LANSING, Michigan US Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, a former Republican who backed the impeachment of US President Donald Trump, is officially not running for reelection.

Amash, the first person of Palestinian descent to serve in the US Congress, had suspended his congressional campaign in February and later explored seeking the Libertarian Partys nomination for president. Thursday was Michigans deadline to run as an independent, though some were also holding out hope he might seek the Libertarians nomination at a state convention Saturday.

I love representing our community in Congress. I always will, Amash tweeted. This is my choice, but Im still going to miss it.

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Amash, 40, initially became an independent a year ago after becoming disenchanted with partisan politics. He has represented Michigans 3rd Congressional district in the western part of the state since 2011.

When he announced last July in an op-ed in the Washington Post that he was leaving the Republican Party, Amash said he was frightened by what I see from partisanship.

Amash noted his father, a Palestinian refugee from Bethlehem, would remind my brothers and me of the challenges he faced before coming here and how fortunate we were to be Americans.

He drew ire from US President Donald Trump and fellow Republicans when he said the president had engaged in impeachable conduct as described in special counsel Robert Muellers report on ties between Trumps 2016 campaign and Russia.

Trump has called Amash a total loser.

Amash has long been seen as a libertarian Republican and an outspoken party contrarian. He was mentored in his earliest political runs by former representative Ron Paul, a Texas Republican and perennial GOP presidential candidate who made a name for himself as the partys foundational libertarian.

Amash is believed to favor a lower US profile overseas. That view led him to vote against an act that would enhance the US response to emerging or potential genocides, and against a Republican-led bill that pressured the Trump administration to appoint an anti-Semitism envoy.

Amash initiated eminent domain legislation that would make it tougher to build Trumps wall with Mexico and been lacerating in his assessment of the presidents choice for attorney general, William Barr. He pointed to Barrs record during the George W. Bush administration of defending warrantless eavesdropping.

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Palestinian-American Justin Amash officially wont seek reelection to Congress - The Times of Israel

Football coaches are used to having a full plate, but right now, Ron Rivera is sitting at a table lined with full plates and it feels like more orders are on their way.

For most of the offseason, Washington's head coach has been trying to prepare a young team to outperform expectations through Zoom meetings and phone calls. Instead of practices, he's used PowerPoint.

That's far from ideal.

Rivera hasn't just been tasked with handling on-field issues, though. The 58-year-old has also been heavily involved in advancing the franchise's name change, a task that's partly done yet also has much further to go until completion.

That's far from normal.

And now, Rivera is in the center of a mess a top-to-bottom, years-in-the-making mess involving widespread allegations of sexual misconduct that he has no part in. Despite that, he's being leaned on to clean it up.

That's far from fair.

Yet he's, somehow, far from discouraged.

"We have to move forward from this andmake sure everybody understands we have policies that we will follow and that we have an open-door policy with no retribution," Rivera said to ESPN's John Keimhours after Thursday's searing Washington Post story dropped. "Plus my daughter works for the team and I sure as hell am not going to allow any of this!"

In a Fridayinterview with NBC Sports Washington, Fred Smoot explained why he's ultra-confident in Rivera's ability to improve the organization.

"I think hes ready for this," Smoot said. "He understands you dont make your mark when everything goes well, you make your mark when things go awry.

"I dont think coach regrets anything," he continued."I think hes really embellishing the point that he can clean this up, that he can be a part of correcting this. And thats what we need, we need a leader. And thats why I think Ron Rivera is the perfect candidate for the job."

RELATED: THE 15 DAYS THAT CHANGED THIS FRANCHISE FOREVER

The longtime defensive back pointed back to how Rivera, in his opening presser after being hired in January, promised to elevate the culture in Ashburn. While there's no way Rivera could've known just how much elevating could be required, Smoot has complete faith that he'll accomplish that goal.

In fact, he's already envisioning what Rivera will be labeled when he does.

"Think about this," Smoot said."In four of fives years from now, when were an established franchise and were doing better, how is he going to look? Hes going to look like the savior, because he was the savior. Hes a rock. You look to your leaders at a time like this and if they dont falter, no one else will."

Not everyone is as sure as Smoot, though.

ESPN radio host Mike Golic Sr. asked aloud on Friday if Rivera is already wishing he didn'taccept the job from Dan Snyder.

Meanwhile, Domonique Foxworth, an ex-corner like Smoot, took basically the exact opposite stance during Friday's First Takeshow. To Foxworth, Rivera has basically been tossedinto a fourth-and-30 and told to pick up a first down.

"Stop it if you think that Ron Rivera is going to fix this," Foxworth said."Hes a football coach. And we shouldnt ask him to fix this, its not his responsibility, he has no ability to do so, we have no reason to believe that hes capable of doing so."

Foxworth, like a host of others, is instead calling on Snyder to make serious adjustments or the league to do so if Snyder won't himself.

That's something Smoot agreed with, at least. The owner's"a very quiet," "very shy person," according to Smoot, but he still has to make himself more accessible to the public in order to show that he understands how much work must be done. That goes beyond making statements like this one.

And even though Smoot clearly trusts Rivera to be the guy to turn around the entire operation, he did acknowledge that Rivera will need help from the man at the top.

"Everything works in unison," he said.

MORE TEAM NEWS

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This isn't Rivera's mess, yet Smoot believes the coach will still fix it - NBC Sports Washington

The Problem with Lincoln is the culmination of Tom DiLorenzos many years of research on Abraham Lincoln. It is a masterly summing-up and extension of his earlier classics The Real Lincoln (2002) and Lincoln Unmasked (2006). DiLorenzo is both a historian and an economist with an expert knowledge of Austrian economics and also of the public choice school. This background enables him to grasp what most other historians of the Civil War period miss, the centralizing economic plan behind Lincolns policies.

DiLorenzo calls attention to a vital fact that demolishes the mythological view that Lincolns primary motive for opposing secession in 1861 was his distaste for slavery. Precisely the opposite is true. It is well known that, in an effort to promote compromise, a constitutional amendment was proposed in Congress that forever forbade interference with slavery in states where it already existed. Lincoln referred to the proposal, the Corwin Amendment, in his first inaugural, stating that he was not opposed to the amendment, since it merely made explicit the existing constitutional arrangement regarding slavery. Of course, Lincoln was not telling the truth; nothing in the Constitution prior to the Corwin Amendment prohibited amendments to end slavery, so this new proposal did not just make the existing constitutional arrangement explicit. Readers can judge the Corwin Amendment for themselves, in a helpful set of original documents that our author includes in the book. (The Corwin Amendment is on p. 217.)

So much is well established, but DiLorenzo adds a surprising touch. Far from viewing the Corwin Amendment with grudging consent, Lincoln was in fact its behind-the-scenes promoter.

It was Lincoln himself who had instructed his soon-to-be secretary of state William Seward to suggest three resolutions, the import of the first of which was identical with that of the Corwin Amendment, to the Committee of Thirteen in the U.S. Senate without indicating they issued from Springfieldthat is, from Lincoln himself.(p. 28, quoting Doris Kearns Goodwin, Team of Rivals)

Extension of slavery in the territories was for Lincoln an entirely different matter, and on this issue he refused all compromise. Here we confront a paradox. If Lincoln thought it more important to preserve the Union than to oppose slavery, why was he unwilling to compromise over slavery in the territories? If he thought slaverys extension was too high a price to pay to preserve the Union, why was he willing permanently to entrench slavery wherever it already existed? It is hard to detect a moral difference between slavery in the states and the territories.

DiLorenzo readily resolves the paradox. Lincoln opposed extension of slavery, because this would interfere with the prospects of white workers. Lincoln, following his mentor Henry Clay, favored a nationalist economic program of which high tariffs, a national bank, and governmentally financed internal improvements were key elements. This program, he thought, would promote not only the interests of the wealthy industrial and financial powers that he always faithfully served but would benefit white labor as well. Blacks, in his opinion, would be better off outside the United States,andthroughout his lifeLincoln supported schemes for repatriation of blacks to Africa and elsewhere. If blacks left the country, they could not compete with whites, the primary objects of Lincolns concern. (Lincoln, by the way, did not see this program as in any way in contradiction to his professed belief that all men are created equal. Blacks, he thought, had human rights but not political rights.)

In order to finance his economic program, high tariffs were essential.

In his first inaugural address, Lincoln threwdown the gauntlet of war over tax collection.He reassured the country that there needs to be no bloodshed or violence; and there shall be none, unless it be forced upon the national authority.(p. 30)

DiLorenzo is appropriately scathing about Lincolns remarks.

The myth of the sacred Union bound together by the mystic cords of memorywas invented to provide cover for Lincolns coldhearted willingness to wage total war on his own country for tax revenue.There was no talk of forceof any kind when the subject was slaveryexcept for forcing runaway slaves back into slavery by enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act; tax collection, on the other hand, called forth threats of total war on the entire population of the South, threats that were carried out a few months later, leading to as many as 750,000 American deaths.(p. 31)

DiLorenzo is fully prepared for the objection that even if the Southern states had ample reason to oppose Lincolns economic plans, they had no legal right to secede. In this view, Lincoln had a constitutional duty to preserve the Union by any means necessary. The historian Allan Guelzo claims that Southern secessionists were guilty of treason by their efforts to leave the Union. In what to my mind is the highlight of the book, DiLorenzo turns the tables on those who charge the Southern states with treason. The United States was a compact of sovereign states, and a state that no longer wished to remain part of the Union was free to leave.

This view of the matter was not dreamed up by Southern firebrands in 1860; it had behind it the weighty authority of Thomas Jefferson.

