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More Caribbean illegals in line for deportation – Trinidad & Tobago Express

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Danzig

WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump has expanded the nations immigration rules requiring expanded deportation of undocumented Caribbean and other immigrants.

In a revised executive order, captioned Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements, Trump said US federal immigration law both imposes the responsibility and provides the means for the federal government, in cooperation with the states, to secure the nations borders. He said the purpose of the order is to direct executive departments and agencies to deploy all lawful means to secure the nations southern border with Mexico to prevent further illegal immigration into the United States, and to repatriate illegal aliens swiftly, consistently and humanely. Trump said the order includes returning Caribbean and other immigrants to their respective countries, pending formal proceedings. The order also directs the US Secretary of Homeland Security to hire an additional 5,000 border agents and to empower state and local law enforcement to support federal enforcement of immigration law, to the maximum extent permitted by law, and to ensure that prosecution guidelines place a high priority on crimes. Last Friday, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency released a list detailing the offences of 680 immigrants who were recently detained and slated for deportation, adding 75 per cent had criminal convictions. Reduction in travel to Caribbean

In the largely Caribbean community in Brooklyn, New York, rumours of immigration sweeps at a popular department store and a sprawling hospital frequented by Caribbean nationals spread like wildfire last week, prompting the intervention of a Caribbean American legislator. New York City Council Member Jumaane D Williams, the son of Grenadian immigrants, told the Caribbean Media Corporation he and his staffers have been following up on the many rumours, as we can. Williams has been among the Caribbean communitys most vocal critics of the Trumps administration immigration policies. Caribbean-American Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke had warned the Trump travel ban would extend to the Caribbean. Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, represents the Ninth Congressional District in Brooklyn. Last weekend, Caribbean Community leaders expressed concern Trumps immigration policies could result in a reduction of travel to the Caribbean. We must obviously be concerned with the recent issue related to immigration, and the impact it will have on our citizens and on tourism, said Grenada Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell. CMC

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More Caribbean illegals in line for deportation - Trinidad & Tobago Express

RORC Caribbean 600: It’s Never Like This >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News – Scuttlebutt Sailing News

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Danzig

(February 21, 2017) After a champagne start to the ninth edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 yesterday, there was a huge change in weather conditions by the end of the first day. The low pressure system emanating from the north arrived earlier than anticipated, extinguishing the trade winds to provide a windless night for many competitors.

However, in the early hours today a highly unusual northwesterly wind was effecting the majority of the fleet rounding St.Kitts and Nevis. The arrival of the wind was accompanied by torrential rain more Argyll & Bute (Scotland) than Antigua & Barbuda! By dawn today, the majority of the monohull fleet were beating to Saba Island to turn downwind towards St. Barth.

In the MOCRA Multihull Class, the two duelling MOD70s are now a distant memory from the rest of the fleet. Giovanni Soldinis Maserati rounded the Barbuda mark less than a minute ahead of Lloyd Thornburgs American Phaedo3 and the two yachts set off on a broad reach to Nevis, hitting 25 knots of boat speed.

However, on port gybe without a foil, Maserati was unable to shake off the attentions of Phaedo3. Turning upwind at Nevis, the advantage turned towards Phaedo3 who passed Saba Island 22 seconds ahead of Maserati. Phaedo3 continued to pull away from Maserati through the chicane at the top of the course to lead by nearly 10 minutes as they passed Tintamarre Island around Midnight.

Both MOD70s experienced light winds for the first part of the leg to Guadeloupe, but once through the windless zone, the two combatants were back to full speed as they both rounded Montserrat to Port. At dawn on the second day of the race, Phaedo3 and Maserati were close together, about to enter the wind shadow of Guadeloupe.

Duelling MOD70s at the start of the RORC Caribbean 600 RORC/Tim Wright

For yachts racing under the IRC Rating Rule, George Davids American maxi Rambler 88 was leading on the water by 48 minutes at Tintamarre Island, six miles ahead of Mike Slades British Maxi, Leopard 3. Lionel Peans French Volvo70, SFS II was third on the water, but leading IRC Canting Keel Class after time correction.

At dawn on the second day, the two Maxi72s were enjoying an intense battle at the top of the overall leader board for IRC. Hap Fauths Bella Mente and George Sakellaris Proteus were rounding St.Barth for the second time on the long leg to Guadeloupe. The two yachts had been no more than seven minutes apart in 240 miles of racing.

Approaching the halfway stage in the race, Proteus was estimated to be leading by less than one minute on corrected time. Dixon 100, Danneskjold, sailed by Simon Hill is estimated to be third in IRC Zero, just ahead of Stefan Jentzschs Carkeek 47, Black Pearl, after time correction.

Photographer, Cory Silken is on board the Dixon 100, Danneskjold

IRC One Marc Lepesqueux & Philippe Paturels Class40, Saint Pierre & Miquelon is estimated to be leading the class from C.n.b. Briand 76, Lilla, sailed by Simon & Nancy De Pietro. Giles Redpaths Lombard 46, Pata Negra is third. With all of the 18 yachts in the class on the leg between Saba and St. Barth at dawn on the second day, there is close racing right through the division.

IRC Two Ed Fishwicks J/122, Redshift on El Ocaso is estimated to have a slender lead on class champion Scarlet Oyster, skippered by Ross Applebey. At dawn on the second day, Redshift on El Ocaso rounded Saba Island 13 minutes ahead of Scarlet Oyster. Dominic Hurndalls Grand Soleil 43, Jua Kali, was estimated to be third after IRC time correction.

Scarlet Oyster at Barbuda Mark RORC/Tim Wright

IRC Three Jonty Layfields Swan 48, Sleeper X leads the class on the water and after IRC time correction. Sleeper X is estimated to have a handsome three hour lead in the class from Andy Schell & Mia Karlssons Swan 48, Isbjorn. Peter Hobbs Sigma 38 Sam, is estimated to be in third position.

Class40 Halvard Mabire and Miranda Merrons Class40, Campagne de France is locked into a close battle for the class with Peter Hardings Ph-orty. The two teams are approaching St. Barth, barely a mile apart, with Campagne de France just in front. Catherine Pourres Erendil was leading the class during the first night but is now lying in third position.

A battle is developing between the two magnificent schooners racing in the RORC Caribbean 600. The 182ft twin-masted Adela, skippered by Greg Perkins is 14 miles ahead of its rival the elegant 162ft Eleonora, skippered by Brendan McCoy. However Adela enjoys additional waterline length and sail area, and after IRC time correction Eleonora holds an estimated lead of just 14 seconds.

Sail changes and manoeuvres on board will have been both numerous and exhausting among the classic yachts racing. As testified by Mathew Barker, owner of The Blue Peter. A lot of tacking during the night with boats all around us which adds an element to the physicality. A great chilli meal on board, which was very welcome with the foul weather, all good on board.

Infiniti 46, Maverick, skippered by Oliver Cotterell has retired from the race having reported a hand injury to a crew member. The Maverick team are safely ashore at Nevis.

Event details Tracker Notice of Race Entry list

Background: The 9th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 starts from Antigua on Monday February 20, 2017. The 600nm course circumnavigates 11 Caribbean Islands starting from Fort Charlotte, English Harbour, Antigua and heads north as far as St Martin and south to Guadeloupe taking in Barbuda, Nevis, St Kitts, Saba and St Barths.

Source: Royal Ocean Racing Club

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RORC Caribbean 600: It's Never Like This >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News - Scuttlebutt Sailing News

Navigator of the Seas Live Blog – Day 5 – Curacao – Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Danzig

Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

Navigator of the Seas Live Blog - Day 5 - Curacao
Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)
Today kicked off the bulk of our Southern Caribbean cruise, with our port stop in Curacao. I have never been here before and I was excited to see what this island has to offer. We set the alarm for 7am and got the family prepped and fed prior to ...

