Category Archives: Sealand

The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy recently announced a series of marketing changes, including renaming the school to Fletcher, The Graduate School of Global Affairs, adopting a new seal and tagline and creating a part-time degree. This decision, made public on Nov. 16, was understandably met with widespread anger and concern from a number of alumni and current students. Although Fletcher reverted some of these changes last week and opened channels for community input, the universitys handling of the decision both before and after its announcement demonstrated a disregard for transparency and collaboration with community members. In its current reevaluation of the rebranding and future marketing decisions, the university must strive to conduct a collaborative, transparent decision-making process that incorporates student, alumni and faculty perspectives.

In response to the sudden rebranding changes, many students and alumni have expressed disappointment and concerns. Some felt that the new tagline, Awakening Courage, did not represent the goals of the student body at Fletcher and that the new Master in Global Affairs degree was a step backward. Some students, including Fletcher alumna Aziza Mohammed (F12), started petitions to demand change from the administration. After Mohammed shared her Change.org petition on LinkedIn to represent student concerns and call for the changes to be reverted, Liz Musch, a member of the Board of Advisors at Fletcher, said Mohammed was behaving like a terrorist, and demanded she remove the petition.

In light of community backlash, Fletcher announced that it would revert to its previous branding and solicit community feedback via an online submission form. Although Fletcher halted all further marketing changes, the schools social media platforms continue to harbor its new name. While the current pause in the rebranding process is a step in the right direction, it does not fix the communication issues that prevented extensive community review from happening in the first place.

The core of this crisis stems from a lack of input and transparency about the decision-making process. Institutions of higher education should be encouraged to change their branding as their values and academic operations evolve. However, the universitys one-sided approach to this issue neglected the perspectives of those who embody Fletchers values. Branding should not only be about profit making; it should aim to craft an accurate representation of the core values that an organizations members stand for. Fletchers failure to include all community perspectives contradicted the collaborative framework the school emphasizes.

Furthermore, the decision to embark on this rebranding project amid a pandemic demonstrated a lack of consideration of the variety of challenges presented to both current and prospective students. Especially given the precarious job market, the rebranding and the subsequent leadership crisis that has ensued could potentially harm the reputation of the school, and thus affect future job and internship opportunities for students.

But perhaps more troubling than Fletchers abrupt restructuring efforts were Muschs hateful and racially charged remarks. This response from a member of the Fletcher Board of Advisors was not only an unprofessional way to respond to the well-intentioned concerns of a community member, but was also incredibly harmful and antithetical to the schools global educational philosophy. Ultimately, the rebrand divided the Tufts community rather than uniting it.

In this transitional period and beyond, Fletcher and Tufts must learn from the lessons of this crisis and reevaluate their approach to making schoolwide marketing changes. Moving forward, it is imperative that Fletcher be entirely transparent about marketing changes and involve community members in all phases of the decision-making process. Not only should criticism be invited, but it should be listened to. Further, Fletcher must ensure, both in the hiring process and afterward, that leadership and faculty are committed to representing the schools mission and nondiscriminatory principles at all times, including on social media platforms.

While we commend Fletcher for promptly listening to community concerns and reverting some of the changes instituted by the rebrand, there is still much work to be done. Student and alumni perspectives are vital components to successfully upholding the mission, values and reputation of any school, and Fletcher must work harder to include them more in their decision-making processes.

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In the wake of rebrand controversy, Fletcher must learn to value community opinions - Tufts Daily

For the first time in over a decade, a contest to award the worst sex writing in the English language will not deliver a winner to the public, a relief for readers left mortified by the annual selection and sad news for the worlds connoisseurs of cringe.

The Bad Sex in Fiction Award is canceled.

The editors who run the contest announced the decision on Tuesday on the website of their magazine, Literary Review, saying that the year 2020 has been unpleasant enough without their contribution.

The judges felt that the public had been subjected to too many bad things this year to justify exposing it to bad sex as well, the statement said. They warned, however, that the cancellation of the 2020 awards should not be taken as a license to write bad sex.

Staff members for the Literary Review, a British magazine not to be confused with a New Jersey-based publication of the same name, have curated terrible sex writing for almost three decades. The awards purpose, according to the magazine, is to honor the years most outstandingly awful scene of sexual description and to draw attention to the poorly written, redundant or downright cringe-worthy passages of sexual description in modern fiction.

