Daily Archives: January 9, 2022

Macron faces right-wing threat as France frets about crime – Yahoo News

Posted: January 9, 2022 at 4:43 pm

French right-winger Valerie Pecresse was a rank outsider in the race for the presidency just a month ago, but with under 100 days to the election she is seen as the best-placed challenger to Emmanuel Macron.

Backed by her Republicans party which has deep roots nation-wide, the 54-year-old is bidding to be France's first woman president with a slogan that promises "restored French pride".

During a trip to the south on Thursday, the head of the greater Paris region made clear she planned to campaign on an unabashed right-wing platform of law and order.

While promising to take a "Karcher" power-hose to crime-ridden urban ghettos in France, she accused President Macron of being soft on drug dealers and "complicit" in a rise in violence.

"I don't want any more areas without the rule of law, without France," she told an elderly crowd of a few hundred people in the town of Cavaillon where drug-related gun crime is a source of concern.

Saying she didn't care about "political correctness", Pecresse declared: "Yes, I can say it: There is a link between delinquency and immigration."

By focusing on identity, crime and immigration, she is targeting areas where she views Macron as vulnerable -- and borrowing from the playbook of far-right candidates Marine Le Pen and her rival Eric Zemmour.

"There's not an increase in the fear of crime, there's an increase in crime," Pecresse said, describing drug-dealers taking over tower blocks and teachers trembling in front of their classes.

Surveys of voters show that immigration and crime are indeed among their top concerns, but below the rising cost of living and jobs.

Pro-business Macron is banking on voters crediting him with falling unemployment and rising wages, as well as his handling of the Covid-19 crisis.

Only days after causing an uproar by saying he wanted to "piss off" the unvaccinated, the 44-year-old is to head south next Monday to Nice for his own trip focused on security.

Story continues

- 'Dangerous' -

France goes to the polls on April 10 and 24 under an electoral system that sees the top two candidates in the first round advance to a second-round run-off where the winner must garner more than 50 percent.

The country is widely seen as deeply divided, worried about its future and place in the world, and engaged in a culture war over identity and the colonial past.

For all of Macron's term, polls have consistently suggested this year's election would likely be a re-run of the 2017 vote that saw Macron beat Le Pen in the second round.

But the emergence of Zemmour, an anti-Islam television pundit, as well as Pecresse's clinching of the Republicans party nomination in early December, have cast sudden doubt on Le Pen's future.

"We realise now that Le Pen was far more fragile than we thought only a few months ago," Bruno Jeanbart, vice-president of polling group OpinionWay, told AFP.

All polls currently indicate that Macron would win the first round of the election on a score of around 26 percent, with Pecresse and Le Pen battling for the second spot in the run-off on around 16 percent each.

The highly fragmented left trails far behind.

Macron is shown winning the second-round for the moment, but one poll in December suggested he would lose to Pecresse -- an outlier for the moment, but it rang alarm bells in the ruling party.

"Pecresse is definitely the more dangerous one for him (Macron)," commented Dominique Reynie, a political scientist who heads the Fondation pour l'innovation politique, a Paris-based think-tank.

- Dynamics -

Macron and his team have long-practised arguments against Le Pen, accusing her of playing to the racist and anti-Semitic political fringe, as well as raising concerns about her competence.

Pecresse, who has described herself as "one-third Margaret Thatcher and two-thirds Angela Merkel", presents a different target.

She is from the mainstream right, a former higher education minister with experience of running France's biggest urban area since 2015.

"They're having difficulties with her," Jeanbart said. "I think part of the problem is that they weren't expecting it."

Despite her strengths, in a campaign overshadowed by the Covid-19 pandemic, "You can't say that there's a real dynamic," according to Reynie. "I don't sense that she's in the process of lighting up the campaign."

She's not seen as a polished public speaker, nor a natural grassroots campaigner, while the Republicans party struggles to appeal beyond its core demographic of wealthy, elderly conservatives.

"Our polling doesn't enable us to know who's going to make it to the second round," Jeanbart said. "The margins are too small."

adp-sst/sjw/bp

View original post here:

Macron faces right-wing threat as France frets about crime - Yahoo News

Posted in Political Correctness | Comments Off on Macron faces right-wing threat as France frets about crime – Yahoo News

Opinion: Berkeley is named after a slaveholder. It’s time to rename the city. – Berkeleyside

Posted: at 4:43 pm

As many of you are likely aware, the board of the University of California Hastings College of the Law recently decided to change the schools name. The decision was prompted, in part, by an article in the New York Times that examined howSerranus Hastings, the schools namesake, played a significant role in the genocide of indigenous people in Northern California during the Gold Rush.Hastingswas highly regarded in his time and served as Attorney General of California and as the first Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court. The decision tochange the schools namewas four years in the making and initially met with considerable resistance, including from the schools dean, who publicly puzzled, What would changing the name accomplish?

