stalling the Kashmir settlement.

On August 16, 2019, the inability of Indian leaders to resolve the conflict with Pakistan forced the international community to take baby steps towards what can become an international intervention in Kashmir. On that day, the UN Security Council held its first formal meeting on Kashmir in more than a half-century. Not much came out of it, but the die is cast.

This stunning setback for Indian diplomacy should have been met in New Delhi with introspection and a review of Indias policies in Kashmir. Instead, India protested international communitys interference in the conflict, in a move reminiscent of Milosevic after the Bosnia genocide and Saddam after the Kurd massacre.

More disturbingly, variations of the term The Final Solution are increasingly propping up in Indian public discourse, often coupled with condemnation of Kashmiris for their unpatriotic act of rejecting Indian military control.

Indias actions of August 5 have internationalized the Kashmir issue, and could force an international intervention at some future point if India fails to control the situation.

To be continued

The writer is a journalist focused on national security and human rights.

Twitter: @_AhmedQuraishi

See original here:

The worlds biggest land grab - Part I - The News International

Welcome to Election Live for August 6, bringing you the latest on election 2020 and other breaking news. For key dates in the election season click here. For all you need to know about the cannabis referendumclick here. For the assisted dying referendumclick here. Policy launching soon. Get in touch atstewart@thespinoff.co.nz

Jacinda Ardern has paid tribute to Winston Peters, as parliament officially wraps up ahead of the election campaign.

During her adjournment speech, Ardern thanked the leaders of her coalition and confidence and supply partners New Zealand First and the Greens. She also thanked her own party members.

When talking of the upcoming campaign, Ardern hinted at the fact there will likely be a bit of mud-slinging from her government partners. But, she said that in her mind, that wont diminish her the achievements from the past term.

About time Judith Collins thanks MPs during adjournment speech

Nationals leader has thanked her MPs for their support, joking that its about time she got to deliver an adjournment speech. She also paid tribute to her predecessors in the role, Simon Bridges and Todd Muller. Bridges, in particular, was singled out for providing an opposition voice at the start of this parliamentary term.

During a highly critical speech, Collins made it clear she expects to be prime minister after September, saying Ardern will soon be famous for being a one-term prime minister. She also hit out at the MPs in Arderns government, questioning why Phil Twyford and Kelvin Davis were so high-up the party list.

Finally, she called out Winston Peters for considering himself the handbrake on Labour and the Greens, calling him the enabler.

Winston Peters: I made the right decision in 2017

That was eyebrow raising stuff, Peters said, responding to a quite extraordinary adjournment speech by Judith Collins. The deputy prime minister said he made the right call choosing Jacinda Ardern in 2017, rather than forming a government with National. He also criticised some in the media for saying the government wouldnt make it through an entire term: they said we wouldnt last. Well, last we did.

We have got through by agreeing on most things or making compromise, Peters said, praising his partners in government for working alongside him over the last three years.

James Shaw: NZ First stop progress

Greens co-leader James Shaw has used his adjournment speech to criticise his government partner, New Zealand First and its leader Winston Peters.

Its always a pleasure to follow the right honourable Winston Peters Ill miss it. He also suggested New Zealand First should adopt a new slogan, saying: Labour will campaign on keeping New Zealand moving while New Zealand First will campaign on stopping it. Its a great slogan for NZ First: You can stop progress.

However, he finished his speech by thanking Peters saying everything that the Greens have achieved in government has been done alongside New Zealand First.

Shaw also said hed give National some false hope, saying that when he gave his 2017 adjournment speech the Greens were polling below the 5% threshold and yet on election night the result was much higher.

Hamilton City Council will switch to the single transferable vote (STV) system for the 2022 local election and onwards, its been confirmed. As Stuff reports, the 11-2 vote in favour of switching from the first past the post (FPP) system was made in a council meeting on Thursday. It followed a recent council that had 78.1% in favour of changing to STV. of which were in favour of moving to the system that asks voters to rank their candidates in order of preference.

The STV voting system allows for voters to rank candidates in order of preference.

Police say two thieves who tried to blow up an ATM machine at a Hamilton mall were armed with seven pipe bombs. The two suspects were caught on CCTV, but have not yet been found.

Hamilton City area commander inspector Andrea McBeth told media the explosives were unsophisticated, but that it was incredibly dangerous.

New Zealand has no new cases of Covid-19, the director general of health Ashley Bloomfield has announced. There remain 23 active cases, all in quarantine facilities.

It comes as the government announces a Rotorua-based field trial for its new contact tracing device the CovidCard. The bluetooth-enabled card would allow for close contacts to be easily identified, should a second wave of Covid-19 hit New Zealand. More information on the CovidCard is available below (1pm update).

Kiwis asked to add face masks to emergency supply kits

The Ministry of Health has updated its advice on the use of face masks. It is now recommending that households add sufficient masks for everybody who normally lives there, in preparation for a possible outbreak. There is currently no community transmission of Covid-19, so in the mean time there is no need for a mask to be worn in public, the health minister Chris Hipkins said.

But, he said that if our alert level rises, people will be required to wear masks in situations where social distancing isnt possible.

Bloomfield said masks are just one tool in the toolbox to help reduce the risk of Covid-19 being spread, if another outbreak occurs. He said adding masks to the overall toolbox is part of the ministrys plan to try keep us at alert level one. Bloomfield said hell be featured in a new Facebook video showing people how to properly use a mask.

The government has revealed a small scale trial of an alternative to its Covid tracer app will go ahead in Rotorua.CovidCard is a bluetooth enabled tracking device that would make the need for QR codes in contact tracing redundant.

The trial comes as the government is seeking to increase contract tracing options ahead of a feared second wave of Covid-19 in New Zealand.

In a release, health minister Chris Hipkins said effective contract tracing is a vital part of the governments Covid-19 response.

While manual processes remain the critical component for contact tracing, we know digital solutions can help make contact tracing faster and more effective. This is important from a public health perspective and also in supporting our economic and social recovery, Hipkins said.

The government funded a trial run by the University of Otago in conjunction with the Nelson Marlborough DHB during lockdown, digital services minister Kris Faafoi said. Now, a community trial will take place: After consultation with community leaders and iwi, we have selected the Rotorua region for a further trial involving around 250-300 people, he said.

There is no mention of how much this trial will cost.

The CovidCard is a wearable swipecard-sized plastic tag fitted with a Bluetooth chip. It sends a constant signal and picks up and registers signals from cards it comes into contact with. The card carries no personal information and requires nothing from the wearer but to remember to carry it.

Faafoi said the trial will allow the government to understand how the cards work in a real-world scenario, whether they are compatible with our contact tracing systems, and whether the public would accept and use the cards if they were rolled out.

Any decision on whether to deploy the CovidCard will be made later this year.

Its fair to say that no single technology to solve contact tracing has been identified anywhere in the world. Thats why we need to explore all available technology options, Hipkins said.

But, despite this, the government remains attached to its Covid tracer app. Hipkins said it will continue to be improved.

Read more: Despite its starry backers claims, the CovidCard is no magic solution

Updated

Police have confirmed they located several homemade explosives at the Chartwell shopping centre, in Hamilton. The explosives were part of an attempted scheme to blow up an ATM machine, located on the exterior wall of the shopping centre at its southern end.

A cordon remains in place around the mall, which is still closed. A comprehensive search of the shopping centre and surrounds is now underway, to ensure nothing of concern is left unnoticed.

Initial indications suggest two devices had already detonated before police were notified, with damage contained to the ATM and immediate surrounds. Earlier, locals in the area reported hearing loud bangs. No people have been injured.

The Spinoffs politics podcast Gone By Lunchtime is back for another week.

This week:The height of the summit for the National Party? A poll came out last week with Labour at 53%, and that was considered good news for Judith Collins and the Strong Team.

Annabelle, Ben and Toby assess the state of the race, as well as the Act surge and Seymourmania, the valedictory speeches, the state of social liberal thinking in National, the battle for Auckland Central, the Mori seats (which are up for grabs), and the Operation Burnham inquiry.

Read more here and subscribe here

Following the 2018 census, 35 electorates have been modified in some way ahead of the upcoming election. At the same time, theres also been the creation of a new seat Takanini. The Spinoffs new South Auckland editor Justin Latif has written about what it means, whos running, and who will be voting.

Heres an extract from his piece:

The name of New Zealands newest electorate can be traced back to a prominent Te kitai Waiohua chief of the 19th century, Ihaka Takaanini.

A significant landholder and powerful leader in South Auckland during the 1850s and 60s, he held the important role of land assessor for the Crown. His story ended in tragedy, however, as he was falsely accused of being a sympathiser with Mori rebels wanting to invade Auckland. Stripped of his roles and land holdings he was imprisoned without trial, along with his wife, elderly father, and three children. He would eventually die on Rakino Island in the Hauraki Gulf, never to see his home again.

Read the full article here

The killer of British backpacker Grace Millane is back in court today, appealing his conviction and prison sentence. The 28-year-old, who still cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty in November last year, almost a year on from Millanes death.

Hes appealing a life sentence, with a minimum 17-year non parole period.

