Feelings of vulnerability fomenting among local Jewish community … – fox2now.com

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Rori Picker Neiss, the executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis, said that since the arrest, there are mixed emotions and the community still feels a sense of vulnerability.

"Because of his feeling of wanting retribution against one individual, to then call in these threats and to cause such fear and disruption in our lives, of so many others," Niess said.

Niess said that since the threats, there has been a heightened need for more security.

"That's one of our top priorities," she said, "we want to make sure that each and every one of our institutions and each and every one of our members feels that we are all doing everything that we can to make sure that we are secure."

Niess said that the sense of vulnerability isn't just within the Jewish community.

"We turn to our partners like the Muslim community and the African American community, the immigrant community; there are so many communities that are feeling marginalized in various ways," she said.

"I really want him to understand that these aren't victimless crimes," she said. "It's not just calling in a bomb threat, these have a tremendous impact not only on the Jewish community, but on the entire region."

Niess said that the Jewish Federation has been organizing public forums to update the community about the security measures they have put in place in an attempt to prevent any type of attack.

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Feelings of vulnerability fomenting among local Jewish community ... - fox2now.com

For Democrats, How Many American Victims Are Enough? – Townhall

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Posted: Mar 05, 2017 12:01 AM

Now that President Trump has followed through on his campaign promise and started the deportation process for criminal illegal aliens, Democrats and the media are united in outrage. One talking point dominates all others: Immigrants have a much lower crime rate than Americans do, so its unfair to target them. This begs the question: To these liberals, how many American victims of illegal alien crime would it take to for it to matter to you?

There are regular reports of violent crimes committed by illegal aliens horrific gang-related murders have occurred recently in New York, Washington, D.C., and Houston but the true crime rate among illegal aliens is not known. Most states do not keep those records for reasons we can only guess, plus there is no way of knowing the real number of illegals in the country. That fact hasnt stopped liberal commentators and politicians from stating unequivocally that we Americans are the real crime problem in this country.

Although it may be true, and from a sheer numbers standpoint it undoubtedly is, its also irrelevant. Victims of crimes committed by illegal aliens would not have been victims if those people were not in this country. Every person murdered by an illegal alien would still be alive.

This is a simple fact those who spout this made-up statistic hope people dont realize, because their entire argument would fall apart if they did.

Kate Steinle, the young woman murdered in San Francisco by an illegal alien with multiple convictions and deportations, would not have been murdered that July day in 2015 if the man who did it had not been in the country illegally in the first place.

Democrats dont care. In addition to doing all they could to ignore Steinles murder, they even voted against Kates Law, which would impose a minimum sentence of five years for already-deported illegal aliens who re-enter the country. Like I said, Democrats dont care.

Democrats would rather pander for the potential votes of illegal aliens should they be granted citizenship than defend Americans.

At President Trumps address to a joint session of Congress, Democrats went so far as to invite illegal aliens and their children to be their guests in the House gallery.

In the build up to the speech, one woman in particular garnered a lot of Democratic and media sympathy.

The children of recently deported illegal alien Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos were invited guests to the presidents speech, and their plight was widely reported in incredibly sympathetic, if not accurate, terms.

CNN had five reporters (seriously, five people) file a story on them entitled, Trumps speech disheartens deported moms kids. If Guadalupe had hired a PR firm, it couldnt have drafted a more glowing press release.

Guadalupes sad tale of woe was easy to find across the media, but the reason she was deported wasnt as readily available.

The New York Times, of all places, is where you can find it, though its only casually mentioned in their story.

After mentioning Guadalupe had been meeting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials for nearly a decade, the Times noted these annual meetings were a requirement since she was caught using a fake Social Security number during a raid in 2008 at a water park where she worked.

Thats a politically correct way of saying she committed fraud or stole someones identity the Times doesnt say which. But those are the only ways an illegal alien could get a legitimate job.

Although certainly not murder or drug dealing, neither option is a victimless crime either an American was denied a job by fraud and/or another had their identity stolen. And thats the real truth Democrats dont want you to think of illegal aliens have countless victims who may not know for years, if ever, that they were victims.

Still, Democrats do not care.

This is to say nothing of the cost to society. The cost of educating illegal alien children is significantly higher than Americans because of the language barrier. This siphons off valuable taxpayer resources from American children, usually from poor urban areas, making those children victims of illegal immigration.

Again, Democrats do not care. Theyd rather focus on an illegal alien being arrested after giving a defiant press conference than reality.

Illegal immigration is not a victimless crime simply because not all illegal aliens are members of MS-13 or Democrats want to pretend it is. Real people suffer real consequences when someone enters the country illegally or overstays a visa.

The question is: What is the magic number of Americans who must be victims of these crimes before Democrats will care more about those victims than about the potential voters now in our country illegally? If recent actions are any indication, no number is high enough.

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For Democrats, How Many American Victims Are Enough? - Townhall

Will: Novel posits scary view of current course – The Columbian

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George F. Will

Although Americas political system seems unable to stimulate robust, sustained economic growth, it at least is stimulating consumption of a small but important segment of literature. Dystopian novels are selling briskly Aldous Huxleys Brave New World (1932), Sinclair Lewis It Cant Happen Here (1935), George Orwells Animal Farm (1945) and 1984 (1949), Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 451 (1953), and Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale (1985), all warning about nasty regimes displacing democracy.

There is, however, a more recent and pertinent presentation of a grim future. Last year, in her 13th novel, The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047, Lionel Shriver imagined America slouching into dystopia merely by continuing current practices.

Shriver, who is fascinated by the susceptibility of complex systems to catastrophic collapses, begins her story after the 2029 economic crash and the Great Renunciation, whereby the nation, like a dissolute Atlas, shrugged off its national debt, saying to creditors: Its nothing personal. The world is not amused, and Americans subsequent downward social mobility is not pretty.

Florence Darkly, a millennial, is a single mother but such mothers now outnumber married ones. Newspapers have almost disappeared, so print journalism had given way to a rabble of amateurs hawking unverified stories and always to an ideological purpose. Mexico has paid for an electronic border fence to keep out American refugees. Her Americans are living, on average, to 92, the economy is powered by the whims of the retired, and, desperate to qualify for entitlements, these days everyone couldnt wait to be old. People who have never been told no are apoplectic if they cant retire at 52. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are ubiquitous, so shaking hands is imprudent.

Soldiers in combat fatigues, wielding metal detectors, search houses for gold illegally still in private hands. The government monitors every movement and the IRS, renamed the Bureau for Social Contribution Assistance, siphons up everything, on the you-didnt-build-that principle: Morally, your money does belong to everybody. The creation of capital requires the whole apparatus of the state to protect property rights, including intellectual property.

Social order collapses when hyperinflation follows the promiscuous printing of money after the Renunciation. This punishes those who had a conscientious, caretaking relationship to the future. Government salaries and Medicare reimbursements are linked to an inflation algorithm that didnt require further action from Congress. Even if a Snickers bar eventually cost $5 billion, they were safe.

In a Reason magazine interview, Shriver says, I think it is in the nature of government to infinitely expand until it eats its young. In her novel, she writes:

The state starts moving money around. A little fairness here, little more fairness there. Eventually social democracies all arrive at the same tipping point: where half the country depends on the other half. Government becomes a pricey, clumsy, inefficient mechanism for transferring wealth from people who do something to people who dont, and from the young to the old which is the wrong direction. All that effort, and youve only managed a new unfairness.

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Will: Novel posits scary view of current course - The Columbian

Jennifer Burns: Randian philosophy losing cachet among modern conservatives – Norwich Bulletin

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Jennifer Burns

Ayn Rand is dead. Its been 35 years since hundreds of mourners filed by her coffin (fittingly accompanied by a dollar-sign-shaped flower arrangement), but it has been only four months since she truly died as a force in American politics. Yes, there was a flurry of articles identifying Rand lovers in the Trump administration, including Rex Tillerson and Mike Pompeo; yes, Ivanka Trump tweeted an inaccurate Rand quote in mid-February. But the effort to fix a recognizable right-wing ideology on President Donald Trump only obscures the more significant long-term trends that the election of 2016 laid bare. However much Trump seems like the Rand hero par excellence a wealthy man with a fiery belief in, well, himself his victory signals the exhaustion of the Republican Partys romance with Rand.

