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Firms oppose Bill regulating gambling – Daily Nation

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Danzig

Friday February 17 2017

A person inserts a coin into a fixed odds betting terminal in Githurai on November 27, 2015. Firms have objected to a bill seeking to regulate the sector. PHOTO | ANTHONY OMUYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

The proposed law by Gem Member of Parliament Jakoyo Midiwo to regulate gambling will end up killing the industry, betting companies have said.

Their representatives asked a National Assembly committee to defer it until after consultations and a compromise reached.

Members of the association of betting firms met the committee on social welfare and said the Bill is misguided.

The Bill requires significant amendments. It would not be the same Bill as it was at the first reading, said Association of Gaming Operators of Kenya chairman Ronald Karauri.

The second reading was on Thursday afternoon.

Mr Karauri said the draft law would breach the Constitution and make it difficult to run gaming companies.

There appears to be a concerted targeting of the industry through measures that are designed to cripple the industry, Mr Karauri said.

Mr Karauri batted away claims that gambling is addictive, saying: That I cannot take. It has never been scientifically proven that betting is addictive.

"It is my personal belief that if there was a problem with betting, it would not grow.

The association presented a report from the police showing that there was no truth in claims on social media and by one media house that a person committed suicide after losing a bet.

Mr Karauri said the amendment to the law on their taxation last year had led to double taxation on revenue and then on their profits.

He said taxing revenues and profits would begin on February 20.

Kenya Revenue Authority say they dont know about taxes, yet they are aware that they have been collecting significant revenue, he added.

Members of the committee were surprised to hear that betting firms pay tax one paid Sh700 million in 2015.

They however told the association that the Bill would not be deferred and asked them to draft their desired amendments.

There is some urgency in the matter, David Were, the committee chairman, said.

Cherangany MP Wesley Korir (independent) said: We cannot just say that we defer. Bring your proposals. Lets sit again. Lets talk again. Lets become friends and we deal with this.

The associations lawyer, Mr Mwangi Muturi, said the law would violate the right to property as foreigners in local betting firms would be removed.

Mr Midiwos Bill proposes to increase betting tax from 7.5 per cent to 15 per cent of revenues, lottery tax from five per cent to 20 per cent of their turnover, gaming tax from 12 per cent to 20 per cent of revenue and prize competition tax from 15 per cent to 20 per cent.

Nasa leader forced to fly to Turkana South as chaos rocks Turkana East tour.

Blow to ODM party as its Kuria leader jumps ship.

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Firms oppose Bill regulating gambling - Daily Nation

House gambling bill teed up for next week – SaintPetersBlog (blog)

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Danzig

The Florida House of Representatives quietly released its gambling overhaul for 2017 Thursday afternoon, setting it for a hearing next Thursday.

As expected, the 81-page bill (PCB TGC 17-01) includes arenewed blackjackdeal, or compact, between the state and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, as first struck by Gov. Rick Scott.

No Casinos, the gambling expansion group, soon tweeted: Still analyzing bill, but at first blush @MyFLHouse seems to have found a way to renew compact without turning FL into Vegas/Atlantic City.

But the House already is at odds with the Senates 112-page measure (SB 8), which is set for its second and last committee hearing next week before the Appropriations panel.

In onesignificant example, the House bill outlaws designated-player card games, but the Senate wouldlet all cardroom operators offer designated player games.

In banked card games, players betagainst the house, or the casino, and not each other. In traditional poker,people play against each other for a pot of money.Designated-player games area hybrid, where the bank is supposed to revolve among the players.

Moreover, the House would prohibit the expansion of slot machines, retroactively to Jan. 1 of this year, by barring state regulators from issuing any new slots licenses.

The Senate generally expands theavailability of slot machines, including allowingany licensed pari-mutuel facility toget slots.

Last month, House Speaker Richard Corcoran suggestedhis chambers approach to gambling would be different.

Ive seen the (Senate) bill, and look, its not where were at, Corcoran told reporters. The three things weve said are, it has to be a contraction (of gambling) we want a constitutional amendment that bans the expansion of gaming; the Senates said they have no interest and we have courts that keep encroaching upon our ability to make those decisions.

TheHouseTourism & Gaming Control Subcommittee will hear the bill next Thursday at 9:30 a.m. in a meeting scheduled for two and a half hours. Its chair, St. Cloud Republican Mike La Rosa, could not be immediately reached.

And the Senate Appropriations Committee will hear its chambers bill that same day at 9 a.m.

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House gambling bill teed up for next week - SaintPetersBlog (blog)

Attleboro seeks gambling grant for new dispatch center – The Sun Chronicle

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Danzig

ATTLEBORO - The city has applied for $400,000 in gambling mitigation money from the state to help design a $2.3 million public safety dispatch center in the South Attleboro fire station.

The application to the state Gaming Commission states the center would be used jointly for fire, police and ambulance services.

Gambling mitigation money is being requested because a recent study found traffic and crime incidents have increased in the area since the June 2015 opening of Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville.

Casinos in Massachusetts pay into the mitigation fund, so neighboring communities can apply for financial aid to offset any negative consequences from the casinos.

Mayor Kevin Dumas said the idea of the joint dispatch center is a new one, and specific plans have not yet been developed.

"This is in the absolute incipient stage, as there has been no detailed information provided. A consultant was contacted for a broad idea of cost without analyzing a possible location, details of staffing and capital costs," he said.

A capital improvement plan will be written later, Dumas said.

The city's application is based on the notion that police and fire calls have increased in recent years.

It states it is "plausible" that the increase in Attleboro is due in part to the casino.

One example it cites is the case of two North Attleboro and Plainville residents arrested in Attleboro for shoplifting.

One of the suspects told police she paid for a brand new car with winnings from Plainridge.

"One might infer from this story that they may impart a sense of risk-taking that lowers individual inhibitions to committing certain crimes," the application states.

The application notes that traffic accidents, especially along Route 1, which leads to the casino, were up significantly.

Traffic stops by police went from 5,772 in 2011 to 11,648 in 2016, a 102 percent increase over six years.

The city backs up its application with a report on police incidents done by a consultant to the commission.

The city received a cost estimate on a dispatch center from Pomroy Associates on Jan. 30, and applied for the grant on Feb. 1.

The estimate is based on a facility with 2,500 square feet of space, including a break room, lockers, a bathroom and a computer room.

The city's application was posted online by the commission Thursday afternoon. It has not set a date on when to vote on the request.

Plainville was the only other local community to apply for funding in the current round of grants. It is asking for $148,750 to buy a small fire truck for use within the casino parking garage.

JIM HAND covers politics for The Sun Chronicle. He can be reached at 508-236-0399, at jhand@thesunchronicle.com and on Twitter @TSCPolitics.

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Attleboro seeks gambling grant for new dispatch center - The Sun Chronicle

Pauline Hanson and Derryn Hinch get riled up about euthanasia – Starts at 60

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Danzig

Pauline Hanson and Derryn Hinch launched emotional arguments in favour of euthanasia, describing the relief it would have given to their families.

The senators were speaking during a debate on a private members bill that would cut federal interference with laws in the territories on assisted suicide, The Daily Telegraph reported.

She weighed about 30 kilos, and looked like a Biafran refugee, Hinch revealed of his mothers appearance as she suffered from lung cancer 26 years ago. Hinch himself has fought liver cancer.

Hanson, meanwhile, spoke of watching the impact on her father of Parkinsons disease, The Daily Telegraph wrote.

We have more compassion for animals than we do for people, Hanson said,adding that euthanasia opponents had never watched a family member lose the ability to care for themselves.

The private members bill would allow the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory legislative powers to bring in assisted suicide and repeal the Euthanasia Laws Act 1997 that prevents them from doing so.

The Restoring Territory Rights (Dying with Dignity) Bill 2016was brought by Greens leader Richard Di Natale. Announcing the bill in August, Di Natale said: Dying with dignity is a social justice issue, its a human rights issue, its a public health issue and it should not be pushed to the political margins.

Hinch and Hanson have been vocal in their support for euthanasia for some time.

Hansons One Nation party has a policy advocating euthanasia, that proposes any person of voting age be permitted to have a document written up that appoints two people as executors who could carry out that persons wish for assisted suicide should they be unable to take action themselves.

I and only I, will determine when my time is up and if I am not in a position to do so, then loved ones of my choosing will, Hanson has written of the policy.

Hinch has argued in the past that the right to decide on ones time of death was robbing older Australians of their dignity.

Being deprived of the legal right to decide that their quality of life has deteriorated to such an extent that they want to say goodbye, he has written of the current laws.

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Pauline Hanson and Derryn Hinch get riled up about euthanasia - Starts at 60

Law enforcement, advocacy groups work to stop sex trafficking in the Fox Valley – WGBA-TV

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Danzig

APPLETON, Wis. -

Along the I-41 corridor, from Milwaukee to Green Bay, young, vulnerable teenagers have been lured into the dangerous and hidden world of sex trafficking.

