Recognize racism where it exists and make example of it.

Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.) is an Americanfederal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is aroundKing's birthday, January 15. The holiday is similar to holidays set under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.

Federal Holidays (click here)

2017 Federal Holidays

• Holiday

  Date
• New Year's Day

  January 2*
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

  January 16
• George Washington’s Birthday

  February 20*
• Memorial Day

  May 29
• Independence Day

  July 4
• Labor Day

  September 4
• Columbus Day

  October 9
• Veterans Day

  November 10*
• Thanksgiving Day

  November 23
• Christmas Day

  December 25

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a birthday holiday. President's Day is a birthday holiday. There is some resistance in the USA to discriminate against birthdays that are national holidays. If businesses recognized Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a holiday for their employees, then President's Day would have to be remembered as well. FOR THE RECORD, I find President's Day an insult to our history.

That stated, there are some folks that believe if President's Day is celebrated than there is an obligation to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. In that case the business celebrates neither.

Then there are the businesses that recognize President's Day, but, not Martin Luther King, Jr. Day because after all he was never a President. That is true, but, the fact he wasn't a President, but, had the leadership of the minority communities in the USA he is a pivotal figure as was George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

We honor the minority populations in the country with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day because we know for a fact they have suffered IN OUR LIFETIMES. There is still racism in the USA and it needs to end, but, it isn't going to end if businesses hold themselves in different esteem than government AND THE PEOPLE.

Recently, "Chase" Bank ran an incredible campaign and featured nothing but African Americans in photos in their banks. Everyday African Americans and celebrities to bring more of an interest by minority populations and exert tolerance with all their customers. It was a magnificent campaign; conducted without asking; and I thank "Chase" Bank.

So, what happened to Martha Stewart Living?

This is Martha's personal calendar which she features in her magazine every month. This is "Marths's Winter." 

On January 16, 2017 Martha celebrated birthdays, but, not Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. She celebrated "Sister Kathy's and friend Kate Berry's birthdays. 

In February, she celebrated Groundhog's Day and low and behold Presidents' Day. On Presidents' Day she "Order summer bulb." 

This is racism. Recognize it and call it out.


The politics of the Republican Party embrace racism and value it's power.

James Comey is laughable. He really expects us to believe he didn't throw the 2016 race to Republicans? LOL! He was advised by the black woman Attorney General Loretta Lynch about STANDARD policy. Excuse me? Comey only wants to have the power to do it again. Someone needs to ask former AG Lynch if she ever thought Comey had racist tendencies. I think that fact is obvious.

The global trade agreements allowed for laziness in the financial markets.

After Brexit, those employed in the  financial institutions will have to work for a living.

March 29, 2017

By Griff Witte

London — A little over nine months (click here) after British voters chose to withdraw from the European Union, Britain took a decisive — and likely irreversible — step Wednesday toward leaving a partnership that has bound the country to the continent for nearly half a century.

With the simple handoff of a letter in Brussels in the early afternoon, the British government became the first country to ever trigger Article 50 — the mechanism by which nations can exit the European Union.

“This is a historic moment from which there can be no turning back,” Prime Minister Theresa May announced to a momentarily hushed House of Commons, before debate later turned rowdy.

In Brussels, European Council President Donald Tusk said there was “no reason to pretend that this is a happy day.” ...

There are always winners and losers everyday on Wall Street. Grow up.

Governance is not about currency, it is about people.

The focus of governance of previous generations has always been to support Wall Street no matter the price to citizens. That is not governance, that is corruption. Government officials obsessing over currency and needed balance between citizen rights and Wall Street profits is nonsense.

Citizens of any country are to come first. Quality of life comes first. We tried it the other way and it doesn't work. The few receiving vast incomes don't act responsibly with their monies or business interests. Those receiving vast incomes act in producing more vast incomes from elaborate financial instruments. THEY GAMBLE.

Pound vs Sterling (click here)

Everyone is familiar with the currency of the United Kingdom which is more commonly known as the pound. Sometimes, however, the word “sterling” is used to describe the UK currency. Are these two different things? Pound and sterling are used interchangeably in the United Kingdom, but is there really a difference between these two words used for the currency denomination?...

