Ecumenical Gathering with the NCC USA at Annunciation GOC in Bahamas – All Archdiocese News – Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

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February 21, 2020

NASSAU, Bahamas Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in the Bahamas, together with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, hosted Feb. 20, the Executive Committee of the National Council of Churches USA (NCC) as well as local Christian leaders for prayer and fellowship. The gathering followed the sentiments of the late Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, who promoted people of diverse backgrounds simply coming together to get to know one another.

The evening opened with the service of Compline, led by Rev. Irenaeus Cox, followed by a reception wherein the Parish Council President, George Maillis, welcomed the participants and spoke about the Orthodox Christian community in the Bahamas, including their ongoing hurricane relief efforts. John Dorhauer, Chair of the NCC, provided an overview of the mission and vision as well as programmatic work of the organization. Finally, participants spent time discussing ways the various Christian communities in the Bahamas might cooperate on social issues and outreach.

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Ecumenical Gathering with the NCC USA at Annunciation GOC in Bahamas - All Archdiocese News - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Bahamas Estate Once Home to the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson Hits the Market – Mansion Global

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A country estate in Nassau, on the Bahamian island of New Providence, once owned by the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson, hit the market last month for US$8.5 million.

In 1939, the Duke of Windsor relocated to the island with his American socialite wife, Wallis Simpson, for whom he had given up the British throne for three years previously, to start his new role as the governor of the Bahamas the following year, according to listing agent Mark Hussey of Damianos Sotheby's International Realty, the estate agency marketing the home.

On arrival, they spent three months at Sigrist House while Government House, the official residence of Governor of the Bahamas, was renovated, according to Mr. Hussey.

Damianos Sothebys International Realty says the property is managed by historians from Canada but it did not disclose the name of the owner. Mansion Global could not identify the owners.

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Positioned on a ridge outside Nassau, overlooking Cable Beach, Goodmans Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, Sigrist House, which is set on four acres of private grounds and gardens, is one of the finest estates in the Bahamas, said Mr. Hussey, who added that many dignitaries have stayed in the property over the years.

In addition, the property, which was built in the 1930s by British aviation pioneer and movie producer Frederick Sigrist, has James Bond connections. Frederick Sigrist was married to PrincessFredericka BoGuirey, who later married Kevin McClory, known for adapting the literary character of James Bond for cinema and for producing Thunderball in 1965. The West Indies estate has also featured as the backdrop of a number of the Bond films, according to Mr. Hussey.

The Spanish colonial style 15,000-square-foot main residence has original 1930s interiors with open fireplaces and full wood-paneled rooms, giving it a distinctly British feel. Four of its fireplaces were imported from British country homes, and the Honduras white mahogany wall paneling in the great room and office was taken to England for milling and then reassembled in Nassau, according to the propertys sales brochure.

From Penta: Worldwise: L.A. Chef Walter Manzkes Favorite Things

Rooms have 12-foot ceilings and flow out onto terraces and a loggia with arched openings, allowing for indoor-outdoor living. In the grounds, there are lush flowering tropical gardens with fruit and coconut trees, a pool and hot tub, all with views over the manicured grounds and the Atlantic Ocean beyond.

The property, which comprises a main residence with four bedrooms, two four-bedroom guest houses, a three-bedroom apartment and four acres of private grounds recently went through an extensive restoration. The electrical and plumbing systems have been modernized and brought up to todays standards, the roofs have been replaced, and the historical wood and ironwork has been restored, according to the propertys sales brochure.

The estate sits on the north side of New Providence, just outside Nassau, the capital city of the Bahamas. Beaches, shopping and other amenities at the Baha Mar Resort and Casino are within short walking distance.

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Bahamas Estate Once Home to the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson Hits the Market - Mansion Global

Sell the Resilient and Alluring Bahamas – TravelPulse

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The beauty of selling The Bahamas is that within this 700-island nation there is always something advisors can find to lure clients to its many shores. If plans need revising, as when nature packs a punch somewhere in the archipelago, it is easy enough to change course and land your clients in a new slice of Bahamian paradise.

Working together with the islands of The Bahamas, which sees increasing numbers of visitors each year, Travel Agent Academy created a Bahamas Specialist training program in which youll learn an effective sales strategy: know the most popular islands by name and tell the stories that distinguish them.

Such emphasis on select individual islands (16 altogether) sets up advisors for success in matching clients including couples, families, friend groups and wedding partiesto properties and experiences, and in responding adeptly to change. For graduates and newcomers alike, its always worth visiting travelagentacademy.com to see why The Bahamas keeps attracting visitors and to learn how best to serve them.

The Best-Known Spots

The course amply covers favorites such as Nassau/Paradise, home to glamorous resorts, casinos, nightlife and Junkanoo parades; and Grand Bahama, with its emphasis on history and relaxed elegance. You will also learn much about treasured Out Islands such as:

Exumas: Known for especially clear waters, swimming pigs, regattas and ultra-exclusive resorts

Eleuthera & Harbour Island: Offering amazing dive sites, pink-sand beaches, pineapple fields and colonial architecture reminiscent of Marthas Vineyard

Bimini: A favorite escape for Ernest Hemingway, boasting big-game fishing as well as lively eateries, nightlife and a casino

Further Afield

For clients seeking to go more off-grid, heres just a sampling of what youll be able to suggest:

Cat Island: Sydney Poitiers boyhood home, secluded Cat Island offers history, unique music, tasty cuisine and miles of pink-sand beach

Ragged Island: A birdwatchers paradise!

Acklins & Crooked Island: A pristine tropical oasis awaits.

Mayaguana: Unspoiled Mayaguana features fly fishing, diving, snorkeling and footprint-free beaches that stretch on and on.

Numbers to Celebrate!

The Bahamas reported a record-breaking 7 million visitors in 2019, continuing a decade-long trend of increasing tourism, and has recently won accolades from publications like the New York Times.The Abacos is continuing its recovery from Hurricane Dorian last September, while at press time Grand Bahama reported that 84 percent of its resorts have reopened.

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Grant Williams vacationed with Carsen Edwards, others in the Bahamas – The Rookie Wire

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With the NBA at the All-Star break, several players around the league began their time off from basketball by taking a much-needed rest with friends and family on vacation.

Several players on the Boston Celtics got together for a trip to the Bahamas.

