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Yankees Social Media: The Volpe KnicksRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The woman who in 2006 falsely accused three Duke University lacrosse players of raping her – making national headlines that stirred tensions about race, class and the privilege of college athletes — has admitted publicly for the first time that she made up the story. Crystal Mangum, who is Black, said in an interview with the “Let’s Talk with Kat” podcast that she “made up a story that wasn’t true” about the white players who attended a party where she was hired to perform as a stripper “because I wanted validation from people and not from God.” “I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn’t and that was wrong,” Mangum, 46, said in the interview, which was released Monday. The interview was recorded last month at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women, where Mangum is incarcerated for fatally stabbing her boyfriend in 2011. The former Duke players were declared innocent in 2007 after Mangum’s story fell apart under legal scrutiny. The state attorney general’s office concluded there was no credible evidence an attack ever occurred, and its investigation found no DNA, witness or other evidence to confirm Mangum’s story. The Durham prosecutor who championed Mangum’s case was disbarred for lying and misconduct. Prosecutors at the time declined to press charges against Mangum for the false accusations. Related Articles National News | How to protect your communications through encryption National News | Companies tighten security after a health care CEO’s killing leads to a surge of threats National News | Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge National News | Unidentified drones spotted flying at locations across NYC, including LaGuardia Airport National News | About 2.6 million Stanley cups recalled after malfunctions caused burns. Is your mug included? The former lacrosse players reached an undisclosed settlement with Duke University in 2007 after suing it for the handling of the rape allegations. Mangum, who was convicted of second-degree murder in 2013 and is eligible to be released from prison as early as 2026, told the podcast interviewer that she hopes the three falsely accused men can forgive her. “I want them to know that I love them and they didn’t deserve that,” she said. Durham-based podcaster Kat DePasquale said she wrote to Mangum because she was curious about the case that got so much attention, and that Mangum wrote back saying she wanted to talk.Imagine a light bulb that has been burning since 1901. Nestled in a quiet Californian fire station, the Centennial Light challenges today’s disposable culture, offering a glimpse into a past where products were built to last. This historical anomaly sets the stage for a broader examination of how planned obsolescence has become embedded in the fabric of our consumer electronics industry, from light bulbs to smartphones. As we explore the evolution from durable goods to disposable gadgets, we uncover this shift’s economic and environmental implications and the legislative pushback it’s now engendering. This narrative takes us from the Centennial Light’s enduring glow to the heated debates in legislative halls worldwide, advocating for a return to durability. The light bulb that outlasted a century A remarkable piece of history illuminates a local fire station in the quiet town of Livermore, California. Known as the Centennial Light, this bulb has been burning for over a century, almost without interruption. Its longevity is so extraordinary that it earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Originally a 60-watt bulb, its carbon filament has gradually dimmed to the equivalent of a 4-watt bulb today due to the natural degradation of its material. The bulb is encased in hand-blown glass, a testament to the craftsmanship of the late 19th century. The Centennial Light’s continuous operation, now surpassing a million hours, starkly contrasts with modern light bulbs. Today’s bulbs predominantly use tungsten filaments, a shift from the carbon filaments of the past. Tungsten, introduced in the early 20th century, has a higher melting point, which allows for brighter and more efficient bulbs. However, despite these advancements, the average modern incandescent bulb does not approach the lifespan of its historic predecessors like the Centennial Light. The Phoebus Cartel and planned obsolescence The phenomenon of short-lived light bulbs can be traced back to a pivotal meeting in 1924. In Geneva, Switzerland, executives from the world’s leading light bulb manufacturers, including Philips, Osram, and General Electric (which had taken over Shelby Electric), convened to address a growing threat to their businesses: bulbs that lasted too long. This meeting marked the formation of the Phoebus Cartel, named after the Greek god of light. The cartel’s goal was straightforward but impactful: to ensure that light bulbs would not last more than 1,000 hours. This strategy, known as planned obsolescence , involved deliberately reducing the lifespan of light bulbs to boost continuous sales. The cartel established standards that artificially limited the durability of bulbs across the global market. Engineers who once sought to extend the lifespan of bulbs were now tasked with finding ways to shorten it, using thinner filaments and altering the bulb design to ensure compliance with the 1,000-hour lifespan. The impact of the Phoebus Cartel’s policies was profound. By limiting bulb life, they increased the frequency of purchases and set a precedent for manufacturing and business practices prioritizing profit over product longevity and consumer value. Although the cartel dissolved in the 1930s due to external pressures and the advent of World War II, its legacy of planned obsolescence has persisted, influencing various industries and shaping consumer products to this day. Similar strategies can be seen in manufacturing appliances with less durable materials, automobiles with inaccessible parts, and batteries designed to degrade over time. Software companies exacerbate this trend by discontinuing support for older versions, forcing costly upgrades. Together, these practices underscore a widespread economic strategy that shapes consumer behavior and impacts environmental sustainability. How LEDs Changed the Spectrum of Lighting The revolution of light-emitting diode (LED) technology marks a significant milestone in the history of lighting. Since their invention in 1907, LEDs initially provided low power and were available only in red. However, by the 1990s, technological advancements introduced high-efficiency, multi-color LEDs that began to surpass incandescent bulbs in efficiency, transforming the lighting industry. This evolution enabled LEDs to emit a wide spectrum of colors and achieve higher luminosity with significantly less energy consumption. The legislative landscape also played a crucial role in the widespread adoption