Brexit is causing turbulence in the currency markets today.

So.

Products produced in Great Britain will not be effected by currency fluctuations. A sterling is a sterling is a sterling. The real impact will be trade. That is primarily where currency markets always have their impact.

Currency is a sovereign entity of a sovereign country. Fluctuations are as old as money itself. Fluctuations occur. The financial markets will probably mark losses, but, perhaps not. 

"The tail doesn't have to wag the dog." Local economies are more resistance to fluctuations.

Here:

GDP is about national credit and can effect it's rating from FINANCIAL INSTITUTES. 

It is threatening to think a single citizen of the USA can act irresponsibility toward others. The Trump administration is irresponsible and obsessed with their populous extremist agenda.

The US EPA does not have an extremist agenda. Trump is propaganda. There is only one way to stop toxic levels of CO2 that create acid that destroys life, destroys jobs, destroys a food supply, destroys economies and that is to stop emitting carbon dioxide.

Oddly, on a global scale, China is taking the lead on the climate. It has recently shutdown a significant amount of it's coal mines and laid off many workers that will eventually be retrained and reassigned to other areas of work. China has become conscience of climate and it's relation to quality of life. 

The interesting aspect of China and it's new leadership on Climate is the extent to which it has positioned itself globally. Most countries on Earth have a relationship with China. China can now act to improve the quality of life and air of other countries. China has literally stepped up to take over the USA's moral authority.

The USA has really stupid people in leadership at the federal level right now.

NO, I am not crying. 

I am sure if Rachel Carson was still alive she would simply state, "There is no crying within the environmental community. We can't help it we are the smart guys."

Rachel Carson achieved magnificent work by writing, talking and educating the public. There are no shortage of USA citizens that can do it all over again.

Claiming to be a builder, the fact is Trump is just a stupid guy.

This is acid rain. I strongly suggest seek other authorities and/or rulemakers to protect investments.

Acid rain is a direct product of coal burning plants.

Trump knows how to create debt to avoid paying taxes. He is about greed not responsible citizenship or responsible investment.

January 10, 2017

Elizabethtown - Progress against acid (click here) rain has led to healthier lakes in the Adirondack Park, which in turn is helping to protect fish from climate change, according to a study published in the journal Global Change Biology.

“This is a perfect example of why we can’t go backwards on acid rain and air pollution,” said William C. Janeway, Executive Director of the Adirondack Council, a national leader in the battle against acid rain.  “If acid rain makes a comeback during the Trump administration, we will lose this newfound protection and everything will start getting worse again.  That would be tragic.  The recovery of Adirondack waters and the associated economic benefits have been real.  But the recovery isn’t complete.”

President-elect Donald Trump has said he wants to eliminate federal environmental regulations and reduce the size and scope of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Federal regulations administered by the EPA have resulted in significant reductions in the air pollution that causes acid rain.

Over the past 25 years, most Adirondack lakes have improved.  Some that were once considered dead are now producing healthy brook trout again.  Others need further reductions in upwind emissions, and time, to regain their vitality.

Through this study, scientists have learned that protection from acid rain provides fish and other aquatic life with greater protection against global warming.  It all has to do with how much sunlight reaches the lake bottom....

CO₂ + H₂O  H₂CO<sub>3

The figure above is carbonic acid. It is directly responsible for water acidification. Greatest concern is the acidification in fisheries. It is pure idiocy that cuts protections developed over decades to protect life, human life.

Jobs and the economy.</sub> 

Suppressing evidence is not new. This should have been expected.

March 28, 2017
By Devlin Barrett and Adam Entous

The Trump administration (click here) sought to block former acting attorney general Sally Yates from testifying to Congress in the House investigation of links between Russian officials and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, The Washington Post has learned, a position that is likely to further anger Democrats who have accused Republicans of trying to damage the inquiry.

According to letters The Post reviewed, the Justice Department notified Yates earlier this month that the administration considers a great deal of her possible testimony to be barred from discussion in a congressional hearing because the topics are covered by the presidential communication privilege.