Celtics center Vincent Poirier posted a photo on Twitter Sunday night of the trip as rookie teammates Grant Williams and Carsen Edwards were among those that went.

Of course, the trio of players was not involved in the festivities of All-Star Weekend so they got a head start on their week off by having some fun in paradise.

Williams has emerged as a key player for the Celtics this season. Though he is only averaging 3.8 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, Williams often does the dirty work on the court and has given head coach Brad Stevens a solid defensive option against opposing big men.

As the trio of Celtics players return to their team this week, the group will be looking to secure its place among the top three in the Eastern Conference as they currently sit third with a 38-16 record.

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DPM: Bahamas has already satisfied over 30 of 40 FATF recommendations – EyeWitness News

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS The Bahamas has already satisfied over 30 of the 40 Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations and continues to take the appropriate measures to ensure that The Bahamas adheres to international best practices, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance K Peter Turnquest said yesterday.

Turnquest spoke at a Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB) Financial Crime and Tax Enforcement Seminar.

At every level, The Bahamas is doing its part in the global effort to tackle harmful tax practices and dismantle artificial tax practices, he said.

We have worked diligently to demonstrate our commitment at the highest political level. The same applies to our efforts with financial crimes such as tax evasion and money laundering. Just this week, the FATF Plenary is in session in Paris, and the Attorney General is leading a delegation to represent The Bahamas.

The FATF is considered the global standard-setter in combating money laundering and terrorism financing.

Turnquest stated that for better or better or worse, The Bahamas is part of a global multilateral process by which national governments collectively review, investigate and prosecute financial crimes and non-compliance matters.

It is incumbent upon us to be at the forefront of industry developments and proactive in our efforts to secure and strengthen our position as a global financial center, he said.

He noted that this week the European Union announced that The Bahamas was removed from its tax watch list, as itsEconomic and Financial Affairs Council completely removed The Bahamas from its List of Non-Cooperative Jurisdictions for Tax Purposes.

This is confirmation that The Bahamas has implemented the necessary reforms to meet the EU criteria on tax governance and cooperation on tax matters. It is confirmation that The Bahamas financial services industry is stable and governed by a sound regulatory regime.

The Bahamas was placed on the EUs Annex II greylist in March of last year.

While different from the more serious Annex I blacklist, The Bahamas was still subject to ongoing monitoring by the EU with respect to the implementation of economic substance requirements.

With the EUs decision this week, The Bahamas has addressed all of the concerns on economic substance, removal of preferential exemptions and automatic exchange of tax information, Turnquest continued.

The Government welcomes the decision and the positive impact it should have on growth to investor confidence in the industry.

He also noted that taxation of the digital economy is the next frontier for global regulatory reform.

In fact, at the G20 Riyadh Summit later this year, nations with some of the largest economies in the world are expected to vote in support of a new system of taxation rights allocation, Turnquest said.

The new system intends to prevent multinational companies from diverting taxable income to low tax jurisdictions by imposing minimum tax levels on their global income. There is no doubt, the introduction of a global minimum corporate tax rate will have an impact in the medium and long term on all countries, including The Bahamas. It will have future implications for our participation in the global economy.

Now is therefore the time to plan and prepare so that we can exercise influence, and better adapt to the new possible realities, he added.

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Recharged by the Caribbean, Jaylen Brown says the best is yet to come – Celtics Wire

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After a trip to the Carribean, Boston Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown is ready to get back to work, but it wasnt all beaches and sightseeing for the fourth-year player.

Spending the All-Star break in Cuba and the Bahamas, the Cal-Berkeley product headed to the a meeting of the NBAs Player Association (NBPA) in the Bahamas an interesting counterpoint to the backdrop of the 2020 All-Star Games in chilly Chicago.

Brown was actually in the Bahamas for business, joining other NBPA executives and members of the players union for NBA basketball players to conduct their yearly business.

The meetings, organized by the NBPA and the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism brought Brown to the tropical location, in the second year of his three-year term serving as the youngest vice-president in the NBPA.

The 6-foot-6 wing was elected one of several new vice presidents of the NBPA in 2019, along with Malcolm Brogdon of the Indiana Pacers and Bismack Biyombo of the Charlotte Hornets.

In an interview with the Boston Heralds Steve Bulpett, the Marietta native downplayed the business side of the trip, stating he, did some traveling.

I went to Cuba, went to the Bahamas for the Players Association and things like that. I just got some rest, some mental rest. I hung out with family and friends. Now Im ready to get back with the team and its all basketball from this point on.

At those meetings, former teammate Kyrie Irving joined the Executive Committee, which also includes Andre Iguodala (First Vice President), Anthony Tolliver (Secretary-Treasurer), Bismack Biyombo, Malcolm Brogdon, Jaylen Brown, CJ McCollum and Garrett Temple (all Vice Presidents).

After the NBPA meetings, Brown headed on to Cuba, where he linked up with Cuban musician Arnaldo Rodrguez to tour the Lucecita Cultural Project, reports ADN Cuba.

The Cultural Projectdescribes itself as an artistic initiative with community character, and features a number of musical productions, murals and other artistic endeavors on the groups Facebook page.

After seeing the Project and several component workshops, Brown and Rodriguez shared an authentic creole dinner at the Talisman Studios Headquarters Restaurant, promising to return.

Done tending to business in paradise (with a little tourism thrown in), the former Golden Bear now turns his attention to the final stretch of the season before the playoffs in the bitter cold of the northern U.S.

Even though the Minnesota Timberwolves will be without star center Karl-Anthony Towns, Brown still sees the game as of high importance.

Its super important Its about us continuing to get better, cleaning up some of our habits and starting to make sacrifices and stuff necessary to get ready for the playoffs.

Its the first game back. Everybodys different in that regard. Some people went places; some people didnt. Some people its like riding a bike and some people its not. I think everybody is a little different, he continued.

For us, weve got to find the right rhythm out there and find ways to win, added Brown, alluding to the importance of not only maintaining the chemistry which has bound such a complex group of individual personalities into the most cohesive unit seen n the franchise since the Banner 17 era.

So Im looking forward to it, noted the 23-year old, wise far beyond his years.

Weve got (28) games until the playoffs. Each and every one means something, so lets get it going, offered Brown.