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Navigator of the Seas Live Blog - Day 5 - Curacao - Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

Jamaica Commended For Its Economic Initiatives At IDB – South Florida Caribbean News

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Danzig

By: Derrick Scott

WASHINGTON, DC Jamaica has come in for commendation for its economic initiatives, at the Inter American Development Banks sixth annual meeting of Governors of the Caribbean now taking place in Washington, DC.

The country was also hailed for the positive growth in GDP the country is experiencing, while other Caribbean Countries are experiencing economic challenges.

Jamaicas State Minister in the Ministry of Finance and Planning the Hon. Faval Williams, who is representing Jamaica at the IDB meeting, said the the countrys economic achievements could not be achieved without the support of our multilateral partners, chief among them, the Inter-=American Development Bank, the IDB.

She pointed out that the IDB had partnered with Jamaica to implement a number of important projects, including tourism and port development.

During bilateral talks between Minister Williams and President of the Inter-American Development Bank, Luis Alberto Moreno, she urged the IDB to take another look Jamaicas agricultural sector with a view to enabling small and medium enterprises (SME) to gain access to affordable financing, as this was critical to the growth and expansion of the agricultural sector.

Among the topics being discussed over the three days include de risking and correspondent banking, the development outlook for the Caribbean, and the role of the private sector in the development of the Regions economy.

IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno greets Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and Planning Hon. Faval Williams as she arrives at the Banks Headquarters. Looking on from left is Jamaicas IDB representative Arthur Williams and IDBs Executive Director for the Caribbean Jerry Butler (R). Derrick Scott Photo

The three day meeting will come to a close on Thursday, when Finance Ministers and Governors of the Central Banks of the Caribbean will attend the one hundred and fourteenth meeting of the Committee of the Board of Governors of the Inter American Development Bank, and the 45th meeting of the Committee of the Board of Governors of the Inter American Investment Corporation.

Minister Faval Williams is accompanied by Jamaicas representative to the IDB, Mr. Arthur Williams.

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Jamaica Commended For Its Economic Initiatives At IDB - South Florida Caribbean News

SXM Festival on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin announces 2017 edition – Mirror.co.uk

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Danzig

As the days seem to be getting longer, many turn their heads to summer plans, dreaming of pristine white sandy beaches, cocktails in hand and a smile on their faces.

The fact of the matter is there is no need to wait until the European summer. Its always summer somewhere in the world and what better destination than St Martin?

SXM Festival is back for its second edition, acting as both a festival and getaway destination set amongst iconic shores and picturesque jungles.

Sounds good right? Not to mention a musical line-up consisting of global house and techno big hitters me (Live), Jamie Jones, Ricardo Villalobos, Richie Hawtin and many many more.

Julian Prince, Founder of SXM Festival, said: After our much talked about inaugural year, we are beyond excited to return to beautiful St. Martin with some of the worlds best DJs and producers.

"In curating this years lineup it was our hope to offer a look into the past, present and future of our community.

"From legendary fixtures of the scene, to up-and-coming stars, to the avant-garde sounds of tomorrow, we have bridged all channels in choosing the soundtrack for SXM Festival 2017.

"It was our hope to craft a lineup that reflected the talents of both men and women from across all corners of the globe and bring them to the oasis of St. Martin for a totally unique dance music experience."

For five sunrises and sunsets, attendees can find themselves barefoot at the secluded white-sand beach mainstage, adrift on an iconic Caribbean Boat Party, at exclusive VIP Villa Parties, lost down a techno tailspin in a natural jungle venue, or swept up in the local cuisine and rich culture of the half Dutch, half French island paradise, St Martin.

A no brainer to wash away those Winter blues. For tickets visit the site here .

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SXM Festival on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin announces 2017 edition - Mirror.co.uk

Bahamas Gets 3-0 Win Over Belize – Bahamas Tribune

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Danzig

VICTORY SWEET: Team Bahamas players (l-r) Nesly Jean, Lesly St Fleur and Gary Joseph celebrate yesterday as they prevailed with a 3-0 win over Belize in CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship. The Bahamas advanced to the quarter-finals.

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

LESLY St Fleur missed a hat trick but he connected on a pair of goals and Gary Joseph added the other as the Bahamas team electrified the crowd for the second consecutive night at the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship with a 3-0 victory over Belize.

The crowd in the new beach soccer stadium at the foot of the Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge grew larger than the opening night on Monday when the Bahamas knocked off Guyana 4-1 and once again they were entertained by a superb performance by the host team as they advanced to the quarter-finals.

With seven minutes and 34 seconds on the clock in the second period, Lesly St Fleur retrieved the ball after kicking in a side kick and booted in the first goal for the Bahamas for a 1-0 lead. The goal came after the Bahamas got off to a slow start after being more aggressive in the first third.Two minutes later, Kyle Williams got a crisscross pass to St Fleur, but he missed his second attempt at the goal.

It wasnt until 7:01 left in the third third that Joseph faced the goal and connected with a shot up the middle for the Bahamas second goal.

I feel good that I scored. When I saw that Lesly was scoring, I said I had to score too, Joseph said. It made me feel good that I was able to score. We played good. All of the hard work is paying off for us right now.

Goalkeeper Ivan Rolle made three consecutive saves before St Fleur got an assist from Williams with 5:22 left in the game for his second goal and a 3-0 lead for the Bahamas. On the next play, St Fleur got to the left corner of the goal but his attempt at the goal just clipped the goal post.

Weve been training hard for this, so all of the effort was put into the game. I trained hard, so I wanted to come out here and play hard, stated St Fleur, who increased his goal total to five over the two games after his hat trick against Guyana.

Goalie Rolle got a bit shaken up on an inadvertenthit from Belizes Jeremy James. That resulted in Williams coming to his aid. Team physician Eugena Patton checked him out and he was eventually replaced by Torin Ferguson as the Bahamas held on for their second straight win.

Weve been pressuring him a lot and at least hes showing up right now, so all of the pressure weve been putting on him, hes showing up and doing his part, said St Fleur of Ivan Rolle, the tall, lanky goalie.

The game opened with Meza getting a penalty kick on Dwayne Forbes foul. But his shot went wide of the goal post. It turned out to be a physical first third as the Bahamas blew a number of opportunities to touch the back of the net. Forbes and Lesly St Fleur came close to booting in the Bahamas first goal, but neither got the opportunity to score.

It was Jeans chance, but he missed an attempt right up the middle. On an assist from St Fleur, Williams fell short of his attempt. So did captain Gavin Christie on his left corner shot.

Meza was the recipient of another penalty shot on Jeans foul, but he once again missed the chance to score.

Just before the period ended, Christie had another attempt at a goal, but he was stopped by two defenders right in front of the goal post.

The Bahamas, coached by Alexandre Soares and Stephen Bellot, will now prepare for a big showdown 8pm tonight against Jamaica, who rebounded from their 5-5 loss on 2-0 penalty shots to Belize in their opening match on Monday by knocking off Guyana last night just before the Bahamas played Belize.

We just have to go out there and play hard, said St Fleur about the much anticipated match-up with Jamaica. We just have to come out the way we did in the first two games and hopefully we can pull it off again.

In the other games played yesterday, Guadeloupe got their tournament debut win 5-4 over hapless Barbados, who dropped to 0-2; Panama also opened play with a 1-1 (2-1 on penalty win) over Costa Rica, who fell to 0-1; El Salvador also kicked off tournament play with a 9-2 rout over the Turks and CaicosIslands, who are 0-1 and Mexico improved to 2-0 with an 8-3 thrashing of Canada, now 1-1.

Bahamas Gets 3-0 Win Over Belize - Bahamas Tribune

Robocall scheme that sold Bahamas cruises is in permanent dry dock – MyPalmBeachPost (blog)

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Danzig

Just hang up if you receive a robocall.