In an August 12, 1803, letter to John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky, who had inquired about the secession movement that was gaining prominence in New England at that time, Jefferson wrote that if there is to be a separationthen God bless them both(that is, both regions of the union that were at odds), & keep them in the union if it be for their good, but separate them if it be better.(p. 22, brackets in original)

If one accepts Jeffersons approach, Lincolns nationalist understanding of the United States was, as Murray Rothbard would say, monstrous. As DiLorenzo writes,

Lincoln justified the military invasion of his own country and the mass killing of fellow American citizens by the hundreds of thousands with a theory that the people of the free and independent states,as they are called in the Declaration of Independence, were not sovereign, that the Unionwhich is to say, the federal governmentwas the real sovereign; that the federal government was therefore supreme; that the Union was not voluntary; and that no state had a right to secede from itthe theory that the union of the states is older than the states themselves makes about as much sense as the theory that a marital union can be older than either spousein which case they would have been married before they were born.No state would ever have ratified the Constitution if thisLincolns theory of the more perfect Unionwas what the founding generation thought the document said. (pp. 10911)

With a brilliant stroke, DiLorenzo reverses the verdict that leaving the Union was treason. Lincoln was the real traitor:

Lincolns invasion of the Southern states was the very definition of treason in Article 3, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, which defines treason as only in levying war upon them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. The themand theirin this definition of treason refer to the United States,which are always in the plural in the founding documents, denoting that the individual, free, and independent states were uniting by a compact among them, not irrevocably surrendering their sovereignty and their very existence in favor of a sacred, perpetual, inescapable Union.(pp. 7778)

Once Lincoln invaded the South, he and his henchmen carried on the war with great brutality. Murray Rothbard says that the Union conduct of the war

broke the 19thcentury rules of war by specifically plundering and slaughtering civilians, by destroying civilian life and institutions so as to reduce the South to submission. Shermans infamous March through Georgia was one of the great war crimes, and crimes against humanity, of the past century-and-a-half. Because by targeting and butchering civilians, Lincoln and Grant and Sherman paved the way for all the genocidal horrors of the monstrous 20thcentury.(quoted on p. 44)

DiLorenzo confronts an important objection to his main argument. Even if Lincoln didnt start the war to free the slaves but rather to create a powerful central state, wasnt war still necessary to end slavery? This seems unlikely. In an appearance on Bill Mahers television program, Ron Paul responded (to Maher) by pointing out that all other countries in the world that ended slavery in the nineteenth century did so peacefully, without a civil war, specifically citing how the British used tax dollars to buy the freedom of the slaves and then ended slavery legally throughout the British Empire(p. 71).

DiLorenzos forthright analysis of Lincoln stands in marked contrast to a leading member of what our author, following the usage of Lerone Bennett Jr., calls the Logos school, which treats Lincolns words as gospel truth. An example of this would be a statement by Lincoln scholar Harry Jaffa when I (DiLorenzo) debated him at the Independent Institute in Oakland, California, in 2003. During the question-and-answer session, an audience memberapparently a Jaffa protgasked Jaffa if he thought Lincolns speeches were the words of God. Jaffa responded that yes, he thought they were.(pp. 13940)

Readers of The Problem with Lincoln will be forever immune to this idolatrous nonsense.

Originally posted here:

Demolishing the Lincoln Fable, But Once more - The Shepherd of the Hills Gazette

The BEASTSare unleashed once again! Created by sculptorand artistPaul Harding,the dieselpunk horror-adventureBEASTS OF THE BLACK HAND, is returning with an all-new graphic novel.BEASTS OF THE BLACK HAND Volume 2: The Viking Leagueis now on Kickstarter, with a campaign to produce a hardcover sequel to the landmark initial volume, viaOminous PressandCreation.Ink.

Written byRon Marz, drawn byMatthew Dow Smith, and colored byNanjan Jamberi, the sequel will be a lavish, 64-page oversize hardcover, just like Volume 1, which was produced thanks to a highly-successful Kickstarter campaign. Once successfully funded, Volume 2 is expected to be released in December.

Set at the close of the First World War in a world where dieselpunk technology is transforming the world, Volume 1 introduced British secret agent Oswald Rayner as he assassinated the Mad Monk, Rasputin. Rayner is charged with battling the nefarious Black Hand, a secret cabal of sorcerers bent on unleashing monsters upon Europe. Rayner is aided by a team that includes his driver and mechanic, Biffy Dunderdale; French Hello Girl Oleda Marchand; and American war hero Henry Johnson.

Having thwarted Maria Rasputins machinations to destroy the Versailles peace conference, Volume 2 finds Rayner and his team battling the Black Hand in Eastern Europe, as well as Germany, where the fascist Viking League is rising to power. Meanwhile, a mysterious figure known as the Teutonic Knight has appeared in Berlin, his loyalties unknown.

Im so excited to reunite with Ron and Matt forVolume 2.Everythingaboutthis story is bigger, better, and darker. Were really turning loosethe monsters in this one,Paul Harding said.

Both Volumes 1 and 2 will be available will be available via the Kickstarter, with standard covers byMatthew Dow Smith, and limited sculpture variant covers byPaul Harding. Other rewards include collectible, limited-edition, single-issue comics with exclusive variant covers by artists includingMatthew Dow Smith, Eric Powell, Mike McKone, Mark Nelson, Meghan Hetrick, and others. Additional variant covers will be announced throughout the campaign by an all-star collection of artists, includingRachael Stott, Tom Mandrake, and more.

There are also sculpture rewards crafted byPaul Harding and Creation.Ink, limited-edition prints, and T-shirts.

Paul Hardingis a sculptor whose work has premiered through DC Collectibles, Gentle Giant, MarvelLegends, Sideshow, and more. Legendary writerRon Marzhas worked for every major publisher with acclaimed runs onSilver Surfer, Green Lantern, Witchblade, and others.Matthew Dow Smith, known for both his art and writing, has art credits ranging fromBatmanandWonder WomantoDoctor WhoandX-Files.

The Kickstarter campaign is live now, and ends on Aug. 13.

NEWS WATCH: Beasts of the Black Hand 2 From Paul Harding, Ron Marz and Matthew Dow Live on Kickstarter Now

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Storytelling has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember, I look forward to offering opinions and insight on some of the best stories being told today.

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NEWS WATCH: Beasts of the Black Hand 2 From Paul Harding, Ron Marz and Matthew Dow Live on Kickstarter Now - Comic Watch

WILTON, Maine In the days leading up to the Tuesday election, one Republican running for Maines 2nd Congressional District spoke to supporters on a Franklin County farm. Another was in a tent by a bar on the coast. The other was at the front of a small-town church.

It says a lot about their campaigns for the right to take on U.S. Rep. Jared Golden in a district the freshman Democrat won in a narrow ranked-choice voting race in 2018. President Donald Trump won by 10 percentage points in 2016, giving Republicans hope they can flip it back.

Two of the hopefuls, former state Rep. Dale Crafts of Lisbon and Adrienne Bennett of Bangor, who was the press secretary to former Gov. Paul LePage, are emphasizing personality over policy in the final days. Former state Sen. Eric Brakey of Auburn is doing the opposite.

The candidates have largely tried to convince voters they are Trumps biggest supporters while pressing on specific areas of interest. Crafts is from the partys more classic evangelical wing while Brakey is libertarian-leaning. The two have clashed on foreign policy. Bennett has fleshed out views as the campaign has advanced absent a voting record.

When you see them in person, the most notable difference between the hopefuls is their approach to connecting with voters. For Crafts and Bennett, there is more of a focus in the final days on making personal connections with voters. Brakey asks for a policy dialogue.

A July 1 meet-and-greet at a farm owned by state Sen. Russell Black, R-Wilton, felt more like a cookout than a fundraiser. Visitors spent time chatting with each other or Crafts, at times indulging the senators border collie, Jack, in a stick throw after grabbing cold cuts and fruit.

Crafts says the 1983 vehicle crash that paralyzed him from the waist down has made him an overcomer. His support from the party establishment was on full display. Lawmakers were in attendance, though former Gov. Paul LePage Crafts heavyweight endorser had to cancel.

Youve got a known entity versus people who say theyre gonna do something, said former Maine Republican Party Chairman Charlie Webster of Crafts and Bennett, respectively, and to me, Ill stick to the guy that, when times are tough, is going to vote the way I want.

Bennett leverages her story of growing up dirt poor in Waldo County. She has said she showered in a barrel and slept on a blue vinyl mattress pulled from a vehicle. Standing under a tent in the Rollies Bar & Grill parking lot last week, Bennett told supporters drinking beer and hard seltzer that she used to be ashamed of her background, but not anymore.

My story isnt really remarkable, but it does show who we are as Mainers, she said. We are fighters and we make the best out of what we have.

On Monday night, Brakey stood above a crowd of over 30 people on the stage at a Searsmont church. He asked audience members to introduce themselves and say one thing theyre worried about. Their responses range from political correctness in schools to the coronavirus, abortion and whether support for a law and order society is waning.

Brakey came to Maine in 2012 as the state campaign manager for insurgent presidential hopeful Ron Paul. Two years later, he was elected to the Maine Senate, where he sponsored a 2015 bill that repealed Maines concealed-handgun permit requirement. That measure has become his calling card, but he has retained an outsiders message.

You have to be friends with the politicians to get into leadership and thats never been my goal, he said. My goal has always been to get our freedoms back.

Something seems to be working for Crafts and Bennett. They were in first and second place, respectively, in a SurveyUSA poll released last week. Brakey, the fundraising leader, was in last place with nearly a fifth of voters undecided. But ranked-choice voting the method that Golden used to oust Republican incumbent Bruce Poliquin creates more uncertainty around the race.

The three have used similar strategies to get attention in the race, which has been both complicated and overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic that pushed the primary normally scheduled for June into July, shortening the amount of time that the candidates have to catch up to Golden, who had more than $2 million in his campaign coffers as of late June.

At times, it has seemed like the candidates are running against Golden less than Democrats at large, including Gov. Janet Mills, whose virus response included economic restrictions that sparked conservative protests early in the pandemic. Each of the candidates went to some.

Bennett, in particular, has run a canny, attention-grabbing race after raising about a fifth of Brakeys campaign haul and about half that of Crafts. She recently hit the governor for not wearing a mask in a photo-op in a Facebook post. Early this year, she also hitched herself to hard-line conservative Michelle Malkin, introducing her after venues canceled appearances.

Furor over Malkins appearance was fueled by her support of Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and calling Lewiston a refugee dumping ground. Bennett has defended Malkin on free-speech grounds and tweeted on Wednesday that she denounced Holocaust deniers and anti-Semitism.

Bennett is closing with some support in the partys rank and file. In Belfast, former state Rep. Jayne Crosby Giles said when the chips are down, shes going to make things happen, noting a workmanlike approach that counterbalances a lack of experience in elected office.