There was criticism during last Novembers trial about the way in which victim blaming played a part in the defence case. You can read some of The Spinoffs coverage of the trial here.

A new poll this morning shows a majority of New Zealanders want our strict border measures to stay in place. The NZ Herald-Kantar poll shows 68% of those surveyed are happy with the current border policy. 29% think the ban should be relaxed, so long as those coming into New Zealand cover the cost of quarantining.

The results will sit comfortably with government, who yesterday passed legislation allowing for returning New Zealanders to be charged.

One of those who will not be in the 68% is former prime minister John Key, who yesterday told The Spinoff our border restrictions should be softened to allow businesspeople and international students into the country.

Reports this morning that a number of possible homemade explosives have been located at a Hamilton mall. Roads around the Chartwell shopping centre have been cordoned off, with the bomb squad alerted.

The bomb squad has been alerted of the situation and are now attending.

Well keep you updated if the situation evolves.

Its the final sitting week of this parliament, which means the government has been attempting to push through as many new laws under urgency as possible before the election campaign kicks off.

Yesterday, the legislation allowing the charging of returning New Zealanders passed. Later, new rental regulations passed into law. According to associate housing minister Kris Faafoi, the new rules increase the security of tenure for tenants and promote good-faith relationships in the renting environment. You can read a bit more about what it all means on The Spinoff right now.

The government has also tackled the issue of over-priced petrol. The Fuel Industry Bill does a number of things to encourage competition in the fuel market and hopefully drive down prices.

Finally, the government has also fulfilled one of its big promises from the last three years, by passing new vaping regulations. The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Bill regulates vaping products and heated tobacco devices. The minister in charge of this bill, Jenny Salesa, said its the most significant change to the Smoke-free Environments Act in 30 years. Salesa said it limits generic retailers such as dairies, service stations and supermarkets to selling only tobacco, mint and menthol flavoured vaping products, but specialist vape retailers will be able to sell any flavours from their shops and websites.

Read more: A landlord tells people to calm the hell down about new renting rules

First of all, its pretty clear that the top-line unemployment figure going down is a misleading picture of the state of the economy.Yesterday new figures from Stats NZ suggested unemployment was now down to 4%, which defied predictions, but of course it isnt the full story.The SpinoffsMichael Andrew has gone through the numbers, and found a big rise in the number of people who are underemployed that is, working less than theyd like to be. There has also been a fall in the number of hours worked, which suggests that many employers have responded to Covid-19 with tightening, rather than extreme mass layoffs.

A lot of the statistical quirks also have more to do with how various states of employment are categorised as well.InterestsDavid Hargreaves has looked at this, and noted that because of lockdown, some people were unable to look for work when they were surveyed because of this, theyre not technically counted towards the unemployment rate, even though they are not employed. He described the drop in unemployment as being frankly nonsensical.

And of course, for those unemployed it remains a really difficult time right now.Radio NZsCharlotte Cook has spoken to several people on the hunt for jobs right now, and its tough to get hired for the sort of full time position that would provide security. One person said theyd applied for about 200 entry level receptionist jobs, and got none of them back.

Read more and subscribe to The Bulletin here

The unemployment rate has dropped to 4%,but the number of people out of the labour force has skyrocketed.

The National Party unveiled its Wellington transport plan, which includes a second Mt Victoria tunnel.

There are two new cases of Covid-19, both in managed isolation.

The legislation for charging returnees has passed, with the new rules to come into effect mid-month.

Rob Fyfe and former PM John Key offered their thoughts on Aucklands rebuildat a conference following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gerry Brownlee asked whether the government is withholding informationabout the risks of a Covid outbreak.

Amassive explosion in Beirutleft countless people injured, and the death toll continues to climb.

Read yesterdays Election Live here

The Bulletin is The Spinoffs acclaimed daily digest of New Zealands most important stories, delivered directly to your inbox each morning.

Read more:

Election Live, August 6: 'CovidCard' - trial of tracer app replacement announced - The Spinoff

Adelaide Thursday July 30, 2020

Victoria has recorded 723 new cases and 13 deaths overnight and extended compulsory masks to all of the state. Welcome to your serving of the days breaking news from South Australia, the nation and abroad. Follow this post for breaking news through the day.

A man who had recently returned to South Australia from Victoria has become the states 449th confirmed coronavirus case, SA Health has revealed today.

Chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier today confirmed the new case, but insisted the man in his 20s who had been granted essential traveller status to cross the border had absolutely done the right thing he got tested and is now in a medi-hotel in isolation.

He is stable with mild symptoms after arriving back in the state on July 26.

He realised of course he needed to quarantine, and organised to go into a hotel and make sure he was quarantining safely, Spurrier told reporters, adding the case had one close contact who was also now in quarantine.

This shows that our system here in SA is working, she insisted.

I am very confident this is not posing any risk at all for South Australians but what it clearly does show is a very real risk in Victoria, particularly with a very high case number today [and] with that level of community transmission.

Spurrier said she was very, very concerned about the situation in Victoria, saying: I know many South Australians are seeking that essential traveller status so that they can go to Victoria and return, but Im urging all South Australians about any need to travel to Victoria at this time.

Victoria has recorded 723 more COVID-19 cases and 13 deaths, Australias biggest single-day numbers.

The deaths take the state toll to 105 and the national figure to 189.

Todays spike follows a fall in the number of new infections reported on Tuesday and Wednesday and is more than double yesterdays figure of 295.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the latest fatalities were three men and three women in their 70s, three men and two women in their 80s, and two men aged in their 90s.

The dire numbers prompted the premier to announce a ban on visitors for residents of the Colac-Otway, Greater Geelong, Surf Coast, Moorabool, Golden Plains, and the Borough of Queenscliffe local government areas from Friday.

Andrews also said the mask directive issued to residents of metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire would be extended to all of regional Victoria from midnight on Sunday.

These are preventative steps it will be inconvenient for some, but at the end of the day, keeping those numbers very very low is about protecting public health, protecting vulnerable people, protecting every family, he said.

The first of five Australian Medical Assistance Teams, which provide disaster relief in critical health situations, will arrive in Victoria on Thursday.

They will join some 1400 Australian Defence Force personnel already on the ground in the state.

Up to 50 nurses from South Australia will head to Victoria to help ease strains on the local health system from tomorrow.

A damning report by South Australias health complaints watchdog has found SA Health failed in its delivery of services to people with a disability in acute settings.

The Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner (HCSCC) today released a public summary about the investigation, which finds SA Health was in breach of the HCSCCs five guiding principles.

Commissioner Associate Professor Grant Davies said the investigation found that aspects of services posed an unacceptable risk to the health and safety of people living with a disability.

He began the investigation after receiving complaints about the provision of health services to people living with a disability in SA public hospitals and care facilities.

The evidence shows there was a failure in service delivery, Davies said in a statement today.

Every South Australian is entitled to have their rights respected when using a health or community service.

He said SA Health had accepted the findings and expressed concern over the failings.

The commissioner released a summary, but not the full report, produced by an independent expert.

The investigation covered complaints about the treatment of people with a disability in SA public hospitals and care facilities between 2015 and 2017, with the report finding the complaints were substantiated.

I find the systemic delivery of acute services by SA Health hospitals to people with disabilities to be in breach of the HCSCC Charters five guiding principles and three of the rights, namely Diversity, Decision making capacity and Genuine Partnership, the summary says.

I am satisfied, based on the historical evidence before me, the systemic delivery of acute services by SA Health hospitals at that time, posed an unacceptable risk to the health or safety of members of the public with disabilities and their family and carers.

However, I consider the various initiatives and actions taken by SA Health as outlined in this report are reasonable and will adequately resolve the systemic concerns identified in the investigation.

Premier Steven Marshall has defended a Liberal scheme to allocate project funding to target seats.

InDaily revealed yesterday that Marshall Government MPs had been briefed to formally submit a wishlist of infrastructure projects designed to explicitly target seats the party hopes to win at the 2022 state election with the process being overseen by outgoing Speaker Vincent Tarzia, who was yesterday sworn in as the states new Police Minister.

A Joint Party Paper dated March 2020 details a project understood to have been dubbed Project Wishlist which assesses infrastructure priorities in Liberal-held and target seats, to be unveiled in the weeks leading up the March 2022 election.

The scheme, labelled as pork-barrelling by Liberal insiders and the Opposition, appears to be at odds with Steven Marshalls vow that his establishment of Infrastructure SA to vet spending priorities would take politics out of infrastructure spending.

Infrastructure SA will end the current practice of Labor Ministers deciding infrastructure investment based around political considerations and replace it with decisions based on economic imperatives, then-Opposition Leader Marshall said before the last state election.

Speaking today, Marshall said the Liberal Government had always consulted with people in seats about what was important to them at the local level.

This is not new to political campaigning and we put all of those projects out ahead of every election, he told reporters this morning.

There is a big difference between projects that are promised in the lead up to the election and basically what occurred with Labor over 16 years in government where they completely neglected all of country SA and any seat that they didnt think theyd have a political opportunity in.

And I think, by contrast, I mean any reasonable person would look at our performance in terms of projects where weve invested heavily in seats that we would never stand a chance in.

Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas said it should be condemned, arguing: This sort of pork-barrelling is what drives South Australians crazy.

He noted a leak appearing so soon after the swearing-in of three new ministers yesterday, which followed days of controversy over parliamentary entitlements that prompted the resignations of three members of the Marshall cabinet on the weekend.

This internal division within Steven Marshalls Liberal Party really undermines the ability of good government to be delivering jobs in SA, Malinauskas said.

Read the full story here.

The expenses scandal has claimed another Marshall Government scalp, with Liberal MP Adrian Pederick standing down from his position as government whip.

Three ministers resigned last weekend, with the Legislative Council president also signalling a move to quit, as Premier Steven Marshall attempted to rule a line under the country member allowances scandal which has dogged the Government for weeks.

However, the issue continues to fester, with the ABC reporting last night that Pederick, who says he lives at Coomandook in his country electorate, also maintains a substantial home at Mount Osmond in the Adelaide Hills.

TheABC reportedthat Pedericks wife works as a teacher in the Adelaide Hills and that his children attend a school in Adelaide.

This morning, the Premier said Pederick had told him he would resign his position as whip a role that involves maintaining the discipline of party members in parliamentary voting and other business.

Read the full story here.

Adelaide Oval will host a neutral AFL match between Melbourne and North Melbourne on August 9, four days after the Demons play the Crows at the venue. Picture: AAP/Julian Smith

Adelaide Oval will host a neutral AFL clash due to border restrictions interstate.

The round-11 AFL clash between Melbourne and North Melbourne was originally scheduled to be played on Sunday August 9 at Hobarts Blundstone Arena but that venue was ruled out after Tasmania elected not to open its border to Queensland.

Melbourne play the Crows at Adelaide Oval on August 5 and will remain in South Australia in the lead-up to their game four days later against the Kangaroos.

The Demons are the designated home team for the round-11 match.

The number of dwellings approved fell 4.9 per cent nationally in June, in seasonally adjusted terms, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today.

Approvals in South Australia fared slightly better, falling by 4.6 per cent while private sector house approvals in the state fell 2.3 per cent.

The impact of COVID-19 was evident on dwelling approvals in June, said Bill Becker, Assistant Director of Construction Statistics at the ABS.

Falls were recorded in all states, and across both detached and attached dwellings.

The value of total building approved rose 7.3 per cent in June, in seasonally adjusted terms.

The value of non-residential building rose 17.8 per cent, while residential building rose 0.1 per cent. The ABS said residential building value was buoyed by an 11.4 per cent increase in the value of alterations and additions to residential buildings.

The State Government will extend its land tax relief scheme for residential and commercial landlords with tenants impacted by COVID-19 until the end of September.

Under the scheme, eligible landlords can receive up to a 25 per cent reduction on their land tax liability on affected properties provided they pass on the full benefit to their impacted tenants.

Impacted tenants may include, gyms, clothing retailers, medical and dental practices, motels and hotels, restaurants, cafes, beauty salons and hairdressers.

Eastern states authorities fear a spike in COVID-19 clusters following a quarantine breach by two Brisbane teens as cases spread to Sydneys densely populated eastern suburbs.

Queensland is bracing for its first community transmission cases since May after the 19-year-old girls returned to Brisbane from Melbourne via Sydney with the virus and have since visited a number of Queensland restaurants and bars.

They are under investigation for allegedly giving false information on border declarations and have reportedly been fined $4000 each.

Three people tested positive to COVID-19 in Queensland yesterday including the two teens, sparking a criminal investigation into how the girls bypassed mandatory hotel quarantine despite returning from a declared hotspot.

The pair returned from Melbourne, via Sydney, on July 21 and spent eight days in the community before testing positive.One of them is a cleaner at a school.

NSW yesterday reported 19 new cases including two in hotel quarantine.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will ban all visitors from Sydney from Saturday.

Im absolutely furious that this has happened, Palaszczuk said of the breach.

We need people to tell the truth we do not want a second wave here. We do not want widespread community transmission.

These two have been out in the community and hopefully it has not spread but time will tell.

Several European countries ramped up restrictions on Wednesday in a bid to contain rising coronavirus infections.

The number of new coronavirus infections in France rose by 1392 on Wednesday the highest daily tally in a month taking the countrys total number of confirmed cases to 185,196.

French health authorities said that, leaving aside the continuous decline of people in ICU units, all COVID-19 indicators showed an increase of the viral circulation.

Italy has extended its state of emergency, testing for returning travellers has started in Germany and Britains largest tour operator extended its suspension of trips to Spain.

Dutch authorities bucked the trend, with the government announcing on Wednesday it will not advise the public to wear masks because the evidence of their effectiveness was unclear.

US deaths from the coronavirus have surpassed 150,000, a number higher than in any other country and nearly a quarter of the worlds total, according to a Reuters tally.

Of the 20 countries with the biggest outbreaks, the United States ranks sixth in deaths per capita, at 4.5 fatalities per 10,000 people.

Only the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Peru and Chile have a higher per capita rate, the tally shows, with US deaths making up nearly 23 per cent of the global total of 660,997.

Brazils coronavirus outbreak has set daily records with both 69,074 new confirmed cases and 1595 related deaths, as the worlds second-worst outbreak accelerates toward the milestone of 100,000 lives cut short.

Meanwhile, Israels Health Ministry on Wednesday confirmed a daily record of 2104 new coronavirus cases the highest number the country has recorded over 24 hours.

More than 16.83 million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus globally and 660,997 have died.

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were detected in China in December 2019.

Picture: AP/ Evan Vucci

The US Government has placed Chinese-owned social media app TikTok under official review following previous threats by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to ban it

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says the app owned by Chinese firm ByteDance is being reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investments in the US (CFIUS).

The US administration has recently stepped up measures against Chinese tech firms, warning that these companies present a security threat.

TikTok is under CFIUS review and well be making a recommendation to the president on it this week, Mnuchin told reporters alongside President Donald Trump.

Were looking at TikTok, Trump said.

TikTok has insisted it does not share user data with the Chinese government and stresses its US-related bona fides, including its chief executive being a US citizen and its large operations in the country.

TikTok allows users to create short videos, often with some basic effects and music, which have become increasingly popular, particularly among a younger demographic.

Australian tennis player and world No.1 Ashleigh Barty has withdrawn from the US Open in a massive blow to the New York grand slam.

Not comfortable about travelling during the coronavirus pandemic, Barty is the biggest name yet to opt out of the August 31 to September 13 major because of the global health crisis.

My team and I have decided that we wont be travelling to the US and Western and Southern Open and the US Open this year, Barty said.

Get InDaily in your inbox. Daily. The best local news every workday at lunch time.

Thanks for signing up to the InDaily newsletter.

Follow this link:

What we know today, Thursday July 30 - InDaily

B.C. Forests Minister Doug Donaldson has had an independent report on old-growth forest preservation on his desk since May, but it will be some time before it is released and longer before any of its recommendations are acted upon.

Donaldson appointed two experts to conduct the strategic review in October, with the forest industry struggling with poor economic conditions, the B.C. governments latest logging restrictions and continued protests calling for a moratorium on old growth logging.

Questioned on his ministrys $489 million budget at the B.C. legislature, Donaldson said the report is expected to be released soon, but that will be followed by engagement on the recommendations. The terms of reference require government-to-government talks with first nations before any decisions are made, which is expected to take several months.

Donaldson made a couple of things clear in his answers to B.C. Liberal MLA John Rustad. He isnt considering any change to the provinces definition of old growth forest, or a moratorium on old-growth logging for an industry that has seen steady increase in protected areas and restrictions on the Crown land base.

B.C.s definition of old growth is 250 years old in the Coast region, and 140 years old in the Interior. Overall, about 13.7 million hectares or 23 per cent of the total B.C. forest base is considered old growth, and 3.75 million hectares, 27 per cent of the old growth, may be harvested, Donaldson said.

Asked by Rustad if he is considering a short-term moratorium on old-growth logging until the report is considered, Donaldson responded: I have never used, and weve never used as a government, the word moratorium.

RELATED: B.C. has the most sustainably managed forests in the world

RELATED: Teal-Jones shuts down B.C. coast logging operations

The Coast region, which includes Vancouver Island, the Central Coast area designated as the Great Bear Rainforest timber supply area and Haida Gwaii, has 7.55 million hectares of forest, with 42 per cent old growth. And 33 per cent of the west coast region is protected or reserved, Donaldson said.

Vancouver Island forests are 73 per cent Crown land and 27 per cent private, much of it the legacy of colonial Governor James Douglas 1850s deal with coal baron James Dunsmuir to trade land for construction of the Esquimalt and Nanaimo (E&N) Railway.

A focus of anti-logging protests for decades, Vancouver Islands Crown forests are 39 per cent old growth, nearly half of which are protected or reserved.

The review was completed in January by Garry Merkel, a professional forester and member of the Tahltan Nation in northwest B.C., and Al Gorley, a professional forester and former chair of the Forest Practices Board that audits logging in B.C.