An illegal robocalling scheme that bombarded consumers with 12 million to 15 million robocalls a day using political surveys to sell Florida cruise line vacations to the Bahamas has reached its final chapter.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Federal Trade Commission and nine other state attorneys general Tuesday announced the entry of the last consent judgment shutting down the illegal scheme.

The unlawful telemarketing campaign flooded consumers from across the country with billions of unwanted robocalls and generated millions of dollars for the companies.

The fifth and final consent judgment announced Tuesday bars owner Fred Accuardi and his companies from assisting or participating in actions that violate telemarketing laws.

In 2015, Bondi, in partnership with the FTC and other state attorneys general, filed a lawsuit against Caribbean Cruise Line, Inc., a marketing company, as well as seven other companies, for alleged involvement in a scheme that used political survey robocalls to illegally sell cruise vacations. The joint complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Fort Lauderdale.

Consumers who answered these calls typically heard a pre-recorded message telling them they had been selected to participate in a 30-second research survey, after which they would receive a free two-day cruise to the Bahamas.

In reality the calls were designed to market Caribbean Cruise Lines cruises and various up-sell packages, the FTC said.

The complaint alleged that the defendants robocalls violated both Florida and federal law by unlawfully using political surveys as a pretext to place sales calls pitching Bahamas cruises and related vacation packages to individuals on do-not-call lists and other individuals they were prohibited from calling.

Accuardi and his companies allegedly assisted and facilitated the illegal calls by providing robocallers with hundreds of telephone numbers. The defendants also allegedly made it possible for robocallers to change their caller identification information, funded a portion of the robocalling campaigns, and hid the robocallers identities from authorities.

In addition to barring Accuardi and his businesses from illegal telemarketing, the consent judgment imposes a judgment of $1.35 million, which will be suspended after the defendants pay $2,500. If the court finds that the defendants misrepresented their financial condition, the entire judgment will become due.

Florida and the FTC led the joint action and were joined by attorneys general in Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Washington.

The robocall campaign ran from October 2011 through July 2012.

To view the consent judgment, click here.

To view the order approving the consent judgment, click here.

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Robocall scheme that sold Bahamas cruises is in permanent dry dock - MyPalmBeachPost (blog)

Swimming with pigs in the Bahamas could soon be a thing of the past as only seven of them are still alive – The Sun

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Danzig

Several of the pig colony at Big Major Cay have suddenly dropped dead

The swimming pigs of the Bahamas are pretty big stars tourists come from far and wide to paddle in the ocean with them.

But the famous animals, who live in a colony at Big Major Cay, could soon be a thing of the past as several have suddenly dropped dead, thought to be from food poisoning.

Alamy

According to reports, there are now just seven or eight pigs left.

The Bahamas Humane Society has now launched an official investigation into why the deaths have occurred.

They have taken a series of water samples to try to determine the cause of death and work out they were accidental or intentional.

BHS President Kim Aranha told the local paper The Tribune: It could just be a horrible accident where they ate something poisonous.

Alamy

Kim continued: It could be malicious but I dont really see why someone would go out of their way to hurt those lovely animals.

I know there are a lot of silly sailors that go and feed them alcohol to try and get them drunk but thats not to mistake them with the tour operators based out of Nassau who have treated them with excellent care.

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Swimming with pigs in the Bahamas could soon be a thing of the past as only seven of them are still alive - The Sun

Bahamas famous swimming pigs found dead in ocean – only seven or eight left – News24

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Danzig

2017-02-22 20:00 - Louzel Lombard Steyn

Cape Town - It's one of those bucket list adventures - swimming with the famous ocean pigs of the Bahamas.

But the international attraction might be nearing its end, as a whole lot of the widely adored swimming pigs were found dead on the beach of Big Major Cay, or Pig Beach, this past weekend.

Pig Beach is an uninhabited island located in Exuma in the Bahamas.

SEE:The Ultimate #NoRegrets travel bucket list for 2017

According to local reports, there are now only about seven or eight pigs left. Investigators are still working to figure out exactly what happened.

According to to the Bahamas Humane Society President Kim Aranha, speaking to the local Tribune 242, veterinarians have been collecting samples of the deceased pigs, but it is not clear how long it will take to determine what killed them.

It could be malicious," Aranha says, "but I dont really see why someone would go out of their way to hurt those lovely animals." One theory is that the pigs ingested something poisonous, given the sudden death of multiple pigs.

For now, visitors can still travel to Big Major Cay or Pig Beach to swim with the remaining pigs.

This is what the iconic tourist destination with its paddling pigs look like:

Trump to seek jobs advice from firms that offshore US work – Reuters

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Danzig

By Andy Sullivan | WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump, who has vowed to stop U.S. manufacturing from disappearing overseas, will seek job-creation advice on Thursday from at least five companies that are laying off thousands of workers as they shift production abroad.

Caterpillar Inc (CAT.N), United Technologies Corp (UTX.N), Dana Inc (DAN.N), 3M Co (MMM.N) and General Electric Co (GE.N), are offshoring work to Mexico, China, India and other countries, according to a Reuters review of U.S. Labor Department records.

Executives from the five companies are among a group of business leaders due to meet with Trump on Thursday to discuss how to help the president deliver on his promise to increase factory employment, according to the White House.

About 2,300 U.S. workers at these five companies stand to lose their jobs within the next two years as a result of offshoring, according to the Labor Department's Trade Adjustment Assistance Program, which provides retraining benefits to workers displaced by global trade. Reuters obtained the information through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The companies confirmed the planned job cuts to Reuters. It is not clear whether the other 19 executives due to meet with Trump on Thursday are currently offshoring work, as the TAA program does not cover all workers who lose their jobs due to global trade.

The lost jobs amount to a small fraction of the hundreds of thousands of U.S. workers employed by those involved in the meeting. General Electric, for example, employs 125,000 U.S. workers, financial filings show.

On the campaign trail and in the White House, Trump has painted globalization as a zero-sum game that has enriched low-wage countries while leaving the United States littered with abandoned factories and underemployed workers, and he has threatened to tax companies that offshore U.S. jobs.

The experience of companies on Trump's task force, however, shows the reality is more complex in a world where they are serving customers across the globe. Several said they were creating many new U.S. factory jobs even as they move work to other countries.

It's not clear whether Trump will opt for the carrot or the stick.

Trump plans to meet business leaders to hear their reasons for "why they're going offshore," said a White House aide who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Blue-collar workers who share Trump's skepticism of global trade say they will be watching closely to see if he will try to save their jobs. "I don't think he's a typical politician, so there is hope alive for middle-class families that he will do something," said Scott Schmidt, one of 222 workers at a GE engine plant in Waukesha, Wisconsin who are due to lose their jobs later this year when the company shifts production to Canada.

General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt is among those due to meet with Trump on Thursday.

GE says it is closing its Waukesha plant because Congress has hobbled the U.S. Export-Import Bank's ability to finance large export orders while most other industrialized nations still offer such financial support. The company says it laid off 225 workers last year at a Houston factory for the same reason, shifting production to France, the United Kingdom and Hungary.

GE says it is also closing an Ohio factory and laying off 180 workers because consumers are buying fewer of the florescent and incandescent light bulbs they make there. What production remains will be handled by a factory in Hungary.

OFFSHORING AND ONSHORING

The U.S. economy lost 6 million manufacturing jobs from 2000 to 2010, roughly one-third of its total, in part due to offshoring, but the sector has added 900,000 jobs since then, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Multinational companies say labor costs now are only one factor they consider when deciding where to manufacture. An auto maker, for example, may decide to build a particular model in the country where sales are strongest, prompting parts suppliers to set up there as well so they can turn around orders quickly.