Folks in Berkeley are no strangers to changing the names of buildings or institutions after coming to learn of the reprehensible actions or beliefs of its namesake. Such was the case, for instance, with brothers Joseph and John Le Conte, for whom a Berkeley elementary school and a hall on the University of California campus were named. The Le Conte brothers were highly regarded in their time and, among other things, were both professors at the university. But the brothers had owned a plantation and slaves, had served in the Confederate army during the Civil War before coming to Berkeley, and were outspoken racists and white supremacists. In May 2018, and despite the fact that the elementary school had been named Le Conte since 1896 (after Joseph), the Berkeley Unified School District changed the schools name to Sylvia Mendez, a desegregation pioneer. Following suit, UC Berkeley removed Le Conte from the building on campus named for the brothers. In June 2020, BUSD went a step further, approving a resolution torename Jefferson and Washington elementary schools,as both namesakes were slaveowners.

The University of California has also removed the names of other individuals from buildings on its campus. In January 2020, the university removed John Boalts name from its law school due to Boalts racist and anti-immigrant legacy, including his involvement in the passage of Californias Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. In November 2020, and on the same day it removed the Le Conte name, the university removed Barrows from the building on campus named forDavid Prescott Barrows, another outspoken racist and white supremacist. In January 2021, the university removed Kroeber from the hall on campus named after Alfred Louis Kroeber, based on his immoral and unethical collection of Native American remains.

As many of you perhaps are not aware, the city of Berkeleys namesake, Bishop George Berkeley, was a slave owner, racist, and colonialist. Berkeley was highly regarded in his time, considered among the luminaries of Western philosophy. But when Berkeley came to America, he bought three slaves for his Rhode Island plantation and quartered them in the cellar of his Whitehall home. Berkeleys writings include advice to fellow slaveowners to baptize their slaves as slaves would only become betters slaves by being Christian. Berkeleys writings express other repugnant ideas, including his proposal to open a missionary school for the purpose of converting the American heathen. Among the heathen to be converted were the children of savage Americans, whom Berkeley proposed to kidnap if peaceful methods of separating them from their parents proved unsuccessful. And it is Berkeleys colonialist verse that inspired the naming of our city, and which today is commemorated by Founders Rock on the university campus:Westward the Course of Empire Takes its Way.As with the names Le Conte, Washington, Jefferson, Boalt, Barrows, and Krober, there are ample reasons to remove the name Berkeley from our city. Plainly said, its time to rename the city.

There will be those who will oppose changing the name of the city of Berkeley. They will make various arguments, likely the same arguments made against previous name changes. At bottom, these arguments will boil down to purported concerns over 1) rampant political correctness and 2) the loss of the Berkeley brand. At bottom, both of these arguments are self-interested. The first argument is emotionally self-interested, an attempt to hold on to a particular view of oneself, the world, and of the past a view that a name change threatens to upend. [And by the way, changing the name is not an attempt to make Bishop Berkeley (or anyone else from the past) live up to our moral standards its an attempt to make us live up to our moral standards.] The second argument is financially self-interested, an attempt to maintain the value of an asset a value which a name change threatens to dilute. Both arguments are also shortsighted as there is so much more ultimately to be gained by changing the name than to be lost. If, in fact, there is anything that could truly be lost from changing the name.

Which brings us back to the question posed by the dean of the law school formerly known as Hastings What would changing the name accomplish? Changing the name would sever us from association with an ugly person, with ugly ideas and ugly beliefs. None of us want to be associated in any way with slavery, racism, or colonialism. And none of us should be compelled to be so associated because the city in which we live is named after a slave owner, racist, and colonialist. Changing the name would acknowledge that Black and Indigenous livesdomatter. And that those lives matter not just in the present, or in the future, but in the past. A past we cannot change but which we can repudiate. Changing the name would be a way of saying, Sorry. Changing the name would right a moral wrong. Changing the name would be an act of love. Changing the name would improve our city. Changing the name might even change someones life. Thats what it would accomplish.

The past does not dictate the present unless we let it dictate. Its time for us to move on from the past. The city of Berkeley, our city, is named after a slave owner, racist, and colonialist. Its time for us to drop Berkeley from the name of our city.

