How to watch the Joker movie in the UK – Wales Online

Posted on by

The Oscar-winning film Joker is heading to UK streaming services for the first time this month.

The Joaquin Phoenix fronted film will arrive to NowTV on Friday, August 7 via the Cinema Pass.

Viewers can sign up to the pass for a seven-day free trial at nowtv.com. Then you can cancel it before your free trial is up or continue it and pay 11.99 per month.

Based on DC Comics characters the film is set in in 1981, it follows Arthur Fleck, a failed stand-up comedian whose descent into insanity and nihilism inspires a violent counter-cultural revolution against the wealthy in a decaying Gotham City.

The film also features Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz and Frances Conroy and was nominated for 11 Academy Awards winning two, including Best Actor for Phoenix.

Upon its release the film received polarising reviews with praise for Phoenix and the film's score, while some criticised the violence in the film and portrayal of mental illness.

The NowTV Cinema Pass is also home to big hits Spider-Man: Far From Home, Detective Pikachu, Rocketman, Toy Story 4 and The Lion King.

To find out more and to sign up go to NowTV website here.

More:

How to watch the Joker movie in the UK - Wales Online

Privileged profs don mantle of victimhood to rage against Israel and America – JNS.org

Posted on by

(August 3, 2020 / JNS) Ending capitalism, that is the ultimate solution, preached Rabab Abdulhadi, the radical, Israel-hating San Francisco State University associate professor of ethnic studies. Throughout the U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israels (USCACBI) June 30 webinar, she and other professors pilloried Israel as an outpost of Western colonial oppression.

Pitzer College anthropology professor and Zoom host Daniel Segals introduction set the stage for the webinars repetitive droning. He began with the now ubiquitous virtue-signaling land acknowledgement that Californias Pitzer College continues the project of settler-colonialism with the occupation of indigenous land. The wider Claremont Colleges must seek to resist, disturb and work through this settler-colonial facet of racial-capitalism, as well as its devaluing of black lives, to reach a future defined by restorative social justice. Pivoting via intersectionality to the webinars topic, he asserted that Pitzer is complicit also in Israeli state apartheid, occupation and ethnic cleansing through an Israel study-abroad program. For good measure, Segal praised college chapters of JVP and its thuggish ally: Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).

Thuggish leftist nihilism also characterized Abdulhadis comments, as when she sputtered that companies should just go out of business, or in her references to Lenins dictum on imperialism. She warned that trying to actually appear that we are conciliatory towards the Zionist project [i.e., Israel] is very problematic. She also praised Americas ongoing riots and Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement as having the makings of an intifada.

Consequently, Abdulhadi lauded the then-upcoming July 1 Day of Rage against Israels possible declaration of sovereignty in the disputed West Bank. Such events ostensibly commemorate the fallen of a racial project encompassing such disparate places as Brazil, Kashmir, Puerto Rico and the wider United States. Adhering to the ideology of intersectionality, she looped in the myth that Michael Brown was killed and martyred by a police officer in 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri.

Subscribe to The JNS Daily Syndicateby email and never missour top stories

Abdulhadis targets included universities, which are also corporations and act like corporations, as indicated by their dismissals of lecturers and junior scholars, actions, she claimed, that threatened to silence activists like her. She ignored widespread shouting down and even violence against conservative speakers in academic cancel culture. Rather, she claimed a de-legitimization of rage, de-legitimization of anger, de-legitimization of emotions in order to kind of rescue a colonialist notion of civility of doing the proper things, Mrs. Emily Post, and the proper etiquette. By contrast, for her militancy is really important, although oftentimes in the academy, there is a construction of activism and commitments as something outside of what we do like a hobby.

Comrade Rabab had a soulmate in her fellow webinar participant, UCLA African-American studies professor Robin D.G. Kelley. We go way back, he said of Abdulhadi, whom he praised for organizing numerous African-American delegations to Israel and thereby linking Israeli apartheid to anti-black racism. Epitomizing the hyperbolic, thin-skinned academic, he claimed that Rabab has faced decades, decades, decades of repression, violent repression within institutions she works win. This astonishingly overlooks that the securely employed Abdulhadi freely speaks and writes without violent repression from any institution.

While Abdulhadi nodded in agreement, Kelley proclaimed that justice is indivisible and global. He praised Palestinian-black solidarity that since the 1960s has been resisting racialized, state-sanctioned violence, a new abolitionist generation, as if Abraham Lincoln would have hated Israel. This has started a post-1967 radical insurgency that moved beyond the nation-state as a path of decolonization that is dedicated to eradicating all forms of oppression.

This insurgencys utopian aims included replacing police, military and prisons with non-carceral paths for safety and justice. Similarly fanciful are freeing the body from the constraints of inherited and imposed normativities, protecting the earth, ending precarity, acknowledging indigenous sovereignty. Staying with this evidence-free cant, he lamented that subjugation of racialized subjects has been foundational to modern finance and industrial capital around the globe.

Kelleys liberation theology did not include Jews in Israels colonial project or in America, for whom the 1960s ghetto rebellions had signaled the demise of the old black-Jewish alliance. Concurring with Abdulhadis support of Jewish Voice for Peaces (JVP, where she is an adviser) Deadly Exchange campaign, he promoted the blood libel of devastating consequences of U.S. and Israeli joint police trainings for American minorities. The knee-to-neck choke hold that [Minneapolis police officer Derek] Chauvin used to murder George Floyd has been used and perfected to torture Palestinians by Israeli occupation forces through seventy-two years of ethnic cleansing and dispassion.

The terrorism-supporting, former SJP member Nerdeen Kiswani, chair of New York Citys unapologetically anti-Zionist organization Within Our Lifetime/United for Palestine, spouted Marxism while sporting a hijab. She maligned Israels ongoing genocide and current nefarious agenda that dates from the initial annexation of Israels very 1948 independence. For her, militancy is principles and not trying to make yourself palatable for white, Western consumption in an America built on white supremacy, and imperialism, and capitalism are laudable traits.

The webinars tiresome, jargon-laden discussion contained not a single original thought; anyone exposed to academia over the past few decades has heard it all before. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced these webinar participants to abandon live events for now. But their universities are already begging Congress, state legislatures and donors for massive bailouts in order to continue indoctrinating students with hate-filled, anti-American, anti-Israel propaganda. To the contrary, taxpayers, alumni and anyone concerned about the growing nihilistic, violent, Marxist far-left should demand the defunding of academe absent serious reform. It is past time for Abdulhadi and her ilk, who use their constitutional liberties to undermine the civilization that makes their lives possible, to lose their publicly supported sinecures.

Andrew E. Harrod is aCampus Watch Fellow, freelance researcher and writer who holds a Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and a J.D. from George Washington University Law School. He is a fellow with the Lawfare Project. Follow him on Twitter at:@AEHarrod.

View post:

Privileged profs don mantle of victimhood to rage against Israel and America - JNS.org

The reason why the BBC banned A Day In The Life by The Beatles – Far Out Magazine

Posted on by

The Beatles song A Day In The Life, taken from Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, was once dramatically banned by the BBC following its release in 1967 in controversial circumstances. The decision showed that the corporation was run by an iron fist and, even if you were the biggest band in the world, if your music was deemed offensive then it would not be given air time.

This particular period of time arrived during The Fab Fours well-documented LSD period, a time which seeped into their foray into the psychedelic world for Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band which was a dramatic move considering their whiter than white image. It was a moment that captured the band at the peak of their hedonism.

The band received a letter from BBC director of sound broadcasting Frank Gillard on May 23rd, 1967, detailing his reasoning for banning the song which opened with the line: I never thought the day would come when we would have to put a ban on an EMI record, but sadly, this is what has happened over this track.

We have listened to it over and over again with great care, continued Gillard, And we cannot avoid coming to the conclusion that the words Id love to turn you on, followed by that mounting montage of sound, could have a rather sinister meaning.

The recording may have been made in innocence and good faith, Gillard added. But we must take account of the interpretation that many young people would inevitably put upon it. Turned on is a phrase which can be used in many different circumstances, but it is currently much in vogue in the jargon of the drug addicts.

Lennon, however, refuted this claim that the track was actually nothing to do with the substances that were aiding him during the recording process and about two stories that he read in a newspaper. I was reading the paper one day and noticed two stories. One was about the Guinness heir who killed himself in a car. That was the main headline story. He died in London in a car crash, he told David Sheff.

On the next page was a story about four thousand potholes in the streets of Blackburn, Lancashire, that needed to be filled. Pauls contribution was the beautiful little lick in the song, Id love to turn you on, that hed had floating around in his head and couldnt use. I thought it was a damn good piece of work, he added.

Although that was the motivation that inspired Lennon to initially come up with the premise for the track McCartney has later said the track was the only one in the album written as a deliberate provocation. The lyrics they used to try and spark a reaction did work in this case, with Frank Gillard, taking their bait which ended up making the song even more notorious than if he had allowed it airplay in the first place.

Check out Gillards letter that he sent to the band, in full, below.

See the original post here:

The reason why the BBC banned A Day In The Life by The Beatles - Far Out Magazine

Nonprofit aims to fill elementaries with diverse books – The Columbus Dispatch

Posted on by

Julia Hanna founded Harpers Corner as a way to promote diversity and inclusion by donating related childrens literature to central Ohio elementary schools.

Julia Hannas soon-to-be 5-year-old daughter, Harper, wont be heading off to kindergarten for another year, but when she arrives at school she wont see many people who look like her.

Harper, who is half-Black, is part of the Upper Arlington School District that draws students from a suburb that is 91 percent white, according to U.S Census data. This reality has always weighed heavily on Hanna, who is white, but it became even more prominent within the past few months.