The offshoring picture is also more complex than official statistics indicate as a shuttered factory in the United States does not always mean a new factory abroad.

When auto-parts maker Dana Corp closes a factory later this year in Glasgow, Kentucky that is operating at 20 percent of capacity, one of its plants in Ohio will pick up the work, along with other factories in Mexico, India and China. Dana CEO James Kamsickas is among those scheduled to meet with Trump on Thursday.

The company plans to hire nearly 700 U.S. workers over the next three years as it expands factories in four U.S. states, spokesman Jeff Cole said.

That is little comfort to the 223 people in Kentucky who will lose their jobs. "It seems like all these CEOs and companies have turned their backs on the American worker," said Dana employee Tim Wells, one of those who will be laid off.

LAYOFFS STILL PLANNED

The group also includes United Technologies CEO Gregory Hayes, who took heat from Trump last year for planning to move jobs from Indianapolis to Mexico. The company struck a deal with the incoming president in November to preserve roughly 700 jobs in exchange for $7 million in tax breaks.

United Technologies says it still plans to lay off 786 workers at a separate Indiana plant and move production to Mexico this year. The company is also moving work from a facility in Arden Hills, Minnesota, resulting in a loss of 72 jobs. Most of that work is staying in the United States but some is moving to Poland, spokeswoman Bethany Sherman said, and some of the affected workers will be offered positions elsewhere.

The company is adding more than 1,000 new jobs in the United States, Sherman said.

Other participants include Caterpillar Chairman Doug Oberhelman, who oversees a company that is laying off 712 workers in the American South and Midwest and moving the work to China, Mexico, Italy, France and Germany as it weathers the largest sales slump in its history. A Caterpillar spokesman said it is simultaneously creating 1,300 new manufacturing jobs elsewhere in the United States.

Also due to participate is Inge Thulin, CEO of 3M, which is eliminating 130 jobs in suburban Cincinnati and moving production to Mexico. The company says it has added more than 2,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs over the last five years.

(Additional reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Ross Colvin and Bill Rigby)

President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday revoked landmark guidance to public schools letting transgender students use the bathrooms of their choice, reversing a signature initiative of former Democratic President Barack Obama.

MEXICO CITY A bid by U.S. President Donald Trump to deport non-Mexican illegal migrants to Mexico that has enraged Mexicans will top the agenda when officials from both countries meet on Thursday amid a deepening rift between the two nations.

WASHINGTON Conservatives are all smiles this week at an annual convention in Washington, celebrating President Donald Trump's win, but beneath the surface lurk tensions central to how Republicans will govern in the next two years and the 2018 election outlook.

Trump to seek jobs advice from firms that offshore US work - Reuters

Russia inks second Turkish Stream pipe offshore construction contract – New Europe

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Danzig

Published 20:07 February 22, 2017

Updated 20:07 February 22, 2017

South Stream Transport BV, Allseas Group sign construction contract for second string of offshore section

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Gazproms South Stream Transport BV and Swiss-based offshore pipe-laying and subsea construction company Allseas Group signed on February 20 in Amsterdam a contract to build the second string of the Turkish Stream gas pipelines offshore section, Gazprom said in a press release.

The document was signed as part of the option included in the construction contract for the pipelines first string, which had been inked in 2016, the Russain gas monopoly said.

In a similar fashion to the construction of Turkish Streams first string, Allseas plans to use Pioneering Spirit, the worlds largest construction vessel, to lay more than 900 kilometres of pipes across the seabed for the second string of the pipeline.

The first string of the gas pipeline is intended for Turkish consumers, while the second string will deliver gas to the border of Greece and Turkey and onto southern and southeastern Europe.

While the first string to Turkey is likely to be completed, the second string to Europe has to abide by EU law and is facing resistance from Brussels since it will not add to the blocs diversification of supply sources. The project is supposed to replace Russias plans to build South Stream that were abandoned in December 2014.

Each string of Turkish Stream will have the throughput capacity of 15.75 billion cubic metres of gas per year. On October 10, 2016, Russia and Turkey signed the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Turkish Stream project.

South Stream Transport BV, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom, is responsible for the construction of Turkish Streams offshore section.

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Russia inks second Turkish Stream pipe offshore construction contract - New Europe

Fugro to conduct natural leakage survey in offshore Kenya … – Offshore Technology

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Danzig

Fugro has received a contract from Shell / BG Kenya to conduct a seabed survey in the offshore region off the East African coast to identify natural leakages of hydrocarbons.

This seeps survey will complement the seismic exploration programme that was completed recently in offshore Kenya. The seeps campaign will acquire multibeam data and precise sampling over four weeks.

Fugro has planned to send its specialised survey vessel, Fugro Discovery, to Kenya next month to conduct the campaign.

The company will perform seabed sampling using a drop corer.

Fugro also stated that multibeam data will be collected using the latest deepwater high-resolution echo sounder, which will be installed on a newly designed gondola on the vessel hull.

"These important seabed surveys support the decision-making process for drilling operations, especially in frontier regions such as East Africa."

Fugro regional business development manager in Africa Peter Boon said: Seeps surveys are an important part of Fugros site characterisation services and were very pleased to reintroduce the Fugro Discovery to African waters, where she will demonstrate the excellent value they represent when exploration budgets are limited.

These important seabed surveys support the decision-making process for drilling operations, especially in frontier regions like East Africa.

This project will be managed under the joint Fugro-Shell Safety Leadership programme to ensure efficiency and safe delivery.

Fugro has completed multiple seeps campaigns for Shell worldwide.

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Fugro to conduct natural leakage survey in offshore Kenya ... - Offshore Technology

Lagerstein hitting the high seas for Rum City – Bundaberg News Mail

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Danzig

LAGERSTEIN's second album was titled All For Rum and Rum For All so it makes perfect sense the Aussie band would want to perform in the Rum City.

Combining rum, keytar, beer, drums and everything in between, band leader Captain Gregarrr said a Lagerstein show was a unique experience that had to be seen to be believed.

The Brisbane band will double as crew of the SS Plunderberg, which will be sailing across Australia

Captain Gregarrr's mission is to take you on a quest for the ultimate party as they perform songs from their 2016 album.

"Our itinerary is simple: visit every tavern, stop at every port, party with all the locals and drink all sorts, he said.

Melbourne-based group Keggin will join them for a free performance at the Globe Hotel on Saturday, March 4, and will be supported by Bundy band Odysseus Reborn and Maryborough act Into the Badlands.

The event is 18-plus.

For more information, phone the Globe Hotel on 4153 1800.

Lagerstein hitting the high seas for Rum City - Bundaberg News Mail

Anthelia – MicroWiki – micronations.wiki

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Danzig

(This article was teased back out of the ozone. It appears to have been written in 2005 or 2006.)

The Republic of Anthelia (pronounced:ant-HEEL-ee-yuh), known in short as Anthelia, is a democratic micronation founded in July 2004. Anthelia is an Anglophone Sector micronation and a member of the Micronational Cartography Society and the Novasolum Treaty.

Anthelia was founded on 27 July 2004 by John Darcy, an Australian micronationalist with past involvement in the hobby but no other known micronational citizenships. The Republic - it has always been called a "republic" - was established with democratic and pluralistic objectives but with low membership and activity there were two consequences: Firstly, Darcy held de facto autonomous power as "Administrator" and secondly, inactivity saw the fledgling micronation virtually shut down from September 2004 to April 2005.

The Republic was woken up on 11 April 2005 by a message of inspiration and intent posted by prominent citizen Koen Nevens. Nevens' energy pushed Anthelia to the attention of other Anglophone micronationsthrough the Micronations.net forums, and this in turn attracted several possible citizens as well as interested foreign observers. Anthelia's profile was also significantly raised at this time through a dispute over its Micronational Cartography Society map presence. This dispute was resolved amicably in due course.