Daniel O'Connell, who has lived in Berkeley for nearly four decades, is a student at Berkeley City College.

The reporters and editors at Berkeleyside are dedicated to covering our city and providing you with the information you need to be an informed citizen. If you value what you get from Berkeleyside, please join us with a tax-deductible donation so we can continue doing the local reporting that matters to you.

Will you chip in to Berkeleyside today?

View post:

Opinion: Berkeley is named after a slaveholder. It's time to rename the city. - Berkeleyside

Posted in Political Correctness | Comments Off on Opinion: Berkeley is named after a slaveholder. It’s time to rename the city. – Berkeleyside

Doja Cat, French Montana and more stars vacation in the Bahamas – Page Six

Posted: at 4:42 pm

The Bahamas appears to be the new it island.

After Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson flew to the Caribbean island, Doja Cat, French Montana and more stars hit up Atlantis to celebrate Montanas lawyer Adam Zias birthday.

The Unforgettable rapper, 37, posted a video from Zias birthday celebration that included a bikini-clad Doja.

It was nice knowing you, she quipped to Zia, who was about to plunge down a slide. I just met you. Thats fked up.

Dojas managerLydia Asrat was also part of the group outing because were told the Kiss Me More singer, 26, was there for a work, as she had a performance scheduled for New Years.

Other artists in the Bahamas were Tyga and Lil Waynes daughter, Reginae Carter.

Montana posted a photo dump from the trip that included snaps of Doja and Asrat as well as his pal Kamran Syed.

AFRICANS IN BAHAMAS, he captioned the photos that showed them eating pasta, enjoying the beach and more.

Love you brother, Doja commented on the dump.

Fam! Love how we literally all become brothers and sisters as soon as we met! Asrat added in the comments section.

Despite the groups carb-heavy, delicious-looking meal, Montana has maintained his fit body that he worked hard for during quarantine. He also still appears to be focusing on his sobriety since being hospitalized for taking too many pills.

I feel like 90 percent of musicians on [Percocet], he told XXL Magazine. It was just overdoing something for too long, and, to the point where, now sober is becoming my new high. People seen I was out of control, not me, you know what Im saying?

Original post:

Doja Cat, French Montana and more stars vacation in the Bahamas - Page Six

Posted in Bahamas | Comments Off on Doja Cat, French Montana and more stars vacation in the Bahamas – Page Six

These Cruise Ships Currently Sail to the Bahamas – Cruise Industry News

Posted: at 4:42 pm

Those in the U.S. fancying a warm getaway will be right to consider a cruise to the Bahamas. Located a very short sailing distance from Miami, this country provides a perfect winter escape with its sandy beaches and bright blue water.

Luckily, with more than 30 cruise ships currently sailing to the Bahamas, finding a cruise that fits the bill wont be a challenge.

Ship: Freedom of the Seas Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean International Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 3,600 Built: 2006 Homeport: Miami (United States) Itinerary: Short cruises to the Bahamas

Ship: Odyssey of the Seas Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean International Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 4,200 Built: 2021 Homeport: Fort Lauderdale (United States) Itinerary: Bahamas, Western, Eastern and Southern Caribbean

Ship: Allure of the Seas Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean International Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 5,400 Built: 2010 Homeport: Fort Lauderdale (United States) Itinerary: Bahamas, Western and Eastern Caribbean

Ship: Symphony of the Seas Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean International Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 5,448 Built: 2018 Homeport: Miami (United States) Itinerary: Bahamas, Western and Eastern Caribbean

Ship: Independence of the Seas Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean International Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 3,600 Built: 2008 Homeport: Port Canaveral (United States) Itinerary: Short cruises to the Bahamas

Ship: Mariner of the Seas Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean International Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 3,100 Built: 2003 Homeport: Port Canaveral (United States) Itinerary: Four- and five-night Bahamas and Mexico

Ship: Oasis of the Seas Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean International Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 5,400 Built: 2009 Homeport: Miami (United States) Itinerary: Bahamas, Western and Eastern Caribbean

Ship: Brilliance of the Seas Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean International Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,000 Built: 2002 Homeport: Tampa (United States) Itinerary: Bahamas and Mexico

Ship: Enchantment of the Seas Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean International Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,250 Built: 1997 Homeport: Baltimore (United States) Itinerary: Bahamas, Caribbean and United States East Coast

Ship: Carnival Sunrise Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Line Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,984 Built: 1999 Homeport: Miami (United States) Itinerary: Four- and five-day cruises to the Bahamas, Eastern and Western Caribbean

