Monthly Archives: January 2020

Nepals parliament must amend the Information Technology Bill (IT Bill) to bring into line with international standards and ensure that the law is not used to criminalize the peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression, Amnesty International said today.

Provoking widespread criticism from Nepals civil society, the proposed IT Bill would empower the government to arbitrarily censor content online, including on social media, and punish offenders with up to five years imprisonment and a fine of 1.5 million Nepali rupees (approximately 13,000 USD).

The IT Bill is one of three proposed pieces of legislation that use vague and overbroad clauses to unduly restrict the right to freedom of expression. The bills have been proposed against the backdrop of intensifying attacks on free expression in the country.

Nepal was once envied by people across the region for its openness towards critical views and opinions. That reputation is now at risk as the government continues to crack down on what people say, write and even sing. The IT Bill and all other legislation must be amended and brought into line with international law and standards to guarantee peoples right to freedom of expression, said Biraj Patnaik, South Asia Director at Amnesty International.

In 2019, laws like the Electronic Transactions Act 2006 were used to arbitrarily detain journalists for publishing stories which criticized the government or others who posted critical comments online. In April, journalist Arjun Giri was charged under the Act for reporting on financial fraud. In June, comedian Pranesh Gautam was arrested for posting a satirical film review on YouTube. In October, musical artists Durgesh Thapa and Samir Ghishing popularly known as VTEN, were arrested for the content of their songs.

Nepal was once envied by people across the region for its openness towards critical views and opinions. That reputation is now at risk as the government continues to crack down on what people say, write and even sing

Several provisions in the IT Bill do not meet international human rights law and standards. For example, section 94 of the bill vaguely criminalizes people who post content on social media if it is deemed to be against national unity, self-respect, national interest, relationship between federal units.

Other provisions of the IT Bill, which are open to very wide interpretation, could also be abused to stifle critical opinions, satire, public dialogue, and public commentary. For example, the bill prohibits teasing, deceiving, demotivating, and demeaning.

Section 88 of the bill also restricts the publishing of such content through use of any electronic medium, which could include news sites, blogs and even emails.

Section 115 of the bill envisions an Information Technology Court in each of the seven provinces around the country, with the mandate to deal with all issues under the bill, including criminal liability. As the bill authorizes the government to appoint the members of the court bypassing judicial council, this poses serious concerns on the influence of the executive over these courts, the independence of the judiciary and fair trails guarantee in such courts.

Under international human rights law, states are permitted to limit the right to freedom of expression, but these limitations must be set forth in law in a precise manner, and be necessary and proportionate to a legitimate aim, as stipulated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Nepal is a party.

If passed in its current form, the provisions in the IT Bill further risk creating a chilling effect, and will ultimately give rise to censorship and self-censorship online where people will no longer be able to share their feelings or debate ideas freely and without fear of repression, said Biraj Patnaik.

In 2019, the government of Nepal proposed a series of bills in parliament with provisions criminalizing acts that should be protected under the right to freedom of expression, and give the authorities excessive powers to impose harsh sentences for vaguely worded offences.

In February 2019, the Information Technology Bill was proposed in the house of representatives.

In May 2019, the government registered the Media Council Bill in the upper house of parliament with provisions that would muzzle freedom of expression through printed and online media. Under Section 18, the Council will have the power to impose fines of up to one million rupees (approximately 9,000 USD) if a journalist is found guilty of libel or defamation, which is also punishable under the criminal code. According to international human rights standards, defamation should be treated as a matter for civil litigation, not criminal.

The Mass Communication Bill, also drafted in 2019, includes provision of even harsher sentencing and fines to journalists with up to 15 years of imprisonment if found guilty of publishing or broadcasting contents deemed to be against sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity, as per section 59 of the draft bill.

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Nepal: Information Technology Bill threatens freedom of expression - Amnesty International

Dental hygienists could gain more freedom to treat patients in rural areas and nursing homes.

The N.C. Board of Dental Examiners has a chance to change regulations on hygienists Thursday, Jan. 16, when the state Rules Review Commission will consider freeing hygienists to perform reversible procedures without direct dental supervision in shortage areas.