As Black Lives Matter protests grew in the wake of George Floyds May 25 death while in the custody of Minneapolis police, Hanna was moved to take action.

"I feel that particularly in these less-diverse communities, we need to start having a different conversation," Hanna, 41, said. "When youre not around diversity, you just keep going about life like theres no problem."

On May 31, she posted on Facebook about her desire to collect childrens books that address diversity and inclusion, and donate them to local school districts.

She could never have predicted how much the mission would resonate with others: Within a week, she had received dozens of books and monetary contributions totaling nearly $9,000.

"It resonated with people, and it told me this was a much bigger mission," Hanna said. "It had me think of how I could become a better ally for Harper and other children."

Hanna went on to establish Harpers Corner Foundation (@harperscornerbooks on Instagram), whose nonprofit status was officially approved by the IRS in late July, she said.

Hanna, who works in merchandising at a national retail company, recruited friends and colleagues to leadership positions on the organizations board. Many of them had their own personal reasons for joining the cause.

Worthington resident Kat DePizzo, who serves as vice president of Harpers Corner, said the oldest of her two daughters ages 6 and 15 came out as a member of the LGBTQ community when she was in sixth grade.

"Its so important to me for so many reasons that were all treated equally," DePizzo said. "It doesnt solve everything, but what a great way to jump in and make change."

Knowing that childrens attitudes and behaviors are molded when theyre very young, board member Erin Kendrick Chaney, who is Black, was motivated by a desire to create a more accepting and loving world for her 3-year-old son.

"Kids mimic what they see, what they hear," said Kendrick Chaney, an Olde Towne East resident. "To be able to start with young school-aged kids in having these conversations about diversity and inclusion and being accepting of others who are different than you is really important."

The Harpers Corner team partnered with Cover to Cover Childrens Books in Upper Arlington to curate a reading list of 150 books that are diverse in both content and authorship. The store agreed to offer a discount to the nonprofit as well, said General Manager Bryan Loar.

The list available to local school administrators via a private link includes mostly recent publications addressing womens empowerment ("You Are Awesome" by Susann Hoffmann), the LGBTQ community ("They She He Me: Free to Be!" by Maya Christina Gonzalez and Matthew Sg) and Black representation ("Black is a Rainbow Color" by Angela Joy and Ekua Holmes).

"If its well-written and you identify with those characters, if you can both see yourself but also see others and create the empathy, it really is transformative," Loar said. "We think that creating more empathy, more kindness, more understanding across all cultures is paramount in this day and age."

This fall, Harpers Corner will have a presence in 11 elementary schools in central Ohio five in Upper Arlington, three in Bexley and three in Worthington. The organization has now raised about $15,000 and is donating more than 800 books between those schools.

School media specialists at the chosen elementary schools used Cover to Covers guide to create a custom wish list for Harpers Corner to supplement the schools existing collections. The books, which will be stamped with the nonprofits seal, will be displayed in a special section of school libraries, with elementary school teachers using the selection to bolster their curriculum.

"We always talk about books being windows into other peoples lives that might be different from yours," said Carla Wilson, principal at Barrington Elementary School in Upper Arlington. "Just having books that represent people who might be different than a child is super important to building empathy."

As Harpers Corner continues to grow, the goal is for all 15 school districts in central Ohio and their 171 elementary schools to be a part of it. Hanna is encouraging the wealthier districts to undertake a pay-it-forward mentality in donating funds or books to districts with lower budgets.

"How the confidence builds when kids see themselves is tremendous, so thats really at the heart of what were doing," Hanna said. "We want it to feel like a place thats inviting to kids and a place where kids can find books theyre curious about."

elagatta@dispatch.com

@EricLagatta

Read more here:

Nonprofit aims to fill elementaries with diverse books - The Columbus Dispatch

Lawyer concerned that ‘internet censorship bill’ may be used as a political tool – CapeTalk

Posted on by

Legal advisor Nicholas Hall argues that the controversial the Film and Publications Amendment Bill is highly problematic.

The piece of legislation, often referred to as the 'internet censorship bill, has been widely-criticised for being poorly drafted.

It gives the Film and Publications Board (FPB) power to regulate and censor all forms of online content.

A new draft of the Films and Publications Amendment Regulations was gazetted for public comment this week, according to MyBroadBand.

President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the bill into law in October last year, but it has not come into effect yet.

Hall, a lawyer who specialises in South African digital entertainment law, says the FPB could potentially use the bill as a political tool.

He says the bill dangerously provides the FPB with room for legislative overreach when it comes to all kinds of online content.

Hall warns that the government-controlled entity should not have the power to regulate certain user-generated content.

He cautions that the FPB has been used to fight political battles in the past.

Because of the way that the regulations have been drafted... it's reaching onto any content that is uploaded online.

So, if you wanted to upload a film to Facebook or if you made TikTok video, you would be a criminal if you did that under the law

Section 24a of the Act says it's a crime for any person who uploads a film (broadly defined as any sequence of images that when viewed together create motion) and distributed by any media, including the internet and social media, unless you are registered with the FPB as the distributer of that content.

If someone complains, the FPB can pull that content and require it to be classified... Until such time that it's been classified, it's not allowed.

Historically, the FPB has only really had a mandate to classify content that is physically distributed and that is broadcast as well, to an extent.

Public comments for the new Films and Publications Amendment Regulations are currently open until Monday 17 August.

Listen to the discussion on Today with Kieno Kammies:

Go here to read the rest:

Lawyer concerned that 'internet censorship bill' may be used as a political tool - CapeTalk

Study: Ancient Mars Was Covered in Ice Sheets, Not Rivers – Futurism

Posted on by

According to a new study by a group of Canadian researchers published in the journal Nature Geoscience today, a large number of ancient valleys on the Martian surface were formed by water melting below massive sheets of glacial ice not free-flowing rivers, as previous research suggests.

The new research challenges the warm and wet ancient Mars hypothesis, which posits that Mars was once covered in massive river systems, fed by rain and large oceans of liquid water.

The study also follows a recent analysis of high-resolution imagery collected by the HiRISE camera on board NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which concluded that large rivers likely once flowed on the surface of Mars billions of years ago.

For the last 40 years, since Marss valleys were first discovered, the assumption was that rivers once flowed on Mars, eroding and originating all of these valleys, Anna Grau Galofre, former PhD student at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and lead author of the new study, said in a statement.

To come to their conclusion, Grau Galofre and her team compared over 10,000 Martian valleys to channels formed underneath glaciers of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. To their surprise, the channels were extremely similar.

But there are hundreds of valleys on Mars, and they look very different from each other, she added. If you look at Earth from a satellite you see a lot of valleys: some of them made by rivers, some made by glaciers, some made by other processes, and each type has a distinctive shape.

These results are the first evidence for extensive subglacial erosion driven by channelized meltwater drainage beneath an ancient ice sheet on Mars, co-author Mark Jellinek, professor in UBCs department of earth, ocean and atmospheric sciences, said in the statement.

They found only a small number of channels were likely formed on the surface a big departure from previous research.

By examining climate models of ancient Mars, they also found that the Red Planet was also likely much colder than predicted during the time that the valleys were formed.

Interestingly, a thick sheets of ice could also improve the chances of ancient life on Mars surviving. The ice would have blocked solar radiation, especially during a time when Mars had no magnetic field.

READ MORE: Frozen Mars? Ancient valleys show planet may have been covered in ice [CNET]

More on Mars rivers: Scientists Find New Evidence of Ancient Rivers on Mars

Continued here:

Study: Ancient Mars Was Covered in Ice Sheets, Not Rivers - Futurism

This Galaxy Cluster Is Spewing a Surplus of Stars Because of a Lazy Black Hole – Futurism

Posted on by

Rapid Fire

A distant galaxy cluster has been churning out new stars at a dizzying pace and now astronomers think they know why.

Turns out: The clusters supermassive black hole has been sleeping on the job, according to research published Thursday in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. While the scientists arent exactly sure why the black hole is so quiet, they do know that its absence allows the cluster to make new stars 300 times faster than the Milky Way does.

One leading guess: The black hole is starving. The galaxy cluster, dubbed SpARCS1049, is made up of hundred to thousands of galaxies. But its central galaxy, where the supermassive black hole is located, is far away from its most densely-packed galaxy, suggesting that the black hole ran out of nearby food.

It reminds me of the old expression of when the cats away, the mice will play,' lead author Julie Hlavacek-Larrondo of the University of Montreal said in a press release. Here the cat, or black hole, is quiet and the mice, or stars, are very busy.

In a galaxy cluster like SpARCS1049, an active supermassive black hole blasts out energy as it feeds, bringing anything nearby to insanely high temperatures, which inhibits star formation.

Without the black hole actively pumping energy into its surroundings, the gas can cool enough so this impressive rate of star formation can happen, said University of Montreal scientist Carter Rhea. This kind of black hole shut down may be a crucial way for stars to form in the early Universe.

READ MORE: Black hole fails to do its job [Chandra X-ray Center]

More on galaxy clusters: Astrophysicists Warn That Entire Galaxies Are Being Killed

See more here:

This Galaxy Cluster Is Spewing a Surplus of Stars Because of a Lazy Black Hole - Futurism

You Can Now Trade Litecoin on the Ethereum Blockchain With Kyber – Cointelegraph

Posted on by

The Kyber Network, a decentralized, on-chain cryptocurrency exchange, has just listed the Ethereum-compatible pLTC token a new cross-chain token developed by pTokens project.

Announcing the news to Cointelegraph on Aug. 3, Kyber Network said that pLTC tokens will be accessible through KyberSwap and other decentralized apps, or DApps. They will also be available on platforms powered by Kybers on-chain liquidity protocol.