What I really see with Adrienne is a real fire, a real drive, Giles said. And does that come from experience? I dont know, but I think thats something you either got or you dont.

Crafts often nods to LePage by describing himself as a somewhat reluctant candidate at first by saying he was not considering a return to politics until the former governor and other allies contacted him about the prospect. At the farm in Wilton, Jolene Brown of Clinton said his performance in a WMTW debate sealed the deal for her.

He just seems very level-headed and patient, she said.

Brown compared Crafts to Brakey, who she said was erratic. But his supporters praise his directness. Nick Nickerson, of Unity, said at the church that he was drawn to Brakeys straightforward way of speaking, his criticism of Mills and laissez-faire views on health care.

I think hell get down to business in Congress, he said.

Originally posted here:

How the GOP candidates are pitching themselves in Maine's 2nd District primary - Bangor Daily News

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) The mayor of Portland demanded Friday that President Donald Trump remove militarized federal agents he deployed to the city after some detained people on streets far from federal property they were sent to protect.

Keep your troops in your own buildings, or have them leave our city, Mayor Ted Wheeler said at a news conference.

Democratic Gov. Kate Brown said Trump is looking for a confrontation in the hopes of winning political points elsewhere. It also serves as a distraction from the coronavirus pandemic, which is causing spiking numbers of infections in Oregon and the nation.

Browns spokesman, Charles Boyle, said Friday that arresting people without probable cause is extraordinarily concerning and a violation of their civil liberties and constitutional rights.

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said she would file a lawsuit in federal court against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Marshals Service, Customs and Border Protection and Federal Protection Service alleging they have violated the civil rights of Oregonians by detaining them without probable cause. She will also seek a temporary restraining order against them.

The ACLU of Oregon said the federal agents appear to be violating peoples rights, which should concern everyone in the United States.

Usually when we see people in unmarked cars forcibly grab someone off the street we call it kidnapping, said Jann Carson, interim executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon. The actions of the militarized federal officers are flat-out unconstitutional and will not go unanswered.

Federal officers have charged at least 13 people with crimes related to the protests so far, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported Thursday. Some have been detained by the federal courthouse, which has been the scene of protests. But others were grabbed blocks away.

This is part of the core media strategy out of Trumps White House: to use federal troops to bolster his sagging polling data, Wheeler said. And it is an absolute abuse of federal law enforcement officials.

One video showed two people in helmets and green camouflage with police patches grabbing a person on the sidewalk, handcuffing them and taking them into an unmarked vehicle.

Who are you? someone asks the pair, who do not respond. At least some of the federal officers belong to the Department of Homeland Security.

Customs and Border Protection said in a statement that its agents had information indicating the person in the video was suspected of assaulting federal agents or destroying federal property.

Once CBP agents approached the suspect, a large and violent mob moved towards their location. For everyones safety, CBP agents quickly moved the suspect to a safer location, the agency said. However, the video shows no mob.

In another case, Mark Pettibone, 29, said a minivan rolled up to him around 2 a.m. Wednesday and four or five people got out looking like they were deployed to a Middle Eastern war.

Pettibone told The Associated Press he got to his knees as the group approached. They dragged him into the van without identifying themselves or responding to his questions and pulled his beanie over his eyes so he couldnt see, he said.

I figured I was just going to disappear for an indefinite amount of time, Pettibone said.

Pettibone said he was put into a cell and officers dumped the contents of his backpack, with one remarking: Oh, this is a bunch of nothing.

After he asked for a lawyer, Pettibone was allowed to leave.

Authoritarian governments, not democratic republics, send unmarked authorities after protesters, Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley said in a tweet.

U.S. Attorney Billy Williams in Portland said Friday he has requested the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General to investigate the actions of DHS personnel.

In a letter Friday, Oregons two senators and two of its House members demanded that U.S. Attorney General William Barr and Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf immediately withdraw these federal paramilitary forces from our state.

The members of Congress also said theyll be asking the DHS inspector general and the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the presence and actions of federal forces in Portland.

Its painfully clear this administration is focused purely on escalating violence without answering my repeated requests for why this expeditionary force is in Portland and under what constitutional authority, Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden said.

On Thursday night, federal officers deployed tear gas and fired non-lethal rounds into a crowd of protesters.

Wolf visited Portland on Thursday and called the demonstrators, who are protesting racism and police brutality, violent anarchists.

Wolf blamed state and city authorities for not putting an end to the protests. But Portland police said Friday they wound up arresting 20 people overnight.

At least two protests occurred Thursday night, one near the federal courthouse and the other by a police station in another part of the city. Police told protesters to leave that site after announcing they heard some chanting about burning down the building. Protester Paul Frazier said Friday the chant was much more rhetorical than an actual statement.

Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell told reporters Friday that his officers are in contact with the federal agents, but that neither controls the others actions.

We do communicate with federal officers for the purpose of situational awareness and deconfliction, Lovell said. Were operating in a very, very close proximity to one another.

The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Oregon on Friday added the federal government to a lawsuit it filed earlier to halt the use of crowd control measures, including tear gas and rubber bullets, against journalists and legal observers at protests in Portland.

The lawsuit is one of many the ACLU will be filing against federal authorities in Portland for their unconstitutional attacks on people protesting the police killing of George Floyd, the group said.

Tensions have escalated in the past two weeks, particularly after an officer with the U.S. Marshals Service fired a less-lethal round at a protesters head on July 11, critically injuring him.

The protests following the police killing of Floyd in Minneapolis have often devolved into violent clashes between smaller groups and the police.

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Mayor of Portland to Trump: Get your troops out of the city - KOAA.com Colorado Springs and Pueblo News

WednesdayJul15,2020at12:01AM

Ronald Paul Ford Sr. Ambridge Formerly of Moon Township Ronald Paul Ford, Sr., passed away peacefully on July 11, 2020, at the age of 63. Born on August 5, 1956, in Sewickley, he was the son of the late Elizabeth and Henry Ford, Sr. Ronald loved cars and spending time with his beloved grandchildren. Ronald is survived by his children, Heather Ford of Daytona Beach, Fla., Holly Neff (Ron) of Ambridge, and Jason Ford of Ambridge; 11 grandchildren; and siblings, Susan Hillman of Sewickley, Linda McDermott (Roger) of Ambridge, Diane Hathaway of Ambridge, Henry G. Ford Jr. (Clara) of Hampton, Va., and Garry P. Ford Sr. (Darlene) of Bedford. In addition to his parents, Ronald was preceded in death by his son, Ronald Ford Jr. and his brother, Terry A. Ford. Visitation will be held at COPELAND SEWICKLEY FUNERAL HOME, 702 Beaver St., http://www.copelandfuneralhomes.com, on Thursday, July 16, from 4 to 7 p.m. where his funeral service will be held on Friday at 11 a.m. Burial will follow in Sewickley Cemetery.

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RONALD PAUL FORD SR. - Obituaries - The Times - The Times

Israeli prog guitarist Yuval Ron has released a video for the song Somewhere In This Universe, Somebody Hits A Drum. It's the title track from Ron's most recent album, which was released in October 2019. You can watch the video in full below.

"Pretty much everyone would agree that these are difficult times (and I dont mean 11/8 or 15/16 signatures...)," says Ron. "All the more for the folks in the music business. Yet, there are opportunities all around - one of them was for me to finally create and release the second video from my latest album Somewhere In This Universe, Somebody Hits A Drum, featuring the legendary Marco Minnemann on drums. If you're looking for the ultimate escape, space is the best place to go and for this reason we decided to go there and explore our vast musical universe - and hopefully to have you with us onboard."

Alongside Aristocrats/The Sea Within drummer Minnemann Somewhere In This Universe, Somebody Hits A Drum also features Matt Paul on Keyboards and Robert Badoglio on bass.

Order Somewhere In This Universe, Somebody Hits A Drum.

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Yuval Ron releases new video for Somewhere In This Universe, Somebody Hits A Drum - Louder

One of The Young and the Restless greatest storylines ever was the George Rawlins murder mystery. It began in the late 1980s and ran into early 1990. Doug Davidson, who calls the story Pauls first adult tale, has produced some mini-documentaries on the saga to share on his Instagram page.

In the latest installment, Davidson recalls how Paul and his dad, Carl (Brett Hadley), traveled to Bermuda to spy on Georges (Jonathan Farwell) widow Cassandra (Nina Arvesen) and her lover Adrian Hunter (Mark Derwin). The Stories Behind The Stories Episode 6 The Bermuda Triangle, Davidson titled his report.

As always, a massive thanks to @joymathys, @calyssadavidson, and Gareth Murphy for making this happen. And a special shout out this episode to airboyd.tv, the Elbow Beach Resort in Bermuda, and of course, Ron Burgundy!

In this segment, he jokes that a mustache he wore to disguise himself resembled the look Will Ferrell had in the film Ron Burgundy. On a more serious note, Carl and Paul were planning on Cassandra making a misstep and reveal that either she or Adrian or both of them were Georges true killers. Presumed dead, Paul rigged Cassandras room so shed hear his ghostly words from the other side. Slowly, but surely, Cassandra started to break.

Carl showed Paul a photo of Adrian and Cassandra dancing. In it, she was wearing earrings that were reported stolen the night George was killed. That turned out to be enough evidence to arrest Cassandra and book her for first-degree murder. But was Cassandra guilty of killing George? Davidson will reveal more in the next chapter.

The George Rawlins mystery was one of YRs most impactful stories. Davidsons videos do the saga justice and hit all of the tales major beats. Theyre also a hit with the actors fans. That was fun! says @debbiekuzio. I dont remember much of [emailprotected] back then so its nice to see you telling The Story Behind The Story. Thanks, I enjoy these!

Stay tuned for Davidsons next installment. Soap Hub will bring you a recap of it when it shows up. The Young and the Restless airs weekdays on CBS. Check local listings for air times.

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The Young and the Restless News: Doug Davidson Recalls Pauls Ron Burgundy Look - Soap Hub

Paul Hendrick took a deep breath.

Here goes.

He pressed the tweet button on his device and announced to the universe that his career covering the Maple Leafs on a full-time basis had come to an end. The 63-year-old wrote that he was stepping away from his job with Leafs Nation Network, and then he thanked everyone from the owners to the fans.