Yates and other former intelligence officials had been asked to testify before the House Intelligence Committee this week, a hearing that Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) abruptly canceled. Yates was the deputy attorney general in the final years of the Obama administration, and served as the acting attorney general in the first days of the Trump administration.

President Trump fired Yates in January after she ordered Justice Department lawyers not to defend his first immigration order temporarily banning entry to United States for citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries and refugees from around the world....

Trump cannot deny he was personally involved in any of the decisions about Russia. During his campaign he solicited Russia openly to help his campaign win the White House. Did he not? Absolutely he did. Now, he is trying to suppress evidence that backs up his arrogant campaign chants.

Such reality only brings to mind the fact his son-in-law, Kushner is now responsible for all kinds of decision making in the White House. Trump will sell out is own relatives in order to carry out his bizarre presidency. No surprise there. 

The special (click here) Senate Watergate investigation committee chaired by Senator Sam Ervin, D, NC (in center of the picture) revealed that President Richard M. Nixon was personally involved in the "cover-up" of the break-in and other illegal activities via the so-called Plumbers Unit that included political espionage carried out against Senator Edmund Muskie (D, Me) who at the time was the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination.

And what is the defense of the US Senate for attempting to further suppress evidence? "Blame the victim." And what a victim it is, a woman, easily a disposable person in the world of Republicans.

March 28, 2017

From Haaretz and the AP

That is interesting. Haaretz is carrying a sincere interest in the cover up. Very interesting.

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee (click here) is asking whether an open congressional hearing on the Russia probe was canceled because the White House did not want former acting Attorney General Sally Yates to testify and assert executive privilege.

Rep. Adam Schiff of California says Yates was poised to testify Tuesday about the events leading up to the firing of Donald Trump's  former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, including his attempts to cover up conversations he had with Russia's ambassador to the U.S.

Schiff said Yates had sought permission to testify from the White House, adding that he hopes the hearing can be rescheduled without delay....

The Donald Trump administration runs on their master's voice. He has hands on everywhere. The administration is small. To many it is incomplete. The orders to suppress are obvious and come from only one source. AG Sessions has already recused himself from the case.

California voters can't put pressure on their US representative? California's 22nd district is going to tolerate obstruction of an investigation? Really?

March 28, 2017
By Erik Ortiz and Andrew Rafferty

Pressure continued (click here) to mount on Tuesday for House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes to recuse himself from the panel's investigation into Russia amid a growing firestorm of criticism for meeting with a confidential source at the White House to review intelligence reports.

The California Republican told reporters "the investigation continues" and questioned why he would remove himself from the probe despite growing concerns about his impartiality after sharing information about the investigation with President Donald Trump before members of the committee....

Campaign hubris that made policy cost North Carolina $4 billion.

Cassandra Thomas of Human Rights Campaign holds a sign advocating the repeal of HB2 as Executive Director Chad Griffin, President of Human Rights Campaign and Executive Director of Equality NC, Chris Sgro, discuss the North Carolina election results at the Government Center on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, in Charlotte, NC.

March 27, 2017

By Mark Berman

A year after North Carolina enacted a law regulating transgender people’s use of public restrooms, sparking boycotts and costing the state jobs and sports events alike, a new analysis says the legislation’s economic fallout is greater than previously estimated.

The so-called “bathroom bill” could cost the state at least $3.7 billion by 2028, according to an Associated Press assessment that tallied the losses – confirmed and projected – from events, meetings and business expansions that were scrapped due to the law....

...State lawmakers have discussed rescinding the controversial law, but repeal efforts have repeatedly fallen short, including a marathon special legislative session in December called for that very purpose. A spokesman for Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democratic, who has long opposed the law, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday....

There needs to be more than a repeal of the law, there needs to be penalties where the repealed law is continuing to be implemented.

Campaign promise or strategy from Russia? Who is running the US military and from what knowledge base?

