Daily Archives: November 17, 2021

Senator Eddie Lucio, Texas’ Most Conservative Democrat, Is Retiring – The Texas Observer

Posted: November 17, 2021 at 1:31 pm

Eddie Lucios last year in the Texas Senate was emblematic.

During 2021s legislative sessions, the long-serving Democratic senator from the border town of Brownsville successfully passed bills to crack down on negligent dog owners and to encourage athletic opportunities for kids with disabilities. Lucio, a deeply Catholic septuagenarian, has long championed such laws that paint him as a defender of the vulnerable. In the same period, his decades-long war on reproductive health care reached its zenith. Alone among Senate Dems, Lucio coauthored Senate Bill 8, the states near-total abortion ban that empowers private citizens to sue anyone who performs or helps someone obtain an abortion, creating a de facto bounty-hunting system as reckless as it is cruel.

This was typical Lucio. Over his 35 years in the Texas Legislature, he passed bills promoting autism treatment for children, limiting the death penalty, and funding roads in South Texas poorest neighborhoods. In 2017, he was also the only Democrat to support Lieutenant Governor Dan Patricks transphobic bathroom bill, a misleading measure that would have restricted restroom access for transgender Texans. In the early days of Lucios political career, he made his bones backing the right-wing movement known as tort reforma euphemism for kneecapping the ability of injured workers and consumers to sue companies. Some years back, he dabbled too in the shady business of consulting for the private prison industry.

Earlier this month, Lucio made the surprise announcement that he was hanging up his Senate spurs. At a news conference in Harlingen, Lucio said hes retiring to focus on his family and his own personal ministry to help the less fortunate in our community. The arch-conservative Dan Patrick lamented the loss of a great friend and ally in the Texas Senate.

In 2019, Lucio told the Observer he intended to stay in office at least through 2021 to make sure his home regionthe Rio Grande Valley and Brownsville in particularwouldnt lose influence during redistricting. This effort bore little fruit, at least for his political party. His own district was redrawn to be more competitive for a potential Republican candidate and to include more voters from outside the Valley. One of three U.S. House seats covering the Valley, District 15, was redrawn such that former President Trump would have carried it in 2020. It is now a top GOP target. In an interview with the Rio Grande Guardian, Lucio also lamented how the Brownsville areas two state House seats had been rearranged.

So, who will replace this retiring titan of Valley politics?

Some political observers long expected Lucio would be succeeded by his son, state Representative Eddie Lucio III, but the latter announced his own retirement from the House in October without public plans to run for another office.

Shortly after the senator announced his retirement, Sara Stapleton Barrera, a trial lawyer who challenged Lucio in the 2020 Democratic primary, announced she would run for the now-open seat. Stapleton Barrera was backed by pro-choice, LGBTQ rights, and environmental groups in 2020 and managed to force Lucio into a runoff, which she lost by seven points. Her current campaign website focuses on a more milquetoast set of issues, including term limits and campaign finance reform.

Other rumored candidates for Lucios seat include state Representative Alex Dominguez, D-Brownsville, whose home was drawn out of his current district during redistricting, and Morgan Lamantia, a member of the prominent South Texas family that runs the L&F beer distribution company, who has donated to both Democrats and Republicans.

Lucio has never apologized for his reactionary record on abortion and LGBTQ rights. My faith leads me to my decision making; I wont change that because of modern trends, he told the Observer in 2019.

Reached by phone on Friday, he described the person he hopes will succeed him in his Senate seat. I want somebody that has compassion for peopleespecially the unborn, he said. Asked whether he cared which party the person belonged to, he said he did not.

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Senator Eddie Lucio, Texas' Most Conservative Democrat, Is Retiring - The Texas Observer

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Democrats scramble to figure out shutdown strategy | TheHill – The Hill

Posted: at 1:31 pm

Democrats are trying to lock down their strategyfor a looming government shutdown fight, as they debate punting into early 2022 or setting up another deadline closer to Christmas.

Congress has until the end of Dec. 3 to pass another government funding bill after using a short-term patch, known as a continuing resolution (CR), to get them past the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal 2022 funding year.

No decisions have been made on how long to extend government funding after the early December deadline, and there are competing schools of thought within House and Senate Democrats about what their next step should be.

One option under discussion is to pass a two-week CR, which would extend current spending levels, to fund the government through roughly Dec. 17. But a source told The Hill that top Democrats are supporting a funding bill that would last until February or March.

Sen. Chris Van HollenChristopher (Chris) Van HollenOvernight Defense & National Security Presented by Boeing Senators to take up defense bill Wednesday Democrats mull cutting into Thanksgiving break amid pile up Hillicon Valley Immigrants being put insurveillance programs MORE (D-Md.) acknowledged that Democrats were debating passing a stopgap bill that would last until mid-December or going longer.

Id like to keep the pressure on. On the other hand, theres a lot going on, said Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Democrats who favor the shorter stopgap that would set up another funding cliff closer to Christmas say they want to keep pressure on Republicans to cut a deal on fiscal 2022 funding.

I think we would be much better off doing a short-term CR. We need to keep the pressure on Republicans to do their job, said Sen. Chris MurphyChristopher (Chris) Scott MurphyInfrastructure bill could upset debt limit timeline Biden sets off high-stakes scramble over spending framework Progressives scramble to save top priorities from chopping block MORE (D-Conn.), another member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Though top members of the Senate and House appropriations committees met earlier this month to talk about funding the government, theyve made little progress toward the type of sweeping deal that would set top-line numbers and let them pass all 12 fiscal 2022 funding bills.

House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauroRosa DeLauroDemocrats take on Manchin, make renewed push for family leave House Democrats put paid family leave back into bill Lobbying world MORE (D-Conn.), in a letter to House Democrats, said that she wants an end-of-year government funding deal, an apparent indirect push for a weeks-long CR instead of passing a stopgap bill that goes into 2022.

I will continue to fight for a negotiated omnibus appropriations bill. ... But beginning those robust discussions requires Republicans to come to the table with their own proposal for fiscal year 2022 appropriations, so that we can reconcile our differences and enact an omnibus in December, DeLauro wrote.