It was an emotional decision, he said in an interview a few hours later. But my iPad and phone have been dinging consistently for a couple of hours now.

Hendrick has been with the channel from its earliest days, from when it carried live games and marathon pregame shows to its evolution into the digital media space. He broadcast from morning practice, from postgame scrums and from everywhere in between.

Part of his decision was borne from a need to slow down. His wife, Dr. Alicia Sarabia, has been living with cancer. She is an infectious diseases...

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'It was an emotional decision': Paul Hendrick on leaving Leafs Nation Network - The Athletic

Speedrack groundbreaking in Quincy

With construction already underway, Speedrack held a groundbreaking Tuesday for its $20 million expansion in Quincy. On hand Paul Jewell of Millwrights Local 1102, Eric Quist, Speedrack Executive Vice President, company owner Ron Ducharme, Quincy Council President Karen Hargreave, and Quincy Village Manager Brittany Butler. [Don Reid photo]

QUINCY Delayed from March by the COVID 19 close down, Speedrack held an official groundbreaking for its $20 million expansion to its Quincy plant Tuesday morning.

The 130,000 square foot addition to its current 375,000 sq.ft. plant will add up to 80 new employees to the already 250 working there.

Quincy operations manager Eric Quist said since opening in 2003 with 25 employees "we have significantly increased benefits, and have increased hourly wages by approximately 175%."

The company started 35 years ago and pioneered tubular storage systems. Its considers Amazon and Medline as two of its many major customers.

Speedrack is already hiring new employees for the expansion so they will be ready when the new addition opens in 2021.

The new expansion will allow increase of its powder coat paint lines, robotic welding, and production expansion. The decision was made to expand Quincy after it opened an additional facility in Litchfield in 2017 which employs 25.

Quist credited the family owned business of the Ron Ducharme for putting 100% of its profits back into the business. "They made the decision to stay even in these uncertain times."

The company thanked Quincy for continued support with local infrastructure at its 42 Cole Street location.

Village Council President Karen Hargreave noted it started in 2002 when the village approved use of the brownfield site for the company plant.

In March the Michigan Department of Transportation awarded the village of Quincy a state transportation economic development fund grant totaling $325,972 to reconstruct Church Street between Cole and Broughton Streets to all-season standards, make drainage improvements, and install curb and gutter. This allowed the company to expand loading docks.

With more on line sales and warehousing, the state found there is increased demand for its tubular warehouse racks and rack systems throughout the United States and Canada. The Quincy plant takes rolled steel then forms, welds and paints them for shelving components.

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Speedrack breaks ground at its Quincy expansion - Monroe Evening News

Haines businesses will have another chance to apply for CARES Act funding, the biomass project is officially terminated, and SEARHC will provide COVID-19 testing for asymptomatic travelers to Haines.

The Haines Borough Assembly voted to reopen the application window for Haines Small Business Emergency Grants, since over half the money remains unspoken for. That was at the request of Borough Finance Director Jila Stuart. She said there are several reasons that businesses have not applied.

Theres been a lot of confusion about whether or not accepting a municipal CARES Act grant will make a business ineligible for the Alaska CARES program which offers a lot more money than were offering, she said.

That remains unclear. Some businesses could not apply because their business licenses are not up to date. Some tax exempt businesseslike childcare and healthcare servicesdid not file their tax returns and were therefore ineligible for grants. The assembly voted against including them. The application will remain open until July 31st.

The Haines Borough will pay Southeast Regional Health Consortium $50,000 to test asymptomatic travelers at the Haines Health Clinic. In July SEARHC began offering free testing to asymptomatic on the weekend.

Acting borough manager Alekka Fullerton said the additional funds are to reduce testing delay for travelers who arrive midweek.

If someone comes in on the ferry for instance on Sunday, they would wait a whole week to be tested and a whole nother week to get their results back. Meanwhile theyd be running around Haines without testing or results, Fullerton said.

The motion passed unanimously.

The assembly voted to abandon a plan to heat municipal buildings using a biomass boiler. Assembly member Stephanie Scott was opposed. Public facilities director Ed Coffland said the years-long, repeatedly postponed project is uneconomical.

Assembly member Paul Rogers moved to nix the project.

We dont have another million and a half dollars and I dont see us having another million and a half dollars in the foreseeable future. I think its ridiculous to try to proceed to try to proceed and keep putting a band-aid on an arterial bleed, he said.

Coffland said roughly $900,000 in grant funding for the project will be returned to the grantor later this year.

Haines resident Ron Jackson requested that the assembly formally reprimand Assembly member Paul Rogers for the way he behaved around the firing of former borough manager Debra Schnabel.

Jackson said Rogers should be censured for attempting to usurp the supervisory authority of the assembly and for belittling the manager in a public meeting.

The assembly voted 4-2 against censuring Rogers with Zephyr Sincerny and Stephanie Scott in favor. Assembly member Gabe Thomas said a reprimand would only increase divisiveness.

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Haines businesses will have another chance to apply for CARES Act funding - KHNS Radio

This letter deals with government involvement in the housing sector. The federal government oversees the Community Development Block Grant or CDBG program, a part of which is used by local governments to rehabilitate or replace decrepit housing. Thats a noble goal, although its not a Constitutional function of the federal government.

Back in October 2011, I wrote about a CDBG project to replace a mobile home with a site-built home that had an initial projected cost of about $64,000 (and how my efforts to privately fund repairing the home were rejected). By the time all was said and done, the cost for that home was around $73,000, a 14% increase. Converting these amounts to 2020 dollars equates to $72,400 and $82,600 respectively.

Now in July 2020, the county is being asked to approve three change orders- in each case the original estimate to rehabilitate or replace a home has been insufficient for various reasons. The State Housing Initiative Program (SHIP) is the state layer of this bureaucracy and caps each project at $75,000. Gone are the days of $72K or even $83K projects. The first has a total cost (with the $3,000 change order) of $109,981. The second is $137,524 (with $22,524 change order), and the third is $114,982 (with $13,900 change order).

If you take the time to read through the change orders, you see where some of this originates. For one home, there is a cost of $4,800 for 2 towel bars, a toilet paper holder, a shower bar, two 5 x 5 concrete pads, 9-1-1 addressing, and exterior paint.

Ron Paul said it in 2012 about government involvement in health care and I still agree with him- We dump it on the government, they create a bureaucracy, and the cost goes up.

Since so much time has passed, its worthwhile to note that according to the US Treasury as of October 2011 (in 2020 dollars) our national debt was only $17 trillion. The government overspends so much they have to publish this data in thousands of millions. As of June 2020, its now over $26 trillion, a 52% increase. For the partisan crowd, this is neither a democrat nor a republican issue as huge increases have happened under both Mr. Obama and Mr. Trump.

In my opinion, these United States as originally configured are in an unrecoverable downward financial (among other things) spiral. With so much reliance upon government, socialism is a path seen by too many as a solution, which opens up an entirely new box of problems.

Paul Henry

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CDBG- The "Gift" that continues to take - ECB Publishing

By Andy Rose, CNN

(CNN) -- The Baton Rouge Police Department is investigating a traffic stop earlier this month that ended with an officer using his knee to restrain a 17-year-old boy.

The department says it was prompted by video shot by a bystander and posted to social media, appearing to show the suspect face-down on the street with an officer's knee over him as his hands are in the process of being restrained.

"We must make sure that we have conducted a process based solely on the law, and not on emotions," Chief Murphy Paul said at a Monday news conference. The chief says they can't reveal the 17-year-old's name or what led to the boy's restraint because he is a juvenile. "I just spoke to the family of the young man, and I can tell you they are upset," said Chief Paul.

The department released bodycam and dashcam video Tuesday -- showing portions from several angles of the July 6 incident -- after getting permission from a juvenile court judge. The apprehension followed a 54-minute police chase in which the juvenile was a passenger.

Internal Affairs Commander Sgt. Myron Daniels says a key factor in determining whether the officer's force was justified will be the exact placement of the officer's knee. "A knee on a back is used as a control method, but not on the neck. The neck is off-limits," Daniels said. "And as you can see, based on that, at no point was the subject, the juvenile's air restricted in any way."

But an attorney for the juvenile's family tells CNN affiliate WAFB they don't think the location of the officer's knee is the critical issue. "When you are on your knees with your hands up, you don't get much more submissive than that," said Ron Haley Monday night. "Why was he handled in such a rough manner? He was not armed. He was not posing a threat."

The two officers involved in the 17-year-old's restraint have not been identified, but Sgt. Daniels says they are both on paid administrative leave during the investigation. "I promise you as your chief of police that we will conduct a thorough investigation," Chief Paul said.

The-CNN-Wire & 2018 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

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Baton Rouge Police investigating officer who used knee to restrain 17-year-old suspect - WDJT

Speedrack groundbreaking in Quincy

With construction already underway, Speedrack held a groundbreaking Tuesday for its $20 million expansion in Quincy. On hand Paul Jewell of Millwrights Local 1102, Eric Quist, Speedrack Executive Vice President, company owner Ron Ducharme, Quincy Council President Karen Hargreave, and Quincy Village Manager Brittany Butler. [Don Reid photo]

QUINCY Delayed from March by the COVID 19 close down, Speedrack held an official groundbreaking for its $20 million expansion to its Quincy plant Tuesday morning.

The 130,000 square foot addition to its current 375,000 sq.ft. plant will add up to 80 new employees to the already 250 working there.

Quincy operations manager Eric Quist said since opening in 2003 with 25 employees "we have significantly increased benefits, and have increased hourly wages by approximately 175%."

The company started 35 years ago and pioneered tubular storage systems. Its considers Amazon and Medline as two of its many major customers.

Speedrack is already hiring new employees for the expansion so they will be ready when the new addition opens in 2021.

The new expansion will allow increase of its powder coat paint lines, robotic welding, and production expansion. The decision was made to expand Quincy after it opened an additional facility in Litchfield in 2017 which employs 25.

Quist credited the family owned business of the Ron Ducharme for putting 100% of its profits back into the business. "They made the decision to stay even in these uncertain times."

The company thanked Quincy for continued support with local infrastructure at its 42 Cole Street location.