Since the award was established in 1993 by the critic Rhoda Koenig and the editor Auberon Waugh, the son of Evelyn Waugh, the nominated passages have included a comparison of an orgasm to a demon eel, unconventional descriptions of the human body such as haunches that could support a whole array of toothbrushes and coital journeys into outer space.

The winner in 2013, Manil Suri, compared sex to exploding supernovas, having characters streak like superheroes past solar systems and dive through shoals of quarks and atomic nuclei. Norman Mailer won, posthumously, in 2007, thanks to his inventive use of the phrase a coil of excrement. The winner in 1997, Nicholas Royle, described an exclamation somewhere between a beached seal and a police siren.

Though the list of winners is dominated by men, a few women have claimed the prize, including Rachel Johnson, a former magazine editor (and the sister of Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain), who won in 2008. The judges noted her repeated use of animal imagery, as when she compared a characters fingers to a moth caught inside a lampshade and his tongue to a cat lapping up a dish of cream.

Nominees have included some of the most famous names in fiction of the past 30 years. The year of Ms. Johnsons victory, John Updike was given a lifetime achievement award. Authors put on the short list have included Salman Rushdie, Stephen King and Haruki Murakami.

In other years, Literary Review editors gather at the In and Out Club in central London to celebrate, reading excerpts aloud and giving the winner the award: a plaster foot. Most writers have received the award with good humor, including Ms. Johnson, who called the award an absolute honor, and Iain Hollingshead, who said after his 2006 win, I hope to win it every year.

Others have proved less interested, including the singer Morrissey, who won in 2015 and told the Uruguayan newspaper El Observador that it was best to maintain an indifferent distance from these repulsive horrors. And some critics have called the award itself misguided and bullying, saying that it could frighten writers from writing about sex at all.

The magazine editors expect no such chill, however. On Tuesday, they said through an unnamed spokesperson that they anticipate a rash of entries next year, as lockdown regulations give rise to all manner of novel sexual practices.

Authors are reminded that cybersex and other forms of home entertainment fall within the purview of this award, the spokesperson said. Scenes set in fields, parks or backyards, or indoors with the windows open and fewer than six people present will not be exempt from scrutiny either.

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Bad Sex in Fiction Award Is Canceled, as 2020 Was Bad Enough - The New York Times

LOCKPORT, N.Y. -- This holiday season, Spire Recovery Solutions is honoring our U.S. military heroes through a donation to the Naked Warrior Project, a nonprofit organization that memorializes the fallen and supports their families and children. This donation is part of our companys commitment to supporting our veterans, military service members, and their families.

The holidays are a time of reflection and an opportunity for us to show our gratitude for the brave veterans, fallen warriors, and active-duty service members who defend our safety and our freedoms, says Joseph Torriere, President of Spire Recovery Solutions and U.S. Veteran. Our support of the Naked Warrior Project ensures continued awareness of those who have served, and especially, those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our country. As the holidays rapidly approach, we honor and give thanks for our military personnel and keep them and the families who support them from the homefront in our daily thoughts.

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The Naked Warrior Project was founded after the death of Navy SEAL Ryan Owens. Understanding the great loss that veterans and families endure, his brother John, a former Navy SEAL, and his family started the organization to support the memory of our nations fallen Navy SEAL and SOCOM/JSOC heroes. Through education, events, and the creation of statues and monuments in fallen warriors hometowns, Naked Warrior Project honors the fallen, supports their Gold Star families, and provides a sense of community for those who have faced similar challenges.

Social responsibility and supporting our nations military is woven into the fabric of our company culture, says Jacob Torriere, CEO of Spire Recovery Solutions, a U.S. Veteran, and twin brother of Joseph. Our donation will help Naked Warrior Project to erect public memorials of our fallen Special Operatives heroes. It is our goal to do all we can to bring hope to a military family this holiday season through the knowledge that their loved ones memory will be preserved and their service and sacrifice publicly remembered.

To learn more about how you can support the Naked Warrior Project and help memorialize our nations fallen warriors, please visit their website or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

About Naked Warrior Project

Naked Warrior Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 2017 to preserve the memory of our fallen Navy SEAL and Special Operations heroes and provide support and a sense of community to the Gold Star Families left behind. The mission of the Naked Warrior Project is to honor the fallen and support their families through donations and funds at hosted events. The Naked Warrior Project is based in Deerfield Beach, FL.

