Daily Archives: January 19, 2021

Realteam steps up to WEC, signs Duval and Nato – Motorsport.com

Posted: January 19, 2021 at 9:07 am

After two seasons in the LMP3 ranks of the ELMS, where it achieved one victory and a podium finish, Realteam will field an Oreca 07 run by TDS Racing in the WECs burgeoning LMP2 class.

Duval and Nato will be joined by team owner and bronze-rated driver Esteban Garcia, who was part of Realteams ELMS crew alongside David Droux for the past two years. Swiss racer Droux will continue with the team on its graduation to WEC, taking the role of reserve driver.

Realteam qualifies under the WECs new Pro-Am LMP2 rules, essentially a sub-class for teams which voluntarily elect to race with a bronze driver.

"We are very pleased to take this further step by entering a LMP2 in the World Endurance Championship and to be eligible for the FIA LMP2 Pro / Am Endurance Trophy, Garcia said in a statement.

After two full seasons in ELMS with David (Droux), a victory and a podium in the championship, it was time for us to reach our goal of competing in the WEC as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans. TDS Racing will continue to bring us its full experience in this program. I'm very excited to share the wheel with two drivers as experienced as Loic and Norman! "

The announcement marks a full-time return to the WEC for Duval, who last raced for TDS Racing during the 2018/19 superseason, bagging a podium finish in his class at Le Mans.

He was previously a part of Audis LMP1 line-up since the inception of the WEC in 2012 and right up to the manufacturers exit five seasons later, with a Le Mans 24 Hours/title double in 13 being the highlight of his stint.

The French driver will dovetail his new Realteam Racing commitments with a drive in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, where he will compete for JDC-Miller Motorsport in the top DPi class.

"I'm delighted to be back in the FIA WEC, with the 24 Hours of Le Mans as the highlight, after a year's absence, Duval said.

I'm happy to do it again with TDS Racing, with whom I have been racing for two years , and with Esteban for this Pro-Am project.

For me, this represents the essence of the 24 Hours of Le Mans as there have always been gentlemen associated with professionals.

Nato was a part of the Rebellion LMP1 crew that won two races last season before the Swiss outfit ended its long-running WEC programme.

Like Duval, Nato will also undertake a second programme in 2021, making his Formula E debut with Mercedes customer squad Venturi alongside Edoardo Mortara.

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The Open Skies Treaty: NATO’s Eyes Over Russia – The Moscow Times

Posted: at 9:07 am

The Open Skies Treaty, whichRussiasays it is leaving after the U.S. quit last year, was agreed just after the Cold War to allow signatories to avoid nasty surprises by monitoring rival militaries.

Moscow and Washington had long accused each other of breaching its terms, and President Donald Trump formally pulled the U.S. out last November.

Trump's administration said the Kremlin had "weaponized" the treaty to target "critical infrastructure" in the U.S. and Europe and prevented American flights over its exclave Kaliningrad.

The U.S. withdrawal came despite the dismay of Washington's European allies, who remain attached to the treaty as part of their continent's security architecture.

Now Moscow has announced it is pulling out as well after a "lack of progress" in keeping the treaty functioning following the U.S. decision to quit.

The Russian foreign ministry said Friday that the United States had used a "fictitious pretext" for its withdrawal and in doing so disturbed "the balance of interests of the participating states."

It saidRussiahad put forward proposals to retain the "viability" of the treaty but did not receive support from Washington.

During Trump's tenure the United States withdrew from two major international accords the Iran nuclear deal and the Open Skies treaty and pulled out of a centerpiece arms control agreement withRussia, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty.

The Open Skies Treaty made it possible to conduct joint unarmed observation flights over the territories and to take images using sensors of a predefined resolution.

It also allowed signatories to request copies of all images taken during overflights carried out by others.

Overflights have been governed by quotas, negotiated annually and assigned to specific aircraft. The United States, for example, was allowed to operate Boeing OC-135 planes with infrared scanners.

The country under surveillance has been given 72 hours' warning of a flight and 24 hours notice of the route, to which it can suggest modifications.