And other Democrats are warning that a longer a CR goes, the more money is wasted.

The longer a continuing resolution goes, the more it costs the taxpayers, because you waste billions of dollars because people can't make decisions, Sen. Patrick LeahyPatrick Joseph LeahyThe Hill's Morning Report - Presented by ExxonMobil - Biden hails infrastructure law, talks with China's Xi Midterm gloom grows for Democrats Leahy retirement shakes up Vermont politics MORE (D-Vt.) said.

House Majority Leader Steny HoyerSteny Hamilton HoyerOn The Money Democrats try to run through the tape Democrats bullish they'll reach finish line this week Protecting nature a bright spot from Glasgow MORE (D-Md.), while cautioning that he needs to talk with DeLauro, told reporters, I think it ought to be sooner rather than later. The CR is a very negative piece of legislation, and the longer it goes the more harmful it is to the operations of our government.

But setting upa December government funding deadline would add another item on Congresss end-of-year to-do list. The Senate is currently debating a massive defense policy bill and still needs to finish negotiating and take up President BidenJoe BidenIdaho state House passes worker vaccine compensation bill Biden sends 2016 climate treaty to Senate for ratification Rubio vows to slow-walk Biden's China, Spain ambassador nominees MOREs social and climate spending bill that the House is aiming to pass this week. They are also facing a moving targetfor when they need to raise the debt ceiling after approving a short-term debt hike earlier this year.

And its not clear that negotiators could come to an agreement and draft the massive spending package in a matter of weeks.

Sen. Richard ShelbyRichard Craig ShelbyThe Hill's Morning Report - Presented by ExxonMobil - Biden hails infrastructure law, talks with China's Xi Senate Republicans call on colleagues to reject government spending bills without border wall funding Congress barrels toward end-of-year pileup MORE (Ala.), the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, appeared skeptical that they would be able to get a spending deal as an omnibus by mid-December, suggesting that lawmakers will have to end up passing another CR into February or March regardless either heading into the Dec. 3 deadline or two weeks later, if they do a short-term patch.

I think its not impossible. It would be very difficult. It would be hard to get, Shelby said about the chances for a year-end spending deal.

The split over how long to fund the government after Dec. 3 comes as senators say they are confident there wont be a shutdown in a matter of weeks, but appear frustrated about the lack of progress toward a larger spending deal.

Oh god. Do you want to be hung by a rope or a knife? said Sen. Jon TesterJonathan (Jon) TesterDemocrats face squeeze on Biden's spending bill Manchin says he has 'no idea' if he'll run for reelection in 2024 Spending bill faces Senate scramble MORE (D-Mont.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, asked about a mid-December stopgap or going into 2022. Id just as soon get our appropriations bills passed so we dont have to have a CR.

Asked about the length of a CR, Sen. Dick DurbinDick DurbinDemocrats mull cutting into Thanksgiving break amid pile up Top Senate Democrat calls on attorney general to fire prisons chief Congress barrels toward end-of-year pileup MORE (D-Ill.), another member of the committee, initially said he thought the longer the better, before walking himself back and saying that he wants to see full-year appropriations bills.

I just want to get the regular appropriations bills passed, he said.

Asked if he thought a Dec. 17 deadline would help keep pressure on, he added: I dont know. Your guess is as good as mine.

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Democrats think GOP will blink in newest debt brawl | TheHill – The Hill

Posted: at 1:31 pm

Congress is headed into another nasty fight to raise the debt limit that has no resolution in sight.

Treasury Secretary Janet YellenJanet Louise YellenOn The Money Democrats try to run through the tape Yellen warns US could default soon after Dec. 15 Biden's decision on Fed chair said to be 'imminent' MORE told congressional leaders Tuesday that the federal government could default on its debt soon after Dec. 15 without action to raise the federal borrowing limit.

Senate Democrats are ruling out the possibility of using the special budget reconciliation process to raise the debt ceiling with only Democratic votes. But that means theyll need some help from Senate Republicans, setting up another standoff over government spending next month.

We must pass the debt limit. We cannot let the full faith and credit of this country lapse, and we hope to do it in a bipartisan way, Senate Majority Leader Charles SchumerChuck SchumerBottom line Christie: Trump rhetoric about stolen election led to Jan. 6 attack Senate Republicans call on colleagues to reject government spending bills without border wall funding MORE (D-N.Y.) told reporters Tuesday.

Asked if he was still ruling out using budget reconciliation, Schumer repeated: We are focusing on getting this done in a bipartisan way.

Republicans say they only voted with Democrats on an emergency basis in October to advance a two-month debt-limit increase.

The GOP senators who backed the measure came under stark criticism from former President TrumpDonald TrumpBiden sends 2016 climate treaty to Senate for ratification US, China ease restrictions on journalists Americans keep spending MORE, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellYellen warns US could default soon after Dec. 15 Democrats face squeeze on Biden's spending bill Advocates worry online misogyny will keep women out of office MORE (R-Ky.) said he would not provide the help again on a procedural vote.

With the new Dec. 15 deadline fast approaching, Schumer hasnt made any move to set up a separate budget reconciliation process to address the debt limit.

Some Democrats say they think the GOP, which in October backed away from a vow of not providing help, will blink again.

Eleven Republicans voted with all 50 Democrats on Oct. 7 to end debate on the short-term debt limit extension and move the bill to a vote on final passage.

I think Republicans have now set the precedent that they understand they have an obligation to at least allow us to increase the debt limit with Democratic votes. I expect that well reach the same place, said Sen. Chris MurphyChristopher (Chris) Scott MurphyInfrastructure bill could upset debt limit timeline Biden sets off high-stakes scramble over spending framework Progressives scramble to save top priorities from chopping block MORE (D-Conn.).

But McConnell in a letter to President BidenJoe BidenIdaho state House passes worker vaccine compensation bill Biden sends 2016 climate treaty to Senate for ratification Rubio vows to slow-walk Biden's China, Spain ambassador nominees MORE after the last vote insisted it would not happen again.

I write to inform you that I will not provide such assistance again if your all-Democrat government drifts into another avoidable crisis, he wrote.