@tomfletcherbctfletcher@blackpress.caLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

BC legislatureforestry

See the rest here:

What exactly is 'old growth' BC forest, and how much is protected? - Terrace Standard

New Delhi, Aug 5 (PTI) With the Congress under attack from various quarters over what was seen by many as a subtle shift in its position on the Ram temple issue, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday rejected allegations that the grand old party was being "BJP-Lite" and asserted that Lord Ram is not the "property" of the saffron party.

Seeking to clear the air on what he said were "widespread misrepresentations" he had heard during the course of the day, Tharoor put out a series of tweets to spell out his party''s stand on the Ram temple issue.

In his tweets, Tharoor also addressed those Muslims who say that they feel let down by the Congress and cited verses from the holy Quran, asking "who exactly betrayed you?"

"Not those who stand for an inclusive India, who have neither attacked you nor preached hatred against you," he said, addressing the section of Muslims riled by the Congress'' stand.

Tharoor''s remarks assume significance as they came after Indian Union Muslim League, a major ally in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, passed a resolution expressing displeasure over Priyanka Gandhi Vadra''s statement on the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Ahead of the ''bhoomi pujan'' ceremony in Ayodhya, the Congress general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh issued the statement, hoping that the groundbreaking ceremony becomes "a celebration of national unity, fraternity and cultural affinity". Priyanka''s remarks were seen by its allies, including the Muslim League, as a subtle shift in Congress'' position on the emotive issue.

Several Congress leaders had also welcomed the "bhumi pujan" ceremony and hailed the Ram temple construction.

Former party president Rahul Gandhi said Lord Ram is the ultimate embodiment of supreme human values and can never appear in cruelty, hatred or injustice.

Hitting out at the BJP, Tharoor said, "Shri Ram is not the property of BJP. He is the ideal man whose image is deeply etched in the hearts and minds of millions. Gandhiji always sang his hymns and died with "Hei Ram'' on his lips. He talked about a Ram Rajya where all would live in peace and prosperity. Can''t let his name be hijacked!"

The universal appeal of Ram and Sanatan Dharma cannot be commandeered by those who chant either hymns or slogans, he said, asserting that Lord Ram belongs to all humanity.

For Hindutva, Ram is a God to be worshipped; for Gandhi, Ram represented ideal qualities that every person should practise and seek to emulate, he said.

"Let''s be clear: @INCIndia was NEVER opposed to the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, but to the criminal demolition of the Babri Masjid. In 1989, Rajiv Gandhi ji allowed VHP to do shilanyas on non-disputed land nearby as an alternate site: At the same time it was NOT Rajiv Gandhi who ordered opening of the locks at the masjid, but the district judge of Faizabad who ordered the locks to be opened in 1986!!" Tharoor said in his tweets.

"Whatever you feel about today''s events, the Masjid''s demolition is a blot on our conscience. As Rahul Gandhi said in 2007, ''My father said to my mother that he would stand in front of Babri Masjid. They would have had to kill him first''," the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said.

Hitting out at some Left-liberal intellectuals accusing the Congress of being "BJP-Lite", Tharoor said many leaders welcomed the Ram temple after the Supreme Court judgement, but they did not instigate Hindus against Muslims.

"They did not make hate speeches against the Muslim community. They hailed the ideal Ram ji," he said.

"To those who insist there is no difference between the political parties in India, I ask: is there is no difference between those who would respectfully have come to an accommodation with the Muslim community on a Ram mandir, and those who, with rage and hate, destroyed the mosque?" the former Union minister asked.

Earlier in the morning, ahead of the foundation laying ceremony, Tharoor tweeted, "Lord Shri Ram epitomises justice for all, righteous conduct, fairness and firmness in all dealings, moral rectitude and courage."

"These values are much needed in such dark times. If they spread throughout the land, Ram Rajya would not be an occasion for triumphalist bigotry," he said, using the hash tag ''JaiShriRam''.

In a highly-anticipated event watched by millions on television, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the day laid the foundation of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The wait of centuries has ended, Modi said after performing the groundbreaking ceremony, made possible by a Supreme Court verdict last year that allowed the construction of the temple at the site where the Babri mosque was demolished by kar sevaks in 1992. PTI ASK ZMN

Disclaimer :- This story has not been edited by Outlook staff and is auto-generated from news agency feeds. Source: PTI

See more here:

Lord Ram not the ''property'' of BJP: Tharoor - Outlook India

Baltimore Sun Editorial Board Published 3:30 a.m. ET Aug. 4, 2020

FILE - In this Dec. 17, 2019 photo made available by NASA, engineers monitor a driving test for the Mars rover Perseverance in a clean room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. The robotic vehicle, scheduled to launch on July 30, 2020, is planned to touch down in an ancient river delta and lake known as Jezero Crater, not quite as big as Floridas Lake Okeechobee. (J. Krohn/NASA via AP, File)(Photo: J. Krohn / AP)

From writer H.G. Wells to filmmaker Ridley Scott, the possibility of life on Mars hassparked the public's imagination for generations. And if there ever was a time when a world could use a demonstration of the power of science, or at least a hopeful distraction, it is in the Year of Oh-My-Lord 2020.

Earth is caught not only in a raging COVID-19 pandemic but in an extraordinary rejection of the systemic study of the natural world. When a sitting member of Congress who openly defies social distancing norms contracts the virus and then blames mask-wearing for his fate, as Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert did, while a sitting president promotes videos of a woman who believes the coronavirus has already been cured (and warns about having sex with demons), as Donald Trump did, then maybe it's time everyone got back in the classroom for some remedial instruction.

Perhaps a NASA mission is just what the doctor ordered. Certainly, Thursday's launch was not as dramatic as aliens landing in New Jersey bent on destroying mankind or astronaut Mark Watney getting stuck on the red planet in the movie "The Martian" and forced to MacGyver his survival, or even the antennae rising from the back of Uncle Martin's head in "My Favorite Martian." But at least the Perseverance rover now headed to Mars is real and not fictional.

Its mission is to closely examine the rocks and soil beginning with the Jezero Crater while the companion drone helicopter Ingenuity hovers 15 feet above the surface to check out the challenges of the Martian flight. It's entirely possible Perseverance will uncover signs of ancient microbial life on Mars as it roams the planet.

It's not the first such U.S.-led effort (four others, Curiosity, Opportunity, Spiritand the original Mars rover, Sojourner, came before it) but it's the most capable, with the ability to drill and store core samples and ramble across the landscape for the equivalent of two Earth years. It's a shame that now comes the boring part.

Perseverance won't land until February. In movies, this is usually the moment where there's a montage of rocket hurtling clips interspersed with scenes of NASA personnel hunched over computers before a landing takes place about 30 seconds later.

Still, this gives everyone time to marvel at how human ingenuity and knowledge has reached the point where a remotely controlled robot stuffed with all kinds of technology, from lasers to drills, cameras and microphones, sitting on top of a powerful Atlas V rocket can be launched into space with the press of a button on a mission that will take years to complete. Isn't that amazing?

This isn't science fiction. It's a product of a Mars exploration effort decades in the making. And this time the United States is not alone.

Studying Mars is now an international effort, with the United Arab Emirates' Hope and China's Question to Heaven spacecraft already on their way, the former destined to circle the planet to study its weather and the latter to send its own rover to the surface.

Now, cut to the final reel and imagine if Perseverance discovers evidence of some one-celled organism that lived on Mars 3.7 billion years ago, when the planet was more habitable with a watery surface.

Fossils? Maybe not, but some trace of organic chemicals could exist. Will third planet inhabitants see such a breakthrough as the answer to the eternal question, is there life beyond Earthor as a fraud perpetrated by the liberal eggheads with their fake news co-conspirators?

Here's a good pretest: Is the person reacting to such an event wearing a mask to prevent the virus from spreading or still insisting that hydroxychloroquine is a cure so why bother?

Sometimes reality truly is stranger than fiction. Onward.

Read or Share this story: https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/opinion/editorials/2020/08/04/life-mars-science-affirming-mission-we-need-right-now/5571765002/

See the original post here:

Guest Editorial: Life on Mars? The science-affirming mission we need right now - York Dispatch

We may have one of the great constitutions in the world, but it means nothing if social justice still has to be attained, writes Somila Dondashe.

The preamble of the Constitution asserts that the people of South Africa recognises the injustices of the past and are therefore committed to the attainment of social justice forallwho live in it.

For all.

The South African Constitution has been hailed as a progressive document. In a society that threatens to be quite conservative, our Constitution stands valiantly. Bold in its inclusiveness, it is coloured in liberal ideas and cloaked in transformation.

Praise for the Constitution extends beyond our borders. Harvard scholar, Cass Sustein, called it the most admirable Constitution in the history of the world, and a US Supreme Court Justice hailed it as a "great piece of work that embraces basic human rights".

The presumption would then be that South Africans are reaping the social justice promised by this supreme law, but unfortunately for the majority of black people - this praised progression is a myth. Despite all the rights that stand attractive on paper, a simple look into the world's most unequal country informs even the biggest optimist that this document, alone, is simply unable to translate into the attainment of social justice.

Fetishisation of rights

The deification of the Constitution has led to what legal scholars such as Tshepo Madlingozi call a fetishisation of rights.