Human trafficking is happening in every county in the state, according to law enforcement and advocacy groups, but Milwaukee, Appleton and Green Bay are some "hot spots" for sex trafficking in the state.

There are many misconceptions about sex trafficking, particularly that prostitution is a victimless crime. However, Appleton Police Lieutenant Steve Elliott knows that is far from the case.

After seven years leading the street crimes unit for Appleton Police, he saw that many women were not prostitutes, but victims.

"We realized that there was heavy coercion and manipulation going on in many different ways," said Lt. Elliott.

In all his years fighting the problem in the Fox Valley, one story stays with him. A victim started dating a man, and he ended up moving in with her and her child.

"One day, the victim came home to her quote unquote boyfriend, and the child wasn't there," Lt. Elliott said. "At that point that switch flicked, that personality changed, and the trafficker, that was now known to this woman, basically said if you want to see your little one again, you're going to go have sex for money."

"Anyone who is a parent would understand, or anyone who has a little one that they love, how horrible that would be if you didn't know where they were."

One misconception is that traffickers are abducting their victims, according to Lt. Elliott. What they actually do is manipulate victims through a process called grooming, he said.

"The flattery and gifts, the older boyfriend, promise of adventure and travel," he said. "They isolate these girls."

The traffickers make young victims think they're dating, preying on their vulnerabilities.

"It's not what you see in the movies, it's not that van that drives up and picks up that girl," said Dawn Quait, part of the leadership team for the organization 5 Stones.

5 Stones is a volunteer organization that works with Lieutenant Elliott and other Fox Valley groups to educate people on the problem and help victims.

"It's very hidden," Quait said.

80% of human trafficking in Wisconsin is sex trafficking, according to 5 Stones.

The biggest problem is getting victims help that actually works, Quait said.

"Because it can take 7-10 years of just basic services to get a victim to a survivor," she explained.

There's also still a misconception that trafficking doesn't happen here in Northeast Wisconsin, but advocates say the I-41 corridor makes it easy for traffickers to bring victims from Milwaukee.

"You need men, because that's usually the people who are buying the sex, you need hotels or motels, you need computers, and highways," said Lt. Elliott. "That's all you need."

That's why law enforcement and advocacy groups have come together in an Outagamie County Steering Committee to fight the problem.

"You can't arrest your way out of this problem, it's absolutely impossible," said Lt. Elliott.

Lt. Elliott also sits on the state anti-human trafficking task force. In the second part of our investigation into the human trafficking problem on Friday, NBC26will look more into that task force, what it's accomplished so far, and what it's goals are for the future to battle this issue.

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Law enforcement, advocacy groups work to stop sex trafficking in the Fox Valley - WGBA-TV

Open letter to MPs on Hadi’s Bill – Malay Mail Online

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Danzig

FEBRUARY 17 Dear YB,

You probably have a million things going on, dealing with constituents who have seemingly endless problems, party politics and figuring out how to retain your seat in the next general election.

The last thing you want is a hot potato like PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awangs private members Bill to amend the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, or Act 355, landing in your lap.

But it will likely be tabled in Parliament next month and youll be forced to deal with it. How shall you vote then?

If youre a Muslim, you may feel obliged to vote Yes, even if you privately think that its not really necessary to increase the scope of Shariah punishments. After all, no one has shown any statistics on the trend of Shariah offences over the past several years, nor has Hadi proven how harsher punishments can deter religious offences.

If youre not a Muslim, you may be hesitant to vote No because your allies from another party support the Bill. So you prefer to skip Parliament on the day of the vote and abstain from voting. That way, no one can attack you for supporting or rejecting the Bill.

Who cares if your absence increases the likelihood of the passage of the Bill? At least your skin is safe.

Voting Yes or staying silent, however, is a betrayal of the peoples trust in you as their representative.

Thousands of Malaysians across race and religion voted you in because they believed that you were the best candidate to represent their interests and to push for better policies and governance.

Your personal faith should have nothing to do with your decision on how to vote on Hadis Bill because you are not casting a vote as an individual; you are voting as a representative of the people in your constituency.

Even if your constituency is majority Malay-Muslim, it does not mean that your constituents are a homogenous lot who think alike and support Hadis Bill. Some Malay-Muslims do not support the Bill, but theyre silent because they fear stigma in the community and disapproval from their own families.

Your job is to ensure that Malaysian democracy does not end up as a tyranny of the majority.

I urge you not to be swept up in the wave of populism and religious fanaticism, but to stand your ground in doing the right thing.

Hadis supporters try to scare Malaysians into backing the Bill by using religion and claiming that going against it is tantamount to going against God.

They also use fallacious arguments to demonstrate support for the Bill, claiming that the majority of Malaysians agree with them. But they fail to place the issue in a wider context, where Malaysians are likely to be far more concerned with things like the rising cost of living, education and crime, rather than whether a Muslim is drinking beer or riding a motorcycle with someone of the opposite sex.

Hadis Bill is an unjust law.

What religious offence can possibly merit a 30-year jail sentence, 100 lashes of the rotan or an RM100,000 fine, as Hadis Bill proposes? How can a victimless crime be equivalent to culpable homicide not amounting to murder that is also punishable with 30 years imprisonment?

Moral and religious offences cannot be treated like actual crimes that harm other people. If anything, we should be fighting to abolish jail terms for Shariah offences, instead of enhancing the punishments.

This isnt a Muslim issue because we do not live in silos. Non-Muslims and Muslims live and work together to develop this nation.

Putting people behind bars just for violating religious tenets means productive workers are taken off the workforce for several years. If they are injured from dozens of whippings, it places an extra burden on the public healthcare system.

More importantly, the public funds used to pay the salaries of religious officers, to feed the prisoners jailed for Shariah offences, to conduct whippings, come from both non-Muslim and Muslim taxpayers. Every ringgit that goes into enforcing Shariah legislation means money not spent on education, security or healthcare.

As a taxpayer, I have the right to talk about how I want my tax monies spent. And as a Member of Parliament, you should reject the allocation of resources for things that dont benefit the country, like moral policing.

The poor and the working class, who are too busy trying to make a living, should be educated instead of being locked away for decades just for not practising their faith properly.

Will you be the one to give welfare aid to poor people when they go bankrupt after getting an RM100,000 fine, or when their spouse is jailed for years for some Shariah offence? Or will you shrug your shoulders and say the government (which means us, the taxpayers) will take care of it?

If you vote Yes or abstain from voting on Hadis Bill, you will be responsible for the resulting divisions and disunity in our country.

You will be responsible for the victimisation of the poor who do not know better.

You will be responsible for the expanding Islamisation of the country that affects non-Muslims, where our businesses areraidedfor violating over-reaching halal-related rules and were told that theway we dressis unacceptable in even places like hospitals.

And you will be responsible for the ultimate destruction of our way of life in a society when we used to embrace our diversity and saw good in each other.

So, I urge you to put aside your short-term interests and for once, do not behave like typical Malaysian politicians, but act as a peoples representative who speaks on our behalf.

Otherwise, be prepared to lose your seat in the next election.

Malaysians need representatives who dare to act in our interests, not cowardly politicians who sacrifice their principles for political expediency.

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.

Open letter to MPs on Hadi's Bill - Malay Mail Online

10 Unfortunate Liberal Myths Conservatives Often Believe – Observer

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Danzig

Garbage in, garbage out is how it works with a computer. Its no different with society: Misinformation yields misunderstandings and the adoption of misguided policy, personal and political.

The following are 10 liberal myths even many conservatives believe. How many did you know were commonly accepted fake news, fallacies or false history?

Not according to research. As Peter Schweizer reported in Dont listen to the liberalsRight-wingers really are nicer people, latest research shows, relative to conservatives liberals are:

Studies also show liberals are less happy. Any idea why?

Whether its the dystopian 1973 film Soylent Green, Paul Ehrlichs book The Population Bomb or something else, the modern psyche has been infused with Malthusian assumptions about inexorably increasing populations. The reality?

With fertility rates already below replacement level (2.1 children per woman) in approximately 100 nations, demographers say that while global population will reach about nine billion in 2050, it will begin declining quickly thereafter.

According to Pew Research Center, atheists, agnostics and those claiming no particular religion will actually lose population share over the next few decades. For faith begets fecundity: The secular are just not as likely to be fruitful and multiply.

As I demonstrated in 2014 using data from liberal Mother Jones, non-Hispanic whites commit mass murder at just about the rate their population share (currently 62 percent) would suggest. Dont expect this myth to stop being a media meme, though.

Actually, according to Charol Shakeshaft, the researcher of a little-remembered 2004 study prepared for the U.S. Department of Education, the physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests, reported LifeSite News in 2010.

Its not surprising people assume otherwise, however. Consider: Californias 61 largest newspapers published almost 2,000 stories in the first half of 2002 about the Church scandaland only four about the ongoing public-school scandal.