The revival sparked by the Nevens Communique of 11 April was indeed - energetic and rapid. By the end of April a draft Constitution was readyfor referendum and the groundwork had been laid for immediate Executive Council elections. Duly, the Constitution was enacted and came into force on 4 May 2005, and John Darcy and Koen Nevens were elected unopposed as the inaugural Executive Council, taking office on 13 May.

The Constitution of the Republic provides for an elected Executive Council to run the nation in everyday matters. The Executive Council can appoint Ministers to assist in this, and Ministers can propose new or amended laws for the control and benefit of national affairs. Through direct democracy, all citizens of the Republic have the right to debate proposed laws and all citizens participate in the vote to approve a law. (The policy of the present government is to establish an elected legislative body at a future time when the population can sustain it). The Constitution also provides detailed protection of individual and general rights, and a number of superior provisions regarding citizenship and other matters to which all normal laws must conform.

Justice is to be administered through courts presided over by judges who will be appointed as the need arises. The President of the Republic is a largely symbolic position, as the President is one of the Executive Councillors and has very few and limited exclusive powers and duties of his own. John Darcy is the inaugural and current President.

A micronation with less than a year of serious activity cannot be said to have developed a strong individual culture; however, a number of stylistic aspects promoted by the incumbent government give an indication of "national identity".

Firstly, Anthelia is strongly grounded in the letter and substance of its laws. Darcy and Nevens have consistently sought to write laws, executive orders and a Constitution which are thorough, explicit and strong. The possible criticism of this is that Anthelia is legalistic and complicated by micronational standards, but the government's choice + is based on both instinct and training. Nevens is a practising lawyer in his macronational life, and Darcy brings to his hobby a lifelong interest in politics and the law. A micronation headed by these two could not in good conscience be governed loosely by clumsily-written laws.

Secondly, Anthelia seeks to keep its community simulation firmly anchored in "reality". Anthelia's fictional world is set in the same time period as the real world and has no technology or capability which is beyond the first decade of the 21st century. This is notwithstanding Anthelia's choice to be involved in, for example, the MCS fictional world map, which in substance is merely a tool for interaction with other micronations

Thirdly, the combination of lawful order and realistic simulation underpins Anthelia's economic simulation. Economics and money appears,from all reports, to be the weak underbelly of micronations the reasons for this are many and not least of them is the microscopic size of the market which makes economic modeling irrelevant. (Imagine trying to impose the rules of fluid dynamics on a few dozen water molecules floating in a vacuum). Nevertheless, the Republic has enacted laws and established an institutional framework to base its currency, and the monetary sector of its economy, on real-world principles. This is an ongoing source of disagreement between Anthelia and at least one other micronation (Gotzborg) and that situation is still developing at the time of writing.

Finally, it is the combination of a realism-grounded simulation and a monetary economy which is driving, or will drive, the future development of the community. The policy of the government is to encourage and develop new and diverse aspects for the simulation which will assist the community to look and behave like a real-world community. This is, needless to say, a long-term strategy. +

Anthelia began as a micronation in isolation, although the wider micronational community was known to the founder. The months since therevival have seen Anthelia interact more widely with other English-language micronations (the "Anglophone Sector"). The Micronational Cartography Society more than any other person or body has provided the main impetus for this interaction. By virtue of its place on the MCS map, Anthelia has chosen primarily to seek + discourse and interaction with its neighbours on that mapGotzborg, Natopia, Alexandria, Rio Grande and Lavalon. This is not to say that other micronations have been ignored, but the main focus of diplomacy has been on these few and in particular Gotzborg and Natopia.

It was this regional focus which led to the Novasolum Treaty. A conference was held in May and June of 2005 for micronations which shared the same continent as Anthelia on the MCS map. The aim of this conference at its outset was to seek a mutual treaty for "the creation of an area of freedom, security and justice" there was no intent to create a formal association of micronations and no multilateral policies (such as economic policy) were to be imposed.

During the course of this conference, a related (but separate) project was begun by President Darcy to enhance the geographic details of the micronations involved, and it was from this project that the continent's name "Novasolum" was agreed. In course, the treaty (which was ratified by four of the parties by 8 July 2005) was named the Novasolum Treaty. In August 2005, the Republic was a party to the Treaty of BBC, which is a treaty with the micronation founded on BBC TV in the United Kingdom by King Danny Wallace.

The first point of contact for Anthelia is a website, and the forums can be reached from there for a complete picture of the community's day-to-day activities.

An independent media also operates, with The Anthelia Quarterly available by subscription (see information on the forums). Anthelian affairs are also reported in the RIMA Journal and in general discussions on Micronations.net. Citizenship is available to residents of the Republic who fulfill a 10-day residency waiting period, but there are no restrictions on general immigration. Given the importance placed on the now-operating monetary economy, the government has enacted Income Support to provide for those people in Anthelia who do not yet have a job.

The President is happy to answer direct personal inquiries at president@anthelia.net

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Anthelia - MicroWiki - micronations.wiki

8 Best Caribbean Cruise Line Private Destinations – Cruise Fever

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Danzig

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Private destinations are popping up all over the Caribbean with current offerings and soon-to-be-available ones as well. Heres what guests can enjoy exclusively now and into the future.

Disney has always been a private island leader with its exquisite Castaway Cay for featuring a convenient dock from the get go as well as a narrative of exploration. Highlights here include areas for families and just for adults, a fantastic snorkeling lagoon complete with a submerged former ride submarine from Walt Disney World and a floating waterslide platform.

One of two Royal Caribbean International destinations exclusively accessible to its guests is CocoCay in the Bahamas. The island newly has an updated South Beach with a shuttle transfer, lounge chairs, floating bar, beach beds, bungalows and loungers. Elsewhere is an aqua park, beach hammocks, suite guest cabanas and available eco-tours.

Norwegian Cruise Lines first 250-acre private island in the Bahamas, Great Stirrup Cay, showcases beach retreats, a snorkel trail, water sports, parasailing, cabanas and more with shore excursion options as well. For dining, it offers a complimentary Beach Buffet and Abaco Taco bar, and LandShark Bar and Grill for a la carte priced items is coming soon.

Half Moon Cay from Holland America Line is one of the nicest private islands. Single- and double-decker cabanas are even available for the most seclusion, and a shipwreck-style bar gives the beach an interesting focal point. Fun activities range from local craft shopping to exhilarating personal water craft riding or leisurely kayaking.

Harvest Caye is the newest entry on the list having just opened for Norwegian Cruise Line guests. An attached pier ensures easy access to a massive pool facility, nature center, private cabanas and a series of zip-lines including a super man variety that traverses over the pristine beach below. Plus, tasty dining already includes the aforementioned LandShark Bar and Grill.

Labadee is Royal Caribbeans second private destination now with its own dock. The most dramatic attractions here are the Dragons Breath Flight Line zip-line, 300-foot-long Dragons Splash Waterslide, 30-mile-per-hour Dragons Tail Coaster and Arawak Aqua Park. Of course, for those looking for more leisure, Nellies Beach has you covered.

This one has yet to open, but come October 2018 it will be a very unique private island that can accommodate guests ashore in the evening for extra entertainment while the casino can operate onboard. Highlights are set to include an attached dock, 11,400 feet of beaches, a Bahamian village, restaurants, bars, shops, a 2,000-seat amphitheater and zip-line.

Princess Cruises Princess Cays offers guests over 40 acres of seclusion across more than a half-mile of shoreline. Besides a free barbecue, the resort boasts beaches, an observation tower, water sports and volleyball. Also available are snorkel equipment, sea boards, floats, kayaks, paddle wheelers, banana boat rides, aqua chairs, beach clamshells and bungalows.

Jason Leppert is the Editor-in-Chief of Popular Cruising, the leader in video cruise reviews.