The treaty laid down which air bases can be used for the flights and at which points they can cross into each other's airspace.Russiaand the U.S. had four such bases each.

A committee to oversee the implementation of the treaty came together in Vienna every month at the headquarters of the Organization of Security and Cooperation (OSCE) in Europe.

"Its unique feature consists in the fact that during overflights, representatives of both the observing state and the observed state can sit together in one aircraft," said Alexander Grief and Moritz Kutt, researchers at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy in Hamburg, in a report.

They warned the U.S. withdrawal would be an important loss for its NATO allies in Europe as most of them did not possess satellite reconnaissance capabilities.

Beyond the U.S. andRussia the remaining signatories of the treaty are Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom. Kyrgyzstan has signed, but not ratified the treaty.

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Turkey, Greece expected to resume talks at NATO – Anadolu Agency

Posted: at 9:07 am

ANKARA

Turkish and Greek military delegations are expected to resume technical talks next week at the NATO headquarters, security sources said Friday.

The technical talks to discuss maritime disputes between Turkey and Greece were agreed to be held and implemented by the military delegations of the two countries following a meeting held between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

As a result of the meetings, a mutual understanding was reached and "general principles" were announced on Oct. 2, 2020.

Turkey, which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, has rejected maritime boundary claims by Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, stressing that the excessive claims violate the sovereign rights of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots.

Ankara sent several drill ships last year for energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean, asserting its rights in the region, as well as those of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Turkish leaders have repeatedly stressed that Ankara is in favor of resolving outstanding problems in the region through international law, good neighborly relations, dialogue and negotiations.

*Writing by Merve Aydogan

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R. Paul Wilson On: How To Cheat At Roulette With Past Posting – Casino.Org News

Posted: at 9:06 am

When I first met crooked-gambling expert Darwin Ortiz at a lecture for magicians in Glasgow, I was eager to pick his brains.

Until that point, I was a voracious collector of cheating methods with cards, but I was beginning to take an interest in casino games and roulette in particular.

In Glasgows famous Tam Shepherds Trick Shop, agathering place for local conjurors, I remember asking Darwin how cheaterscould beat the game of roulette.

Despite answering a question with a question,his answer was quite direct:

Do you think a cheater could win if they wereable to bet after the ball had landed?

Past posting is a simple idea.

After the ball lands in a number, a cheater (orteam of cheaters) attempts to add a high value bet to the layout without thedealer noticing the discrepancy.

To the average player, this might seem like anexcellent way to get caught and enjoy the hospitality of a casinos back room.

In fact, it is a bold and risky strategy but canbe effective if the cheater has the skill, timing and awareness to pull it off.

Dealers often balk at the idea that these movescould slide at their table but in the heat of a long shift and with countlessdistractions around every spin, even the most alert croupier might bevulnerable to the simplest of past-posting techniques.

Professional past-posters limit their activityto occasional shots taken at the right moment under appropriate misdirection.

The simplest and easiest targets to hit on thelayout are the red and black bets.

With an experienced cheater sitting close tothose options, a check can appear as if by magic after the ball lands.

The classic technique is to rest ones hand onthe layout with a chip hidden underneath.

With an imperceptible snap of the thumb, thatchip slides quickly and quietly across the baize to settle on the red or blackpainted markings.

It takes practice to know how hard to push a chip and to do so without any motion of the hand to betray the action but timingis also essential.

As a ball drops into the rotor, players mightlean over the table to get a better look and if a partner is trained to do sonaturally, he or she might cover the move from the eye in the sky while theslider watches the dealers to make sure theres no heat when he kicks thecheck.

A more sophisticated approach is to reachforward and slide a chip under the forearm and there are many strategies toexcuse this action.

One method is to buy into the game for moremoney and to reach forward with some cash.

Another is to apparently begin making bets forthe next round, only to be dismissed by the dealer who would instruct theplayer to wait until the table is cleared.

