Results from golf league play around Polk County through June 7 with format, date, event and winners by flight or class in alphabetical order.

Big Cypress 18-Hole Ladies, Holes 1-6 One Best Ball Net, Holes 7-12 Two Best Balls Net, Holes 13-18 Three Best Balls Net, May 25: Cathy Kosmicki/Kay Hink/Barb Fatzinger/Karen Oldenkamp 154, Jennifer Renaud/Jennifer Hostutler/Carol O'Neil 155. Closest to pin: No. 5 - Darlene Wohlers-Piper. Odd Holes Three Best Balls, Even Holes Two Best Balls, June 1: Cathy Kosmicki, Nancy Moen, Carol Anderson and Carol O'Neil all at minus 22. Closest to pin: No. 5 0-21 HDCP - Jan Turner; 22+ HDCP - Gail Hanus.

Cleveland Heights Tuesday Men's, Draw and Quota Points, June 1: Dave Waller/Ron Berry/Clark DeGroat plus 6, Keith Wightman/Herb Koffler/Jim Robinson and Chuck Castor/Paul Pelchat/Chuck Smith tied at minus 1. Closest to pin: No. A2 - Ron Berry; No. A9 - Steve Criss; No. C8 - Dick Gebo. Best Over Quota: A - Keith Wightman plus 4; B - Keith Lohman plus 4; C - Dave Waller plus 4.

Eaglebrooke Men's Early Morning Group, Team vs Average Score, June 5: Al Hanif/Corey Evans/Mike Gilbert minus 6.3, Kyle Thomas/Dave Conway/Mike Cadenhead minus 4.1. Team vs Average Pont Quota, June 6: Dave Conway/Joe Whitfield/Mark Neville/Mike Gilbert/Howie Stoughton plus 31, Al Hanif/Paul Meyer/Ryan Kester/Tony Longa/Ryan Kee plus 21.

Hamptons Friday Men's Nine-Hole, Stableford, June 4: Bob Apple even on a match of cards over Eddie Morris, John Debonis minus 1.

Hamptons Memorial Day Golf Scramble, May 29: James King/Aaron Hammons/Jason Wilson/Lisa Wilson minus 10, Jeff Staber/Mark Torr/Jim Carter/Chuck Swafford minus 8 on a match of cards over Tom Vennard/Margaret Campbell/Terry Foster/Joe Debonis. Closest to pin: Diane Boland and Rich Regan.

Hamptons Men's, Net Stroke Play, June 1: Bill Colclaser 55, Bill Stalilonis 56, Terry Foster 57 on a match of cards over Jim Carter. Closest to pin: No. 5 - Joe Debonis; No. 11 - Tom Venard; No. 17 - Chuck Swafford.

Hamptons Wednesday Stableford, June 2: Front plus 3 - Ed Caplette/Ron Davis/Conrad Dionne/Joe Debonis; Back plus 7 - Larry Baker/Mike Ready/Rich Regan/Stan Cierach; Total plus 7 - Terry Foster/Jeff Snowball/Jim Carter/Bill Burton. Closest to pin: No. 5 and No. 11 - Joe Debonis; No. 7 - Bill Stalilonis; No. 17 - Ed Caplette.

Lake Ashton Ladies 18-Holers, Sixes, June 1: Jan Baun/Cheryl Coveleskie/Judy Mulhearn/Patty Wallner 123, Char Walter/Diane Holman/Kay Hwang/Carole Ferrieri 127, Liz Leigh/Mary Ann Stadfeld/Maija Baynes/Mary Donaldson 128.

Lake Ashton Ladies Niners, Individual Low Putts, June 1: Combo Flight - Fran Kramer and Cyndy Berry tied at 14, Wanda Mears and Paula Brown tied at 18; Green - Fran Salb 16, Missy Prescott 17, Jane Poole and Joyce Candler tied at 18.

Lake Ashton Men's, Individual Quota Points, June 2: First Gold Flight - Charlie Mutz plus 10, Rolly Geyer plus 6, Gary Pagel plus 1; Second - David Kubissa even, Dave Brown, Paul Fichtman, Steve Morgan and Don Connors all at minus 2; White First - Richard Sutherland even, Donn Yasz and Gerry Krogman tied at minus 1; Second - Don Feliks plus 3, Mike Krigelski plus 2, Leon Elsberry and Dave Akers both at even. Closest to pin: No. 7 - Gerry Krogman; No. 12 - Steve Morgan.

Lake Bess Friday Men's Scramble, Random Team Draw, June 4: Tom Houston/Ray Huggins/Ken Mouser/Scotty Reese minus 7. Closest to pin: No. 3 - Dan Petry; No. 7 - Ken Mouser.

Lake Bess Tuesday Men's Scramble, Random Team Draw, May 25: Hoppy Cassady/Paul Sherman/Dan Cozad minus 8. Closest to pin: No. 3 - Paul Sherman; No. 7 - Dan Petry. June 1: Tom Houston/John Henderson/Bob Shelton minus 7. Closest to pin: No. 3 - Bob Shelton; No. 7 - Henry Adams.

Lakeland Elks Lodge 1291 Monday League, Huntington Hills, June 7: A Flight - Dave Norwine plus 8, Dave Montgomery plus 5, Mike Marden plus 3 on a match of cards; B - Bob Haskins plus 6, Scott Smith plus 5 on a match of cards over Bob Fuschetti. Closest to pin: No. 4 - Mark Dillon; No. 14 - Jack Meister (50/50).

Lakeland Men's Senior, Diamond Hill, June 7: Flight A - Dean Fleming plus 4, Gary Terrell even, Joe Stevens plus 3; B - Dennis Johnston plus 6, Henry Bishop plus 4, Bob Capilla minus 3 on a match of cards over Pete Casella; C - Mike Wyatt plus 6, Bill McKenna plus 5, Rich Labiak minus 1. Closest to pin: No. 3 - Joe Stevens; No. 12 - Dennis Johnston. Low Gross: Gary Terrell 76.

Oakwood Men's, June 1: Charlie Pushard plus 8, Garland Reynolds plus 2, Sid Smith plus 1. Closest to pin: No. 3 - Charlie Pushard; No. 5 - Howard Kay; No. 7 - Pete Demerski; No. 11 - Gary McBroom; No. 16 - Kenny Clower. June 3: George Ivey plus 7, Garland Reynolds plus 6, Larry Bartoletti plus 4. Closest to pin: No. 3 - Lou Grasso; No. 5 - Rodney Allen; No. 12 - George Ivey; No. 15 - Pete Demerski. June 5: Richard Bradley plus 6 on a match of cards over Jack Trantham and Lou Grasso. Closest to pin: No. 3 - Garland Reynolds; No. 5 - Lou Grasso; No. 12 - Jason Dent; No. 15 - John Byrd.

Schalamar Creek Couples', Four-Person Scramble, 13 Holes, June 3: First Flight - Jim Brandeberry/Linda Bushong/David Kelter/Kathy Kelter 48, Ted Reid/Ginny Reid/Tom Fischer/J.R. Finkle 51.

Schalamar Creek Ladies', Blind Partners, Two-Person Teams, 9 Holes, June 1: First Flight - Carol Sutton/Celia Keser 75, Pam Bartley/Linda Romero 79.

Schalamar Creek Men's, Two-Man Best Ball, May 31: Gene Novak/Terry Phalen 59, David Gray/Al Horvath 65, John Covic/Pat McGee and John Russell/Jack Dorsey tied at 66.

BARTOW INDIVIDUAL POINTS, Wednesdays, nine holes, make up your own foursome, $17 ($12 green fee and cart), pays all plus scores, night specials in the lounge. Call 863-533-9183.

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS MENS, tee times available 7:30-8:30 a.m. Wednesday through Monday and Friday, groups or individuals welcome, quota points with skins optional, eight to 10 groups now play. Call Paul Boeh at 863-738-4129.

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS TUESDAY WOMENS, every Tuesday, tee times start at 8:30 a.m. Call Shirley Kalck at 863-853-9566.

HAMPTONS TUESDAY MEN'S LEAGUE, accepting new players. Call 844-882-8157 for more information.

HUNTINGTON HILLS TWO-ASIDE, Saturdays, 18-Hole Points Quota. Check in by 8:15 a.m. Contact Terri White at 863-5594082 or eagle-2par@aol.com.

HUNTINGTON HILLS WHY WORRY WEDNESDAYS, Nine-Hole Quota Points, 5:15 p.m. shotgun start. Contact Terri White at 863-559-4082 or eagle-2par@aol.com.

