Dear Mom, I Wish You Didnt Have To Give Up Your Job For Motherhood – SheThePeople

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Dear Mom,

I wish you did not have to let go of that job because of motherhood. I remember how while I was growing up you kept reiterating that I can do anything I want to once I get a job. Little did I know what financial independence for women meant at that time or how earning money can make you feel liberated. How when you are economically independent the world looks at you differently. How earning money gives you a say in things you do.

I remember how angry you got about some joke my friends made regarding me getting married. We were all teenagers then, and all my life I had never seen you overreacting like that. You shouted, All of you should get a job first. Now, after becoming a mother myself and after having quit my job because of maternity I realize what you would have gone through that day when you had to return that appointment letter just because you were pregnant. Just because you were new to the city and commute would have been difficult, and what if something happens to the baby. You could have gone to places is what I can think.

I know you have brooded over that decision. I know how cherished that job offer was for you. It wouldnt have been easy for you to crack that job either. You didnt just move cities but moved cultures when you got married. I know how much you struggled with speaking Hindi, still do. I know you still have a copy of that letter saved. To carry the weight of unfulfilled dreams on your shoulder without being bitter is not easy.

Also Read:Dear Mom: Thank You For Not Leaving Your Job Under Family Pressure

Thank you for not letting me lose focus when it would have been very easy to do so. In writing this, I redeem myself a bit, by acknowledging your tremendous sacrifice, in giving me life.

Photo by Praveesh Palakeel on Unsplash

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Dear Mom, I Wish You Didnt Have To Give Up Your Job For Motherhood - SheThePeople

Why the concierge model is resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic – Medical Economics

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For primary care physicians already saddled with student debt obligations, volume-based performance demands, declining reimbursements, increasing administrative challenges, and overall burnout the spread of COVID-19 has been a pressure test. It has exposed weaknesses in the financial, clinical and operational aspects of primary care, and left thousands of doctors scrambling to save their practices. More than 70% of practices reported a decrease of 50% or more in patient volumes; fewer than half feel they have sufficient patient volume or cash-on-hand to remain open.

Independent primary care providers, in particular, find themselves at a critical point: Do I join a health system or large practice, or can I sustain my business as an independent practice?

For physicians committed to their independence, the good news is that the same factors that made concierge practices strong enough to survive dramatic health care reform have enabled them to withstand the current COVID-19 crisis.

Financial benefits

Concierge practices are better equipped to weather the current environment with more reliable cash flows from annual membership revenues, between $1,800 and $2,000 on average, that provide cushion against a sudden cash crunch. Additionally, concierge patients are reluctant to leave their physician, which creates a more consistent patient base Specialdocs average patient renewal rate is 96%.

Clinical benefits

The size of traditional primary care patient panels has presented clinical difficulties in the current crisis. On average, an Internal Medicine or Family Medicine physician cares for over 1,600 patients. With panels this large, doctors have limited time to manage care, communication and outreach. Adding in the number of COVID-19 questions and cases has proven overwhelming, making efforts to educate patients on procedures for office or telehealth visits challenging.

In contrast, a concierge physician typically has between 250 and 600 patients, making outreach, communication and care much more manageable. During the COVID-19 emergency, Specialdocs concierge physicians promptly and effectively utilized digital communication and telehealth to serve patients, especially the elderly and those with chronic conditions, and both patients and physicians report high satisfaction as a result.

Operational benefits

Operationally, traditional primary care practices are not well positioned to weather crises like COVID-19. Recent surveys show that 48% of independent physician practices have temporarily furloughed staff, and 22% have permanently laid off staff. Even when the current emergency abates, traditional practice models designed to treat 1,600 patients may not fit the new environment.

Concierge practices are lean by design, typically consisting of one physician who manages up to 600 patients with two or three staff members. Amidst the COVID-19 crisis, no Specialdocs physician has implemented staff reductions.

The impact of the COVID-19 crisis is still unfolding. Systems that worked previously can no longer be depended on. Concierge medicine is an important piece of reshaping the primary care system by offering more flexibility and stability, personalized care and greater satisfaction for physicians and their patients.

Dave Farr is vice president of business development at Specialdocs, a pioneering concierge practice transition and management company established in 2002, helping physicians nationwide transform their practices with the industrys most customized and sustainable concierge model.

UPCOMING FREE WEBINAR: The Resilience of the Concierge Medicine Practice. Learn about an economically sustainable alternative to withstand COVID-19 and future challenges in healthcare. REGISTER HERE.

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Why the concierge model is resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic - Medical Economics

Affirming the Bank of Canada’s independence has to be more than just lip service – Financial Post

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The question was in French, and there was a simultaneous translation, but Finance Minister Bill Morneau made a point of answering in both official languages. Thats because they mostly speak English on Bay Street.

We see the independence of the Bank of Canada as critical, he said at a press conference he organized on May 1 to announce he had chosen Tiff Macklem as the central banks next leader. Its something that has enabled our economy to be successful over previous decades.

It was good the minister did that, and it was helpful that Macklem subtly stated he was no ones puppet. Im confident the government will respect our independence in order to meet the targets that we set out jointly, he said. This is where accountability starts.

I see no reason to doubt either mans sincerity, though I tend to give even the most powerful people the benefit of the doubt at first. Not everyone is so generous these days. A critical mass of cynics has assembled on social media over the past decade that strongly believes we can skip past the evidence stage and get straight to the hangings.

This Twitter-empowered group is ruining public discourse, but no more so than the decline of authentic communication under the message-obsessed regimes of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his predecessor, Stephen Harper. Trust is earned, and the political class is borrowing against our fond memories of a time when politics was different.

You can tell the Bank of Canada is worried about the general state of political discourse. It watched in relative horror as the U.S. Federal Reserve became a political punching bag in the aftermath of the Great Recession. The American public woke up to the central banks vast power and, even though the Fed stopped a terrible recession, many decided they disliked unelected officials having so much influence over their lives.

The well of trust in institutions runs much deeper in Canada than it does in the U.S., but the Bank of Canada has opted against taking that more docile polity for granted. One of Governor Stephen Polozs legacies will be the steps he took towards transparency, turning a black box into a translucent one. Among his innovations is an ongoing series of articles, The Economy, Plain and Simple, by central bank staffers that try to explain various economic issues, creating a neutral ground in the highly charged policy wars that take place daily on social media.

Of course, that only works if the public continues to believe that the Bank of Canada is neutral.

Central banks might have prevented a global depression a decade ago, but that hasnt kept politicians at bay. Governments in India and Turkey have dumped central bank leaders they disliked, and Mark Carney, the former governor of the Bank of England, became a target of Brexiteers for warning that divorcing the European Union could hurt the economy.

In the U.S., President Donald Trump made a show of making your own mark by replacing Janet Yellen, the widely respected Fed chair, with Jerome Powell, a less experienced member of the central banks Washington-based board of governors. Trump then proceeded to aggressively harass Powell on Twitter and in the press when the Fed refused to cut interest rates. Powell eventually lowered borrowing costs, and some on Wall Street assumed he had succumbed to political pressure.

At the very least, Trumps Fed tweets caused the markets expectations for monetary policy to adjust in the direction favoured by the president, according to a report last year by Antoine Camous, an assistant professor in the Economics Department at the University of Mannheim in Germany, and Dmitry Matveev, an economist at the Bank of Canada.

Central banks are being watched closely by economists and the broader public to understand whether, or to what degree, their decisions are influenced by outside pressures, the pair wrote, citing other research that showed 39 per cent of 118 central banks sampled had faced at least one pressure event between 2010 and 2018.

Trudeau is no Trump, and not even the rowdiest member of Canadas Parliament could dream up the abuse that Carney endured on a regular basis in London.

Still, our passive-aggressive natures are capable of creating pressure events, both real and imagined. Bloomberg News, citing multiple unnamed sources, characterized Macklems hiring as the finance minister protecting his turf, a pushback against those in the Prime Ministers Office who would have preferred Carolyn Wilkins, the Bank of Canadas senior deputy governor.

Macklem is extremely qualified and almost got the job in 2013, but that didnt stop Catalyst, a non-profit that works to level the playing field for women in business, from muddying the waters by describing Morneaus choice as another example of women being overlooked for top jobs.

The Bank of Canada must maintain the publics trust, because it has taken the most radical turn in its 85-year history by committing to create hundreds of billions of dollars to buy federal bonds and provincial debt. The reason is to keep credit markets flush with cash when otherwise they would be deserts. Still, there will be ongoing suggestions that the central bank is simply printing money to monetize the Liberal governments debt and to keep provinces from going bankrupt.

The Bank of Canadas actions are far more complex than that. Still, its new, has an air of incredibility and, therefore, invites skepticism. Morneau and Macklem will have to do more than reiterate their conviction that the central bank should operate at arms length from cabinet. They will have to prove the convention remains in effect, and do so often.

Email: kcarmichael@postmedia.com |

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Affirming the Bank of Canada's independence has to be more than just lip service - Financial Post

Heres how one can renew their careers post motherhood – Hindustan Times

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Renewing your career after motherhood is a challenging milestone; one that presents several dilemmas for women as professionals.

Quite often it is the woman who has to bear the brunt of sacrificing her career post marriage and subsequently childbirth. In todays age, issues like renewing career, providing maternity benefits and child-friendly workstations or facilities for working mums are of importance.

Women make up 48 percent of the Indian population but have not benefitted equally from Indias rapid economic growth. Sixty-five percent of women are literate as compared to 80 percent of men. India has among the lowest female labour force participation rates in the world, says a report by World Bank Group published last year. Female child mortality is still a grave concern, with over 239,000 girls under the age of 5 dying each year.

About 40 per cent of working mothers want to quit jobs to raise their kids, noted a survey conducted by ASSOCHAM under the aegis of its Social Development Foundation. At the study conducted, ASSOCHAM Social Development Foundation had interacted with a total of about 500 working women including 200 working mothers in 10 cities of Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune during the course of the past fortnight to gauge their career related goals. A whooping 80 out of 200 respondents who are working mothers quoted motherhood and lack of quality time being spent with family were the primary reason to quit jobs.

At such a crucial juncture, what will it take to give a much-needed push and bolster women to return to careers post motherhood or even start a career is they hadnt before?

My suggestion to women who want to get back to work is three-fold: Look for a role that excites you, and one in which your mind will stretch and learn new things. The personal cost of balancing work, life and children is tough, and beyond the very important role of financial independence, our jobs and careers nourish our minds and imaginations. Many women leave jobs, or struggle to keep them, after becoming mothers because boring jobs, or ones in which they are not growing, dont seem worth the effort, if you are fortunate enough financially to have a choice not to work, believes Shreyasi Singh, Co-founder and CEO, Harappa Education.