Your lieutenants on Capitol Hill now have the time they claimed they lacked to address the debt ceiling through standalone reconciliation, he wrote.

Democrats are nevertheless counting on Republicans helping them once again.

Its not going to be in this reconciliation bill, said Sen. Chris Van HollenChristopher (Chris) Van HollenOvernight Defense & National Security Presented by Boeing Senators to take up defense bill Wednesday Democrats mull cutting into Thanksgiving break amid pile up Hillicon Valley Immigrants being put insurveillance programs MORE (D-Md.), noting that the budget reconciliation vehicle that Democrats plan to use to pass the Biden administrations climate and social spending agenda hasnt been set up to also raise the debt limit.

Van Hollen dismissed the possibility that Democrats would vote to amend the 2022 budget resolution or pass a new budget resolution to allow for the debt limit measure to pass through a separate reconciliation vehicle. Doing that would consume two weeks of floor time when Democrats are racing to wrap up their legislative agenda by New Years Day.

We want to get all of these things done. Its a huge agenda, Schumer told reporters Tuesday, explaining that Senate Democrats plan to pass the annual defense authorization bill, legislation to fund government departments and agencies and Bidens $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act in addition to raising the debt limit.

If Schumer were to use the budget reconciliation process to pass a debt limit extension lasting beyond the 2022 midterm elections, it could consume weeks of floor time, Senate Democrats warn.

They say they dont have the days to spare when theres already so much left on their to-do list.

The stalemate over the debt limit in late September and early October took the focus off negotiations on Bidens human infrastructure agenda, stalling it for a few weeks. Democrats agreed to a two-month extension so they could devote their attention to finishing work on the Build Back Better Act.

Senate Minority Whip John ThuneJohn Randolph ThuneSchumer: Time is 'now' to repeal Iraq War resolution Republicans see Trump weakening as Democratic talking point Gingrich backs Herschel Walker in Georgia Senate race MORE (R-S.D.) said another standoff over the debt ceiling will play out much differently. He said Democrats have no argument for not using budget reconciliation to extend federal borrowing authority without needing any Republican votes on setting up final passage.

The Dems will have to deliver the votes to raise the debt limit, and they know that, he said.

He said the best way to do that is to amend the budget resolution to create a new debt limit measure that could pass with 51 Democratic votes under the reconciliation process.

The sooner they get started on that, the better, he said, though he acknowledged that Democrats dont seem to be going that route.

At some point the Democrats are going to have to focus on this, and right now they dont seem to see that as a real high priority, he added.

With the deadline approaching, McConnell is keeping his cards close to the vest.

Asked about Democratic colleagues demands that Republicans help advance debt limit legislation, the GOP leader simply said: Well figure out how to avoid default, we always do.

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N.C.’s Redrawn 6th Congressional District Packs Democrats Into One of Three Blue Seats. Will the March Primary Be a Race to the Left? – INDY Week

Posted: at 1:31 pm

Democratic North Carolina congressman David Price first won election in 1986, the year the last of Durhams cotton mills closed. With the exception of a single narrow defeat in 1994the notorious red wave that ousted 34 House Democrats and birthed the modern GOPhes held on to the left-leaning 4th Congressional District ever since.

The districts heart is the Bull City, but it also encompasses all of Orange, Granville, and Franklin Counties as well as parts of Wake, Chatham, and Vance. Price is the epitome of a statesman and public servant, North Carolinas other longtime Democratic congressman G.K. Butterfield said recently, which certainly rings true. Price, 81, has a well-earned reputation as an effective, no-nonsense lawmaker; hes cerebral rather than attention-seeking and would rather get things done than stand on ceremony. Hes helped push through education and consumer protection and has secured funding for a slew of state projects from the construction of Raleighs Union Station to an EPA lab and headquarters for the North Carolina National Guard.

Last month, Price announced he intends to retire at the end of his term, leaving his seat wide open for a Democratic successor in 2022. The districtwhich has been recalibrated as the 6this one of three precious safe havens for Democrats in the new, heavily gerrymandered congressional map. Republicans would be poised to secure up to 11 seats, giving them nearly 80 percent representation in a state where there are more Democrats registered to vote than Republicans (North Carolina has about 2.5 million registered Democrats, 2.4 million registered Independents, and 2.2 million Republicans). Lawsuits are already challenging the legality of the Republican-drawn maps, and courts will ultimately decide if they stand for the March primary.

The candidate filing period for the primary doesnt open for two weeks, but campaigns for the seat are already in full swing. State senator Wiley Nickel, who currently represents Wake County, threw his name into the ring the same day Price announced his retirement and has already amassed a quarter-million-dollar war chest. Last week, Durham County Board of Commissioners member Nida Allam, the first Muslim woman ever elected to public office in North Carolina, launched her campaign and instantly raised $50,000, a figure shes already doubled. And outside Durhams North Carolina Central University Monday, air force veteran and small business owner Nathan Click announced he, too, would be vying for the coveted congressional seat.

Several other big-name candidates are rumored to be entering the race, including state senators Valerie Foushee and Mike Woodard and former state senator Floyd McKissick Jr. But the full candidate roster wont come into focus until the states filing deadline December 17. (Editor's note: Woodard saidTuesday he wasn't planning to run for the seat, after the INDY went to press; Foushee announced today she plans to run for the seat.)

Prices district has long been a Democratic strongholdPrice won with 67 percent of the vote in 2020but the new 6th District condenses it into an even more tightly packed blue district by eliminating the rural areas north of Wake County. Its now expected to swing 74 percent Democrat, according to a recent analysis by the Princeton Gerrymandering Project, making it tied with the 9th District, which covers Charlotte, for having the highest concentration of Democratic voters.

They made it a safer Democratic seat so they could make other seats more Republican, says political consultant Gary Pearce, a former advisor to Governor Jim Hunt. Democrats are looking at a bad year next year and what they need to be looking at is how they are going to dig out of that hole down the road.

The question isnt if a Democrat will win the 6th seat but which, and in turn what brand of progressive politics resonates most strongly with 2022voters. If Price represents the best of North Carolina Democrats of yore, what type of candidate will represent the partys future? Will it be a young firebrand progressive, like Allam, or a tried and true establishment candidate with deep political ties and a lengthy history of service, like Foushee? With Butterfields district now competitive, could the 6th be North Carolinas best chance to send a progressive candidate to Washington?