Both of these methods might be used sinceneither should be repeated with the same dealer or at the same table, but pastposting is rarely a repeatable strategy since each shot you take risks wakingup casino staff.

Theres a Walter Mitty shot that supposedlyallowed teams of players to repeatedly place a stack of chips with a ledge overthe bottom chip to disguise the lowermost check, which is a high value bet.

Supposedly, the dealer would not notice thisoff-colour check and if the bet lost, the player would switch out the big betfor one of the cheaper checks under some pretext.

I have every confidence this could be successfulonce or twice but the claim that it could be repeated constantly is purefantasy (in my opinion) unless the dealers, the bosses and the security teamupstairs are all in on it.

By passing off high-value to checks to secretpartners around a table, cheaters can place a high-stakes player next to thewheel then use lower-stake bets to cover past-posted bets.

Imagine youre that high-stakes player with astack of purple checks, each valued at $500 and you arrange these to concealthe fact that youve palmed away five chips and passed them to a partner whosits at the opposite end of the table.

That partner can now drop your chips onto thelayout while you watch the wheel and sip your free watered-down drinks!

With the slide technique described above, anexpert might be able to place your purple check across a nearby number when itcomes up.

And if the team is bold and well-practiced inmisdirection, you might speak to the dealer at the instant the ball drops todistract him or her from the appearing chip on (or across) that winning number.

By passing chips this way, another cheater canapproach the table and buy in for a small amount of cash but use that money tocover the drop of a check onto the layout just as the ball lands!

An even bolder (but effective) approach is toslide a late stack of chips onto the layout, so the dealer is caused to returnthat stack to the errant player. At the bottom of the stack is one or twohigh-valued purple chips that are off-set to look as if the late stack wasplaced onto those chips, which were supposedly already there.

Having tried this last strategy for The Takedown, theres a perverse pleasure in watching the dealer correct a player by removing their late stack while leaving behind the big bets that were never there before the move was attempted.

Each of these techniques can work in the rightplace and at the right time but if theres the least suspicion on the move,then a rewind of camera footage will quickly betray the deception.

What makes these methods successful is a senseof when and where to attempt them, either by profiling weak dealers ormanipulating each situation so that a discrepancy might go unnoticed.

Playing the turn (distracting the dealer) inthese situations can be an art in its own right and expert scammers can playentire teams of dealers and their bosses like an orchestra whether by charm orharm so that the appearance of a big bet is the least concern to whoever ismanaging the game.

The real danger for past-posters is that modernsecurity systems can potentially track all bets on a layout and detect ifanything is added after the dealer calls no more bets.

So, if youre ever tempted to kick a checkacross the baize, be ready to say hello to the backroom boys.

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Top 3 Online Casinos with Immersive Roulette by Evolution Gaming – Tunf.com News

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Roulette Displays Market Size By Analysis, Key Vendors, Regions, Type and Application, and Forecasts to 2027 – Jumbo News

Posted: at 9:06 am

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Roulette Displays Market Size By Analysis, Key Vendors, Regions, Type and Application, and Forecasts to 2027 - Jumbo News

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ESA Gaming Increases its Presence in Italy through Scommettendo – Tunf.com News

Posted: at 9:06 am

Online casino software provider ESA Gaming has signed a content distribution agreement with Scommettendo that seeks to further expand its presence in Italy. Operator customers will now have access to the full ESA catalog, which includes the titles of the EasySwipe suite, as well as comprehensive HTML5 games.

As part of the agreement, Scommettendo will offer game content that includes the Fruit Staxx, Goal Mine, Blackjack and Roulette versions. Each of these games extends the players session but also the overall value of the game.

The collaboration agreement between the two brands will allow new games to be added to the catalog in the first half of this year. Some of them are sports-themed titles and slot games inspired by ancient Egypt.

The Italian operator Scommettendo has extensive experience of more than ten years in the market and occupies a prominent place in the industry. It is a brand with a robust platform of very attractive games that includes several cutting-edge releases.