North Carolina is short on dental care, particularly in rural areas. The state ranks 37th in the nation for its access to dentists. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services flagged 59 counties for shortages of dental care in 2018. Camden, Hyde, and Tyrrell counties havent had a single dentist between them for the past decade.

Matters are especially bad for low-income families, seniors, and American Indian children. The supply of dentists shrinks still further for those covered by Medicaid, as only 29.7% of dentists participated in North Carolinas Medicaid in 2016.

One thing Im not sure people realize is that while oral health has greatly improved, poor people still lose their teeth at the same rate they did 30 years ago, Sen. Jim Perry, R-Lenoir, said. And the state of your oral care is linked to so many other issues, such as heart disease.

The proposed reform aims to break open the supply of dental care by loosening regulatory restrictions, allowing dentists to supervise more than two working hygienists in shortage areas.

The rule change also bucks the long-standing tradition that patients must see a dentist before being treated by a hygienist. The regulation made it difficult to bring care to rural areas, as dentists couldnt send hygienists to patients without accompanying the mobile clinic.

In the past, that left the patient with no place to go for a dental home, said Bobby White, N.C. Board of Dental Examiners chief executive officer. This provides a dental home. For one thing, the patient doesnt come to the dentist. The hygienist and the spearheading team can go out to the facility. We hope that this will make a lot of difference.

If approved, the change will allow hygienists to perform reversible treatments without a dentist present in high-need areas. This would free hygienists to travel to shortage areas namely public schools, nursing homes, and rural clinics and provide basic preventative care.

Not having our hands tied will help a lot, said Crystal Adams, Catawba Valley Community College departmental head of dental hygiene. Theres a lot of people who fall in the cracks, and of course there are barriers to care. This allows us to serve. people who are not always able to access the dental care they need. It is definitely a move in the right direction.

The reform is months in the making. It has already gone through the pre-approval process, and if all goes smoothly in the Rules Review Commission, the change will kick in this February.

Limiting dental hygienist reach through rules and regulations only serves to restrict access patients otherwise would have, said Jordan Roberts, health policy analyst for the John Locke Foundation. Dental care reform needs to focus on creating an environment where dental providers have as many opportunities as possible to treat patients safely.

But if 10 or more people object during the meeting, the rule change will have to go before the General Assembly. White doesnt expect to see any objections.

Starting that conversation is important, Perry said. Dentists are pretty conservative by nature, so a lot of change isnt something Ive seen embraced in the dental community over the years. The fact that theyre having them having these conversations is a big deal, a positive step forward. You want them to lead the evolution in their rules and laws.

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Changes to rules would give dental hygienists more freedom in treating patients - Richmond County Daily Journal

Grand Strand Freedom Week is eight days with 11 events for everyone, Bennie Swans said.

This is a community celebration, event organizer Swans said. This is not just a black community celebration, this is a community celebration.

The eight-day celebration includes 11 events in Myrtle Beach to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The events include a fun run, bias training, an economic development summit, a worship service, the awards breakfast and the parade on Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach.

Kicking off the event is the networking and welcome reception at 5 p.m. today at the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce at 1200 Oak St.

There will be a 5K Freedom Run and fitness summit beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday in Grand Park at The Market Common. The summit, which continues until 2 p.m. Saturday, includes health screenings, fitness trainers, healthy cooking stations with food samples and a fund raising effort for youth sports in the area.

On Sunday, there is a unity service at the First Presbyterian Church at 3801 Robert Grissom Parkway in Myrtle Beach. The service includes joint choirs from area churches as well as ministers and speakers from the community.

The events on Monday begin with a breakfast at 7 a.m. at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center and the Drum Major Awards.

Drum Major Awards include David DeCenzo of Coastal Carolina University and recognition of the winning seasons of the Myrtle Beach High School football and tennis teams. There will also be a posthumous award to Herbert Riley.

The annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade begins at 11 a.m. at 26th Avenue North on Ocean Boulevard. The parade route moves south on the boulevard to 9th Avenue North and includes floats, vintage cars and numerous bands.