Village Council President Karen Hargreave noted it started in 2002 when the village approved use of the brownfield site for the company plant.

In March the Michigan Department of Transportation awarded the village of Quincy a state transportation economic development fund grant totaling $325,972 to reconstruct Church Street between Cole and Broughton Streets to all-season standards, make drainage improvements, and install curb and gutter. This allowed the company to expand loading docks.

With more on line sales and warehousing, the state found there is increased demand for its tubular warehouse racks and rack systems throughout the United States and Canada. The Quincy plant takes rolled steel then forms, welds and paints them for shelving components.

See original here:

Speedrack breaks ground at its Quincy expansion - The Hillsdale Daily News

As an anti-war Republican wages an aggressive and well-funded campaign in the July 14 primary for Maines 2nd Congressional District, a mysterious dark-money super PAC has spent $345,000 in the last three weeks attacking him.

The Cook Political Report rates the district as one of just 15 Democratic-held toss-up seats in the nation. As the Republican Party faces a raucous and often acrimonious debate between Rep. Thomas Massie and Sen. Rand Paul on one end and former national security adviser John Bolton, Sen. Tom Cotton, and Rep. Liz Cheney on the other, the race in Maine provides an up-close look at the divisions inside the party and the financial backing of each side.

On one end of the race is Paul-endorsed former state Sen. Eric Brakey, who is, like Paul, a libertarian who is highly skeptical of U.S. militarism and has been an outspoken critic of Saudi Arabia. When it comes to foreign policy, I want us to be realistic, Brakey told the Washington Examiner in 2017. I think that its crazy that we have our troops in 177 different countries, that were in Afghanistan 16 years later, when the youngest soldiers currently going in there were two years old when we went in there in the first place.

On the other end is former state Rep. Dale Crafts, who said during a debate with Brakey in February that the U.S. economy would absolutely collapse tomorrow if the U.S. reduced its presence in 800 military bases scattered around the globe, saying, China and Russia would overtake the world. Al-Qaeda and ISIS would go rampant and Israel would be wiped off the face of the earth.

Craftss campaign is teamed up with Eaton River Strategies, owned by a registered foreign agent of the government of Saudi Arabia.

Also in the mix is Adrienne Bennett, a former spokesperson for Maine Gov.Paul LePage, who isnt running on any particular set of foreign policies. A poll released Wednesday shows a tight race, though Maines instant runoff voting makes prognostication difficult. Crafts is currently polling in first place at 37 percent, Bennett in second at 25 percent, and Brakey third at 19 percent. Its troubling that a registered foreign agent being paid by Saudi Arabia is working to defeat a candidate that is critical of Saudi Arabia, said Ben Freeman, a researcher at the Center for International Policy.

Crafts, the establishment candidate, has received many more endorsements from his former Republican colleagues in the Maine legislature than Brakey.

Incumbent Rep. Jared Golden won the seat in 2018 from two-term Republican Bruce Poliquin. The district provided Donald Trump his only electoral vote in New England in 2016, under the semi-unique system that Maine shares with Nebraska that allows the state to split its electoral votes by congressional district. Though less brash than Crafts, Golden has closely hued to the mainstream foreign policy agenda, voting last week with a majority of Democrats and Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee for the Cheney-Crow amendment aimed at continuing the war in Afghanistan.

Brakey began his career in politics by running Ron Pauls 2012 presidential campaign in Maine. As a member of the Republican platform committee in 2016, Brakey sought to add language to the platform that would guarantee the declassification of the famous 28 pages of the 9/11 Commission report, an effort fiercely fought by Saudi Arabia and its lobbyists in Washington. Brakey also sought to have language included in the platform that would have unequivocally condemned U.S. intervention in Libya. After serving two terms in the Maine Senate and then being the Republican nominee against Angus King in 2018, Brakey announced his campaign in September.

Three weeks later, Crafts announced his candidacy with the support of LePage, a close ally of Trump. Crafts spent four terms in the Maine House of Representatives and owns a small chain of self-storage locations. His donors are mainly Maine business owners but donors from the most recent fundraising quarter have not been disclosed yet.

The super PAC spending against Brakey, the American Policy Fund, incorporated recently, and as a result does not have to disclose its donors until after the election. So far, it has spent over $340,000 against Brakey, hitting him on past opposition to Trump while tying him to the Squad of four progressive congresswomen. The super PACs treasurer, Cabell Hobbs, has close ties to the Republican establishment. He was the treasurer for Boltons super PAC, which attracted controversy for allegedly illegal collaboration with Cambridge Analytica in the 2014 North Carolina Senate race, as well as for several other Republican super PACs. He currently serves as treasurer for the Republican State Leadership Committee. A spokesperson for Bolton said Trumps former national security adviser is not involved with the PAC. The American Policy Fund did not respond to a request for comment.

Another super PAC, the Club for Growth Action, has endorsed Brakey, and the group and its affiliates have spent over $800,000 supporting the candidate. The largest donors to Club for Growth Action are Richard Uihlein of the Uline shipping company and Jeff Yass of the Susquehanna International Group; the largest donor to the Protect Freedom PAC, also spending in support of Brakey, is also Yass. The Club for Growth typically adopts a militant libertarian posture in Republican primaries. Since the election of Rand Paul, the group has grown more comfortable with heterodox foreign policy views, after spending heavily to defeat anti-war moderate Wayne Gilchrest, a Maryland Republican, in his primary in 2008.

Eaton River Strategies, which is working with the Crafts campaign, is a firm owned by Kathie Summers-Grice, a George W. Bush Department of Labor official. Summers-Grice is a registered foreign agent for Saudi Arabia, and receives $10,000 per month as a subcontractor for the Saudi government. Summers-Grices firm has received over $33,000 from the Crafts campaign for consulting and direct mail services. The Federal Election Commission prohibits foreign nationals and governments from making contributions in U.S. elections, so Saudi Arabia cant actually pay for Grices work to defeat Brakey, said Freeman. But, at the very least, $10,000 per month gives Grice ample reason to want to defeat someone critical of the folks writing her those checks.

Summers-Grice told The Intercept that that while her company is working with the Crafts campaign, she has no involvement and doesnt even live in the 2nd district. The Crafts campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

This is a clear alignment between the Saudi lobbying complex and a politicians campaign that is supportive of and defending American militarism abroad, said Eli Clifton, the research director of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Militarism which has certainly been beneficial to Saudi Arabia, but not beneficial to taxpayers or the economy outside of the military industrial complex.

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Maine GOP Primary Is Becoming a Proxy Fight Over War, Saudi Arabia - The Intercept

Tuesday, 14 July 2020, 3:02 pmOpinion: Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement

The rich become that way because they work hard toprovide the everyday things that our nation needs. So runsthe story that underpins the economic system we live under.Its something that is so taken for granted, it often goesuncommented upon. It seems as natural and obvious as sun insummer or chocolate fish tasting like chocolate rather thanfish. Other times you will see the corporate media activelypropagating this idea somewhere in the business section ofyour paper. By the way, thats the bit you often skip overto get to the crossword at the back, in case you werentsure what that was. Overall, it feels like theres notmuch to be said about it, right? Wrong.

TheNational Business Review (https://www.nbr.co.nz/ )isone of the key information organs of those who runcapitalism here. Its worth reading now and then. It tellsyou what our masters think is important. The NBR publishesan annual list of the local richest individuals. At presentthe top person on that list is Graeme Hart, with a fortuneof approximately $10 billion. However, the news of themoment is that he may be eclipsed by somebody called PeterThiel. If you know who he is, thats great, but chancesare most of us dont. Stop and think about that for asecond. Here is nearly the richest individual on theseislands and you probably dont know his name, what exactlyhe does or what he looks like.

So who isThiel? He was born in Germany but mostly grew up in theUnited States and was living in California when he firstcame to attention here. Thats because it was discoveredin 2017 that he had been granted fast-tracked New Zealandcitizenship in 2011 despite only having spent 12 days here!(https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11883554).The reason was not that he had escaped a war torn countryand desperately needed asylum, but simply he had put lots ofmoney into some businesses here.

There aresome aspects of his investment history that (if you wantedto be very generous), you could argue have been relativelybenign and possibly even useful, such as PayPal. In othercases he got in on the ground floor of things and did wellfor himself, such as an early stake in Facebook. On theother hand, there are some downright dodgy aspects to how heaccumulated his wealth.

In 2004 Thielco-founded an outfit called Palantir. This is a softwarecompany that could best be described as handmaidens to thetotalitarian surveillance society. Thats because theywork closely with an alphabet soup of nice organisationslike the CIA, NSA, ICE and the FBI to mine huge amounts ofonline data from electronic surveillance. As for aconnection to local spies, according to media sources here,the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) and GovernmentCommunications Security Bureau (GCSB) will neither confirmor deny if they are clients of Palantir. However, they havean office in Wellington and the GCSB have advertised forstaff that know Palantirs software. Thats about asclose to a smoking gun as you can get! Other research hasexposed that the NZ Defence Force has spent millions ofdollars with Palantir (Daily Post 9/7/20).At this point itsnot exactly clear how much of Palantir Thiel owns but partof the reason he may overtake Hart as the richest personhere is that there is talk of listing the company on thestock exchange.

Thiel was also an earlyfinancial backer of Clearview AI. This is a company involvedin facial recognition technology. It can match faces tobillions of images scraped from the internet. Clearview AIhas been controversial since its inception due to its linksto neo-Nazis, data leaks, lawsuits, questions about itsaccuracy, bans and strong opposition from variousorganisations. The American Civil Liberties Union forexample labelled its technology a dangerous and untestedsurveillance product. Interest locally comes from thefact that the police here contacted the company andconducted an unauthorised trial of the technology earlierthis year (https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/416483/police-trialled-facial-recognition-tech-without-clearance).

Apartfrom his delightful business involvements, Thiel has alsotaken an active interest in the formal political arena. Hehas long been a supporter of the Republican Party in the USAand contributed financially to a range of conservative andright-wing activists and politicians from Ann Coulter, RonPaul, Ted Cruz and Trump. What he has done in this regard inAotearoa is not known.

So that's thesoon-to-be richest person here.