LAKELAND MENS SENIOR GOLF, 7:30 a.m. shotgun starts, Mondays, play against golfers within your handicap. Call Dave Brown at 419-656-5747.

LPGA AMATEUR GOLF ASSOCIATION is looking for women and men to play in weekly Wednesday league and every other Saturday at various courses in the Winter Haven/Lakeland/Orlando and other areas. For more information, email Kathy Mannahan at pjacobs21@tampabay.rr.com.

OAKWOOD MEN'S, 6:30 a.m. sign in. Points, skins and five closest to pins. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Charlie Walden at ctw55@yahoo.com.

POLO PARK MENS TUESDAY SCRAMBLE, 7:30 a.m. sign in. Random team draw. 18-Hole. For more information, call Polo Park Pro Shop at 863-424-3341.

POLO PARK MENS SATURDAY SCRAMBLE, 7:30 a.m. sign in. Random team draw. 18-Hole. For more information, call Polo Park Pro Shop at 863-424-3341.

WEDGEWOOD THREE-MAN SCRAMBLE, nine holes; Tuesdays at 5 p.m.; call Marcus at 863-858-4451 by 2:30 p.m. to play.

WEDGEWOOD TWO-ASIDE GAME, 9 a.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays; 18-hole points game with skins and blind draw; call Marcus at 863-858-4451.

WEDGEWOOD MIXED CO-ED SCRAMBLE, 2 p.m. Thursdays. Call Marcus at 863-858-4451 by 1 p.m. to play.

E-mail results of local golf tournaments, aces and upcoming tournaments to mquinn@theledger.com; or mail to Golf News, Ledger Sports Department, P.O. Box 408, Lakeland, Fla., 33802. Include complete scores and league names. Deadline is Monday at 5 p.m.

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Scorer's Tent: Golf league results and upcoming events in Polk County - The Ledger

This week in concerts, catch 90s Night at Number Thirty Eight or The Revivalists at Red Rocks Amphitheater. Feeling more proactive about supporting smaller shows? Find your new favorite band at Goosetown Tavern or Globe Hall. If none of this sounds interesting, head to Larimer Lounge for their artist block party featuring Trayce Chapman, Retrofette and more. As always, make sure to stay up to date on all of Denvers local shows with 303 Magazine.

Photo by Kacie Loura.

6/8 Electronic Tuesdays: Coffey, Crypticflow, Sweetprince and more

6/9 Work in Progress Wednesdays: Open sign-up

6/9 Woman Crush Wednesday: Solfire, Magnetik Moon, Spirah and more

6/10 Ghost Creek, Dillard, Parkbreezy and more

6/10 Bass Boss Records: Sky Suite, Spirit Galore, Dosidoe and more

6/11 Yellowbrick Road to Dancefestopia

6/11 Tripzy Leary, Sh1elds, DirrtyStarr

6/12 Sacred Hive Takeover: Vibe Emissions, Chief Kaya, King Shotta

6/12 Recon DnB Takeover: Quentin Hiatus, Ghast, Cynapze

6/13 Brunch Box: all:Lo Collective

6/10 Deadphish Orchestra

6/12 Other Brothers (6 p.m.)

6/12 Other Brothers (9 p.m.)

Denver Jazz Youth Club All Stars. Photo courtesy of Denver Jazz Youth Club All Stars.

6/8 Bailey Hinkley Grogan Quartet

6/9 Tenia Nelson Trio

6/9 Bread & Jam Session: VIPs

6/10 Squintin Tarantino

6/11 Ron Ivory

6/11 The Custom Shop Band

6/12 Denver Jazz Club Youth All-Stars (1 p.m.)

6/12 Matt Skellenger Group (in-person)

6/12 Matt Skellenger Group (live stream)

6/7 Evenings Al Fresco

6/8 Evenings Al Fresco

6/12 Fresh Fruit!, Moon.Roof, Babybaby

6/13 Satellite Pilot, Split Window, Kids Table and more

6/11 Cherry Street, Bellisi

6/12 Radio High

6/6 Clayton Mann

6/7 Clayton Mann

6/8 Clayton Mann

6/9 Clayton Mann

6/7 Vlad Girshevich

6/9 Hump Day Funk Jam

6/11 Liv Sings

6/12 Funkiphino

6/8 Profetic Calaveras, 13 Fridays, Mike Heuer

6/9 Manzy Lowry Bandy, Cista Vinum, Willa & Co

6/10 Ntguilty, Ceej, Flawless Money and more

6/11 Rowdy Shadehouse, DJ Buddy Bravo, The Bannetones

Paul DeHaven. Photo courtesy of Paul DeHaven Facebook.

6/11 128 Family Reunion

6/12 Off The Record Block Party with Trayce Chapman (2 p.m.)

6/12 Off The Record Block Party with Retrofette (4 p.m.)

6/12 Off The Record Block Party with LVDY (6 p.m.)

6/12 Off The Record Block Party with The Reminders (8 p.m.)

6/12 Off The Record Block Party with special guest (10 p.m.)

6/12 Off The Record Block Party with Fred Fancy and Funk Hunk (12 a.m)

6/13 Paul Dehaven, Austin Carroll & The Better Neighbors

6/11 Paul Babe, Ellsworth

6/12 Patrick Dethlefs

6/9 13 Fridays, Mellowpounk, King Crawdad and more

6/10 Seth Doud, Dane Olsen

6/11 Amazing Adventures, Corsicana, Specific Ocean

6/12 Redivider, Dogwalker, Keep Off The Grass

6/13 Mike Ring, Pie Lombardi, Ian Mahan

Lucas Wolf. Photo courtesy of Lucas Wolf Facebook.

6/10 Concerts For a Cause: Lucas Wolf, Micki Balder

6/9 Walter Gorra Elevation Trio

6/10 The Samuel Williams Quartet

6/11 The Daryl Gott Paul McKee Quintet

6/12 Peter Sommer Quartet

6/13 The Bill Kopper Quintet

Cara Elizabeth. Photo courtesy of Cara Elizabeth Facebook.

6/10 90s Night

6/11 Chris Koza

6/12 Cara Elizabeth, Brianna Straut

6/13 Cara Elizabeth & The Barlow

6/10 A-Mac & The Height

6/11 Self Service, The Pitch, The Vanilla Milkshakes

6/12 Project Foreigner

6/8 Bob Weir and Wolf Bros

6/9 Bob Weir and Wolf Bros

6/10 The Revivalists

6/11 The Revivalists

6/12 Big Head Todd and The Monsters, Hazel Miller

6/13 Big Head Todd and The Monsters, Hazel Miller

Hunter James. Photo courtesy of Hunter James and The Titanic.

6/8 Meg Rice

6/9 David Lawrence

6/10 Hunter James & The Titanic

6/11 Unusual Too

6/11 Taylor Tuke & Friends

6/12 DJ Couchman

6/12 Luke Lively

6/12 Digg

6/13 Tyler Snow

6/11 The Strange Parade

6/12 17th Avenue All Stars

6/13 Dyonn James

6/10 Dakota Blonde

Marcus Nand. Photo courtesy of Marcus Nand Facebook.

6/9 Open Stage

6/10 Lil Flip, Lil Cas

6/11 Mike Tramp, Marcus Nand

6/12 Mr. Scary, Rattlehead, The Pot

6/7 Metal Mondays: The Udder, The Sleep Demons, Zingaro

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This Week in Concerts - The Revivalists, Ron Ivory, Other Brothers and More - 303 Magazine

Decades before Spotify, Pandora, and even satellite radio, terrestrial (land-based) AM and FM radio reigned supreme. Many listeners, including Utica resident Ron Robinson, idolized the disc jockeys just as much as the artists they played.

Robinson, 51, is working on a documentary film entitled Radio Dayz The Movie, which focuses on the history of radio, including the early days of Detroit radio. (The film) tells the story of radio through the people who worked in radio, he said.

Robinson interviewed several well-known radio personalities such as Paul W. Smith, Dick Purtain, Fred Jacobs, Dick Kernen, and more for the film. Robinson, who worked for WJR for 20 years before starting his own production company, has several connections in the industry. He started interviewing for the documentary in 2013.

Most people think of radio, they think of New York, California, and Chicago, and rightfully so. But, Detroit has been an important and ground-breaking city for the medium of radio, Robinson said.

The documentary is a chronological look at the history of radio, starting with the first radio stations. It also takes aim at the first radio celebrity, Fr. Charles Coughlin. The Detroit-area priest took to the airways in the 1920s and eventually garnered an audience of 30 million to his weekly radio show. Coughlin would later become a polarizing figure as World War II approached. Hes on the wrong side of history, if you will, Robinson said.