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8 Best Caribbean Cruise Line Private Destinations - Cruise Fever

Mark Sundeen looks for a better way to live – Missoula Independent

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Danzig

Mark Sundeen, as his books attest, is a seeker. His novel Car Camping chased enlightenment through travel and came up with comedy. The Making of Toro was a meta (and also pretty comic) quest, identified right there in the subtitle, for the authorial "acclaim he deserves." The Man Who Quit Money projected his seeking onto another seeker, Daniel Suelo, a man refusing the shackles of currency in an attempt to create a better way to live in the world.

With The Unsettlers, he's zoomed out from the micro of Suelo's search and into the encompassing big-picture: What might it mean, and how might it work, to live well?

It's a timeless question, and it's also a zeitgeisty one. Why do Trump supporters want to make America great again? Because they don't think America is very great right now. Why are progressives always complaining about everything? Because progressivism is built on the belief that the-way-things-are can always be improved on. Either way, whichever ideology gives the search shape, it's self-improvement that we're ultimately after, and America, from Gatsby to Oprah, has never been short of self-improvement strategies.

And maybe that's because Americans are so often disappointed. Baked into the idea that the good life requires a search is the premise that the life we're already livingright here and right nowisn't it. (Also baked into any quest to "live well" is the privilege implied by the phrase's second worda privilege Sundeen does well to acknowledge and navigate).

Sundeen blessedly skips the rhetorical bother of building a case or even identifying a cause for the nagging imperfectness of the world, but he convincingly sketches the shadows thrown on human satisfaction by the numbing bombardments of what we're probably safe in oversimplifying as late-stage capitalism: disconnection from community, dependence on institutional injustice and the commodification of fulfillment.

Ostensibly incited by the compromises and opportunities of a new marriage, and armed with a skeptic's suspicion that he might harbor room for some self-improvement of his own, Sundeen hits the road in search of anyone who looks like they might have figured it all out.

His thematic roadmap, as his title suggests, is Wendell Berry's 1978 classic The Unsettling of America. That book made Berry's agriculture-centric case that the growing cultural distance in America between livelihood and land accompanies and probably causes a whole host of ills (like disconnection from community, dependence on institutional injustice and the commodification of fulfillment). Racism, sexism, addiction, appetite for destructionall, in Berry's scheme, are part and parcel of the country's tilt away from Jeffersonian farmdom and toward rootless cosmopolitanism.

That map steers Sundeen toward the landed. First in Missouri, where an idealistic young car-foregoing couple scrapes together enough cash to start the latest in a long American line of intentional communities in flyover country, where water is plentiful, land is cheap, and building codes are lax. Then in Detroit, where an urban farming movement has established itself in the ruins of a gutted industrial powerhouse. And finally in Montana, where Sundeen, a former Missoula resident, turns away from such upstarts to see if anyone has managed to make a good lifewith all its deprivations and difficult choiceslast. He finds that sustained integrity inspoiler alertVictor, where Steve Elliot and Luci Brieger have spent the last 30-plus years building their good life at Lifeline Farm.

If Sundeen's subjects' attempts to live in harmony with land connects them, so does the fact that they are, or become, couples. The good life in Sundeen's sights is clearly built for, if not by, two. This choice of paired characters has the happy effect of making each of Sundeen's vignettes also a love story of sorts, which provides him a nice prism through which to view his own coming to terms with marriage, after what he presents as a thoroughly bachelorized life beforehand.

It's probably not giving too much away to note that Sundeen eventually decides that the life of ethical denial and honest toil that drives his characters isn't really for him, as much as he's intellectually attracted to the idea. Sundeen's searching ultimately leads him not back to the land, but to a reaffirmation of his own "practice," which is research and writingthe acts of creation that brought us this book. There's even a nice little love story of his own tucked away in the realization. And good thing he recognizes it, too. This fallen world has quite enough wannabe farmers, and long may they thrive. But it's frankly hard to imagine the bunch of carrots, however lovingly husbanded, that would be more nourishing than the body of work Sundeen is building.

Mark Sundeen reads from The Unsettlers at Shakespeare & Co. Mon., Feb. 27, at 7 PM.

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Mark Sundeen looks for a better way to live - Missoula Independent

The Benedict Option and Rod Dreher’s LGBT Challenge – The Atlantic – The Atlantic

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Danzig

Donald Trump was elected president with the help of 81 percent of white evangelical voters. Mike Pence, the champion of Indianas controversial 2015 religious-freedom law, is his deputy. Neil Gorsuch, a judge deeply sympathetic to religious litigants, will likely be appointed to the Supreme Court. And Republicans hold both chambers of Congress and statehouses across the country. Right now, conservative Christians enjoy more influence on American politics than they have in decades.

And yet, Rod Dreher is terrified.

Dont be fooled, he tells fellow Christians in his new book, The Benedict Option. The upset presidential victory of Donald Trump has at best given us a bit more time to prepare for the inevitable.

Seeking an Escape From Trumps America

The last few years have confirmed an extraordinary cultural shift against conservative Christian beliefs, he argues, particularly with the rise of gay rights and legalization of same-sex marriage. Christians who hold to the biblical teaching about sex and marriage have the same status in culture, and increasingly in law, as racists, he writes. Their future will become increasingly grim, he predicts, with lost jobs, bullying at school, and name-calling in the streets.

This, Dreher says, is the inevitable fate for which Christians must prepare.

There was a time when Christian thinkers like Dreher, who writes for The American Conservative, might have prepared to fight for cultural and political control. Dreher, however, sees this as futile. Could it be that the best way to fight the flood is to stop fighting the flood? he asks. Rather than wasting energy and resources fighting unwinnable political battles, we should instead work on building communities, institutions, and networks of resistance that can outwit, outlast, and eventually overcome the occupation. This strategic withdrawal from public life is what he calls the Benedict option.

Drehers proposal is as remarkable as his fear. It is a radical rejection of the ties between Christianity and typical forms of power, from Republican politics to market-driven wealth. Instead, Dreher says, Christians should embrace pluralism, choosing to fortify their own communities and faith as one sub-culture among many in the United States.

But it is a vision that will not be easily achieved. Conservative Christianity no longer sets the norms in American culture, and transitioning away from a position of dominance to a position of co-existence will require significant adjustment, especially for a people who believe so strongly in evangelism. Even if that happens, there are always challenges at the boundaries of sub-cultures. Its not clear that Dreher has a clear vision of how Christians should engage with those they disagree withespecially the LGBT Americans they blame for pushing them out of mainstream culture.

The Benedict option is not a new proposal. Dreher has been tossing around this idea for roughly a decade, drawing from Alasdair McIntyres argument that continued full participation in mainstream society [is] not possible for those who [want] to live a life of traditional virtue. It takes its name from St. Benedict of Nursia, the sixth-century priest who created a network of contemplative monasteries in the Italian mountains and inspired generations of monks to seek lives of quiet reflection and prayer.

Americans have come to rely on middle-class comfort That is the way of spiritual death.

Dreher is not suggesting everyday Christians live in poverty and seclusion. Were not called to be monks. Monks are called to be monks, he told me in an interview. What we have to do is have a limited retreat from the world into our own institutions and communities. While some might see this as a means of running away from culture, Dreher argued that the Benedict option is not about bunkering down and waiting for the end times. Its about building ourselves up spiritually, he said, so we can go out in the world and be who Christ asked us to be.

The first step, he says, is to recognize that politics will not save us. While many Christians have sought defenders and champions in the Republican Party, including Trump, Dreher is skeptical of this model. Neither partys program is fully consistent with Christian truth, he argues.