You wont have to wait a year for the answer. The district is so packed that a Republican wouldnt stand a chance against a primate. Novembers election will be decided in the primary.

Just because the 6th is safely blue, that doesnt mean a lot isnt riding on it. Midterm elections typically spell mayhem for the party in powersee: the 1994 Republican Revolution following the election of President Bill Clinton and the Tea Partys sweep of the 2010 midterms after President Barack Obamas election. If Virginias recent gubernatorial electionwhere Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated former Democratic governor Terry McAuliffeis any precursor, 2022 is poised to be disastrous for Democrats in Congress.

A red wave next year could see Republicans easily take control of the House, which Democrats hold by a mere eight seats, and the currently deadlocked U.S. Senate. With Republicans controlling the legislature and Supreme Court, President Joe Biden would be effectively muzzled and at the mercy of a runaway GOP train. The most pessimistic prognosticators believe the subsequent descent into fascism will be swift and unrelenting.

This makes the 6th Congressional District all the more critical.

How are Democrats going to guard against fascism? Thats the essential challenge Democrats are going to be grappling with for years to come, says Blair Reeves, cofounder of Carolina Forward, a progressive nonprofit. Someone who casts a vote and stays out of the fray, thats not really going to cut it anymore.

The great debate among Democrats is: Do we want to appeal to the center or do we simply want to fire up the base? And its always hard for me to understand why people even have that debate because to win at politics youve got to do both, Pearce says. It may be easier to win running as a fire-breathing progressive, but what we need in this country and what this district ought to be in the lead in sending to Washington is someone who has progressive views but is able to get some things done in Congress.

The challenge in this election will be standing out in a crowded field, with viable races for Democrats and so many great progressive candidates packed into one district, says Maggie Barlow, one of the most sought-after Democratic campaign strategists in the state. Barlow thinks candidates of color and women will have a competitive edge, but theyll need to appeal to urban progressives and highly educated voters.

Female candidates represent our best opportunity in a lot of these electoral environments, Barlow says. Its going to be someone who can really put together a strong operation very quickly and raise a lot of money by having a lot of institutional support.

Pearce is quick to point out that Black women are the most reliable Democratic voters. In terms of demographics, he agrees a woman of color would have the best chance at winning the seat. Of the major candidates running or rumored to run, all but Nickel and Woodard are Black or people of color. And, Pearce says, if 2020 proved anything, its that North Carolinas old model for electability is broken. Cal Cunningham, your typical white, middle-aged lawyer, was the perceived safe bet in 2020 Senate primary. His campaign tanked amid a sex scandal weeks before the election, all but handing Republican Thom Tillis back his seat.

The lesson of all that is theres a hunger for younger new blood, Pearce says.

Allam, 27, certainly fits that bill. If elected, Allam would be the second-youngest person in Congress, behind Madison Cawthorn. In some ways, shes Cawthorns inverse: Cawthorn fabricated his origin storylying about the car accident that paralyzed him, falsely claiming he was accepted into the Naval Academywhile rallying supporters of President Donald Trump with fearmongering over socialism and liberal indoctrination.

Allam also has a unique origin story, but hers is real. She was driven toward local politics after three of her best friends were gunned down in a racist attack in Chapel Hill in 2015. She sees herself as the progressive Democrat poised to not only inspire young voters but take swift and meaningful action on the issue that matters most: climate change.

This is our chance for North Carolina to elect a progressive fighter and not just a status quo Democrat, Allam says. Im the candidate in this race that understands the urgency of this moment, our moment, because our generation and the next is going to have to live with the repercussions.

Nickel, 45, has a lengthy rsum that includes working under Vice President Al Gore in the nineties and in the Obama administration. He says his experience is what separates him from the pack.

Ive worked for two White Houses, held two terms in the state senate, and having that national experienceIve flown on the planes, helicopters, Ive been on the motorcadesI know what we need to do to make change, Nickel says.

While Nickel may have the financial backing needed to run an effective campaign, Reeves thinks he will face an uphill battle because most of his base is in Wake County. Nickel disagrees, noting about 40 percent of the voters in the 6th District are in Wake. Allam, on the other hand, has a lot of name recognition in both Durham and Orange Counties.

A slew of political newcomers will surely join the race in the coming weeks, but most of the major candidates interested in the seat have deep party connections, including Allam who served as vice president of the North Carolina Democratic Party. Nickel has ties to Washington, and the names Foushee and McKissick are legacies in their own right.

Party politicians consolidate behind one of their own, Reeves says. Especially given the contours of this district, we dont think a lot of them really have their finger on the pulse of the district.

This is a much more liberal area now and it needs a representative who is going to reflect that, he continued. I think people are going to raise a lot of money, but its really going to come down to who excites the liberal base more. Right now, Im seeing two candidates who can kind of do that, and one who can do it better.

The 6th might not be Prices districtits smaller, more urban, and youngerbut Durham will continue to be its crux. Mayor Steve Schewel believes Bull City voters are looking for candidates that embody the citys core values, with racial and economic justice being at the top of the civic agenda.

I think that voters everywhere want somebody with a good strong record of achievement who has bravely represented the values of this community and has achieved victories for this community over time, Schewel said. Durham, in particular, wants a good, strong progressive who is going to go and fight for our values.

After three decadesplus in Washington, Price said in a statement that despite his many accomplishments, retirement wont bring a complete sense of closure. Democracy, more fragile than ever, remains a work in progress.

Looming over it all is the frightful legacy of the last four years and urgent questions about the future of our constitutional democracy, Price said. So while it is time for me to retire, it is no time to flag in our efforts to secure a more perfect union and to protect and expand our democracy.

Support independent local journalism. Join the INDY Press Club to help us keep fearless watchdog reporting and essential arts and culture coverage viable in the Triangle.

Follow Senior Staff Writer Leigh Tauss on Twitter or send an email to ltauss@indyweek.com.