This glorification makes state actors act oblivious to the fact that the struggles that confront most black people today are still the same ones that they faced pre-1994. If one were to put aside the promises that exist on paper and look only at lived realities - it would be clear that black people still carry the burden of normalised social injustices.Umhlaba usabolile.

The prevalence of illegal evictions is one of these normalised social injustices. On the 1 July 2020, a video of a naked Bulelani Qolani being violently evicted from his home circulated the internet. The video shows the City of Cape Town's Law Enforcement dragging the 28-year-old man, who is naked and in full public view.

The City of Cape Town continues to conduct these illegal evictions despite the Disaster Management Act's prohibition of evictions during lockdown.

Apartheid's spatial planning and racist land and property laws have left many black people displaced and dispossessed. These laws entrenched socio-economic inequality through the common law. Legislation favoured property rights, thus private landowners could vindicate these rights through eviction processes without consideration of the occupiers' circumstances. Spatial planning meant that majority black people were deprived from formal access to land and housing and were relegated to the homelands.

Because of a host of legislation such as theNatives Land Act 27 of1913,Group Areas Act 41 of 1950and thePrevention of Illegal Squatting Act52of 1951; the majority of black people still find themselves on the periphery of human rights.

The residue from racialised land and property laws has left an unshakeable stench which has resulted in the right to housing being one of the most litigated rights. Today most black people still find themselves in undesirable living conditions, waiting for the longstanding promise of service delivery.

Disparities

The disparities between people's lived realities and the Constitution's promise of human rights are inescapable.

Section 26(1) provides that everyone has a right to have access to adequate housing and that the State must take reasonable legislative and other measures within its available resources to achieve the progressive realisation of the right.

This momentous right is a preventative measure against the system of laws that sought to ostracise black people from their own country.

Section 26(2) indicates that the State must take reasonable legislative and other measures within its available resources to progressively realise this right.

All arbitrary evictions are prohibited by section 26(3) and no one may be evicted or have their home demolished without a court order made after considering all the relevant circumstances.The Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Act(PIE) was enacted to give effect to section 26(3). PIE protects against the eviction of unlawful occupiers living on both privately and publicly owned land.

Despite these rights and an array of case law in support, poverty continues to be criminalised in South Africa as communities and individuals are frequently and violently evicted from places they call home.

The right to housing is an all-encompassing right.

As perGovernment of the Republic of South Africa v Grootboom, housing is about more than bricks and mortar. The right is informed and informs other rights such as dignity, privacy, safety and security and water. More than half of South Africa's population lives in poverty and it is probable that the housing crisis is at the heart of this destitution.

The rights exist and the legal jurisprudence is rich, but it often fails to translate into people's lived experiences.

In an article by Tshepo Madlingozi titledSocial Justice in a Time of Neo-Apartheid Constitutionalism: Critiquing the Anti-Black Economy of Recognition, Incorporation and Distribution,he eloquently states that poor black people fall on the other side of the promise of a new South Africa. Informed by a report by Abahlali Basemjondolo, Madlingozi refers to South Africans who have been excluded from the miracle of the transition as "The Forgotten". The Forgotten are excluded from reaping the benefits of basic human rights despite the legal jurisprudence which continues to develop in their name.

Grootboomjudgment

My first introduction to the Constitution and Constitutional law was in second year in my Public Policy and Administration class when a student was explaining the separation of powers doctrine and used theGrootboomjudgment as an example of a case where the Court reminds the government of its obligation to provide adequate housing, as per section 26 of the Constitution.

The case concerns Irene Grootboom who brought the application on behalf of 510 children and 390 adults who were rendered homeless when they were evicted from their informal homes situated on private land. The application was for an order which required government to provide the respondents with adequate basic shelter or housing until they obtained permanent accommodation.

True to the circuitous nature of the legal system; Grootboom died eight years after the judgment, still waiting for reasonable accommodation from the State. Today the judgment remains a powerful precedent for communities under threat of eviction as it implores government to be consistent with its constitutional obligations to provide adequate housing. However, the case's namesake died without attaining that socio-economic right. The case is an example of how the legal jurisprudence is enriched in the name of The Forgotten - who unfortunately never see beyond their deplorable living conditions.

The developing legal jurisprudence often conceals the fact that black South Africans are still confronted with the same issues which trammelled them during the merciless years of apartheid. Black people still bear the brunt of normalised social injustices and the promise of the Constitution is frequently offered as a panacea. It has been 26 years since apartheid property and land laws were abolished but the stain of displacement still lingers. Black people still exist on the periphery of belonging.

A day after Qolani's eviction video circulated, he shared the following words with a journalist regarding the matter:basihlisile isidima sam.

The have disregarded my dignity. Lowered it.

These fervent words lament the history of dispossession suffered by black people at the hands of a merciless State. It all comes down to the fight for dignity and

a fight for the attainment of social justice forallwho live in it.

- Somila is a postgraduate LLB student who has a blog where she writes on socio-economic issues.

*Want to respond to the columnist? Send your letter or article to opinions@news24.com with your name, profile picture, contact details and location. We encourage a diversity of voices and views in our readers' submissions and reserve the right not to publish any and all submissions received.

Disclaimer:News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24.

More:

OPINION | Who are the rights enshrined in the Constitution for? - News24

Seth Rogen has said he was fed a huge amount of lies about Israel as a young Jewish person, stoking controversy around the countrys sometimes fraught relationship with many North American Jews.

The Canadian-US actor, who attended Jewish camp and whose parents met on a kibbutz in Israel, said the fact that the Jewish state was created on land where Palestinians were living had always been omitted.

[As] a Jewish person I was fed a huge amount of lies about Israel my entire life, Rogen told the comedian and actor Marc Maron in an episode of Marons WTF podcast.

They never tell you that, Oh, by the way, there were people there. They make it seem like it was just like sitting there, like the fucking doors open.

More than 700,000 Palestinians were driven out of their homes or fled fighting in the 1948 war that led to Israels creation. Today, those families and their descendants make up around 5.6 million refugees.

Rogen and Maron, who is also Jewish, were speaking to promote Rogens new comedy, An American Pickle, which tells the story of a Jewish immigrant from the 1920s who falls into a vat of brine and wakes up in modern-day Brooklyn.

The pair talked and joked at length about Israel and also spoke about antisemitism, which Rogen said remains pervasive and prevalent.

I remember my dad frankly telling me, People hate Jews. Just be aware of that. They just do. And its honestly something that I am so glad was instilled in me from a young age. Because if it wasnt, I would constantly be shocked at how much motherfuckers hate Jews.

Zionists have pointed to the Holocaust and centuries of bloody antisemitism as evidence that Jews will never be safe without a state. Rogen, however, argued, you dont keep something youre trying to preserve all in one place.

Asked if he would ever go to live in Israel, Rogen said no. Maron replied: Im the same way, and were gonna piss off a bunch of Jews.

Lahav Harkov, a senior contributing editor to the Jerusalem Post newspaper, criticised Rogens comments on Twitter, saying they were made from a position of really, really great privilege and ignorance - if he cant understand why Israel makes sense to millions of Jews around the world.

Among Zionists, there is anxiety that North American Jews, who could possibly outnumber Israeli Jews, are becoming less supportive of the Jewish state, even as surveys often show the opposite.

The debate has frequently reignited after high-profile figures, often Jewish, express views that are highly critical of Israel.

Most recently, Peter Beinart, a prominent Jewish American political commentator, was both derided and lauded for commentaries in which he questioned whether he could remain both a liberal and also support the Jewish state while millions of Palestinians continued to be denied basic rights.

Follow this link:

Seth Rogen: 'I was fed a huge amount of lies about Israel' - The Guardian

Tokyo [Japan]: As North Korea and China develop new weapons that are harder to intercept through traditional methods, Japan is now looking forward developing new systems to head off missile threats in enemy territory.

Nikkei Asian Review reported that the draft recommendation approved by a team in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) does not specifically mention striking enemy bases -- a topic that has been debated since June, when plans to deploy the Aegis Ashore land-based missile shield were suspended -- but implicitly encourages Japan to develop such capabilities.

The proposal stressed the need for "integrated air and missile defense" capabilities to protect Japan as a whole at the same time as the current Aegis-equipped ships are unable to do so.

Nikkei Asian Review reported that the lawmakers urge continuing the "sword and shield" dynamic of the US-Japan alliance while creating a stronger overall deterrent against threats. They also called to improve Japan's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.

The proposal will reportedly be submitted this month to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government, thus, accelerating the National Security Council talks on several issues, including alternatives to Aegis Ashore and also whether to acquire enemy base strike capabilities. The officials will set a policy direction by September.

While adhering to its war-renouncing constitution, Japan seems to be now considering strikes on enemy bases in response to an imminent threat if no other options are available.

Link:

Japan looks forward to developing new systems to head off missile threats in enemy territory - Economic Times

The former Tanzanian president Benjamin William Mkapa, who died on July 24, was the countrys third president. He was in office from 1995 to 2005.