This coming Friday evening on February 20th, the Celtics will do just that, kicking off a four-game west coast road trip to start their return to action against the Wolves.

Even without point guard Kemba Walker who will rest with knee soreness after perhaps staying in the 2020 All-Star Game a bit longer than he should have the game should be a great opportunity to continue the momentum thats led the team to the NBAs fourth-best record.

The best is yet to come, said Brown.

He very well may be right.

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Recharged by the Caribbean, Jaylen Brown says the best is yet to come - Celtics Wire

Machine Gun Kelly Swims With Pigs While Vacationing In The Bahamas – HotNewHipHop

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Swimming with pigson a beautiful Bahamas beach sounds pretty ideal right about now, which is why we can't hate in the least bit on rapper Machine Gun Kelly who happenedto be doing just that while soaking up some sun atMeeks Patch Island recently.

Joined by the real-life Ace Venturahimself Brother Nature (seen above), MGK took some time away fromgiving his fans sex toys on Valentine's Dayin order to enjoy clear waters for a bit while swimming with little piglets.Meeks Patch is famous for the wild pigs thatinhabit the area, which you can also feed and pet. Kellywas also joined by his drummerR00Kinaddition to fitness modelSommer Ray, andit also appears that reality star Draya Michele was down there as well based off the last photo in his IG post and her own recent pic on the 'Gram that she used to promote Fashion Nova digs. All we can is that it must be really nice to be amongst such good company we'rereferringto the pigs, by the way!

Peep Machine Gun Kelly's epic tripto the Bahamas to swim withBabe and his squeaking friendsbelow:

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Bahamas: Digital Sand Dollar Expands – The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer

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The governor of the Central Bank of the Bahamas (CBOB) says the digital Sand Dollar pilot project will be expanded to all of the countrys islands beginning in Q2 2020.

According to a report by local publication The Tribune, CBOB governor John Rolle has confirmed that the Bahamian digital dollar will be launched on all islands in Q2 2020. The test pilot, titled Project Sand Dollar, has been limited to the island of Exuma since December, with the central bank planning to address the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation on the initiatives development.

Rolle explained that the CBOB currency was originally planned for launch in the Abaco region before switching to Exuma.

The Tribunes report claims the central bank is still in the process of enrolling all of the 1,200 citizens who signed up for the project in Exuma, with an additional 2,000 expressing interest in the initiative,

Rolle stressed that the new currency is a digital equivalent of the existing Bahamian dollar, rather than a tool for speculation.

Were looking at a digital representation of our currency. Its not a different currency; its the same currency. In law, it will never be different. It cant differ in value in any way or the other so Sand Dollars can never be priced different from Bahamian dollars.

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Bahamas: Digital Sand Dollar Expands - The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer

Does anime need to start being more politically correct for overseas audiences? Twitter debates – SoraNews24

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Japanese animation has long had a reputation for pushing the boundaries of whats acceptable, but is it pushing too far these days?

Anime used to be conceived, produced, and consumed pretty much all within the confines of Japan. Sure, the occasional series would get licensed for overseas distribution, but with its story and characters so thoroughly rewritten, and its visuals so extensively re-cut, as to have little to no relation to the original version.

That started to change in the first major overseas anime boom of the 1990s, but even then, a series getting officially released outside of Japan was still the exception, not the rule. Nowadays, though, things have flipped entirely. Its now practically a given that any anime but the most obscure or prohibitively expensive-to-license ones will stream online internationally, and most of those will get overseas home video releases too.

But as access to anime gets easier and easier, its overseas audience is continually expanding beyond people who grew up with or have an interest in/affinity for the set of Japanese societal values reflected in the medium. Because of that, theres been increased debate as to whether or not anime needs to be more concerned with the idea of political correctness, and Japanese Twitter user @poepoeta01 recently weighed in with his opinion.

Many people are under the mistaken impression that Japans manga and anime have earned their popularity overseas simply because of the artists high level of technical skill.

Japans manga and anime are interesting because compared to other countries, theyre made under wild, limitless freedom of expression, without any restrictions.

Saying If anime isnt more conscious about being politically correct, it wont expand its overseas market it totally off the mark.

The majority of the direct reactions to @poepoeta01s tweet have been in support of his analysis and stance, with comments such as:

Totally right. I think this is why Chinese-made anime-style animation hasnt caught on internationally.Its like how late-night comedy shows are really funny, but then they lose their edge when the performers try to transition to more mainstream prime-timeprograms.I cant imagine another country where artists would be able to make a manga about Buddha and Jesus sharing an apartment.Japanese culture has traditionally been a closed-off one, where otaku-like communities come together to push an artistic field forward, and while that inner circle is amusing itself, the art becomes so polished that eventually outsiders notice and are impressed by the quality. People who like anime support each other, and people who dont like it dont watch it.

That last bit of reasoning, though, is something one could argue has new wrinkles to it in the current anime industry. With international distribution now easier than ever before, brand-new anime content is just a few clicks away for anyone with an Internet connection. Setting aside the question of whether or not anime has become more mainstream in overseas markets, access to it has definitely gotten much easier for non-Japanese media consumers, and an anime with content they find objectionable now risks leaving money on the table, money that could be used to help secure the long-term stability of a franchise and bankroll the continuing content production.

While not as numerous as the responses of agreement, @poepoeta01s assertation that anime shouldnt be concerned with political correctness also produced a few that disagreed.

Youre totally wrong. I have no idea what youre talking about.Looking at the staff credits for anime, I feel like you can say that it isnt made only by teams that are 100-percent Japanese anymore, and I think thats going to be the case more and more.

@poepoeta01, though, went on to offer a different idea of how the internationalization of anime could play out in a follow-up tweet, saying that he hopes Japan becomes a bastion of free expression that will welcome artists from overseas who feel like their creative efforts are being stifled by regulations in their home countries.

In a purely mathematical sense, all else equal it stands to reason that reducing the amount of potentially offensive content in an anime broadens its potential market. On the other hand, animes distinct style and atmosphere, which grew out of its by Japan, for Japan nature, has established a fanbase outside its original country of origin thats really only surpassed by Disney in the animation field. If the goal is to maximize animes popularity overseas, ostensibly theres a sweet spot between aligns so poorly with overseas societal expectations as to anger and alienate viewers and overlaps so much with the tone of overseas media that it cant stand out as unique.