About Spire Recovery Solutions

Founded by U.S. Veterans and located in Lockport, N.Y., Spire Recovery Solutions, LLC is a professional, nationally licensed full-service debt collection agency that assists creditors in the recovery of outstanding balances while providing consumers with exceptional customer service. Our companys customized processes and state-of-the-art technology provide transparency and compliance that clients and consumers trust and rely on while working together toward account resolution.

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Spire Recovery Solutions Proudly Supports Fallen Military Heroes and Their Families - insideARM.com

WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Dec. 8, 2020 Just in time for end-of-year giving, theWLU Foundationhas a powerful matchinggift opportunity!

OurDecember is forGiving campaign continues, and to sweeten the deal, former WLU Presidents Clyde Campbell, Stephen Greiner, and John McCullough are generously matching the first $11,000 raised this December, explained WLU Foundation Executive Director Angie Zambito-Hill. We are so grateful to our former presidents for remaining committed to West Liberty University and our wonderful students.

During the month of December we have limited edition ceramic ornaments to giveto our donorsgiving $100 or more. These ornaments are first-come, first-serve due to the limited nature of the inventory.

The round disc-like ornaments are decorated on both sides with WLUs official seal and were made in East Liverpool, Ohio.

These ornaments are a perfect gift for alumni and friends and we are mailing them out to you for holiday giving, she said. Orders received by Dec. 18 are expected to arrive in time for Christmas.

Funds raised will support the following initiatives:

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Giving Powered by Matching Gifts - West Liberty University News & Media Relations

A huge great white shark has been filmed attacking a seal inside a harbour leaving its guts spewing into the water.

The vicious scene was captured by fisherman Keith Rose while he was on his fishing vessel inside Wellfleet Harbor off the Cape Cod coast in Massachusetts, US.

Footage shared by Atlantic White Shark Conservancy on Twitter shows the apex predator thrashing its prey in the water as it takes on a seal.

It sinks its teeth on the marine animal while flapping its fins in the sea.

As Keith steers his vessel closer to the crime scene and puts it in neutral, he manages to capture the beast swimming away from its bloody prey in the clear water.

He says in the clip: "This is a great white shark. Check it out, a great white, a beautiful great white shark.

"We just witnessed a shark attack. Hes eating that."

The stunned fisherman then pans the camera to what appears to be the remainder of the poor seal, with flesh and guts torn from the ferocious shark bites.

The conservancy shared the clip on social media with a friendly reminder.

They wrote in the caption: "A reminder to all that although we are beyond the peak season, white sharks are still in the area.

"We are extremely grateful to the fishing community and other nature observers who have shared their footage of white sharks with us this past season.

"Public reports are a valuable part of learning more about white shark movement and behavior off our coast."

According to Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, seasonal shark sightings off the state's coast have increased in recent years, and the outer Cape area is one of the most popular locations for great white sharks.

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Great white shark attacks seal and leaves half-eaten carcass floating in harbour - Daily Star

The Boston Celtics finally have a pair of centers who are both worthy of being starters this season in Daniel Theis and Tristan Thompson.

This is a good problem for the Boston Celtics to have.

On one hand, you have a player in Theis who proved to be a strong and capable big man that elevated the core group of players on the team last season. And on the other hand, you have an aggressive player in Thompson who can work the glass well and is a double-double machine.

But which player is going to be the best fit in the starting rotation?

Building off of last season, Theis offers a multitude of different elements to the team on both sides of the court. Offensively, he shot over 56.0 percent from the field last season and had the fifth-highest offensive rating (130.3) in the NBA. He also perfected the seal and expertly made open scoring lanes for Jayson Tatum, who led the Celtics in scoring a season ago. Along with that, Theis averaged 1.7 assists per game for a total of 111 for the year.

Although he connected on 33 percent of his 3-point shot attempts, Theis needs to become more confident in shooting from behind the arc. More often than not he was reluctant to shoot threes in situations where he was left wide open to do so last season. More than anything, thats hard to do when youre on a team with bonafide shooters like Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but thats something the Celtics can work on with him as we move forward to this upcoming season.

On the defensive side, Theis was able to hold his own, but he did get beat up heavily and took a lot of hits underneath the basket as the primary muscle for the Celtics last season. He recorded 84 blocks (18th in the league) with a block percentage of 5.0 (which ranked him ninth in the league) and posted a defensive rating of 105.3 which was good for 17th best in the NBA.