Instead of looking to elected officials to create their communities, he says, Christians should do it themselves. This means getting involved: Feast with your neighbors, he writes, or join the volunteer fire department. It requires [seceding] culturally from the mainstream, including turning off smartphones and watching only movies and television that are consonant with Christian values. It even means deprioritizing work in favor of richer communal life. Given how much Americans have come to rely on middle-class comfort, freedom, and stability, Christians will be sorely tempted to say or do anything asked of us to hold onto what we have, he writes. That is the way of spiritual death.

This emphasis on localism extends to worship life. Prayer should guide the rhythms of the day and week, he says. Christians should view church as an opportunity to build communities and find fellowship, not just pray on their own. Even living in close proximity to church can help, he says. When the Orthodox Christian parish in Drehers small Louisiana town closed, his family moved to Baton Rouge. We knew that there would be no way to practice our faith properly in community while living so far from the church, he writes.

Above all, Dreher advocates institution building. He encourages his readers to pull their children out of public school and enroll them in classical Christian schools, praising a model developed in part by the North Carolina-based CiRCE Institute. Such curricula, which can be used by teachers or homeschooling parents, covers the canonical Western texts alongside the Bible, sometimes in direct cooperation with churches. Dreher envisions a more robust and sustainable Christian system of higher education, but for now, many students have created intentional communities on their campuses where they can live according to their shared interpretation of the Bible.

The Sexual Revolution has [deposed] an enfeebled Christianity.

As Dreher notes, a number of these practices are already embraced by other religious communities. We Christians have a lot to learn from Modern Orthodox Jews, he told me in an interview. Many of Drehers suggestions appear to echo Orthodox Jewish life, including daily prayers, restrictions on diet and work, and extensive educational networks. They have had to live in a way thats powerfully counter-cultural in American life and rooted in thick community and ancient traditions, he said. And yet, they manage to do it.

This comparison is telling about how Dreher perceives the status of Christians in American society. Jews make up less than 2 percent of the U.S. population, and Modern Orthodox Jews are a tiny minority within that groupPew estimates that they account for 3 percent of all American Jews, or roughly .06 percent of Americans. While its impossible to estimate the exact number of Americans who would identify with the ecumenical, theologically conservative Christianity Dreher describes, it is far bigger than the number of Modern Orthodox Jews.

It seems as though Dreher is saying that Christians need to be ready to live as religious minorities. But he fails to acknowledge an important distinction between the two groups, beyond mere size. Jews act like a counter-cultural, marginalized group because theyve been that way for two millenniapowerless, small in number, at odds with the broader cultures of the places where theyve lived. The American conservatives Dreher is addressing, on the other hand, are coming from a place of power. For many years, they dictated the legal and cultural terms of non-Christians lives. The Benedict option is relevant precisely because America is becoming more religiously fractured, and Christianity is no longer the cultural default.

Dreher is not embracing this fact, or even accepting it peaceably. His work is largely a project of lament. He speaks about Christianity in apocalyptic terms: the Sexual Revolution has [deposed] an enfeebled Christianity as the Ostrogoths deposed the hapless last emperor of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century, and the greatest danger to Christians in the West comes from the liberal secular order itself. He prophesies dire scenarios for Christians in America: We are on the brink of entire areas of commercial and professional life being off-limits to believers whose consciences will not allow them to burn incense to the gods of our age, he says, warning that young Christians who dream of becoming doctors or lawyers may have to abandon that hope.

As a Christian, I dont see my sexuality as constitutive of who I am.

Most importantly, he writes with resentment, largely directed at those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender and their supportersthe people, he believes, who have pushed Christians out of the public sphere.

We are on the far side of a Sexual Revolution that has been nothing short of catastrophic for Christianity, he writes:

This has had far-reaching consequences in all spheres of life. In the professional world, sexual diversity dogma is pervasive, he writesan attempt by companies to demonstrate progress to gay-rights campaigners. In the future, everyone working for a major corporation will be frog-marched through diversity and inclusion training, he says, and will face pressure not simply to tolerate LGBT co-workers but to affirm their sexuality and gender identity.

In politics and culture, we in the modern West are living under barbarism, though we do not recognize it, he writes. Our scientists, our judges, our princes, our scholars, and our scribesthey are at work demolishing the faith, the family, gender, even what it means to be human.

And in the education world, public schools by nature are on the front lines of the latest and worst trends in popular culture, he writes. Under pressure from the federal government and LGBT activists, many school systems are now welcoming and normalizing transgenderism. He cites scores of parents whose children come home professing bisexuality and offering a lot of babble about gender being fluid and nonbinary, as one of his readers put it. Few parents have the presence of mind and strength of character to do whats necessary to protect their children from the forms of disordered sexuality accepted by mainstream American youth culture, he writes.

Nothing in this language suggests that Dreher is ready to live tolerantly alongside people with different views. If progressives wrote about the Bible as a lot of babble about Jesus and God, using language similar to that of the parent Dreher cites, he would be quick to cry foul against the ignorance and intolerance of the left; his language is dismissive and mocking, and he peppers in conspiratorial terms like the LGBT agenda. At times, it seems like the goal of the Benedict option is just as much about getting away from gay people as it is affirming the tenets of Christianity. The book seems to suggest that mere proximity to people with alternative beliefs about sexuality, and specifically LGBT people, is a threat to Christian children and families.

These lives pose the question Dreher has not engaged: How should Christians be in fellowship with people unlike them?

Of course, it will be impossible for conservative Christians to fully escape any aspect of mainstream culture, including people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans. In fact, many of those people grew up in Christian households much like Drehers, or may identify with the feelings of cultural homelessness he describes. Their lives implicitly pose the hard question Dreher has failed to engage: How should Christians be in fellowship with people unlike themincluding those who feel aggrieved by the church and its teachings?

To his credit, Dreher nods to this, ever so briefly. The angry vehemence with which many gay activists condemn Christianity is rooted in part in the cultural memory of rejection and hatred by the church, he writes. Christians need to own up to our past in this regard and to repent of it. He does little to specify these past errors, though, and he never tries to answer the broader question: how Christians can live as one people among many in America without learning how to respect and relate to those who challenge their beliefs.

Its not hard to understand Drehers frustration and disorientation about Americas tectonic cultural shift. For many in the United States, sexuality has become so entwined with identity, he observed to me in conversation. This is what yields the comparisons to race: People who view sexuality as a fact of their identity may see Drehers beliefs as analogous to racism. But as a Christian, Dreher told me, I dont see my sexuality as constitutive of who I am. He is working from a different frame of reference, one that is increasingly out of step with Americans ways of thinking about culture. The fear winding through his narrative is anxious anticipation of a future when fewer and fewer public spaces will be open to people like him.

And yet, Dreher begrudges a similar fear in people unlike him, including LGBT people who have long wanted to live freely in publicsomething that was largely impossible when conservative Christians dominated mainstream American life. From this vantage, his Benedict option seems less a proposal for pluralism than the angry backwards fire of a culture in retreat.

Dreher wrote The Benedict Option for people like himthose who share his faith, convictions, and feelings of cultural alienation. But even those who might wish to join Drehers radical critique of American culture, people who also feel pushed out and marginalized by shallowness of modern life, may feel unable to do so. Many people, including some Christians, feel that knowing, befriending, playing with, and learning alongside people who are different from them adds to their faith, not that it threatens it. For all their power and appeal, Drehers monastery walls may be too high, and his mountain pass too narrow.

Original post:

The Benedict Option and Rod Dreher's LGBT Challenge - The Atlantic - The Atlantic

Space travel is measured in light years, but what’s a light year anyway? – MyStatesman.com

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Danzig

Stars and galaxies in outer space are just so far away, its hard to comprehend the staggering distances.

Scientists have come up with ways to measure space distance that are easier to understand.

A light year is one of those space measurements and is similar to how a mile or kilometer measures distance on Earth. Distances in space are so vast, though, that a mile or a kilometer is just too small a number to be useful, because of the huge numbers involved in space travel. Light years work better.