In electing Trump, the Republican base rejected laissez-faire economics in favor of economic nationalism. Full-fledged objectivism, the philosophy Rand invented, is an atheistic creed that calls for pure capitalism and a bare-bones government with no social spending on entitlement programs such as Social Security or Medicare. Its never appeared on the national political scene without significant dilution. But there was plenty of diluted Rand on offer throughout the primary season: Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Carly Fiorina and Ted Cruz all espoused traditional Republican nostrums about reducing the role of government to unleash American prosperity.

Yet none of this could match Trumps full-throated roar to build a wall or his protectionist plans for American trade. In the general election, Trump sought out new voters and independents using arguments traditionally associated with Democrats: deploying the power of the state to protect workers and guarantee their livelihoods, even at the cost of trade agreements and long-standing international alliances. Trumps economic promises electrified rural working-class voters the same way Bernie Sanders excited urban socialists. Where Rands influence has stood for years on the right for a hands-off approach to the economy, Trumps America first platform contradicts this premise by assuming that government policies can and should deliberately shape economic growth, up to and including punishing specific corporations. Likewise, his promise to craft trade policy in support of the American worker is the exact opposite of Rands proclamation that the essence of capitalisms foreign policy is free trade.

And theres little hope that Trumps closest confidants will reverse his decidedly anti-Randian course. The conservative Republicans who came to power with Trump in an almost accidental process may find they have to exchange certain ideals to stay close to him. True, Paul Ryan and Mike Pence have been able to breathe new life into Republican economic and social orthodoxies. For instance, in a nod to Pences religious conservatism, Trump shows signs of reversing his earlier friendliness to gay rights. And his opposition to Obamacare dovetails with Ryans long-held ambitions to shrink federal spending. Even so, there is little evidence that either Pence or Ryan would have survived a Republican primary battle against Trump or fared well in a national election; their fortunes are dependent on Trumps. And the president won by showing that the Republican base and swing voters have moved on from the traditional conservatism of Reagan and Rand.

What is rising on the right is not Randian fear of government but something far darker. It used to be that bright young things like Stephen Miller, the controversial White House aide, came up on Rand. In the 1960s, she inspired a rump movement of young conservatives determined to subvert the GOP establishment, drawing in future bigwigs such as Alan Greenspan. Her admirers were powerfully attracted to the insurgent presidential campaign of Barry Goldwater, whom Rand publicly supported. They swooned when she talked about the ethics of capitalism, delegitimizing programs like Medicare and Medicaid as immoral. They thrilled to her attack on the draft and other conservative pieties. At national conferences, they asked each other, Who is John Galt? (a reference to her novel Atlas Shrugged) and waved the black flag of anarchism, modified with a gold dollar sign.

Over time, most conservatives who stayed in politics outgrew these juvenile provocations or disavowed them. For example, Ryan moved swiftly to replace Rand with Thomas Aquinas when he was nominated in 2012 for vice president, claiming that the Catholic thinker was his primary inspiration (although it was copies of Atlas Shrugged, not Summa Theologiae, that he handed out to staffers). But former Randites retained her fiery hatred of government and planted it within the mainstream GOP. And it was Rand who had kindled their passions in the first place, making her the starting point for a generation of conservatives.

Now Rand is on the shelf, gathering dust with F.A. Hayek, Edmund Burke and other once-prominent conservative luminaries. Its no longer possible to provoke the elders by going on about John Galt. Indeed, many of the elders have by now used Randian references to name their yachts, investment companies and foundations.

Instead, young insurgent conservatives talk about race realism , argue that manipulated crime statistics mask growing social disorder and cast feminism as a plot against men. Instead of reading Rand, they take the red pill, indulging in an emergent internet counter-culture that reveals the principles of liberalism rights, equality, tolerance to be dangerous myths. Beyond Breitbart.com, ideological energy on the right now courses through tiny blogs and websites of the Dark Enlightenment, the latter-day equivalent of Rands Objectivist Newsletter and the many libertarian zines she inspired.

Once upon a time, professors tut-tutted when Rand spoke to overflow crowds on college campuses, where she lambasted left and right alike and claimed, improbably, that big business was Americas persecuted minority. She delighted in skewering liberal audience members and occasionally turned her scorn on questioners. But this was soft stuff compared with the insults handed out by Milo Yiannopoulos and the uproar that has greeted his appearances. Rand may have accused liberals of having a lust for power, but she never would have called Holocaust humor a harmless search for lulz, as Yiannopoulos gleefully does.

Indeed, the new ideas on the right have moved away from classical liberalism altogether. American conservatives have always had a mixed reaction to the Western philosophical tradition that emphasizes the sanctity of the individual. Religious conservatives, in particular, often struggle with Rand because her extreme embrace of individualism leaves little room for God, country, duty or faith. But Trump represents a victory for a form of conservatism that is openly illiberal and willing to junk entirely the traditional rhetoric of individualism and free markets for nationalism inflected with racism, misogyny and xenophobia.

Mixed in with Rands vituperative attacks on government was a defense of the individuals rights in the face of a powerful state. This single-minded focus could yield surprising alignments, such as Rands opposition to drug laws and her support of legal abortion. And although liberals have always loved to hate her, over the next four years, they may come to miss her defense of individual autonomy and liberty. Ayn Rand is dead. Long live Ayn Rand!

Jennifer Burns is an associate professor of history at Stanford University and a research fellow at the Hoover Institution.

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Much to be gained from Golden Rule – Jackson Clarion Ledger

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Becky Vaughn-Furlow, Business Columnist 5:00 p.m. CT March 4, 2017

The AFLAC duck is seen in an image released by the company. Linda Kaplan Thayer's small advertising firm won the Aflac contract. Aflac contacted her to pitch an idea for an ad campaign because of referrals by influential individuals she had been kind to by taking the time to give them free advice over lunch.(Photo: AP Photo/Aflac)

Being kind or being nice is not being passive or being a pushover. Instead it is the epitome of ethical behavior. Treating other people like you would like to be treated, whether it is co-workers, customers or managers, does pay off in all relationships, including professional relationships, personal relationships, at home and on the job.

It pays off in businesses. If you don't believe it, just check out Chick-fil-A's financial success. Employees of the very successful restaurant chain are trained to say "please" and "thank you." These are simple things that are the secret to the company's success. According to a report, Chick-fil-A employees said "thank you" in 95.2 percent of drive-thru encounters, based on data from 2,000 restaurant visits to 15 restaurant chains. In 2015 Chick-fil-A generated more revenue per restaurant than any other fast food chain in the U.S. Average sales per restaurant were nearly $4 million.

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Superior customer service drives higher sales per unit and far outpaces other chains like KFC, Pizza Hut and Dominos with more than twice as many U.S. locations. One of the big differences is hiring the right kind of employees who embrace the company's culture, followed by the amount of time and money spent on training employees.

Kindness emerges from those who are confident, compassionate and comfortable with themselves. Kind individuals are loving and giving out of the goodness of their heart. It is in their nature to care and exhibit kindness with no ulterior motives. Niceness is being pleasant or agreeable to others, sometimes conforming to what they believe society expects or sees as "nice." The "nice" person is often focused on doing nice things in order to be perceived by others as being a nice person. I think the defining difference is that people can be trained and instructed to be nice but the exhibiting of kindness comes from the heart and is a core value.

The kind treatment of people is unfortunately undervalued in many businesses and other organizations. It is one of the most important qualities of a healthy workplace culture. It inspires a higher level of employee engagement. When the leadership of an organization possesses this quality it filters down through the entire business, enhances teamwork and results in excellent customer service.

Being kind is a trait missing in so many people, being replaced by arrogance and egotistical behavior. It is not a sign of weakness but instead a true sign of strength demonstrated by positive deeds and actions. It shows the deep-down motivation from the heart. No one wants to work in or do business with an organization that is arrogant or ruthless.