Born in 1938 in Masasi south-eastern Tanzania, Mkapa was a staunch supporter of the Tanzania African National Union, which won independence from Britain in 1961 under Mwalimu Julius Nyerere. His star rose steadily under Nyereres long reign from 1961 to 1985 as leader of the renamed party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi.

In addition to being editor of the party newspaper and establishing the national news agency Shihata, he served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Information and Culture and Science, Technology and Education.

Mkapa was thus an experienced communicator, politician and administrator when he entered the presidency.

Mkapas presidency is particularly significant since it represents the first phase of Tanzanian multi-party democracy. It was Nyerere who in 1991 opened debate on a multi-party democratic system for Tanzania. He saw it coming in the wake of developments in neighbouring Kenya, where multi-party democracy was promoted at an early stage by church leaders, civil society and the population at large.

His reported response in Kiswahili loosely translates to,

When you see your neighbour being shaved, youre best advised to wetyour beard otherwise you will have a rough shave.

Nyerere was a firm supporter of Mkapa and was instrumental in Mkapas party nomination to stand for the first multi-party election in 1995.

Mkapas government initially faced a gloomy economic position. This was partly based on global economic stagnation. It was also partly due to the previous governments lack of economic and institutional discipline. His predecessor Ali Hassan Mwinyi (1985-1995) had lost the trust of the international financial institutions which provided substantial assistance and loans.

The first main challenge for Mkapa was to enhance the discipline in state finances and stabilise the economy. The second was restoring confidence among donors by pursuing western-backed neo-liberal market policies. Having agreed to implement proposals endorsed by donors, Mkapa quickly won international trust.

The resumption of external development assistance was not enough to immediately spur the economy. During the 1990s the average annual real per capita GDP shrank slightly.

But during his second term it grew markedly. The main drivers included gold and gemstones, tourism and construction.

Mkapa also oversaw a period in which poverty levels declined, however slightly. Hunger statistics from 2005 showed that rural people were worse off than those of the urban population. His attention to rural areas, so important for Nyerere, grew only towards the end of his presidency.

However, instead of strengthening village and women land rights which the land laws of 1999 tried to do, he went for a top-down formalisation of individual land rights championed by the Peruvian economist deSoto.

Mkapa came to see property and business formalisation as a major priority of his government well aligned to international financiers who supported his government handsomely.

These transitions were unable, for the time being, to challenge village and smallholder production and land management systems. But they did create an opening for future administrations to attract foreign investors pushing large scale mechanised agriculture which demand land (mostly village) but provide limited employment.

Coupled with a decline in manufacturing, a rapidly growing rural population was left with limited exit options.

Thus, at the end of Mkapas term the challenge of a structural transformation of the economy that could redistribute growth and create sustainable production systems that could absorb labour and importantly rural youth, remained unresolved.

At an early stage, Mkapa sought to enhance the legitimacy of his government both domestically and externally by fighting corruption. His anti-corruption strategy laid out by the Warioba Report started in 1996.

But his crusade didnt result in significant change. Petty corruption linked to foreign business and investment appeared to decline. But graft linked to household service delivery such as health and water did not. In fact, the evidence is that corruption showed an increase during his second presidential term and beyond.

One area where Mkapas term saw important institutional, policy and legal development was the forestry sector. This is saw 8 000 registered villages and community groups managing 70-80 % of the national land on behalf of the state.Policies such as this opened a space for rural and village involvement.

Thus people could use existing institutions from below for the purpose of managing community and joint forest management for villagers own benefits. In a significant way, this was Mkapa trying to instil a democratic and participatory spirit in Tanzania.

After his presidency Mkapa was much sought after for his spirit of cooperation, participation and peace. He became an important mediator in conflicts across Africa and including the Kenyan post-election conflict in 2007 and the 2011 referendum in South-Sudan.

The graduate of Makerere and Columbia is rightly hailed by Kenyan and others as a peace maker and true East African and Pan Africanist.

For his people in south eastern and coastal Tanzania he will most certainly be remembered as the president who made real their desire for better transport, communication and cooperation in their part of the country. In 2003 the construction of the long awaited bridge the Mkapa Bridge - across the Rufiji river was finalised.

For Tanzanians maybe as a whole he will also be remembered as a president who continued and secured the path of peace and cooperation between and for his peoples. He was 81.

Kjell Havnevik and Aida Isinika jointly edited Tanzania in transition - from Nyerere to Mkapa. Published in 2010 by the Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala and Mkuki na Nyota, Dar es Salaam.

Read the original post:

Tanzania's Benjamin Mkapa: the peace maker, true East African and Pan-Africanist - The Conversation CA

As a state legislator, I prioritize economic opportunity for all Montanans and their families.

Key to this goal is equal access to public education and healthcare.

Recognizing that Montanans are assets who will build their own capacity and create upward mobility for the next generation, we must support policies that allow for homeownership, fair taxation, and a college education.

World War II Veterans were welcomed home with the G.I. bill supporting their education and home ownership. Now with COVID-19, there has never been a more important time to support policies that build the middle class and not lose sight of the American dream for all people.

We will get through the crisis of COVID-19 by listening to the leaders who are innovative, forward thinking and tapped into the latest research and science. Right now, scientists around the world are developing more than 155 COVID vaccines, and 23 are in human trials. Meanwhile, wholesale distributors and pharmacies are working around the clock to ensure they can reach every part of our state, building a web of providers able to span the nation, coast-to-coast.

Mike Cooney and Steve Bullock have had their shoulders to the plow responding to COVID-19 to protect the health and lives of Montanans. They never stop working. They put people before politics.

We need strong, experienced leaders like Steve Bullock and Mike Cooney looking out for us at this critical time and into the future. Please vote for Mike Cooney for Governor and Steve Bullock for U.S. Senator.

Representative Mary Caferro HD 81,

Follow this link:

Missoula and Western Montana speaks up: Letters to the editor for the week of Jul. 31, 2020 - The Missoulian

But as we know, history doesn't stay in one place. My new neighborhood, and playground, is built on a former cotton plantation.

Any other summer, this University of Florida college town would be buzzing with talk of whether the Gators will win the Southeastern Conference title. But with the revival of the Black Lives Matter movement, I can't ignore that the name of my predominantly White neighborhood invokes a dark history.

A word like "plantation" may seem minor in scope compared to other iterations of America's racist past and present, but what it represents is larger than the 10 letters that evoke slavery at worst and exclusivity at best.

What I deemed a welcoming community when I moved into it (despite its name), feels uncomfortably different to me after someone from my HOA posted on Nextdoor (which groups members into virtual neighborhoods based on their real addresses) about removing "plantation" from Haile Plantation as a consideration toward residents and visitors who are Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC).

The responses poured in. While the original post had more than 225 replies from Haile Plantation residents and those in nearby communities, subsequent posts regarding the name change added hundreds more.

"If you don't like [plantation], leave!" and many variations of "This is ridiculous to even be a conversation. The Instantly Offended crowd need to stop," were common sentiments from those content with the current name. As I wrote this, the very unofficial Nextdoor poll showed that a majority who voted want to keep "plantation" in the name.

One Black woman, who doesn't live in Haile Plantation, but is part of my Nextdoor neighborhood remarked on the original post: "Ask someone that's Black if it's offensive and then comment. If you aren't willing to do that, you are the problem and there is nothing me or the post can help you with. My 11-year-old Black son will not be playing outside or jogging through any neighborhood named a plantation, some people care about this and others have openly stated on this post they don't. And this is the America we live in."

What does this tell me? More White people who want to be allies need to speak up.

Retaining "plantation" on land that actually was a plantation 166 years ago is giving tribute to the Haile family lifestyle.

A startling number of responses quip with out-of-touch comments like, "As far as I know there are no slaves here anymore and the Union won" and "It bothers me that people are bothered by the name....can we somehow get rid of these people????? I was just fine with everything, I was at peace, and now some people want to make it ugly and unpeaceful. ...where there was no ugly before!"

One commenter mockingly suggested renaming Haile Plantation to Haile Revisionist, echoing other replies stating that changing the name changes history. While I admit that without the "plantation" in Haile Plantation, I may have overlooked its history when I moved here, I can understand that not everyone wants a reminder of slavery every time they drive home.

Claiming it's only a name doesn't mean that this name isn't toxic to someone else. And to think that Black Americans are going to forget the history of slavery without the word "plantation" stamped on it is downright ignorant.

This Nextdoor blowup suggests that the outrage has little or nothing to do with the name itself. It's really about an unwillingness to look through a different lens. The true litmus test for the folks who don't see an issue with retaining the word "plantation" is to flip the matter to something that affects their heritage.

Would a Jewish family feel comfortable settling in Hitler Homes? Would Russians sign up to live in Communist Commons? Would die-hard Gators fans consider a home in Seminoles' Village? Are these examples unrealistic and extreme? Yes. But that's the point.

It is easy to see that denying service to a person of color is racist, that eyeing a Black shopper with skepticism is racist, but glossing over words that seem innocuous but can feel like a splinter that nags every time you turn into a neighborhood or send your kid outside to play is also racist.

Words are triggers and "plantation" is pretty much synonymous with the antebellum South and its slavery roots. The woman who first posted about changing the Haile Plantation name on Nextdoor is not alone in her endeavor.