Along with getting a strong picture of current skills and ambition which is required to sustain in a specific industry, a holistic approach of looking at the situation and evaluation will help a long way, say experts. This includes getting a strong understanding of your own skills and ambitions. What do you really want to do? What could help you get to the long-term future you can see for yourself?

Start somewhere, dont wait for the perfect job. Figure out your non-negotiable, if thats commute from home, compensation or the industry/role you want. Or, is it flexible time schedules? For example, the post-Covid work environment, especially remote WFH, can really be an important enabler for working mothers. Dont be afraid to suggest, now of all times, the schedule that might work for you. Now more than ever, employers wont judge you. This can actually be a good time to experiment, especially if you didnt love the job you were in before. Keeping an open mind and stepping out of your comfort zone can be very powerful enablers in this phase, adds Singh.

The lockdown necessitated by the spread of COVID-19 has disrupted the normal life of people all around the world. While the situation is challenging for all, it specifically puts great demands on the women in the family, as they not only look after the work at home, but also at their respective offices.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that women are now doing two full-time jobs without even a weekend break. Indian women have always been multi-taskers and power-workers, balancing the needs of their family and job. Along with kids and family around in the same space, the work-life balance during the Covid-19 and amidst the lockdown has taken on a whole new meaning, agree experts.

Managing kids, work and the household - within lockdown, and the anxieties on both personal life (health, lifestyle) and professional life (Working from home, anxiety about job), I have seen it manifest in my house, with my wife trying to navigate as a working woman, a mother and a wife. Stress is a natural consequence, and new experiences that can be tried out at home, can help counteract that. Be it working out as a family (with kids), or cooking as a family (encouraging kids to become little Masterchefs), or trying out online yoga - my wife has been at it since day one. Going through this experience has helped us/her assuage the stress effectively, says Irwin Anand, MD, Udemy India.

We find ourselves looking to pick up new skills, whether its gardening, a musical instrument, or drawing/coding with kids in part because being challenged the right way can be a new source of delight for everyone! The coming weeks and months will shape the new normal in the day-to-day life of women, and I hope everyone understands how hard it is for them, and to support them however possible, adds Anand.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. )

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Heres how one can renew their careers post motherhood - Hindustan Times

Mutiny on the high seas saved trafficked Rohingya – Dhaka Tribune

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File photo: Rohingya refugees who were rescued by Bangladesh Coast Guard in Teknaf upazila of Cox's Bazar on Wednesday, April 15, 2020 Dhaka Tribune

Survivor recounts how, with 58 already dead, they overpowered the traffickers and took control of the boat and their destiny

The boat carrying more than 400 Rohingyas, which landed in Bangladesh in the early hours of April 16, had experienced a dramatic mutiny 30 hours earlier.

In that mutiny, four of the 11 Rakhine traffickers were killed, five were rescued by another boat, and two traffickers, including the captain, were kept hostage to steer the trawler back to Bangladesh.

In exclusive testimony, a survivor of the ill-fated journey explained how the failure to land in Malaysia, despite three attempts, led a group of 17 Rohingya men to confront and overcome the traffickers.

The increasing death toll as well as the insufferable conditions on board were also key factors.

The magnificent 17

The 17 men had been "volunteers" until the moment of mutiny. They were needed by the traffickers to carry out menial tasks.

Five had been detailed to do the cooking. The others did an assortment of tasks, including helping people who had grown weak, and taking care of the disposal of Rohingya men and women who had died by throwing them overboard.

Hell on water

After the death of the 58th person eight women and fifty men the volunteers asked the traffickers to let them land anywhere they could.

They argued that they had been misled since the first week of departure about how long the journey would take, and it had already been over 50 days.

Food and water had been woefully insufficient, resulting in starvation. They also could not tolerate the daily beatings that were handed out. People were beaten with iron rods, sticks, and belts.

Rescued Rohingyas at Teknaf upazila of Cox's Bazar on April 15, 2020 | Dhaka TribuneThe Rohingya volunteers made one simple demand: "Drop us in Myanmar or take us back to Bangladesh."

The traffickers placated them by saying that another boat would be coming and they would soon be off the boat they were on.

Within a day or two it was clear that the traffickers had not changed their plan. When confronted, the traffickers insisted they would stay put until they found an opportunity to land.

They threatened the Rohingya making the demands: "You will do as we tell you. Otherwise, you can join your dead."

The survivor explained that the plan to take over the boat was hatched as they were drifting in Myanmar territorial waters for 10 days.

Praying for a miracle

On the night of Shab-e-Barat -- April 9-10 -- all the Rohingya men and women fervently prayed for their lives.

A day or two earlier, a Myanmar navy patrol boat had come to their trawler, and the officers were spotted receiving money from the traffickers.

The group of volunteers had hoped their prayers would be answered. They were anticipating that the navy patrol boat would come again and take them ashore and put them in jail in Myanmar.

Rohingya refugees rescued by Bangladesh Coast Guard in Teknaf upazila of Cox's Bazar on April 15, 2020 | Dhaka TribuneThey even thought that perhaps they would be sent back to Bangladesh, as they were all carrying UNHCR cards.

However, it soon dawned on them that the money handed over to the Myanmar navy was simply to pay them off, and that there was no hope of any disembarkation. Fearing that there would be further deaths, they started hiding various items that could be potentially used as weapons against the traffickers.

The final straw

For the survivor, one other incident made up his mind to take action. The 57th dead person was the mother of two young children.

The mother was sick throughout the journey and vomiting blood. The meagre amount of food she got, she gave to her two children.

After her death, the children would often cry and hug each other. For the survivor, this was distressing and brought back memories of his own young boy whom he had left behind in the camps.

Making their move

The mutiny took place one day and six hours before landing in Bangladesh.

The Rohingya volunteers waited until twilight to surprise the traffickers. They thought this would be the best moment, as during daylight hours the traffickers would be able to see what was happening and respond. Other trafficker boats could also possibly observe and come to the aid of the Rakhine men.

The volunteers were aware that the traffickers had two pistols, and they made sure those were not accessible. One trafficker was killed on the bow of the trawler.

Rescued Rohingyas at Teknaf upazila of Cox's Bazar on April 15, 2020 | Dhaka Tribune

They lay in wait for the others by the latrine on the deck of the boat, and there, an hour later, three of the Rakhine men were apprehended and killed.

Women and children rushed to the hull when the traffickers started fighting back. This was the area in which men had been confined the entire journey, except for the 17 Rohingya volunteers.

There followed a protracted five-hour long stand-off. In that time the traffickers were desperately trying to contact other boats to rescue them. Finally, another trafficker boat came to their rescue five hours later.

Escape from the traffickers

As soon as the traffickers had leapt onto the other boat, the Rohingya volunteers used the "double machine" to speed away from it their trawler had two propellers. The boat that had come for the traffickers only had one.

Of the two Rakhine men taken hostage, the captain was arrested in Teknaf. The survivor is unsure about the whereabouts of the other, though he was brought to the Transfer Camp in Kutupalong for quarantine purposes.

The survivors assessment is that had they not taken action more people would undoubtedly have died.

A few dozens more would have died. You can see. Many of them are unable to even walk.

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Mutiny on the high seas saved trafficked Rohingya - Dhaka Tribune

UN rights office concerned over migrant boat pushbacks in the Mediterranean – UN News

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The appeal follows reports of failure to assist, and even push back, vessels carrying desperate people in one of the worlds deadliest migration routes, amidst the fears and disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

These developments are occurring as departures from Libya during the first quarter of the year rose four-fold over the same period in 2019.

Reports that Maltese authorities requested commercial ships to push boats with migrants and refugees in distress back to the high seas are of particular concern, said Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the UN human rights High Commissioner.

We are also concerned that humanitarian search and rescue vessels, which usually patrol the central Mediterranean area, are being prevented from supporting migrants in distress, at a time when the numbers attempting to make the perilous journey from Libya to Europe has increased sharply, he added.

Currently, no humanitarian vessels are operating in the central Mediterranean after Italy this week impounded the rescue ships Alan Kurdi and Aita Mari following a two-week quarantine offshore.

Alan Kurdi, operated by a German non-governmental organization (NGO), is named after the three-year-old Syrian boy who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea in September 2015. Aita Mari is run by a Spanish group.

It has also been alleged that administrative regulations and measures are being used to impede the work of humanitarian NGOs, said Mr. Colville.

We call for restrictions on the work of these rescuers to be lifted immediately. Such measures are clearly putting lives at risk.

The UN human rights office (OHCHR) is also calling for a moratorium on all interceptions and returns to Libya, in accordance with its recent guidelines on COVID-19 and migrants.

Despite the pandemic, search and rescue operations should be maintained and swift disembarkation ensured, in line with public health measures.

Mr. Colville recalled that while international law protects migrants from being returned to dangerous environments, both Italy and Malta have declared their ports are unsafe for disembarkation due to the virus.

Currently, at least three merchant vessels carrying migrants are affected.

While the Maltese authorities have allowed a small group ashore on humanitarian grounds, OHCHR said all migrants should disembark because the vessels are not suitable for long-term accommodation.

Last month, a vessel with 51 migrants onboard, three of them children, was returned to Libya on a private boat after being picked up in Maltese waters. They were subsequently sent to a detention facility.

Mr. Colville said the migrants had spent nearly a week at sea, during which five passengers died and seven others went missing, who are presumed drowned.

We are also aware of claims that distress calls to relevant Maritime Rescue Coordination centres have gone unanswered or been ignored, which, if true, seriously calls into question the commitments of the States concerned to saving lives and respecting human rights, he added.

Meanwhile, the Libyan Coast Guard is continuing to turn vessels back to its shores.

Intercepted migrants are placed in arbitrary detention facilities where they face human rights violations including torture, sexual violence and lack of health care, as well as risk of contracting COVID-19.

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UN rights office concerned over migrant boat pushbacks in the Mediterranean - UN News

How smaller neighbours of China are taking on the dragon – WION

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As the world fights coronavirus pandemic, China is throwing its weight around. Beijing has deployed warships, asserted itself on the high seas and flexed its military muscle on the South China sea.

The developed world, barring a few, hasn't said much about the Chinese military aggression. But, that is not the case with smaller nations.

A report says that Vietnam is close to filing an international arbitration case and settle the South China Sea dispute with Beijing.

Leading countries are indecisive and divided over China. As the world scratches their heads over the right approach, Vietnam's decisiveness is like a breath of fresh air.

Also read: World leaders look for ways to hold China accountable for spread of coronavirus

Last year, the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam had hosted a conference on the South China Sea. Vietnam's deputy foreign minister had raised the issue of an international case for the first time in nearly five years.

Since then, Vietnam has got more firm with China. Recently, China had announced a fishing ban in the South China Sea until August. However, Vietnam has rejected that decision, calling China's order "unilateral".

Indonesia is standing up to China too. After three Indonesian sailors died in the Pacific, Indonesia summoned the Chinese ambassador. This came after the reports that they were mistreated and exploited, apparently by the Chinese.