Ship: Carnival Dream Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Line Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 3,650 Built: 2009 Homeport: Galveston (United States) Itinerary: Six- and eight-night cruises to the Western Caribbean and the Bahamas

Ship: Carnival Elation Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Line Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,040 Built: 1998 Homeport: Port Canaveral (United States) Itinerary: Four- and five-day cruises to the Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean

Ship: Carnival Conquest Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Line Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,974 Built: 2002 Homeport: Miami (United States) Itinerary: Short cruises to the Bahamas and Mexico

Ship: Carnival Sunshine Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Line Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,964 Built: 1996 Homeport: Charleston (United States) starting on January 17 Itinerary: Bahamas and Caribbean

Ship: Carnival Liberty Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Line Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,974 Built: 2005 Homeport: Miami (United States) until January 16; Port Canaveral (United States) starting on January 24 Itinerary: Bahamas and Caribbean

Ship: MSC Seashore Cruise Line: MSC Cruises Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 4,560 Built: 2021 Homeport: Miami (United States) Itinerary: Caribbean and Bahamas

Ship: MSC Meraviglia Cruise Line: MSC Cruises Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 4,500 Built: 2017 Homeport: Port Canaveral (United States) Itinerary: Caribbean and Bahamas

Ship: MSC Divina Cruise Line: MSC Cruises Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 3,500 Built: 2012 Homeport: Miami (United States) Itinerary: Caribbean and Bahamas

Ship: Norwegian Gem Cruise Line: Norwegian Cruise Line Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,430 Built: 2007 Homeport: New York City (United States) Itinerary: Caribbean, Bahamas and East Coast

Ship: Norwegian Encore Cruise Line: Norwegian Cruise Line Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 4,200 Built: 2019 Homeport: Miami (United States) Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean and Bahamas

Ship: Norwegian Dawn Cruise Line: Norwegian Cruise Line Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,200 Built: 2002 Homeport: Tampa (United States) Itinerary: Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean

Ship: Sky Princess Cruise Line: Princess Cruises Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 3,660 Built: 2019 Homeport: Fort Lauderdale (United States) Itinerary: Bahamas, Western and Eastern Caribbean

Ship: Caribbean Princess Cruise Line: Princess Cruises Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 3,100 Built: 2004 Homeport: Fort Lauderdale (United States) Itinerary: Caribbean and Bahamas

Ship: Celebrity Millennium Cruise Line: Celebrity Cruises Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 1,950 Built: 2000 Homeport: Fort Lauderdale (United States) Itinerary: Caribbean and Bahamas

Ship: Celebrity Apex Cruise Line: Celebrity Cruises Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,900 Built: 2020 Homeport: Fort Lauderdale (United States) Itinerary: Bahamas and Caribbean

Ship: Celebrity Edge Cruise Line: Celebrity Cruises Capacity (at 100% Occupancy): 2,900 Built: 2018 Homeport: Fort Lauderdale (United States) Itinerary: Bahamas and Caribbean

The rest is here:

These Cruise Ships Currently Sail to the Bahamas - Cruise Industry News

Posted in Bahamas | Comments Off on These Cruise Ships Currently Sail to the Bahamas – Cruise Industry News

Celebrity Cruise Ship Denied Entry to Nassau in the Bahamas – Cruise Hive

Posted: at 4:42 pm

The Celebrity Apex cruise ship has not been allowed to make her scheduled call at Nassau, Bahamas on Friday, January 7. It comes as the cruise line says that authorities denied the vessel due to an emergency decision by local heal authorities. Celebrity Cruises sent out a letter to guests on the current sailing informing them of the cancellation.

Its another last-minute port cancellation for a cruise ship sailing in the Caribbean and the Bahamas. This time it is Celebrity Apex which has been denied entry to the Bahamas due to changes that country made in their entry requirements for cruise ships. The vessel will be spending a day at sea instead of guests spending the day ashore in Nassau.

The letter sent to guests on the current sailing from Captain Panagiotis Skylogiannis, At this time, the Bahamas has made a change in their entry requirements for cruise ship visits due to the COVID-19 Omicron variant. As a result of this emergency decision by health authorities, we will be replacing our scheduled call to Nassau with a relaxing day at Sea. We will now continue sailing towards our final destination in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for disembarkation in Port Everglades this Saturday as scheduled.

Which health requirements the cruise line is talking about is unclear at this point. The Bahamas recently updated their testing requirements, but these are only in place for visitors staying longer than 48 hours.

Celebrity Apex sails with a full vaccination mandate for passengers and crew members. Guests are also required to test negative before the cruise. Celebrity Cruises has not made any official statements on whether there are any active cases of COVID-19 onboard.