Other notable glimpses into radios history are also featured in the film, including President Franklin D. Roosevelts Fireside Chats and the healing effect these popular radio segments would have on a nation crippled by The Great Depression and the war.

Then I go and talk about the 1940s and 1950s and what Elvis and the Beatles mean to radio. Theres a part about how radio changed when TV became the mainstay in everybodys house, Robinson said.

Robinsons podcast Radio Dayz! delves into the history of radio as well and has served as a promotional piece for the documentary. What we do is let listeners in on what happened behind the scenes in radio, he said. Most people know their (radio personalities) voices, but not their story.

The documentary has served as a labor of love for Robinson. And although it is not yet complete, he plans to wrap up the project soon. He had hoped to finish in time for WWJs 100th anniversary but was unable to interview key radio personalities due to COVID-19 restrictions.

He said it is important to preserve radios history for future generations, especially today when few people even own a radio. There are so many stories people dont know and I want to share that with people because I think they will be better off and more enriched and appreciate where this country has been, he said.

When the film is complete, possibly later this year, Robinson hopes to have it available to stream.

This is Robinsons fourth documentary film. He also produced It Takes a Village, Networking, Your Business The Movie, and If You Build It, They Will Come. The later film focuses on the development of Jimmy Johns Field in Utica.

In addition to making documentary films, Robinson is a photographer and aerial/drone media pilot. His production company, Ron Robinson Studios, also offers video marketing services for businesses.

Original post:

Utica man producing film about the history of radio - The Oakland Press

Living most of my life in the Kings Creek area, I cant even guess how many times Ive driven by the baseball fields on Kings Creek Road in Weirton. During the warmer weather, its common to see someone on a tractor cutting the grass on the ballfields or dragging the infields. For so many years, that person was either Joe Tunno or Tim Welch, both of whom have spent countless hours of their lives quietly and unassumingly serving the youth of Weirton through the Weirton Baseball Association.

After hearing a few weeks ago about Welchs death, one of my first thoughts was that I never stopped just to tell Tim thank you for taking care of the fields. I took it for granted that Tim would do what so many of the rest of us cant or choose not to do. Tim never wanted anything in return for the thousands of hours he volunteered at the ballfields. Im not even sure if being thanked was important to him. I think not otherwise, he wouldnt have done so much for the kids in exchange for the little thanks he likely got. Tim began coaching my brother Toms Babe Ruth team in 1980 and during the next 30 years continued his unwavering service to the Weirton Baseball Association.

Tims gift of his time and talents didnt just benefit the WBA he also was involved for even more years with the Weirton Termite Basketball Association at the Millsop Community Center (along with Ron Greer, another gentleman whose volunteerism knew no bounds.)

For years, these two men kept the league together, coaching, getting sponsors, handling the draft, scheduling games, training young referees and dealing with emotional parents, among other things. It would not be uncommon for Tim to grab a whistle and officiate games when young referees failed to show up or were busy with another game.

Greer still is running the league after 50 years of service I cant imagine how many pounds of fish Ron has cooked while also volunteering at the local Lenten fish fries during the years or how many hours he has served the Weirton Jaycees. Among other causes, Ron also has been serving our special needs citizens as a board member and officer at the Hancock County Sheltered Workshop for many years.

I will make it a priority to reach out to Greer and Tunno and thank them for the good they do for the community. I could kick myself in the butt for not taking the time to thank Welch he was a quiet, kind, humble and unassuming man who, nevertheless, deserved my thanks.

We have been blessed in Weirton with individuals who have given their time and talents for the benefit of the youth in our community. As a youngster, I had the honor of playing basketball at St. Joseph for Jim Klash, who coached at the school for more than 30 years. I didnt know until after he passed away that Klash was a parishioner of St. Pauls, St. Joes rival in youth basketball back in the day. Klash also was one of the founding members of the Weirton Baseball Association Complex. He gave me one of my first jobs as an umpire. I hope the Weirton community and St. Joes never forget them.

I know Im forgetting or have failed to mention many men and women who have volunteered countless hours in our community during the years. I intend no disrespect. You know who they are. They were our coaches, league presidents and concession stand workers they opened, cleaned and closed the gyms where your kids and mine played ball, or they worked on the ballfields after a heavy Saturday morning rain so your kids could play their baseball game.

The next time you see them, go and tell them thanks for all they do or what they have done during the years before that opportunity passes you by. I certainly will. I missed that opportunity with Tim Welch and I regret my omission.

Weirton and its children are so very lucky to have such committed and generous volunteers, like Tim Welch, and we will miss them dearly and their selfless contributions to our community.

Thank you, Tim.

(McCune is a resident of Weirton. Tim Welch died April 18 at the age of 61.)

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Remember to say thank you before it is too late - The Daily Times

Congressman Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., speaks at Women for American First event, Friday, April 9, 2021, in Doral, Fla. The House Ethics Committee has opened an investigation of Rep. Gaetz, citing reports of sexual and other misconduct by the Florida Republican. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

This week on Party Politics, co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jeronimo Cortina discuss the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, the allegations surrounding Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, Ted Cruzs fight against Major League Baseball, and Ron Pauls jorts, among other stories.

NATIONAL TOPICS

Withdrawal from Afghanistan

GaetzGate

TEXAS TOPICS

Congressman Crenshaw emergency eye surgery

Cruz vs. Americas pastime

Paxton v Biden on "Remain in Mexico Policy"

Bush vs. Paxton 2022?

Congressman Brady Retiring

Ron Paul's Short Shorts

You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Tweet us using #PartyPoliticsPod or email partypoliticspod@houstonpublicmedia.org. Party Politics is produced by Troy Schulze, the audio engineer is Todd Hulslander.

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Party Politics: The Politics of Scandal - Houston Public Media

With all American adults soon to be eligible for Covid-19 vaccines and businesses and international borders reopening, a fierce debate has kicked off across the United States over whether a digital health certificate (often and somewhat misleadingly called a vaccine passport) should be required to prove immunization status.

Currently, Americans are issued a white paper card as evidence of their Covid-19 shots, but these can easily be forged, and online scammers are already selling false and stolen vaccine cards.

While the federal government has said it will not introduce digital vaccine passports by federal mandate, a growing number of businesses from cruise lines to sports venues say they will require proof of vaccinations for entry or services. Hundreds of digital health pass initiatives are scrambling to launch apps that provide a verified electronic record of immunizations and negative Covid-19 test results to streamline the process.

The drive has raised privacy and equity concerns and some states like Florida and Texas have banned businesses from requiring vaccination certificates. But developers argue that the digital infrastructure is secure and will help speed up the process of reopening society and reviving travel.

Governments, technology companies, airlines and other businesses are testing different versions of the digital health passes and are trying to come up with common standards so that there is compatibility between each system and health records can be pulled in a safe and controlled format.

The process comes with great technical challenges, especially because of the sheer number of app initiatives underway. For the certificates to be useful, countries, airlines and businesses must agree on common standards and the infrastructure they use will need to be compatible. In the United States, there is an added complexity of getting individual states to share immunization data with different certificate platforms while maintaining the privacy of residents.

Heres what we know about the current status of digital health passes and some of the roadblocks they are facing in the United States.

For the moment, only if you live in New York. Last month, it became the first state in the United States to launch a digital health certificate called the Excelsior Pass, which verifies a persons negative coronavirus test result and if they are fully vaccinated.

The app and website is free and voluntary for all New York residents, and provides a QR code that can be scanned or printed out to verify a persons health data. The pass has been used by thousands of New Yorkers to enter Yankee Stadium, Madison Square Garden and other smaller public venues.

Most businesses require people to show their state I.D. along with their Excelsior Pass to prevent potential fraud.

In Israel, where more than half the population is fully vaccinated, residents must show an electronic Green Pass to attend places such as gyms, concerts, wedding halls and to dine indoors. As part of its plans to reopen to foreign visitors, Israel has said it will require them to take a blood test upon arrival proving that they have been vaccinated. Once a vaccine certificate is introduced for travelers, the test will no longer be required.

The European Union has endorsed the idea of an electronic vaccine certificate, which could be ready by June, but each individual member country will be able to set its own rules for travel requirements. Britain has also started testing a Covid-19 certificate system that aims to help businesses reopen safely.

Some airlines including Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic and Jet Blue have started to use the digital health app, Common Pass, to verify passenger Covid-19 test results before they board flights. The International Air Transport Associations Health Pass is being tested by more than 20 airlines and will allow passengers to upload health credentials necessary for international travel.