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When Babur who hated India and Indians is a patriot and Vedic people who adored this land are aliens – Firstpost

Posted: at 1:31 pm

Mani Shankar Aiyar praising Babur and Audrey Truschke humanising Aurangzeb manifest what ails Indian history and historiography

Eminent historian Sir Jadunath Sarkar is primarily known for his work on Aurangzeb. But his bookShivaji and His Times is no less seminal. It recalls an episode where Jahangir is flattering himself that he had killed the Akshay Bat of Allahabad. The Mughal emperor had cut the tree down to its roots and hammered a red-hot iron cauldron onto its stamp. But within a year, the tree began to grow again and pushed the heavy obstruction to its growth aside.

Indic civilisation, in many ways, manifests the life of the Akshay Bat. Its obituaries have been announced, written, and even broadcast several times. Most famously by Nirad C Chaudhuri who wrote in the early 1960s, Hinduism is dying, if it is not already dead. But each time, just when all seemed over, the civilisation would rekindle itself with renewed vigour and energy. Like a protagonist in a Hindi film climax, it miraculously gathers one last breath to turn things around for a whole new beginning! Though over the passage of time, it did lose some of its territorial peripheries and subtle intellectualism. But the very fact this civilisation still exists despite being an area of darkness for so many centuries, despite being a wounded civilisation whose sores just refuse to completely heal, despite being the land of a million mutinies that constantly keep Indian society in a state of flux makes it an intriguing saga.

The civilisational idea of India, however, still faces immense challenges. The latest though hardly a surprise one has come from Congress motormouth Mani Shankar Aiyar, who with his infamous chaiwala jibe provided Narendra Modi, then a Gujarat chief minister, a momentous push in his Dilli-Chalo march in 2014.

So what did Aiyar say this time? The senior Congress leader heaped praises on the Mughals and claimed that they were patriots who didnt indulge in religious persecution or forced conversions. He particularly singled out Babur, the founder of the Mughal empire in India, for being a liberal, secular ruler. He (Babur) knew he was ill. So he wrote a letter to his eldest son, Humayun, and told him that if he wants to run the country then do not interfere in the religion of the people here. Because they are nice people and so do not interfere If you want to run the country, respect all, he claimed.

Aiyar also credited Babur for Akbars liberal outlook. We consider Akbar our own. We dont consider him an outsider. Because he followed the instructions by his grandfather (Babur). They married Rajput women and hence they were part Hindus, he added. Aiyar even suggested that there were no incidents of beheading. Apparently, the Sikhs invented the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur for some material benefits! Interestingly, and ironically, Aiyar and his ilk who so proudly announce the Indian-ness of the Mughals invariably work overtime to establish the foreign-ness of the Vedic people.

As for Baburs eclectic, liberal outlook, heres what Salman Rushdie, in no way a Hindutva writer, has to say about him in his Introduction for Wheeler M Thackstons translation ofThe Baburnama, written by Babur himself. Rushdie writes, Who, then, was Babur scholar or barbarian, nature-loving poet or terror-inspiring warlord? The answer is to be found in the Baburnama and its an uncomfortable one: He was both Both Baburs are real, and perhaps the strangest thing about the Baburnama is that they do not seem to be at odds with each other.

Rushdie brings out Baburs dual personality during his conquest of Chanderi in 1528. He writes, First comes the blood-thirsty description of the killing of many infidels and the apparent mass suicide of two or three hundred more. ([T]hey killed each other almost to the last by having one man hold a sword while the others willingly bent their necks A tower of infidels skulls was erected on the hill on the northwest side of Chanderi.) Then just three sentences later, we get this: Chanderi is a superb place. All around the area are many flowing streams The lake is renowned throughout Hindustan for its good, sweet water. It is truly a nice little lake.

Babur also found Hindustan to be a place of little charm, with no beauty in its people, no graceful social intercourse, no poetic talent or understanding, no etiquette, nobility or manliness. Even the arts and crafts have no harmony or symmetry. To be able to find patriotism and love for India in Babur who always longed to return to Kabul, and who would take the title of 'Ghazi' each time a Hindu ruler was vanquished, is a manifestation of Aiyars and by extension the Congress skewed sense of patriotism. Maybe this explains why the Vedic people who wrote one verse after another in praise of the land of the Bharata and who profusely admired its rivers failed to get an Indian passport from these purveyors of history and historiography. But Babur is projected as a naturalist, a poet and a doting father who prayed to Allah to take his life and spare his son!

It is this twisted sense of history and historiography that explains why Sir Jadunath Sarkar was repeatedly refused the Padma awards in the 1950s when Jawaharlal Nehru wielded an authority usually reserved to dictators, despite the recommendation from none other than the President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad. Former diplomat TCA Raghavan recounts inHistory Men: Jadunath Sarkar, GS Sardesai, Raghubir Sinh and Their Quest for Indias Past, how Dr Rajendra Prasad first recommended Sir Jadunath for thePadma Vibhushan independent Indias second-highest civilian awardin 1954. When it went unnoticed, the President, two years later, sent another recommendation, this time for the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour, but to no avail again. So much for the famed Nehruvian liberalism.

The fault lies with Sarkars politically-incorrect historiography. His emphasis on Aurangzebs orthodoxy was viewed by many as divisive and negative. Raghavan quotes historian AL Srivastava as saying: The so-called Allahabad school of medieval Indian history, torn between academic rectitude and civic duty, blames Jadunath for not omitting offensive details of temple destruction and putting down of Hinduism by force from his works. It feels that the mere mention of such facts of history is repugnant to Muslim feelings and drives a wedge between the two communities.

This battle between academic rectitude and civic duty is still on, as we see Rutgers University historian Audrey Truschke arguing how Hindu hater, murderer and religious zealot are just a handful of the modern caricatures of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. In her attempt to bring out his untold side, she writes how detractors trumpet that Aurangzeb destroyed certain temples without acknowledging that he also issued many orders protecting Hindu temples and granted stipends to Brahmins. They denounce that he restricted the celebration of Holi without mentioning that he also clamped down on Muharram and Eid festivities. To bolster her claims, she also reminds the readers that more Hindus were employed in the Mughal bureaucracy during Aurangzebs era than any time before.