An example of how kindness has paid off is the story of the creation of the famous Aflac duck. It was introduced in 1999 by Linda Kaplan Thaler's small advertising firm. As it turned out, Aflaccontacted her to pitch an idea for an ad campaign because of two referrals by individuals who were influential people she had been kind to by taking the time to give them free advice over lunch. Thaler won the lucrative contract, and the Aflacduck has since become a TV sensation allbecause of thekindness being shown with no ulterior motive. The firm now has over 700 employees and accounts worldwide.

To get it down to each of us, think about places you like to shop and go back to because of the way you are treated. On the other hand, there are businesses you avoid because of poor customer service and rude treatment. We often pay more for products and services from the places where we feel appreciated and are treated well. And on top of that, we share with our friends, family, neighbors, anyone who will listen, about the bad experiences at businesses we don't patronize anymore. The referrals we make from being treated well are more valuable to a business than many dollars spent in advertising. There is nothing more valuable as a personal testimony.

Can you make a commitment to altruistic behavior to improve your customer service? We never know how much a customer or person we come in contact with needs a smile, a kind word or a listening ear. A phone call, card, email or text sent to someone who is ill, lonely or otherwise going through difficult times has such a positive impact and it takes so little effort, time or money.

When you are kind to others it will help you with your attitude and somehow lighten the load of your own burdens. Some of the kindest people I know are themselves dealing with inner struggles that most people are not aware of. You have read that it takes more muscles to frown than to smile. Try placing a small mirror in a place you can see yourself as you answer the phone. A smile comes across on the phone in your voice tone even though the customer can't see you.

You have the ability to satisfy the customer and gain satisfaction in a job well done as well asincrease customer loyalty. Keep in mind, customers are the reason you have a job. Enjoy making a difference in the customer experience and increase your value and success of your business.

Contact Becky Vaughn-Furlow at bvaughnfurlow@gmail.com.

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Much to be gained from Golden Rule - Jackson Clarion Ledger

Liberal and Labor on a knife edge in WA, while things look up for One Nation – The Sydney Morning Herald

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Despite a late poll slump, scrappy organisation and the selection of "fruitcakes" as candidates, One Nation remains in a position to seize the balance of power in Western Australia's upper house, largely due to the enduring strength of Pauline Hanson's political brand, less than a week before the state election.

A ReachTEL poll commissioned by Fairfax last week showed that the Labor opposition was leading Colin Barnett's Liberal government by 52-48 on a two-party-preferred basis.

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A poll of around 1700 residents shows the WA state election is set to be a tight contest.

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Doing her bit to drum up support, Pauline Hanson is doing the rounds in WA ahead of Saturday's election, but there'll be some notable absentees. Courtesy ABC News 24.

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A Camillo man has been charged with evading police through a number of Perth suburbs in the dramatic chase captured by WA Police's air-wing.

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Trevor Gleeson says Matt Knight is a 50-50 chance to play in Sunday's final against Illawarra.

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Trevor Gleeson says Matt Knight is a 50-50 chance to play in Sunday's final against Illawarra.

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Winner of over 70 international awards, Matilda the musical makes it way to Perth.

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Mother Nature put on an impressive display overnight, with a massive thunder and lightning storm. Vision: Today Perth News.

A poll of around 1700 residents shows the WA state election is set to be a tight contest.

But the Liberal Party's controversial preference deal with One Nation, which is polling at 8.5 per cent, could leave Ms Hanson's party with the balance of power in the upper house.

Dr Martin Drum, a senior lecturer in politics at the University of Notre Dame, said such a result suggests that should One Nation learnfrom its mistakes and should Ms Hanson continue to operate as effectively as she has in recent months, One Nation could wreak havocfor the Liberal and National parties in other state and federal elections in the future.

When the WA campaign began One Nation was polling at just over 13 per cent. The slump since then appears to have been inflicted by the quality of its local candidates, some of whom have proved to be "fruitcakes" saidDr Drum. "When they are in the headlines, it is normally for the wrong reasons."

Dr Drum notedthat polling throughout the campaign has shown discontent with both major parties, with Liberal losses not all flowing to Labor.

He said given that One Nation failed to find enough candidates to run in all the state's contestable seats and because some candidates appear not to have been closely vetted the scope of its impact in this environment was unpredictable.

In January an article that the party's candidate for the crucial seat of Pilbara, David Archibald, held by the National Party's leader Brendon Grylls, wrote in the musty conservative journal Quadrant was dusted off and republished to a broad audience.

Listing lifestyle choices that the government should defund, he began with "ugly" single mothers.

"The first that springs to mind is single motherhood," Mr Archibald wrote.

"These are women too lazy to attract and hold a mate, undoing the work of possibly 3 million years of evolutionary pressure.

"This will result in a rapid rise in the portion of the population that is lazy and ugly."

On Friday One Nation's candidate for another crucial seat, Kalamunda, on the eastern fringe of Perth, suddenly quit, citing a preference deal between One Nation and the Liberal Party.

"I've had enough," Ray Gould, told ABC radio.

"I'm talking to voters and they say, 'We like Pauline Hanson but she's done a deal with the Liberals and she can't be trusted'.

"I don't think I'll even get 4 per cent of the vote because she's messing with the voters' heads."

Kalamunda could help decide which party wins government. It is held by the Liberal Party with a margin of 10.3 per cent, which is almost exactly the size of the swing Labor needs to win governmentand, according to recent polling, just about the size of the swing that polling suggests we might see on election day.

The Liberal Party has faced criticism for cutting a deal with One Nation that will see it giving preferences to the insurgent outlier in the upper house in return for One Nation's preferences in the lower house.

Speaking on ABC TV on Sunday morning, during an interview in which she backed a cut to weekend penalty rates, voiced her support for the Russian President Vladimir Putin and cast doubt on the safety of vaccines, Ms Hanson was frank in support of the agreement.

"I have no problem with saying that because it is our best chance of getting One Nation candidates selected to the floor of Parliament. Of course, who is not going to do it?"

The deal has increased tensions between the Liberal Party and its National Party coalition partners, and demonstrated how seriously the Liberal Party takes the One Nation threat.

Some observers believe Mr Barnett has effectively sacrificed the lower house seat of Perth, where voters have expressed anger at the deal, in order to stave off One Nation challenges in rural and regional seats.

In the aftermath of a mining boom thatsome analysts consider to have been wasted, the election is being fought over bread and butter economic issues such as unemployment and debt. This has pitted the state's giant resources and agricultural sectors against one another, in turn increasing tension between the coalition partners.

The National Party under Mr Grylls is pushing to increase a state production tax on iron ore from 25 cents a tonne to $5, a proposal being fought by WA's Chamber of Minerals and Energy.

The Chamber's chief executive, Reg Howard-Smith, has been watching the electorate closely in the lead-up to the election.

"We've been close to the ground over the last few months and the feedback we've got is that everyone is concerned about jobs," he said.

"Resource sector jobs, but jobs more generally always comes at the top of the order."

Although the tax increase would generate an extra $3 billion in revenue for state coffers, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton have argued it would cost jobs in the Pilbara and across WA.

Mr Howard-Smith also believes the tax rise,which would require legislation to overhaul state agreements with the two companies, would damage the investment attractiveness of the state.

"We've had fantastic support across the sector for this campaign we're running about iron ore and that's focused on two companies, but the reason is there are many, many people who can remember the RSPT [Resource Super Profits Tax]," he said.

"When the RSPT was announced, on that Saturday the Dockers and the Eagles were to play I never got to that game capital dried up instantly."

But Mr Howard-Smith was also concerned about a Nationals plan to give companies payroll tax breaks for workers in the Pilbara who were not fly-in, fly-out (FIFO), an idea which could cost jobs everywhere but in Mr Grylls' own electorate.

Mr Howard-Smith said the plan would devastate small towns in the south-west like Busselton and Manjimup where many FIFO workers choose to live, and where the Liberal Party holds a swathe of crucial seats.

"If you're coming out of Busselton and you've made the choice to live there but to maintain your job you have to travel to the Pilbara, then it's clearly a matter of choice," he said.