of LED technology. In Europe, stringent regulations phased out less efficient halogen and incandescent bulbs, with bans fully enforced by September 1, 2018, for halogen and earlier for incandescent bulbs on September 1, 2011. These regulations accelerated the shift toward more sustainable lighting solutions, paving the way for LED technology to dominate the market. Today, LED technology is celebrated for its exceptional efficiency and longevity. Modern LED bulbs can provide up to 50,000 hours of light and boast high Color Rendering Index (CRI) values, typically around CRI98, which indicates superior light quality that closely mimics natural sunlight. These attributes have made LEDs the preferred choice not only for residential and commercial use but also for environmental conservation efforts. Despite these advancements and the legal frameworks supporting them, the specter of planned obsolescence still looms over the LED industry. Unfortunately, some LED light bulbs are designed to be intentionally short-lived to encourage consumers to buy new ones. This practice mirrors broader trends across various industries, including controversial strategies like Apple’s battery management, which involved throttling the performance of older iPhones to prompt users to upgrade. These are just some examples of the ongoing challenge of balancing technological innovation with sustainable consumer practices in an industry where the potential for technological durability is often compromised to stimulate continuous consumer spending. The legal battle for longer-lasting products The push for sustainability and consumer empowerment is crystallizing through global Right to Repair legislation, which affects a broad spectrum of industries, from consumer electronics to medical devices. Notable legislation includes New York’s 2022 Digital Fair Repair Act and Colorado’s 2023 Consumer Right To Repair Agricultural Equipment Act, forcing industries to reconsider their design and repair policies. Companies like Apple have become infamous for their planned obsolescence strategies, often necessitating complete device replacements for issues as minor as a cracked screen. Similarly, manufacturers of gaming consoles, such as Sony and Microsoft , design their systems to discourage user repairs, requiring costly services only they can provide. This movement extends beyond electronics, with implications for critical medical devices like pacemakers and insulin pumps, where repair restrictions can impact costs and patient outcomes. By mandating manufacturers to provide repair documentation and parts, legislation in places like the UK, France, and India aims to curb these restrictive practices, ensuring that products are both maintainable and sustainable. The choice stands clear and consequential for both policymakers and the public: maintain the status quo of quick obsolescence or push for a marketplace enriched with durable and repairable products. Such a decision will steer market practices and significantly influence our environmental strategies. The Right to Repair acts are crucial, challenging us to rethink technological practices and prioritize environmental integrity over short-term gains.
Inside Missing People charity helping the families going to extreme lengths to find hopeJustice is supposed to be blind. But in the case of Luigi Mangione – the 26-year-old American who allegedly shot dead health insurance company CEO Brian Thompson in New York last week – it had its eyes wide open. Wide open and ogling: not long after Mangione’s arrest (in the appropriately American environs of a McDonald’s) the internet exploded with memes about how good-looking he is. The eyes have it: Images from Pennsylvania State Police showing Luigi Mangione at a McDonald’s in Altoona on December 9, where he was arrested and later charged with murder. Credit: AP It really is the (alleged) murder for the moment – executed on a midtown Manhattan street and instantly transformed into viral internet fodder, with the alleged perpetrator’s social media footprint mined to feed the relentless content beast. Mangione is an all-American princeling: Ivy League-educated, brawny and brainy. It was his distinctive full eyebrows that did him in – security camera footage of the suspect shows a pair of fine eyes and strong brows, framed by a COVID mask and a black hoodie. Days later, as he ate his hash brown in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s, his eyes helped a member of the public to identify him and phone him in. On social media, Jonathan Ness from the Queer Eye for a Straight Guy TV show joked that their next season could be devoted to Mangione, for a straight-guy makeover. But, Ness said, don’t worry – “the brows, [I] would never touch”. Memes proliferated about his hotness, with “If he’s fit, you must acquit” being just one example of the kind of thing being posted. There were shirtless photos, verbal accounts from his friends (who say he is lovely) and reports that he had suffered from terrible back pain, for which he had endured a spinal operation in June. The bullets that killed Thompson on December 4 were inscribed with the words “Deny”, “Defend” and “Depose”. This seems to be a reference to the reported behind-doors strategy of US health insurers, who use these tactics to not pay out insurance claims to patients, thereby maximising their profits. The “manifesto” reportedly found in Mangione’s backpack was a soup of anti-capitalist vigilantism and motherhood-statement morality about corporate America. It is shocking that an alleged murderer should be celebrated in this way, but not at all surprising. Gun violence in America is quotidian. It is a country with a long history of vigilantism. It also has a history of public fascination with killers possessing (alleged) sex appeal, from Charles Manson to the more recent case of the Menendez brothers . The lawlessness and moral glibness of the internet is the flipside to the United States’ culture of individual freedom. In a perfectly American twist, the anti-capitalist crusader has been exploited for merchandising opportunities. T-shirts, hoodies, tote bags and mugs bearing Mangione’s image are available online. But we can’t blame the internet – we must look at why there is a market for Mangione merch, and why ordinary people, including those who presumably don’t have homicidal tendencies themselves, would cheer on a murderer. It doesn’t hurt that he’s beautiful. There is also the widespread rage many share over his cause. The US health insurance industry is a multibillion-dollar profit giant, funded by the sickness of the American people. Stories of its institutional cruelty are legion. Just this week it was reported that a different health insurer, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, had quietly announced it would impose time limits on anaesthesia during certain surgeries, in certain states . The company later backed down in the face of a public outcry. A paper by the Commonwealth Fund (an American research body dedicated to