It is inhumane to simply kill to kill. This is an elderly man not capable of conducting himself as a warrior to battle. He is VULNERABLE to dangers of warfare and should be protected. He is not only vulnerable to warfare, but, the people dead are no doubt part of his household. How is he to feed himself in such conditions? The idea that humanitarian aid can get through to save lives of survivors is not realistic. 

We also know where humanitarian aid is delivered, they can become targets to the battle.

Strikes against ISIS in such urban settings has to be precise. Human shields can be a casualty to battle when there is no other choice, but, neighborhoods of people are not enemies. These are not human shields. Especially Iraq, the USA knows this country inside and out; there is no reason for killing civilians.

Campaign hubris is not applicable to real life. There needs to be a clear understanding such applications of political hubris is a high crime and not simply a misdemeanor.

March 27, 2017

By Tim Arango

A man stood near several bodies recovered from a house that was destroyed in the Mosul Jidideh neighborhood. Scores of residents are believed to have been killed in American-led airstrikes that hit the neighborhood this month.

Mosul, Iraq — Dozens of Iraqi civilians, (click here) some of them still alive and calling out for help, were buried for days under the rubble of their homes in west Mosul after American-led airstrikes flattened almost an entire city block.

At the site on Sunday, more than a week after the bombing runs, reporters for The New York Times saw weary survivors trying to find bodies in the wreckage. Iraqi officials said the final death toll could reach 200 killed, or even more. That would make it one of the worst instances of civilian casualties from an attack by the United States-led forces during the long military involvement with Iraq, starting in 1990.

The pace of fighting against the Islamic State here has grown more urgent, with Iraqi officers saying the American-led coalition has been quicker to strike urban targets from the air with less time to weigh the risks for civilians. They say the change is a reflection of a renewed push by the American military under the Trump administration to speed up the battle for Mosul.

That push is coming at the moment that the battle for Mosul is nearing its most dangerous phase for civilians, with the fight reaching into the twisting alleys and densely populated areas of the old city. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are pinned down here in tight quarters with Islamic State fighters who do not care if they live or die....

...One of the survivors, Omar Adnan, stood near his destroyed home on Sunday and held up a white sheet of paper with 27 names of his extended family members, either dead or missing, written in blue ink....

Indiscriminate bombing violates the Geneva Conventions. According to the graph in the New York Times, the strategy in Iraq has changed a great deal. On January 17, 2017 an increase in unconfirmed deaths and confirmed deaths increased by three times the average. The civilian deaths have continued to increase and sustain. That is an undeniable change in tactics. The fact there are far higher numbers of unconfirmed deaths does not surprise me. They are behind enemy lines and there are no soldiers confirming the civilian strikes.

1. Affirms resolution XXVIII (click here) of the XXth International Conference of the Red Cross held at Vienna in 1965, which laid down, inter alia, the following principles for observance by all governmental and other authorities responsible for action in armed conflicts:

(a) That the right of the parties to a conflict to adopt means of injuring the enemy is not unlimited;

(b) That it is prohibited to launch attacks against the civilian populations as such;

(c) That distinction must be made at all times between persons taking part in the hostilities and members of the civilian population to the effect that the latter be spared as much as possible;

I don't think Kushner can act as Commander and Chief.

Published on Nov 16, 2016

President-elect Trump had plenty to say about the war on ISIS during the campaign, suggesting "bombing the hell out of" the terror group. But as Holly Williams reports, conditions on the ground in Iraq and Syria complicate the decisions he will have to make.

I have other responsibilities this evening. Will resume next Sunday. Thank you.

If the USA is suppose to be an example to the world, billionaire Presidents are the wrong message!

March 26, 2017

By David Filipov

Moscow — A wave of unsanctioned rallies (click here) swept across Russia on Sunday to protest corruption in the government of President Vladi­mir Putin, prompting arrests as hundreds of riot officers moved in to break up crowds. 

The protests are driven by opposition leader Alexei Navalny and fueled by the popular response to his recent allegations that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has amassed vineyards, luxury yachts and lavish mansions worth more than $1 billion....