Read Also: Does the CDCs Cruise Ship Color Chart Still Serve a Purpose?

The Edge-class vessel is on a 5-day Bahamas Cruise sailing roundtrip from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale which departed on January 3. The vessel spent one day at sea and a day in Puerto Plata, in the Dominican Republic, and will slowly make her way back to Fort Lauderdale where she is expected to arrive on Saturday, January 8.

Guests who had shore excursions booked through the cruise line will be receiving a full refund to their onboard account. Guests with outside arrangements will need to contact their tour operators independently, although Celebrity says they will be helping by providing phone lines.

Many will see another cancellation by a port of call a worrying development for the industry. Indeed, just last week, MSC cruises were denied from their private island. And multiple ships have been denied entry to a multitude of ports of call in recent weeks.

Royal Caribbean, which is the parent company of Celebrity Cruises, issued a statement last week that the issues we see now are having a significant short-term effect but will likely not have much of a long-term effect.

Richard Fain, CEO of Royal Caribbean: Omicron is having a big short-term impact on everyone, but many observers see this as a major step towards COVID-19 becoming endemic rather than epidemic. We dont like to see even one case, but our experience is a fraction of the comparable statistics of virtually any other comparable location or industry.

We are constantly learning and adjusting as Omicron appears to be ushering in a new phase in the fight against COVID-19. We expect these factors to have a negative impact in the short term but are optimistic they will lead us to a more pervasive but less severe health environment.

So while the cancellations are certainly affecting guest cruise vacations, according to Royal Caribbean, this issue will likely not persist. The next voyage for Celebrity Apex, which sails on January 8, will be a 7-day cruise to Belize, Mexico, and another scheduled call for Nassau.

Hopefully, by then, we will know what those updated health protocols are that prevented the vessel from calling in the Bahamas this week.

See the article here:

Celebrity Cruise Ship Denied Entry to Nassau in the Bahamas - Cruise Hive

Posted in Bahamas | Comments Off on Celebrity Cruise Ship Denied Entry to Nassau in the Bahamas – Cruise Hive

‘Fantasy Island’: The 200million heaven on earth cruise passengers can enjoy – Express

Posted: at 4:42 pm

MSC Cruises is the proud owner of Ocean Cay, a 95 acre resort which cost a staggering 200million to create. The newly developed paradise provides royal treatment to guests who expect the very best.

The island, described as 'pristine', welcomes cruise ships of 4,000 passengers.

Greeted by applause, guests are treated like kings and queens, with every whim catered for.

A 'fantasy island like no other', Ocean Cay allows visitors to enjoy water sports, excursions, and entertainment.

One of the standout performances on the island is the light show.

A lighthouse structure, worth a whopping 1million, is 'probably the most expensive lighthouse in the world', according to Lighting Engineer Mark Watkins.

Arguably, it is also 'probably the most useless lighthouse', as it doesn't actually function as one.

Mark stated: "Ships will be careering into the edge going, 'It didn't keep me off the reef,'" suggesting that the island is more flashy than practical.

But guests appear to love the spectacle and splendour of the place, with one passenger describing it as "totally phenomenal" and an "experience of a lifetime".

There's shopping opportunities galore, with stores selling products ranging from jewellery to handmade chocolates.

Guest are 'spoilt for choice' with food and drink; the beach bar is restocked with 1,000 litres of wine, 3,000 litres of beer and thousands of pounds worth of spirits whenever the boat docks.

To feed hungry guests, 2,000 tonnes of food is unloaded from the cruise ships.

Of course, "not everything runs smoothly", and "the job never stops".

READ MORE:Brexit fee: Brits will have to pay to enter the EU new rule coming

Indeed, feeding everyone is a "mind blowing enterprise".

Gareth Brown, Revenue Director MSC Cruises stated: "The expectations are high, they know what good service looks like."

One passenger said it was "absolutely beautiful" and unlike any other cruise experience she had been one.

The "totally phenomenal" staff are there to wait on guests hand and food, even providing a special service for the Yacht Club Class.

An elite 200 passengers receive an exclusive experience, and can enjoy their own private part of the ship and island.

READ MORE:Covid passport: EU travel certificate about to change - new rule

Splashing out on suites costing in excess of 1,000 per night, the Yacht Club Class can expect their very own lounges, pool and restaurant - even their "very own butler" ensuring that "their every need is catered for".

The island resort also provides a living for those who live locally.

Operations Manager Michelle McGreggor said: "Everything is crafted and made in the Bahamas by Bahamians. How more authentic can you get?"