promoting “a high-performing, equitable healthcare system”) states that healthcare spending in the US, both per person and as a share of GDP, is “far higher” than other high-income countries. A poster depicting Mangione outside the Hilton Midtown Hotel in New York. Credit: AP But Americans are getting sicker. According to the Commonwealth Fund, “people in the United States experience the worst health outcomes overall of any high-income nation”. They are more likely to die younger, from avoidable causes, than people in peer countries. They have higher maternal and infant mortality rates, the highest rate of people with multiple chronic conditions among peer countries, and an obesity rate nearly twice the OECD average. Another Commonwealth Fund paper reported that “media investigations have found that insurers are becoming increasingly adept in using technology to deny payment of medical claims and pressure their company physicians to deny care during prior authorisation reviews”. It has been reported that UnitedHealthcare has the highest claim-denial rate (32 per cent) of all the private insurance companies. The Manhattan shooting can be read as a cautionary tale illustrating the far-reaching consequences of economic inequality (not to mention a moment to give quiet thanks for the taxpayer-funded universal healthcare we enjoy in Australia). But the tasteless cheering over the assassination – a defenceless man shot in the back with no warning – is something more than that. It is a nihilistic expression of the hopelessness of American politics as a remedy for anything, not even something so fundamental as access to healthcare. President-elect Donald Trump has at least named the problem of America’s bad-health epidemic. But his tonic is his nominee to head the federal Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr – an anti-vaxxer who advocates cooking in beef tallow (a heart disease-inducing saturated fat) because he says the seed-oil industry is poisoning us. Trump told Time magazine this week that he and RFK Jr will discuss ending some child vaccination programs . Trump suggested vaccines might be responsible for autism, a dangerous myth that has been widely debunked. In the embittered, conspiracy-laced realm of online radicalisation, there are no crucial distinctions between left and right. Instead, there is bipartisan agreement that politicians won’t help, and that democracy is an inefficient vehicle for generating social solutions. In the face of such nihilism, it doesn’t matter that violence only breeds more violence, and that Luigi Mangione will soon be last month’s meme, just another pretty person to scroll past. Jacqueline Maley is a columnist.
In a national address following the historic collapse of his government, President Emmanuel Macron attempted to shirk responsibility for the political chaos in Paris and vowed to stay on until the end of his term despite growing calls for his resignation. Speaking from the Élysée Palace on Thursday evening, President Macron declared that he will “never take responsibility” for the actions of others and that the true culprits of the instability facing France is an “anti-republican” alliance between the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) coalition and Marine Le Pen’s populist National Rally (RN) after they joined together to censure the government of Michel Barnier over an attempt to pass effective cuts to social security payments to seniors without a vote in the National Assembly. Macron chastised National Rally MPs for siding with the “extreme left” — ignoring that he sided with the far-left just months ago in the legislative elections — and said that “disorder is the only project which unites them with the extreme left, and this with the complicity of the rest of the New Popular Front.” “The extreme right and the extreme left have united, in an anti-republican front, and because forces which until yesterday governed France have chosen to ally themselves. I would never take responsibility for others,” Macron said. The president also attempted to deny responsibility for choosing former EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as his prime minister following the snap legislative elections in July. Macron claimed that he only selected Barnier as a compromise candidate to ensure that the incoming prime minister would not be “censored upon his appointment”. In the end, Barnier lasted just 91 days in office, the shortest tenure for any prime minister in modern French history. After trying to shift blame away from his office, the president sought to put a positive spin on the situation facing France — a country currently without a government and no budget for next year — comparing it to the Cathedral of Notre Dame, which will have its reopening ceremony held on Saturday in an event to be attended by incoming U.S. President Donald Trump. “This project was thought to impossible but we did it,” he said. “Because there was a clear direction, a will. Everyone had an essential role for a cause above all of us. This is the same thing we need to do for the nation”. The president also said that he will seek pass a budget before the end of the year, however, it is unclear how he will manage to do so given the divisions in the National Assembly. It is also unclear how Macron will attempt to rescue his own political future from the flames surrounding it. Contrary to early indications, he chose not to name a new prime minister on Thursday, perhaps suggesting that he has not found a worthy candidate willing to take up the job. However, the president repeated his vow to continue serving until the end of his term, saying: “The mandate that you democratically entrusted to me is a five-year mandate and I will exercise it fully until its end.” Macron has largely been absent from frontline domestic politics in recent months, following his disastrous decision to call for snap legislative elections, in which his coalition received fewer votes than the both the leftist New Popular Front and Le Pen’s National Rally. The result of July’s election left the country with an effective three-way split in the National Assembly. This was in large part a consequence of Macron’s doing, with the president having made a desperate last minute electoral alliance with the far-left as it appeared likely that Le Pen’s faction was on the precipice of victory. The electoral chicanery succeeded in preventing his longterm rival from taking control of the parliament, but left the country in an apparently ungovernable position and with few options for remedy, with Macron being constitutionally barred from calling for fresh legislative elections until the middle of next year. During the critical final days of the breakdown of his second government in the year, Macron was on the other side of the planet, having travelled to Riyadh for meetings with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss increased economic cooperation. The president returned to Paris on Wednesday afternoon just shortly before the vote of