Taiwan, considered as a breakaway province by China, has repeatedly called out Beijing over its botched up response to the pandemic.

The coronavirus outbreak has exposed the lack of leadership on the world stage. China is trying to coerce its way to the centre of the world order. When the G20 Summit happened, world leaders had a chance to call out China, but they didn't.

The world needs to closely look at Vietnam, Indonesia and Taiwan, they have decided not to bow to theeconomic pressures.

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How smaller neighbours of China are taking on the dragon - WION

Tips, links and suggestions: what are you reading this week? – The Guardian

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Welcome to this weeks blogpost. Heres our roundup of your comments and photos from the last week.

First, Hilary Mantels The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher has provided welcome distraction for MaggieMaggieB:

I was finding it difficult to concentrate on a book as I was worrying about my son and daughter and missing my grandsons so I thought that I would try short stories. They were just what was needed. I found them easy to read and the title story turned out to be surprisingly cosy. The other tales were very varied and well observed, ranging from an account of two bored childrens antics during a hot summer to a vampire story!

Elmore Leonards 52 Pickup has been ideal lockdown reading for RickLondon:

This week I read an early Elmore Leonard, 52 Pickup; and if his absolute mastery of plotting was not totally refined by this point, his brilliant dialogue and characterisation was much in evidence. A perfect lockdown read. Its been a while Elmore, but Im not going to wait so long for the next fix.

Alice Munro has been keeping lonelybloomer going:

I have also taken to reading an Munro story every morning and I went through a couple of her collections this way. Very enjoyable (I love Munro!).

Peter Robinsons short story anthology Not Safe After Dark has provoked a powerful reaction from PatLux:

One of the stories, Memory Lane, had a strong effect on me. Its setting is a care home and it was ironic to read it as Brexitland went all nostalgic about VE day at the same time as allowing so many elderly people to needlessly die alone in care homes. In a 12-page story much to reflect on about our current times and about the lives and experiences of war heroes. Art and life, life and art.

Wild Women is a fine collection of tales by female travellers, put together by Mariella Frostrup, says laidbackviews:

She brings us selected highlights from 50 authors, taking us to all parts of the globe and using pretty much every means of transport. Theres some old favourites in there, and some new ones to discover. I find myself making lists, starting with a short one of writers that could have been there; and ending up with another of writers of whom Id like to read more. On the former Id have Elly Beinhorn and Annemarie Schwarzenbach from the golden age, and Anna Badkhen and Kate Harris from the here and now. But it is the deliciously named Aloha Wanderwell who heads the second list, having enticed me in and left me keen to see if she lived up to her destiny.

James Baldwins If Beale Street Could Talk has remained with booklooker for a long time:

What is the magic phrase again? You are too young for this book! from my (much older) sister who was fencing off my query what it was about. So this is how I came to read James Baldwins If Beale Street Could Talk at 12 (ish): stealing it from its place on the shelf at opportune moments. I suppose I was too young for the book, as with many others that were all the more attractive for being forbidden ... Please do tell me I am not the only one who sneaked reads from an early age! Both love story and police brutality impressed me very much at the time. I also remember very vivid descriptions of what racism feels like on the body - and how you can be forced to view yourself as others do, momentarily.

Ive finished The Mystery Of A Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume, says SydneyH:

A nineteenth century sensation novel, in which a man is murdered in the back of the titular vehicle. The text is justifiably best known for the astonishing number of copies sold, though it is also noted as an early work of detective fiction and Australian literature. I think it is also an inspiration for people considering self-publishing. Im particularly pleased to discover that a parody was written titled The Mystery of a Wheelbarrow.

I can really recommend English Monsters by James Scudamore, says bindithecat:

I picked it up knowing nothing about the book or its author and was immediately engrossed as soon as I had started. To begin with its about a 10 year old boy living on a ramshackle farm in the English countryside with his eccentric grandparents while his parents are expats in Mexico. At the age of 11 or 12 he is sent away to a local boarding school where the usual sadistic masters rule. He falls in with a group of friends and they more or less support each other and keep in touch into adulthood Although the subject matter may sound depressing, it is a surprisingly funny book, especially the bits about the boys grandfather.

Finally, tiojo compares two masterpieces, Graham Greenes The Heart Of The Matter and Joseph Conrads Lord Jim:

In both books the main character faces a moral dilemma and in both the author has chosen an exotic colonial location in which the dilemma plays out. Also in both, the authors have managed to gain the readers sympathy for their flawed heroes and their moral struggles. Both of them cloak their exploration of morals in a more expansive tale - Conrad with his adventures on the high seas, Greene a more subtle story of wartime colonial intrigue. And for both they draw on their own personal experience Conrad as a seaman, Greene from his time spent in west Africa as a young man. In some ways they might be seen as giving hope to the aspiring writer. The moral dilemmas they explore are ones that are faced by many people in their everyday experience. They are using their own life experience to put them into a setting in which the tale can be told. But both of them are master craftsmen. Both writers of high quality.

High quality, indeed.

If youre on Instagram, now you can share your reads with us: simply tag your posts with the hashtag #GuardianBooks, and well include a selection in this blog. Happy reading!

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Tips, links and suggestions: what are you reading this week? - The Guardian

Is Call Of The Sea Coming To PS5? – PlayStation Universe

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Is Call of the Sea coming to PS5? Developed by indie studio Out of the Blue and published by Raw Fury, this sumptuous-looking Lovecraftian-inspired adventure game is coming to the Xbox Series X, as announced during Inside Xbox 2020.

Admittedly Im a little jealous, as it looks fantastic. But is a Call of The Sea PS5 release on the cards, too? Lets have a look!

As is the case with a few of the titles announced during Microsofts event, there hasnt been any confirmation of a Call of the Sea PS5 release yet. Officially, the game is coming to PC, Xbox Series X, and Xbox One in late 2020, with no word about a version for Sonys current or next-gen system.

We will update this article as soon as we hear more info.

Described as an otherworldly first-person adventure game, Call of the Sea takes place during the 1930s in the isolated reaches of the Pacific Ocean. Players control a woman named Norah, who has embarked on a journey across the high seas to search for her missing husband.

Read the blurb for more info:

Having landed on a nameless, strange island paradise that was his last known location, your search will lead you to the discovery of remnants of a lost civilisation as you try to unlock puzzles and secrets that will reveal clues to the fate of your husbands ill-fated expedition. But in the course of your search you soon come to realise that not everything on the island is as it seems

An otherworldly tale of mystery and self-discovery, Call of the Sea is a love letter to the adventure game genre that follows one womans desperate journey a journey driven by love and longing. What strange secrets of the past does the island hold, and what might she unearth in her quest for the truth?

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Is Call Of The Sea Coming To PS5? - PlayStation Universe

Shore Lore: Tales of the night patrol – News – Wicked Local Brewster

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The night patrols of the U.S. Lifesaving Service and Coast Guard were among the most dangerous jobs that a Cape Codder could have, but it also wasnt without its share of what longtime surfman Yngve Rongner referred to as surprising tales.

Fear not, I will not speak of some, he recalled for the Eastham Historical Society many years ago, but Rongner and his colleagues had their share of wild stories from the dark side of the shore.

The surf patrols often went three or four miles in one direction in darkness, so coming upon another living creature on the beach could be startling. One night, on Rongners return trip to the station, it was quite a surprise when two large paws landed on my shoulders!

Who was scared the worst I do not know, but I gave out of those scare yells while reaching for a my cap that seemed to go sky-high, he said. To my amazement, it was only a friendly great dane belonging to one of our neighbors.

On another occasion, Rongner fell into a dead whale carcass that had washed ashore. Boy, what an aroma! You could smell me for miles! I couldnt go indoors until I stripped down and took a bath.

Rongners friend, Henry Beston, author of the book, The Outermost House, told of a service story about a surfman walking the beach in a windstorm, when he heard behind him a strange and uncanny moan. The surfman turned, and saw coming toward him a great, dark, bounding thing which moaned as it ran. The surfman sprinted away, but the thing followed, gaining every instant and sounding its ghostly cry. The surfmen fell, and yelled out, If ye want me, come and get me! It turned out to be an enormous empty cask, which kept rolling down the beach. The strange and uncanny moan came from the barrels opening.

The weather could also be a source of adventure. One night while on patrol for the Cahoon Hollow station in Wellfleet during a heavy snowstorm, Rongner wasnt able to get on the beach due to high seas hitting the base of the cliff. This led him to take the overland route on his south patrol, but even with the wind at his back, it took two and a half hours, the usual time for a routine patrol, just to get to the halfway house and that was with the wind at his back.

The return trip was the heartbreaker, as I had to face the storm, wind, and sand, Rongner said. I covered more than nine miles that night, as I could not walk too close to the edge of the hills where sand blowing over the edge would cut me to pieces. I kept inland as much as possible, going to the edge every so often to observe what I could in the driving snow and sand. I spent about eight hours making that patrol.

The night patrol wasnt easy on some of the surfmen, such as Nausets Effin Chalke, who served for three years alongside Rongner during the 1920s. Chalkes widow, Helen, recalled in 2009 that it was probably the perils of those nocturnal jaunts that prompted him to seek employment elsewhere.

Others, though, made a career of facing the mysteries of the dark shoreline.

Yet the men make nothing of it and scarcely ever talk about it, Beston wrote. They simply take their black oilskins and rubber boots from a locker, get into them by lantern light, and go.

Don Wilding, a writer, tour guide, and public speaker on Cape Cod lore, can be reached via email at donwilding@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at @WildingsCapeCod and on Facebook at @donwildingscapecod. Shore Lore appears weekly.

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The Disgraced Offices of Joseph Muscat – The Shift News

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Europe Day came and went with a quiet whimper this year as festivities commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Schumann Declaration had to be held in the circumstances that are, for the time being, the new normal.

The border town where I live staged a masked protest complaining that the shut borders on the German side go against the very spirit of the European Union. As our Mayor said, this should not be a region of borders but a Greater Region of collaboration.

The 1950 Schumann declaration emphasised a Europe built on solidarity out of mutual interest: there could only be one way for Europeans to work together and that was for them to understand that working together was in the interest of each and every one of them. The reason for the Union is the betterment of the parts through the whole e pluribus unum.

The motto is officially that of the United States (and Benfica FC) yet it expresses the spirit that underlies much of the European construct. It is also the spirit that is being touted for life after the pandemic.

The lessons to be learnt from the problems gripping the continent right now include this increasingly important realisation of the interconnectivity in our daily lives and, consequently, of the benefits of coordinating our approaches.

This imperative of collaboration permeates every single member of the Union from the smallest to the largest. Take Germany, for example, the industrious heart of the European economy has come under fire from both within and outside its borders due to recent decisions it has taken on several issues both economic and social. Just like the rest of the Member States, the Federal Republic is still learning that you cannot run with the foxes and hunt with the hounds.