While ESA Gaming comes from signing other important agreements last year with high-level operators and obtaining licenses in Italy, Malta (MGA) and Colombia. It also accumulates more than a decade of experience contributing ideas to the iGaming industry.

It has emerged as a major content aggregator and provider of poker. ESA recently introduced mobile casino games to expand its market and sales by adding an additional customer base.

Its great to start off the new year by signing a deal with leading operator Scommettendo to further increase our footprint in the Italian market, said Zorica Smallwood, Director of ESA Gaming.

Our EasySwipe portfolio has been well received by operators and gamers alike, and we are excited to launch several new titles this year that we are sure will enhance Scommettendos cross-selling capabilities and provide great entertainment for its customers, he added.

Meanwhile, Scommettendos director of operations, Donato Nigro, highlighted the importance of the signed agreement.

We are delighted to add ESA Gamings unique content to our offering and provide our customers with a product that, in an easy way, offers a high-quality online casino experience to players while betting on their favorite sport a successful partnership .

Source: https://lcb.org/news/esa-gaming-enhances-foothold-in-italy-via-scommettendo-agreement

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Real Money Online Casinos with Skrill Payments for this Week – Tunf News – Tunf.com News

Posted: at 9:06 am

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Ransomware reveals the hidden weakness of our big tech world – ZDNet

Posted: at 9:06 am

Ransomware continues to cause damage across the world. Rarely a week goes by without another company, or city, or hospital, falling prey to the gangs who will encrypt the data across PCs and networks and demand thousands or millions in exchange for setting it free.

These aren't victimless crimes; every successful attack means a company faces huge costs and risks being pushed out of business, or public services disrupted just when we need them, or medical services put in jeopardy in the middle of a crisis.

And yet it seems impossible to stop the attacks or catch the gangs. That's because the ongoing success of ransomware reflects many of the real-world failings of technology that we often forget or gloss over.

SEE: Network security policy (TechRepublic Premium)

There are obvious, fundamental weaknesses that ransomware exploits. In some cases these are problems that have existed for years, that the tech industry has failed to address; others are issues that are, right now, beyond the skills of the smartest entrepreneurs who want to tackle cybersecurity challenges.

A few examples spring to mind. Hackers would be unable to gain even their first foothold if companies took security seriously. That means applying patches to vulnerable software when they are issued, not months or years later (or never). Equally, companies wouldn't be on the tedious treadmill of applying constant security updates if the tech industry shipped software code that was secure in the first place.

And while we tend to think of the borderless world of the internet, the real world of geopolitics looms large when it comes to ransomware as many of these gangs operate from countries that have no interest in catching such crooks or handing them over to police in other jurisdictions. In some cases that's because the ransomware gangs are bringing in much needed funds for the country; in other cases so long as the gangs aren't going after local victims, the authorities are quietly happy for them to create havoc elsewhere.

It's not all doom and gloom; the fight back against ransomware is advancing on a few fronts.

Intel has showcased some new hardware-level technologies that it says will be able to detect a ransomware attack that antivirus alone might miss.

SEE: Cybersecurity: This 'costly and destructive' malware is the biggest threat to your network

A group of tech companies including Microsoft, Citrix and FireEye are working on a three-month project to come up with options that they promise will "significantly mitigate" the ransomware threat by identifying different ways of stopping such attacks. And more political pressure should be put on the nation states that are happy to let ransomware gangs flourish within their borders.

There is also a need to put more pressure on governments to look at whether, and in what circumstances, it should be acceptable to pay the ransom at all. Profit is the only reason that ransomware exists; if it is possible to stop the gangs from making their big payday, then the problem goes away almost immediately.

Everyone seems to agree that ransomware is a menace that can no longer be ignored. Now we need to see some tangible progress before these attacks create more chaos.

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Ransomware reveals the hidden weakness of our big tech world - ZDNet

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Sunday in Hartford: Massive show of police, not protesters – The CT Mirror

Posted: at 9:04 am

Cloe Poisson :: CTMirror.org

A protester and counter-protester: At left, a man who identified himself using what is likely a right-wing alias, Duncan Lemp, talks with Joanna Iovino of Hartford at the State Capitol.