no confidence, however, by then, the die had already been cast, and Barnier fell just hours later. While the president has vowed to remain in office until the end of his second and final term, which ends in 2027, there are growing pressures both domestically and internationally to make his exit from the political stage. According to an Odoxa-Backbone Consulting survey for Le Figaro, six in ten voters (59 per cent) in France want to see the president resign from his post. Despite his attempts to shirk responsibility for the current instability in the country, nearly half of voters (46 per cent) hold Macron personally responsible, compared to 11 per cent for the National Rally and 10 per cent for the New Popular Front. The calls to resign did not just come from at home, however, with newspapers across Europe calling for the French head of state to step down. In Italy, the Milan-based Corriere Della Sera declared upon the collapse of the Barnier government that “Macronism is dead,” adding: “The idea of clipping the wings and moving towards the center worked in two presidential elections, but collapsed in the face of the social crisis and the unpopularity of the president.” Meanwhile, in neighboring Germany, where the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz collapsed just a month ago, leaving power vacuums in the two major capitals of the EU, reviews were similarly negative. The Bavarian broadsheet the South German Zeitung branded Macron as “saboteur of the Republic.” Going further, the Berliner Zeitung wrote: “Today, France is in ruins. The only way out of this deep political crisis is the departure of those responsible: Macron must resign and make way for something new!”Cadre Holdings CEO Warren Kanders sells $1.66 million in stockKobe Sanders, Nevada beat Oklahoma St. for fifth place in Charleston
Daily Post Nigeria Yan sanda sun cafke Dalolin bogi da aka shigo da su Kano Home News Politics Metro Entertainment Sport Hausa Yan sanda sun cafke Dalolin bogi da aka shigo da su Kano Published on December 8, 2024 By Kabeer Bello Rundunar yan Sandan jihar Kano, ta samu nasarar kama miliyoyin Dalolin kasar Amurka da Naira da kuma sauran kudaden ketare, da Ake zargin na bogi ne don cutar da ƴan kasuwa. Mai magana da yawun rundunar ƴan Sandan jijar Kano, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa ne ya tabbatar da hakan ga Freedom Radio Kano, a ranar Lahadi 8 ga watan Disamba 2024. Rundunar ta ce yanzu, mutanen da ake zargi da kuma makudan kudaden suna hannunsu, kuma ci gaba da lissafa su. SP Kiyawa, ya ja hankalin ƴan kasuwa, da su ƙara sa ido a kan dukkan kudaden da ake kawo mu su don kaucewa fada tarkon mayaudara. ”Yan kasuwa a kara sa ido, irin wadannan mutanen da muka kama da kudade a wajensu, ba su kadai ba ne, duk wanda ya zo siyayya da makudan kudade na farko a samu kwararru su duba kudin musamman wadanda suke canja Dala,” cewar SP Abdullahi Kiyawa. Rundunar ƴan sandan ta kara da cewa, zargin da suke yi shi ne za a dinga shigar da kudaden bogin da kaɗan-kaɗan zuwa kasuwanni. A karshe, rundunar ta ce ta na ci gaba da gudanar da bincike, kuma ba za ta gajiya ba wajen ci gaba da wayar da kan al’umma daga wannan almundahana. Related Topics: Don't Miss Ghana: Tinubu ya taya Mahama murnar zama zaɓaɓɓen shugaban kasa You may like Advertise About Us Contact Us Privacy-Policy Terms Copyright © Daily Post Media LtdPak activities dips to zero after deploying anti-drone system along Jammu border: BSF official
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How major US stock indexes fared Monday, 12/2/2024If you're finding it tough to come up with ideas for your little ones, you may feel overwhelmed and disheartened - particularly if you're on a tight budget . However, one mum shared the items she managed to find from budget stores to help other parents feel more supported with their stocking filler present buying and people commended her in the comments for sharing. "LOVE watching videos like this... so here's my own little Christmas haul," TikTok creator @meganrichardson963 penned. "Most bits here are stocking fillers and stuff for the kiddie's Christmas Eve boxes! But in our house, we LOVE Christmas, so shopping starts early." READ MORE: Woman's £1.50 'miracle' cleaning hack transforms grim hob to completely brand new Megan detailed in the video she bought gifts for her children, who are aged four and two, from B&M and Home Bargains, which are renowned for their budget items. She mentioned she bought four rolls of wrapping paper, for £1.29 each, from Home Bargains - and managed to buy them in two different colours so her kids knew who it belongs to. The parent picked up some charming cream-coloured Christmas crackers adorned with the most adorable Rudolph faces, which cost her just £2.99 - despite the fact each cracker came with a party hat, joke, and sticker inside. At that price, each cracker will cost you just 50p. Megan purchased some 'Letters to Santa' kits, which are just £1 each, and encouraged little ones to share what they would like for Christmas. One mum in the comments reminisced about the days when her kids were small and would write letters to Santa. She penned: "Oh, I miss my five kids being small. The excitement of writing Santa's letter and posting them. I remember one of mine wouldn't tell me what they wanted as it was a surprise hahaha I was in a right panic." The parent also got some Snowman Bath Fizzers too for 99p to make bath time more exciting, and said they were going to go into the Christmas Eve boxes. Megan then showed off some glass cups she purchased for her kids, one which had Santa on it, and the other boasting an adorable elf on for just £1.29. It even featured some cute gingerbread baubles from B&M with their initials on for £2.50, and name tags from Dobbies Garden Centre for £1.99. Cadbury's selection boxes were a steal from B&M, for £1.19, and so were the £1 each Christmas cookies that Megan picked up. She got a Minecraft glass tumbler for £6, a Minecraft squishie for £3, a Mario bath trio set for £3.50, and a Peppa Pig Christmas book for £1.50, all from B&M. In the comments, one mum wrote: "Was in B&M today getting my girls' presents I could have bought the whole shop if I had the cash." Another added: "Loving these hauls!! Seen so many home bargains ones with so many good bits - I need to go!!" Someone shared a "pro tip", writing: "Pro tip for y'all when it comes to Christmas wrapping paper, wait until late December/early January and go to places like Tesco . They will be reduced to clear at like 19p a roll."Don't Sleep on Extra Storage For Your PS5 or PC With the WD Black SSD -- Just $134 for Cyber Monday