There will be an economic development summit at the Myrtle Beach Train Depot at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The summit will feature resources to help young adults start new businesses with an opportunity to enroll in a program that could generate $10,000 to start or expand a business venture. The depot is located at 851 Broadway St. in Myrtle Beach.

On Wednesday there is the Grand Strand Job Fair at the Horry Georgetown Technical College Grand Strand Campus at 950 Crabtree Lane in The Market Common area. The event is noon-3 p.m. and features employers seeking the right match for jobs.

The bias training and workshop is slated for 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Thursday at the Myrtle Beach Train Depot. The event includes a panel discussion of professionals and students sharing their experiences targeted at increasing unity and reducing tension due to societal bias.

Freedom Week concludes with the performing arts showcase and film festival on Jan. 24 at the Asher Theater, 3237 Waccamaw Boulevard. The showcase is slated for 6-9 p.m.

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Grand Strand Freedom Week kicks off today - Myhorrynews

The Ugandan academic, writer and feminist activist Dr Stella Nyanzi, imprisoned for criticising the countrys president, has been awarded the Oxfam Novib/PEN International award for freedom of expression.

Nyanzi has been in Luzira womens prison in Kampala, the capital, for nearly 15 months after writing a poem about President Yoweri Musevenis mothers vagina. The poem uses the metaphor of her vagina and Musevenis birth to criticise his near 35-year rule.

In 2017, she spent 33 days in prison for a Facebook post in which she described Museveni as a pair of buttocks, after the president backtracked on a pledge to distribute sanitary towels to schoolgirls.

At the award ceremony, held during the opening of the Writers Unlimited festival in The Hague, an empty chair was used to symbolise the absence of Nyanzi.

My sentence highlights how fearful this dictator and his cronies are of writers. Isnt the pen mightier than the sword?

For her, writing is a permanent form of resistance in front of a regime that is trying to suppress her, said Carles Torner, director of PEN International.

In an acceptance speech smuggled out of prison, Nyanzi wrote: Unlawful laws are used in unjust courts to punish citizens whose only crime is exercising their constitutional freedom to write boldly about the dictatorship.

She added: My custodial sentence in a maximum security prison highlights how fearful this dictator and his cronies are of writers. Isnt the pen, indeed, mightier than the sword?

Nyanzi recounted using handcuffs while in solitary confinement to scratch words into the prison walls, including: You can handcuff my body but you can never handcuff my spirit Stella Nyanzi. She has also spoken in the past about using lipstick secretly given to her by other prisoners to write on walls during the five days she spent in solitary confinement.

Jennifer Clement, PEN International president, said of Nyanzi: Though her words might be colourful and shocking to some, this is not enough to justify the imposition of penalties, and public officials should tolerate a higher degree of criticism than ordinary citizens.

Nyanzi is due to appear in court on Friday for another hearing to appeal against the courts decision last August to sentence her to nine more months imprisonment for cyber harassment of the president.

She was convicted under the Computer Misuse Act 2011, a law that Amnesty International wants scrapped because it has been used systematically to harass, intimidate and stifle government critics like Stella Nyanzi.

Previous winners of the international award for freedom of expression include Nobel Laureate Svetlana Alexievich, Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour, Eritrean poet and writer Amanuel Asrat, Honduran activist Dina Meza and Cameroonian journalist Enoh Meyomesse.

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You can't handcuff my spirit: jailed writer wins freedom of expression prize - The Guardian

The Horatio Williams Classic will be held at Ferndale High School on Saturday and will feature many great matchups between top teams in Michigan.

The final game of the seven-game invitational will feature MLive's top-ranked Orchard Lake St. Mary's taking on No. 11 Flint Beecher (7-1). The game is set to feature three players on MLive's Mr. Basketball watch list of all are healthy.

St. Mary's Mr. Basketball candidate, Lorne Bowman, is a frontrunner for the award and will head to Wisconsin next year. He has been scoring 20-plus per night with ease as of late.