Angela Merkel is often expected to lead the EU by example. Critics of the EU and its actions often prefer to target Merkel in lieu of the Union as a whole. One such critic was a disgraced officer of our Republic, Maltas ambassador to Finland who, in a post inspired by the migrant saga, thought well of comparing Merkel to Adolf Hitler.

Zammit Tabona is one of the legions of appointed persons who disgrace the offices of our Republic. Was, I should say, because he was summarily dismissed from his position by our Foreign Minister.

Yet. Yet. The Foreign Minister is another of the disgraceful officers of our Republic. His daily rabble-rousing posts on Facebook are a testimony to yet another politician intent on undermining Maltas role in the EU.

The migrant saga remains intricately intertwined with the situation in Libya a situation where Malta seems to be prepared to take sides with Recep Tayyip Erdogans Turkey and against the EU and its programmes.

Bartolos daily pleas for help for tiny Malta occur in parallel to a cynical, ruthless policy undertaken by his own government. It includes withdrawing from the EUs Operation Irini, hiring pleasure boats from his disgraceful ambassadors Captain Morgan company (for reportedly 10,000 daily payable from EU funds), using these boats to keep migrants at the mercy of the high seas to use as barter, and using disgraced government non-official Gafa to perform illegal pushbacks.

Bartolo wants EU solidarity but the wheelings and dealings of the government of the nation from which one of the major arms dealers in Libya hails portray a vastly different picture.

Not all is dark and dreary in Malta. Health Minister Chris Fearnes department moves from accolade to accolade at least insofar as dealing with the pandemic. We still have the leftover from the previous disgraced Cabinets machinations to deal with though and this includes the shady deals in the health sector.

Abela inherited most of the disgraced officers from the previous administration and this week he welcomed back the chief disgraced officer of them all, who had the audacity to come up with post-COVID scenarios for Malta.

In normal countries, Muscat would still be in search of an appropriate place to hide his face but the only normality here is the one Abela wants to impose. It has long become apparent that normality means the return of the disgraced officers to their workplaces.

Why the nation should care what Muscat thinks should happen after the pandemic is over is beyond me. This is the Muscat under whose beat, the most disgraced and unfit officer of all, Konrad Mizzi, set up an international car boot sale selling off Maltas prime assets.

Not one week passes by without a dealing of Mizzis surfacing in the scandal section. The excuse for a man is hiding away behind a doctors certificate while the nation is still paying for the consequences of his actions, which were sanctioned by Muscat every step of the way.

That is why the Disgraced Office of Joseph Muscat should only be publishing one document: an apology to the nation.

It doesnt stop there. The disgraced ministers of the Republic have recently admitted to paying for their propaganda on social media using the peoples money. Meanwhile, appointees from the circle of close friends, do not cease to shock the nation with their actions.

If you thought Zammit Tabonas actions were vile then remember Yorgen Fenechs latest lawyer recruit, straight from the prosecutors office.

Abelas new normal is not new at all. It is the same disgraceful normal that Muscat and his disgraced team had prepared for Malta since being elected and promising the best of times.

Little wonder that distractions such as migrant issues are pounced upon with such urgency. We get to look at the jingoistic, cynical anti-EU tirades in the name of patriotism while our nation rots, led into oblivion by the disgraced officers of Josephs Republic.

Follow Jacques blog Jaccuse.

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Stranded Deep: How to Build a Raft | Screen Rant – Screen Rant

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Stranded Deep gives players many things to help them survive and explore the world. This guide will show players how to build their own raft.

One of the most interesting aspects of Stranded Deep is navigating the ocean and exploring shipwrecks and other islands. In theory, players can do this with the basic inflatable raft that they are provided with at the beginning of the game. This raft is extremely slow when it comes to exploring though, and if players encounter some of the game's more terrifying sea creatures they will find themselves capsized and killed very quickly.

Related: Rust: How to Utilize Electricity in Your Base

The best way to explore the world in Stranded Deep is for the player to build their own raft out of the materials found around them. Raft building isn't something that is explained very well in-game, but will be integral to progressing through the world. This guide will help players understand the basics of building their own raft and what materials they should prioritize.

All of the components of raft building will be found within the crafting menu. Players will need to select the Raft Base aspect first, which will enable their raft to float. There are actually multiple types of materials that can be used to craft a base. Players will be able to make a base out of sticks, buoy balls, tires, and even barrels that are found. Each of these items just needs to be lashed together in order to create a small floating section.

Currently, the most durable base that players can craft is the barrel base. Players will just need to track down three barrels and use one lashing to form them together. This base will hold up to a lot more damage from enemies than any other material in the game. Players will usually find barrels tied up in shipwrecks, they just need to be cut out and dragged back to the player's home island.

The next step to raft building is for players to construct a floor to stand on. Players will just need to select the floor component from the crafting menu before finding the materials necessary to craft it. Like the base, there are actually several types of floors that can be made, with some being better than others. Floors can be made out of sticks, planks, corrugated steel, or clay bricks. Once a floor is created players will just need to drag it to the base and attach it with a hammer.

Steel or bricks are by far the best options for creating a floor in Stranded Deep, but neither are particularly easy to acquire. Steel must be found washed up on shore or within shipwrecks and are not particularly common in the world. Bricks can be crafted, but it will take players a long time to get to that point. They will need to craft both a brick station and a furnace before finding clay to craft into bricks.

There are two different ways to propel the raft in Stranded Deep, and players can combine both of these methods for a highly efficient raft. The slower but easier option is to craft a sail. Sails can be easily crafted by two sticks, a cloth, and some lashing. From there players just need to attach the sail to their raft and use wind energy to propel their raft across the seas.

The other method of propulsion may be a little more difficult for players to acquire, especially if they haven't spent a lot of time exploring the world around them. Stranded Deep actually allows players to craft a boat motor that is much faster than the sail. Players will need duct tape, one engine part, a fuel part, a filter part, and an electrical part in order to craft the motor. Obviously these pieces aren't naturally occurring, so they must be found on shipwrecks. On top of this players will also have to find gasoline to power the motor as well.

Players may think that with everything they have done that their raft is perfectly capable of exploring the high seas, but they may ruin all of their hard work if they don't invest in an anchor and rudder. Both items are extremely important to piloting a raft, and there is no reason to not own them considering they are relatively easy to build.

The rudder will be used to steer the boat in different directions. It's fairly worthless to have a speeding raft that can't be controlled. The rudder can be constructed by using a lashing, a cloth, and two sticks. Once this is attached to the raft, players will have full control of where they go. Additionally, players will be in for a bad time if their raft floats away while they aren't paying attention. This is why it is integral to attach a boat anchor to the raft to ensure that their creation stays in one place. The anchor just needs six rocks, a stick, and four lashings.

1. Players will need at least one base, floor, and propulsion system if they want their raft to work effectively.

2. Players can actually construct larger rafts by hammering together several bases and floors together.

3. Beware the more aggressive sea creatures, as they will attempt to capsize or damage the player's raft. Even larger and more durable rafts can be destroyed or knocked over by great whites or sea monsters.

4. Portions of a raft can be removed by using the axe. That portion of the raft will be destroyed and players will not receive their materials back.

5. Players can add crater to their rafts in order to allow the storage of resources, food, and water for long journeys.

Next: Rust: Farming 2.0 Basics (New April 2020 Update)

Stranded Deep can be played on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Museum Entrances (Design Tips & Tricks)

Cody Peterson is an avid reader and writer. Graduated from Midwestern State University with a BA in English where he worked as an editor for the University literary journal. Currently a freelancer for Screenrant, where he writes about video games. When he isn't writing he usually spends his time playing video games or editing the podcast he runs with his best friend.

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Botanical gardens, gym or commune among ideas for a refurbished Celandine Hall in Ramsgate – The Isle of Thanet News

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Celandine Hall in Harbour Street (image google maps)

A botanical garden, florist and caf or virtual reality gaming, gym and restaurant are among the suggestions for uses of a refurbished Celandine Hall in Ramsgate.

The building, in Harbour Street, has been empty for a number of years and has suffered deterioration but owners, Moxie Management Ltd, have this month been granted [permission by Thanet council for refurbishment and alterations at the site.

Following renovations the aim is to lease the building.

In a planning document from TaylorHare Architects permission was sought for works including the installation of an awning on the front, replacement windows, internal alterations to include removal of ground floor flooring, installation of two new staircases following removal of existing stairs and the removal of walls for the creation of a plant room plus additional toilets and a shower room.

The document says: In addition to altering the building to make it fit for future occupation, the existing fabric also needs repairing and arresting to prevent rapid deterioration. Long term economic resilience and occupation is key to the upkeep, maintenance and survival of the historic fabric. The purpose of this application is to configure a building shell and core for fitout by future occupants.

The proposed shop front is to be redecorated (colour to be confirmed) along with two additions in the form of a new awning and sign. High street regeneration strategy research concluded that making a visual presence on the high street in combination with encouraging occupant use of the pavement was key, therefore the introduction of a new awning and sign are central to this.

The backlit sign is a reinstatement but instead of Cafe will read Open as a symbol of high street regeneration. New interventions within the building are for the most part new staircases

It is judged the proposed scheme seeks to be respectful to the existing building, whilst contributing to the regeneration of Harbour Street, Ramsgate. The proposed scheme delivers the following: Identifies and retains significant building fabric features as evidence of the buildings rich history Acknowledges the opportunities and constraints the site and listed building present

Proposes improvements to vertical circulation, WC provision and flexible services for future occupants.

The building, at 29-31 Harbour Street, is thought to have been a toy shop in the first half of the 1800s.

It then evolved into a drapers and gentlemans outfitters in the late 1800s before being annexed by the growth of the Hyland, Lewis and Linon department store.

During this era the building undertook significant alterations. The rear of the building was reconfigured and modern services installed. Sometime after 1929 the shop front was unified and remains as found today. The property is Grade II Listed.

Suggestions in a design document also include using the building as a gallery/museum, cafe and shop; an educational institute, theatre and bar; spa / pools, bar and therapist site or even as a commune, office space and shop.

The document adds: Due to there being a great deal of vacant shop space in Ramsgate, maximising the quantity of space is not a first priority. Instead, the quality of space is important naturally well lit, historically referential and inspiring.

The document suggests historical references should centre around The High Seas, Neoclassical Grandeur and Faux Natural History to align with Ramsgates heritage.

The application was approved on May 5.