"Manjimup only has a small number of FIFO workers, in the twenties, but by the time you look at families and everything else, the contribution they make is significant.

"Rio reached out to those workers in Manjimup. At the time the timber industry was closing there were some good operators who they took on, so it just doesn't make any sense.

"They would have the most mature FIFO model, so you have a lot of people coming out of Busselton, a number from Albany, Geraldton, and Broome and Broome is essentially Aboriginal employment.

"That's working extremely well and I don't think the National party policy is realistic for one moment."

Unions have been quick to link the Liberal Party to One Nation.On Sunday the Victorian CFMEU leader John Setka tweeted in reference to the penalty rates decision, "Pauline Hanson is just another Liberal who hates workers!"

MsHanson herself travelled to Western Australia to begin a week's campaigning on Sunday, with an itinerary planned to include stops in Perth and towns in the south-west as well as regional centres including Port Hedland, Karratha, Kalgoorlie and Geraldton.

The Labor leader Bill Shorten is expected to join the campaign later in the week.

So far the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, whose last WA visit was not warmly received, has no plans to make the trip.

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Liberal and Labor on a knife edge in WA, while things look up for One Nation - The Sydney Morning Herald

Elections BC probes Liberal Party fundraising – The Globe and Mail

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The governing Liberal Party in British Columbia is under investigation for its fundraising practices by Elections B.C., after The Globe and Mail revealed lobbyists are illegally funnelling money to the party routinely on behalf of corporate and special interests.

I can tell you these are potentially contraventions of the Elections Act, said deputy chief electoral officer Nola Western. It appears to be a systemic problem that needs to be addressed.

The independent body that enforces the provinces election laws said its probe will look at tens of thousands of dollars in multiple donations, made by power brokers such as Mark Jiles and Byng Giraud, who paid under their own names, with personal credit cards.

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Both registered lobbyists acknowledged to The Globe they were actually buying Liberal fundraising tickets on behalf of their clients and companies, then getting reimbursed, which is against the law.

Thats an indirect political contribution and thats not okay, said Ms. Western. You can only make a political contribution with your own money and you cant be reimbursed.

Mr. Jiles is an independent consultant, paid by numerous clients to lobby politicians to make decisions favourable to those clients. Mr. Giraud is the top in-house lobbyist for Woodfibre LNG, an Indonesian firm building a controversial liquefied natural gas plant near Squamish, B.C., which has recently been given government approvals and tax breaks.

The B.C. Liberals will also have to answer for how the party collects its donations, said Ms. Western. Thats because when anyone goes on the party website to buy tickets to a fundraiser, the first choice they have is to donate with their personal credit card no questions asked.

[The party] should know better, said Ms. Western, adding the law says parties must determine whether a donor is an individual, a corporation, a non-profit or other type of donor, then report their contribution to Elections B.C. accordingly.

The [partys] financial agent is not allowed to accept that donation without collecting that information.

Liberal Party spokesman Emile Scheffel acknowledged to The Globe when a donor uses a personal credit card, the party automatically records that as an individual donation.

There has been confusion and we are working immediately to clear up that confusion, he said.

The Globe asked for an interview with party leader and Premier Christy Clark, but was told she was not available.

Mr. Jiles and Mr. Giraud are among the biggest Liberal supporters on a list of 53 frequent donors, compiled by The Globe, who also gave multiple times under their own names. They are all lobbyists, executive directors and others who get paid to act for special interests.

The revelations about their funnelled donations come two months before the next B.C. election, which the Liberals will finance with a record $12-million raised by the party last year much of that through heavily criticized cash for access fundraisers.

B.C. has no limit on how much any contributor can give or how often, making it a holdout and an outlier among other large provinces and the federal government, which have all put a cap on individual donations.

As a result of The Globes investigation, Dermod Travis of the watchdog group Integrity B.C. said he went back to the public record and now has questions about 359 donations, totalling more than $1-million, from people representing special interests who gave in their own names several times in the last decade.

I looked at the ones that jumped off the page and do not fit the usual pattern of giving, Mr. Travis said. To have all this happening and have no one say boo about it speaks to the lack of regulatory oversight of political donations.

He added that he doesnt buy the recent numbers touted by the B.C. Liberals, which said their individual donations outnumbered those from corporations four to one. Mr. Travis now suspects many of those individuals were giving money illegally, on behalf of others.

It is simply happening far too frequently with the same people far too much, said Mr. Travis. It throws an incredibly large chunk of their donations into question.

Duff Conacher of the citizen advocacy organization Democracy Watch, who is viewing this from his base in Ontario, said B.C. is hurting its reputation by allowing what he calls legalized bribery by power brokers who are paid by special interests.

If a big business was looking to buy off politicians, B.C. would be the place to go, Mr. Connacher said. The system B.C. has now is the best government money can buy and thats not democratic and its unethical and it looks really bad to the rest of the country.

The B.C. Liberal Party said it will revamp its website immediately, to remind donors they cant donate on behalf of others.

We will take a look at how prevalent this seems to be and where Elections B.C. expresses a concern we will work to address this, said Mr. Scheffel.

However, he wouldnt say whether the party will contact individual donors to make sure their contributions werent recorded under the wrong name. The law requires the party to return any prohibited donations of that nature, and retrieve any tax receipts issued to those individual donors.

On Sunday, the leader of the B.C. Green Party called for the RCMP to also launch an immediate investigation.

The [Globe] report raises very serious questions about influence peddling and corruption of our democratic process, Andrew Weaver said, in a media release. These disturbing practices must end.

Charges are possible, but Elections B.C. said its too early to say whether any of this will be referred to police or the Crown.

I think we have some work to do, said Ms. Western.

Follow Kathy Tomlinson on Twitter: @KathyTGlobe

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Elections BC probes Liberal Party fundraising - The Globe and Mail

Leaving the EU is the start of a liberal insurgency – The Guardian

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Nigel Farage with Donald Trump. Brexit means that power can be dispersed outward and downwards. Photograph: Gerald Herbert/AP

What is Nigel Farage so cross about? We won the EU referendum, for goodness sake. Since 23 June, Ive been walking on sunshine. My mood has been a state of Zen-like bliss.

Alongside Boris Johnson, David Owen, Gisela Stuart and all of those involved in the official Vote Leave campaign, I spent the referendum arguing that leaving the EU would be an opportunity to make Britain more open, outward-looking and globally competitive. It is becoming increasingly clear to me that this is where Brexit is going to take us.

Far from heralding a retreat into insularity, Brexit is shaping up to be the beginning of a liberal revolution. Having taken back control of our country, we will at last be able to tackle some of the public policy failures that have festered under successive governments for more than a generation.

Yes, we will see an end to the free movement of people between European Union member states and the United Kingdom. But I suspect we will see a sensible policy that will allow labour mobility, with parliament controlling the total numbers of migrants each year. It is perfectly possible to imagine a scenario under which UK firms would be allowed to hire EU nationals provided they paid them enough to preclude the possibility that they might claim in-work benefits. Doing so would help rebalance the low-wage, low-productivity economic model that the UK has by default come to depend upon.

Ministers seem to be feeling their way towards a new national consensus on issues where the leave and remain sides were once at odds; universities must continue to be able to collaborate with institutions across the EU, drawing on the brightest and best brains.

From telecoms to intelligence gathering, we need to ensure that we continue to cooperate with the rest of Europe, despite not being in the EU.

The great repeal bill, which will convert all existing EU legislation into UK law, might be better described as the great transfer bill. It will not of itself remove many regulations, but enable us to decide if we wish to retain or reform such rules and free ourselves from some of the constraints various legal rulings over the past 40 years have imposed on our ability to make our own law. Doing all that might initially change little, but it will awaken within our democracy the idea dormant for so long that we mightdo things better. In the run up to the next general election, we might see parties publish manifesto that give us real choice, not more tweedledumb versus tweedledee options. Any genuinely insurgent politician or party ought to revel in the possibility of meaningful change that leaving brings with it. Brexit is often bracketed alongside the election of Donald Trump and the rise of the new radical populist movements in many western countries. But to me the EU referendum result was a safety valve. Trump or Geert Wilders in the Netherlands is where you end up when you ignore legitimate public concerns and there isnt a safety valve.