A heaven on earth, one visitor summed up the experience: "It's perfect. I couldn't ask for more."

Excerpt from:

'Fantasy Island': The 200million heaven on earth cruise passengers can enjoy - Express

Posted in Bahamas | Comments Off on ‘Fantasy Island’: The 200million heaven on earth cruise passengers can enjoy – Express

Daniel Levy Travels to the Bahamas for Meeting With Tottenham Hotspur Owner Joe Lewis – Last Word on Baseball

Posted: at 4:42 pm

As Daniel Levy travels to the Bahamas for talks with Tottenham Hotspur owner Joe Lewis, he will be looking for approval to help Antonio Conte and director of football Fabio Paratici make the signings they require in the January transfer window.

According to Matt Law of The Telegraph, Singaporean multi-billionaire, Forrest Li was given a tour of the Tottenham Hotspur stadium recently and that tour has sparked rumours of investment in the North London club.

It is understood that Levy has headed to the Bahamas, where Lewis is based, to discuss the scope of the transfer budget for the January transfer window. Antonio Conte was honest on his assessment of where he sees the current side and some of his comments will have been ringing in Levys ears. Levy rarely misses a game, whether it be home or away, but for the last four matches, the chairman has been nowhere to be seen.

One player that Tottenham have been linked with is Wolverhampton Wanderers Adama Traore and the BBC have said a 20 million deal is being worked on. Conte is reportedly interested in the attacking player and sees him as being a potential right-wing-back for Spurs, although questions remain over his delivery in the final third.

There is no doubt that he is fast, powerful and difficult to shake off the ball and can alter the flow of play quickly, and it should be noted that Conte turned a maligned player in Victor Moses into a vital piece of his Premier League winning Chelsea side. In the current climate, 20 million could be seen as value for money.

Lewis is somewhat of an enigma when it comes to his ownership of Tottenham Hotspur and has rarely been seen at either White Hart Lane or the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, leaving things to Levy although, even he is seen but rarely heard and continues to split opinion in the fanbase.

Fans and Conte will now hope that Lewis will loosen the purse strings and the painful rebuild can finally begin at last.

Main Photo

Embed from Getty Images

View post:

Daniel Levy Travels to the Bahamas for Meeting With Tottenham Hotspur Owner Joe Lewis - Last Word on Baseball

Posted in Bahamas | Comments Off on Daniel Levy Travels to the Bahamas for Meeting With Tottenham Hotspur Owner Joe Lewis – Last Word on Baseball

The Giudice Girls Had the Most Stylish NYE While Visiting Dad Joe in the Bahamas – Bravo

Posted: at 4:42 pm

Bravo Insider Exclusive!

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!

Sign Up for Free to View

Teresa Giudice's four daughters rang in 2022 in the Bahamas with theirdad,Joe Giudice. The Giudice girls were all smiles as they celebrated New Year's Eve at what Gia Giudicecalled their"second home."

The Real Housewives of New Jerseydaughters brought their fashion A-game to the island, flaunting tropical ensembles on the last day of 2021. In a January 3 Instagram post, Joe shared a peek at their NYE festivities, with each girl donning a colorful ensemble for the occasion. In the snapshot, Gia,Milania, Audriana, and Gabriellalooked beautiful as they posed next to their dad.

Gia stunned in a matching yellow bandeau top and wrap skirt that showed off her sun-kissed skin.Gabriella dazzled next to her in a colorful two-piece set that featured a bright, eye-catching design. Meanwhile, Milania opted for a dreamy blue number, donning a gorgeous form-fitting dress and black wedges. Audriana added a sparkle to the group by wearing a baby blue sequin minidress. She completed her outfit with nude heels and a Louis Vuitton crossbody purse.

As for Joe, the dad of four rocked a plaid button-down shirt and black jeans.

"They are amazing," he captioned his photo. "New Year's eve 2022."

While her girls soaked up the sun in the Bahamas, Teresa spent the holiday with hernow-fianc,Luis "Louie" Ruelas,inCabo San Lucas, Mexico.The couple was joined byLouie's family members who Teresa was able to bond with. The RHONJ castmate captured sweet moments that she shared with her soon-to-be husband on their trip, including their "magical" NYE night.

"Wishing everyone a Happy New Year," Teresa captioned her photo of her and Louie. "A year filled with Love, Happiness & Health."

Bravos Style & Living is your window to the fabulous lifestyles of Bravolebrities. Be the first to know about all the best fashion and beauty looks, the breathtaking homes Bravo stars live in, everything theyre eating and drinking, and so much more. Sign up to become a Bravo Insider and get exclusive extras.