History says otherwise. Whether the handiwork of Genghis Khan, Attila the Hun, Tamerlane, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Napoleon, the Vikings, Hitler or someone else, warfares motivation was virtually always lust for land, wealth, resources, power and/or glorynot religious zeal.

According to Providence College professor Anthony Esolen in this PragerU video, medieval Europeans:

Professor Esolen states that the period was not the Dark Ages but the Brilliant Ages.

While conservatives are generally skeptical of the anthropogenic global-warming thesis, often they dont realize that increased atmospheric CO2 is actually beneficial. Botanists pump the gas into greenhouses because it facilitates plant growth. Why do you think the Mesozoic eras CO2 levelsfive to 10 times todaysyielded lush foliage?

A CO2-rich world is a green world.

On the contrary, the Crusades were actually European wars of survival designed to repel Muslim armies. As Thomas Madden, chair of the History Department at Saint Louis University,put it, the Crusades were not the brainchild of an ambitious pope or rapacious knights but a response to more than four centuries of conquests in which Muslims had already captured two-thirds of the old Christian world. At some point, Christianity as a faith and a culture had to defend itself or be subsumed by Islam. The Crusades were that defense.

Actually, judicial supremacy is not in the Constitution. Rather, the power was declared by the judiciary itself, notably in the 1803 Marbury v. Madison Supreme Court decision.

Since nothing in the Constitution dictates presidents must be constrained by judicial opinions, its not surprising they havent always felt compelled to be: Presidents Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln both ignored court rulings during their administrations.

Reality is like a jigsaw puzzle: You cant see the big picture without assembling enough pieces. And with untruths where facts should be, our puzzle remains puzzling at bestand presents a twisted image of ideology at worst.

Selwyn Duke (@SelwynDuke)has written for The Hill, The American Conservative, WorldNetDaily and American Thinker. He has also contributed to college textbooks published by Gale Cengage Learning, has appeared on television and is a frequent guest on radio.

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10 Unfortunate Liberal Myths Conservatives Often Believe - Observer

Terri Lovell: Liberal oppression – Santa Clarita Valley Signal

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Danzig

In the liberal mind, your freedom is their oppression. From 60 Hard Truths about Liberals

I dont think Ive ever heard a more accurate description of the liberal mind. It not only encompasses everything they believe, it accurately explains their bizarre behavior.

Why do liberals see your freedom as their oppression? Because everything to them is a zero-sum game. Liberals only win when everyone who opposes them loses.

The Constitution guarantees the rights of individualism and personal freedom. Your God-given rights as an individual are your power. For liberals to satisfy their lust for absolute power, your individual rights must be taken away from you.

The exercise of free speech is a display of individual power. Liberals despise free speech because it is a right they cannot control. If it takes a rioting mob to keep an individual they hate from speaking, and you from hearing it, so be it.

Small, decentralized government is the best protector of individual rights. Your individualism is considered a threat to the liberal goal of centralizing all power under their control. That is why liberals promote the power of the collective over the power of the individual.

Owning a gun is a display of individual power and freedom as well. That is why liberals are forever fighting and restricting the sale of firearms and ammunition.

With individual freedom comes individual responsibility. If liberals were to embrace freedom, they would have to embrace the responsibility that naturally comes with freedom.

When seen as part of the larger collective, liberals are never held accountable for their actions, nor for the actions of those who act on their behalf.

Although most liberal elitists are wealthy, they despise the freedom that ownership of private property and wealth brings to those who consider themselves individualists.

In the mind of a liberal, the only way a conservative could possibly acquire wealth is if it were stolen, or gained by oppressing someone else.

In their quest to transform our country into a collectivist utopia, liberals have taken over the public schools and universities.

They use our innocent children and young adults to expand their own power by teaching them to hate freedom and to despise traditional American values. Instead, students are taught that all our nations problems stem from individualism and the only solution is national collectivism.

Liberal oppressors are relentlessly working to steal and corrupt everything that has made this country the last bastion of freedom on this earth.

Terri Lovell is a lifetime resident of Santa Clarita, a former home school mom, a current College of the Canyons student and a member of a local Republican club.

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Terri Lovell: Liberal oppression - Santa Clarita Valley Signal

Victorian Liberals: factional fight exposes deep divisions – The Age

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Danzig

The most controversial figure in the Victorian Liberal Party, Marcus Bastiaan, had his audience enthralled as he thundered about the need for change.

Radiating confidence, and with his past as a bellicose Brighton Grammar debater on display, Bastiaan told his Sydney listeners that the Liberals had been overrun by "lobbyists, political staffers or people who have worked in government the entirety of their careers".

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26-year-old Marcus Bastiaan and his outspoken partner Stephanie Ross have torn like a tornado through the Liberals' Victorian branch, aligning with figures such as Michael Kroger along the way.

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One of Melbourne's most notorious mafia figures faces prison and will likely be deported after an old friend he violently tried to extort turned against him.

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CCTV footage shows two black vehicles speeding around a corner near a car park. Courtesy Echo Taskforce detectives.

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Possible getaway car used by one of the two suspects wanted over an armed robbery at an Elsternwick jewellery store in September.

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Virtual reality technology like this will feature in the TAC's new traffic school, dubbed a Road Safety Education Complex, at Melbourne Museum.

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A giant archangel is set to walk the streets of White Night, sending messages of love, understanding and compassion.

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A woman has been freed from a mangled car after a multi-vehicle smash that left two others injured and shut down three lanes of peak-hour inbound traffic on the Monash Freeway on Wednesday morning.

26-year-old Marcus Bastiaan and his outspoken partner Stephanie Ross have torn like a tornado through the Liberals' Victorian branch, aligning with figures such as Michael Kroger along the way.

As Tony Abbott watched at the Octoberforum organised by figures from the Liberals' right wing, Bastiaan said the future of the party founded by Menzies lay in reconnecting with abase "let down by our party's failure to represent them".

Bastiaan fashions himself as the Liberals' new great hope, one of the few in party ranks capable of re-energising disenchanted members by thrusting the party further to the right. Bastiaanalso wants to sweep out state MPs he regards as dead wood. The handsome, wilful 27-year-old has torn like a tornado through the Liberals' Victorian branch, aligning with figures such as Michael Kroger along the way.

As one senior supporter says: "The Liberal party at a state level is a gentlemen's club, Marcus is a brutal operator. Labor are cutthroat, so are the Greens. We need to get tougher; we have to sharpen our spears."

Not everyone is happy. Far from it.

Some senior Victorian Liberals say Bastiaan's campaign to push the party to the right is a Trojan horse. His ultimate mission, critics say, is building an empire while undermining Matthew Guy and Malcolm Turnbull.

More damaging are claims of unethical tactics. His enemies in the party and there are many point to allegedly rampant branch-stacking aimed solely at delivering long-term power and control to the Bastiaan group.

Fairfax Media can reveal that senior party figures are overseeing a confidential vetting committee into Bastiaan'salleged branch-stacking aimed at removing non-genuine members and curtailing his influence. There are also claims that Bastiaan is an ideological wind-sock, prepared to point whatever way the political windsblow.

On Saturday, his partner, ultra-conservative political aspirant Stephanie Ross, 25 -who believes that women who have been raped should be denied abortions-will challenge the oldest man in state parliament, 65-year-old Gary Blackwood, for the safe Warragul-based seat of Narracan. Blackwoodwon Narracan from Labor in 2006 and turned it into a safe seat.

If Ross gets up, it will be the second Bastiaan group figure to win, with James Newbury being pre-selected earlier this year in the seat of Brighton, held by outgoing MP Louise Asher.

Like her partner, Ross believes that too many state MPs are unskilled and out of date. Bastiaan's allies point to the fact that Labor has been in state government for all but four years since 1999, and the Baillieu-Napthine government lasted just one term.

Bastiaan's use of social conservatives to build hisbase have many scared about the damage to the Liberal brand in progressively minded Victoria, with concerns the Bastiaan group's insurgencyis imperillingGuy's hopes of becoming the next premier.

"Theirplan is for Guy to lose the next election and then take over. Guy is furious," says one senior Liberal.

The divisions are coming at a testing time for the party in Victoria.

In an unrelated development, a internal financial dispute has seen business community supremo and fundraising vehicle chairman Hugh Morgan withholding $500,000 from the state branch.

In an extraordinary letter to president Michael Kroger, Mr Morgan says the board of Cormack foundation has identified "fundamental gaps" in the branch's governance.

The governance dispute and the divisions sparked by Bastiaan are spot fires that insiders say risk destabilising the party at a time when the focus should be on exploiting Premier Daniel Andrews' bumpy start to the year.

"We should be focusing on Labor rather than obsessingabout our own internal problems," says an MP.

Twenty-five-year-old Ross hails from a conservative Catholic Church in West Gippsland and has made a name for herself campaigning against abortion.

As the preselection date has drawn closer, so has pressure on her to withdraw from those in the party because of the damage she is causing.