BALD SPOT The once dense forest of Sofronio Española town in Palawan reveals a bald spot, shown in this photo taken on Dec. 14, 2023, after its trees are cleared by one of the mining companies operating on the island. —Geraldford Ticke PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, PALAWAN, Philippines — The Catholic Church leaders in Palawan issued a joint pastoral letter read during Sunday’s Masses in all parishes on the island calling for a 25-year moratorium on mining in the province, citing rapid deforestation in the country’s so-called last frontier. The pastoral letter urged the public to support a petition that would push government officials to enact the needed measures that would protect the island known for its lush forest cover. The pastoral letter, signed by Bishop Socrates Mesiona of the Vicariate of Puerto Princesa and Bishop Broderick Pabillo and Bishop Emeritus Edgardo Juanich of the Vicariate of Taytay warned that while Palawan’s forests have suffered greatly from commercial logging in the past, the current threat posed by large-scale mining is “far graver.” The Vicariate of Puerto Princesa covers this city and the southern towns of Palawan while the Taytay vicariate covers the province’s northern towns. The pastoral letter cited alarming figures of deforestation, such as the issuance of a special tree-cutting permit (STCP) by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in 2016 that allowed a mining company to fell 27,929 trees. A new application for cutting 8,000 more trees in the same mining site is reportedly under review. The DENR also recently approved another STCP permitting the cutting of 52,000 trees to extract nickel ore in another part of Palawan. According to the prelates, there is an “overwhelming number” of mining applications: 67 exploration permits across northern towns like Coron, Taytay, and Araceli, and southern municipalities such as Brooke’s Point, Rizal and Balabac. These applications cover over 200,000 hectares, potentially adding to the 11 mining firms already operating in Palawan, whose Mineral Production Sharing Agreements span 29,430 ha. “If all these applications are approved, vast stretches of lush forests, clean rivers, mangroves and coral reefs will be lost,” the bishops said, emphasizing that Palawan’s natural beauty, which attracts global recognition, would face “irreversible destruction.” The letter reiterated the Church’s stance that mining is “unsustainable,” as it “devastates” ecosystems and wildlife. Despite laws requiring mining companies to rehabilitate damaged areas, the prelates highlighted the lack of compliance and insufficient monitoring by the DENR. “It’s heartbreaking to hear complaints about the use of money to secure endorsements for mining projects,” the bishops wrote, adding that less than 25 percent of the more than 3,000 ha mined in Narra, Española, Brooke’s Point and other areas have been rehabilitated. The bishops called on the Provincial Board (PB) members to pass an ordinance implementing the moratorium. “We urge them to prioritize the well-being and beauty of Palawan over political or corporate interests,” they said. They also criticized the lack of action at the local level, noting that other provinces in the Mimaropa region—Mindoro, Marinduque, and Romblon—have enacted measures banning large-scale mining, while Palawan has yet to do so. Gov. Victorino Dennis Socrates confirmed that a proposed ordinance for a 25-year mining moratorium is currently pending with the PB Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. He explained that the ordinance reflects the consensus reached during the Palawan Stakeholders’ Congress on Mining and the Environment held last April, where the majority opposed new mining operations. “If we allow mining to continue, with 65 applications and 13 active mining contracts, we’ll lose our forests and mountains,” Socrates said during a public forum on Nov. 29. Socrates expressed frustration with weak enforcement and monitoring by government agencies, noting how easily officials tasked with regulation could be influenced or manipulated. “If the [PB] endorses a new mining operation, I’ll have to veto it—even if it gets overridden,” Socrates said, emphasizing his commitment to protecting Palawan’s environment. He also highlighted Palawan’s lack of infrastructure and technology to add value to raw minerals, stating that the province sees little benefit from the mining industry while bearing the environmental costs. Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . “We’re exporting raw minerals with no added value, and we don’t even know if other valuable resources are being extracted. Meanwhile, we earn mere scraps while depleting our natural wealth,” Socrates said.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland announced Monday that he will run to become the top Democrat on the powerful House Judiciary Committee next year, directly challenging fellow Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler as the party prepares to fight a second Trump administration and an emboldened Republican majority. “House Democrats must stand in the breach to defend the principles and institutions of constitutional democracy,” Raskin wrote in a letter to colleagues. “That is our historic assignment now. We dare not fail.” Raskin said in the letter — obtained by The Associated Press — that he decided to run for the post after spending the week consulting with House Democrats and “engaging in serious introspection” about where the party is following their stunning electoral defeat last month that handed Republicans control of Congress and the White House. While currently the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Raskin said that come next year, the Judiciary Committee under his leadership would become “the headquarters of Congressional opposition to authoritarianism” as well as other efforts by President Donald Trump and his allies to thwart the Constitution. Being the face of the resistance against Trump is not new territory for Raskin who spent the last two years on Oversight as the most vocal defender of President Joe Biden and his family as they faced a sprawling Republican investigation — encouraged by Trump — into their various business affairs. Raskin, who is a former constitutional law professor, also helped draft articles of impeachment against the incoming president for his encouragement of the violent mob on Jan. 6, 2021, and led the impeachment prosecution in the Senate. But by throwing his hat in the ring, Raskin is inviting what a bitter intra-party fight with Nadler, who is currently serving his 17th term in Congress and who has held the top spot on Judiciary since 2019. Democrats have over the years rarely broken from the seniority system for committee assignments, no matter how long someone has held a position, making the outcome of the race uncertain. Both men did not respond to requests for comment but Raskin closed his letter by praising Nadler, saying that he made this decision “with respect and boundless admiration” for him. “If I’m lucky enough to be chosen for this responsibility in the 119th Congress, I will turn to Jerry first and throughout for his always wise counsel and political judgment,” Raskin added.Alameda, CA (Prism) The push for clemency is a way to hold the U.S. accountable for military intervention in Southeast Asia as well as the criminalization of resettled refugees, advocates