Beecher has Jalen Terry, who has battled injuries this season but has been a difference maker in the games he's played in. It's not clear if he will be ready to play in time for Saturday but he will be announcing his college choice on Friday. Terry used to be committed to Michigan State.

If Terry is not ready to go, Beecher will turn to Earnest Sanders to get the job done. Hes had many huge performances so far this season and likes to soar toward the basket. He will play football at Kentucky next year.

Muskegon's talented squad, ranked No. 4, will be making the trip across Michigan to square of against host Ferndale (3-4, tied for No. 25) in the sixth game. The Big Reds (4-1) still don't have a ton of game experience this season but offer Mr. Basketball hopeful Jarvis Walker in the lineup, a talented guard heading to Purdue Fort Wayne.

In the fifth game, No. 3 Clarkston (6-1) will bring its 7-foot-1 Mr. Basketball hopefull in Northwestern signee Matt Nicholson. A double-double machine, Nicholson is surrounded by talented sophomores Keegan Wasilk and Fletcher Loyer, the latter of which is the younger brother of Michigan State guard Foster Loyer. The Wolves will face No. 16 Detroit Martin Luther King (8-2). Last year, Clarkston beat King at the Horatio Williams classic, 53-39.

Also, No. 9 River Rouge (7-1) will take on North Farmington (7-2) while No. 24 Detroit Edison (4-2) takes on No. 25 Macomb Dakota (6-2). Dakota has a Mr. Basketball hopeful as well in Ryan Rollins, who recently had a 39-point, 11-rebound game.

Detroit Douglass, ranked No. 10, features senior Pierre Brooks Jr., who is being heavily recruited by Michigan and Michigan State.

Here is the complete schedule for Saturday's Horatio Williams Freedom Classic. $10 will get you in for all games as long as you don't leave. Children under five years old are free.

11:30 a.m.: Detroit Western International vs. Dearborn Divine Child

1 p.m.: Detrit Edison Public School Academy vs. Macomb Dakota

2:30 p.m.: Detroit Frederick Douglass vs. Farmington

4 p.m.: River Rouge vs. North Farmington

5:30 p.m.: Detroit Martin Luther King vs. Clarkston

7 p.m.: Ferndale vs. Muskegon

8:30 p.m.: Orchard Lake St. Marys vs. Flint Beecher

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Hortatio Williams Freedom Classic brings top teams, talent to Detroit area on Saturday - MLive.com

SINGAPORE - If a personal mobility device (PMD) rider zooms by on an empty footpath, he is definitely breaking a rule but is he actually curtailing anyone's freedom to walk?

A moral conundrum for sure, but one that a panellist at the 5th StGallen Symposium Singapore Forum 2020 felt could be handled simply: A person could exercise tolerance and not immediately report the man to the authorities.

The example is timely given Singapore's hotly debated PMD footpath ban, but it also drives home a central theme of Saturday's (Jan 18) panel discussion on freedom: While seemingly abstract and absolute, the context and conditions within which freedom operates aresomething people need to grapple with daily.

Four panellists applied differentnotions of freedom to a variety of issues and contexts, from fake news in Singapore,to the protests in Hong Kong and to the global climate change crisis.

Moderator and former Nominated MP Viswa Sadasivan kicked off the discussion with the evocative analogy of freedom as a very sharp knife without a handle, carrying the risk of cutting oneself if used incautiously.

It was in considering this analogy that panellist Tommy Koh - not the veteran diplomat of the same name- brought up the PMD example and tolerance.

"How we approach situations where (different) freedoms collide matter... In picking up that knife, perhaps the glove that we need to put on is the glove of tolerance," said Mr Koh, who was the StGallen Leader of Tomorrow for 2018 and 2019 and is now completing national service.

The analogy, however, presumes conditions of sufficient stability and prosperity such that the individual can wield the knife in the first place, said Professor Danny Quah, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

"The great paradox in freedom today is how so much of the world has benefited from institutions that have given them economic prosperity, and (yet) are willing to throw them away," said Prof Quah, who is also Li Ka Shing Professor in Economics.