Theis has solidified himself as a worthy starter for this team. He has all of the intangibles that compile to being a perfect fit for this Celtics group. However, one important element that has been limited in Theis overall game from the center position is rebounding and thats where Thompson takes a slight edge in the debate.

Over the last two seasons, Thompson has averaged at least 10 rebounds per game and has ranked in the top 20 in total rebounds six times throughout his career, including last season when he finished 14th in the NBA. Along with his great efforts off the glass, Thompson has averaged a double-double over the last two seasons.

The Celtics have lacked in the rebounding department and second-chance efforts in the Brad Stevens coaching era. Thompsons presence on the court adds immediate value in both of those regards for the Celtics.

Its worth mentioning that the Boston Celtics havent had a center average at least 10 rebounds in a season since Al Jefferson did it back in 2006-07.

Thompson also maneuvers himself around the court well and has great footwork in the paint for a big man. But one of the biggest welcoming benefits of Thompson joining the Celtics is that the team now has two of the best screen assist centers in the NBA.

Both Theis and Thompson finished in the top 15 in total screen assists last season. We saw firsthand how well Theis was able to pave the way for the Celtics scorers last season, but Thompson was doing the same thing in Cleveland. In fact, Thompson has ranked in the top 10 in that category over the last three years.

So now the Celtics have the privilege of having two of the best big men to do it on a team that now has four of the top 20 best pick-and-roll scorers in the league with Tatum, Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, and Jeff Teague.

So now the debate sways from who should be the starting center in Boston to how can the Celtics get both Theis and Thompson on the court together?

For that to happen, Theis would be the obvious player to shift to power forward considering hes a better shooter than Thompson. This move would give the Celtics the opportunity to have two bigs on the floor together which has been a growing trend in the NBA over the last few years.

However, it would be best for the team to have one of Theis or Thompson on the floor with the second unit, and at least for the beginning of the season, that player is Thompson. Its fair for the Celtics to want to examine how well Thompson will mesh with the starting rotation before declaring him the starter over Theis, who has elevated the core group and taken his own game to a new level while doing so.

Both players are capable of being starters and it doesnt seem like the Boston Celtics can really make the wrong decision when it comes to the center position.

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Boston Celtics: The Daniel Theis and Tristan Thompson debate - Hoops Habit

At the Monday morning, Dec. 7 meeting of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, the brand new board went back to an old well when it came to finding a chairman.

The commissioners chose longtime county commissioner Skip Alston to lead the board for the next 12 months.

Alston, who was first sworn in as a commissioner in 1992, has now been elected chairman by his fellow commissioners a half dozen times.

As soon as Alston was elected chairman in the early December Procedural meeting, he took his seat in the middle chair of the dais the seat with the county seal and the American flag behind it, the gavel next to it and the batphone underneath it. (Though these days county chairs mostly text staff during meetings, rather than whisper on the batphone, if they need to discuss something.)

In the past, Alston has often been something of a lightning rod for attention as chairman with some county voters loving him and others being constant and harsh critics.

On this morning, Alston sounded like a peacemaker.

I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for giving me the opportunity again to serve the people of this county, Alston said, adding that, without God, he wouldnt have been able to do any of it.

I would also like to thank my wife for allowing me to come back three years ago, Alston said, referring to a five-year hiatus he took from the board.

Alston also noted that, in 1992, when sworn in as a commissioner for the first time, his son was 11 months old. He pointed out that, now, his grandchildren one little girl whos four years old going on 15 and another grandchild who is 6 months old were in the audience.

Alston said being a commissioner has been an important part of his life and he was very grateful to the people of District 8 who elected him.

He said he was also grateful to the commissioners who voted for him to be chairman for a sixth time.

Commissioner Alan Branson, a Republican who is still on the board thanks to his ongoing election protest, voted to abstain. The other commissioners all voted in favor of Alston being chair.

I promise you that I will be fair in dealing with each and every last one of you, Alston told them.

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Skip Alston Named Chairman Of The Board A Sixth Time - The Rhino TImes

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose issued a statement Thursday on the passage of HB 473 in the Ohio House of Representatives.

This legislation was sponsored by Ohio Representative J. Todd Smith and would allow the state motto to be used as part of the state seal.

The passage of this bill sends a strong message to those attempting to remove displays of faith from public observance, LaRose said. With God, All Things Are Possible is more than a motto, its our heritage. Its that faith in a higher power that made Ohio who we are, and by officially allowing its pairing with our state seal we honor our past and strengthen our hope for the future. I encourage the Ohio Senate to swiftly move to pass this legislation.