What doesThiels biography tell us about how things really are?Firstly, in 2020 you dont actually have to make tangible,useful stuff that exists in the real world like tables orbread, in order to be mega-rich. Secondly, despiterhetorical claims to be interested in social freedomand the economic free-market, business and governmentoften work together to control those who actually do producereal stuff, that is, the vast majority of us. Surveillancetechnology is only the latest in a long line of tools usedto keep us under the thumb of the rich and powerful.Thirdly, the behaviour of our rulers gives the lie to theirown myths. They want us to believe that being born or livinglong-term in a particular geographical space separates thosepeople from others elsewhere. Theres a nation called NewZealand, we are kiwis and they arent. Itsa useful way to divide and rule. Clearly however, if you canspend less than a fortnight in that place and magically beincluded among the nation on the basis of having lotsof money, it shows the whole thing to be the nonsense thatit is.

It could be argued that Thiel is justone guy, that not everyone among the ruling class likes himand that he has provided money that has helped providepeople with jobs. Well, obviously he is an individual andyes sometimes there is contestation and squabbling amongdiffering factions among our rulers. The undisputable truthis however, that if the economic and political system had afundamental problem with an individual like him, hewouldnt be in the position he is in. As for the money hehas, this has come from the collective efforts of otherpeople, since no single person could literally do everythinghim/herself. The jobs this money has in turn created areeither not really conducive to social freedom or in the fewcases that they are, could be arrived at without theintervention of a billionaire autocrat.

Weread about the amazing feats of the rich and powerful andare encouraged to accept them. Their existence is seen asnatural and beneficial. Thiels story shows we dontneed to buy into this and shouldnt, whether you likechocolate fish ornot.

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Chocolate Fish, Red Herrings And Billionaires | Scoop News - Scoop.co.nz

Ron Ricketts didnt stop surprising his family.

We just learned, said daughter Miriam Queensen, that back in 1956, he played the baritone horn on a Miles Davis record.

Ricketts, who was the second trombonist for the Minnesota Orchestra for 37 years, also entertained his daughter with the story of how he got started playing the trombone.

He said when he was 10, Queensen recalled, a music teacher came up to him and asked, Hey, kid, want to play the trombone? He answered, Sure what is it?

Queensen said her father admitted that he initially had some issues with the instrument.

He said he had a little difficulty assembling it. He said always put the slide in backwards.

Ricketts quickly mastered the trombone and also became skilled on the bass trombone and the baritone horn.

Ricketts, of Minneapolis, died from heart failure June 28 at a hospice in Edina. He was 87.

Former Minnesota Orchestra member Dave Kamminga said Ricketts had talent. He owned the trombone. He was the perfect combination of a fine musician and a gentleman.

Ricketts was born to Raymond Ricketts and Annie Meismer on Dec. 31, 1932, in Detroit. During his high school years, he attended a summer program at the Interlochen Arts Academy. He attended the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia for one year before earning his bachelors and masters degrees from the Manhattan School of Music.

Before joining the Minnesota Orchestra in 1959, he played in the Asbury Park Band, the Dallas Symphony and the North Carolina Symphony.

He could have played with anybody, said Kamminga. The Asbury Park Band included the best musicians in the New York City area.

Ricketts also taught at the University of Minnesota School of Music.

I took lessons with him when I was an undergrad. He was a wonderful player and a very warm and caring teacher, said U associate professor Dean Sorenson.

Ricketts retired from the Minnesota Orchestra in 1996.

He had to retire early, said his daughter. He had suffered hearing loss and he had tinnitus.

Kamminga said it came on suddenly. He was still playing well, but the hearing loss made it difficult for him, he said.

In retirement, Ricketts stayed physically active as a bird watcher and nature lover, walking and bicycling.

He went on long walks around the [Minneapolis] lakes, his daughter said. At the age of 78 he went on a bicycle tour of Zion Park in Utah.

He also was an avid reader.

He had a lifelong curiosity, said Queensen, and a lifelong interest in reading.

That was one common interest that drew Kamminga and Ricketts together.

He was one of the first people I met when I joined the orchestra, Kamminga said. We became friends. We had both grown up in Michigan, so we had that in common, and we shared an interest in reading. Up to the end, he was sending me articles to read.

In addition to his daughter, who lives in Minneapolis, Ricketts is survived by sons Raymond of Philadelphia and Philip of Minneapolis; daughters Sue-Anne Solem of Chapel Hill, N.C., and Linda Thompson of Santa Cruz, Calif.; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; and brother Roger of St. Paul.

His wife, Shirley, died in 2006 at the age of 80. They were married for 51 years.

A virtual service will be held at a later date.

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Ron Ricketts, Minnesota Orchestra trombonist who played with top bands in the 1960s, dies at 87 - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Hole-In-One:Bill (Pops) Pomplunrecorded his 10th hole-in-one June 17 on Foxfires Red Fox Course.Bill used his 8-iron to cover the 136 yards to the green. Witnesses to this special event were his playing partners Jeff King, Glen Phillips and Bob Fowler.Congratulations greeted Bill from all in the Foxfire group.

Kelley Fiala, a member at Pinehurst, recorded her first hole-in-one June 24. Kelley used her Callaway Heaven Wood to cover the 124 yards to the 12th hole of course No. 9.It was the Signature Ladies Golf Association play day and witnessing this special shot were her playing partners Diane Tate, Roe Lyons and Franny Stewart.

Paul Conover, a member at Pinehurst,carded his first hole-in-one July 3 on the fifth hole of course No. 5. Paul used his 6-iron to cover the 141 yards to the green.Paul is 73 years old and he was playing with his usual Friday group of Ed Renner, Bill Noggle and Jack Pritchard.

Found Golf Balls:John Misiaszekreports that $450 was donated to Monarch of North Carolina this month.Thanks goes to all the golfers who gave the found balls to John to send to the refurbisher.The proceeds from the sale of the balls is then donated to Monarch.So far this year $950 has been raised for Monarch.

Monarch is committed to supporting, educating and empowering people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, mental illness and substance use disorders to choose and achieve what is important to them.

Keep finding those lost balls; every refurbished ball adds to the continuation of this great program.

Go ahead go ball hawking clean out your garage and golf bag and call John at (910) 245-6595 his team will gladly pick them up.

Foxfire: The Ladies Golfresults for July 8 on the Grey Fox Course in a criers individual game. Each players net score on every hole was recorded, then the three worst holes were subtracted.

Results: Rita Ward, 55. 2; Kim Spaulding, 58; Flo LaShomb and Ginny Siedler tied at 59; Connie Hochstetler, Sonja Nelson, Debbie Ramos, Judy Rankin, Pam Reyes, MJ Sheldon, Barb Smart all tied at 60.

Colin Dutton, the current Foxfire Club Champion and a member of the Foxfire Mens Golf Association, played in the NC Junior Boys event at Maple Chase Course in Winston-Salem June 23-26.

His score of 68 on Tuesday earned him co-medalist in a field of 142.The top 64 went to match play where he won his first two matches (34 holes in one day) and advanced to the round of 16.Colin lost in the round of 16. However it was a great showing for a 16-year-old. Colin plans to play a full schedule in the coming months. Foxfire members are immensely proud of Colin.

The Foxfire Play DayJuly 1 was a four-person team game called bookends, with the best two net scores of the team on holes one and nine and 10 and 18.

Results: Leslie Frusco, Sue Batchelder, Barb Price, Mary Schlehofer, 32; Rita Ward, Barb Smart, Kim Spaulding, Lucille Cardelle, 33.

Pinehurst: The Scramblersplayed June 22 in a two best balls of the foursome.

Results: Dick Haefele, Joe Kasko, Bill Noggle, Len Romanker, 115 (MOC);Rick Eschman, Don Bonner, Mike Stevens, Bob Nielsen, 115 (MOC); Peter Blick, Dave Kinney, Jim Brown, Tim Dwyer, 116 (MOC); Jim Haynes, Jerry Raugh, L. Mongoluzzo, Sam Constantini, 116 (MOC).

Dan Bryan won closest to the pin.

The Scramblersplayed June 29in a two best balls on par-4 holes, one on par-3 holes and three on par-5 holes. Competition was on course No. 1.

Results: Jim Hayes, Dale Perdue, Gene Keegan, Dick Moore, 102; Jeff Hilton, Paul Conover, Richard Lawson, Bob Nielsen, 194 (MOC); Wayne Ricks, Bob Mosbrook, Mike Stevens, John Tomel, 104 (MOC); Dick Haefele, Don Bonner, Joe Sernak, Peter White, 105; Jack Pritchard, Jerry Raugh, Dana Dahlgren, Skip Kendrick, 107.

Terry Davidson won closest to the pin.

The Scramblersplayed July 6 in a two best ball format on course No. 3.

Results: Rick Eschman, Dave Kinney, Gene Keegan, Dick Moore, 115; Larry Cox, Don Bonner, Jack Laflin, Skip Kinnick, 120; Jack Pritchard, Paul Brennan, John Bitting, Peter White, 123; Paul Conover, Gary Gee, John Taylor, Pat Haggerty, 125.

Jerry Raugh won closest to the pin.

The Mens Golf Associationplayed July 7 on course No. 4 in a standard game.

Overall results: Daniel Delgarn, Stephen Errickson, John Zimmerman, Rick Page, 131; Ken Krell, Rick Gagliardo, Bill Clark, Linn Shorb; Mike Heishman, Peter Scully, Robert Dauenhauer, Paul Benfield, 134.

Front-nine results: Mike Mauney, Lee Pisarski, Mike Caswell, Dave Kaylor, 64; Thomas Embrey, Ron Milam, Gene Horvath, Mark Janasek, 66; Dale Siemer, Kurtiss Cross, Terry Lane, Jim Truemper, 67.

Back-nine results: John Gunnison, Brian Fiala, Terry Davidson, William Andrews, 66; Noel Wren, Robert Friedrichs, Gerald Ayers, Bob Edens, 68; Peter White, Jim Mikus, Bill Womble, Jim Powell, 71.

The Mens Golf Associationplayed a four-ball two-man teams on course No. 1.

Flight 1 results: Robert Hilsby and Lonnie Wright, 63; Ron Hasbrouck and Joel Sweet, 65; Larry Cox and William Case, 66 (MOC); Murray Stern and Vince Gamble, 66 (MOC); Larry Cracraft and Richard Reinthaler, 67 (MOC).