It depends on state regulations. The Biden administration has said there will be no federal vaccination system or mandate. Individual states hold primary public health powers in the United States and have the authority to require vaccines.

We expect a vaccine passport, or whatever you want to call it, will be driven by the private sector, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said at a recent briefing. There will be no centralized, universal federal vaccinations database and no federal mandate requiring everyone to obtain a single vaccination credential.

Earlier this month, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas issued an executive order banning government agencies, private businesses and institutions that receive state funding from requiring people to show proof that they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, issued a similar order, saying that requiring proof of vaccination would reduce individual freedom and harm patient privacy as well as create two classes of citizens based on vaccinations.

But those orders may not stick. The governors are on shaky legal ground, said Lawrence Gostin, the director of the ONeill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University. Certainly, the legislature has authority to regulate businesses in the state, and it can also pre-empt counties and local governments from issuing vaccine passports. But a governor, acting on his or her own, has no inherent power to regulate businesses other than through emergency or other health powers that the legislature gives them.

In the United States, there is no centralized federal vaccine database. Instead, the states collect that information. All states except New Hampshire have their own immunization registries and some cities, like New York, have their own.

Currently states are required to share their registries with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the data is not public and could be withheld.

That means anyone developing a digital vaccine certificate in the United States would have to obtain immunization data from individual states, which could be problematic in states that oppose health pass initiatives.

One of the issues is with terminology. A passport is issued by a government and certifies personal data including a persons legal name and date of birth. Many people fear that if they are required to have one related to the coronavirus, they will be handing over personal and sensitive health data to private companies that could be stolen or used for other purposes.

There are a whole lot of valid concerns about how privacy and technology would work with these systems, especially as Silicon Valley does not have a great history delivering technologies that are privacy enhancing, said Brian Behlendorf, executive director of Linux Foundation Public Health, an open-source, technology-focused organization.

And the concept of privacy here is complicated because you are ultimately trying to prove to somebody that you received something, he said. You arent keeping a secret, so the challenge is to present and prove something without creating a chain of traceability forever that might be used.

The Linux Foundation is working with a network of technology companies called the Covid-19 Credentials Initiative to develop a set of standards for preserving privacy in the use of vaccine certificates. The main aim of the initiative is to establish a verifiable credential (much like a card in ones wallet) that contains a set of claims about an individual but is digitally native and cryptographically secure.

Some argue that such a credential would intrude on personal freedoms and private health choices.

Vaccine passports must be stopped, former Representative Ron Paul of Texas wrote in a Tweet last week. Accepting them means accepting the false idea that government owns your life, body and freedom.

Others worry that an exclusively digital system would leave some communities behind, especially those who do not have access to smartphones or the internet.

Any solutions in this area should be simple, free, open source, accessible to people both digitally and on paper, and designed from the start to protect peoples privacy, Jeff Zients, the White House coronavirus coordinator, said in a statement.

The World Health Organization said it does not back requiring vaccination passports for travel yet because of the uncertainty over whether inoculation prevents transmission of the virus, as well as equity concerns.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places list for 2021.

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Can You Get a 'Vaccine Passport'? And Other Questions, Answered - The New York Times

The Telegraph

The Duke of Sussex will return to California without having a private meeting with his father, The Telegraph understands. Many family members had hoped the pair would take the opportunity to spend some time together alone, to air their differences face to face. But despite a 10,000-mile round trip, the Duke was either unable, or unwilling, to pin down the Prince of Wales, who is still coming to terms with the death of his father. While the Dukes travel plans have not been disclosed, he is thought likely to return home to his pregnant wife, the Duchess of Sussex, 39, and their son Archie, who turns two next month, within the next day or two. The lack of any time spent with his father suggests that feelings over his Oprah Winfrey interview are still running high and the fallout remains raw.

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Betting: Who was the real loser of the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren fight? - Yahoo News

A U.S Army soldier walks behind an Afghan policeman during a joint patrol with Afghan police and Canadian soldiers west of Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2007. (Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)Two decades of the conflict have shown us what American foreign-policy failure looks like. What success looks like remains unclear.

Joe Biden has announced that the last U.S. troops will leave Afghanistan before the highly symbolic date of September 11, 2021, the 20-year anniversary of the terror attacks that reminded all the Americans out there in TV-land that Afghanistan hadnt just disappeared after our interest in the failed Soviet engagement there faded.

This represents a small extension of the U.S. presence after the Trump administration negotiated a withdrawal originally scheduled to be complete by May 1. For many Americans and, in particular, for many conservatives this cannot come soon enough.

The George W. Bush administration is likely to be remembered as the high-water mark for a certain kind of conservatism, a certain kind of Republican Party, and a certain kind of American foreign-policy consensus. None of those has survived the 20 years since 9/11.

There was a time when conservatives embraced the adjective Wilsonian. Woodrow Wilson has come into ill repute on the right, thanks in no small part to the efforts of my friend and former National Review colleague Jonah Goldberg and his Liberal Fascism, which connected the war socialism and central-planning progressivism of Wilson et al. with similar movements, generally authoritarian, around the world. But before he was Wilson the proto-fascist, he was Wilson the muscular internationalist, an exemplary figure to the conservatives whom Colin Dueck of George Mason University describes as third-wave Wilsonians, more skeptical than their progressive peers of multilateral institutions but sharing an optimistic emphasis on worldwide democratization.

Because the American political conversation is conducted at a level of crippling oversimplification, Afghanistan was understood for a time as the new good war, while Iraq was another Vietnam, a quagmire fought on a lie. But Afghanistan was never only about hunting down al-Qaeda, and Iraq was never only or even mainly about Saddam Husseins arsenal. The more biting critique of the Bush administration is not its purported insincerity about weapons of mass destruction but its utterly sincere and culpably optimistic conviction that Afghanistan and Iraq could, with sufficient sustained effort, be remade in the liberal-democratic mold, as Japan and Germany had been after World War II. It was the domino theory in reverse: Vicious authoritarian regimes would be converted one by one as their neighbors realized the benefits of joining the U.S.-led order.

A few realists suggested that at the very least, we could succeed in making Afghanistan into something more like Pakistan; instead, the last 20 years have seen Pakistan become something more like Afghanistan, albeit a more amusing version with a partly reformed playboy-cricketeer as the face of a regime that operates as an extension of a vicious crime syndicate led by the countrys military and intelligence services with the cooperation of its religious authorities. Though we had hoped that Afghanistan would find a Benazir Bhutto figure corrupt, admittedly, but liberal and secular there was no such factotum to be found. (And Bhutto-ism, if we can call it that, mostly withered in its native soil, too.) We went into Afghanistan convinced that there was no place in the civilized world for the Taliban, and we ended up making a place at the table for the terrorist militia, conducting peace negotiations directly with its leaders while snubbing the notionally legitimate government of the Islamic republic set up under our auspices.

Theres realism, and then theres reality: Wilson didnt make the world safe for democracy, but he won his war and George W. Bush didnt win his.

Wilsonian conservatism survives in the think tanks and in syndicated columns, but it is out of power in the Republican Party. (To the extent that Democrats have their own version of muscular internationalism, it is directed at carbon dioxide.) This is partly a result of the failure of the Bush-era democracy project, and partly a result of the intense personal hatred that certain Republican figures who rose with Donald Trump have for neoconservatives and hawks such as Bill Kristol and John Bolton, the latter of whom was in the Trump administration without being of it, so to speak. But beyond the paleo distaste for Manhattan-raised Jews and people who went to Yale, the Right is being made to reengage with a very old factional dispute that long predates 9/11 or Trumps entry into politics.

In the world of conservative ideological camps, this disagreement is expressed in the confrontation of the Wilsonian tendency with the isolationist/noninterventionist/America First tendency, which runs from Charles Lindbergh and anti-war Republicans such as Senator Bob Taft to more modern figures such as Pat Buchanan, Ross Perot, Ron Paul, and Donald Trump. Populists take a nickel-and-dime view of international relations, which is why they pay so much attention to such trivial (from a purely financial point of view) issues as foreign aid. Upstarts challenging powerful incumbents or entrenched establishment figures almost invariably affect a populist demeanor that is abandoned when campaign time is over: Then-candidate Barack Obama, no paleoconservative, complained in 2008 about the money spent on nation building abroad when it could have been spent filling potholes in Sheboygan, but governed as a man who enjoyed a good drone strike. The rhetorical necessities of populism are making great things small and complex things simple. The necessities of responsible government are . . . not doing that.