1849 29 Harbour Street: Registered to Misses Lyon as a Toy shop

1885 29 Harbour Street: Parcel of land to rear subleased between Edward King Kennard, tailor and outfitter of Ramsgate, John Orrick Kennard and William Kennard, draper of Croydon from Alfred Davis Hodgman, carrier of Ramsgate

1895 29-31 Harbour Street: Registered to E K Kennard, tailor, outfitter and agent to Dr Jaeger

1911 29-31 Harbour Street: Electric lighting and hot water heating system installed. Commissioned by Lewis, Hyland & Linon occupying the full address

1914/15 29-37 Harbour Street: Lewis, Hyland & Linom family drapers & outfitters now registered to full address. Lewis joins the company name.

1929 29-31 Harbour Street: Lewis & Hyland, drapers, fashion specialists & gents outfitters registered to address. Loss of Linon from company name. Shopfront rebranded afterwards, likely to be when the existing single shop front replaced separate 29 & 31 entrances

1950s 29-39 Harbour Street unified. 29-31 yard space no longer shown in map.

Late C20 29-31 Harbour St. separated from 33. Registered Celandine Hall, Indoor Market until its closure in 2014.

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Botanical gardens, gym or commune among ideas for a refurbished Celandine Hall in Ramsgate - The Isle of Thanet News

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Worst Thing About Each Main Character, Ranked – Screen Rant

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In Disney'sPirates of the Caribbeanfranchise, the colorful characters made an era of nautical adventure spring to life with their sword fights, sweeping romances, and bitter rivalries.Over the course of five films about maritime outlaws, the worst sort of behavior was brought out in everyone from posh aristocrats to humble blacksmiths and stuffy redcoats.

RELATED:Pirates Of The Caribbean: 5 Best Rivalries (& 5 That Make No Sense)

The infamous Captain Jack Sparrow managed to double cross just about every person he encountered, friend or foe, while the proper Elizabeth Swann went from detesting pirates to pulling off some pretty big schemes of her own.Every character wanted a piece of that pirate life, but not all of them reaped the spoils. Here is the worst thing about each main character, ranked.

Will Turner was by all accounts a sheltered lad - since making the crossing from England to Port Royal as a small boy, he'd spent his days perfecting his work in the town smithy. He had technical talent with a blade, but as Jack Sparrow demonstrated to him in their first encounter, he lacked spontaneity.

His sheltered life made him gullible; in The Curse of the Black Pearl,he believed Jack would honestly help him find Elizabeth with no ulterior motive.InPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest,he thought he'd help him save his father,and inAt World's End,he believed that Lord Cutler Beckett would actually honor their agreement to do the same.

Bootstrap Bill Turner was never cut out to live an ordinary life. As soon as he could he became a pirate aboard theBlack Pearl,abandoning his young son Will in the process and becoming cursed by Aztec Gold for his troubles.

When he later served aboard theFlying Dutchman, his commitment to piracywas still as strong as ever, pledging 100 years before the mast under Davy Jones. This commitment to a scalawag's life eventually drove him to insanity, and in a fugue state he killed James Norrington.

In Dead Man's Chest,fans learned the Obeah enchantress was the goddess Calypso, imprisoned in human form by the Pirate Lords. She fell in love with Davy Jones and charged him with ferrying the souls of those lost at sea to the netherworld, but she was as capricious as the sea, and not keen to settling down.

RELATED:10 Best Quotes From The Pirates Of The Caribbean Movies

When the fateful day came for the lovers to reunite on land she never appeared, causing him to abandon his post and curse shipwrecked men to serve aboard theFlying Dutchman.InAt World's End,she went back on her word to aid the Pirate Brethren in fighting him, and decided to punish them both instead.

Elizabeth Swann came of age with a life of privilege in Port Royal, but her aristocratic manners didn't preclude her from being two-faced, as fans learned inPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

Not only did she openly pursue flirtations with Jack Sparrow in front of her fiance Will Turner, she used Jack as bait for the Kraken. InAt World's End,she didn't even respect Will enough to tell him her motivations, allowing him to fester with jealousy and resentment.

James Norringtonwas a Commodore in the Royal Navy with a promising career, but he lost his commission and reputation when he failed to bring Jack Sparrow to justice. Looking to regain some of his former glory, he allied himself with Lord Beckett inDead Man's Chest.

His continuous enslavement to duty and putting status above all else cost him his alliance and friendship with Jack Sparrow and Will Turner when he robbed them of Davy Jones' chest, while his dedication to the East India Trading Company made him culpable in the death of Governor Swann, terminating any chance he had with Elizabeth.

The Crown's emissary and head of the East India Trading Company, Lord Cutler Beckett had a dream of monopolizing all trade in the Caribbean andending piracy forever. This was thwartedby Jack Sparrow and the other Pirate Lords who engaged him in an all out war.

RELATED:10 Things That Make No Sense About The Pirates of the Caribbean Movies

His dogged pursuit of Jack not only jeopardized the infamous pirate,but nearly cost the lives of Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, and thousands of their pirate allies. He started the War Against Piracy and had Elizabeth's father killed all in the name of "good business".

Once a human man in love with a sea goddess, her betrayal of his love caused Davy Jones to abandon his duties ferrying souls to the other side and instead plunder shipwrecks for new crewmen.

RELATED:Pirates of the Caribbean: 5 Couples Fans Loved (& 5 They Hated)

His obsession with revenge against Calypso cause him to not only carve out his own heart, but condemn dozens of sailors either to the watery depths, or to serve aboard his ship. When he was feeling particularly angst-ridden, he'd unleash the Kraken to devour ships whole.

One ofthe most famous real pirates who ever sailed the High Seas, Blackbeard commanded theQueen Anne's Revengeand plundered port towns all along the Caribbean in On Stranger Tides. His greed could not be satiated, even when it came to his daughter.

After learning of his impending death by a one-legged man, Blackbeard sought the Fountain of Youth to stall the prophecy. Even though his daughter lay dying beside him, he tried to drink from the cup and steal the young years of the life she had left.

Hector Barbossa was the mutinous first mate of Jack Sparrow aboard the Black Pearl,who left Jack marooned on an island and sailed away with his precious ship. Even after Jack recovered it, at the conclusion ofAt World's End,he managed to make off with it again.

InOn Stranger Tides,he stabbed Jack in the back for a third time, trying to outmaneuver him for the Fountain of Youth, and inDead Men Tell No Tales,he did the same thing again for the Trident of Poseidon.

Though he was arguably one of the best pirates to sail the Seven Seas due to his enigmatic combination of dumb luck and quick-thinking, Jack Sparrow was also one of the most selfish. InThe Curse of the Black Pearlhe used Will Turner's love for Elizabeth to try to get theBlack Pearlfrom his mutinous mate Hector Barbossa.

InDead Man's Chest,he used Will again to try to settle his debt with Davy Jones aboard theFlying Dutchman.InAt World's Endhe again tried to use Will, Elizabeth, the Pirate Brethren, and just about anyone who would believe him to lead Lord Cutler Beckett to Shipwreck Cove and escape the noose.

NEXT:Pirates of the Caribbean: 10 Characters Elizabeth Should Have Been With (Other Than Will)

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Kayleena has been raised on Star Wars and Indiana Jones from the crib. A film buff, she has a Western collection of 250+ titles and counting that she's particularly proud of. When she isn't writing for ScreenRant, CBR, or The Gamer, she's working on her fiction novel, lifting weights, going to synthwave concerts, or cosplaying. With degrees in anthropology and archaeology, she plans to continue pretending to be Lara Croft as long as she can.

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Pirates of the Caribbean: The Worst Thing About Each Main Character, Ranked - Screen Rant

Legislative leaders and the S-word Floridians stayed home before they were told to Mar-a-Lago mess Live sports returns – Politico

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Hello and welcome to Monday.

The daily rundown Between Saturday and Sunday, the number of Florida coronavirus cases increased by 595 (nearly 1.5 percent), to 40,596; hospitalizations went up 78 (nearly 1.1 percent), to 7,171; and deaths rose by 6 (0.3 percent), to 1,721.

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Inching closer We are now about seven weeks away from a new fiscal year and a new state budget and yet its almost out of sight, out of mind for Floridas legislative leaders. Any time it comes up it, those leaders say they may need to do something about the budget, but otherwise they deflect.

Damaged Yet there are signs that Floridas fiscal situation has deteriorated significantly as the coronavirus pandemic eviscerates the states economy. Late last week, it became known that the Agency for Health Care Administration, which oversees Medicaid in Florida, has projected that as much as $1 billion more in state money may be needed in the coming fiscal year a scenario that usually triggers budget cuts.

Draining away Previously, top Republicans would point to Floridas $4 billion reserve. Its important to note that number itself was a projection of how things would look July 1, barring no changes. Between increased spending due to respond to the pandemic and collapsing tax collections that projection is now no longer tethered to reality.

The agenda We get it. There are a lot of reasons to push off talk of a special session. (Numbers are still preliminary, its unknown how long this will last.) Republicans so far have trusted the way for the most part Gov. Ron DeSantis has handled the crisis. But then theres the behind-the-scenes speculation that lawmakers dont want to come back for many reasons, including that they will be confronted with the unemployment mess the administration is still trying to clean up.

All powerful executive? And its true the federal government provided billions of dollars in relief funding that could help plug some gaps. But that requires the Legislature to accept the premise that during an emergency,DeSantis has full authority to appropriate large amounts of money and move it around. Some parts much discussed aid to local election offices, for example require setting aside a matching amount in state money. Will the Legislature also accept that the governor can make large budget cuts without their input? Can he veto spending in the new budget and then reallocate the money elsewhere? This is an emergency and a once-in-a-lifetime situation. No doubt about it. But maybe its time to get a handle on the extent of executive power during a crisis and whether separation of powers is something legislators remain guarded about.

WHERE'S RON? Nothing official announced for Gov. DeSantis.

VOX POPULI How Florida slowed coronavirus: Everyone stayed home before they were told to, by Tampa Bay Times Adam Playford, Kathleen McGrory, Steve Contorno, Caitlin Johnston and Zachary T. Sampson: The analysis indicates that while Floridas politicians debated beach closings and stay-at-home orders, residents took matters into their own hands. By the time each county shut down, there had been large reductions in activity, the cell phone data shows. People in the worst-hit counties were overwhelmingly staying home weeks before DeSantis order went out and even before the much-earlier orders issued by local governments.

ON THE GROUND Coronavirus strains Floridas Gulf Coast counties supply chains for protective gear, by Naples Daily News Ryan Mills: As Floridas COVID-19 cases grow by the hundreds every day, some emergency management departments in the Gulf Coast region are scraping by with just a few days supply of personal protective equipment for front-line workers fighting the deadly virus.

DOES IT START WITH A D? The movement to reopen Florida has been somewhat subdued. Why is that? by Tampa Bay Times Kirby Wilson: But Floridas reopen movement has been a more modest affair compared to those that have disrupted other states. An analysis by the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, a non-profit watchdog of far-right extremists, found that Facebook groups dedicated to reopening Florida have just a fraction of the following of other states groups.