The question of whether or not Japanese anime creators want to try to find that sweet spot, or if they fell trying to do so would put too much of a damper on enthusiasm from Japanese audiences, though, is something they still seem to be sorting out.

Source: Twitter/@poepoeta01 via Hachima KikoTop image: PakutasoInsert images: Pakutaso Want to hear about SoraNews24s latest articles as soon as theyre published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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New London and southeastern Connecticut News, Sports, Business, Entertainment and Video – theday.com

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I am at a loss to discern the purpose behind Lee Elci's column, Maybe Im too old for a politically correct, non-binary world, (Feb. 5), denying the long-acknowledged reality that sexuality is not always a binary choice. Is it a disingenuous denial of a reality that Lee finds discomfiting? Is it a rationalization of bigotry against a misunderstood and vulnerable minority? Or is it simply political tribalism?

I am a generation older than Lee and a proud fellow graduate of Waterford Public Schools, and I do not use those facts to avoid the sometimes uncomfortable complexity of humanity. When I was in school, homosexuality was an unspoken topic, and my gay classmates were relegated to a life of secrecy and unnecessary shame. That is our disgrace, one we should strive not to repeat.

Thankfully, the world we live in has progressed and our gay brethren can, for the most part, acknowledge their identity and live honestly and openly without repercussion. Lee celebrates his scholarship. Perhaps he should update it and peruse the social and physiological literature on sexuality. He may be surprised to find a long social, literary, and scientific history supporting the reality of non-binary gender rather than, as he dismissively characterizes it, "a leap into the abyss of political correctness".

Lawrence Tytla

Waterford

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Obama administration whistleblower reportedly kills self The Tribune Papers- Breaking News & Top Local Stories – Thetribunepapers

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By World Tribune- A former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official, who had said that one or more terror attacks in the U.S. could have been prevented if not for the Obama administrations prioritizing political correctness over safety, was found dead Friday from a gunshot wound, reports say.

Philip Haney, as a whistleblower, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in June 2016 that DHS ordered him to delete hundreds of files of people with ties to Islamist terrorist groups, arguing terrorist attacks against people in the United States could have been prevented if certain files had not been scrubbed, the Washington Examiner noted in a Feb. 22 report.

It is very plausible that one or more of the subsequent terror attacks on the homeland could have been prevented if more subject matter experts in the Department of Homeland Security had been allowed to do our jobs back in late 2009, Haney wrote in an opinion piece for The Hill in February 2016.

It is demoralizing and infuriating that today, those elusive dots are even harder to find, and harder to connect, than they were during the winter of 2009.

The Amador County Sheriffs office said that deputies and detectives responded to reports Friday morning at 10:12 a.m. of a male subject with a gunshot wound on the ground in the area of Highway 124 and Highway 16 in Plymouth, California.

Upon their arrival, they located and identified 66-year-old Philip Haney, who was deceased and appeared to have suffered a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound. A firearm was located next to Haney and his vehicle. This investigation is active and ongoing. No further details will be released at this time, the sheriffs office said in a statement.

Red State and Heavy reported that Haney had been missing since Wednesday, and that the gunshot wound was found in his chest.

Several reports cited friends of Haney as saying they found it difficult to believe that Haney had taken his own life.

The Examiner, citing sources close to Haney as saying he was recently in contact with top officials about returning to work for the DHS. Additionally, Haney was engaged to be married.

Speaking anonymously for fear of retribution, a friend whos known Haney for 40 years told CCN.com: Knowing his strong Christian faith, his dogged pursuit of truth and his love for America, and his upcoming marriage, it seems highly unlikely that he committed suicide. He was on a mission to wake up America, and I strongly doubt he took his own life.

In a 2016 interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Haney explained that on two occasions his carefully prepared files had been purged. He also believed that, if the Obama administration had maintained this database, several mass shootings, including the December 2015 Orlando, Florida nightclub massacre and the June 2016 San Bernardino, California mass shooting could have been prevented.

In an interview with then-Fox News host Megyn Kelly, Haney said that about a year into an investigation that had led his team to one of the mosques that San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook had attended, officials from the State Department and the Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties showed up at his office to pull the plug.

In his 2016 article for The Hill, Haney claimed President Barack Obama had thrown the U.S. intelligence community under the bus for failing to connect the dots after a Nigerian Muslim terror suspect was linked to a failed terror plot on Christmas Day in 2009.

Most Americans were unaware of the enormous damage to morale at the Department of Homeland Security, where I worked, his condemnation caused, Haney wrote, referring to Obama. His words infuriated many of us because we knew his administration had been engaged in a bureaucratic effort to destroy the raw material the actual intelligence we had collected for years, and erase those dots. The dots constitute the intelligence needed to keep Americans safe, and the Obama administration was ordering they be wiped away.

Haney also called out the Obama administration for prioritizing political correctness over safety.

I can no longer be silent about the dangerous state of Americas counter-terror strategy, our leaders willingness to compromise the security of citizens for the ideological rigidity of political correctness and, consequently, our vulnerability to devastating, mass-casualty attack.

The Washington Examiner received a text message from Haney on Nov. 11 which mentioned plans to write a sequel to his first book, See Something Say Nothing: A Homeland Security Officer Exposes the Governments Submission to Jihad, which described his experience at DHS.

Odd (surreal reality) that I was a highly visible whistleblower that virtually no one listened to, while this guy remains invisible, but is treated like an anointed oracle from above, Haney said in the Nov. 11 text, referring to alleged Ukraine whistleblower Eric Ciaramella. However, my story is still live, i.e., theres still more to come. Itll be called National Security Meltdown.

Haney added, I have a severely hyper-organized archive of everything thats happened since See Something, Say Nothing (SSSN) was published in May of 2016. The National Security Meltdown sequel will pick up right where SSSN left off. My intention is to have it ready by early-to mid-Spring of 2020 (just before the political sound wave hits), then ride that wave all the way to the Nov. elections.

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Obama administration whistleblower reportedly kills self The Tribune Papers- Breaking News & Top Local Stories - Thetribunepapers

Movie review: This Call of the Wild is just too mild – The Patriot Ledger

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"The Call of the Wild" is an adaptation of the Jack London novel.