Flight 2 results: Rick Eschman and John Bitting, 63; Woody Hough and Paul Huston, 63; Jack Powitchko and Ed Duffy, 65; Duane Tanner and John Gerney, 66 (MOC); Paul Conover and Mike Griffith, 66 (MOC).

Flight 3 results: Peter Gross and Peter Durning, 63; Mark Bernel and Paul Hoban, 64; John Reeves and Jack Farrell, 65; Ronald Cordeau and Kevin Bogan, 66; Joe Sernak and Buddy Mannix, 76.

The Silver Foilsplayed June 30 on course No. 3. For scoring purposes one par 3 on the front and back were thrown out.

Results: Sandy Smith, Jean Jordan, Janie White, Joyce McWane, 47; Joanne Valdes, Kay Monteith, Pat Anderson, Judy Gais, 50; Tracy Nater, Mary Scott Arnold, Sally Hargrove, Sigrid Gross, 51 (MOC).

The Silver Foilsplayed July 7 in a one best ball on par 4s, two on par 3s and 5s. Competition was on course No. 1.

Results: Sally Hargrove, Margo Rawlings, Mary Woodford, Flossie Parks, 90; Debbie Sizer, Jean Jordan, Debbie Hockman, Lorrie Allie, 93 (MOC); Barbara Lewis, Janie White, Ro Kachel, 93 (MOC).

Cherie Giudice carded an eagle on hole two, plus two birdies. Congratulations.

The Womens Golf Associationplayed July 2 on course No. 3 in a theme park competition (one best ball on red and yellow flags, two on white flags and one best ball on even holes and two on odd holes).

Results: Laura Stamm, Queeney Tang, Pilar Page, 89; June Eichele, Nell Neal, Tucky Hobbs, Barbara Derr, 90; Gloria Sectish, Bonnie Hanley, Janie Lynch, 91; Diana Staley, Marie Schneider, Bonnie Dingman, Ann Thomasson,92; Tricia Williamson, Darlind Davis, Tee Noggle, Franny Stewart, 93.

The Signature Ladies Golf Associationplayed July 2 in an ABCD, one best ball format.

Results: Sally Means, Sharon Wilson, Lisa Case, Patty Moore, 64 (MOC); Ellen Hamilton, Barbara Derr, Queeney Tang, Jean Jordan, 64 (MOC); Donna Tanner, Jane Wilkinson, Darcy Myers, June Eichele, 67.

The Signature Ladies Golf Associationplayed July 3 in an ABCD teams game, with yellow tees, two best balls used for scoring.

Results: Rita Weeks, Barbara Derr, Darcy Myers, Janice Kuklok, 128; Lisa Bomkamp, Trish Christina, Ro Kachel, 137; Tricia Williamson, Jean Coble, Queeney Tang, Gretchen Nelms, 140.

The Chippersplayed July 6 in an individual competition with only par 4s counting for the score.

Results: Christine Carter, tied at 27 MOC for all, with Anne Derosa, Judy Davis, Mary Bernel, Tina Arno and Anne Hauser.

The Mens Golf Associationplayed June 30 in a progression on course No. 5.

Overall results: Wayne Ricks, Dan Bryant, William Noggle, Ed Guidice, 130 (MOC); Rick Gagliardo, Bill Clark, Linn Shorb, Bill Lawson, 130 (MOC); Ron Sundstrom, don Marchetti, Lee Pisarski, Mike Mauney, 130.

Front-nine results: Peter White, Jim Mikus, Bill Womble, John McPhaul, 64 (MOC); Philip Aruscavage, Kurtis Cross, Dale Siemer, Terry Lane, 64 (MOC); Mark Bernel, Sam Poole, Paul Hoban, 64 (MOC).

Back-nine results: Garrett Walsh, David Kinney, Rick Ensele, Joseph Kasko, 64; Dutch Briel, Jim Lucey, Sterling Stetson, Gary Petersen, 67 (MOC); Frank Trask, Peter Scully, Robert Dauenhauer, Paul Benfield, 67 (MOC).

The Mens Golf Associationplayed July 1 in a progression on course No. 6.

Overall results: Ron Hasbrouck, Joel Sweet, Joe Carter, Mark Softy, 133; Mark Janasek, William Andrews, Woody Hough, Gregory Cross, 135; Richard Haefele, Robert Fazio, jr.; Dennis Hyland, 137.

Front-nine results: John Gunnison, Terry Davidson, Brian Fiala, Jim Powell, 64; Barry Lyons, John McNeill, Peter Gross, 65; Pat Lynch, rob Verzera, John Arnold, Jerry Weston, 66.

Back-nine results: Kirk Lynch, Robert Tilton, Mike Griffith, Richard Lawson, 68; Alex Porter, Clive Becker-Jones, Don Torppa, Jack Wood, 70 (MOC); Michael Tencza, Skip Kendrick, Frank Hopper, Michael Jumper, 70.

The Chippersplayed June 24 on Pinehurst No. 5.The game was low net individual scores.

Results: Martha Irvin, 33; Judy Davis, 34; Josie Maniskas, 36 (MOC); Kathy Spangler, 36 (MOC); April OConnor, 36 (MOC); Francine Smarrelli, 36 (MOC).

The Signature LGAplayed June 24 in an ABCD, two best balls on par 4s and one best ball on par 3s and 5s.

Results: Tricia Williamson, Peggy Poole, Pat Blank, Jean Jordan, 98 (MOC); Diane Tate, Roe Lyons, Franny Stewart, Kelley Fiala, 98; Sally Means, Cathy Pierce, Jane Lee, Betty Lynch, 98 (MOC).

The Signature LGAplayed June 26 in a Stableford game.

Results: flight 1 Rita Weeks, 39 pts, Diane Tate, 37 pts; flight 2 Lauren Leeker, 32 pts, Jane Wilkinson, 32 pts; flight 3 Sigrid Gross, 36 pts, Franny Stewart, 35 pts.

The Birdies played June 29 and the game was two best balls on par 3s and one best ball on all others.

Results: first Margit Elo, Joyce McWane, Carol Showalter, Linda Newman, 74 (MOC); second Rita Weeks, Gloria Sectish, Catherine Renner, Estelle Menke, 74 (MOC); third Pilar Page, Lynn Dawson, Mary Sweet, June Eichele, 74 (MOC); fourth Donna Tanner, Blind Draw, Silvia Bisbe, Aurele Timken, 76.

Donna Tanner won closest to the pin honors.

Midland: The Midland Ladiesplayed a leaderboard game and the winners were:Char Lloyd -4; Deb Presser, tied at -3, with Tracy Thomas, Paula Hill, Sara Conti;Pat Gannaway ,tied at -2, with Peggy Jones, Susan Ray;Linda Parke and Pat McMahon tied at -1.

The Mens Golf Associationplayed July 1 in an individual net competition.

9-holers results: flight 1 David Owens, 36, Jim Braunscheidel, 37; flight 2 Richard Lawrenson, tied at 37, with Henry Fuhrmann.

18-holers results: flight 1 Chris Pearson, 72, John Burns, 74; flight 2 David St. Clair, 63, Emmett Callow, 74.

Jim Braunscheidel won closest to the pin for 9-holers and John Burns on for the 18-holers on the front nine and Mitchell Sharpe on the back nine.

The Mens Golf associationplayed June 24 in a Stableford game with the following winners:Chris Pearson, Art Gula, Ted Meyer, Emmett Callow, 128 pts; Bob Klicpera, Tim Smith, Chad Bucklleyu, blind draw, 126 pts.

Chad Buckley won closest to the pin for the 18-holers and Jim Braunscheidel for the 9-holers.

The Midland Skinnersplayed June 27 and Steve Presser a skin on the first hole and John Burns on the eighth.

Paul Cottam won low net at 29 and Henry Castro and Steve Presser tied at 32.Chuck Gallagher won closest to the pin on the sixth hole and Mitch Sharp on the seventh.

Knollwood:The Rainmakersplayed July 6 in a low gross, low net and low putts game.

Results: flight 1 Peggy Jones, 40 gross, Beth Owens, 41 net, Penny Higgins, 10 putts; flight 2 gross Linda Parke, 47, net - Carole Huber, 48, putts Doris Stone, 11; flight 3 gross Paula Hill, 50, net Susan Rodgers, 53, putts Joan Mangrum, 13.

The Rainmakersresults for June 29 in a captains choice game are Penny Higgins, Judy Smith and Tracy Thomas, tied at 36, with Beth Owens, Linda Piechota, Paula Hill and Joan Mangrum.

Longleaf:The 18-Hole Ladiesplayed a one best ball of the threesome contest on par-4 holes only.

Results: first Ruthie Borrell, Ravelle Whitener, Roberta Williams, -7; second Lynn Dunn, Sandi Fischer, Suzanne Schenkel, -6; third Nancy Cherosnick, Mary Olech, Suzanne Schenkel (BD), tied at -5, with Ellen Leslie, Diane Steele, Darlene Luppino.

The 9-Holersplayed a Stableford competition and the winners were: Kay Curlee, 26; Ann Doster, 23; Emilie Simeon, 22.

American Singles:The Pinehurst Chapterplayed July 4at Seven Lakes Golf Course in a red, white and blue tournament.The format was two best balls and anyone wearing red, white or blue got a traveling mulligan.

Results: first Kathy Schlagel, Phyllis Kenny, Dan Gaynor and Robert Doerr, tied at 20 under par, with Tanya Young, Martez Norris, Debbie Tyler and Tom Hilton; third Susan Thomee, Cheryl Lancaster, Jim Legg, Martin Marcus, tied at 17 under par, with Lois Smart, Mike Roche and Mike Young; fifth Patty Booze, Margaret Young and Tom Carrier, 14 under par; sixth Joy Hertel, Donna DeCesare, Bob Flesca and Mike Campbell, 12 under par; seventh Kathy Slotter, Carole Skau, Ed DeWitt and Ron Smith at 11 under par.

Susan Thomee and Marcus Martin won closest to the pin honors.

The Pinehurst Chapterplayed June 28 at the Legacy Golf Course.The competition was foursome with two best balls, three best balls and one best ball repeating over 18 holes.