To the extent that the Republican Party is converting itself into a right-wing populist party the National Farmer-Labor Party envisioned by such figures as Senator Josh Hawley it will tend to revert to the nickel-and-dime mode of Ron Paul and Donald Trump and candidate Obama. Whats in it for us? is an important question in international relations, but it needs an enlightened mind to answer it constructively. President Trump treated NATO like he was trying to divide up the bill at a restaurant after an expensive dinner and demanding to know who ordered the priciest appetizer. It is important to watch the nickels and dimes, but it also is important to spend them wisely when the time comes. Preventing 9/11 would have been very difficult, but it neednt have been very expensive.

Republicans might retreat into something like the principled pacifism of Taft, who was greatly preferred by postwar conservatives to the moderate multilateralist Dwight Eisenhower, though it is difficult to shoehorn principled and Matt Gaetz into the same sentence. Foreign policy interacts with domestic politics in complicated and unpredictable ways, but a minimalist orientation might be the best this generation of Republicans can manage a know-nothing party with a do-nothing foreign policy.

Give the Taftians this: The United States does spend too much money on the military and on related security affairs, it does maintain too many bases in too many countries around the world, it does bring unneeded troubles on itself by its occasionally rash and headlong enthusiasms, it does fail to derive as much benefit from the multilateral institutions it supports as it might, and it does pay a high price (much more than an economic price) for acting as de facto policeman of the world for being and having been for so long the principal guarantor of security in a world whose people when in danger most certainly do not cry out with one voice: Thank God! Its the Belgians! As what Professor Dueck calls the Wilsonian century fades into memory, Americans are exhausted. A period of consolidation might be of benefit.

But give the Wilsonians their due, too: When the United States retreats from the world, it does not leave a vacuum; it only creates opportunities for other actors, China prominent among them, whose leaders have ambitions as audacious as Wilsons but would remake the world along decidedly illiberal and antidemocratic lines. Unlike the Americans, the Chinese do not try to get other countries to adopt their model of government or their fundamental values they simply do their best to bully them into acting in Beijings interests. The United States will remain for such ambitious parties either an obstacle, a rival, or an outright enemy there is no imaginable outcome in which we are too quiet to take notice of.

And so while the United States may withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, that does not mean that the United States will have no interests in Afghanistan. The United States has interests everywhere, because the United States is in the world and connected to it, and it is not as easily overlooked as Finland. What we have learned from Afghanistan or what we could learn, if we are willing is what failure looks like.

What success is going to look like, we still dont know. We have spent 20 years and more than 2,300 American lives trying to figure that out, and I am not sure that we have made any real progress.

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The Lessons of the Afghan War - National Review

"That is not normal. That's not what we do in America," Iowa state Sen.Jack Whitver declared emphatically on last week's "Iowa Press" interview show.

I was washing dishesand had missedthe lead-in, but caught the emotion in hisvoice. What unacceptable behavior was theleader of majority Republicans in the Senate denouncing? Was someone driving on a neighbor's lawn? Swearing in church? Giving illegal drugs to a child?

I re-wound to get the context. The senator from Ankeny had beentalking about COVID-19 and the hope for achieving herd immunity to getlife back to normal."I would encourage anyone that is able and willing, to get vaccinated,"he'd said, observing that Iowa had made tremendous progress,with some 23% of people having been fully vaccinated as of then.

So far, so good.

Then Whitver's tone changed."Thegovernment is issuing some sort of piece of paper or smartphone app to prove you've been vaccinated," he said indignantly. "We want to get back to normal, but not this new society where you have to show a piece of paper. That is not normal. That's not what we do in America."

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds had previously been even more vocal against such a thing.While she alsoencourages people to get vaccinated, saying, "I believe in the efficacy of the vaccine," she draws the line at so-called "vaccine passports."

Gov. Reynolds stated she opposes vaccine passports and that Iowa "must take a stand as a state against them." Des Moines Register

"I believe that we must take a stand as a state against them, with executive action or through legislation," she said at a news conference.

As I write thisI'm looking down at the old yellow-pagedpassport-size booklet that I've carted around for 33 years.It's called an "International Certificate of Vaccination as approved by the World Health Organization" and issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It carries my name, sex and date of birth (I neglected to fill in my address) and has a log of my travel vaccinations since 1988 when my home was in New York state. There's typhoid and immune globulin (2-10-88), typhoid, cholera and something else I can't make out (2-7-89), andthe names of the doctors who administered them. That certificate was replaced by one filled outby the Polk County Health Department in Iowa, with thestamp, "Official Vaccination Iowa."

More: Rekha Basu: In remembering Breasia, the 'village' shows its power to mourn, to heal and to change things

Is this what Whitver and Reynolds areafraid of? I've had one literally since soon after I was born, since my parents crossed continents often. It let officials in those countriesknow my vaccines were up to date. But mostly, I got the vaccines to ward off outbreaks of diseases in the areas we were going to. Among other things, the certificates served asreminders of whichvaccines were due. Wenever considered them an imposition.

What's all the fuss over vaccine passports?(Photo: Rekha Basu/Des Moines Register)

So which government is Whitver talking about?None in America.The federal government has said itwill not mandate digital vaccine passportsfor COVID-19. In fact the federal government keeps no centralized database of Americans' vaccinations. States do that.New York is the only one to have developeda free digital health certificate, which verifiessomeone is fully vaccinated and tested negative;its use is optional.On the other side,Florida and Texas have used executive orders to ban businesses from requiring vaccination certificates, over concerns that they violateprivacy.

It's really businesses that are asking for and requiring that proof, includingairlines, cruise lines and sporting event venues, and that's to keep people safe if they choose to go.The International Air Transport Association is nowtesting a travel pass onto whichpassengers can upload health credentials necessary for international travel.

More: Rekha Basu: A wake-up call? The Iowa Poll shows a big disconnect between Iowans, especially women, and elected officials.

None of that is government interference. It's only if you choose to travel.Andwhile states have legal authority to legislatively restrict whatbusinesses can do,there's some question about whether they can do it by executive order.The only thing Reynolds may could indisputablyorder would be toforbid county and local governments from issuing vaccine passports notthat there's been any move to do so.

Like every other state, Iowa does require proof of vaccination for children to attend public schools, as well it should.And whileIowa'sthree public universities require proof ofmumps, measles and rubella vaccinations to enroll (with medical or religious exemptions),the Iowa Board of Regents won't require students or employees at to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend. Why not? The private Grinnell Collegewill.

The New York Times reports thatIsraeli residents are required to show an electronic Green Pass to attendgyms, concerts and indoor restaurants.Israel plans to require foreign visitors to take a blood test upon arrival, to be replaced withvaccine certificates once available. TheEuropean Union has endorsed the idea of an electronic vaccine certificate, though European countries can choose for themselves.

More: Rekha Basu: Des Moines picks not one, but two officers with troubled history to teach de-escalation

Just as people suspicious ofgovernment mandates recoiled at the idea of mandatory masks, some are now jumping on the vaccine reporting techniquesto stir upfears about an invasion of privacy.

It's worth emphasizing that both Whitver and Reynolds encourage Iowans to get vaccinated. Reynolds, though, has done so, whileWhitver hasn't.Asked about it on TV, he said hethought more vulnerable populations should get it first. Reynolds got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. After officials announced that it had beenassociated with blood clots in a small number of people, Reynolds said thatshe'd do it again.

Everyone is free tomake their own health choices, but her leadership by example ismore compelling advocacy than mereencouragement of an act to benefit public health.

More: Opinion: Change agent Kimberly Graham weighs challenging John Sarcone for Polk County attorney

Further, it's both misleading and harmful to suggest that the federalgovernment is forcing anything like vaccine passports on Americans.Former U.S. Rep.Ron Paul, a Republican fromTexas, tweeted of such documentation, Accepting them means accepting the false idea that government owns your life, body and freedom. Wow.

Maybe pointing out that the issue is not about government but instead about private businesses wouldn't serve the political agenda and could alienate industries in Republican politicians'bases. But distorting the truth shouldn't be what we do in America, either.

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Rekha Basu: I've had a vaccine 'passport' since childhood. What's all the fuss about? - desmoinesregister.com

Policing needs an upgrade

Minnesota officer who shot man to death meant to draw Taser, not handgun, chief says | April 12

I served as an assistant public defender at the beginning of my legal career for approximately five years. That experience left me aware of one true thing: Being a police officer is the toughest job you can ever imagine. On a daily basis, you are expected to be completely familiar with the latest nuances of constitutional law, a social worker who can defuse volatile situations, and the toughest man or woman in the valley. Ive never gone down a dark alley not knowing who might be there wishing to do me harm, or into a dark house. Unless you have, it may be wise to temper your criticism of our police.