Continuing the analogy, fellow panellist and The Straits Times editor Warren Fernandez said that knowing when not to wield the knife was just as important as knowing when to wield it. He cited the Charlie Hebdo shooting in 2015, where 12 people were killed at the magazine's Paris office over offensive cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

He said that the ST knew that it would never have run such cartoons given Singapore's multicultural context.

"We recognise the responsibility we have in wielding that power, not to upset the context in which we have been able to enjoy that freedom," said Mr Fernandez, who is also editor-in-chief of Singapore Press Holdings' English/Malay/Tamil Media Group.

Audience members at the forum held at the National University of Singapore University Town asked a range of questions, including whether different freedoms can coexist equally and how to negotiate different cultural views on rights.

Former MP Zainul Abidin Rasheed, one of about 360 attendees, asked the panellists to consider whether Singapore has done well in revisiting the idea of freedom, especially in terms of the Government's role.

Professor Kevin Y.L. Tan, adjunct professor at NUSlaw faculty and the event's keynote speaker, said Singapore has become increasingly reactive "rather than looking at the whole picture".

"There is a piecemeal, knee-jerk reaction by the state to issues which involve freedoms," said Prof Tan, who is also visiting professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

Citing the example of PMDs again, he said the Government was silent on regulation until a parliamentary question was asked, indicating poor planning.

Another example was the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) passed last year, which Prof Tan said was an example where the state and security prevailed over individual freedoms, and an area which should be revisited.

But revisiting freedoms is an endless process, said Mr Fernandez. He traced how the balance between rights and responsibilities, and individuals versus the collective has changed since the time of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

Pofma is an example where the Government has taken on board the views of individuals and shaped them to deal with the larger problem of misinformation and fake news.

"I think we will continue to change with a new set of leaders and electorate. It will have to be a constant revisiting of that agreement we've come to in a society," he said.

The annual StGallen Symposium is run by the University of StGallen in Switzerland to promote inter-generational discussions.

Past speakers from Singapore includeSenior MinistersTharman Shanmugaratnam and Teo Chee Hean, and Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who spoke at the event last year.

The symposium's Singapore forum, organised by the National Youth Achievement Award Council, was introduced in 2016 as an event leading up to the main conference in Switzerlandwith the same theme.

Originally posted here:

Freedom a 'double-edged' knife that needs constant revisiting: St Gallen forum in Singapore - The Straits Times

Freedom High School grad Jimbo Covert, who played for the Chicago Bears from 1983-1990, has been selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Shortly after 4:30 a.m. Wednesday morning while in his hotel room in San Francisco, Jimbo Covert got a call on his cell phone. It was David Baker, president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

It didn't take long for Baker to explain why he called.

"I want to thank you for all you've done for the game, and I want to thank you for all you will do for this game," Baker said. "And I want to welcome you to Canton, Ohio, where we promise to guard your legacy forever."

With that, Covert, the pride of Conway and a Freedom High School graduate, learned that he'll be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Covert, an offensive tackle who played eight seasons with the Chicago Bears from 1983-1990, was elected to the Hall of Fame as part of special 20-member Class of 2020 to commemorate NFL's 100th season.

Covert is one of 10 seniors players whose careers ended more than 25 years ago -- who will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame in August and September ceremonies.

"Thank you," Covert said to Baker. "What a call.

"I don't know what to say. I'm shocked. Thank you so much. This is just incredible."

Covert, who now lives in Weston, Fla., was in San Francisco on business. Since retiring from football, he's enjoyed a successful career as an executive in healthcare sales, marketing and acquisition initiatives.

But it's his career in football that paved the way for his impending enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

After high school, where his exploits in football and wrestling made him a Freedom legend, Covert played college football at Pitt where he was a two-time All-American.

The Bears used their first-round pick in the 1983 NFL draft the sixth overall to select Covert.

He was a two-time first-team All-Pro who helped the Bears win six division championships, one NFC title and the 1985 Super Bowl. He ranks 13th on the Bears' all-time top 100 player list and was named to the NFL's 1980s All-Decade Team.