The news comes shortly after pTokens launched pLTC token on the Ethereum mainnet on July 29. Similar to other pTokens, pLTC token aims to unlock cross-chain decentralized finance, or DeFi, liquidity by connecting the underlying asset to any blockchain. pLTC is pegged 1:1 to Litecoin (LTC), making the legacy asset fully compatible with Ethereum.

Shane Hong, marketing manager at Kyber Network, explained that the new token listing enables users to utilize yet another asset for decentralized finance on Ethereum.

Hong said:

"pLTC provides Litecoin holders a convenient way to explore the world of decentralized finance on Ethereum. Kyber is glad to help the Provable team support pLTC liquidity via our Fed Price Reserve.

Hong added that users can also trade pLTC against any other token supported by Kyber, including pBTC.

In March 2020, pTokens introduced its pBTC token on the Ethereum mainnet. As reported, pBTC is pegged 1:1 to Bitcoin and is compatible with the Ethereum ecosystem.

Litecoin, which launched in 2011, is one of the most popular cryptocurrencies. It is ranked as the seventh biggest crypto by market cap as of press time. Inspired by Bitcoin (BTC), Litecoin is very close technically to Bitcoin, albeit a faster and cheaper alternative. As of press time, Litecoin is trading at $59 with a market cap of $3.8 billion.

Continued here:

You Can Now Trade Litecoin on the Ethereum Blockchain With Kyber - Cointelegraph

Jennifer Aniston Depend On Skin Care Vitamins Like These From HUM – Play Crazy Game

Posted on by

United States Weekly has associate cooperations so we may get negotiation for some internet links to product and services.

Belows points concerning your skin treatment programs. You can have the absolute best cleansers, printer toners, items as well as additionally lotions readily available, use the best-rated face masks as well as additionally exfoliators on the industry as well as additionally form with among one of the most pricey tools, nonetheless it still might not be sufficient. Possibilities are youre doing fantastic factors for your skin with each of these products, nonetheless if youre still not completely pleased with your end results, maybe time to consist of an additional activity to your routine.

Vitamins as well as additionally supplements are implies underrated when it worries skin treatment. Jennifer Anistons agelessness isn t totally the result of her glowing state of mind (or pricey products), you recognize. Shes admitted to taking lots of vitamins to keep her skin looking so dynamic. Intend to see simply exactly how a variety of tablets daily could definitely alter your skin? After that you need some HUM in your life!

See it!

Obtain the Reverse Time dietary supplement for just $40 at HUM Nourishment!

HUM is a leading supplement trademark name with various alternatives for each little point from skin treatment, to hair therapy, to resistance, to frame of mind as well as additionally previous. Reverse Time, particularly, is for anyone looking for age-defying skin cell security. Hey, thats United States! These supplements are assured fan-favorites additionally, with consumers having in fact collectively rated it a 4.9 out of 5!

Buyers insurance claim TBT has in fact done marvels for their skin which they may see a substantial distinction just a number of weeks in. Staining from previous sunlight tanning is fading, pores are significantly smaller sized, excellent lines are finishing as well as additionally break outs have in fact decreased. Its insane just how swiftly it functions, one consumer declared. Several consumers additionally commented that its helped them remain free from sunburn when they forgot or truly did not use ample sunscreen!

See it!

Obtain the Reverse Time dietary supplement for just $40 at HUM Nourishment!

Reverse Times main purpose is UV troubleshooting, deeming the sunshines rays are a significant transgressor when it worries folds as well as additionally hyperpigmentation. It consists of some significant power energetic components, such as the anti-inflammatory turmeric remove, vitamin C, environment-friendly tea significance as well as additionally polypodium leucotomos significance. These advantageous, antioxidant-rich energetic components work together to fight off completely complimentary radicals that try to infect, intensify as well as additionally develop your skin!

To take these supplements, simply consume 2 tablets every morning with food. Theyre vegan, by the way! Each container consists of 60 tablets, offering you a one-month supply. Ensure to keep finalizing in with the mirror to track your growth!

See it!

Obtain the Reverse Time dietary supplement for just $40 at HUM Nourishment!

Searching For a lot more? Store numerous other skin-saving supplements from HUM listed here. Bear in mind, youll save 15% if you buy any type of sort of 3 containers!

Have A Look At a lot more of our selections as well as additionally deals!

This write-up is provided you by United States Weeklys Store With United States team The Store With United States team means to highlight product and services our audiences might situate appealing as well as additionally handy, such as face masks, self tanners, Lululemon legging dupes as well as additionally essentially anything pertaining to the Nordstrom Wedding AnniversarySale Services as well as item alternative, nonetheless, continues to be in nothing else method intended to make up a referral by either United States Weekly or of any type of sort of celebrity talked about in the write-up.

The Store With United States team may get products at no charge from vendors to evaluation. Additionally, United States Weekly obtains negotiation from the manufacturer of the products we blog around when you click an internet link as well as afterwards obtain the product consisted of in a brief post. This does not drive our option pertaining to whether a product or services is consisted of or recommended. Store With United States runs individually from advertising and marketing sales team. We welcome your actions at StoreWith Us@usmagazine.com. Delighted acquiring!

Read more:

Jennifer Aniston Depend On Skin Care Vitamins Like These From HUM - Play Crazy Game

How to boost metabolism naturally: seven workout and diet tips from HIIT and better sleep to spicy food – T3 (US)

Posted on by

If youre aiming to boost your metabolism in order to lose weight and keep it off, exercise is definitely one of the best ways to do it, as well explain here. But there are other ways to speed up metabolism and lose weight in the process. Weve collected seven tips to help boost your metabolism and to kick-start your weightloss journey today. Although please note that while these ways to speed up your metabolism are easy to understand, they do require some effort to carry out.

ASICS Runners Face Cover review: an excellent running face mask that you can drink through

A slow metabolism can cause a lot of trouble over time but luckily, you don't have to put yourself through the horrors of intermittent fasting or the keto diet in order to boost metabolism although both those diets have been researched thoroughly and shown to aid weight loss, with the right application.

Under Armour SPORTSMASK review (first run): face mask for exercise and running outpaces normal coverings

An improved rate of metabolism can help you keep weight off, and generally turn you into a healthier and leaner individual. As usual, there's no instant fix to be had here, but being fit and having a faster metabolism quickly become a virtuous circle.

If you want to lose weight, you should consider applying some of the tips below to your daily routine. Who knows, they might help you lose belly fat sooner rather than later.

Fitbit Aria Air Smart Bathroom Scale - White | Sale price 39.99 | Was 49.99 | You save 10 (20%) at AmazonTrack changes in your weight and BMI using the Fitbit Aria Air. All data is fed back to the Fitbit App where you can further analyse all your body metrics using easy-to-understand charts. The Fitbit Aria Air runs on three triple-A batteries and measures weight up to a 180 kilos (that's around 28 and a half stones).View Deal

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Why should you try HIIT workouts? For one, it improves metabolism and burns calories long after you finished with your daily HIIT session, making you a fat-torching machine that's on 24/7. The best thing about HIIT workouts is that they can be done anywhere using any sort of equipment: you can do a full body HIIT workout in the park or even follow the ultimate HIIT workout that uses your bodyweight only (and a skipping rope).

You can also have a HIIT sessions on a treadmill, elliptical trainer or rowing machine but even if you haven't got the best home gym setup, you can do HIIT with cheap fitness equipment still available to buy online. Try to do HIIT workouts in the morning: research reveals what is the best time for exercising for weight loss.

Theragun Elite Percussion Massager | Buy it for 375 at TheragunTheragun deep tissue massagers have an ergonomic handle that lets you apply pressure to all areas of your body with ease. The Elite is also Bluetooth enabled, has an OLED screen and customisable speed range, with a 2 hour battery life. Trust me, if you're just taking up HIIT, you will be glad you bought one.View Deal

Today's best Theragun Elite deals

Theragun Elite White - Black

Theragun Elite Handheld...

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Eating moderately spicy food has lots of benefits and including spicier dishes in your diet can help boost metabolism too. Capsaicin, the chemical that gives chilli peppers their 'hot' taste, is said to help burn more calories and reduce the risk of obesity too. As a 2017 research cites, "epidemiological data revealed that the consumption of foods containing capsaicin was associated with a lower prevalence of obesity" and "dietary red pepper can suppress energy intake and modify macronutrient intake through appetite and satiety regulation".

In another study about capsaicinoids, "it was observed that consumption of capsaicinoids increases energy expenditure by approximately 50 kcal/day, and that this would produce clinically significant levels of weight loss in 1-2 years."

What does this all mean? Spicy food will help regulate your food intake by making you less hungry ("satiety regulation") and it will also help you burn more calories without any exercise. Granted, not many calories, but applying this small change alongside all the other lifestyle tweaks, you can effectively supercharge your metabolism in a sustainable way.

However, don't try to overdo the heat by eating spicy food all the time. As they say, "the dose makes the poison", and eating too much hot food can have an adverse effect on your digestive system.

(Image credit: Puriton)

According to research cited by Healthline, "proteincauses the largest rise in TEF (thermic effect of food). It increases your metabolic rate by 1530%, compared to 510% for carbs and 03% for fats." As Healthline explains, the "thermic effect of food caused by the extra calories required to digest, absorb and process the nutrients in your meal."

Since digesting protein takes more effort from your body, by eating more of it you will basically work out using your metabolic system (we might be exaggerating here). Protein is also essential for muscle repair and recovery, so if you are actively working out, it is recommended to take between 1.6-2 grams of protein per body kilogram per day.