Nevertheless, like so many people, I am dismayed and disheartened to see a continuous stream of African-Americans die at the hands of law-enforcement officers, when the offense that attracted the officers attention was relatively minor. Clearly change is needed in our manner of policing. Clearly the authorities need to understand that it not reasonable to respond to a routine traffic stop with the threat of deadly force, much less its use. New rules are clearly needed, and in making those rules we need to balance the rights of citizens with recognition of the degree of danger we ask police officers to accept as a part of their daily work lives.

Paul Ley, Belleair

DeSantis: Businesses requiring vaccine passports cant get state money | April 2

Gov. Ron DeSantis missed a golden opportunity to help Florida recover from the COVID-19 crisis. If he had encouraged vaccine passports rather than opposing them, many who are sitting on the fence about getting vaccinated might realize there would be places they cant go without one, and might change their minds about getting the jab. As it is, similar vaccination passports, while not for COVID vaccines, have always been required for travel to many countries abroad. A similar requirement for COVID vaccinations would be a powerful incentive for everyone to get vaccinated. Businesses and ticketed events in Florida would have a tool to keep their customers safer from infections, and with a resulting boost in the percentage of the population getting vaccine protection, we might be able to put the pandemic in the rear view mirror sooner.

Betsy Clement, Dunedin

Florida Senate approves anti-riot bill, heads now to DeSantis | April 15

If the Black, brown, progressive and other people who correctly interpret the anti-riot bill (HB1) as a another slap in the face by the white Republicans in Tallahassee, perhaps they should use the energy they would have spent protesting and instead direct it to getting everyone registered to vote, and then to actually vote in every election, every time. Voting is where the real power lies. In 30 years, whites will no longer be such a powerful majority, but we dont have to wait until then; we can vote them out right now.

James Condon, Port Richey

DeSantis wants voters signatures to match. Would his pass the test? | April 13

Thanks for publishing the article by Steve Contorno about Gov. Ron DeSantis signature changing over time. This points to the uselessness of signature matching as proof of identity except as a device and pretext to toss away someones legitimate vote.

Signatures have always been used as a backup method of proving the authenticity of a document when there is question about its validity. No one checks a will to see that the signature matches unless someone is challenging the authenticity of the will. Same with most checks and financial instruments, absent a question of forgery. A signature proves that the named person signed and committed themselves to the contractual obligation implied. Even today the illiterate can sign documents with an X so long as it is noted and properly witnessed.

Matching a signature would be a forensic exercise done by experts usually in a legal proceeding. May I suggest most election board members are not qualified to make a determination about a signature match in the first place? May I also suggest and that this is a process easily abused by the politically unscrupulous or those too easily intimidated by state and even federal officials?

Harley Lofton, Palm Harbor

Read more here:

How to improve policing in Florida and beyond | Letters - Tampa Bay Times

The winners are in for the annual Elgin Mayor's Awards for Preservation.

Given annually by the mayor based upon recommendation of the Elgin Heritage Commission, the Mayor's Awards recognize those who have preserved and promoted the heritage of Elgin.

Mayor David Kaptain will present preservation awards to 11 recipients who were nominated by their peers. Winners were selected based on their dedicated efforts to preserving Elgin's historic architecture, neighborhoods and cultural resources.

The award ceremony will be hosted by Imago Events on May 4 at the Discovery Church on Prairie Street. Due to pandemic restrictions, the even will be by invite only but will be livestreamed on the city's Facebook page starting at 7 p.m.

The winners are:

Elgin Public Museum: For celebrating its 100-year anniversary Nov. 12, 2020 with its Centennial Project.

Paul Spiller: For volunteering his time for the plumbing installation at the 1846 Nancy Kimball House, 302 W. Chicago St.

Ron Lange: For overseeing the acknowledgment and documentation of current and past athletes as part of the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame.

Terry Gabel and Sue Brigham: For their volunteerism and leadership in the continued success of the Friends of the Lords Park Zoo.

First Congregational Church: For dedication to long-term preservation and energy conservation of the 1889 church through the installation of solar panels.

Rudy and Lillian Galfi: For continuing a treasured Elgin History Museum event by going virtual, which brought thousands of online viewers to the annual cemetery walk in September 2020.

Ira Marcus: For creation of the new exhibit at the Elgin History Museum, "Art and Artifacts: Where History Meets Art Exhibit."

Elgin History Museum: For its "You Are Living History" documentation project that allows all residents to be active contributors in recording Elgin's recent past.

Aralei Properties: For rehabbing its property at 212-214 DuPage St. in the Downtown Commercial Historic District.

Carolyn Buhrow: For her inspiring photographs of Elgin's religious facilities and landmarks.

George Rowe: For his 20 years of dedication to Elgin's history. He will receive the George Van de Voorde Outstanding Service Award.

Six heritage building plaques also will be presented to Elgin homeowners who have researched the history and architecture of their historic houses. More than 500 plaques have been presented since the program's establishment in 1986.

This year's recipients are:

Antonio Rios, 839 Cedar Ave.

Adam and Elizabeth Long, 706 Douglas Ave.

Helen Therese Scibetta, 357 Hamilton Ave.

David and Karen Clark, 724 N. Spring St.

Bob and Beth Tierney, 225 Villa St.

Sandra Skulski, 1032 Prospect Blvd.

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Elgin Mayor's Awards for Preservation winners announced - Daily Herald

Sen. Ted Cruz is once again facing backlash - this time for refusing to wear a face mask while on the job.

Last week, the Texas senator announced that he will no longer wear a mask while in the U.S. Capitol or when on the Senate floor. In an interview with CNN, he said his decision was due to everybody in the Senate having already received their COVID-19 vaccinations. He also quoted the Centers for Disease Control, which recently said small groups of vaccinated people can gather without masks.

Reports, however, indicate that a considerable number of senators, their aides, and journalists covering them have not yet been vaccinated. Oh, and the CDC website says that fully vaccinated people can meet without a mask in homes or private settings, but nothing about doing so in a large government office building.

Unlike in the House, lawmakers in the Senate are not required to wear masks. So far, Cruz joins Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ron Johnson of Washington, both Republican senators who have not been vaccinated, in not masking up. Half of the Senate is over the age of 65, which is considered one of the most vulnerable populations.

Cruzs announcement comes about a month after confronting a reporter who asked him to wear a mask during a press conference.

When I'm talking in front of the TV cameras I'm not going to wear a mask," Cruz told the reporter, adding that he and his colleagues had been vaccinated already. When the reporter again asked for Cruz to put on a mask, the senator told the reporter they could leave instead.

Read the original here:

Ted Cruz says hes done with wearing a mask at the U.S. Capitol - mySA

Former congressman Ron Paul has warned of a government crackdown on bitcoin and safe-haven assets may not be safe from government intervention. The government is the threat, he said, noting that they will crack down because they have the ability to do it.

Former presidential candidate Ron Paul shared his view on the governments intervention on bitcoin in an interview last week with Kitco News Michelle Makori. Paul is an American author, physician, and retired politician. The former congressman from Texas launched The Ron Paul Liberty Report in 2015 to bring provocative opinion and analysis to the breaking issues affecting our lives and finances, its website describes.

Paul was asked about the threat of potential gold confiscation or one form or other of government intervention because that concern is rising. Several well-known hedge fund managers, like Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio and The Big Short investor Michael Burry, have said that safe-haven assets are not necessarily going to be safe from government intervention, Makori recalled. They expect possible tax changes or regulations that will prevent a flight of capital to these assets that could be viewed as an alternative to the dollar, like gold, like bitcoin. She then asked Paul, Could they be at risk of a government crackdown?

The former congressman replied:

Absolutedly the government is the threat because they will crack down because they have the ability to do it.

He added: We had a taste of [a free society]. If you dont know where to start, just start with the Constitution, that might give you an idea of what a free society is all about.

Paul was also asked: What form of a crackdown do you think this could take when we talk about assets, like gold and even bitcoin, potentially being at risk of government intervention at higher taxes and regulation what do you think could happen to those assets?

The former congressman replied, I think all of that can happen. He elaborated that Either the tax system will be used or the government will just print more money, resulting in the devaluation of the currency.

He further opined: But they will do it for public relations reasons. They will have to show that theyre putting a heavy tax on the very wealthy because of the civil strife thats going on.

On President Joe Bidens proposed infrastructure bill, Paul expects its outcome to be worse than average. He opined: Most likely it will do what those kinds of programs always do, they spend a lot of money, theyre inefficient, they always cost more than they thought they should. Besides, its built on some mystical belief that you shouldnt have any concern about the deficit everybodys just in a dream.