We have done a good deed here, today, Representative J. Todd Smith said. "All too often, we allow ourselves to forget the historic traditions and foundational concepts that built our state. By explicitly permitting this pairing, Ohioans can proudly display the seal and motto together.

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LaRose issues statement on House passage of HB 473 - The Highland County Press

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) today announced that the Worlds largest LNG-Bunkering Vessel GAS AGILITY carried out LNG Bunkering to the worlds largest 23,000 TEU LNG-Fueled Container Vessel CMA CGM Jacques Saade owned by CMA CGM at Rotterdam Port on November 13, 2020. GAS AGILITY is owned by Emerald Green Maritime Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of MOL, and chartered by Totals affiliate Total Marine Fuels Global Solutions (TMFGS). The vessel supplied about 17,300 m3 of LNG, which is enough fuel for a round trip voyage between Rotterdam and Asia.

Delivered in April 2020 at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, GAS AGILITY is the state-of-the-art vessel meeting the highest technical and environmental standards. As increasing number of LNG-fueled vessels are coming into service, LNG Bunkering Vessel will accelerate its bright future and contribute to the environment. MOL takes a proactive stance in popularizing the use of LNG fuel by promoting the development of LNG fuel supply systems in Japan and overseas including the Global bunkering hubs in North Europe and Singapore, to address todays growing environmental demands among both customers and society.

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MOL vessel GAS AGILITY Undergoes LNG Bunkering to the world's largest LNG fueled container vessel - American Journal of Transportation

The Navy is offering big bonuses for eligible Navy SEAL and Special Warfare support officers.

SEAL and Special Warfare support officers who are looking to extend their contract can earn bonuses ranging from $15,000 to $125,000, depending on a few criteria.

First, only officers with the 1130 (Unrestricted Line Officer billet requiring Special Warfare (SEAL) qualification) and 1137 (Unrestricted Line Officer billet for full-time Special Warfare support) are eligible for the bonuses. Second, the officer has to have a minimum of 15 years in active duty to qualify.

According to a Navy release, the bonuses are divided into two categories (Phase 1 and Phase 2) and have two options (five-year and three-year contracts).

Phase 1 bonuses are for officers with at least 15 years and can reach up to $125,000 for SEAL officers and $60,000 for Special Warfare support officers, depending on if they screened successfully for an executive officer (XO) slot.

Phase 2 bonuses are for officers with between 20 and 22 years and can reach up to $75,000 for SEAL officers and $36,000 for Special Warfare support officers.

US Navy SEAL candidates during Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training, in Coronado, California, January 23, 2018. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Abe McNatt/DVIDS

This isn't the first time that the Navy, or indeed any branch, has offered substantial monetary bonuses to special operators in order for them to reenlist.

Earlier in the year, the Army was offering qualified Special Forces warrant officers up to $100,000 bonuses in an attempt to retain their expertise. The 75th Ranger Regiment has also launched similar retention initiatives in the past couple of years.

The relative lull in combat operations now that the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria are on the backburner has gotten many officers and enlisted in the special-operations community thinking about their future. A wartime military is quite different from one during peacetime.

After months and years of selections, training, and pre-deployment workups, it's only natural that special operators want to use their hard-earned skills in active operations. And when there isn't room for everyone some units still get to see combat the civilian option starts to sound more and more alluring. Civilian opportunities often come with better financial compensation and advancement prospects, but also at the cost of job security. Some try to balance the two worlds by joining a reserve or National Guard special operations unit while others get out altogether.

If a SEAL officer decides to get out at around the 15-year mark (a bit uncommon considering that retirement is only five years away) it will probably be because he couldn't pass the board for commander (O5). Nevertheless, his prospects outside the military would be promising, especially if he has completed a masters degree, something that often happens between the 15- and 17-year mark.

There are four different traditional paths to becoming a Navy SEAL officer: Graduate from the Naval Academy (midshipmen would have to also pass a week-long mini-BUD/s to qualify from this route); graduate from an accredited university's Naval Reserve Officer Training Program (NROTC); graduate from the Navy's Officer Candidate School (OCS), or lateral transfer from another service. All programs present a level of difficulty, both of getting to and completing BUD/S.

Part of Naval Special Warfare, SEALs and Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen (SWCCs) are America's maritime special operations force.

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The Navy is offering bonuses up to $125,000 to keep SEAL officers in uniform - Business Insider - Business Insider