Looking closely, one suspects Truschke first decided to humanise Aurangzeb, and then went about finding documents supporting it. Sadly, for her, Aurangzebs chroniclers didnt need to be politically correct. They gleefully mentioned his acts of violence and destruction. Also, it never occurred to them that they were doing anything wrong; it was a religious act for them. So, when Aurangzeb issued orders in 1669 to demolish all schools and temples of the infidels and put down their religious teachings and practices, it was recorded as a badge of honour.

As for bureaucracy, statistically, she is right. But numbers often tell half-truths. Yes, Aurangzeb had a large number of Hindus in his bureaucracy, but this was not because he was tolerant but a practical ruler. He wanted to extend the empire to all corners of the subcontinent and further and this couldnt have happened without the support of Hindus. Aurangzeb used Hindu generals to either fight the Hindu enemies of the Mughals or to win over the empires most treacherous terrains. (Read the history of Raja Jai Singh of Amber who fought Shivaji, or Maharaja Jaswant Singh of Jodhpur was sent to fight the ferocious Pathans in the northwestern frontier.) There are recorded conversations of Delhi court chroniclers watching excitedly Rajput soldiers employed in the Mughal army fighting their co-religionists in Rajasthan. Whoever is killed today, its ultimately the victory for Islam, exclaimed one celebrated Muslim chronicler.

Aiyar or Truschke, however, are not the real problems. They are actually the victims. Aiyar, who has spent his prime in the negationist Nehruvian order, grew up believing that fallacy. And Truschke found it an easy way to climb the academic ladder to become a historian of repute the other way would have been long years in solitude with no guarantee of success and recognition. Remember Sir Jadunath.

The real problem is the prevailing liberal preoccupation in finding secular traits among some of the most reviled fanatics from Alauddin Khalji and Aurangzeb to Tipu Sultan. Whats more disconcerting is that the same scholarship works overtime to paint our genuine civilisational achievements with dark hues. It is this malaise that makes our intellectuals again, Amartya Sen is just an example celebrate the argumentative nature of Indians but never acknowledge its innate Hindu roots. To cherry-pick events from our ancient past to paint them pitch dark, and do just the opposite for the era thereafter.

To project India as a railway platform where people descended from time to time, thus belonging to no one or everyone! To showcase history as a series of defeats, so much so that our ancestors looked like sore losers and our civilisation waiting to be rescued by the marauder from the west. (The reality is starkly different, as Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay writes in Is Nationalism a Good Thing?: The Arabs subdued Egypt and Syria within 5-6 years, Turkey within eight years, Persia within 10 years and Kabul within 18 years of Muhammads death (632 CE). They took only one year to conquer Africa and another year to conquer Spain. However, they had not succeeded in defeating India even after 300 years of endeavour.)

The Indic civilisation, like the Akshay Bat of Allahabad, is manifesting renewed vigour and energy. It is an awakening to history, which if Sir Vidia Naipaul is to be believed is to cease to live instinctively. The Nobel laureate explains this awakening-to-history phenomenon inIndia: A Million Mutinies Now: It was to begin to see oneself and ones group the way the outside world saw one; and it was to know a kind of rage. India was now full of this rage. Its this rage that we are seeing all across some restrained, some uninhibited. But then thats what happens when history retaliates, when civilisation suppressed for centuries under alien regimes and then for 70 years since Independence under an alien ideology, starts coming out of slumber. The likes of Aiyar are the first casualty. The party providing them legitimacy might be the next, which is unfortunate given its role in the making of modern India.

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Paisley Southeast by-election candidate vows to stand up for community in key planning decisions – The Paisley Daily Express

Posted: at 1:31 pm

Liberal Democrat by-election candidate John Craft has vowed to stand up for the community in key planning decisions if he wins voters' hearts in Paisley Southeast.

Mr Craft, who has lived in the town for more than 40 years, is hoping to become the party's second councillor at Renfrewshire House on December 14 alongside Eileen McCartin.

The dad-of-two has launched his campaign to represent ward six in place of former independent elected member Paul Mack, who was recently removed from the council after launching a hate campaign against some of his colleagues.

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And Mr Craft has pledged to be a strong voice for residents when it comes to controversial planning bids after locals had to fight tooth and nail to get two contentious applications in the Paisley Southeast area thrown out earlier this year.

He said: "The whole fiasco of the Dykebar and Thornly Park planning applications just helps to emphasise the lack of scrutiny by existing councillors, and of the administration as a whole, over what planning officers were trying to push through.

"There are still a lot of battles to be fought over this land, and I will support the local community, who have been magnificent in their work in opposing the wholesale disappearance of this land and ensuring that the best possible results for the community are achieved."

Council officers had recommended permission be granted for more than 600 homes to be built on surplus land at Dykebar Hospital, but the plans were eventually binned in January on the back of fierce opposition from the Save Paisley's Green Space group.

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That was before another application for a 179-home development at the University of the West of Scotland's Thornly Park campus was rejected after a petition against it was signed by 1,160 people.

Mr Craft went to school in Paisley before spending a brief spell at a Glasgow college to study for an engineering career.

Work and family commitments have so far kept him from taking being fully active in politics, but he is now keen to play his part for the Lib Dems in Paisley Southeast.

Alongside being a voice for the community in planning, he plans to support a number of other campaigns.

He added: "I will also be supporting any local initiatives to improve the situation at the old Royal Alexandra Infirmary building, the speed of cars in some of our roads, such as Stanely Road and Glenburn Road, and I will be supporting Councillor McCartin in her campaigns regarding disability parking in Paisley and problems around abandoned vehicles."

The other candidates standing in the by-election are Bruce MacFarlane for the SNP, Jamie McGuire for Labour, Kyle Mitchell for the Greens, Duncan Grant for the Scottish Libertarian Party and Alec Leishman for the Conservatives.