You should source protein from a variety of food stuff like lean meat, nuts, green veg and eggs. Supplementing protein is also popular among athletes: protein powder shakes are probably the most convenient way to get your protein fix on the go but you can also have protein bars or jerky as well as post workout snack.

Fitbit Ionic Fitness Smartwatch | On sale for 181 | Was 249.99 | You save 68.99 at AmazonThe Ionic is Fitbit's most competent fitness smartwatch, or at least the one that's aimed at people who have an active lifestyle. The Ionic has built-in GPS and storage for music, continuous heart rate tracking feature and is compatible with the Fitbit App (of course).View Deal

Today's best prices on the best current Fitbit fitness trackers

Fitbit - Versa 2 Smartwatch -...

Fitbit Versa 2 Special...

Fitbit Charge 4 Fitness and...

Fitbit - Versa Lite Edition...

Fitbit Ionic GPS Smart Watch,...

Fitbit Inspire HR Heart Rate...

Fitbit Inspire Double Wrap...

(Image credit: Getty Images)

As well as increasing your protein intake and reducing bad fats and carbs in your diet, you should also keep an eye out for a good balance of micronutrients, minerals and vitamins. as in the case protein, these micronutrients should be sourced from vegetables, fish, lean meat etc as the natural sources contain other beneficial substances as well, not just synthesised vitamins found in food supplements.

Probiotics can also help improve metabolism and maintain a healthy gut microbiome, essential for well-functioning digestion. In a research paper published in 2013, the researchers concluded that "Probiotics may restore the composition of the gut microbiome and introduce beneficial functions to gut microbial communities, resulting in amelioration or prevention of gut inflammation and other intestinal or systemic disease phenotypes."

B vitamins have also been said to improve metabolism as they play an essential role in metabolising macronutrients efficiently. Good sources of B vitamins include legumes, eggs, lean meat and bananas

Promixx MiiXR X7 Performance Blender | Buy it for 99.99 at AmazonFor the premium price tag, you get a sturdy base with a powerful motor (700w) that blends and shakes everything you add to the mix in seconds. This is a performance blender, after all, and the blades are rotating at an astonishing 20,000 times per minute. You also get two blade attachments, one for blending and the X-Blade for shake mixing as well as two dishwasher-safe Tritan bottles and two leak-proof lids.View Deal

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Everyone likes to sleep in every now and then and we are not suggesting you should wake up super early every day for no reason. Waking up and going to bed roughly at the same time can help your body build a routine which in turn will have a positive effect on your metabolism too. This is especially beneficial for people who otherwise like to hit the snooze button 20 times each morning until they can roll out of bed.

Instead on going cold turkey and wake up much earlier on day one, try moving the wake up time a little bit earlier each day/week until you reached the preferred wake up time. Once you used to the new wake up time, your body will wake up automatically, even without setting an alarm.

It's also beneficial to have food roughly at the same time throughout the day so your metabolic system is at the ready when the food is on its way. Food will be digested more efficiently and quicker too if you stick to an eating schedule. Again, no need to have breakfast 8AM on the dot every morning, but having it around that time will definitely improve metabolism.

Needless to say, eating healthier food stuff can also boost metabolism significantly: fibrous food and plenty of water is key to maintain a healthy gut microbiome.

Withings Sleep Analyzer | Buy it for 119.95 at AmazonIf the idea of wearing a wrist strap all night is unappealing, the Withings Sleep Analyzer is the best sleep tracker solution for you. You slip it under your mattress and plug it in, leaving it to do all the hard work while you sleep unencumbered. Thanks to that, it offers far more advanced sleep tracking than its competitors with an in-depth analysis of your sleep cycles, durations, and any interruptions.View Deal

(Image credit: Getty Images)

This technique may have a very complicated-sounding name Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis and a vaguely annoying acronym NEAT but it's actually very simple. NEAT means adjusting how you live your day-to-day life, in order to be more active. You know when exercise experts say, 'Take the stairs, not the lift' and you think, 'Oh yes, good idea,' but then you don't do it? Well NEAT is actually doing things like that.

Like a lot of great ways to get fit, NEAT is perfectly straightforward in principle, but it does require some effort on your part. However the great thing about NEAT for many people is that it specifically does not involve going to the gym or setting aside time for exercise. Although of course, it can also be used as one component of a healthy lifestyle, alongside gym, running, cycling, watching Joe Wicks, etc.

Learn about using NEAT to speed up your metabolism

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Caffeine found in coffee and teas can boost metabolism significantly. Not everyone reacts to caffeine the same way and it is also recommended not to drink too many cups of coffee/caffeinated beverages in a day. Green tea has a lower caffeine content so combining coffee and green tea consumption can have better results.

Drinking more water can also improve metabolism: combine increased water consumption with more fibrous food for the best results.

Today's best gym & fitness deals - stock checked every 30 minutes

Physix Gear Sport Compression...

Clever Yoga Gym Sweat Towel -...

Bowflex SelectTech 1090...

Knog Rear Plus Light, Black

Gaiam Yoga Strap - 6 Ft...

Reflex Nutrition Creapure...

Continued here:

How to boost metabolism naturally: seven workout and diet tips from HIIT and better sleep to spicy food - T3 (US)

Liberals turn over thousands of pages on WE decision, lawyers now vetting docs – CTV News

Posted on by

OTTAWA -- The federal Liberal government has handed over thousands of pages of documents related to the WE controversy to a House of Commons committee, which lawyers are now vetting for personal information and cabinet secrets.

The finance committee demanded the documents last month as it probes whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's relationship with WE Charity influenced the government's ill-fated decision to have the organization run a federal student-volunteer program.

Committee members are hoping the documents will shed light on the discussions that led to the decision to have WE run the Canada Student Services Grant, before the deal was cancelled amid controversy in early July.

"People are asking a lot of questions," NDP finance critic Peter Julian said in an interview. "There's been a lot of contradictions in testimony. So the documents should be revealing a lot more of what the real answers are."

Yet while the Liberals turned more than 5,000 pages over to the committee ahead of Saturday's deadline, it wasn't clear when they would be released to members as committee lawyers go through them to prevent the release of protected information.

"We don't know," Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre said during a news conference on Sunday when asked when committee members would get the documents. "We have asked. They have not given us the timeline."

Committee chairman Wayne Easter, a Liberal MP, predicted the documents would be released in the coming days to members as additional lawyers from the public service have been brought in to help review them for cabinet secrets and other information.

Even after the documents are released, however, there will could be disagreements about why certain information was withheld.

While Poilievre and Julian suggested they were keeping the door open to challenging any redactions, Easter said the vetting was being conducted by the professional public service -- and noted the tradition of Parliament respecting cabinet confidence.

Usually prepared for ministers to aid government deliberations and decision-making, documents marked as cabinet confidences hold closely guarded political secrets and are legally protected from unauthorized release.

Trudeau has previously faced pressure to waive cabinet confidence when it came to allegations he tried to pressure then-justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould on a deferred prosecution agreement with Quebec engineering firm SNC-Lavalin.

"We respect the integrity of the public service," Easter said when asked about the lawyers redacting cabinet confidences in the WE documents. "That's why there is no political involvement in the redacting of these documents. That's why the law clerk is involved."

The Liberals have been embroiled in controversy since it was revealed on June 25 that WE had been selected to run the Canada Student Services Grant, which promised up to $5,000 toward the education costs of students who volunteered during COVID-19.

The sole-sourced agreement with WE was to pay one of its foundations up to $43.5 million to administer a grant program designed to encourage students to sign up for volunteer work related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau have since apologized for not recusing themselves from cabinet's discussions about the agreement before it was awarded to WE given their respective families' ties to the Toronto-based charity.

Trudeau has spoken at six WE Day events since becoming prime minister, while his mother and brother have been paid almost $300,000 and reimbursed about $200,000 in expenses for appearing at WE events. Trudeau's wife has also had expenses covered.

Morneau, meanwhile, acknowledged last month that he repaid WE about $41,000 in sponsored travel for him and his family to view the charity's humanitarian projects in Ecuador and Kenya in 2017.

Yet the government has insisted that the decision was based on a recommendation from the non-partisan public service following its conclusion that WE was the only organization capable of running the grant program.

Opposition critics, meanwhile, are also training their sights on an agreement between a Crown corporation and a company employing the husband of Trudeau's chief of staff, Katie Telford.

The agreement between the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. and MCAP, where Telford's husband Rob Silver is an executive vice-president, involves the administering of a rent-assistance program for small businesses affected by COVID-19.

The Prime Minister's Office has said Telford established clear ethical walls between herself and MCAP in January, even before COVID-19 shook the country's economy and led to the creation of the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program.

But Poilievre questioned why the government didn't simply ask the Canada Revenue Agency to run the rent-assistance program given it is already managing the federal wage subsidy for businesses struggling during the pandemic.

"CMHC, which is strangely running this program, exists for the sole purpose of providing affordable housing. Not commercial real estate," Poilievre said.

"Now, of course, the easy way to deliver this program would have been through CRA. CRA already had a program stood up to deliver a wage subsidy."

Audrey-Anne Coulombe, a spokeswoman for CMHC, said in a statement Sunday that the federal housing agency had decided to go with an outside sub-administrator because it "does not have the internal capacity to stand up the program in short order."

Coulombe said CMHC sought bids from two financial institutions and chose MCAP because its proposal was stronger and cost less. She said Silver was not involved in contract negotiations or the delivery of services.

Easter expressed concern about the committee getting distracted by opposition "fishing" efforts and not focusing on its main task of preparing for next year's federal budget and overseeing COVID-19 spending.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 9, 2020.