He'll be the fifth Beaver County product to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Hell join Beaver Falls' Joe Namath (induction class of 1985), Aliquippa's Mike Ditka (1988), Hopewell's Tony Dorsett (1994) and Aliquippa's Ty Law (2019).

"That's good company," Covert said. "Getting into the Hall of Fame with those guys ... it 's hard to even imagine that. Growing up in Conway and going to Freedom High School, you never really think about things like this. You just love the game and appreciate how much the game means to you.

"I had a great high school career. I played for coach Chuck Lucidore. I went to Pitt and played for coach Jackie Sherrill and (O-line coach) Joe Moore. Then I went to Chicago and played for Mike Ditka.

"Maybe I wish I could have played a little longer. But I have no regrets. Getting into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, it just centers you on looking back at your career. You play at a high level and get rewarded for it. I'm just ecstatic."

Covert, 59, will be one of 30 Bears in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the fifth player from the '85 Super Bowl team. Others Hall of Famers from that famed team are the late Walter Payton, Richard Dent, Dan Hampton and Mike Singletary, as well as coach Ditka.

"I just talked to Walter's son Jarrett a little while ago," Covert said. "I was really fortunate to be pretty close to Walter. I miss him every day. He was just a special person. He was the glue who held us together. Without him, we never win the Super Bowl in '85."

After the NFL announced the 10 senior members of its Centennial Hall of Fame class on Wednesday, Covert was bombarded with congratulatory phone calls, texts and emails.

"It's been a long day already," Covert said late Wednesday afternoon. "I've been up since 4 a.m. Pacific Coast time. But it's been an awesome experience and an awesome day. Early this morning when I talked to Dave Baker, it was pretty emotional.

"I'm almost speechless. I'm on cloud nine right now."

Covert has already been inducted into several halls of fame. Among them are the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame in 1996, Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1995 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

But in a few months he'll experience his greatest honor, induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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Freedom grad Jimbo Covert selected to Pro Football Hall of Fame - The Times

FOX Business Stuart Varney on the protests in Iran.

FOX Business Stuart Varney, in his latest My Take, discusses why the mullahs in Iran should be worried about arevolt in their country.

The mullahs instructed Iranians to stomp on the colors ofthe U.S. and Iraqiflags, Varney said their way of keeping thepeople in line.

But revolt broke out when Iranians decided to walk around the colors, to not step on them, he said.

The mullahs should be worried about that, Varney said, When they hear the chants death to Khomeini instead of death to America, they know theyre in trouble.

VARNEY: DEMOCRATS 'CAN'T HANDLE' TRUMP'S ACTION, RESILIENCE IN TAKING OUT SOLEIMANI

Varney said the revolution has broken out of Tehran and spread to other cities in reaction to the deliberate takedown of the Ukrainianjetliner. Its also a revolt against economic collapse and endless war, he said.

Protesters hold flowers as tear gas fired by police rises at a demonstration in Tehran, Iran, to remember victims of the Ukrainian airplane shot down by an Iranian missile.Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020. (AP Photo)

President Trump also had his hand in sparking fire under the Iranian revolution, Varney said.

On Saturday, Trump tweeted: my Administration will continue to stand with you. We are following your protests closely, and are inspired by your courage. Varney said he also warned the mullahs to abstain from shooting protestors and threatening the U.S.

Serious stuff, Varney said. Iran's Islamic revolution is 40 years old and has never been challenged like this before.

Varney said not even during the Obama administration was there support offered to protestors. Instead, he said, billions were put into Irans treasury.

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It is President Trump who has pushed the Iranians into a box, he said. He holds to a hard line and its turned the Iran situation upside down.

Its been two weeks since Soleimani was killed. Since then, Varney said, Iranians are revolting against their own leaders, instead of continuing the organization to attack Americans and threatening Middle Eastern regimes.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

No other recent president has been able to do this, he said. Iran has been ruined by the Islamic revolution. It is President Trump who is giving the Iranian people their best opportunity for a return to freedom and peace."

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Varney: Trump giving Iranians their best opportunity to return to freedom - Fox Business

One of President Donald Trumps most widely ridiculed assertions is that he is a very stable genius, and that line is used in an ironic way in the title of the forthcoming Philip Rucker/Carol D. Leonnig book, A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trumps Testing of America ironic because the book depicts Trump as being the opposite of stable during his time in the White House.