With all the social media attention on Nextdoor, my HOA formed an exploratory committee of volunteers to feel out whether its 1,500-plus residents care enough about the "plantation" dispute to put it to a vote, or if it's a fleeting issue soon to be forgotten. At any rate, between tallying surveys and other HOA bureaucracies, the Haile Plantation name change question isn't likely to be answered any time soon.

It's easy to ask of someone like me: Well, if you don't like it, why are you living there? Yes, I could move to another neighborhood, but I also want to make this neighborhood, and neighborhoods like it, live up to their promise of true community.

We cannot move forward and teach our kids about diversity and inclusion if we are pushed out by bullies who say things like, "Deal with it or move up North where all the riots are." I am staying. It's time to make a monumental change and remove "plantations" from our neighborhoods.

Real change doesn't happen in a vacuum. Neighbors across all communities must keep this conversation alive -- at book clubs and bars, on Facebook and on FaceTime.

Originally posted here:

What my Nextdoor neighbors don't get about the word 'plantation' - CNN

by Charlie Barber | .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Last Word | August 2nd, 2020

optimism (assumed) we were living in a new world order and a new economy that would growbringing a prosperity of which every new increment would be unprecedentedThe developed nations had given to the free market the status of a god, and were sacrificing to it their farmers, farmlands and rural communities, their forests, wetlands, and prairies, their ecosystems and watersheds. They had accepted universal pollution and global warming as normal costs of doing business. Wendell Berry, In the Presence of Fear, II, IV

WhatHanna Arendt meant by totalitarianism was not an all-powerful state, but the erasure of the difference between private and public lifeDuring the campaign of 2016, we took a step toward totalitarianism without even noticing by accepting as normal the violation of electronic privacyRather than reporting the violation of basic rights, our media generally preferred to mindlessly indulge the inherently salacious interest we have in other peoples affairsWe can try to solve this problemcollectively, by supporting, for example, organizations that are concerned with human rights.- from Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny, #14

It is impossible to over estimate the consequences of American ignorance on world affairs. - Salman Rushdie to Edward Said, 1986

The countries that top the rankings of COVID-19 deaths globally are not the poorest, the richest or even the most densely populated. But they do have one thing in common: They are led by populist, mold breaking leadersthe disruptive policies of populists (Trump in U.S.; Boris Johnson, U.K.; Bolsonaro, Brazil; Modi, India; Obrador, Mexico) fare poorly (in the pandemic) compared to liberal democratic models in countries like Germany, France and Iceland in Europe, or South Korea and Japan in AsiaPopulist politics makes it very difficult to implement rational policies that really resolve the issue or at least manage the crisis more effectively. - John Daniszewski, AP/Bismarck Tribune, July 24, 2020

Realists(fail) to appreciate the power of illusion in human affairs especially when it acquires the force of myth. R.G.L. Waite, The Psychopathic God: Adolf Hitler

A fail safe system (like The Department of Homeland Security)(can) destroy all others.- (Amended) Murphy

Unlike Facebook, (Tik Tok) collects little data about users, and its quick exit from Hong Kong shows that it is not ready to be a tool of Chinas government.Tik Tok became a global phenomenon because it is less filled with hate and disinformation, and genuinely funnier than most other platforms. Tae Kim, Bloomberg.com; The Week

Mike Pompeo wants to know: Who is Chinas Stephen Miller for the Uighurs?His boss needs tips.- Kim Dog Un

Who are the Nazis in your neighborhood? - Dirty Bird - Big Birds undercover, feathered fiend

In the nut house that is the White House, the liar tweets tonight, about injuries his fragile ego suffers from ungrateful citizens, who prefer his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, by double- digit margins in States Republicans thought they owned.His populist, anti-establishment mantras, mixed with unprecedented incompetence, have produced chaos in a people who voted in 2016 for better, not worse.Trumps nod to centuries old racism produced overwhelming white support for Black Lives Matter.His nod to millennia of misogyny has produced the spectacular takedown of neanderthal Congressman Ted Yoho (R-FL), and his fellow Republican sexists, by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), on behalf of all women, and the rising number of men who dare to think of women as equal in every way.

Trump is also stung by the reality of Covid-19 and the hilarity of TikTok, an Al Jazeera for teenagers, punking him over poor crowds in Tulsa, OK.So he pitches Dr. Fauci on masks, distancing, and hygiene, while the latter is honored by Major League Baseball, far better funded for Covid at their own expense, than Trump has supported the country with Federal funds.

Meanwhile, Trumps Gangsta AG, Bill Barr, grim guru Stephen Miller of Concentration Camps For Kids of Color fame, and temporary, national cops, plot frantic strategies.Their mission?Turn walls of moms and big city Mayors Trump has refused to aid in the pandemic, into terrorist leaders among the minds of his dim bulb followers in the boondocks. He also announces a surge in Federal police, threatening to impose Vladimir Putins methods of governance on the United States Constitution and the vast majority of American people, who still believe that their local sovereignty matters, like black lives, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

I live in those boondocks, and most people here dont bother themselves with Trumps nonsense, except if they, alas, tune in to FOX News, or worse.A few enthusiasts were visible at a Trump Table in Mandan last week, festooned with Trump flags, one of a Rambo-like Trump, brandishing a lethal big ass weapon. What was more disturbing was to hear from my friend, Real Live Lena, who saw a car marked Federal Police parked and pointed at one of Bismarcks busiest roads.I rushed home to ask my KGB canine friend Lena and her colleagues whether Trump was planning to dominate the mean streets of Bismarck and Mandan, ND.

High Plains Reader:No car marked Federal Police has ever been spotted out here before.Whats going on?The Trump/Rambo table in Mandan is only a block away from a statue of Teddy Roosevelt.Surely they are not insane enough to think we care to tear that thing down.

Lena:Theyre insane enough to tear gas a wall of moms, the Portland, OR, Mayor, and beat up on a peacefully assembling, Navy Veteran.Welcome to Orwells Third World borderlands!

Portlands Dads, as a legion of leaf blowers, may be enough for Trump to declare martial law.

Rasputin:Nah.Its just the Traveling Trump Show, spreading terror for the hell of it on the road to their next episode of the Donalds Reality TV version of Strongman Democracy. Putin:Actually, its policy, not insanity.Its not the first time government agents initiated violence and then blamed their targets. Trumps feeble memory is being coached by Vlad Putin on those secret phone calls, after all. Trumps Badass Barrister is his enforcer.Barrs tardy, artful dodging before the House on July 28, was not from respect for Congress, but to give Trumps DOJ time to provoke violence that could help his Law n Order Shtick for the Fall election.Its what dictators and their henchmen do all the time. Donald gets that part.

Schickelgruber:Barrs postponed House appearance also gave time for willing executioners like (Congressman) Jim Jordan (R-OH) to put together creative, Agitprop film clips for an anti Joe Biden campaign ad, masquerading as evidence of how much trouble there was in River City (ie. Portland).The 7 minutes+ duration was painfully close to the elapsed time of George Floyds murder in Minneapolis by the kind of cops not needed at any level of law enforcement.

Chicago Dog:As the Jacksonville, FL fiasco shows, Trump and the RNC cant organize a piece of crap, but Bill Barr is another matter.Hes almost as good a liar as (former White House Press Secretary) Sarah Huckabee Sanders.Trump?Not so much. His M/O is: Bluff and fake being in charge. Good for campaign rallies, but not for running a government.Covid-19 shows that.

Headless Horseman:Thats why conservative, Federalist principles at State and Local levels are utilized by liberal Democratic Mayors and Governors, and any Republicans, not terrorized by Trump populist, Know Nothing, Republican Party manifestos of arbitrary federal government.

Kim Dog Un:And while it makes sense from a Cold War perspective for Sec. of State Mike Pompeo to close down the Chinese Consulate in Houston, before they pirate vaccine information like they have done with so much U.S. intellectual property, it might not benefit the U.S. or the world that much, if a successful vaccine is developed here during Trumps gangster Presidency.

Corporal Kangaroo:Barrs competence is more dangerous than Trumps malevolence, especially if added to Trumps penchant for bullying and blackmail.It might be a bad scene.

Seor Perro:Trump blackmailed Puerto Rico over hurricane relief, because he doesnt like Puerto Ricans in general.He blackmails Blue State Governors over PPE, specifically, because he doesnt like Democrats.He blackmails Mayors, especially those of color, who stand up for their cities.Hell hoard a vaccine from the rest of you, for his people, for sure.

Alter Goat:With pandemic, economic crisis, and new Cold Wars, Americans face a dictatorial President and enslaved Republican Party: unleashing racism and misogyny in harrowing waves.But democracy is pushing back; with women and people of color, all over your Federal system, backed by critical masses of white folks, fed up with old divisive ways.If you stick, youll win!

Mr. Swamp Fox:Things must be bad for his boss, if AG/Advance Man Bill Barr is showing his cards this early in the Presidential cycle, when folks are switching their TVs to Major League Baseball, the NBA, and the WNBA, and fretting over school cancellations amid the Covid crisis.