The first to arrive was a masked young man who used the name of a dead anarchist to identify himself. He carried a first-aid kit and tree-of-liberty flag as he trudged up the hill to the state Capitol on Sunday, the advance guard of a protest that never materialized at least not in Hartford.

On a day when police stood on alert in every state capital, ready for protests promised in the wake of the stunning assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Hartford was quiet. No one came to cry that the election was stolen from Donald J. Trump.

Reporters and photographers outnumbered protesters, counter-protesters and onlookers. Police outnumbered them all.

In and around the Capitol complex waited 200 police officers, one dog, a National Guard contingent armed with assault rifles, and armored police and military vehicles, some painted in desert tan. One was an MRAP, a mine-resistant assault vehicle.

Cloe Poisson :: CTMirror.org

A group of Connecticut National Guardsmen patrol in front of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford in anticipation of a protest at the state Capitol Sunday, Jan. 17. The planned protest ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday never materialized.

We believe what we were doing was appropriate based on the intel we had, said Brian Foley, a spokesman for the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. That being said, Id much rather next Thursday be talking to you about over-preparation than under-preparation. And the fact that no one showed up is just fine with us.

Next Thursday will be President-elect Joe Bidens first full day as the 46th president of the United States. Police expect to remain watchful over government buildings and other potential targets of protest or violence.

But if there are insurrectionists in Connecticut interested in keeping Donald J. Trump in power past Bidens inauguration at noon on Wednesday, they did not show themselves on Sunday.

The self-described anarchist with the tree-of-liberty flag identified himself as Duncan Lemp, 17, of Norwich. The name is an alias adopted by some right-wing groups as a nod to a 21-year-old anti-government boogaloo boi killed in a police raid in Maryland last year.

The young man with the flag was accompanied by an older man of uncertain years who was identified by gold stitching on his cap as a Marine: Once a Marine, Always a Marine. He walked with a cane and pleasantly announced his mission: Keeping an eye on his grandson, the family anarchist.

Hes a good boy, said the grandfather.

Cloe Poisson :: CTMirror.org

A group of photographers take pictures of a man who identified himself as Duncan Lemp likely an alias of Norwich at a protest at the state Capitol Sunday, Jan. 17. The man, a self-described Libertarian/anarchist, was there to protest for gun rights and against COVID-19 restrictions and police brutality. I want to protest for freedom, he said.

The pair arrived before noon, the young man assuring the waiting press that more people were coming. The older man seemed skeptical. He laughed and said, This is it?

While the grandson used an alias, the grandfather declined to use any name. Keeping his name out of the news was a practice developed decades ago on Teamster picket lines, he said. He smiled and said, I was a trouble-maker then.

The younger of the pair said he learned of the protest on a bulletin board maintained online by The Tree of Liberty, which he described as generally freedom-loving and anti-government.

What I know is from official statements from the organizers via the website, Tree of Liberty, he said. Its goal is anything that stands for freedom. Anybody who has any single issue with the government, whether it be taxes or legalizing marijuana, anything.

As he chatted, Joanna Iovino of Hartford arrived with a pink bullhorn that needed batteries and a hand-written sign disapproving of Trump, the KKK and fascists. She described herself as a counter-protester and said there were others on the way, even if there was nothing to counter.

Cloe Poisson :: CTMirror.org

Joanna Iovino, of Hartford, walks along police barricades while attending a protest at the state Capitol Sunday, Jan. 17. Iovino was one of a handful of people who attended what was billed as a protest ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday. Iovino was there to protest the protestors and described herself as an anti-fascist. Im here to stand up against fascism, she said.

A young anarchist using a dead mans name did not concern her.

Maybe theres not enough fascists in Connecticut, you know? Iovino said. But yeah, were out here to counter-protest against fascism.

Others drifted by. A trio of serious-looking men approached from Bushnell Park and watched. One dropped his mask and lit a cigar. He said they were just curious. He was polite but disinterested in further discussion about politics or current events with a reporter.