See more here:

Liberals turn over thousands of pages on WE decision, lawyers now vetting docs - CTV News

Column: Can we find common ground for conservatives and liberals? – Milford Daily News

Posted on by

What I propose is we use the findings of political psychology, not to accentuate differences between left and right, but to bridge gaps.

Columns share an author's personal perspective and are often based on facts in the newspaper's reporting.

If we can agree on anything politically, its how divided we are.

We see it on TV reporting, on social media, and in between family members. On the personal scale, its poisoning relationships, and on the national scale, it's destroying the cooperation and compromise that we need to function as a working democracy. If we cant reduce this divisiveness, we will fall. Yet the division, and the danger, is getting worse.

When a patient will not heal by themselves, the attending doctors need to diagnose and treat the patient accurately and effectively to save them. The most scientific diagnosis of our political self is through political psychology, but that itself is a divided profession.

Professor Thomas B. Edsall recently reported in the New York Times that Disputes over differences in judgement, character and moral values between liberals and conservatives are among the most fraught topics in political psychology. How can doctors save our body politic if they are arguing among themselves?

Lets begin with the findings of research programs that measured cognitive reflection and thinking habits in relation to liberal or conservative political stances. You can imagine them by considering the yes/no responses of subjects to statements like these: A person should always consider new possibilities; or One should disregard evidence that conflicts with established beliefs; or No one can talk me out of something I know is right.

When these kinds of responses are sorted by the subjects political affinities, conclusions are drawn that are very similar across many studies: the willingness to change ones mind with new evidence was robustly associated with liberalism, rejection of traditional moral values, acceptance of science, and skepticism regarding religious claims. Conversely, conservatives were averse to changing beliefs about extrasensory perception, respect for tradition, abortion, and God, even on the basis of evidence.

Some studies go further: misinformation is currently predominantly a pathology of the right and conservatives have more need for order, rigidity, and dogmatism. Statements like Liberals perform better on objective tests of cognitive ability and intelligence . . . while conservatives score higher on self-deception are more likely to further divide than to heal. And yet, many liberals (including, mea culpa, myself) take these findings as ammunition to attack conservatives.

Lets face it, insult isnt a great way to persuade opponents.

Remember Obamas charge that conservatives cling to their guns and religion or Hillary Clintons basket of deplorables? I imagine those charges work as well as when conservatives attack liberals as immoral or godless abortionists. And many of us liberals try to persuade with the use of statistics and science, which isnt very bright when you consider the findings that conservatives are likely to ignore evidence. So, how can we heal? Should we even try? After all, some liberal commentators express disgust when Joe Biden expresses his hopes for bipartisan cooperation, and his history with it. But we all have to realize how important it is, especially now.

If the probability is that liberals are more likely to adopt change, I suggest we stop what isnt working, and try to persuade conservative opponents by appealing to their strengths. The recent findings of political psychology give some hope to such methods, and more importantly, a warning of a dangerous change in political direction: the rise of authoritarianism. History suggests opponents can unite in the face of a common enemy, and authoritarians threaten the entire country, liberal and conservative alike.

Some might equate conservatives with authoritarians, but there are critical differences between the two: the first are opposed to change and novelty, while the second are averse to diversity and complexity. A number of observers are noting that what has taken place with the Trump administration and among his followers is an authoritarian revolution. The hallmarks of authoritarianism are opposition to diversity of people, beliefs, and behaviors, and the embrace of oneness and sameness; all obvious in the xenophobia of Trump followers. The actions of Trump and his enablers: state violence, demonization of protesters, voter suppression, co-option of the organs of prosecution and the courts, are all exactly that of an authoritarian coup.

What I propose is we use the findings of political psychology, not to accentuate differences between left and right, but to bridge gaps. We are seeing glimmers of understanding in, and creative messaging from, the conservatives of The Lincoln Project and Republican Voters Against Trump. Liberals can appeal to conservatives attraction to traditions of right vs. wrong, rule of law, the morality of honesty, and opposition to corruption.

The rise of authoritarianism should scare conservatives too: its certainly not a valued American tradition nor is it based on the rule of laws, not men. Radical change, from democracy to autocracy, is not a conservative goal. Together we must unite to prevent us from falling into authoritarianism.

Lee Mendenhall lives in Framngham.

Read more:

Column: Can we find common ground for conservatives and liberals? - Milford Daily News

Powerful Rajapaksa Brothers’ Landslide in Sri Lanka Election Should Get "Liberals" Thinking – IDN InDepthNews | Analysis That Matters

Posted on by

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SINGAPORE (IDN) The landslide victory of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP Sri Lanka Peoples Front) led by the Rajapaksa brothers throws a challenge to so-called liberals everywhere whose ideology may not be in sync when a huge portion of the electorate vote for a strong government rather than a coalition representing various segments of the community that may not provide political and economic stability at a time of a crisis.

As retired political science professor Jayadeva Uyangoda argues in a commentary published on August 9 in a number of media outlets in Sri Lanka, that the failure of the yahapalanaya (good governance) government installed by the 2015 landmark elections with a promise of democratic revival, promoting peace and reconciliation and establishing corruption-free governance, has now given rise to a radically new political alternative for Sri Lanka with a strong leader, a strong government, a strong administration with military participation, with just one strong centre of power with no checks and balances. The stress has been on the word strong, he notes, adding that this word strong has been couched in Sinhala-Buddhist patriotic symbolism and discourse.

In January 2015 President Mahinda Rajapaksa (brother of now President Gotabaya Rajapaksa) was voted out by Sri Lankan voters choosing his former ally Maitripala Sirisena as president under the slogan of yahapalanaya. At the time it seems the western liberals may have achieved their goal through the ballot box. Sirisena was propelled to power mainly by a Western-funded NGO campaign via social media that painted the Rajapaksa regime as corrupt and undemocratic.

But within months of coming to power, they were embroiled in the worse financial scandal in Sri Lankas history, when Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghes school days buddy Arjuna Mahendran installed as the new Central Bank governor was involved in a fraudulent bond scam.

The Sirisena-Wickremasinghe government was never able to recover from this, as infighting within the governing coalition intensified and Sri Lanka drifted into economic and political disarray. The opposition regrouped under the leadership of the Rajapaksa brothers under a new party SLPP that accused the government of selling national assets to foreigners and crawling to the West by surrendering its sovereignty by co-sponsoring a resolution at the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that committed the country to account for war crimes allegedly committed by its armed forces in the final phase of the war in 2009 to eliminate the terror group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

This resolution would involve setting up war crimes tribunals in Sri Lanka where foreign judges would sit in judgement. The surrender to UNHRC and the West was seen by the Sinhala Buddhist majority in particular, as an affront to their cultural identity, and SLPP was able to mobilise them.

"The resounding electoral victory on August 5 of the SLPP, and particularly of the Rajapaksa brothers, clearly reflects the emphatic re-emergence of Lankan nationalism. To be precise, Sinhala Buddhist nationalism, argues Dr Palitha Kohona, former Sri Lankan permanent representative to the United Nations. Disregarded for five years by the previous Government, the Sinhala people felt betrayed as the country lurched aimlessly, mainly in a hardly disguised effort to please Western countries and pro-Western liberal NGOs. The wishes and sensitivities of the majority of the people counted for very little.

In a statement issued to the Sri Lankan media on August 7, British Conservative peer, Lord Naseby, who is the President and founder of the All-Party British Sri Lanka Parliamentary Group in the UK has described the electoral outcome as a sea change never before witnessed. He has been critical of the U.S.-EU war crimes witch-hunt of Sri Lanka in Geneva and has been a lone voice in the British parliament supporting the Sinhalese against a well-organised Tamil diaspora pro-LTTE propagandists in the UK.

This is true democracy at work. This is a new dawn for Sri Lanka, a fresh era creating the opportunity for the country to come together and finally put to bed the idea of any Tamil Eelam independence movement, he said. Now is the time for the West to understand the new mood in Sri Lanka; the desire on all sides for reconciliation to become realistic without any interference from the West or the UN Human Rights Council, added Lord Naseby.

Social critic and nationalist Shenali Waduge told IDN that the 2020 election has laid to rest for the second time, the liberal idea that the minorities called the shots and could decide who would rule Sri Lanka. While the Tamil and Muslim minorities voted en masse at the 2019 presidential elections against the ultimate winner Gotabaya Rajapaksa, she noted that there is a welcome difference this time.

This time a sizeable number of minorities voted for the winning party (SLPP). The results of the North clearly indicate that the people want to move on and away from terrorist-separatist linked political parties and politicians she argues. This is indeed a healthy sign and one that can usher better relations.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) which is regarded by the Sinhalese as an LTTE proxy has lost ground in the Tamil dominated north and east of the island. In its northern strongholds including Jaffna, TNA lost four seats to new Tamil parties aligned with the SLPP which pushed the incoming governments numbers in parliament above the two-thirds required for constitutional changes.

The Rajapaksas can take pride in their achieving such a decisive victory in a wholly free and fair election, noted veteran journalist Lucien Rajakarunanayake, writing in the Island newspaper. Lets make no mistake, this is what the people wanted, the reality of electoral democracy. This is what a huge majority of the people of Sri Lanka showed they wanted in three elections the last Local Government poll (2018), the Presidential Election last November, and this General Election.

Rajakarunanayake argues that the huge majority Rajapaksas were able to garner is a result of the hugely farcical moves the previous government took to supposedly fighting corruption. He added: The voters have punished those who had crooked deals with a dodgy Governor of the Central Bank, who was wrongly under the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe; and the benefits that the ever-forgetful Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake allegedly obtained (from the deal).