Prudence Possum:The rising policy swamp engulfing the White House is yielding some interesting talk.I overheard Barr chewing out Trumps terrible temps, for unsubtle application of Trumps wish to dominate streets of blue America: Acting DHS Secretary, Chad Wolf, and Deputy DHS Secretary and Acting Director of Citizenship and Immigration Services (aka. Department of concentration camps/borderland storm troopers) Ken Cuccinelli.

B-6th power:Whats the matter with you?Our job is to give Trump illusions of power in what we do, but (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) owns the Budget. Tear gassing Mayors?

Ken (Front Man) Cuccinelliortlands Ted Wheeler is not a Republican Mayor. Bullying of Democrats and liberals is popular with Trumps base, who like bloodshed if its not their own.

B-6th power: What base?Remaining simpletons in Red areas of the country, trying to kill themselves off?Is Covid-19 not real enough for you?Trumps ratings on the pandemic are worse than a pedophile Priests on child-care.Millennials, and their moms in cities, suburbs, and even the boondocks, dont fall for what worked under Nixon, Reagan and the Bushes. You dont have to clean up your act, but you do have to be kinder, gentler thugs, like Kelly Ann Conway.

Chad (Wolf Man) Wolf:Kelly Ann cant get her husband (Lincoln Projects George Conway) locked up anymore than I can keep my neighbors from outing me as one of your human rights deniers and a blight on their real estate values.And you couldnt keep Michael Cohen in the slammer.So much for intimidation -- Who are you to talk?

B-6th power:At least I made the effort.Unfortunately, my Ukraine/Benghazi ploy to slander Joe Biden hit a snag.(Majority Leader) Moscow Mitch had many nasty tools in his dirty Senate pet tricks box, but he had to pick a wedge like (Senator) Ron Johnson (R-WI) to run the show.

KFC & Wolf Man:A wedge?

B-6th power:The simplest tool in the world.All this lying is not going well, I must admit.

KFC & Wolf Man:It used to be so easy, to lie and cheat like hell.When did Americans wake up; demand a show and tell.Who did this to us Bill?Why cant we bluff as old?We cant admit were wrong, or were left in the cold.

B-6th power:Look in the mirror, morons! And see what Trump hath wrought.He always uses weakness; its we who have been bought.If I really had an answer, Id give it to you now; But those who have been plowing, are soon to feel the plow.

Prudence Possum:If that bunch were not so evil, it might be possible to sympathize with their unenviable position; caught between a madman President, and a mad-as-hell electorate. The only thing I would bet on would be that Bill Barr is frantically maneuvering to save himself, and the devil take the hindmost, although he may keep up his Trump defender persona to the end.

Ms. Recovering Republican Lap Dog:A revolution of family values is taking place all over America, as a result of the challenges of the Covid virus.Whether on zoom, or in quiet conclaves without electronic access, families are spending more time discovering each other in myriad ways.Homeless folks, Black Lives Matter demonstrators, white folks who never before had to line up for food banks, are discovering a family of mankind in their misery, but also in their daunting, courageous, daily struggles to maintain themselves.American politics is being reshaped as a result, inexorably challenging some of our age-old undemocratic demons.

Omar Khayyam:There is plenty of frustration among the hardest hit, and even some violence not initiated by the Trump White House for the TV cameras.But the silent majority this time is not listening to Trumps Richard Nixon/George Wallace redux law and order demagogy.They are listening, instead, to the measured wisdom of the late John Lewis and C.T. Vivian, echoed in the themes of Reverends William Barber and Al Sharpton, to make good trouble and practice, as well as preach non-violence.National polls reflect this in every corner of the land.

Seor Perro:Appearances of former Vice President, Joe Biden with former President Barack Obama are heartening: a return to responsible government in 2021, but with officials who reflect America in its myriad colors and genders, in a renewed resolve for a more perfect union.

Chicago Dog:One defeats power plays as lies: the big lie (Hitler); multiple untruths (McCarthy) or serial lying (Trump) with power plays of truth (Dr. Fauci; Governors Hogan [R-MD] and Whitmer [D-MI]), and constant vigilance, prior to, during, and after each and every election.

Prudence Possum:The bad guys know this.Bill Barr has done a great job of destroying U.S. Criminal Justice at the top, but he hasnt cracked the Judiciary, or lower Federal, State and Local authorities, who loathe Barrs imposition of fascist principles of justice.His acolytes, KFC, Wolf Man and other Trump terrorists are themselves terrified.Republicans are doomed unless they shut down the election process in all 50 States, but they havent a clue about how to pull it off, short of all out war on the American people.My alligator friends found their lament

Lullaby of TrumplandThe Terrified TempsTheyre on the road again to see if theyCan terrorize the people to give in;And hand our Donald Trump his biggest winAgainst the libs and laws that block his sway.

We know his bluff is called in all the portsOur phony circus tries to land a punchFor Putins way governance and launchA world made safe for tyrannies of sorts.

Our boys are up against democracyDeployed by young and old, and White and Black;Brown, Yellow, Red and female, we must say;In numbers and sophisticated gleeAt our discomfort, and our blatant lackOf courage, brains, or plans to win the day!

Link:

Trump and Barr Dominate The Streets of Ignorance - High Plains Reader

American Charles Emch and his Canadian partner Danielle Larocquewho's dying of cancer were separated by border restrictions due to COVID-19, but about nine hours after CBC News reported their story, they saythey'll soon be reunited.

Larocque, 67, has terminal uterine cancer and has been told she has less than a year to live.Her one wish was to reunite with her Americanfianc before it wastoo late."I really, really miss him," said Larocque, who lives in Ottawa.

The couple doesn't have the typical required documentation to prove their common-law status that wouldallowEmch, who is 81 and livesin Pompano Beach, Fla.,to come to Canada.So Larocque's family compiled evidence of the couple's relationship, including photos, a shared phone bill and a written history of their time together since 2015.

On Monday, Emch showed up at the border with the documents, which includedhis quarantine plan and Larocque's medical records.

He said it was enough to convince a border office to allow him to enter Canada.

"I was elated," he said. "We have hopes that we are going to be able to spend some quality time together."

Emch will see Larocque in two weeks after he finishes his two-week quarantine at an Airbnb rental.

"It was a total roll of the dice," said TaraVidosa, Larocque's daughter."I really think [Emch] just got, like,a very down to earth, compassionate agent.

"Perhaps the agent saw the [CBC News]article this morning," she added.

The couple had beenkept apart because of border restrictions implemented to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Canada has banned foreigners from entering the country for non-essential travel. On top of that, the U.S. land border is closed to Canadian visitors. Canadians can still fly to the U.S., but Larocque is unable to flydue to her ill health.

The couple had daily Facetime calls, but wanted to be together in person.

"It's important that I come now," said Emch, "because of how fragile her life is."

The federal government recently revised its rules to allow foreigners to visit immediate family in Canada, including spouses and common-law partners.

But Larocque and Emch didn't believethey fit the criteria.

To qualify as common-law, couples must have lived together for at least one year and havedocumentationto prove it, such as a lease or mortgage agreement that shows a shared address.

Larocque and Emch saidthey'vebeen together for five years, but have split their time between each of their own homes in Ottawa and Pompano Beach,so they don't have paperwork showing a shared residence.

The couple did get engaged by phone earlier this month, but they can't get married until they're reunited.

Heartbroken and outraged by her mother's situation, Vidosaearlier this month contactedLarocque'sMP, Liberal Marie-FranceLalonde, requesting a special exemption forEmchto enter Canada.

Lalonde told CBC News last week that she was trying to help the couple.

"Unfortunately, this couple does not exactly fit the definition of ... common-law," she said. "I really would like to find a solution and I believe our government will try to find a solution."

But a spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Bill Blair gave no indication that the government wasworking on a solution.

"Our hearts are with Ms. Larocque during this unimaginably difficult time," said the spokesperson in an email to CBC News last week. The email went on to explain that Canada's stringent travel restrictions are necessary "to keep Canadians safe."

Vidosa isthrilled that Emch will soon be reunited with her mother, but says her work isn't done. That's because she wants the federal government to revise its rules so that more families separated by theclosed Canadianbordercan be reunited.

"It's absolutely heartbreaking what's happening, so we're going tokeep fighting the good fight."

Watch | Son and mother kept apart by U.S.-Canada border restrictions:

The grassroots group Advocacy for Family Reunification at the Canadian Border which includes hundreds of separated family members has been lobbying the government since June to expand its immediate family exemptions to include all committed partners and adult children. Currently, only dependent children qualify.

"Even as an adult child, if I was living in the states, I couldn't come see my mom in her last days," said Vidosa. "I would flip."

Earlier this month,CBC News reportedthe plight of AmericanTimothy Martin House who lives in New York City. As an adult child, he can't cross the border to visit his sick, 85-year-old mother in Toronto.

"You should be by your mother's side at this stage, and I can't get over there," said Martin, 61.

The Public Health Agency of Canada told CBC News it's currently reviewing its definition of immediate family, while still keeping in mind the risks posed by international travel during the pandemic.

See the rest here:

Canadian woman dying of cancer will be able to reunite with American fianc - CBC.ca