Medvedev bought at least one yacht while he was President. That is interesting insight as to the Putin dilemma with the Panama Papers (click here).

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (click here) has purchased a 53m superyacht valued at approximately $42 million as a venue to host world leaders in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

The Kremlin bought the boat last year, the Guardian reports. The explorer type superyacht, which is presently called Leo Fun, will be renamed as yacht Sirius.

The yacht was built by Proteksan-Turquoise and Turquoise Yacht Construction for an Italian businessman and launched back in 2009....

Leo Fun? 

Oh, Tolstoy. Tolstoy authored great literature such as War and Peace, Anna Karenina and The Death of Ivan Ilyich (click here). Leo Tolstoy's grave is quite unique and nearly absent of who lies there. (click here)

Wasn't there an exclusive hospital for the "Wealth Class" recently opened?

...Authorities charged Navalny, the chief architect of the rallies, was detained in Moscow shortly after they began at 2 p.m. local time. Thousands came out on Moscow’s central Tverskaya street for the unsanctioned protests and were met by a heavy police presence, which began detaining demonstrators en masse around 30 minutes after the rallies began. According to media reports, protesters had blocked traffic on Tverskaya street.

Also in Moscow, a warning over a loudspeaker urged people to “think of the consequences” and disperse now.

Yes, indeed. There is nothing like threatening peaceful demonstrators with a moral message.

The demonstrations appear to amount to the largest coordinated protests in Russia since the street rallies that broke out in 2011 and 2012 after a parliamentary election that opposition leaders decried as fraudulent. State-run television was silent about Sunday’s protests as of midday, but pictures posted on social media sites like Twitter suggested that sizable rallies were underway across the country.

Dozens of arrests were reported in the far east city of Vladivostok, and more were likely as demonstrations began in Russia’s largest cities, Moscow and St. Petersburg. Authorities preemptively banned a rally that Navalny called for central Moscow. Putin’s spokesman has said that even urging people to take part is illegal....

This is from one of the Farmville 2 games from Zinga on Facebook.

I am trying to figure out the subliminal messaging. Either it is medical marijuana is a good thing or Big Pharma rocks.

When a grandmother all sorts of things come into focus.

Sometimes I wonder where Americans get their violent streak.

The children of Forest Lake Elementary School trod the boards in a dramatic reenactment of how the United States Constitution came to be. After the Revolution, the young United States was anything but united. The states acted like thirteen separate countries, with their own governments, laws, and currencies. It took bravery, smarts, and a lot of compromises to create a workable system of government under the new constitution.

Author: Jacqueline Jules (click here)

There was a remake of the British Invasion called "The Beetles." They were on the right side of human trafficking, too. I was kinda proud of them. They had this morality that worked for me. "I wanna hold your hand." They were really fun.

THERE ARE FIFTY STATES, COUNT THEM, FIFTY!

THE ONLY SUPERPOWER until Donald Trump decided Russia should regain it's status in the world!

It is time to shake all the old bad habits, folks. "God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son." HE ONLY DID IT ONCE, did you notice that?

Christian History: (click here) In the first three centuries, Christians were pacifists. By 1096, they embarked on a holy war. What caused such a huge change?

Jonathan Riley-Smith: First, the early church was not entirely pacifist. In Romans 13, for example, Paul justifies the violence of the pagan emperor, for the emperor is yet a minister of God. And Christians served in the Roman army from the second century on.

Following the conversion of the emperors, in the fourth century, the church became more open to using violence. Church leaders, after an initial shock, began supporting the use of force against heretics.

Then Augustine formulated his theory of “just war,” but his terms effectively mean “holy war.” Augustine and the medieval world concluded that violence is not evil. Instead, violence is morally neutral. That makes a crusade possible....

There is a use for scientists. Wow.

The ornate shrine known as the Edicule encloses what is believed to be the tomb of Jesus Christ inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (click here for virtual tour) in Jerusalem. The shrine has just undergone a year-long restoration.