What do you think about Ron Pauls warning about bitcoin and government intervention? Let us know in the comments section below.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

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Ron Paul Warns of Government Crackdown on Bitcoin 'The Government Is the Threat' Regulation Bitcoin News - Bitcoin News

Millions of adults vaccinated against Covid-19 have little to prove it beyond a paper card they received at inoculation sites.

The U.S. has no central database for immunizations. States maintain an incomplete patchwork of records. Nor is there standard proof of Covid-19 vaccinations like the yellow-fever cards that are required for travel to many countries where that disease remains prevalent.

With some countries and businesses preparing to make digital proof of vaccination a requirement for entry and travel, the paper cards may be the only ticket to access those platforms. Proof is already being requested on some first dates and at weddings.

Im glad we prioritized getting shots in arms, said Ami Parekh, chief medical officer at digital healthcare company Grand Rounds Inc., which acts as a kind of medical concierge for patients. But putting in rules about being vaccinated without giving people a way to properly track it is a little bit backwards.

The cards themselves are a patchwork of formats. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has designed a version, which many locations use, but it isnt required. State and local authorities and even individual sites are devising their own cards to hand out. With no official standard, it may be hard to say what constitutes proof.

More:

Covid-19 Vaccination Cards Are the Only Proof of Shots, Soon an Essential - The Wall Street Journal

Veteran WWE Superstar Kane, who is also known as Mayor Glenn Jacobs of Knox County in Tennessee, is being honored locally for his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame 2021 Class.

Knoxville Senator Becky Duncan Massey has introduced a Senate Joint Resolution to formally honor and celebrate Mayor Jacobs as he prepares to enter the WWE Hall of Fame as Kane.

When he is inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Kane will take his rightful place alongside such legends as Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, and Dusty Rhodes; both Kane and his real-life alter ego, Mayor Jacobs, are worthy of our praise and recognition on this special occasion, the resolution reads.

The resolution (SJR0384) was introduced into the Tennessee General Assembly on Monday of this week, and then passed on first consideration today, April 1.

As Knox County Mayor, Glenn Jacobs has earned the respect and admiration of his constituents through his honesty and integrity, but no matter what measure of popularity he achieves in Tennessee, he will never match the approbation and adoration that wrestling fans have heaped upon Kane, the resolution reads.

The resolution also details some of Jacobs career accomplishments since debuting in 1997 as the Kane character.

Mayor Jacobs tweeted a response to the resolution and wrote, Thank you to my friend @MasseyForSenate for this wonderful honor!

Kane recently announced his re-election campaign, as reported at this link.

You can see Kanes tweet below, along with a congratulatory tweet he received from Ron Paul, and a local news story on the resolution from WBIR Channel 10 in Knoxville:

See more here:

Kane Honored With Senate Joint Resolution For His WWE Hall Of Fame Induction - Wrestling Inc.

A home in Alpine that sold for $3 million after being on the market for nearly a decade was once owned by one of the Isley Brothers. NorthJersey.com

Who's going to win the big Verzuz R&B battle between the Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind and Fire at 8 p.m. EST Sunday, April 4.

Put your money on Jersey Teaneck's Isleys will be victorious. After all, if it weren't for the Isley Brothers, the Beatles would still be Liverpool.

That's the word from Paul McCartney, who told guitar legend Ernie Isley of the debt the Fab Four owed the Isleys when they met at the Apollo in the Hamptons benefit in 2012. The Beatles, of course, covered the Isley Brothers hits Twist and Shout and Shout early in their career.

The Isleys had just finished performing Shout at the benefit.

Ron and Ernie Isley.(Photo: Submitted)

We came back off the stage, taking selfies and signing autographs, said Ernie Isley to the USA Today Network New Jersey in 2019. My wife Tracy said to me Paul McCartneys over there and I said, 'Where?' She points and he was about four tables away. I squeezed through the tables, tapped him on his shoulder and he stood up at his full height and gave me bear hug that cut my wind off.

We were both yelling in each other's ears at the same time and I said something like, 'Paul, you and Ringo, George and John were wonderful.' He said, 'Ernie, if it werent for the Isley Brothers, the Beatles would still be in Liverpool.' "

There was more rock 'n' roll to come that night.

Ernie and brother Ron Isley were joined by McCartney, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Usher and Jennifer Hudson on stage to sing Twist and Shout.

It was the only time the Isley Brothers and a Beatle had ever performed the song live, and it was great, Ernie Isley said. It was great.

More: TJ Lubinsky goes deep into 'My Music' vaults for new 'Rock, Pop and Doo Wop' collection

More: Who's the New Jersey talent coming on strong at the Grammy Awards?

More: Brighton Bar of Long Branch, home of original music at Jersey Shore, has shut its doors

McCartney repeated his acknowledgment of the Isleys from the stage. Ringo Starr also told Ernie Isley of the Isley Brothers influence on the Beatles at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.

Ernie, its because of the Isley Brothers that we were able to hit our stride, said Ringo, as relayed by Ernie Isley.

The Isley Brothers(Photo: Provided)

Shout and Twist and Shout by the Isley Brothers are two of the seminal tracks in rock 'n' roll history. They were recorded while the Isleys, natives of Cincinnati, were based in Teaneck.

They changed some of the lyrics for their version, said Ernie Isley of the 1962 session for the Isley's Twist and Shout, which predates his joining the band. They only had a chance do one take on the record when they got to the ahh ahh ahh shake it up baby!, (Ron's) voice cracked a little bit. He hated it but he kept going and they wanted to do second take but it was decided time was up and that was good enough.

Bert Berns, the co-writer of the song, produced the Isley Brothers version.

They sort of left the studio feeling little discouraged, but it turned out that version was the record that so many have since copied, Ernie Isley said.

Including the Beatles, who opened their ground-breaking 1965 concert at Shea Stadium with Twist and Shout.

Of course, the Isley Brothers legacy is steeped in much more than Beatles covers. The band was on the vanguard of R&B, funk, hip-hop, quiet storm, Afro punk and more. Their hits include This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You), Summer Breeze, That Lady, Live It Up, Fight the Power, Harvest for the World, Between the Sheets, Contagious and That Lady.

Ernie Isley's playing on That Lady is considered one of the greatest lead guitars in rock 'n' roll this side of Jimi Hendrix. He must have picked up a few pointers from Hendrix when Hendrix was a member of the band and lived at the Isley'shome in the early 60s.

Earth, Wind & Fire are certainly shining stars themselves, known for hit records like September, Lets Groove Boogie Wonderland, and "Shining Star." Like the Isley Brothers, they're in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

But the Isley Brothers, well, what can you say about a band that has two of the music's greatest guitarists, Jimi Hendrix and Ernie Isley, in it?

That's tough to beat. The Verzuz takes place via Instagram and the Triller app.

We have managed to change with the musical terrain, the musical climate, and still keep our ID, Ernie Isley said.

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com.

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Isley Brothers will defeat Earth, Wind and Fire in Verzuz battle, just ask the Beatles - Asbury Park Press

Maybe part of it has to do with where we start. Whites drawn to Madison are often among the most highly educated attracted to our world-class university or the regions burgeoning technology sector.

Some people of color who come here dont start with the same privileges and thats also true for their children at school, but generalizations are perilous and theres much more to the achievement gap story than that. Well-educated people of color often report that their children dont get the same treatment at school here that white children do.

Many do, but not all Madisonians care much about delving deeper into racial justice.

I noticed after Black Lives Matter protests here last year an unrelenting buzz about the property damage on State Street and the suggestion that there were lawless hordes downtown. Madison police, criticized by some Black leaders as racially insensitive, are criticized by others as overly conciliatory.

Racial animus was stoked by Donald Trump, and some subset of Madison buys into that. They probably like the law-and-order message and would be less likely just as U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said he was to fear the predominately white crowd at the U.S. Capitol insurrection than Black Lives Matter activists. Yes, Madison is generally liberal, but I have been surprised at how prominent that vibe has been.

See the article here:

Paul Fanlund: Listen more than you talk, and other advice on racial justice - Madison.com

FORT MYERS, Fla. Whenever a popular Twins player from Brad Radke, Joe Nathan, Michael Cuddyer, Torii Hunter, through the M & M boys has a retirement news conference, the organization turns out in force.

The Zoom version of that occurred Thursday when Brian Dozier, 33, announced his retirement after nine seasons, including seven with the Twins. Dozier wore a perpetual grin on his face as Ron Gardenhire, Paul Molitor, Eduardo Escobar, Terry Ryan, Josh Willingham and even clubhouse major-domo Rod McCormick appeared on screen to wish No. 2 a happy retirement.