A light year is measured by the time it takes a ray of light to travel a given distance.

While a light year has nothing to do with time as we know it on Earth, it does measure the distance that light travels, or the time it takes the light to move in one year, according to NASA.

>> Read more trending news

Since light moves at about 186,000 miles or about 300,000 kilometers a second, it can travel almost 6 trillion miles or about 10 trillion kilometers in a year.

If people could travel at the speed of light, they would be able to circle the Earth more than seven times in just a second.

In one second, light travels a distance of one light second, and in a year, light travels a distance of one light year.

Related: Nasa finds 7 'Earth-sized planets' orbiting star just 40 light years away

The moon is a little over one light second from Earth, meaning it would take a beam of light on Earth a little more than a second to reach the moon. The sun, which is 93 million miles from earth, is measured in light minutes and is some eight light minutes away.

Mars is under 25 light minutes from Earth, depending on its orbit around the sun, and the other planets in the solar system are several light hours from Earth.

The Milky Way galaxy, for example, measures about 150,000 light years across. The Andromeda galaxy, the nearest large galaxy, is more than 2 million light years away.

How long does it take to travel a light year? Heres an example. The next closest star after the sun, is called Proxima Centauri. It is just over 4 light years away. If a spacecraft were traveling 38,000 miles per hour, it would still take 80,000 years to reach the star, according to the University of Virginia Physics Department.

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Space travel is measured in light years, but what's a light year anyway? - MyStatesman.com

Katherine Johnson led African American efforts in space travel – Farm and Dairy

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Danzig

Hello Again,

I have always enjoyed history. Todays young folks dont seem to be too interested in studying history. They are more interested in the here and now and not how we got here.

The history of this country is an unfinished tapestry woven through time by people from all walks of life with incredible stories.

It has been my privilege to contribute to FSA Andy during Black History Month for many years now, and I will be forever grateful for having had this opportunity.

When the movie, Hidden Figures, came out I had no idea what it was about but when a friend told me I had to look at the history behind this story.

Katherine Johnson was born Aug. 26, 1918, and raised in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, and while she is the main character in the movie, the story is much greater.

By the age of 13 she was attending high school on the historically black campus of West Virginia State College.

When 18, she enrolled in the college itself, and made quick work of the schools math curriculum. She graduated with highest honors in 1937, and took a job teaching at a black public school in Virginia.

In 1939, West Virginia quietly decided to integrate its graduate schools, and it was then that West Virginia States president, Dr. John W Davis, selected Johnson and two male students as the first black students to be offered spots at the states flagship school, West Virginia University.

Johnson left her job and enrolled in the graduate math program. At the end of her first session, she decided to leave school to start a family with her husband.

She returned to teaching when her three daughters got older, but it was not until 1952 that a relative told her about positions opening at the all-black West Area Computing section at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Langley laboratory, headed by fellow West Virginian Dorothy Vaughan.

Johnson and her husband decided to move the family to Newport News, to pursue the opportunity, and she began work at Langley in 1953. After just two weeks on the job, Director Vaughan assigned Johnson to a project in the Maneuver Loads Branch of the Flight Research Division and her position soon became permanent.

The next four years would be spent analyzing data from flight tests and investigating the crash of a plane caused by wake turbulence.

The launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik in 1957 would change history and Johnsons future. In 1957, she had provided some of the math for the 1958 document Notes on Space Technology, a compendium of a series of 1958 lectures given by engineers in the Flight Research Division and the Pilotless Aircraft Research Division.

Engineers from those groups formed the core of the Space Task Force Group, the NACAs first official foray into space travel. Johnson, who had worked with many of them since coming to Langley, came along with the program as NACA became NASA later that year.

She did trajectory analysis for Alan Shepards May 1961 mission Freedom 7, Americas first human spaceflight. In 1960, she and engineer Ted Skopinski coauthored Determination of Azimuth Angle at Burnout for Placing a Satellite Over a Selected Earth Position, a report laying out the equations describing an orbital spaceflight in which the landing position of the spacecraft is specified.

This was the first time a woman had received credit as an author of a research report. In 1962, in preparation for the orbital mission of John Glenn, Johnson Johnson was called upon to do the work she would become most known for.

The complexity of the orbital flight required the construction of a worldwide communications network linking tracking stations around the world to IBM computers in Washington, D.C., Cape Canaveral, and Bermuda.

The computers had been programmed with the orbital equations that would control the trajectory of the space capsule in Glenns Friendship 7 mission from liftoff to splashdown but the astronauts were wary of putting their lives in the care of the electronic calculating machines which were prone to hiccups and blackouts.

As a part of the preflight checklist, Glenn asked the engineers to get the girl Johnson Johnson to run the same numbers through the same equations that had been programmed into the computer, but by hand, on her desktop mechanical calculating machine.

If she says theyre good, Johnson remembers the astronaut saying, then Im ready to go.

Of course, Glenns mission was a success and marked the turning point in the competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in space.

When asked what her greatest contribution to space exploration was Johnson talks about the calculations that helped synch Project Apollos Lunar Lander with the moon-orbiting Command and Service Module.

She also worked on the Space Shuttle and Earth Resources Satellite and authored or coauthored 26 research reports. Johnson retired in 1986, after thirty-three years at Langley.

In 2015, at the age of 97, President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Here at FSA, the time seems to be flying by so we want to remind you of another important deadline fast approaching. For vegetable producers, many spring planted NAP crops have a sales closing date of Feb. 28.

This includes soybeans for any county that does not have crop insurance coverage for soybeans. As always contact your local FSA office for details.

Thats all for now,

FSA Andy

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Katherine Johnson led African American efforts in space travel - Farm and Dairy

Commercial space travel WITHIN THREE YEARS on flights to launch from BRITAIN – Express.co.uk

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Danzig

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A newly passed Spaceflight Bill will allow spaceports to be built across the UK, some of which could allow commercial flights.

The space travel industry is set to be worth 25billion in the next 20 years, and the UK is hoping to get its slice of the pie.

The Department for Transport said: Next steps involve government encouraging business and industry to come forward with specific proposals for space launches.

In addition, the government is inviting commercial space businesses to bid for funding to help create a space launch market in the UK.

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Together the new powers and funding will potentially allow a commercial spaceflight from a UK spaceport by 2020.

Science minister Jo Johnson said the Bill would cement the UKs position as a world leader in this emerging market, giving us an opportunity to build on existing strengths in research and innovation.

She added: From the launch of Rosetta, the first spacecraft to orbit a comet, to Tim Peakes six months on the International Space Station, the UKs space sector has achieved phenomenal things in orbit and beyond.

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Katherine Courtney, CEO of the UK Space Agency, said: With our partners across government we continue to create a supportive environment for commercial innovation and cutting-edge science.

Together, we are working to embrace the emerging small satellite launch market to capture a share of the 25 billion global opportunity.

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Im confident that 2020 will see the first launches from British soil, and were working hard to make that a reality.

Glasgow has already become a frontrunner in the bid to build the first spaceport and hopes to get a spaceport up and running by 2020.

Richard Jenner, Spaceport director for Glasgow Prestwick Airport, said: We believe that dedicated legislation will help to move this forward at pace.

NASA

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STS-66 launched at the Kennedy Space Center on November 3, 1994.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport fulfils much of the essential criteria for a spaceport such as infrastructure, favourable weather conditions and relatively clear airspace.

And, as such, we believe that our airport is able to move at pace with the legislative process, and we are equipped to become the UK and Europes first space launch site with minimal investment.

We are confident we can help the government to meet its commitment to have space launch in the UK by 2020.

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Commercial space travel WITHIN THREE YEARS on flights to launch from BRITAIN - Express.co.uk

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