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Infosys Makes New Investment to Prepare American Workforce for Opportunities of Tomorrow; Commits to Providing Salesforce Technology Jobs as Entry…

Posted: at 1:31 pm

- Launches program leveraging Trailhead, Salesforce's free online learning platform, to train people for roles as Salesforce Certified Administrators and Developers

NEW YORK, Nov. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, today announced a new program to prepare Americans for 21st-century careers in the technology sector. The program will offer 500 job seekers the opportunity to complete a fully digital, online diploma course certified by Salesforce, following an aptitude test that matches them with available entry-level tech jobs at Infosys. Leveraging Trailhead, Salesforce's free online learning platform, the program will train these 500 American workers, free of cost, for roles at Infosys as Salesforce Certified Administrators and Salesforce Industries Developers.

Infosys Logo

The program, targeting recent graduates from major universities, liberal arts colleges, and community colleges, will help Infosys to create a workforce prepared for the future. The program will also continue to help the company build new pathways for talent to transition from traditional jobs across various industries and workstreams to digital jobs of the future.

Ravi Kumar, President, Infosys, said, "At Infosys, we see every day that the relevance of technical skills is short-lived, but technical aptitude is invaluable, when matched with organizational confidence and ability to train individuals in specific skills that make them productive. Getting the right people ready for the right roles can be better achieved by embracing creative new approaches. Infosys' new program leveraging Trailhead for digital skills learning is another investment in this direction that will enable us to expand our hiring to include more people, while creating upward mobility, so more of us can live the American dream."

This comes on the back of several investments that Infosys has already made in training and reskilling the American workforce, including the Reskill and Restart initiative launched last year to fulfill employment needs in the country following COVID-19.

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Amy Regan Morehouse, Senior Vice President, Trailhead Academy GTM, said, "In today's digital-first world, it's critical that companies invest in workforce development programs that provide new learning opportunities for both employees and for anyone looking to learn in-demand tech skills. Companies like Infosys are leading the way to pave new pathways for digital skills education, and we're excited to power their reskilling efforts with Trailhead and bring new jobs to the Salesforce ecosystem."

Infosys is proud to be part of the Salesforce Talent Alliance, an initiative that empowers partners to bring new and diverse pipelines of Salesforce-certified talent into the Salesforce ecosystem. Infosys participates in numerous Salesforce talent programs, such as Pathfinder, Salesforce Military, and the Salesforce Fellowship Program, Hiring our Heroes.

Salesforce, Trailhead and others are among the trademarks of salesforce.com, inc.

About Trailhead

Trailhead is Salesforce's free online learning platform that allows people to learn from anywhere and earn globally recognized credentials that help them land and excel in roles across the Salesforce ecosystem. Since launching in 2014, Trailhead has helped nearly 3.7 million people learn in-demand skills for the future of work.

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in more than 50 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With over four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem.

Visit http://www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, financial expectations and plans for navigating the COVID-19 impact on our employees, clients and stakeholders are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding COVID-19 and the effects of government and other measures seeking to contain its spread, risks related to an economic downturn or recession in India, the United States and other countries around the world, changes in political, business, and economic conditions, fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. These filings are available at http://www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.

For more information contact PR_Global@Infosys.com

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Im president of a college that found slave artifacts on campus. Heres how we responded. – USA TODAY College

Posted: at 1:31 pm

I knew slavery could have been part of our past. But still somehow Id hoped that the actual practice had never happened on our idyllic grounds.

Tuajuanda Jordan| Opinion contributor

With the debatesraging on critical race theory, the 1619 Project and the recent dismantling of Confederate memorials, we continue to grapple as a nation with how to remember our history. As a Black woman president of a predominately white institution, I wrestle with these questions every day. How should institutions mark a racist or violent past?

I am the president of St. Marys College of Maryland, a residential liberal arts institution and one of only two public honors colleges.As a college situated in far Southern Maryland, the history of St. Marys is intertwined with the history of slavery.

In 2017, the colleges most renowned archeologist and our schools archivist came to my office to let me, a Black woman, see and potentially touch a pair of slave shackles in pristine condition that a friend of the collegehad given us.

That gave me pause.Why would I want to hold slave shackles?The effect this simple act of offering me the opportunity to touch this artifact was lost on my colleagues and exemplifies the impact versus intent" conceptin diversity training. My colleagues meant no ill intent, but at the same time the fact that they were not even aware of how I might perceive the "opportunity weighed on me.

The archivist then told what he had discovered: In the 1840s the colleges steward listed six slaves, and he was trying to determine whether they belonged to the steward or to the college.Oy. I asked him to do whatever he could to find out for certain. I knew slavery could have been part of our past. But still somehow Id hoped that the actual practice of slavery had never happened on our idyllic grounds.

Avi Mayer: Hate is on the rise: Antisemitism surges on America's far left and far right.

Then the news came. It was confirmed that on the land where the college was preparing to build a new athletics complex there was evidence of slave quarters from two different centuries.

Eighteen months ago, George Floyd was murdered by police. Like Breonna Taylor and so many others before,and Adam Toledoand so many others after, white supremacy and the system took a life. Floyds murder penetrated my heart and filled me with a sense of hopelessness like Id never felt.

This moment, though, as we now know, also ignited a sustained and impassioned momentof protest and activism in our nations history. Much of this activism was focused on the police, in city streets and vigils nationwide. But a second wave of protest aimed at a different target: monuments to the confederacy.

From Richmond to Charleston, Princeton to Yale, a simple message resounded: Tear it down. A monument to an enslaver must not stand. And down they went over a hundredmonuments,signs,markers, memorials and homages to slavery, racism and racists are gone,from Jefferson Davis,to Woodrow Wilsons school at Princeton.

Finally, in September, with the wave of an arm from a construction worker, Robert E. Lee was hoisted off his pedestal, cut into pieces and shipped off to a warehouse.

But in their absence, what rises instead? How do we banish the enslavers but remember those who were enslaved, and lived in the shackles placed so proudly on my desk?

National Arts and Humanities Month: From climate change to racism, how the arts can save us

The process of deciding what to do with the land on our campus was wrenching but also an opportunity. It provided impetus to think more deeply about history and to engage and educate students and our community. It was important to me that every time athletes, spectators, and visitors passed the site that housed enslaved people, it should give them pause and elicit an emotive response.