Read the rest here:

The Giudice Girls Had the Most Stylish NYE While Visiting Dad Joe in the Bahamas - Bravo

Posted in Bahamas | Comments Off on The Giudice Girls Had the Most Stylish NYE While Visiting Dad Joe in the Bahamas – Bravo

David Byrne Does Broadway on the Fly – The New Yorker

Posted: at 4:42 pm

David Byrne let his guitar slump on its strap for a moment, after opening his Broadway show, American Utopia, with a fiery rendition of The Revolution. He looked wearily into the audience and asked, Wouldnt it be heavenly if nothing ever happened? People laughed. Byrne let out a hard snort. The joke, gift-wrapped as a question, needed no elaboration. The subtext, the audience understood, was Treat yourself tonight, since the world is collapsing.

Not so long before, during the week leading up to Christmas, American Utopias producers had cancelled five performances. Too many cast and crew members had been sidelined by COVID, with seven testing positive, even though theyd been vaccinated. Rather than close the show, Byrne announced on social media, You can cash in your ticket, or you can have whats behind this curtain, which he billed as a show youll never, ever see again. He was offering a retooled American Utopia, featuring an assortment of songs reimagined by a scaled-back band of musicians. Were just gonna come up with a show, you know? Hey! he said. This is our opportunity to make lemonade from COVID lemons.

In a recent Zoom call, Byrne explained how it happened: We looked at the situation and we mapped it out. We said, O.K., we can do this with the people we have left. He paused to adjust a strap on his blue-and-white striped overalls. With fewer crew members, we could not do Burning Down the House. That is a big onevery popular with the audience. He continued, Onstage, its Look, were going to show you whats possible.

It got hectic as fuck, Bobby Wooten III, the bassist, said, on a separate Zoom call. Wooten, who has played with every version of the show, said that although they were using the same stage and some of the same people, the show were putting on is completely different. Were doing songs that basically none of us, outside of David, have ever played beforelike, thirteen new songs. He went on, We literally had eight hours of rehearsal the Sunday before and we had four hours the day of. And then each person put in a lot of time outside of that.

Remembering the music! Remembering the lyrics! Byrne said on the Zoom, chuckling. Hed been pleased to see a lot of younger people in the audience lately, and he noticed that other, older fans had come more than once. I thought, Wait a minute. Ive seen that couple at a previous show, he said. Theyre back!

On a bare stage, Byrne and company appear in shiny gray suits, with no shoes. Between songs, while band members switch up instruments and regroup, he tells stories. He winces if his punch lines come out garbled, and sometimes he wears the Who, me? grin of a seven-year-old who hassnagged your wallet and then offers to help you find it.

On the third night of the experiment, the audience, many of whom were double-masked, was palpably nervous. Heads swivelled, as people reassured themselves that their neighbors had their masks on tightly enough. By the time Byrne sang the Talking Heads hit Once in a Lifetime, they relaxed.

I could see them listen to each other, Ayla Huguenot, a seventeen-year-old musician in the audience, said of the band members. At certain points, Byrne would turn around and motion, like, O.K., lets do that chorus one more time. And then they would all kind of look at each other to see when they were going to end it. Her friend Carter Nyhan, also a musician, appreciated the teamwork, too, including some bumps here and there.

By the closing number, Road to Nowhere, the whole audience was on its feet and dancing. It was an anti-Broadway evening, an unapologetic display of solidarity and trust amid a cloud of anxiety. When the curtain fell, masks could not muffle the rapturous hollers.

On the Zoom, Byrne had said, I do feel a lot of love coming from the audience. I try not to take it personally. I tend to think to myself, They dont really love me. They dont know me as a person. They love what Ive done and what that means to them. He added, And I try and reciprocate thatbe very present and real. Let them know that Im talking to them in that moment.

He is enjoying the scrappy element of the show. I think I might miss how we had to really scramble, he said. But, performing in the era of COVID, theres nothing glamorous about that, either. Ill be happy when thats all over, when the audiences can take off their masks.

Read more:

David Byrne Does Broadway on the Fly - The New Yorker

Posted in New Utopia | Comments Off on David Byrne Does Broadway on the Fly – The New Yorker

To Paradise: Winding road to utopia is riddled with dead ends – Independent.ie

Posted: at 4:42 pm

In its tale of a Nobel Prize-winning scientist convicted of paedophilia, Hanya Yanagiharas first novel, The People in the Trees, introduced her as a novelist with a gift for the subversive. But it was her second that took the Hawaiian author to a different plane.