Yep, its time for yet another new film adaptation of Jack Londons 1903 novel The Call of the Wild. There was a silent version in 1923, which focused on the life of Buck, the pet dog-turned-sled puller. Then came a 1935 version, with Clark Gable and Loretta Young, that was more concerned with the star actors than the dog. And there followed two more films, both forgettable, but at least concentrating on the dog, in 1972 and, made for TV, in 1997.

But lets take a trivia break. The 1935 Call of the Wild was the last film to be released under the banner of 20th Century Pictures, before it became 20th Century Fox. The 2020 edition is the first film to be released under 20th Century Studios, after the word Fox was dropped from the name. Armed with that information, you will be a hit at your next cocktail party.

But unless youre planning to chaperone a young child to see the new film which is a decent kid-centric adventure movie theres no need to check it out on your own, especially if youre a discerning viewer who recalls the London book.

Yes, the film remains focused on the dog, even though no dog is actually seen in the film, as big Buck is a 100 percent digital creation with a very expressive face who might as well be wearing a big F for Fake sign on its forehead. In fact, all of the dogs, and all of the other animals in the film dont really exist. And, surprisingly, the folks at Disney, the parent company of 20th Century, have not used the same creative flourishes and believability that was on display in the all-digital The Lion King.

But the visual glitches are small potatoes when considering the problems with this film. Screenwriter Michael Green (Logan and Blade Runner 2049) comes up short here, and his use of the celebrated London novel as merely a jumping off point rather than a blueprint for the film is an egregious error.

Yes, its still about Buck, enjoying a happy, relaxed life of comfort in a California household in the 1890s. And its still about his travails after hes dognapped and sold off in the Yukon territory where, during the Gold Rush days, a dog of his size and strength is just what was needed to pull sleds across long, snow-covered distances. And it even has another main but secondary to the dog character named John Thornton (Harrison Ford) who helps turn things around for Buck.

But Green has taken absurd liberties with Londons often rugged story. Hes cleaned things up, taken the edge off. Hes even and this is the worst part removed a large, important group of characters there are no Canadian Indians to be seen all in the name of what weak-minded people are passing off as political correctness. The mayhem thats now done in the story is committed by a fancy-dressing, money-hungry, hot-tempered white fellow named Hal (Dan Stevens, overacting). The character does appear in the book, and hes not a good man, but there he was Bruce Banner, and now hes a raging Hulk.

That Green has also imbued the film with some effective comedy is a good thing, even though most of it is of the cheap laugh variety and is based on big Bucks ineptitude and clumsiness. Green also inserts a couple of scenes of great peril, though everything is settled before too much concern can be spent on them. One of the scripts biggest annoyances is the overuse of narration, all of it by Ford, none of which makes any sense when you think about his characters circumstances at the end of the film. The most mystifying component here is that right after John Thornton tries to warn Hal of the dangers hes facing, the film jumps forward in time, with no explanation, as if a reel has been skipped.

At least theres still a romantic side story for Buck, but its accompanied by a poorly written (cleaned up) ending that will leave young viewers asking their parents what happened.

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Movie review: This Call of the Wild is just too mild - The Patriot Ledger

About Stop-and-Frisk – National Review

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Mike Bloomberg speaking with supporters at a campaign rally in Phoenix, Ariz., February 1, 2020. (Gage Skidmore)

In a previous post, I highlighted a poll showing disparate reactions among racial groups to Mike Bloombergs stop-and-frisk policy in New York City. The Data for Progress poll surveyed voters in Texas, Virginia, Colorado, North Carolina, and California, and found that white voters were significantly more likely than black voters to take an unfavorable view of Bloomberg after being reminded of the stop-and-frisk policies he enacted as mayor of New York City.

The post was intended to highlight a broader political phenomenon vicarious aggrievement, I called it of white liberals taking offense on behalf of a minority group which is less offended, collectively, than the white liberals aggrieved on their behalf. The Data for Progress poll mirrored other data we have suggesting that white liberals, as a group, are more attuned and receptive to the mores of political correctness than are their non-white counterparts.

In any case, the post was not a defense of stop-and-frisk as such. Kyle Smith argues here that the policy was wrong-headed and heightened tensions between racial minorities and law enforcement. I am inclined to agree with his conclusion. Even as legal censure and policy changes have stunted the use of the tactic the number of people stopped and frisked fell from 686,000 to 12,000 between 2011 and 2016 crime has continued to fall in New York City. The constitutionality of the practice is dubious.

The merits of the policy notwithstanding, the Data for Progress poll is demonstrative of the white liberals tendency to champion the causes of people whom he purports to understand, even as the data suggest otherwise.

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About Stop-and-Frisk - National Review

This Historic Poll Holds The Key To Donald Trump’s Second Term – The Federalist

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Polls have always been a troublesome thing, but as landline-use decreases and publicly professed political correctness increases, they have become even more difficult.

The night before Barack Obamas reelection, Mitt Romney believed his pollsters and didnt even prepare a concession speech for his supporters in Bostons Convention Center. Four years later, The New York Times exemplified poll findings on Election Day, pegging Hillary Clintons victory chances at 85 percent a modest decline from the 93-percent chance they gave her two weeks before the big day. Clinton also believed her pollsters, and didnt even deliver a concession speech, or show up for her fans in New Yorks Javits Center.

Constrained resource, quick turnarounds, and hungry reporters and impatient campaigns all lead to polls suffering from poor sample sizes, inaccurate party distribution, counts of registered versus likely voters, and the Shy Tory Factor, or respondents who dont want to share their support for the conservative.

There is one public poll, however, that is still generally trustworthy for the moment: the direction of the country poll. Its not a partisan question: It doesnt ask if youre a liberal, a conservative, or a moderate, or if you like Donald Trumps Twitter habits or Barack Obamas health care law. Its a gauge of the general feel of the country. Are things working for you and your family? A majority of Americans have felt the country is going in the wrong direction since the question was first asked in 1972, but the question for the politicians is: how bad are we doing?

On Feb. 23, 2012, while Republicans were battling for the nomination, President Obamas approval rating was 48.6 percent. At the same time, only 34.2 percent of the country thought things were going in the right direction while 59.6 percent believed we were on the wrong track. Romney, we know, lost the nomination and then lost the election. People, it seems, really need to think its all going to hell before they replace a sitting president.