TRACKING DOWN THE VIRUS Undetected: Lack of access to testing among minorities keeps virus alive, by Sun Sentinels Cindy Krischer Goodman and Mario Ariza: Doctors, public health workers, activists, and leaders in South Floridas black and brown minority communities warn of a gap in surveillance in these groups. And as coronavirus spreads from house cleaner to landscaper to grocery clerk, its undetected chains of transmission are like the embers of a forest fire, keeping the outbreak going, and potentially sparking the next wave of infections.

UM, WHAT? Florida oncology network that bilked cancer patients gets $67 million in COVID-19 aid, by Miami Heralds Alex Daugherty and Ben Wieder: A Fort Myers-based oncology network that was Floridas largest recipient of federal coronavirus relief dollars for healthcare facilities admitted last week to participating in a criminal conspiracy that limited treatment options available to cancer patients in order to maximize profits. Florida Cancer Specialists, which employs 250 doctors in 100 facilities across Florida, admitted in federal court on April 30 that it worked with unnamed co-conspirators to limit cancer treatment options for patients, agreeing to pay a $100 million federal fine the largest amount allowed by law along with a $20 million state fine.

THE TOLL "Found unresponsive at home: Grim records recount lonely deaths, by New York Times Patricia Mazzei, Rebecca Halleck and Richard A. Oppel Jr.: A 71-year-old woman with nausea who was sent home from the emergency room, even though a doctor wanted to admit her. A 63-year-old nurse who was self-isolating while she waited for results from her coronavirus test. A 77-year-old man who was prescribed antibiotics by a doctor in another state for his fever and dry cough. All were found unresponsive at home the nurse on the sofa, where she was found by her husband their lives claimed by Covid-19 before they ever had a chance to check into the hospital. The agony of how the coronavirus has killed at least 1,669 Floridians, many of them older, is brief and matter-of-fact in the unadorned language of medical examiners, who summarize death in sometimes less than 200 words.

CLOSED AGAIN Facebook readers react to city of Naples public beach closures, lack of social distancing, by Naples Daily News Michael Braun: Naples City Council is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting at 1 p.m. Monday to discuss access to public city beaches and boat ramps and to evaluate its emergency beach closure order. After the city of Naples shutdown access its public beaches because it determined crowds were not maintaining acceptable social distance, people took to Facebook to weigh in on the decision.

GAETZ V. 60 MINUTES Trump administration cuts funding for coronavirus researcher, jeopardizing possible COVID-19 cure, by 60 Minutes Scott Pelley: Matt Gaetz on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight': 'The NIH gives this $3.7 million grant to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, they then advertise that they need coronavirus researchers. Following that, coronavirus erupts in Wuhan.' There never was a $3.7 million U.S. grant to the Wuhan lab. But, the falsehood spread like a virus, in the White House, and without verification, in the briefing room.That grant was to Peter Daszak's U.S.-based EcoHealth Alliance for disease prevention it does throughout the world. His work was considered so important that, last year, the grant was reauthorized and increased by the Trump administration. Daszak had been spending about $100,000 a year collaborating with the Wuhan lab.

Gaetz's Twitter response: The Wuhan Institute of Virology takes 10 days to notify the world of the sequence of coronavirus and American taxpayers are supposed to keep funding them? After the State Dept said they werent being safe? Looks like @CBSNews is going all China First.

TO COURT South Florida lawsuit accuses China of coronavirus cover-up, fueling loss of lives and jobs, by Miami Heralds Jay Weaver: Worried about her future, Merritt recently decided to join a growing South Florida class-action lawsuit that accuses the Peoples Republic of China of knowing about the danger of the coronavirus in December, covering up its rapid spread by Chinese traveling to other countries through January, and ultimately causing the loss of tens of millions of jobs and the deaths of at least 78,000 Americans a number likely to continue growing for months.

RULES Here are the barbershop, salon rules for reopening in Florida on Monday, by Orlando Sentinels Mark Skoneki: "Barbershops and salons must operate by appointment only and allow 15 minutes between appointments to sanitize their work stations, according to rules released by state officials. Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday added salons and barbershops to those that could reopen under his plan to restart the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic."

ON THE JOB Panama City manufacture keeps workers on job despite COVID-19, by Panama City News Heralds Nathan Cobb: "In the face of layoffs throughout the economy because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a local pipe manufacturer has kept roughly 350 people at work. For Andrew Hicks, vice president of operations for Berg Pipe, its important that his employees continue to provide for their families despite tough economic times."

NEW RULES State issues testing orders for long-term care facilities, by News Service of Floridas Jim Saunders: With more than 700 COVID-19 deaths linked to long-term care facilities, the state Agency for Health Care Administration said Sunday it has issued emergency orders to bolster testing of staff members at nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.

HARDEST HIT Life-or-death cases fall heaviest on Duval County black residents, by Florida Times-Unions David Bauerlein: "As a doctor for more than 30 years running a family medical practice in a predominantly African-American part of the city, Rogers Cain had a deepening sense of unease when the global coronavirus pandemic rolled toward Florida. 'It was a gut feeling that became a fear as that gut feeling was fulfilled,' Cain said. 'One of the old adages we have in our community is when white America gets the cold, black America gets pneumonia.'"

COME SAIL AWAY Cruise lines plan restart, but CDC has not lifted no-sail order, by Palm Beach Daily News Wendy Rhodes: Despite a no-sail order effective through July 24 issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the three largest cruise lines Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean have each announced plans to return to the high seas this summer. Carnival announced plans to set sail on August 1. However, Norwegian said it plans to return July 1, and Royal Caribbean even earlier on June 12 before the no sail order expires.

CHOW TIME Theres plenty of meat, but COVID-19 is beefing up prices, by USA Today Network-Floridas Lindsey Leake: "Chris Prevatt knew something was amiss before most Americans. The volume of beef being exported from the U.S. to East Asia began dwindling in January, the Florida agricultural economist noted. 'Thats when we started seeing damages,' said Prevatt, who works at the Range Cattle Research & Education Center in Ona. 'When South Korea closed restaurants, it dramatically reduced how much product we were able to get into Asia.'"

NOT ON SAME PAGE Plan to reopen Broward could come in a day or two, but theres no consensus on extent or timing, by Sun Sentinels Anthony Man: Its time to start reopening Broward, County Commissioner Michael Udine and state Rep. Chip LaMarca said Sunday, citing progress tamping down the new coronavirus and a need to reignite the economy. Not so fast, said County Commissioners Steve Geller and Nan Rich, who warn that reopening too quickly poses significant public health risks because coronavirus is still prevalent and there arent enough tools to deal with an outbreak.

Miami-Dade emergency order amendment makes it official: the Heat can resume practice, by Miami Heralds David J. Neal and Douglas Hanks

Ron DeSantis to submit plan to Donald Trump for screening South American travelers, by Florida Politics Renzo Downey

Sarasota city and county differ widely on approach to lifting restrictions, by Herald-Tribunes Timothy Fanning

Restaurants, stores and salons prepare to reopen Monday in Palm Beach County, by Sun Sentinels David Fleshler

South Bay prison surge fuels rise in Palm Beach County cases, by Palm Beach Posts Joe Capozzi and Joel Engelhardt

Peak of daily COVID-19 deaths still in Floridas future, model now shows, by Florida Politics Renzo Downey

FALLOUT While revenue falls, Medicaid could cost Florida an extra $1b, health agency warns, by News Service of Floridas Christine Sexton: Floridas economic collapse due to the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to cause ballooning Medicaid enrollment that might blow a $1 billion hole in the state budget, according to new projections by the agency that oversees the healthcare safety net program.

HISTORY LESSON Audits spotted flaws in jobless aid system that went unfixed, by Palm Beach Posts Christine Stapleton: Officials at DEO have known about them for years. The agencys critics now point to four audits by the states Auditor General dating back to 2013 as evidence systemic bureaucratic ineptitude and disregard for the needy. What troubled me is you are seeing the same things, said state Sen. Lori Berman, Democrat representing Boynton Beach. Berman was a member of the state House when CONNECT went online in 2013.

When the dust settles: Governor cant say how long unemployment probe will take, by Florida Politics A.G. Gancarski

VP Val Demings husband Mayor Jerry Demings on possibility shes Bidens VP: Shes my pick, by Orlando Sentinels Stephen Hudak: "If Congresswoman Val Demings is chosen as Democratic presidential candidate Joe Bidens running mate, spouse Jerry Demings said he would not give up his elected post. 'I definitely will stay on as Orange County mayor and would just leverage my relationship on behalf of the residents and taxpayers of Orange County,' he said"

HOME SWEET HOME? Trump made Florida his official residence. He may have also made a legal mess, by Washington Posts Manuel Roig-Franzia: Digging into the catacombs of local records to build an argument against the dock, a small group of loosely aligned preservationists, disgruntled neighbors and attorneys have unearthed documents that they assert call into question the legality of Trumps much-publicized decision late last year to change his official domicile from Manhattan to Mar-a-Lago and to register to vote in Florida using the clubs address.

COUNTER POINT Slow down on reopening Florida, legislators tell governor, by Sun Sentinels Anthony Man: All seven Democratic members of Congress from South Florida, the region of the state thats been by far the most affected by the new coronavirus, are warning Gov. Ron DeSantis that they have grave concerns about the way hes trying to reopen the state.

BY THE NUMBERS The U.S. Treasury Department and IRS reported Friday that 9.16 million Floridians have received economic impact payments that were included in the CARES Act approved by Congress. The payments to Floridians total $15.1 billion so far. Meanwhile, since mid-March the state of Florida has paid 531,702 people a total of $1.21 billion in unemployment benefits. The Department of Economic Opportunity reports that 1.28 million people have filed claims.

WHO GOT THE MONEY Flailing corporations took millions in stimulus funding aimed at small businesses, by Palm Beach Daily News Wendy Rhodes: For example, a Tampa corporation specializing in the treatment of sleep apnea, Advanzeon Solutions, Inc., on April 27 received a $1.2 million loan through the Paycheck Protection Program as part of the federal CARES Act. But financial statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission show the company was losing money long before the coronavirus pandemic.

PREPARING FOR THE WORST South Florida prepares for unique hurricane season, by Sun Sentinels David Fleshler: If Florida experiences the misfortune of a hurricane on top of an epidemic this year, the encounter will be unlike any previous confrontation with the powerful storms. If you lose power, it may take longer to get it back. If your house is damaged, the in-person insurance adjuster could be replaced by a phone app that will allow you to send your insurance company photos of the damage. At shelters, workers will conduct health screenings and temperature checks.

GETTER BETTER Five Mile Swamp Fire: 2,200 acre blaze quiets down over the weekend, structure response pulls out, by Pensacola News Journals Annie Blanks: Firefighters got a better handle on the massive Five Mile Swamp Fire over the weekend, keeping the 2,200-plus acre blaze at 65% contained and residential neighborhoods out of its path.