Results: first Susan Thomee, Martez Norris, Jim Legg, Tom Carrier, 30 under par; second Phyllis Kenny, Joy Hertel, Butch Lundgren, Marcus Martin, 25 under par; third Bobbi Amato, Renee Miller, Mike Young, Dan Gaynor, 21 under par; fourth Kim Schiffers, Margaret Young, Ira Schugar, Robert Doerr, 19 under par.

The Pinehurst Chapterplayed June 30 in a nine-and-tailgate at the CC of Whispering Pines on the River Course.The format was individual competition utilizing the Peoria Handicap System.

Results: Earl Quam, 32; Pat Koubek, 34; Mike Roche, 36; Mike Young 37; Nancy Vaitkevicius, 39.

Pat Koubek won closest to the pin for women and Mike Roche for the men.

Beacon Ridge: The 18-Holersplayed July 7 for their monthly Beacon Cup Round.

Sarah Abbott won the cup with net 72. Mary Ellen Buckley carded net 73 and Nancy Cunningham net 74.

Barb Cardwon the Beaconette Cup, a monthly competition, with a net score of 33.Pat Price was second with 33 (MOC). Nita Hartless carded net 35 and Barbara Brazer recorded net 34.

The Mens Golf Associationplayed their club and gold championships June 26-27.

Tim Pittmanis the 2020 club champion, winning in a sudden death playoff having tied Joel Martin at 173.Tim sank a 10-foot putt to win.Joe Easley was third with 178.

Mike Karnishwon the gold championship with a 166.Joe Mannuci and Randy Lambert tied for second with 183.

Net results: flight 1 Joel Martin, 145, Randy Lambert, 157, Joe Easley, Marty Price and Ron Dunning each had 160; flight 2 Joe Mannuci, 147, Stu Chase, 152, Max Picinich, 154, Vince Price, 158.

The 18-Hole Ladiesplayed June 30 in a criers tournament, throwing out three worst holes.

Results: Mary Ellen Buckley, 50; Clara Karnish, 54; Mary Snead, 59; Barbara Card, 60; Lindy DiBella, 64; Nancy Cunningham, 65.

The Mens Golf Associationplayed July 1 where the two low net golfers qualify for a handicap tournament on October 21. Qualifiers were Daryl Emerson at 71 and Bill Baker at 72.

Results: flight 1 Joel Martin, 73, Dick van Horne, 74; Tom Rudziensky, 75; flight 2 Joe Mannuci, 71, Stu Chase, 72, Jan Pollnow, 73.

Closest to the pin winners were Bill Baker and Dick van Horne.

Seven Lakes: The Womens Golf Associationplayed July 7 in a team game called flags. The color of the flags determined how many net scores were counted for the team score.

Red flags = the best net score of the foursome; yellow flags = two best net scores of the foursome; white flags = the best three net scores of the foursome.

The winners were Becky Parr, Philippa Davidson, Kathy Goodman, Karen Williamson, 132.

The Womens Golf Associationplayed an individual game June 30 called animals.The object was to keep the animals away by having the lowest animal points.Players recorded points each time one of the following things occurred: gorilla = each out of bounds shots; snake = 3 or more putts; camel each sand shot taken; frog = each time your ball goes into a penalty area; skunk each time you whiff.

Results: Susan Clark and Becky Parr tied at one animal point each.Charlotte Kennedy and Joyce Charles tied at two animal points each.

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Editors note: Monday is the 35th anniversary of the Live Aid benefit concert. The Tribs Paul Guggenheimer was there. Here, he shares his first-person remembrance of the historic event in Philadelphia.

In the days leading up to the Live Aid benefit concert in Philadelphia and London on Saturday, July 13, 1985, young people like me were being told that this was our generations Woodstock.

Looking back, Live Aid certainly was a lot of things. It was no Woodstock.

There were similarities. A lot of big name bands showed up and rocked out, and there was a shared feeling that a great thing was being done for less fortunate people in the world.

But this was no back-to-nature communal weekend in a rural field with peace and love vibes and lots of drugs.

Live Aid was designed to raise money to fight famine in Ethiopia, where hundreds of thousands of people were starving to death. The effort to raise money for famine relief had begun over a half-year earlier when event organizer Bob Geldof arranged to have colleagues record a song called Do They Know Its Christmas?

When it was all said and done, Live Aid raised $127 million and inspired future benefit concerts such as Farm Aid to help family farmers and Live Earth to fight climate change.

Live Aid was a one day/night stand with a distinctly corporate feel in the middle of a big city. There were few hippies and, from where I was sitting halfway up the midfield stands to the right of the stage even fewer drugs being shared.

I imagine more than a few Pittsburghers made the trek across the state to experience it. But by 1985, I had already left Pittsburgh for Boston to attend college. I had a part-time job at a radio station that billed itself as HitRadio 103, WHTT and had added We Are the World Live Aids anthem, released in March of that year to its playlist.

Slow start on a sweltering day

I was somehow able to wangle a couple of Live Aid tickets that at least two big-name disc jockeys had apparently turned down.

The tickets were handed to me the day before the concert. I immediately called my freshman year roommate, Ron, the one friend I knew would drop everything to drive down the coast to Philadelphia that night. We left shortly after 5 p.m. in Friday afternoon rush hour and by midnight had made it to the Philly suburbs, where we slept in a friends living room.

After a short nights sleep, Ron and I were bound and determined to get to John F. Kennedy Stadium by the 9 a.m. start of the concert. But we ended up parking so far from the stadium that we had to settle for listening to opening act Joan Baez sing Amazing Grace from just outside the gates.

Once inside, we were giddy with anticipation. Rumors swirled that Bruce Springsteen was going to swoop into Philadelphia for a surprise appearance. Meanwhile, we were hearing that on the London side of the show at Wembley Stadium, there would be a Beatles reunion with Julian Lennon standing in for his late father, John. Young Julian had just released his spectacular debut album, Valotte.

The excitement receded quickly, though, as the morning and afternoon wore on and the temperature began to soar into the upper 90s. With the exception of The Hooters playing on their hometown turf and the Four Tops, who sang a snappy version of Bernadette, the early end of the Philly lineup was uninspiring.

Some of the acts, including Billy Ocean, Black Sabbath, Tom Petty, Run DMC, Rick Springfield and REO Speedwagon, made us want to run for the shade, which along with cold beverages was in short supply.

JFK Stadium was an ancient horseshoe-shaped edifice that was seven years away from being demolished. The mens rooms were like something out of a Gothic prison. It was a nearly 100,000-seat football stadium that had been the longtime home of the annual Army-Navy game. As for concerts, it had hosted everyone from Barbra Streisand to the Grateful Dead.

But on this sweltering day, JFK felt like an outdoor frying pan that was woefully inadequate for hosting an event of Live Aids magnitude. Long lines of dehydrated kids were cueing up to pay $4 for a warm Coke. Much-needed bottles of water werent available until later in the day.

I cant remember what I paid for water, but by that time I would have traded gold bars for it.

And then came CSN, Clapton, Led Zeppelin, et al.

The suffering didnt seem worth it until Crosby, Stills & Nash took the stage, opening with the song Southern Cross.

The band that stole the show in the afternoon was Simple Minds. Their big hit Dont You (Forget About Me) from the soundtrack of the hit film The Breakfast Club was all over the radio that year. But led by singer Jim Kerr, these Scottish rockers proved to be much more than one-hit wonders. Their closing song, Promised You a Miracle, brought down the house.

The other highlight of the afternoon was when Madonna, despite the 95-degree temperature, announced Im not taking s- off today! in the middle of a nationwide telecast, a reference to the recent release of early nude photos of her in Playboy and Penthouse magazines.

As the afternoon began to make its way toward twilight and a slight breeze picked up, so did the music. Suddenly it was a parade of classic rock acts.

Eric Clapton showed up looking cool in a crisp, white shirt that made his red guitar strap stand out. He produced an amazing sound on songs like White Room and Layla.

Clapton was followed by Phil Collins, who performed that day in London and later in Philadelphia, traveling by helicopter to Heathrow Airport, then by Concorde supersonic jet to New York, and by another helicopter to JFK Stadium.

After performing his own set, Collins sat in on drums with the surviving members of Led Zeppelin, who were performing for the first time since the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980. Hearing them play Stairway to Heaven with a soon-to-be-setting sun as a backdrop was a surreal, dreamlike moment.

Apparently for lead singer Robert Plant, however, it was more like a nightmare. Unbeknownst to us, the performance was criticized, namely for Plants hoarse voice and Jimmy Pages allegedly out-of-tune guitar. If that was the case, we never noticed it. Maybe Ron and I were suffering from heat stroke.

There were more acts to come, including an encore of Crosby, Stills & Nash, this time with Neil Young, a Mick Jagger and Tina Turner duet set and a Bob Dylan, Ron Wood and Keith Richards collaboration.

As far as we were concerned, though, nothing could top what we had just seen, with the possible exception of Jagger tearing off Turners leather mini-skirt, leaving her to finish Its Only Rock n Roll (But I Like It) in a leotard and stockings.

To this day, were not sure whether they planned it.

We kept waiting for Springsteen, but the Boss never showed. The Philadelphia show ended with a nine-minute version of We Are the World. Meanwhile, in London, The Beatles reunion was only a rumor. Paul McCartney was the only one of them who performed.

Eventful ride home

Ron and I left JFK Stadium some 14 hours after we arrived, dazed and dying to get into an air conditioned hotel room. Unfortunately, we werent able to find one and ended up grabbing a few hours of difficult sleep at a roadside rest stop.

The next morning we grabbed a greasy breakfast and hit the road for the return trip to Boston. We started out with Ron driving and me foolishly sleeping across the back seat with my head resting on the drivers side door.

I ended up being frightened out of my sleep by a frantically honking car horn. Ron had fallen asleep at the wheel; our car crossed into the far left lane and brushed against the side of another automobile. Fortunately, the damage to the vehicles was minimal. More importantly, we survived and were in one piece.

We kept ourselves awake the rest of the way by reliving what 35 years later can certainly be called a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Paul Guggenheimer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at 724-226-7706 or pguggenheimer@triblive.com.

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Reliving the Live Aid experience 35 years later - TribLIVE