In the winter of 1992, George H.W. Bush, the last man to lose reelection, watched from the Oval Office as his polls tanked. And the country? They really thought it was going to hell. According to an ABC poll, just 18 percent thought things were going well while a whopping 79 percent disagreed the kind of numbers we wouldnt see again until the 2008 recession.

Theyre also the kind of numbers we had not previously experienced since February 1980, when a year into the Iranian hostage crisis and the accompanying second oil crisis a mere 20 percent of the country was feeling peachy. The president, Jimmy Carter, was the one-termer who most recently preceded H.W.

Elected presidents dont generally enter office under that cloud, and Carter was no different, flying to D.C. on a rainbow of American optimism. Promising to restore honor and morality to the White House, he defeated half-term President Gerald Ford, who suffered from right-track numbers in the teens, a fiery primary challenge from Ronald Reagan, and, after pardoning his old boss, plummeting public approval.

So how is the country under President Trump faring? Despite unending negative-media attack, a level of polarization not seen since the 1960s or maybe 1860s, and a literal impeachment vote, America thinks were going the right direction. While youd have to go back to Harry Truman to find a two-term president, Trump is leading in public approval numbers, the percent of Americans who think were going the right way is 39.5, while 54.8 think otherwise, according to the Real Clear poll average. Rasmussen, the most bullish of the pollsters, clocked that number for February 2020 at 46 percent right-track, 50 percent wrong-track.

At more than five points above Obamas February 2012 polling, thats a good number for the country and the president. At nearly 15 points above the February 2016 numbers Obama left under, its phenomenal for the president.

Polls are tricky business. They dont predict the future. Theyre simply a tool that helps us make more educated guesses. But history sets a heck of a record, and by that record, things are looking bright for Donald J. Trump, two-term president.

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This Historic Poll Holds The Key To Donald Trump's Second Term - The Federalist

The university free speech crisis has been a rightwing myth for 50 years – The Guardian

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The idea that there is a free speech crisis at British universities has gained considerable currency over the last decade. No platforming, safe spaces and trigger warnings have been held up by conservatives, libertarians and classic liberals as the holy trinity of campus censorship methods supposed threats to free speech and academic freedom.

There is plenty of sympathy for this view in the Conservative party. During the 2019 election campaign, it pledged to strengthen academic freedom and free speech in universities. Now that the Tories have been re-elected, they are starting to make noises: in the Times earlier this month, the education secretary Gavin Williamson declared that if universities didnt take action to protect freedom of speech on campus, the government would do so itself.

The myth of the 'free speech crisis' cannot be divorced from the wider rise of the global far right

As Nesrine Malik and William Davies have both described, the myth of a free speech crisis has been spread by the right as part of a broader culture war against political correctness, wokeness and identity politics. In an era when conservatives and the populist right have been in the ascendancy, the culture war has descended on universities, because they are a significant battleground against racism, misogyny, homophobia and transphobia (as well as traditional class hierarchies).

But the calls for government intervention to protect freedom of speech on campus have a much longer history. As the student movement raged in Britain in the late 1960s, there were protests against several controversial speakers, such as Enoch Powell and the rightwing MP Patrick Wall, which led to disruptions at a number of universities. There were calls from the conservative media and politicians to censure students for their protests. An editorial in the Times in May 1968 decried the silencing of opponents by mob action and lamented the university for becoming the breeding ground for mindless opposition.

In 1974, the National Union of Students implemented the policy of no platform for racists and fascists. By the mid-1980s, some rightwing students were seeking to overturn it and some on the left to extend it within individual student unions to oppose sexists, homophobes and rightwing politicians (especially those with hardline positions on immigration and support for apartheid South Africa). When these politicians went on speaking tours to universities, they were met with fierce opposition from students. John Carlisle was physically assaulted at Bradford University in February 1986; later that year, Enoch Powell had a ham sandwich thrown at him at Bristol University, as students stormed the stage.

Intense media attention and statements from politicians gave the impression that free speech was under attack at universities. Education secretary Sir Keith Joseph called protesting students the new barbarians. In response to these protests, the Thatcher government inserted clauses to protect free speech on campus into the Education (No 2) Act 1986, calling for reasonable steps to be taken to ensure freedom of speech by university administrations.

The effects of this were soon seen when, after the University of Liverpool prevented two South African diplomats from speaking in 1988 and again in 1989, conservative students took the university to court for violating the 1986 act. The high court eventually found the university was technically flawed in taking into account public order issues when banning the diplomats from speaking.

Since this decision, there has been an ever-present contest over the right of student unions to no platform controversial speakers, such as the British National party or the Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir, and the legal obligations of the university to allow free expression and debate. Throughout the 2000s, the BNP portrayed themselves as defenders of free speech against political correctness and used this to gain a presence at several universities, as well as generate publicity through university debates.

In the last few years, the push by some student unions to no platform speakers deemed to be transphobic has helped thrust the topic back into the media spotlight. Media and political attention has focused on snowflake students allegedly shutting down debate even though parliaments 2018 Joint Committee on Human Rights report on the topic stated it did not find the wholesale censorship of debate which media coverage has suggested. The right has taken a decades-old trope of the overzealous student and used it to great effect, while adapting it for the 21st century: where there were once warnings about the threat of the violent student radical, now there are fears about online mobs using social media to pressure universities to cancel events or disinvite speakers.

The myth of the free speech crisis cannot be divorced from the wider rise of the global far right. So we should be wary of calls by Boris Johnson, or any other leaders, for government intervention to protect free speech at universities and colleges. This is really just posturing a way to further the culture war and demonise woke students.

The last half-century has shown that when it expresses concerns over free speech, the right is trying to weaponise it to its own advantage, especially when it feels it is being challenged such as during the radicalism of the late 1960s and early 1970s or the turbulent mid-1980s under Margaret Thatcher. Freedom of speech on campus in these instances, as Guardian columnist Dawn Foster has written, often masquerades a desire for freedom from criticism.

But the university cannot be a place where racism and fascism as well as sexism, homophobia and transphobia are allowed to be expressed. Tactics such as no platforming and the creation of safe spaces are necessary for students and activists because the threats that led to no platforming in the 1970s remain. Government action that waters down the ability to combat these threats must be resisted.