I like their style. They fix the most important stuff and then let everyone know there is still far more extensive work to be done. Not that the foundation work shouldn't have come first, but, tourism and pilgrims wouldn't be interested in the foundation. See, for me I would rather the foundation be done first even if there was no more money for the fancy stuff. Know what I mean? I wouldn't be walking into the building because the locals would have said, in a nearby cafe, the foundation is really shaky. Yep.

They have learned to live in a world dominated by capitalism, everything superficial is more important than any foundation the world has to offer, even the most important foundation for Christianity. Amazing. Survival. It always has it's place.

March 22, 2017

By Kristin Romney

Scientists (click here) have discovered that there is a "very real risk" that the holiest site in Christianity may collapse if nothing is done to shore up its unstable foundations.

A scientific team from the National Technical University of Athens(NTUA), which has just completed the restoration of what is traditionally believed to be the tomb of Christ in Jerusalem, warns that additional work is needed to prevent the shrine and surrounding complex from experiencing significant structural failure.

"When it fails, the failure will not be a slow process, but catastrophic," says Antonia Moropoulou, NTUA's chief scientific supervisor....

There are too many guns on the street.

March 26. 2017

One person has been killed and 14 injured (click here) in a shooting at the Cameo Night Club in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Police initially said at least two shooters were involved, but Cincinnati Assistant Police Chief Paul Neudigate has since tweeted that there is "only one reported shooter".

There was no indication the shooting was terror-related, he said.

Several people have life-threatening injuries, Mr Neudigate told news channel WLWT-TV.

"We are in the middle of a very horrific situation that occurred at the nightclub with multiple victims. It's going to be a long night for our homicide units to investigate," he said....

This level of violence with mass shootings is becoming a daily event in the USA.

Does the high level of violence serve the extremist agenda?

March 25, 2017
By Ben Brazil

Marchers and counterprotesters (click here) clashed Saturday at a Make America Great Again gathering in Huntington Beach after an anti-President Trump protester doused marchers with pepper spray.

The anti-Trump protester, dressed in all black and wearing a mask, attacked an organizer of the event, Jennifer Sterling, and other members of the march with the irritant, causing a group of marchers to tackle the masked man, punching and kicking him....

National Spinach Day (click here)

National Spinach Day is observed annually on March 26th.  Not only are there so many delicious ways that you can enjoy spinach, but it is also incredibly good for you!

Spinach is also a greenhouse plant (click here)

Greenhouses can continue the community garden. Be sure and have a water source. Once the plants become more mature they will produce their own water vapor to some extent.

Monitor soil moisture, not the amount of water, for optimal results. 

Whiteclay, Nebraska has a predatory economy.

There should be tourism instilled into that economy. The town should have a hotel, at the very least, but, also Indian culture shops. The shops can be unique to the reservation and steeped in culture that includes holistic cures and Indian medicine. 

March 25, 2017
By Julie Bosman

...Now many residents (click here) of Nebraska and South Dakota are pushing for the liquor stores of Whiteclay to be shut, disgusted by the easy access to alcohol the stores provide to a people who have fought addiction for generations. The Nebraska authorities, in turn, have tightened scrutiny of the stores, which sell millions of cans of beer and malt liquor annually. Last year, for the first time, the state liquor commission ordered the stores’ six owners to reapply for their liquor licenses....

Whiteclay should talk about it's name with a town hall that carries it's history and current shame and conscience change. That is not to say beer and wine should not be sold in Whiteclay, but, only in the way of a beverage at dinner in the town's new bistro.

Sex trafficking, too? (click here) How many Native Americans, young and old, male and female are missing from the sovereign reservation of Pine Ridge.

History. The border town of Whiteclay has always been tied to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to the north within the state boundaries of South Dakota. ... The trading post developed as the unincorporated community of Pine Ridge, commonly known as Whiteclay.

Indian Reservations, until the past decade or so, were preyed upon for natural resources as well. Greed creates animals instead of human beings.

March 23, 2017

By Scott Neil

Tenth on Forbes list: Michael Bloomberg, the media mogul with a home in Bermuda (click here)

A number of the world’s richest billionaires who have connections to Bermuda are included in Forbes World Billionaires 2017 list.