Last fall, with the wounds of 2020 and so much violence still fresh, we dedicated what ultimately became the Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland. Faced with a choice between removing artifacts or honoring the enslaved; between boxing up our history or confronting it head on, our community chose humanity and hope over anger, favoring a monument that would give voice to the enslaved bringing their story to the fore.

The commemorative is a life-sized replica of a slave cabin made from polished steel and wood with words cut into the steel. As you get closer to the building, the text reveals itself. The words are taken from original slave documents of the owners of the land.The wood acts like an artists pen to blacken out some of the words as is done with erasure poetry, a form of verse created by erasing words from the existing text, in this case written by slave owners, to form new prose. What emerges are the voices of the slaves who once lived on the land.

It is powerful work of art.Those who were once silenced, have found their voices, through the work of poetQuenton Baker. Here is an excerpt of his"We Are Only" poem, included on the memorial:

you took upresidence in the darkbay ferriedpassageto your brightdescendentsyour scarred shouldersyour burnt handscarved a countryfrom thisbreach

Students have returned, and Saturday our campus community will gather for a two mile processional across campus, A Sacred Journey to honor the enslaved and consecrate the commemorative. Poems will be read; a gospel choir will sing.

As we walk, I will be thinking about the murder of Floyd and the response it sparked,about the Ahmaud Aubrey trial in Georgia and about the monument that shines on our campus as a decision to give voice to the enslaved. And I will offer this lesson: It is only through our collective voices and actions not erasing history that we,as a nation, will be able to abolish racism.

Tuajuanda Jordan is the president of St. Marys College of Maryland.

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Top 2022 Forward Solomon Washington Officially Signs With Aggies – CalBearsMaven

Posted: at 1:31 pm

The Texas A&M men's basketball team and coach Buzz Williams had received a verbal commitment from Carver High School forward Solomon Washington.

Now, after announcing his commitment last week, Washington made it official signing with Texas A&M.

The 6-foot-7 forward was one of a top player last season and helped the Carver Rams reach the Class 4A state tournament for the second year in a row and earn a second-place finish last season. During his junior season last year, Washington averaged 13 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and more than three blocks last season.

We are very excited to have Solomon join our program! His ability to not only play multiple positions but guard them as well is what will be on display in Aggieland, Aggies men's basketball assistant coach Devin Johnson said in the press release. Solomons mother, father and support team have done a great job of raising him to be the young man he is today. We are thankful for the opportunity to pour into him and continue to build him up on and off the floor. Solomons underdog mentality will thrive under Coach Buzz and we cant wait to have him on campus!

The Aggies already have already received commitments from Amaree Abram, a defensive point guard from Southern California Academy, and Erik Pratt from Seward County Community College in Liberal, Kansas, as the Aggies look to improve their roster for next season and beyond.

Basketball's Early Signing Period begins on Wednesday and runs all the way through next week, although Williams has indicated he will wait until April to sign during the Regular Signing Period.

Several assistant coaches were involved in Washington's recruitment, but he cites the involvement of head coach Buzz Williams as well as the Aggies' emphasis on defense as two of the reasons for his decision to join the Aggies program.

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5 Sports Things to Keep You Occupied While the Texans and Rockets Suck – Houston Press

Posted: at 1:31 pm

The Astros season is over. So are the seasons for the Dynamo and Dash if you are a soccer enthusiast. And while they may still be playing games, for all intents and purposes, the Texans and Rockets are done as well and watching them alternates between frustration and outright heartbreak. That leaves many local sports fans with a long, dark winter ahead and nothing to warm their little sports hearts.

The good news is that there are options for you, dear sports fan. Stuff you can do. Things you can watch. You might even enjoy it. And, no, it doesn't involve holiday movies on the Hallmark channel or Saturday afternoon antiquing (God help you). Quite the opposite. This is sports! We aren't giving up on you and you shouldn't give up on yourself. Try these on for size.

Watch college sports.Note we did NOT say "college football." Many sports fans already watch it already and we only have weeks left before time off then the BCS playoff. What are you going to do in the dead of winter? How about college basketball? Yes, there are hoops being played outside of the Final Four. There an excellent variety being played over at the University of Houston campus, in fact, if you feel like getting out to see a game. If not, NCAA basketball, while not terribly popular in Houston for whatever reason, can be super exciting, especially when played at a high level.

Follow the Hot Stove league.We know that Astros fans will be mostly disappointed by this offseason with Carlos Correa certain to move on and Justin Verlander probably signing with the Yankees. Likewise, signing big name free agents probably isn't on the radar for the Stros right now. But there are plenty of other rumors flying and loads of intrigue. Just get it while you can as the MLB lockout is set to start on December 1. After that, following that dumpster fire will probably be your best bet for baseball entertainment until Spring Training.

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Check out the young Rockets with no worries about winning or losing.I know we said watching the Rockets is painful, but that is primarily if you are invested in winning. You shouldn't be. The Rockets certainly aren't. But, what they are is loaded with young, exciting talent. They will have plenty of bad nights (they've had a bunch in a row already), but they will also flash brilliance. And there are plenty of tickets available if you want to see them in person. More importantly, you can just enjoy ANY pro basketball even if your favorite team appears to be more like amateurs at the moment. Then, when they are really good, you can say, "I've been with them since they sucked." There are some Astros fans out there who will understand.

Two words: Sports BettingIt is not legal in Texas to operate a sports gambling operation, but that doesn't mean you can't lay down a few sawbucks on a game or two using offshore sports betting. Now, our colleague Sean Pendergast is far more well versed in this than we are, but one thing we can tell you is that betting on sports makes them instantly more interesting. And if you are worried about losing money, try fantasy sports where the stakes feel just as high but don't do as much damage on the wallet.

Cheer for the Texans to lose and get the first pick in the draft."I could never root against the Texans," you say. But, what if it meant sealing up one of the top draft picks and giving them a shot at yet another franchise quarterback? What if, in the process of dealing their current franchise QB (he who shall not be named), they also land more good picks? Think about how they could go from one of the worst and, worse yet, least interesting teams in the NFL to one of the youngest and most exciting in one offseason. That's what the Rockets did. The Astros did it was back in the middle 2010s. The Texans could be next. We wouldn't bet on it, but if they are going to get a shot, they better keep losing.

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