Human-caused fire in Big Cypress National Preserve nears 30,000 acres, closes U.S. 41, by Naples Daily News Michael Braun

BACK IN THE ARENA President Trump praises return of UFC: We want our sports back, by Associated Press: The mixed martial arts behemoth is holding three shows in eight days in Jacksonville, where state officials deemed professional sports with a national audience exempt from a stay-at-home order as long as the location is closed to the general public. The UFC came up with a 25-page document to address health and safety protocols, procedures that led to Jacar Souza testing positive for COVID-19 on Friday. His middleweight bout against Uriah Hall was canceled late Friday. Souzas two cornermen also tested positive, the UFC said in a statement.

FCCI Insurance CEO arrested for alleged battery on officer, other charges, by Sarasota Observers Mark Gordon: Craig Johnson, chairman, CEO and president of FCCI Insurance Group, one of the Sarasota-Manatee regions largest employers, has been arrested for allegedly resisting arrest and battery on a police officer. Johnson, authorities say, was both physically and verbally abusive to officers after a disagreement at a restaurant, and said officers would pay because of his friendship with the Sarasota sheriff. Johnson, in a May 8 statement emailed to the Business Observer, sister publication of the Sarasota Observer, denies the allegations.Johnson continued to rant, the Sarasota Police affidavit states, and stated to officers, Im going to knock you out and that officers were responding like they were going to a black neighborhood.

BIRTHDAYS: (Was Sunday) Former U.S. Ambassador Mel Sembler Stephen M. Ross, principal owner of the Miami Dolphins Ryan Wiggins, owner and chief strategist for Full Contact Strategies Herald-Tribunes Zac Anderson Associated Press Bobby Caina Calvan (Was Saturday) Bill Herrle, NFIB executive director in Florida.

Want to make an impact? POLITICO Florida has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Sunshine State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause youre promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: [emailprotected].

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Legislative leaders and the S-word Floridians stayed home before they were told to Mar-a-Lago mess Live sports returns - Politico

Modis goal of making India Vishwaguru wont transform lives of Indians: Shivshankar Menon – ThePrint

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India finds itself in an increasingly dangerous world, one that is fragmenting and slowing down economically. It is a world in transition, one in which Indias adversaries state or non-state, or both as in Pakistans case are becoming increasingly powerful. If the external world is becoming more unpredictable and uncertain, so are internal politics and security in most of the powers. These are challenges that traditional institutions and state structures are not well-equipped to handle, mitigate, or solve.

In this changing world, what are some of the basic and long-term drivers of Indias foreign policy which determine the overarching goal? What is Indias strategy to achieve those goals? What should India be doing?

Also read: Modi reviving NAM wont be enough in post-Covid world. India must reconsider joining RCEP

The task of Indias foreign policy is to protect and secure Indias integrity, citizens, values and assets, and to enable the development and transformation of India into a modern nation in which every Indian can achieve his or her full potential. The task of foreign policy professionals is to enable the transformation of India and to create an environment for that transformation.

Some in India think that this is too defensive a goal, that it should make it clear that it wishes to be a great power or a superpower. Frankly, being a great power will follow, not precede, Indias success in building a strong, prosperous, and modern India. And there is not much point being a great power with miserable people. India has a long way to go, despite all that it has achieved since independence.

This task does not limit Indias calculus to its own territory but also demands that it has an active engagement with the world. It determines what sort of engagement India seeks. It excludes ideas such as exporting democracy, protecting the ideological frontiers of India, creating global public goods, seeking status, seeking revenge, undoing Partition, and other such pursuits, except if they contribute to the security of Indias citizens and assets and to Indias development and transformation.

Indias goal therefore is sufficient security, not absolute security. Why? Because absolute security for any one state in the system would mean absolute insecurity for all the other states. By this criterion, with a few exceptions, Indias leadership has successfully managed to provide their country with sufficient security to enable it to change and grow faster after independence than ever before in its long history.

Also read: Covid-19 different from Tiananmen, China wont be able to tide over crisis: Ex-NSA Menon

All rising powers in history have chosen to keep their head down while building their own strength, rather than inviting resistance to their rise to great power status by proclaiming their power and its uses. Those that followed the path of flaunting their ambition and their growing power too early, like Wilhelmine Germany and Japan in the 1930s, were frustrated in their rise and paid a heavy price.

No matter how powerful, a rising power needs to set up a hierarchy of tasks and work with others. No state can handle or achieve everything that it wishes to simultaneously and alone. Indias tasks should be prioritised on the basis of how situations and actions affect Indias ability to transform. Those that most affect the transformation of India are the most important.

We are living in a time when there is a deep sense of strategic confusion, not just in India but in some of the most powerful states in the world. In Indias case, that confusion extends not just as to the ultimate goal Indias foreign policy should pursue, but also to the best means to achieve them. Indians seem to mistake controlling the narrative with creating outcomes, which is the real task of foreign and security policy. Prime Minister Modi has declared a goal of India to be a Vishwaguru, or world teacher, which is still a long way away when it is an importer of knowledge and technology. Nor is it clear that this status will actually contribute to transforming the lives of Indias citizens, though it might satisfy the ego. Besides, this is also a time of fundamental phase transformation in the international system due to the effects of technology.

While the world around India has changed in fundamental ways, it is still doing what was good some years ago. It may be frittering its energies away on status and prestige goals rather than Indias hard interests. In other words, India has not adjusted its policies to the new realities.

Also read: Global outreach, internal motivation: The crux of PM Modis Buddha Purnima speech

It is important for India to remain optimistic. It has a moment of double opportunity if it changes its ways and stops wasting time on peripheral issues. Tactically, China-US contention which is structural and therefore likely to continue for some time with a paradigm shift away from cooperation to increasing contention, despite temporary deals and victories declared by one or both opens up opportunities and space for other powers. Both China and the United States will look to put other conflicts and tensions on the back burner while they deal with their primary concern, the other. This effect is already perceptible in the Wuhan meeting between Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi in early 2018, and the apparent truce and dialing back of rhetoric by both India and China, even though this does not extend to a new strategic framework or understanding or to a settlement of outstanding issues.

Strategically speaking, there is again an opportunity for Indias transformation. Despite dim prospects for the global economy as a whole, the United Nations forecasts that if China grows at 3%, India at 4% and the US at 1.5%, by 2050 Chinas per capita GDP would be 42% of U.S. levels, and Indias at 26%, where China is now. China would be the worlds largest economy (in PPP terms), India the second, and the U.S. the third. By that time, both China and India will be overwhelmingly urban societies.

Also read: Modi slams Pakistan at NAM meet, says some countries busy spreading other deadly viruses

Of course, history, like life, is not a linear extrapolation from the past. But given the recent record of India growing at near 7% for over 30 years and China at around 10% for the same period, the lower estimates suggested by the U.N. appear a reasonable guess. Both India and China have much the same ratio of trade to GDP, show a hesitation in wholeheartedly embracing the private sector, display widening income inequality and distribution failures, and show limited state capacity, particularly in health and education. But rapid growth has given them the means and access to technologies to deal with these problems, if they can manage rising geopolitical risk and avoid costly entanglements abroad.

Indias expectations of the state and of the world are much higher than they ever were. And this is so at a time when the world itself is much more uncertain than it ever has been since World War II politically, economically, and in terms of the pace of change in technology and lifestyles.

As a result of seventy years of development, by most metrics of power, India has improved her relative position vis--vis every other country except China. This is particularly true since reforms began in 1991. And yet, today India is more dependent on the outside world than ever before. It relies on the world for energy, technology, essential goods like fertiliser and coal, commodities, access to markets, and capital.

Consequently, India cannot think of securing itself without considering energy security, food security, and other issues that can derail Indias quest to transform India, such as climate change and cyber security. It also cannot think of securing India without trying to shape the external environment along with its partners. When you add the new security agenda and the contested global commons in outer and cyber space and the high seas, to Indias traditional state-centred security concerns such as claims on Indias territory, nuclear proliferation, state-sponsored cross-border terrorism, etc., you can see why there is greater worry or a sense of insecurity.

Also read: Modi gained popularity in Covid, but real test comes later. Dont judge a leader in crisis

India risks missing the bus to becoming a developed country if it continues business and politics as usual, or tries to imitate Chinas experience in the last forty years, does not adapt, and does not manage its internal social and political churn better. Avoiding war and attaining ones goals is the highest form of strategy by any tradition or book whether Kautilya, Sun Tzu or Machiavelli. And if Indias record over seventy years of independence is to be examined, it has not done badly in moving towards its main goal of transforming India.

That requires the national security calculus to consider broader questions from technology issues, like atomic energy and cyber security, to resource issues like energy security, while building the strength to deal with traditional hard security issues. India has weathered several storms and performed its basic functions in the past. But it is certain that what it will face now will not be more of the same. The last and most important improvement that India needs to make concerns its national security structures and their work introducing flexibility into Indias thinking and Indias structures. For change is the only certainty in life.

Ultimately what should guide India is the quest to make itself a great power with a difference, namely, in a way which enables it to achieve Mahatma Gandhis dream of wiping the tear from the eye of every Indian. That would be in keeping with Indias core values and national interest. That is the right objective for a great country like India.

Shivshankar Menon is a Distinguished Fellow at Brookings India. Menon served as the National Security Advisor to the Indian Prime Minister from January 2010 to May 2014. Views are personal.

The article has been extracted from a report titled Indias Foreign Affairs Strategy, first published on the Brookings India website.

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Modis goal of making India Vishwaguru wont transform lives of Indians: Shivshankar Menon - ThePrint

Captain Tom Moore receives Freedom award during City of London’s first ‘virtual’ ceremony – FE News

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The first ever Freedom of the City of London ceremony to be conducted virtually will take place on Tuesday (12 May) at 10.30am for Captain Tom Moore, the 100-year-old Second World War veteran who raised nearly 33 million for the NHS.

The ceremony, which is usually held at Guildhall for invited guests only, will be conducted via Microsoft Teams and streamed live on the City of London Corporations YouTube channel - http://www.youtube.com/cityoflondonvideos

One of the City of Londons ancient traditions, the Freedom is believed to have begun in 1237 and enabled recipients, who were also required to join a Livery company, to carry out their trade.

Captain Moore has been granted the Freedom of the City of London by Special Nomination by William Russell, Lord Mayor of the City of London, and Catherine McGuinness, Policy Chair at the City of London Corporation, in recognition of his outstanding charitable work.

Launched on 6 April, his initiative, Toms 100th Birthday Walk for the NHS, involved completing 100 laps of his garden to raise 1,000 for NHS Charities Together, which supports staff and volunteers caring for COVID-19 patients.