Countrys oldest political party, the pro-western United National Party (UNP) polled miserably and did not win any seats to parliament for the first time. Thus, both Wickremasinghe and Karunanayake lost their seats. The UNP polled only 2.15 per cent of the national vote and would get a seat from the National List under Sri Lankas proportional voting system.

A party of Buddhist monks opposed to SLPP which won just 0.58 per cent of the national vote, that is just over 67,000 from a voter base of over 10 million has got 1 seat in parliament which is expected to be occupied by firebrand Buddhist nationalist monk Aththe Gnanasara, who will be sitting in the opposition benches.

However, the western media and its human rights groups have already started to brand the SLPP election win as a nationalist vote for authoritarian government backed by the military as President Gotabaya as defence secretary was instrumental in conducting the successful war against the LTTE.

New York-based Human Rights Watch has already issued a statement on August 9 claiming that the Sri Lankan government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is waging a campaign of fear and intimidation against human rights activists, journalists, lawyers, and others challenging government policy.

Western-funded NGOs, nurtured with the views of the English-speaking and Westernised elite of the country, will definitely have to recognise the gap in their assessments of the thinking among the common people of the country, Dr Kohona told IDN. There is a reawakening of nationalist sentiment in the country, especially among the Sinhala Buddhists, and this will condition the country's politics for the foreseeable future."

The unwritten and written obligation upon all elected governments is to uphold, protect, preserve and foster the primordial Sinhala Buddhist identity of Sri Lanka, argues Waduge. The unfair and legally questionable resolutions (of the UNHRC) need to be revisited and diplomatically challenged. The LTTE lobby (overseas) need to be legally addressed as well. They have become an obstacle for Tamils and Sinhalese to build their lives in peace (in Sri Lanka). [IDN-InDepthNews 09 August 2020]

Photo: Mahinda Rajapaksa takes oath as the new Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. Source: Newsfirst Sri Lanka.

IDN is the Flagship Agency of the Non-profit International Press Syndicate.

Visit us on Facebook and Twitter.

This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. You are free to share, remix, tweak and build upon it non-commercially.

Continued here:

Powerful Rajapaksa Brothers' Landslide in Sri Lanka Election Should Get "Liberals" Thinking - IDN InDepthNews | Analysis That Matters

WA voters may not forgive and forget the Liberals’ coronavirus border stance in time – ABC News

Posted on by

Liza Harvey has been unequivocal in stating WA's border should remain closed.

"The Liberal Party supports strong borders that protect the health of West Australians," the Opposition Leader wrote in a Facebook post this week.

The only problem is, Ms Harvey had previously and repeatedly been just as unequivocal that the border should open as a matter of urgency.

"There doesn't appear to be a valid reason to keep the interstate borders closed," the WA Liberal leader said on May 19.

Ms Harvey doubled down on that stance, repeatedly urging WA to open up at first calling for domestic travel restrictions to go entirely, before instead suggesting a travel bubble with South Australia and the Northern Territory.

"Our family businesses are going to the wall because of his hard border stance and theres clearly no evidence that it is actually medically required at this point," she said on June 16.

Ms Harvey faced ferocious public criticism for that stance, which also earned the deep frustration of many of her parliamentary Liberal colleagues perplexed at why their party had taken such an unpopular stance.

But she was far from the only Liberal to urge WA to open up.

"The Morrison Government's view on border closures is clear, that borders should be open," Federal Attorney-General Christian Porter said in June.

The Commonwealth went as far as to intervene in Clive Palmer's High Court challenge, supporting the mining billionaire's legal demand that WA welcome back visitors from around the country.

"There is no doubt that those sort of borders do harm the economy, they do harm jobs and it is important that we get those removed as soon as possible," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in May.

The Federal Government finally backed down a week ago, withdrawing support for Mr Palmer's challenge after the dramatic escalation in Victoria's virus situation.

Few would dispute their stance on the court challenge had become unsustainable, given case numbers had reached such concerning levels in Melbourne and public support of the border closure was so strong in WA.

Almost certainly, the situation made the backdowns by both the State and Federal Liberals inevitable.

But now the key question is whether the change of course came too late for the Liberals to avoid a severe public backlash.

Ms Harvey insists it is the big shift in circumstances, rather than public sentiment, that prompted her change of heart on the border.

"The community expect leaders to respond when circumstances change," she said this week.

"If you have a look around the country and around the world, leaders in every jurisdiction have had to change their position as the environment around COVID-19 changes."

But, as State Parliament returns this week, Ms Harvey is likely to face awkward questions about what would have transpired in WA had she got her wish in May or June.

So far, only Victoria has experienced anything like the rapid growth in cases that has so alarmed health officials across Australia.

But other states which even partially opened their borders have had serious headaches.

South Australia had to re-impose some restrictions this week after cases popped up, Queensland health officials were left scrambling after three COVID-19 positive people snuck back in to the state, and New South Wales for so long an open border advocate had to slam the door on Victorians, after weeks of clusters popping up all over its territory.

WA would likely have had every possibility of suffering the same fate had its border rules been relaxed.

Instead, West Australians are continuing to live with freedoms currently unparalleled around the country.

For all its popularity, WA's hard border closure is neither foolproof nor perfect.

Freight movement, such as truck drivers, continues to present an outbreak risk, as does the hotel quarantine system just as Victoria showed.

While the virus has been eliminated from the WA community, there are no guarantees that is a permanent situation.

And COVID-19 has sent repeated signals around the world that it is going nowhere leaving it increasingly unfeasible for WA to spend the whole pandemic inside its cocoon.

Families are separated and West Australians stranded, while businesses that rely on interstate travel are suffering greatly.

But, by any measure, the border closure is staggeringly popular within WA at the moment.

So, too, is the man seen as its primary advocate and defender Premier Mark McGowan.

With all that writing on the wall, both state and federal Liberals have backed away from their efforts to bring down WA's wall.

But with an already-daunting state election just seven months away, Liberals have good reason to be nervous about whether voters will forgive or forget the stance they took about the hard border.

And Labor will have plenty of campaign fodder for the next federal election albeit one likely to be much further away which is likely to leave senior WA Liberals facing repeated questions about why they fought for so long to bring down the border.

See the rest here:

WA voters may not forgive and forget the Liberals' coronavirus border stance in time - ABC News

Thousands of Palestinians revel in a weekend of freedom at Israeli beaches – Haaretz

Posted on by

This past weekend was very special for Siham, 45, and her five children, who live in the West Bank village of Bilin, and who crossed the separation barrier and traveled to the beach in Jaffa.

My children had never seen the sea as far as they were concerned it was as if they were coming to the most important attraction in the world, Siham said. To touch the salty water and play in the sand was the dreamiest and least expensive entertainment I could have offered my children.

LISTEN: Trump's tragedy, Netanyahu's debt and Jewish unityHaaretz

Sihams account is one of a thousand such stories of Palestinians, adults and children alike, who were allowed to cross the separation barrier and go to beaches in Israel over the past week. Anyone coming to the beach over the weekend couldnt miss the Palestinian families, especially in Jaffa but in Herzliya, Haifa and other beaches as well.

The average Israeli wouldnt be able to tell whether an Arab family came from Nablus or Tul Karm in the West Bank or Umm al-Fahm or Kafr Qasem in Israel, but a sharp eye could tell that the Palestinians were different, people for whom going to the beach is a rare treat and getting there involved some difficulty. We came to Kafr Biddu and we crossed the barrier at an opening not at a checkpoint or anything, just an opening in the [separation] fence like many others, said Inas, a mother of three who came to Jaffa. On the Israeli side there was a bus waiting for us I paid 30 shekels (nearly $9) and we went to Jaffa. There was nothing threatening. I was surprised when I saw the Jews [soldiers] looking at us without bothering us at all.

They told us just to just bring a mask and food, she said about the drivers waiting on the Israeli side. We havent been to the beach in years, certainly not the little kids. My husband and I were able to go years ago, but the kids were waiting for this moment. The coronavirus has left all of us financially stressed and apparently the Israeli economy needs us now. In Ramallah none of the parks, pools or even the zoo are open. Do you know how much it costs for the hotel pool in Jericho? Who has money, so what could be better than the sea?

The presence of Palestinian families at Israels beaches has been a topic of discussion on the West Bank, raising numerous questions. Was this a spontaneous act, or an act of protest by the population against the Palestinian Authority, which is trying to restrict movement and prevent gatherings as part of its battle against the coronavirus? On the other hand, why was Israel turning a blind eye and letting thousands of people cross through random breaches in the barrier without any supervision or inspection?

After Eid al-Adha, which straddled the previous weekend, a few Palestinians managed to get through the fence and reach Jaffa. This past weekend, the numbers grew considerably.

The Israel Defense Forces declined to comment.

A Nablus-area resident who was involved in arranging buses to the Jaffa beach said he didnt coordinate the trips with any Palestinian or Israeli entity. People are simply fed up and wanted to go to the beach, he said. The Palestinian government is imposing closures and Israel is apparently interested in taking in thousands of Palestinians to prove to the PA that it doesnt control anything. The fact is that thousands chose to defy everything and go, and theres always someone who takes on the role of organizer or the agent that helps people get to their destination.

Many people explained that the breaches in the barrier, near Farun, Biddu and Shuweika, are an open secret; people just come and cross. Araf Shaaban, a resident of Jenin who organized buses to the beaches at Jaffa and Herzliya, explained how it works.

We've got more newsletters we think you'll find interesting.

Please try again later.

The email address you have provided is already registered.

You advertise on social media and people register; then you bring a bus or minibus to an open point in the barrier, and people go there, cross and on the other side another bus is waiting that brings them to the beach and then returns them. The price is 150 shekels per person as part of a family, explains Shaaban, who didnt express any concern about being detained by the army.