Critics highlight her lack of political, business or life experience. Like Bastiaan,she claims to be focused on returning the party to its members and challenging a parliamentary team that has abandoned its values and lost touch.

To her supporter base, which includes a group from the St Thomas Aquinas community, she has ralliedagainst the Safe Schools program "that is teaching radical gender theory and warped graphic sex education centred around promiscuity".

She has warned Gippsland locals that Australia was "seeing the destruction of religious freedom, free speech, a push towards gay marriage (which won't stop there!) and euthanasia".

"There is a state/nation-wide push to bring conservative politics back into fashion! People like Corey [sic] Bernardi in SA, Andrew Hastie in WA, George Christensen in Qldand Kevin Andrews in Vicare all fighting and need our backing."

Last year, Ross hosted a gala fundraiser for conservative MP Kevin Andrews where the main attraction was former PM Tony Abbott. The Bulleen dinner featured a latin grace and a rendition of God Save the Queen.

She, like her partner Bastiaan, attack Guy's parliamentary team. Most recently, she lashed out at the Coalition's decision to support the Andrews' government ban on fracking and conventional gas exploration.

The Bastiaan camp is privately talking down Ross's chances, perhaps mindful that many senior Liberals are running a furious behind-the-scenes campaign to deny her the prize, fearing Bastiaan would use it as proof positive of his theory that the party's future lies in arresting the decline in membership by proselytising views that resonate with a disaffected base.

But the challenge has sparked fears in the party establishment, with Guy throwing his weight behind Blackwood, pledging a new Warragul hospital (an announcement that would normally be reserved for the election campaign). MPs are lobbying preselectors and the Hawthorn-based shadow Attorney-General John Pesutto will serve as Blackwood's scrutineer.

Bastiaan's ascension from just another wannabe glad-handingoldies at branch meetings to a figure of intense discussion and intrigue across the party has included a familiar rite of passage for many Victorian political aspirants an alliance with veteran Liberal king-maker Michael Kroger.

A federal cabinet member told Fairfax Media that Kroger, who is still regarded as a "political animal of real substance" even by his enemies, believed Bastiaan (currently on the state's powerful administrative committee) would help entrench the veteran's power, not least due to Bastiaan's membership recruiting prowess.

If this is so, Kroger was only half right.

Bastiaan has excelled at recruiting members which equate to votes during key party battles, including those that decide pre-selection but appears not to be wedded to Kroger. Bastiaan is forging his own path, with a focus on seizing greater control at state council.

"It's like Frankenstein's monster. Kroger has lost control," says an observer.

A three-time university dropout, Bastiaan got into business with the aid of his father, dabbling in an antiques dealership while at university, before moving into a software design business.

He nowspends his time leaping betweenan e-commerce start-upandpolitics.

His party operation is under close scrutiny. In the seats held by former treasurer Kim Wells and shadow frontbenchers Nick Wakeling and Heidi Victoria, a vetting committee has been formed to scrutinise the surge in memberships in Melbourne's east that began in the middle of last year but have recently tapered off.

A well-placed source says the committee has identified a small number of members who say they did not pay their party fees or sign the necessary forms. There are many more cases of new members who have no interest in the party beyond casting votes when needed. The vetting committee's work has led to several prospective members being blocked.

The powerful party administrative committee, of which Bastiaan is a member, is aware of branch-stacking claims but has not conducted a formal audit.

With just 12,500 members, many of them "ageing", Kroger has on several occasions publicly praised Bastiaan's work to recruit fresh blood, despite the allegations of branch stacking.

Another supporter, state partyofficer Paul Mitchell, says attacks on Bastiaan are factionally driven.

"Marcus has not just talked about the membership crisis in the Liberal Party, he has gone out and done something about it and the overwhelming majority of party members respect and admire that," he said.

Bastiaan appears to have built his base by making use of membership discounts provided to students and couples. Ultra-conservative churches have also provided a fertile recruiting ground.

"I've had people from different churches approach me and say I've had Marcus ask me to join up. I've got nothing against people who go to church,but this is a blatant stack," says a Liberal MP.

A legitimate recruiter aligned with Bastiaan is medical doctor Ivan Stratov, who once ran for the Family First Party.

A prominent member of the Mormon church, Stratov won't say how many new members he has recruited (there is no suggestion Stratov is doing any branch stacking) or how closely he is working with Bastiaan.

But Stratov says some of Victorian's Mormons "are getting politically aware" and he's encouraging them to sign up. This is being made easier, he says, because of anger over the safe schools program, the push to legalise assisted euthanasia and other progressive policies. For instance, Dr Stratov says there is plenty of support for his views on abortions.

"I wouldn't agree with the vast majority of abortions in this country. I think there arefar too many," he says.

Supporters say concern about the growing influence of ultra-conservative church groups in the party is vastly overstated and servesas a means for underperforming MPs threatened by Bastiaan to create a sense of outrage and unease.

Others see the Bastiaan group's efforts as a genuine "insurgency" that is using conservatives as a rallying point.

Federal Assistant Treasurer and Deakin MP Michael Sukkaris another supporter of Bastiaan.

"The most important take out from the Deakin campaign was the importance of grassroots members and supporters. Modern campaigning is labour intensive andwith ageing and shrinking membership many in the party are grateful of Marcus' efforts to grow the party," Mr Sukkar said.

"I don't seriously believe anybody can seriously argue that Christians can no longer be welcome in the Liberal party."

The Bastiaan group's emergence, championing of right-wing views and divisive nature reflects the battle playing out in federal party ranks, with Abbott and other conservative warriors keeping Turnbull on something of a leash.

Next month, Abbott is the headline guest at a Liberal Party fundraiser organised by Bastiaan.Few doubt Abbott's commitment to long-held conservative values.

But several Liberal MPs say Bastiaan's efforts to portray himself as a conservative warrior is more about political opportunism than any deeply held ideal.

Some Liberals also say thatBastiaanhas privately backed same-sex marriage, a view he wasn't prepared to challenge when quizzed by Fairfax Media.

Blackwood, the group's preselection target, is himself a socially conservative MP and other arch-conservatives including the outspoken Bernie Finn are also in the Bastiaan camps sights.

The risk for Matthew Guy and the party inthe long term is that while conservative views may energise some of the Liberal base and a new generation of members, they won't win an election in Victoria.

The Narracan preselection battle will be a test of Bastiaan's success in organising numbers.

Regardless of whether Stephanie Ross wins or loses, Bastiaan is expected to be appointed vice-president of the state branch in April, a key step to realising his ambition of becoming president.

The most considered political observers say Bastiaan is not the problem.

He's simply using unreconstructed right-wing rhetoric to try to fill a void created by mainstream parties struggling to connect with cynical voters. It's this disconnect that is at the heart of the Bastiaan phenomenon and, to a far greater extent, political movements overseas.Whatever Bastiaan's fortunes, the broader politicalproblem is not going away.

"This is about the failure of mainstream parties to connect. It's not just us but Labor as well," says a senior party stalwart.

Link:

Victorian Liberals: factional fight exposes deep divisions - The Age

Vicious attacks on Ivanka Trump exposes liberal hypocrisy – The Hill (blog)

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Danzig

Ivanka Trump is perhaps the second-most watched person in the White House. The oldest daughter of the President, her position as a policy activist and adviser is unique in presidential history. Working through the ranks to become a clear voice for womens issues, coupled with her considerable business acumen, she should be a respected figure regardless of politics.

Instead, she faces a special scorn from Third Wave feminists and leftists alike (but I repeat myself) for one major reason: being her fathers daughter. One would think that a womans reputation is based on more than her relationship with a man.

Nope, not in 2017.

In many ways, Ivanka is the most self-made Trump: The Georgetown and Wharton graduate worked with a number of outside partners, and then formed her own empire. She used her own platform to advocate for women and equality in the workplace.

Despite her numerous accomplishments, the left has waged war on the first daughter in recent weeks. Why? Because they hate her father. A strong women's rights advocate and outspoken social liberal is being seen through the shadow of a man in her life: Her father, Donald J. Trump.

No feminist would or should judge another womans accomplishments through the prism of their fathers or husbands. Ivanka should be no different.

The social media campaign called #GrabYourWallet, which pressures retailers to drop Ivankas fashion products, was created as a response to Donald TrumpDonald TrumpWhite House denies Flynn replacement pick turned down job over staffing dispute Tillerson staying at sanitarium during G20 meeting: report Chris Wallace: Trump was trying to say 'I'm in charge' MOREs infamous hot mic remark. Ivanka had no involvement in her fathers controversial remarks but liberals have ensured that she will suffer anyways!

#GrabYourWallet successfully pressured Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Jet.com, Gilt, and Shoes.com to stop selling Ivankas line. Sears and Kmart removed her products from their websites, while TJ Maxx instructed its employees to hide her clothing on the sales floor. For many on the left, all things are personal, and fashion must be no exception.