Evan Smith is a research fellow in history at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia. He is the author of No Platform: A History of Anti-Fascism, Universities and the Limits of Free Speech

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The university free speech crisis has been a rightwing myth for 50 years - The Guardian

Giants tell Aubrey Huff he will not be invited to 2010 reunion due to tweets – San Francisco Chronicle

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. Retired first baseman Aubrey Huff, a key force behind the Giants drought-breaking World Series championship in 2010, has been told he will not be invited to a 10-year reunion at Oracle Park this season because of a series of social-media posts the Giants considered vulgar.

Earlier this month, we reached out to Aubrey Huff to let him know that he will not be included in the upcoming 2010 World Series Championship reunion, the Giants said Monday night in a statement.

Aubrey has made multiple comments on social media that are unacceptable and run counter to the values of our organization. While we appreciate the many contributions that Aubrey made to the 2010 championship season, we stand by our decision.

The Giants sent the statement to The Chronicle after they gave it to the Athletic, which first reported the Giants decision.

Huff has not been shy about tweeting his conservative political views, but several recent posts drew widespread criticism and even outrage.

In one, he smiled as he held up a paper shooting-range target full of bullet holes and said, Getting my boys trained up on how to use a gun in the unlikely event @BernieSanders beats @realDonaldTrump in 2020. In which case knowing how to effectively use a gun under socialism will be a must. By the way, most of the head shots were theirs. @NRA @WatchChad #2ndAmendment.

In an even more decried tweet, responding to another that suggested the United States should invade Iran and bring some of their attractive women here, Huff said, Lets get a flight over and kidnap about 10 each. We can bring them back here as they fan us and feed us grapes, amongst other things. He later deleted the tweet, which he said was intended as a joke.

Huff last month tweeted criticism of the Giants for hiring a woman to coach, Alyssa Nakken, terming it political correctness, but the team said it decided not to invite Huff to the reunion before the Nakken tweet.

Huff did not immediately return a request for comment but told the Athletic he was shocked and disappointed.

If it wasn't for me, they wouldnt be having a reunion, he said. But if they want to stick with their politically correct, progressive (b.s.), thats fine.

Henry Schulman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.

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Giants tell Aubrey Huff he will not be invited to 2010 reunion due to tweets - San Francisco Chronicle

2 The Movies: Call of the Wild Delivers – WGRZ.com

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BUFFALO, N.Y. Jack Londons novel, The Call of the Wild is considered to be a Great American Novel and it truly deserves that consideration. So, it is incumbent on filmmakers when they adapt this story to at least attempt to make it a Great American Film. Director Chris Sanders (The Croods) tries in this, his first live-action feature. He almost succeeds, but is waylaid by plot modifications that seem to bow to political correctness, and some CGI that ends up being a bit distracting.

If youve read the novel (who hasnt? Its almost required reading in our various school systems.) then you know the story is about Buck (Terry Notary, Avengers: Engame, War for the Planet of the Apes), a large, spoiled, rambunctious St. Bernard/Scotch Collie mix.

Terry Notary (Motion Capture) as Buck in The Call of the Wild

2019 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved. Photo Credit Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Hes kidnapped from his Santa Clara, California home, and transported to Alaska, where hes dragooned into the life of a sled dog.

(L to R) Terry Notary (Motion Capture) as Buck, Cara Gee as Franoise and Omar Sy as Perrault in The Call of the Wild

Photo Credit Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

He ends up on a sled team, and eventually becomes a leader. After an adventure or two, he ends up with John Thornton (Ford, Blade Runner 2049, Cowboys & Aliens) and the two head off into the Yukon. If you need more of a plot synopsis than that, dear reader, consult the novel.

Omar Sy as Perrault in The Call of the Wild

2019 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved. Photo Credit Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

So, this films source material is truly outstanding. Its a great yarn, even if it is a bit diluted by some plot sanitation that completely removes the First People from any villainous role, and glosses over some of the more violent scenes. Still, the most important aspects of the events that happen to Buck and serve to develop his character are there.

Terry Notary (Motion Capture) as Buck in The Call of the Wild

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Make no mistake, Buck is the star of this movie. Notary provided the motion capture that Bucks movements were based on. The technology is nothing short of miraculous, but the filmmakers went a bit overboard in grafting human expression onto Bucks canine face. Still, the scenes with Buck where those pesky humans arent involved are some of the best in the movie. Buck and Thornton dominate this film to the point that one wishes some of the other cinematic worthies like Bradley Whitford (Get Out, The Last Full Measure) and Karen Gillian (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Occulus) arent given more to do. Omar Sy (Jurassic World, Inferno) and Cara Gee (Birdland, Red Rover) are utilized a bit more and to good effect. Most of the outdoor scenes are compelling enough that viewers might not notice that, with the exception of some shot in Santa Clara, the entire film consists of set pieces.

Merie Wallace

Most of the above is quibbling. The fact of the matter is that The Call of the Wild is a family friendly film that tells a thrilling, compelling and emotionally evocative story, in spite of the fact that the 1907 story has been cleaned up so as not to offend 2020 audiences. Perhaps the late 19th and early 20th century realities would have detracted from the family friendly nature of this film, or perhaps not. In any event, The Call of the Wild calls up 4 and a half out of 5 boxes of popcorn.

While the Call of the Wild has a great cast with the likes of Ford, our next film has, well, Katie Holmes (Thank You For Smoking, Dear Dictator).

Katie Holmes stars in BRAHMS: The Boy II

Courtesy of STXfilms

Brahms, the Boy II is a sequel to 2016s The Boy. Its Rated PG-13 for terror, violence, disturbing images and thematic elements.

Owain Yeoman, Katie Holmes and Christopher Convery star in BRAHMS: The Boy II

Courtesy of STXfilms

Critical attention seems scarce. I havent seen it yet, so I cant really weigh in, and its not on my docket for this weekend

Im Larry Haneberg, and Im taking you 2 the Movies

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2 The Movies: Call of the Wild Delivers - WGRZ.com

Why Wont They Let Professor Funke In? – Bacon’s Rebellion

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Hajo Funk. Photo credit: Main-Echo

By Peter Galuszka

Theres a very curious case involving the University of Virginia that involves freedom of speech and free education, but it doesnt involve the usual complaints of Mr. Jeffersons University being a hotbed of Bolshevism.