What delays? In many cases they helped people cross or opened the gate, he said. The truth is, the soldiers also saw that these were families with flotation rings, beach balls and baskets of food, and not grenades.

Other people told Haaretz that the behavior of the Israeli security forces was surprising. We saw the army jeeps but we didnt feel any threat; on the contrary, in the evening, when we came back and it was dark, they turned on the lights so we shouldnt miss the opening in the fence.

In Jaffa itself, many residents said there was no sense of threat. In fact, there were those who acknowledged the presence of the visitors and opened kiosks, including merchants from East Jerusalem.

One West Bank resident who came with an elderly woman and wouldnt give his name, said, I dont know how Israel views this but as far as Im concerned, these are the beaches of Palestine. So we are at the beach with or without permission. They turned a blind eye or didnt enforce; who cares. The point is that we got here and it was fun.

The PA did not come out against these visits but some saw it as Israel poking a finger in the PAs eye. They want to prove to us that with or without coordination, they are letting in civilians, even at the risk of a coronavirus outbreak, even though they knew in advance that the Palestinians wouldnt mix with the Israelis, a senior Palestinian official said. Whats more, instead of Palestinians taking their leisure in the West Bank and spending their money there, they preferred having the money to spend in Israel and not the West Bank, even if we arent talking about large sums.

The coronavirus restrictions are continuing in the West Bank as part of the state of emergency declared by the PA, but many are now saying that keeping major leisure sites closed serves no purpose if thousands of people are going into Israel and returning.

Near the Meitar checkpoint there is another breach in the fence that four people can go through at once. At the edge of the road that leads from the crossing to the South Hebron Hills, cars stop every few minutes and men and boys get out carrying packs and suitcases. One of them, 16, said he was breaching the barrier to seek work in Israel, since the coronavirus eliminated most workplaces in the Hebron area.

Another man said he had worked in Israel in the past, but when the PA halted coordination with Israel he was unable to renew it. He crossed with his younger children. The soldiers just dont care, after all, they could stop this is a minute, said one of them.

On the other side of the barrier there are cars waiting, most of them driven by Israeli Arabs, to bring them the Palestinians to their destinations. Some of them even wait on the Palestinian side of the barrier, in full view of everyone. A guy just wants to work; if theres no money you find a way to work, said one of them.

One young hipster, carrying only a small pack, said he had crossed the barrier to have a good time. On the other side they bring us to Beer Sheva and from there well continue, maybe well get to Jaffa, he said, before crossing through the opening.

On the road, a Jewish woman from the area stopped her car to look at what was going on. This is crazy, she said. Every day I see them coming out in droves and Ive even reported it a few times and nobody cares. An elderly Palestinian man who works in construction in Jaffa stopped alongside her and started to argue with her.

Do you know how I live? Do you know I have a sick grandson and we dont have money for his treatment? he said angrily.

But this is a border, she replied.

For me this is no border, he said, and continued on his way.

Original post:

Thousands of Palestinians revel in a weekend of freedom at Israeli beaches - Haaretz

Woman hospitalized with life-threatening injury after shooting near The Beaches – FirstCoastNews.com WTLV-WJXX

Posted on by

Police said a dark convertible drove by a large gathering outside the home and began shooting.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla A woman in her 40s was rushed to a local hospital with a life-threatening gunshot wound to her chest after a shooting in a neighborhood near The Beaches Saturday, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

JSO said the shooting happened at a home in the 1200 block of Songbird Lane. Police said a dark convertible drove by a large gathering outside the home and began shooting. That's when the woman was shot once in the chest. Three male suspects were inside the vehicle.

JSO said the shooting appears to be targeted. No one else was injured.

If you have any information about this shooting, call JSO at 904-630-0500 or email JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org. To remain anonymous and to receive a possible reward up to $3,000, call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.

Continue reading here:

Woman hospitalized with life-threatening injury after shooting near The Beaches - FirstCoastNews.com WTLV-WJXX

Shops closed, beaches deserted as Isaias nears the Carolinas – Fox 59

Posted on by

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) Coastal shops and restaurants closed early, power began to flicker at oceanfront hotels and even the most adventurous of beachgoers abandoned the sand Monday night as newly restrengthened Hurricane Isaias sped toward the Carolinas.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned oceanside home dwellers to brace for storm surge up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) and up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain in spots, as Isaias moved up the coast. The Carolinas werent the only states at risk.

All those rains could produce flash flooding across portions of the eastern Carolinas and mid-Atlantic, and even in the northeast U.S., said Daniel Brown, senior hurricane specialist at the U.S. National Hurricane Center. A tropical storm warning extended all the way up to Maine, where flash flooding was possible in some areas on Wednesday.

The center also warned of possible tornadoes in North Carolina on Monday night and early Tuesday, and from eastern Virginia to southern New England later Tuesday.

Isaias (pronounced ees-ah-EE-ahs) was upgraded again from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane at 8 p.m. EDT. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 85 miles (137 kph) and was centered about 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of Myrtle Beach. It was moving northeast at 16 mph (26 kph). The Hurricane Center said it expected the storm to make landfall later Monday night near the border between South and North Carolina.

Isaias killed two people in the Caribbean and roughed up the Bahamas but remained at sea as it brushed past Florida over the weekend, providing some welcome relief to emergency managers who had to accommodate mask-wearing evacuees in storm shelters. The center of Isaias remained well offshore as it passed Georgias coast on Monday.

President Donald Trump on Monday described Isaias as very serious.

Storm surge and inland flooding are possible and everyone needs to remain vigilant until it passes, Trump said.

Authorities in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, ordered swimmers out of the water to avoid rough surf and strong rip currents. By nightfall, power began to flicker at beachfront hotels as Isaias crossed the last bit of warm water on its path toward the U.S. mainland.

Still, on this part of the South Carolina and North Carolina coasts that has been affected to varying degrees by seven tropical storms or hurricanes since 2014, residents werent panicking.

Its just going to be a lot of wind and high tide, said Mike Fuller, who has lived along the coast for more than a decade.

Shops and restaurants appeared quieter than usual for a summertime Monday in North Myrtle Beach, but locals blamed COVID-19 more than Isaias. No businesses were boarding up their windows, although some moved outside furniture inside.

Wayne Stanley and his family came to the city over the weekend from Julian, North Carolina. Hes never experienced a hurricane, but said he never considered canceling his familys weeklong vacation either.

I was pretty scared to start off with, Stanley said Monday. Then we thought maybe its not going to be that bad.

Officials in frequently flooded Charleston, South Carolina, handed out sandbags and opened parking garages so residents on the low-lying peninsula could stow their cars above ground. Forecasters had warned earlier of possible major flooding, but the storm passed faster than expected and only about a dozen streets were flooded.

Farther up the coast into North Carolina, the hurricane center predicted storm surges of 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 meters) when Isaias moves onshore.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper warned residents on Monday that the storm could be dangerous regardless of its strength. He urged those evacuating to turn to shelters as a last resort, citing coronavirus risks and the need to operate shelters at reduced capacity to allow for social distancing.

Whether its labeled a tropical storm or a hurricane, you should take this storm seriously, and make sure your family is ready, Cooper said.

Ferry operators wrapped up evacuations from Ocracoke Island in North Carolinas Outer Banks on Monday, moving more than 3,500 people and 1,700 vehicles off the island over four days. Island officials were taking no chances after taking a beating less than a year ago from Hurricane Dorian. Evacuation orders also have been issued for Hatteras Island north of Ocracoke.

Morgan Stewart said many evacuating residents had come into the store where she works in the inland community of Kinston to buy tarps, batteries, flashlights and other supplies.

You can tell theyre worried, said Stewart, who saw cars parked on higher ground over the weekend as she secured her boat at a marina.

Since forming last week, Isaias has been buffeted by competing forces both trying to kill and strengthen it, said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy.

Of all the places it could be, it found the warmest water it could, which fuels storm development, McNoldy said. And yet it is struggling.

Thats because dry air kept working its way into the storm at low and mid-levels, which chokes storms.

Isaias passage near Florida over the weekend was particularly unwelcome to authorities already dealing with surging coronavirus caseloads. The storm brought heavy rain and flooding to the state, forcing authorities to close outdoor virus testing sights, as well as beaches and parks. Officials lashed signs to palm trees so they wouldnt blow away.

About 150 people had to keep masks on while sheltering in Palm Beach County, which had a voluntary evacuation order for people living in homes that cant withstand dangerous winds, said emergency management spokeswoman Lisa De La Rionda.

Visit link:

Shops closed, beaches deserted as Isaias nears the Carolinas - Fox 59

South Padre Island extends emergency order regarding beach operations – KGBT-TV

Posted on by

Posted: Aug 6, 2020 / 09:47 AM CDT / Updated: Aug 6, 2020 / 09:48 AM CDT

City of South Padre Island Logo (Source: City of South Padre Island/Facebook)

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (KVEO) The city of South Padre Island has extended the emergency order regarding beachgoers amid COVID-19.

The order sets guidelines for beach vendors and visitors in order to keep beaches open and prevent further spread of the virus.

Below are the guidelines as stated in the release:

BEACH VENDORS

BEACH GOERS

The emergency order will now be in effect until Sept. 16, 2020 at 11:59 p.m.

The city adds Peace Officers, City of South Padre Island Health Inspectors, Code Enforcement/Ordinance Officers/Inspectorsare authorized to enforce the order. A violation is a Class C Misdemeanor punishable by an up to $500 fine.

The read the full order from the city, click here.