One look at the #GrabYourWallet site, and it hits you: someone took the time to systematically create a Joseph McCarthy-type list of companies and ask if they are, or if they ever have been, a carrier of Ivanka's products. The featured spreadsheet list of retailers is as comprehensive as it is offensive. Contact numbers and emails are next to each company, regarding their current status.

In Venezuela, public employees that signed the recall petition against strongman Nicolas Maduro were fired due to their political beliefs. Its hard to imagine a social media campaign fueled by the same sentiments.

And the attacks on Ivanka extend far beyond just #GrabYourWallet. Google your lite-fare media du jour and youll find enthusiastic hit pieces, ripping Ivanka and her brand. Search her name on Buzzfeed, and youll see a list of articles about her product all unabashedly negative and repetitive. How many Mean Girls gifs articles can one website hold?

The Huffington Post oh-so-helpfully explains to the reader why the Nordstrom scandal is such a big deal. Their line of reasoning? That Donald Trump cant separate himself from his kids business decisions.

Voxs hot take on the situation can be seen through the prism of their profile of Ivanka last July, which expressed surprise that she holds so much influence over her father. Considering her success as an independent businesswoman, this should come as no shock. But Vox edu-tains readers by telling them that her efforts have so far failed to influence her father it then follows with over twenty paragraphs which show her effectiveness in influencing her father. I guess they figured no one reads beyond the first few sentences.

Meanwhile, the New Yorker has described Ivankas honed negotiating and speaking skills as weaponized greatness.

Why the vitriol against Ivanka, far more than against her brothers? Much of it can likely be boiled down to jealousy. Left-leaning journalists and self-proclaimed feminists wont admit it, but she is everything that we all aspire to be: smart, beautiful, and successful.

If Ivanka were anyone elses daughter, she would be praised as a trailblazer. If she were anyone elses daughter, shed probably also be successful with or without Donald Trumps money or influence.

See more here:

Vicious attacks on Ivanka Trump exposes liberal hypocrisy - The Hill (blog)

Can Emmanuel Macron win? Why France is ripe for a liberal resurgence – New Statesman

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Danzig

The French Presidential Election has so far been the election of the third man. On Sunday 5 February, Benot Hamon, a short-lived minister for education under Franois Hollande, became the official candidate of the Socialist party. Much like Franois Fillon in the opposing right-wing Republican primaries, he had entered the race as the distant third. Nevertheless, hebeat the early frontrunner, former Prime Minister Manuel Valls, in the second round of the Socialist primaries, gaining almost 60 per cent of the vote.

This was a triumph of the radical left over the establishment. Hamon had left Valls governmentto protest against what they took to be the governments too pro-business line. When it came to the primaries, he advocated a universal basic income and fully integrating ecological concerns into his programme.

In this two-pronged strategy, too, he followed Fillons lead. The Republican candidate overtook the frontrunners former Prime Minister Alain Jupp and President Nicolas Sarkozy after campaigning on both a highly economically liberal and socially conservative Catholic programme.

Both these victories on the left and right prove an old saying about primaries - they are won at the extremes. But there is another old saying, that general elections are won at the centre.

Emmanuel Macronis the centrist candidate for the Presidential election. He also entered the race as the third man, behind frontrunners Marine Le Pen and Fillon. So can he win?

With an election marked by a high level of unpredictability, there are nevertheless a number of reasons to think so. First there is Macron himself. When he entered the race, many thoughthe would quickly run out of steam, as centrist candidates have in the past, but his "Forward" movement has been highly successful. The crowds it attracts, numbering thousands, are the envy of the other candidates.

Macron's decision to not participate in the French Socialist primaries was also very astute. It means he hasdissociated himself from the toxic legacy of the Hollande Presidency, which has already lead to the downfall of his rival, Valls. Indeed, the fact that Hamon, on the left of the Socialists, won the primary is another boon for him. Centre-left voters who would have supported Valls arenow likely to rally around him.

If the centre-left has opened for Macron, so has the centre-right. Conservative voters who supported the centrist Alain Jupp might be tempted to join him, particularly after the "Penelopegate" scandal that has engulfedFillon (the Republican candidate is facing an investigation over claims he paid his wife nearly 1m for a job she did not do). Previously the favourite to win in the second round of elections in May, Fillon now trailsin the polls behind Macron in third place.

Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right Front National,is engulfed in her own "fake jobs" scandal concerning her European Parliamentassistant, and she has been sanctioned by the European Parliament which is retaining part of her salary.But it is unlikely that such a scandal will dent her popularity, and she remains well ahead in the polls with 25 per centof first-round voting intentions.

The difference between Le Pen and Fillon is that, as an anti-establishment and anti-European party,the Front National will not suffer from the misuse of public funds from an institution it rejects. Fillon, however, had made a big show of his strong moral principlesin the primaries compared to the "affaires" that continue to plague Jupp and former President Nicolas Sarkozy. Conservative voters put off by Fillon and unwilling to vote for the FN can rally round Macrons economic liberalism instead.

If Macron can make it to the second round of the French Presidential election in May, then he has every chance of becoming Frances next president. Current predictions have him wining over 60 per cent of the second-round vote. But we are not there yet. As a young, intelligent and outside candidate, he remains the receptacle of many peoples longing for a renewal of the political class. But he needs to transform his movements dynamic into hard votes - he lags well behind other candidates when it comes to firm intentions of voting. To do so he must give details of his political programme, which he so far failed to do, and which he is coming under increasing pressure to deliver.

The other threat he faces is the unification of the left with the far-left. If Hamon and the firebrand Jean-Luc Mlanchon could come together to form a common ticket then they could muster up to 25 per cent of the vote, which would propel them to first place in the first round of voting.

What Macron has made clear is that he is pro-European, which starkly marks him out from the other candidates. He is a social, economic and political liberal, and is willing to endorse ideas from across the political spectrum - one of his mottos is that he is neither left nor right. In an age when the political centre has come under intense pressure, maybe a radical centrist is precisely what France needs.

Dr Hugo Drochon is a historian of political thought and an affiliated lecturer at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of the book Nietzsche's Great Politics,published 2016.

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Can Emmanuel Macron win? Why France is ripe for a liberal resurgence - New Statesman

Where Have All the Liberal Democrats Gone? – Townhall

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Danzig

Posted: Feb 17, 2017 12:01 AM

What happened to liberal Democrats, and their concerns about civil liberties and government surveillance of American citizens?

Liberals once hated the CIA. And they loved the Russians. Yeah, you can look it up.

And their liberal friends in liberal Hollywood made movie after movie about the dangers of The Deep State and its awesome surveillance powers. One of the best was "Three Days of the Condor," with liberal icon Robert Redford fighting the malevolent CIA boss John Houseman, who longed for "the clarity" of world war.

Years later, Edward Snowden became the liberal demigod and WikiLeaks was their winged chariot of truth and beauty. Liberals fretted about the powers of the intelligence community being used on private citizens for political reasons.

So what happened to them? What happened to the ideals of these liberal Democrats?

Donald Trump was elected president, that's what happened to them.

And now you can clearly see the change in them as Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn, has become feast for the crows.

Flynn deserves his punishment. Make no mistake about that. He reportedly lied to Vice President Mike Pence about his phone conversations with a Russian ambassador that included discussion of the Obama administration's sanctions against Russia.

As a former general officer, as a former Defense Intelligence Agency boss, Flynn understands the chain of command. There is no lying to a superior officer, and Pence was his superior. Lying to a superior is grounds for court-martial. Or, at least gives pretext for a quick and brutal departure from the Trump White House, which is what happened.

So Flynn is gone, forced to resign, his head high on a spike upon the Democratic Party ramparts.

Democrats jeer at his head up there. It's as if this episode were street theater in olde England, with Punch and Judy entertaining the small folk. And Flynn's head, up there above them, is pecked endlessly in the sun.

But what victory are they celebrating, exactly? And at what cost to the republic?

What would have been bothersome to liberals of old (the pre-Trump kind) is that Flynn may have been targeted for a takedown by the Deep State intelligence operatives liberals once loathed.

Flynn and Trump warred with the intelligence community during the campaign, and Trump called out the CIA and others on multiple occasions, tweeting at them, provoking them.

Most recently, Trump was furious that his private conversations with the Australian prime minister became public and were used as a club to pound him in the pages of the "Never Trump" Washington Post and other establishment newspapers.

The damning news was that there are reportedly transcripts of Flynn speaking with the Russian ambassador -- before Trump was inaugurated president.

This indicates that Flynn was most likely the subject of a warrant issued by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. It means his conversations were recorded. The American public should know what this is about. I have a hard time believing Flynn was a traitor. But I don't have a hard time believing that arrogance and foolishness are necessary prerequisites for a hard public fall.

What's astounding about this is that news reports on Flynn's conversations with the Russian ambassador also mentioned something else.

They mentioned the existence of many intelligence community sources, and these many intelligence sources presumably read the transcripts and leaked their contents to reporters.