Among them is former New York Michael Bloomberg, 75, who owns a property in Bermuda. He is ranked tenth on the list with a net worth of $47.5 billion.

Mr Bloomberg made his fortune through Bloomberg News, a multinational mass media corporation specialising in financial data-services.

Abigail Johnson, 55, is chairwoman of Bermudian-based Fidelity International, a financial services company. She is also chief executive officer of US-based Fidelity Investments, and is listed at 75 on the rich list with a net worth of $14.4 billion.

Ms Johnson’s father, Edward Johnson III, was the former CEO of Fidelity. He helped to finance the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute. Mr Johnson is listed at 173, with a net income of $7.8 billion....

The wealth gap is never more evident than in Bermuda.

March 16, 2017

By Paul Johnston

The promise of actions — not words (click here) — is what participants will pledge at an event addressing the impact of pain which has left Bermuda “under siege,” according to the organiser.

The Impact of Pain on Social Constructs will tomorrow night examine how pain — “caused by unresolved intergenerational trauma, gang violence, constant change, grief and loss, frustration and disenfranchisement” — manifests in the community. “This island is positioned for social unrest,” event organiser Sharon Apopa said.

According to the doctor, the event follows months of speaking with community members.

“If you have your ear to the ground in the community, you have seen an escalation in people’s emotions around the issues,” she said.

The event follows a recent spate of violence, including the fatal stabbing of Raymond Butterfield (click here) earlier this month.

It also comes on the heels of a recent public event and training for social services workers on the treatment of racial trauma by visiting clinician Kenneth Hardy in February.

Pastor Hollis Neal will serve as the event’s keynote speaker.

Trained as a psychologist — and with a background that includes educational experience — the former pastor at West Pembroke Pentecostal Assembly brings a wealth of experience, Dr Apopa said....

Demoralized values.

March 22, 2017

By Alison Thoet

In the past month, (click here) there’s been a surge of zoo-related violence and injury in the news. A flamingo was stoned and kicked to death in Prague. A white rhino in a Paris zoo was killed, its horn sawed off. El Salvador’s prized hippopotamus, “Gustavito,” died of wounds after he was violently attacked, and a crocodile at a Tunis zoo died after it was stoned by visitors.

The incidents have again raised questions for animal rights activists and zoos alike about what’s being done to keep zoo animals safe.

“I think it’s a reflection that there are some human beings who still see animals as things,” Brittany Peet, director of captive animal law enforcement for PETA, told the NewsHour. Peet argued these international events, as well as the death of Harambe the gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo in May 2016, highlight that “we simply can’t adequately provide for animals in captivity.”...

Mischief? I suppose there are all sorts of bad asses these days.

15 March 2017

A trio of schoolboys (click here) aged between five and eight-years-old reportedly kicked a flamingo to death after pelting it with stones at a zoo in the Czech Republic. 

The youngsters reportedly climbed over the fence of the Jihlava Zoo before launching their attack on the flock of American flamingos. 

“First, they pelted them with stones," zoologist Jan Vašák told the Prague Morning news site, adding that one of them started to kick one of the birds....

Greed and demoralized economies result in education about animals through illustration only.

March 22, 2017
By Katie Mettler
The savage work of poachers (click here) once concentrated in the wild of Africa and Asia moved metropolitan earlier this month when assailants at a wildlife park near Paris fatally shot a captive rhinoceros three times in the head then sawed off the creature’s horn.
The violent attack on Vince, a five-year-old white rhino, was the first known instance of a rhino being killed in a zoo and forced zookeepers around the globe to consider increasing security.
A Czech zoo, Dvur Kralove, took that to the extreme.
It is home to 21 rhinos — Europe’s largest population — and this week began dehorning them all.
“The decision to remove rhino horns was not made easily at all,” zoo director Premysl Rabas said in a statement Tuesday. “However, the risk that the rhinos currently face not only in the wild but even in zoos is too high and the safety of the animals is our first concern.”
“The dehorned rhino is definitely a better option than the dead rhino,” Rabas said....