The target was reached on 10 April and after gaining widespread media attention, the amount on Captain Moores JustGiving fundraising page climbed dramatically every day, closing at 32,796,405 on his birthday on 30 April.

Captain Tom Moore said:

I am deeply honoured to be granted the Freedom of the City of London.

I remain humbled by the love and gratitude that I have received from the British public, and this honour is something that I will truly value for the rest of my life.

Lord Mayor William Russell said:

My colleagues and I were touched greatly by Captain Moores inspirational efforts to support the NHS and impressed by his remarkable achievement, his commitment to this cause, and the sheer generosity of his supporters.

Captain Moore is a credit to this country, and we are absolutely delighted that he accepted our invitation to receive the Freedom of the City of London.

Catherine McGuinness, Policy Chair at the City of London Corporation, said:

I am very happy to send my warmest congratulations to Captain Moore on his admission to the Freedom, which we are, quite literally, making a virtual reality.

The staggering amount of money that he has raised for NHS charities will support their difficult and vital work in these challenging times.

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Dr Peter Kane, Chamberlain of London, said:

It will be my privilege to conduct Captain Tom Moores ceremony, mindful that this extraordinary gentleman will now be making headlines in the City of London for taking part in our first virtual ceremony.

As well as being nominated for, or applying for, the Freedom, it is also offered by the City of London Corporation to people as a way of paying tribute to their outstanding contribution to London or public life or in this instance, to celebrate a very significant achievement.

Among the many birthday tributes paid to him, Captain Moore was awarded the title of honorary colonel by Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, Chief of the General Staff; given an RAF flypast; and sent a personalised birthday card by HM the Queen. Captain Moore was also invited to open - via video link - the NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber, previously, Harrogate Convention Centre.

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Captain Tom Moore receives Freedom award during City of London's first 'virtual' ceremony - FE News

God alone is the source of liberty and freedom – Akron Beacon Journal

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Liberty and freedom are used interchangeably today. I imagine if you asked anyone on the streetwhether a high school history teacher, a teenager, a business executive a doctor or a sanitationworker if there is a difference between liberty and freedom, you would get five differentanswers. Perhaps the reply would be, "they are the same." How do you answer this question? Isthere a difference? We might even hear someone say, "What makes the difference and why doesit matter anyway"?

Patrick Henry was born in 1736 and in 1775 he gave a famous speech where he said, "Give meliberty or give me death! His speech was the ignitor and inspiration for the AmericanRevolution, which resulted in the freedoms you and I enjoy in 2020. Throughout the course ofthe *Revolutionary War, an estimated 6,800 Americans were killed in action, 6,100 wounded,and upwards of 20,000 were taken prisoner. Historians believe that at least an additional17,000 deaths were the result of disease, including about 8,000 to 12,000 who died while prisonersof war (*Battlefields.org)

Most Americans would say they are free to do what they want. This seems to be the definitionmany Americans have for freedom. Rarely do you hear anyone mutter the word, liberty. Todayin particular we have noticed government stepping into our lives in a moments notice and takingaway the very freedoms our ancestors fought for. Man can take freedoms away. But PatrickHenry was referring to that which no man can take away liberty!

Our birth certificate, the Declaration of Independence, lays out for us that the laws of natureand natures God entitle mankind these truths are self-evident and all men are created equalthat they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, among these are life,liberty and the pursuit of happiness governments are to secure these rights instituted amongmen deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

Why didnt Patrick Henry say, "Give me freedom or give me death"? To our founders thedifference was, the source. Freedom comes from man. Liberty comes from God! Rights comefrom God not from man. Today, we believe rights come from man instead of God. Our founderswere willing to die for those Liberties. Today, we do not seem to have the same cultural mindsetof those who wrote our Declaration of Independence. The founders mindset as they built thefoundation to our nation was, God gave rights not man. Their mindset led us to liberty andfreedom but all other mindsets will lead to neither liberty or freedom.

God was willing to give us both, liberty and freedom, through the sacrifice of his Son, ourSavior, Jesus Christ. For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son that whoeverbelieves in Him will not perish but have eternal life. He alone is the source of liberty andfreedom.

The verdict is in; the consequence of sin is death. All of us have had a birthday and now we allhave coming a death day. You and I cannot avoid it. Are you prepared to say, Jesus, give meliberty and give me life? This is what Patrick Henry was trying to say. We need more PatrickHenrys today. May God bless you and may God bless Ashland.

Dan Phillip is president and founder of Transformation Network.

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God alone is the source of liberty and freedom - Akron Beacon Journal

‘Deadly Dictatorship’: How Rodrigo Duterte Has Attacked Freedom of the Media in Latest Closure of Main Broadcaster – The National Interest

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After just four years in power, Rodrigo Duterte, the president of the Philippines, has turned his country into a deadly dictatorship one again. Now the closure of the countrys major mainstream news platform ABS-CBN on May 5 in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic has struck deep historical chords in a country that has heard this sorry song before.

The broadcaster was ordered off air by the countrys media regulator, which said its licence had expired and needed to be renewed by Congress. But Duterte has had an ongoing battle with the independent ABS-CBN and the move was seen as a clear attack on media freedom.

The regime of former Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos also closed the broadcaster down in 1972 when it imposed martial law. Marcoss regime murdered, disappeared and tortured its own people with impunity. Assassinations plagued public life at every level and there were 3,257 officially documented killings.

Now Dutertes death squads put the Marcos years into a chilling context. Some estimate at least 29,000 people have been killed in Dutertes so-called drug war.

The current extent of the alleged genocide is hard to know and will be even harder without ABS-CBN. Investigative journalism and accurate reporting are practically impossible. Journalists are regularly assassinated along with lawyers and human rights workers. Families and society are bereft of justice and accountability. The Philippines has become increasingly perilous for many citizens and an understandable fear of retribution silences many in 2020 despite all the communication tools available.

The timing of the ABS-CBN shutdown could not be worse. Filipinos desperately need their largest broadcaster the oldest in south-east Asia for reliable information about COVID-19. Anti-vaxxer conspiracies around dengue fever and measles vaccinations have caused recent tragic outbreaks of both diseases in the Philippines. And yet Dutertes brand of medical populism has spread misinformation, claiming people can rely on fictional Filipino antibodies to fight COVID-19.

Few checks on power remain

The velocity of Dutertes reign of death and abuse has caught weak institutions and opponents unprepared. His populist electoral victory can in no way excuse the atrocities and yet Dutertes chauvinistic style and cavalier actions still remain politically popular.

His hashtag friendly campaign title Du30 has become a powerful brand if not now a violent and well-connected clan. Du30-ism is undeniably a cultural and political juggernaut that shows very few signs of abating, or being met by an emerging counter-force. Duterte now controls every aspect of public administration and there are no checks and balances to his power. The fourth estate is now severely if not mortally disabled and Du30s power absolute, for now.

Dutertes power over the security forces is based on an old and unsubtle system of patronage normally employed by local clans, mayors and alike. Now that the provincial big boss is resident in the presidential palace in Manila, he has a vast network of people in every institution in the country in his debt. The military has been overtly politicised and, conversely, politics and culture have become increasingly militarised.

Duterte enables both masked assassins on the back of motorbikes, and killers in uniform. Just as with Marcos, it will take decades to repair public trust and legitimacy in the security services.

Big Bossism reigns

Politicisation of supposedly independent judicial and legislative branches of government is all but confirmed with the shutdown of ABS-CBN. Dutertes appointees dominate 11 of the 15 judges on the High Court, which protects him and his cronies from justice. The regime has now begun to target the education sector, robbing the next generations of a more progressive future.

Mandatory military training is being pushed in high schools to further militarise society. University students are being falsely targeted in the drug war and in the fight against communist insurgents using crude divide-and-conquer tactics.

Without a free media, new forms of cultural and political dissent will be needed. So far, social media has been no salvation it was the horse Du30 rode in on and still dominates. His DDS Duterte Diehard Supporters or Davao Death Squads, referring to the city where Duterte was a former mayor patrol online and offline.

At times, it feels little has changed across much of south-east Asia since 1971 when Bruce Lee busted out of Hong Kong to global appeal in his film The Big Boss. The cultural trope of Big Bossism is entrenched through computer games, film and TV across south-east Asia only now the battle is fought with bots and keyboards, not Kung Fu.

Shutting down ABS-CBN is not merely an echo of the Marcos dictatorship it is a continuation of the enduring weaknesses in the Filipino state. Duterte is the most recent incarnation of the Marcos-era Big Boss, wielding the same power in a more potent and deadly fashion. And just as with Duterte, its possible other strongmen or authoritarians could follow.

Tom Smith, Principal Lecturer in International Relations, University of Portsmouth

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Image: Reuters

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'Deadly Dictatorship': How Rodrigo Duterte Has Attacked Freedom of the Media in Latest Closure of Main Broadcaster - The National Interest

Boris Johnson’s roadmap to ease lockdown will start with more freedom to exercise and back-to-work moves from Wednesday – Telegraph.co.uk

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Pupils in reception, year one and year six classes will be the first to go back to school depending on the R rate and the five-stage threat level unveiled by the Government at the weekend.

If the return does not have a detrimental impact, other primary school year groups could return before the Summer holidays.

Secondary school pupils and university students are not going to return before September although ministers propose that children in the crucial first year of GCSE and A-level courses should have one to one meetings with their teachers to discuss their work plans and study needs.

The Association of School and College (ASCL) leaders say vulnerable or priority pupils who are most at risk of not learning at home should be prioritised.

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has joined with other unions in opposing a return unless demands a 'test and trace' system for coronavirus is fully operational for schools and extra funds for deep cleaning and personal protective equipment.

Unions are also seeking flexibility over how they organise the return so that they can have staggered start and finishing times to prevent parents and pupils mixing at the beginning and end of the day.

Road closures are also being considered so parents taking children to and from school can maintain the two metre limit from other families.

Schools will also be expected to introduce strict handwashing regimes on pupils arrival, when returning to class after breaktimes, after sneezing, coughing or wiping nose and to avoid sharing toys, pencils and balls or disinfect after each use. Retailers of non essential goods may also be allowed to reopen in the second phase but it will be conditional on their introducing measures to ensure the two metre social distancing.

This will include measures outside and inside stores, introducing plexiglass screens at tills and limiting numbers both in store and in socially distanced warehousing operations.

The British Retail Consortium has submitted a report to the Government recommending that if non-essential shops reopen, changing rooms should stay closed and in-store seating and services such as advice, personal shopping or nail bars should be limited.

The Prime Minister is expected to announce as part of the second phase that all visitors to Britain will be quarantined in a bid to prevent a second wave of the coronavirus.

Travellers arriving in the UK will be required to fill in a digital form and declare an address where they will then be expected to self-isolate for 14 days.

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Boris Johnson's roadmap to ease lockdown will start with more freedom to exercise and back-to-work moves from Wednesday - Telegraph.co.uk