Cloe Poisson :: CTMirror.org

A state Capitol police officer stands guard inside a barricade in anticipation of a protest that didnt happen.

A man with a shaggy beard strolled along the blaze-orange bicycle-rack fencing around the Capitol. As he passed the old man with the Marines cap, he said, Thank you for your service.

He was asked if he was press, protester or tourist.

The bearded man replied, Just interested.

A tall man who would only give his name as Will walked by with a bullhorn, amplifying a profane rap from his iPhone. It was FDT by Nipsey Hussle. DT stands for Donald Trump.

The Marine grandfather of the boy using a dead boogaloos name said he was mildly offended by the language.

When the song concluded, Will joined Iovino by the perimeter fence.

Im from Hartford. I have to be here. Its basically Im here against fascism, plain and simple, always will be, he said. So this is what I do. And we came up here with one or two people, even if we were surrounded, weve been surrounded by Trump supporters before.

Cloe Poisson :: CTMirror.org

A man who identified himself only as Will plays a hip-hop song by Nipsey Hussle titled FDT through a megaphone while attending a protest at the state Capitol Sunday, Jan. 17. Will was one of a handful of people who attended what was billed as a protest ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday. Every person needs to be out here speaking up for their rights, said Will. I dont hate Trump supporters, I just hate their ideology.

There was no chance of being surrounded.

A tall, thin male jogger in shorts and knee-high black socks glided by, showing no sign of noticing anything amiss on a Sunday afternoon at the Connecticut Capitol.

Capitol police stood inside the perimeter. Near the north steps, a State Police truck was parked, watched by a K-9 officer. His dog lay flat, disinterested.

Overhead, a State Police helicopter circled in ever-widening orbits over the Capitol, the Legislative Office Building, the State Office Building, State Armory, Supreme Court and the neighborhoods beyond.

There was nothing to see. No marchers staging, ready to move on the Capitol.

Mark Pazniokas :: CT Mirror

The entire state Capitol complex, which includes the Legislative Office building seen here, was heavily guarded on Sunday in anticipation of a protest.

In the wake of what we saw in the nations capital last week, it was important we be prepared for anything that might present this weekend, said Luke Bronin, the mayor of Hartford, who lives a block from the Capitol.

Gov. Ned Lamont, who had hip-replacement surgery on Wednesday, was at his home in Greenwich. His spokesman, Max Reiss, echoed Bronin and Foley in saying that it was better to be over-prepared.

Authorities had no immediate estimate of the cost of having so many troopers massed around the Capitol.

What was spent today will be tracked, coded through our fiscal people at the state separately, and we should hopefully, once its settled down in the coming days,have an idea of what the cost was, Foley said. Certainly I would say the cost is much less than having some sort of violent outbreak occur.

He said state officials learned on a 50-state conference call Friday that every state capital was using the same template. One challenge for law enforcement was the decision by technology firms to crack down on the uses of social-media platforms by those deemed to be extremists.

It made a source of intelligence go dark, complicating efforts to judge how big a protest to expect.

When social media started shutting down Parler and a lot of the talk and many of the advertisements about any sort of organized protests, we lost an arm of our intelligence, Foley said. Not all of our intelligence, but an arm of it. And the ability to estimate what was going to happen became cloudy.

Cloe Poisson :: CTMirror.org

A Connecticut state police helicopter flies over the state Capitol Sunday, Jan. 17.

At precisely 1 p.m., the protest that never transpired was deemed a non-event. Police opened Capitol Avenue to traffic, too late for a small group of women seeking food at Emanuel Lutheran Church, across from the Armory and Legislative Office Building.

A sign at the church door said the church food bank was closed at the request of Capitol police.The women, who didnt want to give their fullnames, said they come to the food bank every weekend.

Iwasnt expecting anything like this, a woman named Grace said. Two cops stopped us just walking to the church. Were just trying to get some food.

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Sunday in Hartford: Massive show of police, not protesters - The CT Mirror

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