That's what is amazing. That the intelligence community records the conversations of a private citizen and leaks to damage and weaken a president.

Liberals -- who once prided themselves on being civil libertarians -- are overjoyed. They don't question their good fortune. They celebrate.

Now Trump is in open, public war with American intelligence, and liberals cheer on the intelligence community leakers.

Trump declared his war with American intelligence on his Twitter account and then did so in person as he stood in the White House at a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"I think he's (Flynn) been treated very, very unfairly by the media -- as I call it, the fake media, in many cases -- and I think it's really a sad thing that he was treated so badly," Trump said.

"I think in addition to that, from intelligence, papers are being leaked, things are being leaked," said the president, adding that such leaks were a "criminal action, criminal act."

The president's references to Flynn are awkward and politically self-serving.

But the president's reference to the intelligence community -- in his government -- is an open declaration of war. And it's dangerous.

Democrats are on the outs, so they love this story about Flynn. It feeds into their belief that Trump is some tool of Russian strongman Vladimir Putin. It's not whether they believe it that matters. What matters is that they see a way to sear this deeply upon the American mind before the 2018 elections.

Democrats will continue to push this theme, even if it means celebrating a possible takedown of administration officials by American intelligence, and the many sources of those reports.

So why aren't liberals more concerned, when once they'd be outraged about authoritarian tactics?

For the same reasons they weren't concerned about presidential overreach when their guy was president, with his imperial pen and his phone.

Because for many Democrats, just like for many Republicans, it's all about power, isn't it? And ideals -- even those which help keep the republic -- be damned.

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Where Have All the Liberal Democrats Gone? - Townhall

Liberals, Tories spar over Islamophobia motion in full-day debate – The Globe and Mail

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Danzig

Members of Parliament spent most of Thursday debating racism and discrimination in Canada as the Liberals and Conservatives battled over a private members motion that condemns Islamophobia.

The Tories introduced their own anti-racism motion in response to Liberal MP Iqra Khalids motion M-103, which calls on the government to condemn Islamophobia and all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination and to study the issue at the heritage committee and make recommendations.

Conservative MP David Andersons motion doesnt specifically mention Islamophobia, a term the Tories say is not well-defined and could stifle freedom of speech. The House of Commons, including Conservatives, has already unanimously condemned all forms of Islamophobia in an NDP motion last fall, although it wasnt a recorded vote and its unclear how many MPs were in the chamber.

Read more: Muslim leaders urge governments to fight Islamophobia after mosque attack

Konrad Yakabuski: Quebec cant keep politics out of the identity debate

Campbell Clark: Conservative MPs are afraid of Motion 103, and things it cant do

The Conservative motion condemns all forms of systemic racism and discrimination against Muslims, Jews, Christians, Sikhs, Hindus and other religious communities, which Mr. Anderson said is more inclusive. For procedural reasons, the Conservative motion will be voted upon in the coming days, while the Liberal motion will be dealt with in April.

Heritage Minister Melanie Joly called the Tory version weakened and watered down and said the government would not support it.

The Conservatives have brought this motion forward in a cynical attempt to serve their political purposes and avoid addressing the real issue concerning Islamophobia, she told reporters even before the debate began.

In a speech in the Commons, Ms. Khalid read out some of the 50,000 hate-filled responses she said shes received about her motion, and said shes not backing down on the language used.

I have asked my staff to lock the office behind me, as I now fear for their safety. I have asked them not to answer all phone calls, so they do not hear the insults, threats and unbelievable amounts of hate shouted at them and myself, she said. lslamophobia is real.

Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu told the House she was also the subject of online attacks during the election campaign for being a Christian.

My point is that hate crimes and these attacks are happening across different faiths, she said.

She added that MPs need clarity on the definition of Islamophobia, which she said is different around the world. If I think of myself, I am afraid that if ISIS jihadists came over, they might cut my head off and rape me. Is that Islamophobia? I do not know.

Most Tory leadership hopefuls, including Kellie Leitch, Maxime Bernier, Andrew Scheer, Brad Trost, Chris Alexander, Kevin OLeary and Erin OToole, say they disagree with the wording of Ms. Khalids motion. Michael Chong is the only candidate who said he will support it.

Ms. Leitch, who started a website called Stop M-103, told The Globe and Mail on Wednesday that many Canadians are worried their freedom of speech will be stifled.

Ms. Joly told the Commons it boggles the mind that members who have put their names forward to lead political parties, would try to capitalize on fear and division for their own benefit.

Former Liberal MP and justice minister Irwin Cotler, who put forward an anti-Semitism motion in 2015 using an agreed-upon definition, said the Liberals could change the term Islamophobia to anti-Muslim bigotry in order to get all sides on board.

Has anybody spoken with them about the use of the terminology of anti-Muslim bigotry, which amounts to the same thing but is more specific and does not have what for some is seen to be a confusing term? he told reporters.

Ms. Khalid said Wednesday Islamophobia is the irrational hate of Muslims that leads to discrimination.

The NDP have signaled they would support both motions, but NDP MP Jenny Kwan told the Commons the party also wants Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to denounce U.S. President Donald Trumps immigration ban.

Follow Laura Stone on Twitter: @l_stone

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Liberals, Tories spar over Islamophobia motion in full-day debate - The Globe and Mail

The True Origins of the Phrase ‘Bleeding-Heart Liberal’ – Atlas Obscura

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Danzig

Westbrook Pegler with Eleanor Roosevelt. Franklin D. Roosevelt Library/NARA 195810

Westbrook Pegler was extremely good at calling people names. Particularly politicians. In his syndicated newspaper column, he called Franklin D. Roosevelt Moosejaw and mommas boy. Truman was a thin-lipped hater.

Pegler was a bit of hater himself. He didnt like the labor movement, Communists, fascists, Jews, and perhaps most of all, liberals. In one 1938 column, he coined a term for liberals that would eventually come to define conservative scorn for the left. Pegler was the first writer to refer toliberals as bleeding hearts. The context for this then-novel insult? A bill before Congress thataimed tocurb lynching.

Before the 20th century, the phrase bleeding heart was popular in the religious-tinged oratory of 19th century America. Throughout the 1860s, it comes up often in poetry, essays, and political speeches, as an expression of empathy and emotion. I come to you with a bleeding heart, honest and sincere motives, desiring to give you some plain thoughts, said one politician in an 1862 speech. The phrase comes from the religious image of Christs wounded heart, which symbolizes his compassion and love. It was a common enough phrase that London has a Bleeding Heart Yard (featured prominently in the Dickens novel Little Dorrit) which is named after a long-gone sign, once displayed at a local pub, that showed the Sacred Heart.

By the 1930s, though, the phrase had fallen out of common use and Pegler, who one politician called a soul-sick, mud-wallowing gutter scum columnist, recruited it into a new context, as a political insult. He was a master of this art. As a contemporary of his wrote in an academic article on political name-calling, Pegler has coined, or given prominence to, a fair share of unfair words. (Pegler also called the AFL a swollen national racket, economics a side-show science, and Harold Ickes, who ran the Public Works Administration, Donald Duck.)

Pegler first used bleeding heart in a column castigating liberals in Washington for their focus on a bill to provide penalties for lynchings. Pegler wasnt for lynchings, per se, but he argued that they were no longer a problem the federal government should solve: there had only been eight lynchings in 1937, he wrote, and it is obvious that the evil is being cured by local processes. The bill, he thought, was being used as a political bait in crowded northern Negro centers. And here was his conclusion, emphasis ours:

I question the humanitarianism of any professional or semi-pro bleeding heart who clamors that not a single person must be allowed to hunger but would stall the entire legislative program in a fight to ham through a law intended, at the most optimistic figure, to save fourteen lives a year.

Pegler was apparently pleased enough with this use of bleeding heart that he kept it up. He later wrote of professional bleeding hearts who advocated for collective medicine after a woman couldnt find a doctor to help her through labor, and lobbed the insult of bleeding heart Bourn at a rival, left-leaning columnist. By 1940, he had condensed the phrase down to bleeding-heart humanitarians and bleeding-heart liberals.

Peglers usage did not immediately catch on, though. (Perhaps thats because he went on to become so right-wing that he was asked to leave the John Birch Society.) If the New York Times archives is any indication, through the 40s and 50s, bleeding heart was most often used to refer to the flower Lamprocapnos spectabilis, which grows rows of pretty pink blossoms, and occasionally sports.

Bleeding heart wasrevived in a political context in 1954, by another infamous right-winger, Joe McCarthy, who called Edward R. Murrow one of the extreme Left Wing bleeding-heart elements of television and radio. It wasnt until the 1960s that it really started to come into common use, though. In 1963, the satirical columnist Russell Baker put it on a list of political insults: If one is called a phoney, about the only thing he can do is come back with some epithet like, anti-intellectual or bleeding-heart liberalor you must be one of those peace nuts. By the end of the decade, Ronald Reagan, then newly elected governor of California, had picked it up as a way to describe his political trajectory. I was quite the bleeding-heart liberal once, he told Newsweek. By 1970, he was known as a former bleeding heart Democrat.