"You know how much I respect you, man," said Escobar, who got out of a Diamondbacks team meeting to congratulate Dozier. "You [taught] me [how to] play this game the right way, man. That's why I'm still here."

Escobar was the teammate who experienced good times and endured bad times with Dozier's help. Gardenhire was the manager who told Dozier to stop taking ground balls at shortstop after his rookie season when the Twins made him their full-time second baseman. Molitor was the manager who benefited when Dozier unlocked his power, blasting 42 home runs in 2016 the only Twin other than Harmon Killebrew and Nelson Cruz to reach 40 in a season.

"In addition to that performance, it was just how you took care of your teammates and made everybody better," Molitor said. "You were never selfish about anything that you do."

Of the 192 home runs Dozier hit in his career, 167 came as a second baseman for the Twins, a club record. He hit 127 home runs from 2014-17, sixth most in the American League.

Brian Dozier career statistics

He was traded to the Dodgers in July of 2018, playing in 47 games. In 2019, he signed as a free agent with the Nationals, who shook off a terrible start to win the World Series, but he only hit .238 during the season and went 0-for-6 in the postseason. After a brief stint in the Padres organization, Dozier signed with the Mets in July of 2020 but only played in seven games before being released a month later, and he began to realize his time might be up. After thinking about retiring during the offseason, he made it official Thursday.

"I was blessed, so blessed to be able to play for such good managers and general managers throughout my career and some people I respect forever and call them friends forever," Dozier said. "I played for some great organizations and so I appreciate all of you."

Gardenhire, of course, flashed his trademark humor while saluting Dozier.

"One of the nicest people I've ever been around in my life and really just thoroughly enjoyed watching him grow as a player," Gardenhire said, "and of course, after I left, he started hitting bombs all in the seats."

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Brian Dozier, an All-Star for the Twins, retires at 33 - Minneapolis Star Tribune

MIAMI (CBSMiami) A mother is appealing for the publics help nearly 19 years after her son was found murdered inside his Kendall condominium, and she says she has never given up hope this case can be solved.

Barbara Brewer tells CBS4s Peter DOench that her son, 34-year-old Paul Duane Young, just meant everything to all of us.

It was a horrible day when his life ended. Now I want to know who did this and why they did it. You can only feel the hurt that his family and friends feel and if you have any information at all, please call somebody or police and tell them, she said.I would like to see this case solved I doubt it will change how I feel because I have lost a son. Hes gone. I will never see him again until I am gone.

Brewer shared a montage of photos with CBS4 that show Youngs passion for sports.

He was an avid mountain biker and other photos show him snowboarding in Breckenridge, Colorado, and surfing at Sebastian Inlet.

He was also a vice president of finance at a Bank of America branch in the Hammocks.

If you wanted to have a child who was almost perfect, he was it. He grew up with a smile on his face and believed in sharing everything. Ive heard people say he would give you the best shirt off of his back if you needed it, said Brewer.

She is also joined by Miami-Dade Police veteran Det. David Denmark, who said, We would like to ask the public to reach back to the year 2002 and recall how they remember Paul Duane Young and see if they remember anything that was out of place or suspicious and if they do to please Miami-Dade police homicide. No detail is too small.

Denmark told DOench that the body of Young was discovered at 10:40 a.m. on Monday, April 1, 2002, and he was last seen by his girlfriend, who he was dating at the time, at 12:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 31 of 2002.

Paul Duane Young was found brutally murdered while inside his residence, said Denmark, at Kings Creek Condominiums. We have persons of interest and they have all been previously identified.

They all said they have no reason why Paul Duane Young was murdered. He was a very good guy and a model employee and liked by many so it gives us a big challenge and there is no clear motive. I would like to solve this because it would bring closure to his family and Paul Duane Young could Rest In Peace.

Anyone with information that can help Miami-Dade Police should call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477).

There is a reward of $5,000.

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Mother Pleas For Publics Help In Hopes It Can Help Police Solve Nearly 19-Year-Old Cold Case Of Sons Murder - CBS Miami

Beata Cook| Wicked Local

Hi Folks. Once I get an idea for the week's topic, sometimes the words start to flow effortlessly until I realize I'm running out of space. At other times, I have to push myself to get the column ready to hand over to Avis for typing, proofreading, and small edits before it's sent to the editor of the Banner. That's where I find myself today, Monday, Feb. 8.

First of all, yesterday (the day of the Super Bowl, of all days) got all screwed up, which set me up for a very poor night's sleep, and as a consequence I could easily take a nap right now. But time grows short so I shall force myself to continue to follow my trend of thought wherever it might lead and hope my readers aren't overcome by my lethargy.

Back to the annual Super Bowl played by the champion teams of the NFL football season, which was won for many years by our New England Patriots, led by our quarterback, Tom Brady. Tom, at age 43, is considered kind of long in the tooth for a professional football player, but for some unknown reason he opted to go on playing but with a different team. Happily for me, he picked a team with which I feel a sort of connection, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. You see, my younger brother Paul (who died about 16 years ago and to whom I was very devoted) had moved many years ago from Boston with his partner, Ron, to St. Petersburg, Florida. Soon after the move they became fans of the Buccaneers, but Paul's team of choice always remained the Patriots. I still have a stadium blanket which the boys sent me years ago, with the name Buccaneers printed on its pretty orange quilting. I treasure it to this day. My sister Marian, our Aunt Ruth and I spent our yearly winter vacations with Paul and Ron in St. Pete, and therein lies my connection. If Brady felt it necessary to move to another locale with a different team, what better choice than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

So it was that I and my nieces Sue and Cindy planned a Super Bowl celebration of our own on game day. Cindy, who works at Stop & Shop, ordered freshly fried chicken wings to be picked up at the designated hour. Our neighbor, Mark Bove, contributed homemade pizza. Our plans were to do our weekly grocery shopping, put the stuff away, pick up the chicken wings and sit down to enjoy the game. Alas, that was not to be!

Was it Robert Burns who said, The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry ?

Disappointment #1: When Cindy arrived, she announced that the machine which fries the Stop & Shop chicken wings had burned out and would need repairs. As an alternative, we decided on frozen chicken wings accompanied by potato skins such as we once devoured at the now- defunct Pucci's. After we got the groceries sorted and put where they belong, we were really looking forward to sitting down with a drink and a piece of Mark's pizza as we watched the opening ceremonies of the Super Bowl.

Then came Disappointment #2. It was just about this time that I lost my picture on my Direct TV hookup. Since this has happened in the past during bad weather, I wasn't overly concerned.

Usually when it goes down, the screen delivers a message stating that the satellite dish is not relaying a signal but that they are searching and the connection would be restored shortly. But that's not what happened this time!

Susie got in touch with Direct TV customer service, and though she is much more experienced with technology than I am, after a series of unplug this, plug in that she was still unable to get a picture. Frustrated, Cindy and I had a piece of Mark's pizza but Susie did not. She said she didn't feel well and wasn't hungry. Because Cindy had an early work schedule the next day, Susie put the frozen wings and potato skins in the oven for Cindy to take home for her supper and then continued the hopeless task of getting a picture on the TV. She got so involved she forgot about the food in the oven, and when I reminded her, it was too late. The food was dry and tasteless, but before Cindy left for home she gamely ate hers anyway and said that it wasn't too bad.

What she deemed not too bad was Disappointment #3 for me, as far as I was concerned.

With the game well underway, Susie finally located a radio station on which she could follow the action and scores. Because football is such a visual game and my hearing is so impaired, there really isn't much pleasure in a radio broadcast. But when we turned it on the Buccaneers were in the lead after a couple of touchdowns by Rob Gronkowski, also a former Patriots player.

Finally, even better news arrived when Susie noticed that a light usually showing on the converter box wasn't shining. With that she started fooling around with plugs and outlets once again when, lo and behold, the screen suddenly came to life, informing us that they had almost located the signal on my disc and we should be connected in a few minutes. It was now halftime and I was hungry and tired, but we were able to see the last half of the game as well as the celebration when the Buccaneers handily won the Super Bowl! Brady will get his seventh ring.

It was then that my thoughts turned to my deceased loved ones, Paul, Marian, and friend Ron who have all gone on to another place, but I was able to join them in spirit as I shouted,

YIPPEE!

We won another Super Bowl. Not only did Tom Brady win one for the Buccaneers, but I finished my column with no space to spare!

Original post:

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER: A Buccaneers connection, and a Super Bowl party that (almost) wasnt - Wicked Local