say Advocates from nine different organizations across the U.S. launched a joint campaign this week demanding President Joe Biden pardon Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian refugees from the Vietnam War at risk of being immediately deported by the incoming Trump administration. The bid seeks to benefit some 15,000 refugees with a final order of removal from the U.S. due to decades-old criminal convictions. These refugees -- who fled from violence, genocide, mass carpet bombings, and persecution as a consequence of the U.S. military intervention in Southeast Asia in the 1960s and 1970s -- were resettled into heavily disinvested communities with limited access to resources and support. That led many to criminal convictions and incarceration. The push for clemency is a way to hold the U.S. political establishment, and particularly Biden, accountable not only for the U.S. military intervention but also for the following criminalization of resettled Southeast Asian refugees, said Van Sam, community defense program manager at VietLead, a nonprofit serving the Southeast Asian communities in Philadelphia and South Jersey. As a senator, Biden voted in favor of the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1975, which allowed the largest-ever refugee resettlement in U.S. history. He also sponsored the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which preceded the era of mass incarceration and criminalization of racialized individuals in the U.S. "So we are asking Biden: Can you take responsibility for the fact that our people are now being separated from our families once again?" Sam said. The Southeast Asian Refugee Relief and Responsibility (SEARR) Campaign demands Biden grant clemency to Southeast Asians with federal-level convictions. That would vacate their final orders of removal, said Socheatta Meng, the executive director at Mekong NYC, a social justice organization advocating for the Southeast Asian communities in New York. About 1.19 million noncitizens have "final orders of removal," which are decisions issued by an immigration judge that the individual did not or could not appeal. Still, many noncitizens with a final order of removal can remain in the country if they are provided "deferred action," a form of executive clemency that depends on the discretion of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Many Southeast Asian refugees are now U.S. citizens, as they can obtain permanent residency (a green card) and then apply for citizenship after five years. However, not every refugee knew or had the resources or legal help to apply for residency and later for citizenship, said Kevin Lam, the co-executive director at the Asian American Resource Workshop. "And lots of folks just never naturalized or got their citizenship because of language barriers and lack of access to resources," he said. So, despite years of living in the U.S. as a refugee or a permanent resident, any noncitizen can still be deported. That is the reason why "it's really urgent that President Biden take action," Meng said, "as a cycle of violence, displacement, and family separation threatens to be very real for our community." Democratic Congresswomen Judy Chu, Pramila Jayapal, Zoe Lofgren, and Ayanna Pressley last year introduced a bill that would end deportations of Southeast Asian refugees and establish a pathway back to the U.S. for the more than 2,000 already deported to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The bill fizzled out in the Republican-dominated House of Representatives. Now, advocates argue that Biden should show the same level of compassion as he showed for his son, Hunter Biden, who faced sentencing for two criminal cases. On Dec. 1, Biden issued a "full and unconditional pardon" to clear any offense off the younger Biden. Unlike Hunter Biden, Southeast Asian refugees have already served sentences, so removing them from the only country they have known as adults to another they no longer remember would be harsh double punishment, advocates say. Take the case of Lan Le, a 53-year-old single mother who resettled in the U.S. at 8 years old and now has nine children and four grandchildren. In a hostile environment, with both her parents working, Le became like a mother to her younger siblings. "It was so, so hard for us to adjust," she told Prism. "We didn't speak the language and didn't know anything." As a teenager living in Dorchester, a heavily policed Boston community with disinvested schools and little to no mental health resources at the time, Le got entangled with the criminal justice system and was incarcerated from 1997 to 1999. As a community organizer, Le has helped other refugees across Greater Boston to access social services through the Asian American Resource Workshop (AARW). Now, facing the risk of deportation, Le is asking for a pardon that would release her from a life in limbo, constantly fearing detention. As refugees with a final order of removal, Le explained, "they only give us one-year work permits." The permits, which cost around $500, can take six months or more to be issued. So by the time it arrives, she said, refugees need to find a job where they effectively use the permit for one or two months. "Living like this is just not fair," she said. The SEARR campaign concurs with other efforts asking Biden to shield some of the most vulnerable immigrants from deportation, such as extending the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for people from countries in crisis around the world and protecting Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients by expediting renewals and facilitating H-1B visas. The requests reflect the sense of urgency within immigrant communities as President-elect Trump is scheduled to take office on Jan. 20. As Trump has vowed to carry out the "largest deportation operation in American history," his appointed "border czar," Tom Homan, has stated the administration's intent to first deport people with final orders of removal. Trump did it during his first term when his administration deported some 1.5 million people. Southeast Asian nationals were heavily targeted. In the first two years of Trump's first term, the removals of Cambodians increased by 279%, while Vietnamese removals rose by 58%. The deportation of Vietnamese violated a memorandum of understanding agreed to in 2008 by President George W. Bush to exempt from deportation those who entered the country before July 1995, when the U.S. and Vietnam reestablished diplomatic relations. "We have seen cases of folks still being targeted, regardless of what the agreement has said," Lam said. Although at a slower pace, the removal of Southeast Asian refugees continued during the Biden administration, revealing the profound legacy of violence against the Southeast Asian communities, Lam said. Deportations negate the historical responsibility of the U.S. to Vietnam, where more than 3 million people, mostly civilians, were killed during the war. Laos was turned into the most heavily