After that, the phrase was fully ensconced in political short-hand and quickly claimed by liberals as a positive trait. You are called a bleeding heart liberal because you have a heart for the poor, one told the Times. Count me with the bleeding heart liberals, an NAACP lawyer wrote in a letter to the editor.

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The True Origins of the Phrase 'Bleeding-Heart Liberal' - Atlas Obscura

Thank You, Obama: US Steadily Lost Ground On Economic Freedom Over Past 8 Years – Investor’s Business Daily

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Danzig

The Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom compares countries on a number of measures of how free their economies are. (Heritage.org)

Economy: The U.S. currently ranks a dispiriting 17th on the Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom. That's down from 6th when Obama took office in 2009. The question isn't whether President Trump can turn this dismal trend around, it's whether Democrats will let him.

The Heritage Foundation has been publishing this index since 1995. It measures things like property rights, fiscal health, business freedom, tax burden, government spending, rule of law and other indicators of economic freedom in 186 countries. Based on these, each country gets an overall freedom index score, which then can be ranked against other countries.

As Heritage points out, there is good reason to focus on these measures of economic freedom, since theydirectly correlate with a country's growth and prosperity. "The affirmative link between economic freedom and long-term development is unmistakable and robust," the report notes. "The higher a country's level of economic freedom is, the higher its income per capita also is."

The good news is that economic freedom worldwide has been inching up for the past two decades. It went from a low of 57.1 in 1996 to 60.9 today.

The bad news is that it's been on the decline in the U.S. since 2008, when it stood at 80.7. Since then, it has dropped every year but one under Obama, and now measures 75.1. That's the lowest score for the U.S. since Heritage started this index 22 years ago.

As a result, the U.S. now ranks behind Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand Canada, Taiwan, the U.K., Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Even Lithuania currently has more economic freedom than the U.S.

"The substantial expansion of government's size and scope, increased regulatory and tax burdens, and the loss of confidence that has accompanied a growing perception of cronyism, elite privilege, and corruption have severely undermined America's global competitiveness," the report finds.

In other words, the U.S. index was dragged down by Obama's anti-growth war on businesses, investors and other productive elements of the economy.

Not surprisingly, the past eight years have also been characterized by historically low economic growth rates, with annual GDP growth never once hitting 3% under Obama.

Turning this around should be a priority in Washington for both Republicans and Democrats. Faster economic growth is desperately needed, not only to create jobs and increase prosperity, but to reduce the federal government's yawning deficits and mountain of debt.

Unfortunately, Democrats and the mainstream press are entirely focused on destroying the Trump administration before it has the chance to put forward any of its pro-growth proposals.

If the U.S. continues to slide down the scale of economic freedom and the economy continues to struggle, the blame will rest on the shoulders of these obstructionists.

January's Jobs Jump: The Trump Economy Begins

Now They Tell Us: Trump's Economic Plan Will Boost Growth

Donald Trump News & Tweets: ObamaCare, Immigration, Trade, Economy

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Thank You, Obama: US Steadily Lost Ground On Economic Freedom Over Past 8 Years - Investor's Business Daily

Scott Pruitt: 5 Fast Facts You need to Know – Heavy.com

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Danzig

Scott Pruitt arrives at Trump Tower for a meeting on December 7th. (Getty)

Scott Pruitt, Donald Trumps nominee to run the Environmental Protection agency, has been openly critical of the agency he would lead.

His confirmation vote is scheduled for February 17, even though, the night before, a judge in Oklahoma ordered him to turn over thousands of emails that critics say will show he has deep ties to the fossil fuel industry.

Hes also a climate change skeptic whos fought the EPA as Oklahomas attorney general.

The Hill reports hes expected to win confirmation, despite losing a Republican vote.

Heres what you need to know:

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, President Donald Trumps nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency, arrives for the Inaugural Luncheon in the US Capitol January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Getty)

According to CNBC, an Oklahoma County judge on February 16 ordered Pruitt to turn over thousands of communications to a watchdog group.

The Washington Times reported that the emails are related to his communications with the oil-and-gas industry.

The Center for Media and Democracy had sued, alleging Pruitt was in violation of the open records laws because he wouldnt release the documents, which the group requested in 2015, CNBC reported.

The judge ordered Pruitt to give about 3,000 emails to the group by Tuesday, February 21, according to CNBC. NBC reported that the liberal CMD organization asked for correspondence between Pruitts office and Koch Industries, mining and drill companies and the Republican Attorneys General Association.

Scott Pruitt. (AG file photo)

Pruitts Attorney General biography says that, before being elected AG in 2010, he served eight years in the Oklahoma State Senate where he was a leading voice for fiscal responsibility, religious freedom and pro-life issues.

Hes known for his dramatic quotes. Pruitt once said, The American People are tired of seeing billions of dollars drained from our economy due to unnecessary EPA regulations, and I intend to run this agency in a way that fosters both responsible protection of the environment and freedom for American businesses.

Scott Pruitt, Donald Trumps nominee for EPA Administrator, is pictured during a meeting with US Senator Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV) on Capitol Hill January 4, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Getty)

In his bio, Pruitt is open about how he sees the EPA. Pruitt is a leading advocate against the EPAs activist agenda, the bio says.

Susan Collins, a Republican Senator from Maine, announced she would not vote for Pruitt, writing in a news release that I have significant concerns that Mr. Pruitt actively opposed and sued EPA on numerous issues that are of great importance to the state of Maine, including mercury controls for coal-fired power plants and efforts to reduce cross-state air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Hill reported that Republican Sen. John McCain wont be there for the Pruitt vote but that Pruitt is expected to pick up two Democratic votes, meaning hes likely headed for confirmation.

According to the New York Times, Pruitts nomination to run the EPA has so troubled people who work in the agency that they have called U.S. Senators urging them to oppose the pick. The Times says that Pruitt has made a career out of fighting the EPA, noting that Trump has vowed to get rid of the agency.

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, President Donald Trumps choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency, testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on Capitol Hill January 18, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Getty)

Pruitt filed the first lawsuit challenging the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, his bio says. He also has served two terms as president of the Republican Attorneys General Association, according to the bio.

Think Progress reports he once referred to another Senator when saying of climate change, it is just a religious belief for him and for others. The site reports that Pruitt sued the EPA 14 times.

Appearing before Congress, though, Pruitt said he would not seek to overturn a 2009 finding allowing the EPA to regulate carbon dioxide, for instance, and acknowledged the reality of climate change but said the role of humans in that was open to debate, according to Think Progress.

Green Peace alleges that previously obtained emails showed Pruitt and other Republican attorneys general collaborating with corporations and lobbyists to file lawsuits and challenge federal regulations on everything from fracking to air pollution.

Green Peace says that Pruitt has received $318,496 in campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry since 2002 and is a supporter of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Scott Pruitt has been married to his wife for 27 years. (Facebook)

According to his bio, Pruitt has been married to his wife, Marlyn, for more than 25 years. They have two children, McKenna and Cade.

You can read more about Pruitts wife and kids here:

Scott Pruitt, Donald Trump's nominee for administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, is married and has two children, McKenna and Cade.

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Scott Pruitt: 5 Fast Facts You need to Know - Heavy.com

Oceania Adds More Cuba Cruises for Late 2017 | Travel Agent Central – Travel Agent

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Danzig

Oceania Cruises has announced an additional series of journeys to Cuba in November and December 2017. Ranging in length from six to thirteen days with departures from Miami, these voyages include the lines first calls to Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba, in addition to Havana. These new itineraries are now open for reservations.

All voyages and excursions will fully comply with existing U.S. Federal Regulations and the most recent pronouncements from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

The cruises will take place onboard the Insignia, which will offer dining based on the tastes of Cuba and lectures on Cuban history, art, and music. 70 percent of the ships 342 staterooms have their own private teak veranda.

Here are some highlights of the new itineraries:

Panoramic Caribbean 10 days from Miami visiting Havana (two days), Roatan, Santo Tomas, Harvest Caye, Costa Maya, and Nassau. Departs 14 November.

Hemingways Hideaways Seven days from Miami visiting Key West, Havana, Cienfuegos, and Santiago de Cuba. Departs 24 November.

Timeless Cuba Seven days from Miami visiting Havana (two days), Cienfuegos, and Santiago de Cuba. Departs 1 & 8 December.

Vibrant Vistas Six days from Miami visiting Key West, Havana, Cozumel, and Great Stirrup Cay. Departs 15 December.

Holidays in the Tropics 13 days from Miami visiting Key West, Havana (two days), Roatan, Santo Tomas, Harvest Caye, Costa Maya, Cozumel (two days), and Nassau. Departs 21 December.