Throughout history oligarchy has emerged in societies in which power was previously dispersed: in the late Roman republic, and in early modern times in the Venetian and then the Dutch republics. Each time, the emergence of oligarchy was always accompanied by an anti-oligarch insurgent reaction.Many of todays new radical movements arent oligarchs, but an anti-oligarchy insurgency. Trump is no American Caesar about to cross some constitutional Rubicon.

Yet such insurgents often ended up unwittingly assisting the oligarchs. In Rome the Gracchi brothers, with their Trump-like concern about cheap migrant labour, caused so much civil strife that an all-powerful emperor seemed a better bet. In Venice, the anti-oligarch rebel Bajamonte launched an unsuccessful coup and in doing so gave the elite a pretext to create a new, superpowerful executive arm of government, the Council of Ten. Created to respond to the crisis for six weeks, it ran the republic for the next 600 years.The Dutch anti-oligarch De Witt was so inept, he paved the way for the return of a strong stadtholder, or king.

So, too, today. If chaotic, angry insurgents such as Frances Marine Le Pen and the rightwing populist Alternative for Germany party are the alternative, then being governed by remote, unaccountable elites sitting in central banks and Brussels doesnt seem so unattractive after all. But Brexit isnt anything like that. It is the beginning of a liberal insurgency. Brexit means that we take back control from the supranational elite. Power can be dispersed outward and downwards. Those who make public policy might once more answer to the public.

Cheer up it might even mean that there is less space for anger in our politics too.

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Leaving the EU is the start of a liberal insurgency - The Guardian

Liberals to Senate Democrats: Step up the Gorsuch fight – Politico

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Senate Democratic leaders say they expect Neil Gorsuch will have to clear a 60-vote hurdle to win Senate confirmation. | Getty

Liberal advocacy groups are issuing a sharp rebuke to Senate Democrats, who they say have failed to sufficiently fight President Donald Trumps Supreme Court pick.

In a letter to be delivered Monday and obtained by POLITICO, 11 progressive groups warn that the 48-member minority "must get out in front of this nomination process and refuse to be bullied by President Trump as he stampedes on the rights of Americans."

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Since Neil Gorsuch was nominated on Jan. 31, "Democrats have failed to demonstrate a strong, unified resistance to this nominee despite the fact that he is an ultra-conservative jurist who will undermine our basic freedoms and threaten the independence of the federal judiciary," wrote the groups, led by the abortion-rights advocates at NARAL Pro-Choice America. "We need you to do better."

Advocates describe Gorsuch as more conservative than the late Justice Antonin Scalia, whom he would replace, and more concerned with propping up corporations and special interests than defending the public.

The nudge to Senate Democrats, some of whom have praised the well-liked Gorsuch after meeting with him, comes two weeks ahead of his confirmation hearings and as grassroots activists ramp up their campaign for a filibuster of his nomination.

Fomenting Democratic resistance to Gorsuch is the next test for a growing liberal movement that has fueled rowdy town-hall confrontations with GOP lawmakers and lured millions to anti-Trump demonstrations since his inauguration.

"Americans are marching in the streets, demanding that our government stands up for our democratic ideals," the liberal groups added.

Democratic messaging in the month since Gorsuch's nomination has focused more on defending Obamacare and highlighting Trumps ties to Russia than criticizing Gorsuch a balance that the liberal groups signing Monday's letter appear to dislike.

Senate Democratic leaders say they expect Gorsuch will have to clear a 60-vote hurdle to win Senate confirmation, though some of the caucus more electorally-vulnerable members are less inclined to support a filibuster of the appellate court judge.

Senate Republican leaders hope to hold a final confirmation vote soon after Gorsuchs confirmation hearings conclude, before the chamber recesses for two weeks in early April.

Also signing onto Monday's letter are the labor union SEIU, MoveOn.org, the environmental group 350 Action, CREDO Action, the Working Families Party, Demos Action, the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, Asian Pacific Environmental Network, and the Communications Workers of America.

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Liberals to Senate Democrats: Step up the Gorsuch fight - Politico

Generations will pay for Liberal hydro blunders – County Weekly News

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Trusting Premier Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals to fix the hydro mess they've created is like trusting rabbits to guard the lettuce patch.

It requires an unshakeable belief, in the face of all evidence to the contrary, that the same people who caused today's runaway electricity prices know how to fix them.

And that the Liberals will keep their promise to lower hydro rates if they win next year's election, this being the same party that came to power under Dalton McGuinty in 2003 solemnly promising not to raise our taxes.

McGuinty even signed a pledge during that election not to do so. And we all know what happened next.

Based on their record, I wouldn't trust the Liberals as far as I could throw them to keep any promise they've made, or will make, on hydro rates prior to the June 2018 election, if they win it with a majority government.

To be fair to Wynne and McGuinty, they didn't start the financial mess we see in today's electricity sector, where hydro prices have doubled in a decade, despite a surplus of electricity -- the exact opposite of how the market should work.

They inherited an expensive and aging power and transmission grid from the previous Progressive Conservative government, which inherited it from the previous NDP government, which inherited it from the Liberal government before that.

Electricity prices were going to go up substantially no matter who won the election that brought the Liberals to power in 2003.

But where the Liberals were responsible for putting the problems they inherited on steroids was in their mad, reckless and irresponsible dash into green energy, without any understanding of what they were doing or its consequences.

What Ontarians got in return was unreliable and inefficient power that wasn't needed, given the province's energy surplus -- energy which had to be backed up by new natural gas plants anyway, two of which the Liberals then infamously cancelled at a public cost of up to $1.1 billion over 20 years. Because of the Liberals' 20-year contracts with wind and solar developers, many of them major contributors to the Liberal party, Ontario hydro consumers and taxpayers were forced into buying their expensive and unreliable power first.

Even when it wasn't needed and even if doing so made the entire electricity system operate less efficiently and thus more expensively.

In 2015, Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk concluded the Liberals overpaid $9.2 billion for green energy that was never needed to replace coal-fired electricity.

McGuinty promised to eliminate coal in the 2003 election for health and environmental reasons, saying it would be completed by 2007. It fact it took the Liberals until 2014.

But the Liberals didn't replace coal, which provided 25 per cent of Ontario's electricity, with wind and solar power, which provided just four per cent and which, unlike coal, couldn't supply base load power to the grid on demand.

Instead, the Liberals replaced coal with nuclear power, which emits neither pollution nor greenhouse gases and natural gas, which burns at half the carbon intensity of coal.

Therein lies the ultimate Liberal blunder. They could have replaced coal power without spending a nickel on wind and solar, instead of creating the green energy mess they have.

Ontarians will be paying for that mistake for generations to come.

lgoldstein@postmedia.com

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Generations will pay for Liberal hydro blunders - County Weekly News

All families deserve school choice, not just the wealthy – The Commercial Appeal

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Raul Lopez, Special to The Commercial Appeal 12:04 a.m. CT March 5, 2017

Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves tells supporters Mississippi's work with school choice is not yet done at a rally at the Capitol Tuesday.

Raul Lopez(Photo: archives)

Now that President Trump has been in office for a little over a month, here is one idea on how to dramatically shake things up and enact bold change.

Take on our educational system. For far too long, we have been hoping that by increasing spending and empowering the government, the educational system will improve. But after nearly half a century, instead of improving, things are actually getting worse.

President Donald Trump is already delivering on this by nominating Betsy DeVos, a well-known education reformer, as his education secretary. She was eventually confirmed, but not before much opposition by supporters of the status quo.

Heres the thing. For some, the educational system works great. For the affluent and the upper middle class, picking a great school for their children is no big deal. They either send their children to their local public school, or pay the tuition to send them to a private school.

If its absolutely necessary, some families may even choose to move to a different neighborhood that has a better public school than to the one they had been previously assigned.

But for a huge portion of the population, things are much different. For many low-income families, the only option is sending their child to their local public school. In some cases, this works out well. In other cases, that particular school may be dangerous or lack the academic rigor to provide the child with a quality education.