Rather, it involves a renowned German professor who has had a rough time getting a U.S. visa after he was invited to teach in Charlottesville, according to the Cavalier Daily. Political scientist Hajo Funke had been invited to lead two courses as The Max Kade Distinguished Visiting Professor. On Thursday, he finally got his visa after a months-long wait.

Funkes specialty is the study of right-wing politics, notably the re-emergence of the trends in Europe which has seen the rise of white supremacism, anti-immigration and anti-Semitism. Some examples include Hungary, Poland, Russia, France and other countries.

He had been slated to teach two courses, Right-Wing Populism and the Far Right and Historical Political Memory but had had to do them via teleconferencing from Berlin.

The university invited him to teach in November and he went to the U.S. Consulate in Germany to apply for the appropriate visa. Surprisingly, he was told that approval was being delayed with no reason given. According to the media, one possible reason is that he had visited Iran to see his wifes family and to do some research.

If so, that suggests that Donald Trumps xenophobic policies may be to blame. Its a true shame that if a scholar visits certain countries to do some research, he or she is put on a black list.

This conjures up the days of Joe McCarthy. I used to deal with visa issues all the time when I was a U.S. news correspondent in Moscow during the Cold War.

One of Funkes studies involves comparing the 2017 uprising by white supremacists in Charlottesville with a 2018 uprising of a similar type in 2018 in Chemnitz, Germany.

Its a true shame that Charlottesville has become the unwanted symbol of hate and violence that started over the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue. Its been spreading throughout Europe as well, in part because the Arab Spring and the Syrian war have created great crowds of immigrants looking for safe haven.

On this blog, one reads regular critiques of U.Va. for being some kind of haven for political correctness and anti-thought. But consider Funkes case.

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Why Wont They Let Professor Funke In? - Bacon's Rebellion

BOOK REVIEW: The Age of Entitlement is a fascinating read – Wicked Local

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"The Age of Entitlement: America Since the Sixties," Simon & Schuster, by Christopher Caldwell

This is a sweeping but insightful examination into every social, political and legal decision, movement and trend that leaves us where we are today in a polarized nation.

Author Christopher Caldwell traces the origins of today's deep discords to President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963. Grief that shrouded the nation after Kennedy's assassination, Caldwell writes, "gave a tremendous impetus to changes already under way." Lyndon B. Johnson, who was sworn into office after Kennedy's death, was able to push through far more ambitious civil rights legislation in 1964 than Kennedy would have been able to do. Most significantly, in the author's telling, the Civil Rights Act, and social movements that followed, were accelerated and empowered more through court decisions and government agencies than decisions by elected officials.

Although the Civil Rights Act was designed principally to ban employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, Caldwell presents a persuasive case that it provided the legal, social and cultural guidepost for advancing almost every movement since gay rights, immigration, affirmative action, fundamentalist Christianity, leveraged buyouts, political correctness, the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and much more.

The citizen's band radio craze, leveraged buyouts and political correctness Caldwell fits all these topics and more into an engaging, questioning book that proceeds at almost dizzying speed. A reader feels like he has but a moment to think when Caldwell writes that "to establish new liberties is to extinguish others" before speeding off to the next topic. "Entitlement" is a fascinating read that could ignite 1,000 conversations.

Ironically, it's hard to imagine Congress passing anything today remotely as revolutionary as the Civil Rights Act. Given our sharpening political, social and economic divisions, Congress has trouble reaching a consensus on anything. The transformational legislation that was finally to give us all an equal chance at everything ended up herding us into warring tribes agreeing on nothing.

Caldwell's analysis of our Vietnam legacy is particularly masterful but the book brims with brisk evaluations of how a confident nation became an argumentative, fragmented one.

Civil rights divided the country by region, Caldwell writes; Vietnam did the same by class.

Perhaps because he was writing as his book's natural finale crashed into the arena Donald Trump's election Caldwell is less sure-footed in a grand conclusion. What does all this mean? Where are we? Where do we go to reconnect with our better angels?

Those answers await us still.

No question though that this is a significant rendering of how America evolved since the "me generation" asserted itself in the 1960s. Caldwell offers the best analysis and theory yet as to how we perhaps unwittingly arrived at a place where we would elect a president bent on unraveling our institutions, assumptions and beliefs about ourselves and where we no longer even start with a set of accepted facts about anything.

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BOOK REVIEW: The Age of Entitlement is a fascinating read - Wicked Local

No, a list described as rules for children they won’t find in school did not come from Bill Gates – AFP Factcheck

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A claim that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates penned a list of real-life rules for children and delivered them during a speech at a high school continues to circulate on social media at least 20 years after it first appeared online. Gates, however, was in no way involved in creating the list.

It is a claim that refuses to die, as this Facebook post here from 2013 with at least 59,000 shares attests.

A list of 10 to 14 rules billed as an antidote to unchecked political correctness in schools, it is widely credited to Gates in multiple posts here, here and here.

Gates, the claim says, delivered a speech at a high school where he used the occasion to bash contemporary education for its politically-correct teachings that were setting children up for failure.

The first rule? Life is unfair. Get used to it.

Most posts like those above (and these recent oneshere and here) end at number 11 on the list with the advice to be kind to nerds because chances are youll end up working for one.

The claim conferring ownership of the list on Gates has been around for at least 20 years and one of the very first debunks was this one by Snopes in 2000, containing details of other misattributions at the time, including to American writer Kurt Vonnegut.

Other fact-checking organisations here and here have similarly dispelled the idea of authorship by Gates.

The man behind the list is US author Charles J. Sykes, whose 1995 book Dumbing Down Our Kids was described as a searing indictment of Americas secondary schools.

But it was on his radio show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that he first introduced the public to his rules for children as a criticism of outcomes-based education. His list began with 10 rules and grew to 14.

Sykes expanded even further in his 2007 book 50 Rules Kids Wont Learn in School and included his original list, although the order was rearranged.

In the preface, he dedicated space to addressing the claims of authorship, stating that, while he was flattered to be associated with the billionaire philanthropist, Gates was not the author of his list.

A comment was requested from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and will be added if and when AFP receives a response.

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No, a list described as rules for children they won't find in school did not come from Bill Gates - AFP Factcheck