bombed country in history. In Cambodia, U.S. planes dropped more than 2.7 million tons of bombs, contributing to the rise of the Khmer Rouge regime, which in four years killed more than 1.7 million civilians. For many of the refugees fleeing these horrors, said Kham Moua, national deputy director at the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, "the pardon requests are really the last avenue for relief." Ultimately, Biden would also be responsible for the Southeast Asian refugees deported by the Trump administration. As a senator, Biden supported the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996, which radically expanded the crimes that made an immigrant eligible for deportation, including a host of nonviolent crimes, such as possession of any amount of an illicit drug or acts of "moral turpitude" such as theft, fraud, and dishonesty. Today, even a legal resident (green card holder) could be deported based on a decades-old conviction. Consider the case of Pheng Seng, whose family escaped the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia and resettled in the U.S. when he was four months old. "The government just dropped us off into a community with overcrowded schools, hatred, and racism, where I was constantly bullied," Seng said in an interview with Prism. At 22 years old, with mental health problems and a substance use disorder, Seng got entangled in the criminal justice system. "I fell into the school-to-prison-to-deportation pipeline," he said. Now, 44-year-old Seng is an entrepreneur who launched a printing business with partners in Philadelphia, where he has lived for more than 30 years. He is asking for "a second chance" for him and for thousands of Southeast Asian refugees like him. "I'm trying to help a whole bunch of folks who are scared and traumatized," Seng said. "That's why I'm speaking up." This story is provided as a service of the Institute for Nonprofit News’ On the Ground news wire. The Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) is a network of more than 475 independent, nonprofit newsrooms serving communities throughout the US, Canada, and globally. On the Ground is a service of INN, which aggregates the best of its members’ elections and political content, and provides it free for republication. Read more about INN here: https://inn.org/ . Please coordinate with lara@prismreports.org should you want to publish photos for this piece. This content cannot be modified, apart from rewriting the headline. To view the original version, visit: http://prismreports.org/2024/12/12/advocates-ask-biden-to-pardon-refugees-from-the-vietnam-war/
Kobe Sanders, Nevada beat Oklahoma St. for fifth place in CharlestonFor decades, power protected Alan Jones. Now he’s facing his own reckoning - Sydney Morning Herald
Special report looks at area blighted by anti-social behaviour and a McDonald's restaurant where much of the trouble is claimed to be centred around Residents in a South Liverpool neighbourhood say they are being "terrorised" as gangs of youths "smash cars, burn bins and intimidate people". Just last week, the ECHO reported on a delivery driver, working in Belle Vale , who "didn't leave his house for a week" after experiencing violent racist abuse , while last month, it was also reported on how a police officer in the area was hospitalised after being hit by a firework . Anti-social behaviour in Belle Vale has been going on "for years," claim locals, and youths in the area "rule the roost". Office workers in the area are said to be so scared that they will go for lunch "in packs", while the mum of a teenager who was stabbed to death in the area believes "another tragedy is coming". When the ECHO visited Belle Vale this week, several people were quick to mention the area around McDonald's on Childwall Valley Road, where they claim much of the trouble is centred around. One woman said: "I was walking past the McDonald's one evening last week when fireworks were shot at me. I was terrified." A spokesperson for McDonald's said it is committed to making its restaurants "a safe and welcoming environment for everyone." The spokesperson also added: "We have a zero-tolerance policy for anti-social behaviour, and the safety and security of our employees and customers remains our highest priority." While residents pointed out the area around the fast-food branch as a "hotspot", it's clear that anti-social behaviour is also being committed in other parts of the town. Jackie, who has lived in Belle Vale all her life, said: “Kids were setting bins on fire in the Morrisons the other week. Bus stops and cars have been smashed up too." Another woman the ECHO spoke to called Deborah, added: “Bins are constantly being set on fire in the park. I’m absolutely sick of the kids here and sick of the area. They all need to be given ASBOs.” One man said: “There’s not much around here for kids to do; if there was, we might not have all of this. It’s not just the boys causing trouble either - the girls are just as bad. Some of them are only about 11.” In 2018, 16-year-old Daniel Gee-Jamieson was stabbed to death on The Nook, a park off Belle Vale Road . He bled out following a pre-arranged "straightener". The teenager was unarmed but was stabbed in the leg in front of dozens of onlookers . Prosecutors said 17-year-old Owen Cousins was losing a "fistfight", so he pulled out a lock knife and stabbed Daniel in his left thigh. Liverpool Crown Court heard Daniel shouted "I've been stabbed", before fleeing to Belle Vale Road, where he collapsed in a pool of blood. In 2019, a jury acquitted Cousins of murder but found him guilty of manslaughter, by a majority of 9 to 1, after a 10-day trial and 13 and a half hours of deliberation. He was jailed for 11 years but has since been released on licence after serving half of his standard determinate sentence. Daniel's mum Mandy Jamieson told the ECHO she believes it is only a matter of time before the area falls victim to another tragedy. She said: “It’s coming, isn’t it? It’s got to be. Last time, it was Daniel and Brandon Regan, and for another mother to go through what me and Julie Regan have been through is wrong. You don’t want to walk in my shoes, it’s like living a life sentence." Speaking about anti-social behaviour in Belle Vale, she said: “This has been going on for years. These kids are still ruling the roost and what annoys me more than anything is that the area saw what I went through and parents still aren’t checking their kids." Mandy believes the area around the McDonald's is 'rife' for trouble. She added: "These kids think that they’re untouchable and that they can get away with anything." She also claimed that youths have been "terrorising office workers" in the area. She said: “They’re smashing the office workers’ cars up. I’ve spoken to some of these workers and they can’t even go for their lunch because they get abused and threats shouted at them - they have to go out in a pack. "Who wants to go to work and put up with that? All they want to do is go to work peacefully and not worry about getting their cars smashed." “Whenever I’m doing talks and adults are there, I always say: ‘Parents, do you know where your children are? Do you know who they’re hanging around with and what they’re doing?’ And even more importantly, ‘if you check your children for weapons, you can save another child’s life’. But sometimes, it feels like I’m butting my head against the wall. It should not take a tragedy for them to open their eyes." Mandy thinks the cause of local trouble is boredom. She continued: “I’ve said from day one that these kids are bored and have nothing to do. And all we’re doing is building more and more houses but no community centres or anything like that - nothing for the kids to do. So they then accumulate in gangs and they develop a gang mentality. “We need to bring back youth services - I’ve been saying it for years. The government says they haven’t got the money but they have money for other things. Children are our future and unless we put time and money into our kids, this situation is going to get worse. The Government can fix this but they don’t." She added: “I do feel for the kids, even after what happened with Daniel, because they don’t know any different. Not all kids are bad but they follow suit wherever they go. They need to be shown the right path and realise that they don’t have to hang around with idiots who manipulate you, and get you to do what they can’t do themselves. “We need to stop all of this but parents aren't doing anything. It takes a village to raise a child and our community needs to start standing up to these kids and taking it back." Ruth Bennett is the councillor for Belle Vale ward. She says that anti-social behaviour is committed by a "very small minority" of young people, but she encourages people to report any instances of ASB in the area. She said: “Combating anti-social behaviour in Belle Vale is a priority for the council and the councillors. "We work all year round with our youth groups; Netherley Youth and Community Initiative, the Woodlands Community Centre, St Cyril's Children & Youth Project and the Valley Theatre. They provide really valuable activities for our young people. Around Mischief Night, they put on diversionary tactics as well, to prevent young people from being drawn into any more anti-social behaviour. “We also support a detached youth team from Netherley Youth and Community Initiative, to engage with young people who may be out at night and bring them to the youth organisations. “The scenes we saw on the night around the McDonald’s and the Naylorsfield estate were really disgraceful and we condemn those actions, but it is a very, very small minority of young people. We’re currently working with partners, police and community organisations to develop a specific response to those scenes that we saw around Mischief Night. “We’re also going to be working to listen to residents’ concerns and feed back to the police as well. We want to ask residents to log and report incidents of ASB and they can do that by reporting online to the police, or they can contact us as their councillors as well." She added: "[ASB] was very much an issue around Mischief Night and around Bonfire Night and it has been an issue for the area in the past, and that’s why we work all year round with those youth organisations and really value the work that they do. It has been a long time since we’ve seen scenes like recent events in Belle Vale. “The police are really aware of all the issues and we would ask people to report any instances of ASB so that we can have that knowledge and police can act on those specific events. We are working very closely with the police, McDonald's and the shopping centre to make sure that people are safe. There is also CCTV in that area, which police can use to identify any offenders." Local Policing Inspector Steve Reilly said: “It is vital that we take a partnership approach to problem-solving in areas such as Belle Vale and Netherley, who suffer from anti-social behaviour and other issues. “To that end, we’re working closely alongside McDonalds and Belle Vale Shopping Centre to resolve issues, and identify offenders who we will put before the courts. Longer term, we are meeting with the council and local councillors to put together an ASB partnership meeting, working with local stakeholders including schools, so that we can explore diversionary activities, and where necessary to target offenders. “On 30 October, an officer was injured on Childwall Valley Road when a firework was recklessly fired at him, causing injuries. This was a disgraceful incident and thankfully, the officer in question is now back in work, but this could have had devastating consequences. The incident remains under investigation and we are making enquiries with local schools to identify the offender. “On the night in question, I introduced a Dispersal Zone in the area. Such an order allowed us to disperse groups of youths from the area and prevent further incidents and is a valuable tactic when such issues arise. We’d also encourage parents and guardians to know where your children are at night, and to discourage them from gathering in large numbers on the streets, as this can cause intimidation and distress to people in the area. “We spend a lot of time out in the community with our partners. Earlier this week, our Local Policing Sergeant Sadie Talbot visited Netherley Youth and Community Initiative to see their new building, and to meet with partners in relation to ASB in the area (see photo). Such community centres provide great opportunities for people in the area, including trip, activities, courses, breakfasts and after school clubs, and we’ll keep publicising them as much as we can to ensure residents realise what is out there. There is sometimes a misconception that community centres are a thing of the past, and we want everyone to know what is available. “Our officers and staff are all members of the community themselves, so we understand the impact that incidents of anti-social behaviour cause. Information is vital in our work, so please report any incidents or concerns to us, so we can focus on the right areas. I’d also remind people to always call 999 if a crime is in progress. You can pass any information via our social media desk @MerPolCC on Twitter or Merseyside Police Contact Centre on Facebook . “I’d also encourage residents and business owners in the area to sign up to the Nextdoor app, which is a fantastic new way for our officers and PCSOs to communicate with the communities they serve, from crime alerts, prevention advice and events.” A McDonald's spokesperson said: "We are committed to making our restaurants a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. We have a zero-tolerance policy for anti-social behaviour, and the safety and security of our employees and customers remains our highest priority. The restaurant team is currently exploring different ways we can work with local services to address the wider issue of anti-social behaviour in the area."