This is the case all across the country and, sadly, in many places in Tennessee, including Memphis, Nashville and Chattanooga.

Thankfully, many parents are speaking up and demanding change. Rather than continue waiting for the educational system to improve, many parents are demanding the same type of freedom and choice afforded to parents of means.

This is what is known as school choice and is an issue that is picking up more support as parents of all backgrounds learn about this concept.

Just recently, thousands of Americans across the country celebrated National School Choice Week, an annual celebration created to raise a spotlight on the need to have more school choice. This included around 500 families and students in Memphis.

As the executive director of Latinos for Tennessee, an organization committed to advancing and promoting faith, family and freedom, we are committed to supporting greater educational freedom for all Latino families.

This issue matters greatly to us because many Latino students enrolled in our states educational system are not being well served.

According to the American Federation for Children, an organization committed to increasing educational freedom, more than 100,000 Latino students are expected to enter a Tennessee school in the next year. Unfortunately, half of the states current Latino students did not meet the low benchmark of proficiency in reading or math according to the Tennessee Department of Educations Report Card back in 2015.

Thankfully, a new day has dawned and Latino families especially those with children have much to look forward under a new administration. Thats because President Trump has promised to be the biggest cheerleader for school choice.

Our local elected public officials and members of the General Assembly should welcome this change of direction. Instead of encouraging greater choice, many in the state are actively fighting to maintain the status quo and prevent any effort for more choice and transparency.

The only winners if the status quo remains are the special interest groups that are more concerned about ensuring job security for their members than making sure that all children are getting the best possible education.

Political parties that claim to represent the minority community are wrong to oppose greater educational freedom. Polls consistently show that minority communities are supportive of school choice.

Its time Tennesseans turn the page from a status quo that is leaving far too many of our children behind by welcoming increased choice and customization when it comes to education.

Our children are waiting for us to act boldly and decisively.

Raul Lopez is the executive director for Latinos for Tennessee, an organization committed to protecting and promoting faith, family, freedom and fiscal responsibility.

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All families deserve school choice, not just the wealthy - The Commercial Appeal

Hate crime response, nuclear bailout scrutiny topics this week in Albany – Lockport Union-Sun & Journal

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ALBANY In this week's New York state government news, lawmakers plan to discuss the state's response to what they say is a rise in hate crimes and take a close look at plans to bail out three aging nuclear plants.

Here's what's coming up in the week ahead:

FIGHTING HATE CRIMES

Lawmakers plan to consider new proposals to increase penalties for desecration of a grave or graffiti on mosques, synagogues or churches in response to acts of vandalism reported around the nation.

Sen. Jeff Klein, a Bronx Democrat and the leader of the Independent Democrats, says his group is also proposing to make graffiti a hate crime when it targets a person's race, religion or other personal characteristics.

"This is a country built on the principles of freedom and tolerance, where individuals are welcome to worship freely," Klein said. "As the grandson of Holocaust survivors, to see this occur in America in 2017 is deeply disturbing and we must send a clear message to anyone who believes that they could strike fear into any religious group: Hate will not be tolerated in New York State."

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced a special police task force to investigate hate crimes and is calling for $25 million to help religious schools step up their security.

NUCLEAR BAILOUT

Lawmakers will scrutinize the state's plan to bail out three upstate nuclear plants, a policy that could cost ratepayers nearly $8 billion over the next 12 years.

Cuomo's administration negotiated the deal, which is intended to ensure the aging plants continue to operate as the state ramps up its use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. The Democrat's top energy officials argue that if plants were allowed to close they would likely be replaced by power plants to generate energy from fossil fuels.

The bailout also protects hundreds of high-paying jobs in the plant's host communities, a key priority for upstate lawmakers.

Critics of nuclear power and some environmental groups have blasted the subsidies in what they say is an industry that poses grave risks to the environment and public safety.

An Assembly hearing on the bailout is scheduled for Monday in Albany.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Senate Democrats plan to unveil their own higher education affordability plan this week, a possible alternative to Cuomo's proposal to make state college tuition free for middle-class students.

BUDGET

Talks over the state budget continue as lawmakers inch closer to the April 1 start of a new fiscal year.

Much of the work now is being done behind closed doors as the leaders of the Senate and Assembly look for consensus on education spending, taxes, funding for transportation, water infrastructure and a host of other issues.

The two chambers plan to vote on their own budget proposals so called "one-house budgets" the week of March 13.

Hundreds of health care providers are asking state authorities for increased support for community-based services to help uninsured patients.

Today, more than 900 community health care supporters will ask Albany lawmakers to preserve health care in federally qualified health centers, according to Community Health Care Association of New York State.

Federally qualified health centers treat all patients, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. Advocates are asking lawmakers for $20 million designated to these health care services they say serve 2 million New Yorkers in high-poverty neighborhoods annually.

The Community Health Care Association of New York State says cuts to indigent care funding could increase reliance on more costly forms of care at a time many people already risk losing coverage.

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Hate crime response, nuclear bailout scrutiny topics this week in Albany - Lockport Union-Sun & Journal

Oran Hall | Young cop seeks financial independence | Business … – Jamaica Gleaner

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QUESTION: I'm a 23 year-old who is seeking some financial advice. I've read some of your articles and have found them to be very motivating, to say the very least. You see, I've often been told that I want to achieve too much too soon and, perhaps, that may be true.

But I'd like to own my house by a respectable age and give back to my community and the nation at large. I'm a young member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and quite frankly, the salary can hardly sustain me. But I'm willing to maintain my integrity and not become a 'dirty cop', and that is why I'm writing to you.

I currently own a motor car, which I bought with the help of a loan, and I was also thinking of purchasing either another motor car or a bus to operate as a public-passenger vehicle. I've also considered medium to long-term goals such as investing in stocks and bonds, or even real estate.

I'm a business-minded young man, so I'm always seeking out investment opportunities. I would appreciate if you could shed some light on my blurry path as I seek to move towards financial independence.

- Cole

FINANCIAL ADVISER: The time of your youth is the best time to make your plans, and I believe you are on the right path. You have a goal and a plan to achieve it, although there are some gaps to be filled.

One very positive step that you have taken is soliciting advice to determine if you are on the right path. You have not stated when you want to achieve your ultimate goals and the others between now and then, so I am not qualified to say you want too much too soon.

Although you are at or close to the base of the ladder now, if you work hard and seize opportunities to further qualify yourself, you can go far in the police force - and in a reasonable time. This would mean better remuneration as you progress up the ladder.

You recognise the value of using other people's money to acquire assets, which comes with a cost. A motor car for personal use is essentially a wasting asset as it loses value over time, even while you are still paying for it. But you clearly want to move beyond that.

Your plan includes purchasing another motor vehicle, not for personal use, but to earn additional income. The success of this venture would improve your financial position and help you to move to the point of financial independence as it could provide the means to acquire other income-earning assets.

You have also mentioned stocks, bonds and real estate. You clearly appreciate that the best investment portfolio is one that is diversified. You reduce your risk when you invest in different types of assets, although it is also possible that this may also lower your chances of reaping higher returns.

You do not need to have much money to invest in stocks nor wait too long to make that type of investment as long as you understand how such investments work and you do not encroach on money that you need to take care of your living expenses and other commitments.

Bonds will not give you the kind of return that stocks and real estate are capable of giving, but they give some stability to an investment portfolio. Real estate is likely to pose the greatest challenge because the deposit and initial costs are high, and a small income will put a limit on how much you can borrow.

You know what you want to do, so determine the sequence in which you would like to achieve each goal as well as the time for doing so. The cost of each will bear strongly on whether you succeed, but be prepared to be flexible.

Be realistic as you make your plan and implement it, and bear in mind that every investment has some risk. You have one big advantage over many persons: You are business-minded.

I sincerely hope that you reach your destination of financial independence rather than just moving towards it. Be patient, and accept you may have to sacrifice short-term gratification to achieve long-term success. And continue to maintain your integrity.