The Washington Post has obtained a copy of the 417-page book, which has a Tuesday, January 21 release date on Amazon and according to the Posts Ashley Parker, A Very Stable Genius is full of vivid details from Trumps tumultuous first three years as president, from his chaotic transition before the taking office to Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs Russia investigation and final report.

Rucker and Leonnig reveal in their book that Trump toyed with the idea of awarding himself the Medal of Freedom. Yet when it came to foreign policy, Trump was at times, dangerously uninformed, according to the long-time Washington Post reporters.

For example, Rucker and Leonnig report, Trump didnt appear to fully understand the importance of Pearl Harbor when the president and former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly were getting ready to privately tour the USS Arizona Memorial. Trump, according to Rucker and Leonnig, had heard the phrase Pearl Harbor and appeared to understand that he was visiting the scene of an historic battle, but he did not seem to know much else.

When Trump met with Indian President Narendra Modi, according to Rucker and Leonnig, he told him, Its not like youve got China on your border. But in fact, China is one of the countries India shares a border with.

Trumps fondness for Russian President Vladimir Putin is discussed in the book, and at one point, Trump declared himself to be more of an expert on Russia than former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who had extensive dealings with Putin during his years at Exxon.

Rucker and Leonnig write, Tillersons years of negotiating with Putin and studying his moves on the chessboard were suddenly irrelevant. I have had a two-hour meeting with Putin, Trump told Tillerson. Thats all I need to know Ive sized it all up. Ive got it.

A Very Stable Genius, Parker notes, is based on hundreds of hours of interviews with more than 200 sources, corroborated, when possible, by calendars, diary entries, internal memos and even private video recordings. Trump himself had initially committed to an interview for the book, the authors write, but ultimately declined, amid an escalating war with the media.

Some of the anecdotes in the book, according to Parker, are more amusing than disturbing. In 2018, for example, Trump met with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to discuss the possibility of Christie becoming the next White House chief of staff; Christie declined and when Axios reported that the meeting had taken place, Christie wanted to know how the meeting had been leaked to the media. Only three people were present during the meeting: President Trump, Christie and First Lady Melania Trump.

Oh, I did it, President Trump revealed.

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Dangerously uninformed Trump toyed with awarding himself the Medal of Freedom: book - AlterNet

Jim Gavin will be presented with the Honorary Freedom of the City of Dublin at the Mansion House this evening.

The Clondalkin man led the Dubs to a record-breaking fifth All-Ireland in a row last September, securing the historic feat with a replay win over Kerry.

It was Gavin's sixth Sam Maguire Cup as senior county boss, adding to the All-Ireland he claimed as a player in 1995, and three Under-21 triumphs as manager.

Lord Mayor of Dublin Paul McAuliffe will be on hand to present the award, and he showered praise on Gavin, saying: In conferring on Jim the Honorary Freedom of the City of Dublin, we recognise his achievements on the pitch, as a Manager and his contribution to public life.

"He and his players have created many happy memories over the years, but I will never forget lighting that 5thblue lamp in honour of the unprecedented 5 in a row.

Gavin said: ""I am deeply privileged to have been granted theFreedom of our City of Dublin by our Lord Mayor and Dublin City Council.

"It is a particular honour given the conferringceremonyis to take place in the Mansion House Round Room where our first Dil was convened.

"It is very humbling to join the august list of previous recipients and I am delighted to share this honour award with An Cumann Lthchleas Gael - Bailetha Cliath, my colleaguesin aviation, with glaighnahireann, and with my family and friends who have been with me on my journey to this day.

"Dublin is a great city full of a great and passionate people, with a noble history and a hopeful future. I am proud to be one of them."

If you haven't already, be sure to like ourIrish Mirror SportandIrish Mirror GAApages on Facebook andfollow us on Twitter.

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Jim Gavin to be awarded Freedom of Dublin City in Mansion House ceremony - Irish Mirror