Read the rest here:

South Padre Island extends emergency order regarding beach operations - KGBT-TV

Lani Kai resort hit with two lawsuits in wake of July 15 shooting death – News-Press

Posted on by

Johnny Jackson, 22, in his Dunbar High School graduation photo, was fatally shot July 15 at the Lani Kai Island Resort. Two lawsuits claiming wrongful death and injury to a third party were filed Sunday in Lee County Court against the resort.(Photo: Special to The News-Press)

The Lani Kai Island Resort faces two lawsuits seeking damages in excess of $1 millionin the aftermath ofa fatal July shooting, according to court filings Sunday.

The suits allege theFort Myers Beachresort should have known its security measures were lacking.

"The defendant knew or should have recognized that security measures at the time of the incident ... were either non-existent, lacking, inadequate and/or were not being performed as expected or intended," the suits claim.

One of the suits, claiming wrongful death, was filed on behalf ofThomasina Daniels, the mother of Johnny Jackson, 22, the man who was fatally shot shortly after midnight July 15 in the patio beach area behind the resort building.

The second suit, a personal injury action, was filed by Traviasia Blanks of Fort Myers, Jackson's cousin.

Blanks, who was at the scene of the shooting, was one of two people shot in a spray of gunfire and suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Jackson and Blanks were attending a party held by Jackson's brother Jordan Phillips, a Lani Kai employee who was also a paying guest of the resort. Phillips no longer works at the Lani Kai as "it is too bad of a memory," said attorney Joe North, who is representing both parties.

Members of the Lee County Sheriff's Office investigate a shooting at the Lani Kai Island Resort on Wednesday, July 15, 2020. Three people were shot, one fatally, in an altercation early Wednesday morning.(Photo: Andrew West, The News-Press)

There have been no arrests in the shooting. The Lee County Sheriff's Office has confirmed a suspect in the shooting has been jailed on unrelated charges. Theinvestigation remains active.

More: Three shot, one dead in altercation at Lani Kai; Lee sheriff says suspect remains at large

More: LCSO announces suspects in Lani Kai homicide, one in custody on unrelated charges

More: Fort Myers Beach council to consider nuisance abatement board in wake of Lani Kai homicide

I hope the lawsuit will make the hotel clean up the place and improve security so that this does not happen to somebody else, Daniels said through North.

In a civil lawsuit, a plaintiff must claim $30,000as a minimum, but compensation in each of these cases could exceed $1 million, North said.

Three people shot at Lani Kai on Fort Myers Beach, one fatally. Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno holds press conference. Fort Myers News-Press

The suits claim the Lani Kai had a history of criminal activity and should have recognized the danger to guests, visitors and employees.

The suits cite ongoing and violent criminal activity at the Lani Kai including assaults, batteries and discharge of firearms for three years prior to the shooting. As a result, theresort "breached its obligation and duty" to protect guests with Jackson being fatally shot and Blanks sustaining injury,pain, suffering, loss of wages and aggravation of an existing condition.

The Fort Myers Beach town council discussed the shooting at the Aug. 3 meeting and discussed creating a nuisance abatement board to deal with such incidents.

At that meeting, Councilman Jim Atterholt read from information he gathered showing emergency responses to the Lani Kai.

He said the resort has had the most Fort Myers Beach Fire & Rescue response calls since 2017, with 129 calls in 2017, 98 calls in 2018, 100 calls in 2019 and 70 calls so far this year.

Similarly, information provided by the sheriff's office shows 3,052 responses made to 1400 Estero Blvd., the Lani Kai's address, since January 2017, he said. Those calls have included 995 for area checks, 257 listed as suspicious, 251 listed as disturbances, 231 for trespassing, 23 for battery, 19 for searches for wanted suspects and five for sex crimes.

Johnny Jackson, 22, parasailing July 14 at the Lani Kai hours before he was fatally shot. Two lawsuits claiming wrongful death and injury to a third party were filed Sunday in Lee County Court.(Photo: Special to The News-Press)

The suits were electronically filedSunday. No date for a hearing has been set.

"This shooting could have been prevented with better security measures at the hotel," North said. "I join with the Fort Myers Beach officials in calling upon the Lani Kai to improve its property for the safety of the community.

A spokesman for the Lani Kai was not available for comment.

Johnny Jackson, 22, a former Dunbar High School basketball team member, was fatally shot July 15 at the Lani Kai Island Resort. Two lawsuits claiming wrongful death and injury to a third party were filed Sunday in Lee County Court.(Photo: Special to The News-Press)

More: Lawsuits dropped, Margaritaville Resort project set to proceed on Fort Myers Beach

Since the shooting, the Lani Kai has announced changes including:

After hours, only guests of the hotel will be able to walk the property wearing guest wristbands zero tolerance for trespassers. Room key cards will change to wrist fobs.

Guests causing significant damage to rooms or any type of altercation will be put on a Do Not Rent list.

Cover-ups and shoes must be worn indoors on the property. Beach-goers will no longer be permitted to walk through the hotels interior venues or public areas in just their swimwear.

A resort fee will be charged to hotel guests to include guest parking, pool access, pool/beach towels, WiFi, two bottles of water daily and discount beach furniture rental and water sports activities with Wind & Water Sports.

The hotel will continue to hire Lee County Sheriffs Office deputies during busier-than-usual holidays, events or days that are expected to draw more people.

It will also hire deputies during weekends in season, every Saturday and Sunday.

Staff will go through security training certifications, licensing and thorough background checks; anyone on the team must be certified and licensed. Hospitality staff already receivequarterly alcohol awareness meetings, but additional staff will now attend security meetings, to follow up with any updates or mandates to the department.

Connect with breaking news reporter Michael Braun:MichaelBraunNP (Facebook),@MichaelBraunNP (Twitter) or mbraun@news-press.com.

Journalism matters. Your support matters. Subscribe to The News-Press.

Read or Share this story: https://www.news-press.com/story/news/crime/2020/08/09/lani-kai-resort-fort-myers-beach-two-lawsuits-july-15-shooting-death/3330942001/

See the article here:

Lani Kai resort hit with two lawsuits in wake of July 15 shooting death - News-Press

Jordan | History, Population, Flag, Map, & Facts | Britannica

Posted on by

Jordan, Arab country of Southwest Asia, in the rocky desert of the northern Arabian Peninsula.

Britannica Quiz

A Study of History: Who, What, Where, and When?

Who was the first non-European to win a Nobel Prize?

Jordan is a young state that occupies an ancient land, one that bears the traces of many civilizations. Separated from ancient Palestine by the Jordan River, the region played a prominent role in biblical history. The ancient biblical kingdoms of Moab, Gilead, and Edom lie within its borders, as does the famed red stone city of Petra, the capital of the Nabatean kingdom and of the Roman province of Arabia Petraea. British traveler Gertrude Bell said of Petra, It is like a fairy tale city, all pink and wonderful. Part of the Ottoman Empire until 1918 and later a mandate of the United Kingdom, Jordan has been an independent kingdom since 1946. It is among the most politically liberal countries of the Arab world, and, although it shares in the troubles affecting the region, its rulers have expressed a commitment to maintaining peace and stability.

The capital and largest city in the country is Ammannamed for the Ammonites, who made the city their capital in the 13th century bce. Amman was later a great city of Middle Eastern antiquity, Philadelphia, of the Roman Decapolis, and now serves as one of the regions principal commercial and transportation centres as well as one of the Arab worlds major cultural capitals.

Slightly smaller in area than the country of Portugal, Jordan is bounded to the north by Syria, to the east by Iraq, to the southeast and south by Saudi Arabia, and to the west by Israel and the West Bank. The West Bank area (so named because it lies just west of the Jordan River) was under Jordanian rule from 1948 to 1967, but in 1988 Jordan renounced its claims to the area. Jordan has 16 miles (26 km) of coastline on the Gulf of Aqaba in the southwest, where Al-Aqabah, its only port, is located.

Jordan has three major physiographic regions (from east to west): the desert, the uplands east of the Jordan River, and the Jordan Valley (the northwest portion of the great East African Rift System).

The desert region is mostly within the Syrian Desertan extension of the Arabian Desertand occupies the eastern and southern parts of the country, comprising more than four-fifths of its territory. The deserts northern part is composed of volcanic lava and basalt, and its southern part of outcrops of sandstone and granite. The landscape is much eroded, primarily by wind. The uplands east of the Jordan River, an escarpment overlooking the rift valley, have an average elevation of 2,0003,000 feet (600900 metres) and rise to about 5,755 feet (1,754 metres) at Mount Ramm, Jordans highest point, in the south. Outcrops of sandstone, chalk, limestone, and flint extend to the extreme south, where igneous rocks predominate.

The Jordan Valley drops to about 1,410 feet (430 metres) below sea level at the Dead Sea, the lowest natural point on Earths surface.

The Jordan River, approximately 186 miles (300 km) in length, meanders south, draining the waters of Lake Tiberias (better known as the Sea of Galilee), the Yarmk River, and the valley streams of both plateaus into the Dead Sea, which occupies the central area of the valley. The soil of its lower reaches is highly saline, and the shores of the Dead Sea consist of salt marshes that do not support vegetation. To its south, Wadi al-Arabah (also called Wadi al-Jayb), a completely desolate region, is thought to contain mineral resources.

In the northern uplands several valleys containing perennial streams run west; around Al-Karak they flow west, east, and north; south of Al-Karak intermittent valley streams run east toward Al-Jafr Depression.

The countrys best soils are found in the Jordan Valley and in the area southeast of the Dead Sea. The topsoil in both regions consists of alluviumdeposited by the Jordan River and washed from the uplands, respectivelywith the soil in the valley generally being deposited in fans spread over various grades of marl.

See more here:

Jordan | History, Population, Flag, Map, & Facts | Britannica