- Oran A. Hall, principal author of 'The Handbook of Personal Financial Planning', offers personal financial planning advice and counsel. finviser.jm@gmail.com

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Oran Hall | Young cop seeks financial independence | Business ... - Jamaica Gleaner

Father John Misty references Taylor Swift in new song, ‘Total Entertainment Forever’ – EW.com

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EW.com
Father John Misty references Taylor Swift in new song, 'Total Entertainment Forever'
EW.com
... where like, the internet was supposed to be this new democracy, a utopia of information where everyone had a voice and we were all interconnected, and we would experience true democracy and it turned into pornography, followed only by outrage.
Father John Misty Explains Taylor Swift Line From Total Entertainment ForeverPitchfork
Why are we cool with Father John Misty singing about sex with Taylor Swift, but not Kanye?FasterLouder
Father John Misty Explains Taylor Swift Line On Total Entertainment ForeverStereogum
Consequence of Sound (blog)
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Father John Misty references Taylor Swift in new song, 'Total Entertainment Forever' - EW.com

A taste of ‘Utopia’ – Otago Daily Times

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"I recorded it in Auckland with Jonathan Pearce at the end of December 2014, so Ive been sitting on it quite a while," former Dunedin student Christopher Bull says of his EP on a whirlwind visit from the United Kingdom.

"I basically recorded it, then moved out of the country. I planned to release it in London, but I didnt quite plan on how hard London was."

Called The Utopia EP, the songs cover the slightly arrogant struggles of a middle-class 20-something in a big city. Theyre actually having loads of fun, but they kind of see it as a facade.

"The thing that Im almost more shocked by is how things havent really changed, not that I necessarily thought they would get better," Bull says, looking back at the material.

"My version of dissociation was just watching Auckland house prices go insane, and the whole city just fall into this rapture led on by the New Zealand Herald and its calling of the house prices like a horse race, which was just surreal.

"Its 2017 and its still happening and now its taking Wellington too. I wasnt prophetic, but whatever I was writing about hasnt changed at all and if anything, has gotten worse."

The opener is my personal favourite. Called Pile it all on (a toast to the optimists), it is built on a gorgeously soaring and deeply resonant electric guitar that you can feel in your bones and that makes me think of devastating Blur heartbreaker No Distance Left to Run.

As Bull sings of having no money, aspirations to burn, and wondering if he can make it through student loans, it comes across like a plaintive funeral march that just happens to be really, really beautiful.

Later, things turn more abstract and experimental. Utopia, written in a fit of anger after watching John Pilgers film of the same name (and where the EP also gets its title from), is rousing and sad with its psychedelic vocals and swirling distortion.

"Living in London right now is both fascinating and terrifying," Bull says preparing for his return.

"In the two years that weve been there, a lot of what we thought we knew to be true about the world has been upended in the Brexit vote and Trumps election.

"Its especially telling as the divide between winning cities and the rest of the world now feels so stark. London may as well be a different country in the UK. Its providing a rich vein of both anxiety and material, watching in real time as men like Nigel Farage, Donald Trump and Steve Bannon actively try and take apart a lot of things that we took for granted in the world.

"Its also an inspiration for action though; we went to a demonstration against the travel ban on a Monday after work which attracted 30,000 people."

New York pop songwriting sensation Greta Kline, aka Frankie Cosmos, is visiting Dunedin next week, in what is sure to be one of the years most anticipated indie rock shows.

Utilising the spartan, wooden beauty of a band like Beat Happening, and the deceptively simply melodies of the likes of Kimya Dawson, Kline and her band deftly explores life, love, and death in earnest and poetic personal detail.

With dozens of Bandcamp demo releases, and two critically acclaimed albums to her name, she is one of the leading lights of the US indie scene, and it is fantastic to see her visiting Dunedin, especially in the post Chicks Hotel era!

- Sam Valentine

Christopher Bulls The Utopia EP is available now for pay as you like from Bandcamp. christopherbull.bandcamp.com/album/the-utopia-ep

Frankie Cosmos, Wednesday, March 8, at Maori Hill Coronation Hall, 8pm. Tickets $30 plus booking fee, presales available from undertheradar.co.nz

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A taste of 'Utopia' - Otago Daily Times

Utopia for Realists and How We Can Get There by Rutger Bregman … – The Guardian

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Everyone is bored of being made to be happy all the time Rutger Bregmans book Utopia for Realists. Illustration: Matt Blease for the Guardian

Lets start with a history lesson. In the past, everything was worse. Look, I know you may not be happy that there is famine in large parts of Africa, that Islamic State is in control of a large part of the Middle East, that North Korea could nuke someone for a laugh and that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are bound to make things even more unstable. But count yourself lucky that you are still alive. If you had been born 600 years ago, theres a fair chance youd be dead by now.

What weve all got today would have been seen as a utopia in the middle ages. Thanks to medical advances, only a few of us are really deformed, most people have fresh water, somewhere warm to sleep, enough money to get by and internet access. Some scientists think it wont be long until someone lives to be 1,000.

All this comfort has made us lazy. People used to dream of utopias because their lives were so miserable. But now utopias have become dystopias, with everyone bored of being made to be happy all the time. Weve lost the will to change society for the better. So lets play utopia!

Its May 2009 and an experiment is under way in London. Its subjects: 13 homeless men. These men rack up 400,000 a year in court costs and social services. So what did a charity do? It gave each one 3,000 to spend as they liked. Within a year, theyd all turned their lives around and were productive members of society, apart from some of them.

Giving people free money works. They live longer, they contribute more and are less of a burden on the state. They tried it in Canada and it worked. President Nixon almost pioneered a universal basic income of $1,600 in 1969, before he was persuaded it wasnt such a good idea after all.

We can end poverty for good by just giving people money. Try it. Next time you see a poor person, give them a decent wedge of cash and see how it transforms their lives. But dont just give them a spare fiver, because that will change nothing: nudge economics only increases dependency and keeps people in poverty.

Imagine a world where everyone was a millionaire because the state had given them lots of dosh. Then we wouldnt need to spend money on the NHS, because everyone would be eating and looking after themselves so well that no one would ever get ill. And the few people who did get ill could afford private healthcare. Sorted. Its just a shame there will be no nursing staff as everyone will be too rich to bother with a job that doesnt pay very much and involves long hours.

Have I mentioned that Nixon almost introduced a universal basic income in 1969? Oh, I have. But it was the main point of this book, so I had better repeat it. By the way, the only reason it didnt go ahead was because someone told Nixon lies about what would happen if he were to do it. Only saying.

Heres some other things Id like to happen. We all work far too many hours, except for people who dont work at all. The ideal should be for everyone to work 15 hours a week and spend the rest of the time watching TV. And that is perfectly possible, though I agree it might be rather annoying to find that everywhere you wanted to go with your new time off was closed because staff are on a 15-hour week. Our kids might also be a little thicker because the schools would only be open for three hours a day, but at least theyd happier and I have a case study of a primary school in Amsterdam to prove it.

GDP is another downer. Countries swear by it, forgetting it never existed before the 1930s. So lets get rid of it and measure things differently. Lets do away with robots and bankers, too, as they have all proved more trouble than theyre worth. Cast your mind back to a time when your boss couldnt email you with a pointless query at 10.30 at night. Wasnt it so much nicer to get a good nights sleep? Ignorance is utopian bliss. And as for immigration, if there was free movement of labour, all the worlds problems would be sorted. Everyone who is starving in South Sudan could come over here to do the jobs the rest of us dont have time to do as were only working 15 hours a week. Win-win!

Digested read digested: Living the dream.

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Utopia for Realists and How We Can Get There by Rutger Bregman ... - The Guardian

Oceania CACS conference targets technology-driven change – Technology Decisions

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Oceania CACS 2017 will provide insights into the solutions that can be adopted within organisations facing the accelerating impact of technology-driven change.

This is the premier ISACA event for IT security, CIOs, IS auditors, consultants, educators, IS security professionals, risk professionals and internal IT auditors in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Asia.

For members and non-members alike, it offers an opportunity for attendees to advance their careers, attend master workshops and network.

This year, the conference will be held over two days in Canberra.The conference will deliver cutting-edge insights from 14 industry experts, including four keynotes.