In Havana, guests will have the chance to take a relaxing stroll along the evocative Malecn and get lost among the Baroque facades and colonial cobblestone alleys of Old Havana. The trip will also visit the Capitolio Nacional and explore the world-class Cuban art collection at Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, which showcases everything from colonial-era paintings to masterpieces from Cubas Vanguard Period. There will also be the chance to tour one of Havanas old cigar factories.

Known as La Perla del Sur (the Pearl of the South), Cienfuegos was originally founded by French settlers and its city center is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The citys historic center has well-preserved 19th-century structures and a layout inspired by the Spanish Enlightenment. The trip here will visit the Palacio de Valle and explore Punta Gorda, a spot to enjoy the sunset. At Teatro Terry guests will take in a performance by local artists. There will also be the chance to explore nearby Trinidad, a colonial town recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site and anchored by its Plaza Mayor, an open-air museum of Spanish colonial architecture.

Santiago de Cuba is the countrys second largest city and has played an instrumental role in the evolution of Cuban music, literature and architecture. Guests will have the chance to discover the citys history at Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca and the Cementerio Santa Ifigenia, where Cuban hero Jos Mart and Emilio Bacard Moreau of the famed rum dynasty are both buried. Countless musicians have emerged from Santiago de Cuba including Miguel Matamoros of Tro Matamoros and Sindo Garay, and many say the heart of this thriving city lives in its music scene.

Visit oceaniacruises.com

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Oceania Adds More Cuba Cruises for Late 2017 | Travel Agent Central - Travel Agent

Navy completes Seychelles ship refit – Times of India

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Danzig

VISAKHAPATNAM: After completion of her medium refit, Seychelles Coast Guard Patrol Ship (SCGPS) Topaz was handed over to Colonel Simone A Dine, Commander Seychelles Coast Guard by Rear Admiral Narayan Prasad, NM, admiral superintendent, Naval Dockyard, here on Thursday. The ship underwent a medium refit at the Naval Dockyard from March 2016 to January 2017. An event was held at the naval jetty inside INS Circars and attended by dignitaries from Seychelles Coast Guard and the Indian Navy. SCGPS Topaz arrived in Visakhapatnam during the International Fleet Review and subsequently the refit programme commenced. Various upgrades in machinery, equipment and habitability were undertaken as part of the refit. The ship is now fitted with latest navigation, communication and weaponry to enhance performance of the ship in the years to come. The event commenced with the introduction of the officers and crew of SCGPS Topaz to Colonel Simone A Dine Commander Seychelles Coast Guard and Rear Admiral Narayan Prasad ASD (V). Commodore IB Uthaiah, general manager (refit) gave a brief account on the progress of the refit, which was followed by an address by Lieutenant Lyndon Lablache, commanding officer SCGPS Topaz. The event concluded with customary exchange of crests between the dignitaries and a walk around of the ship. This event marked the culmination of the refit of SCGPS Topaz undertaken by the Indian Navy as a diplomatic courtesy to strengthen relations between India and the island nation of Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. SCGPS Topaz, formerly called INS Tarmugli, was gifted to the Government of Seychelles by India in 2005 to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two nations and work together to ensure the safety of the Indian Ocean region. The ship, used as a patrol vessel by Seychelles Coast Guard is a fast attack craft which served the Indian Navy from 2001 to 2005 before being handed over to Seychelles.

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Navy completes Seychelles ship refit - Times of India

SAA adds new code share route with Air Seychelles – News24

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Danzig

2017-02-17 14:32 - Unathi Nkanjeni

(iStock)

Cape Town - The South African Airways (SAA) withAir Seychelles have announce another code-share routeservicefrom Seychellesto one of South Africa's largest city, Durban,starting from March 30, 2017.

The new service is scheduled to operate twice a week, Thursdays andSaturdays and is already open for sale,offering a greater travel choice to guests travelling between South Africa and Seychelles.

The code-share partnership between South African Airways and Air Seychellesdates back to October 2013 with SAA as a marketing carrier between Johannesburg and Seychelles - with a five weekly services between Johannesburg and Praslin Island operated by Air Seychelles.

Added to this, Air Seychelles has already been the marketing domestic services operator for by South African Airways on its Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and East London routes.

SEE:WATCH: Forget driverless cars, Dubai has built a taxi drone

Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles, Roy Kinnear, saysthe ties between South Africa and Seychelles are strong and evident for everyone to see.

"Building on these strong ties and the existing five weekly services between Seychelles and Johannesburg, Air Seychelles has taken the commitment to start the twice weekly operation to Durban on 30 March, 2017."

"We are confident these air links will bring our countries closer and contribute to the development of our respective economies and tourism industries, says Kinnear.

The 8 Most Memorable Island Cocktails To Try On Your Next Caribbean Adventure – Huffington Post

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Danzig

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After a few sips of the house special, you may start feeling those shiggidy vibes. Its best enjoyed with live soca music, a blend of soul and calypso, or while watching Mr. Xs fire-eating show. This local beach hangout is also a great spot to catch a green flash sunset, a brief but beautiful atmospheric phenomenon that makes the sinking sun appear bright green as it dips below the horizon. With a Shiggidy Jig in hand, the green flash will be even brighter.

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Sample the Green Bonaire, a neon green liquid made from the Kadushi cactus while relaxing under the factorys ancient Calbas trees. Or take a quick factory tour to learn how a cactus can lead to 80 proof alcohol, which involves a process of cutting the cactuss skin, drying the inner membrane in the sun for two days, and then combining the strips with yeast and sorghum (Bonaires only local grains). The original cocktail recipe made with this unique ingredient blends together Cadushy of Bonaire Liqueur, vodka and triple sec. Try it and then you can boast to friends and family about that time you drank a cactus. As for the taste? Somewhere between sweet and herbal, a neat taste of Cadushy is a flavor profile so unique that youll just have to try it yourself!

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Hailed as a juice box for adults, Papa Jac is sold commercially around the island in pouches. But next time youre in San Juan, walk past the vibrant colonial townhouses along the cobblestone streets toward Don Pablo to drink the cozy cocktail bars Papa Jac in its original Big Gulp-style cup.

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A Caribbean trip would be remiss without a taste of the rare, crimson liquor found only in Aruba, the island of twisty fofoti trees and pristine white beaches. Agave plant sap is used for the sweet liqour known as Coecoei, which is hard to find off the island. Experience what makes this 100-proof liquor so good in Arubas signature cocktail,the Ariba, which is a synthesis of Coecoei, rum, vodka and fruit juices. Its served in a tall glass mug to showcase the rainbow effect of the juices red, orange and yellow hues, which mingle to revitalize parched palettes. After one swig, dont be surprised if you find yourself buying bubble wrap to protect those bottles of Coecoei packed in your suitcase.

Theres no better way to celebrate the clear waters and hot sands of St. Maarten than with a Guavaberry Kir. The cocktail combines champagne and the locally made Guavaberry liqueur, which together form a fitting homage to the islands Euro-Caribbean roots. Guavaberry liqueur is made from oak aged rum, cane sugar and wild guavaberries grown on the island. The plump, grape-like Guavaberry not related to guava fruit grows on trees, ripening into orange and black varieties. Drop by the Guavaberry Emporium in the heart of Philipsburg to taste a piece of the islands heritage.

Black pineapples populate the island of Antigua and are used to garnish the popular cocktail found all over the islands cosmopolitan epicenter. The unusual fruit, which is actually green instead of black when ripened, are renowned for their distinct sweetness. But the most important ingredient in the Antigua Smile is Cavalier rum, which the Antigua Distillery Limited has been creating on the island since 1947. The clear rum is distilled from fermented molasses and aged a minimum of two years in American bourbon barrels to create the silky, mellow flavor that balances the crme de banana and pineapple juice in the islands native cocktail. No wonder its called an Antigua Smile!

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At Landhuis Chobolobo, a 19th-century mansion, you can learn about this favorite island alcohol and taste the different cocktail variations created by the in-house mixologists that cant be found anywhere else. But dont miss the chance to ask the bartender for an authentic Blue Lagoon, so that you can consider yourself a true connoisseur while relishing Curaaos cool sea breeze.

Lynne317 via Getty Images

Those who make the pilgrimage to Mount Gay Rum Visitors Centre, just north of Bridgetown Harbor, can enjoy the creations of the distillerys master blenders at its Bottomless Rum Punch Station. You cant go wrong with a Mount Gay Rum Punch, which blends the signature rum with grenadine, lime juice, simple syrup, angostura bitters and fresh grated nutmeg for a satisfying old-timey favorite. Bottoms up!

Explore a new culture and experience the thrill of making lifelong memories with friends and family when you set sail with Royal Caribbeanvoted Best Cruise Line for 14 years and counting by Travel Weekly readers. Mix up your next vacation and visit Royal Caribbean to plan your extraordinary adventure.

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The 8 Most Memorable Island Cocktails To Try On Your Next Caribbean Adventure - Huffington Post

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