A Little Life told of Jude, a successful New Yorker who could never overcome the effects of his childhood trauma. Some found the book overly gratuitous, others darkly beautiful. It was celebrated by some as the great gay novel, criticised by others for its omission of 9/11. Nothing impeded its Booker shortlisting, or its route to million-copy bestsellerdom. These days it is enjoying a resurgence on TikTok, where users record their swooning, tearful, angry or admiring reactions. Ive never wanted to unread a book more in my life, claims one TikTokker as she sobs before camera. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara is my favourite book, says another.

It is hard to imagine similarly charged responses to Yanagiharas third book, To Paradise, which, at 700-odd pages is almost as long but nowhere near as emotionally rousing as her last. The three parts that comprise the book read like three separate novels, with oddly placed linking elements. Its mayhem, so buckle up.

First, were in an alternative version of America in 1893. New York is part of the Free States, where homosexuality is the norm, but only white people can live there. A stilted old-fashioned register introduces David Bingham, a still almost-young man who is heir to the Bingham fortune. He has been promised to a suitor much older than him, but when a poor music teacher enters his life, everything he believes about the world is thrown into disarray.

Layered with allegory

Next, we are in 1993 Manhattan. Another David (or is it the same one, reincarnated? Perhaps its a descendent of our first David, though we are told he descends from the last monarch of Hawaii) has just received a letter from his long-lost father. He defers reading it out of dread, or more likely because the plot demands such deferral so we can be filled in on his relationship with an older man whose former lover wishes to be euthanised.

The Aids epidemic is alluded to repeatedly but never really affects the storyline. For the reader (at least for this reader), the feeling that there is something we are supposed to be getting, but are not quite, is a constant. When we finally get around to the letter, it tells of Davids childhood, the colonisation of Hawaii, his fathers mental decay and a doomed utopian project to live off the grid in Lipo-Wao-Nahele. Its layered with allegory but is too chaotic to impart its meaning successfully.

Finally, the third section is set in New York at the end of this century. Climate disaster and recurring pandemics have led to totalitarian rule. There are curfews, checkpoints, containment camps for those with diseases. We follow Charlie, a young woman who lives in Zone Eight, and C, a government scientist.

The book seems to play with the butterfly effect: examining what the world might look like if small tweaks were made to history. (Or, in the case of the third section, focusing on how certain elements of the present might define how the future looks). Naturally, a lot of artistic licence is employed. The main through line is the theme of utopia. Paradise recurs in various guises. To some, it is freedom, to others safety, touch, love, wealth, death, legacy, a fresh start, a suicide bomb. In some ways, the utopian impulse was also explored in A Little Life, as its characters danced around the ephemeral notion of happiness. But To Paradise comes at it in a decidedly different way. It almost reads like 18th century satire. Like Voltaires Candide or Swifts Gulliver, a young naf goes out in search of the best of all possible worlds and discovers it is always beyond reach: one persons utopia is anothers dystopia. As in these Enlightenment texts, the characters and storylines feel more like vessels for ideas than real people and stories.

Unfortunately, this storytelling mode obscures most of what makes Yanagiharas writing good. The book felt beefy and convoluted and it was not until the third section that I felt drawn to read on.

Charlies sections are narrated in the first person. The tone is detached. She has experienced an illness that altered her brain chemistry, so she finds it hard to feel. The state, in any case, does not allow for individual expression. She wonders if it was possible that I was actually not who I thought I was.

But through her emotionless register, humanity creeps through. She is certain she will never be loved, and will never love, either. But then a man (named David, of course) enters her life and the feeling I had when I stood at the north of the Square, watching him wave awakens something in her. Was I able to feel it after all? she asks herself. Was what I had always assumed was impossible for me something I had known all along?

The book attempts to interrogate the bind between humanity and idealism but the third section is the only one that does so effectively. It is Charlies voice, and the irony of her emotionlessness inspiring emotion in the reader, thats the kicker. Had the book consisted of this section alone, it would have made for a decent work of speculative fiction. As a whole, though, To Paradise demands far more from the reader than it gives back. Like all ambitious, utopian projects, it feels nothing like Utopia, really.

Fiction: To Paradise by Hanya YanagiharaPicador, 720 pages, hardcover 16.99; e-book 9.99

Excerpt from:

To Paradise: Winding road to utopia is riddled with dead ends - Independent.ie

Posted in New Utopia | Comments Off on To Paradise: Winding road to utopia is riddled with dead ends – Independent.ie