The 2017 keynote speakers include Alastair MacGibbon, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister on Cyber Security; Lynwen Connick, First Assistant Secretary Information Sharing and Intelligence, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet; Mike Trovato, Managing Partner, Cyber Risk Advisors; and Gai Brodtmann, Member for Canberra, Shadow Minister for Cyber Security and Defence.

The conference includes networking drinks on arrival on Sunday, 10 September, with the commencement of Oceania CACS on 11 September. A gala dinner will be hosted at the National Museum of Australia on the first day, offering a chance to truly solidify business relationships in an enjoyable environment.

Image credit: iStockphoto.com/STEEX

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Oceania CACS conference targets technology-driven change - Technology Decisions

‘They Seem Very Much in Love’: Prince Harry Does a Dance for Meghan at Friend’s Wedding, Says Source – PEOPLE.com

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Look out for the bouquet!

Meghan Markle partied with some of Prince Harrys closest pals at the wedding of one of his best friends in Montego Bay, Jamaica on Thursday.

The couple is in the Caribbean to witness the wedding of Tom Skippy Inskip and literary agent Lara Hughes-Young. Inskip and Harry are childhood friends they met at Eton College and Inskip is popularly said to have been Harrys wingman on rowdyevenings out during their younger days.

For the nuptials, Markle wore a long floral dress and sunglasses as the royal, who was one of 14 ushers, suited up in a navy blue blazer and trousers.

For Markle, it is thought to be the first time she has accompanied Harry to a wedding and it marks something of a public coming out for the couple.

But she will fit in well as she has already met most of Harrys closest friends in London during restaurant and theater dates over several months of dating.

During the wedding, an onlooker tells PEOPLE that the two shared plenty of PDA, including a sweet kiss.

Harry and Meghan seem very much in love, the source said, adding that Harry spent much of his time introducing Markle to friends during the joyful wedding.

At one point, the onlooker says that Harry got up and did a little dance for Markle.

According to local reports, Harry accompanied by a heavy security detail, as the Jamaica Observer put it arrived at the international airport at Montego Bay on Wednesday afternoon.Markleis believed to have flownin separately from her home in Toronto. The outlet says that the royalis planning tostay in the Caribbean for a week.

The wedding party is thought to be staying at the Round Hill Hotel and Resort in Montego Bay. The110-acre private enclave featuresluxury villasandoceanfront rooms.

After spending a romantic break with Harry in Norway, Markle spent much of January and February in London with Harry staying at his Nottingham Cottage in Kensington Palace but she returned to Toronto to prep for the filming of the next season of Suits in mid-February.

It just feels very natural for them both, a source told PEOPLE of the duos dynamic. It feels easy like theyve known each other for a long time.

Markle posted on Instagram earlier this month after a two-month hiatus from the social media platform, sending a positive message to her followers alongside a photo of her too-cute Charlotte Olympia cat flats below the text #NOBADENERGY.

Sending good vibes always in all ways, she captioned the snap.

Representatives for Kensington Palace and Markle would not comment.

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'They Seem Very Much in Love': Prince Harry Does a Dance for Meghan at Friend's Wedding, Says Source - PEOPLE.com

More of the same at Swan Cup Caribbean >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News – Scuttlebutt Sailing News

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Virgin Gorda, BVI (March 4, 2017) Race Day Three of the Rolex Swan Cup Caribbean brought more of the same sunny and breezy conditions that have characterised the week so far in Virgin Gorda as well as custom courses for the assembled fleet of Nautors Swan yachts. With just one more race day left in it, the Swan 90 Freya is looking comfortable at the top of the Maxi division where she leads Plis-Play by four points.

In the Grand Prix/Mini Maxi division the ClubSwan 50 Cuordileone retains her overall lead despite a spinnaker tear during todays race, while among the Mini Maxi boats the Swan 66 Bounty maintains a healthy delta. Organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in collaboration with Nautors Swan and title sponsor Rolex, this third edition of the biennial event concludes tomorrow, Sunday 5th March.

The Maxi division set off on schedule today on a 32 mile course that snaked through the islets off Virgin Gorda passing Great Camanoe and Scrub Island before rounding Ginger, at the south western tip of Virgin Gorda and embarking on a long reach back to the finish line off Necker Island. Don Macphersons Freya and Vicente Garcia Torres Plis-Play battled at the front of the pack for most of the duration, while the Swan 80 Selene and the Swan 82 Stay Calm fought for third place.

Victory in todays race took Freya to a total of three consecutive wins and she now looks set to be the overall division winner, save some major upset in tomorrows final race. The fight is on, however, for second place as Plis-Play sits just one point ahead of 2015 division winner Selene. All three boats may be experiencing a feeling of dej vu as a very similar battle unfolded at 2016 Rolex Swan Cup in Porto Cervo. In that instance Freya took a clear win while Plis-Play just managed to get the upper hand over Selene on the final day, whether fates will change in Caribbean climes will be revealed tomorrow.

The Mini Maxi and Grand Prix boats completed a shorter course that took them around the Dog Islands for a total of approximately 21 miles. As the two competing ClubSwan 50s settled in for their daily match race-style duel, Cuordileone suffered a massive spinnaker tear, and although she recovered admirably, the setback saw her loose time and points on the scoreboard. Gibb Kanes Bounty, with a mainly American crew, took first place in the division in todays race ahead of the other participating ClubSwan50 Earlybird, which vants Jochen Schuemann on tactics. The overall classification now sees Cuordileone just one point ahead of Earlybird with Bounty sitting one point further behind in third place.

The Maxi division set off on schedule today on a 32 mile course that snaked through the islets off Virgin Gorda passing Great Camanoe and Scrub Island before rounding Ginger, at the south western tip of Virgin Gorda and embarking on a long reach back to the finish line off Necker Island. Don Macphersons Freya and Vicente Garcia Torres Plis-Play battled at the front of the pack for most of the duration, while the Swan 80 Selene and the Swan 82 Stay Calm fought for third place.

Victory in todays race took Freya to a total of three consecutive wins and she now looks set to be the overall division winner, save some major upset in tomorrows final race. The fight is on, however, for second place as Plis-Play sits just one point ahead of 2015 division winner Selene. All three boats may be experiencing a feeling of dej vu as a very similar battle unfolded at 2016 Rolex Swan Cup in Porto Cervo. In that instance Freya took a clear win while Plis-Play just managed to get the upper hand over Selene on the final day, whether fates will change in Caribbean climes will be revealed tomorrow.

The Mini Maxi and Grand Prix boats completed a shorter course that took them around the Dog Islands for a total of approximately 21 miles. As the two competing ClubSwan 50s settled in for their daily match race-style duel, Cuordileone suffered a massive spinnaker tear, and although she recovered admirably, the setback saw her loose time and points on the scoreboard. Gibb Kanes Bounty, with a mainly American crew, took first place in the division in todays race ahead of the other participating ClubSwan50 Earlybird, which vants Jochen Schuemann on tactics. The overall classification now sees Cuordileone just one point ahead of Earlybird with Bounty sitting one point further behind in third place.

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More of the same at Swan Cup Caribbean >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News - Scuttlebutt Sailing News

RIP swimming pigs: Several of the Bahamas’ beloved porkers found dead – PRI

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Pigs can't fly, but they can swim.

In the Bahamas there are beaches where you can swim with pigs. And feed them.

You can imagine they're a huge tourist attraction.

But two weeks ago, eight swimming pigs were found dead at the Exuma Pig Beach, where the animals havelived for the last 30 years. You may have spotted the pigs freely roaming the beach on an episode of "The Bachelor."Recent visitorsincludeDonald Trump Jr., the US presidents son, and comedian Amy Schumer.

It's believed they died from food poisoning, and now the Bahamian government has put a stop to tourists feeding the pigs.

Wayde Nixon co-owns the swimming pigs along with his business partner Don Rolle. Nixonbrought a few pigs over in the 1990s to start a pig farm on Big Major Cay, part of the Exuma island chain in the Bahamas.

The area became known as Pig Beach.Until the deaths, the cay had been billed asa sort of porcine paradise.

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RIP swimming pigs: Several of the Bahamas' beloved porkers found dead - PRI