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cleaningservicesjerseycity · 2 years

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Best Natural Cleaning Products in 2022

Great deals of brand names declare to be all-natural or green, however knowing the distinction in between items that are truly organic, harmless, and far better for the environment and those that simply declare to be calls for a level of understanding that's in fact difficult to get. Anna Reade, a team researcher at the Natural Resources Protection Council, states this is in component since terms like natural, environment-friendly, as well as nontoxic are "regrettably not regulated and also are not legal meanings, so they do not truly mean anything." Without a doubt, there are still no government policies that compel manufacturers to provide whatever located in their items on product packaging (though The golden state as well as New York City have actually passed their own disclosure legislations). This makes it "rather hard to be truly smart at reading active ingredient tags," Reade clarifies.

In order to streamline the process, we consulted with eco-friendly cleaning experts, from blog writers to #CleanTok celebrities to eco-conscious cleaning services. We additionally relied on Environmental Protection Agency guidelines as well as poisoning databases developed by independent entities like the Environmental Working Team, which offers products letter qualities based on how poisonous they are. Below, locate referrals for natural all-purpose cleaners along with some even more particular hero items that you can make use of specifically locations of your house or workplace.

What we're looking for

Active ingredients: When buying all-natural cleaning products, it's a great guideline to look for shorter, easier listings of active ingredients in order to decrease your overall direct exposure to possibly dangerous chemicals. Also better: Search for components that you in fact recognize, such as baking soft drink, quartz and also limestone, and also distilled white vinegar, all of which our specialists informed us are understood to be efficient all-purpose abrasives that will assist eliminate oil and discolorations in a range of contexts. When it pertains to decreasing ecological influence, it aids to seek eco-friendly formulas devoid of dyes and artificial fragrances.

Safety and security rating: Right here's where points get tricky. Even if its formula appears to be natural or plant acquired, a cleansing item might still be hazardous to either your wellness, the setting's, or both. As an example, some fragrances can create skin irritation and allergies along with contaminating rivers. A popular "all-natural" surface cleaner, Mrs. Meyer's Tidy Day Basil Fragrance Multi-Surface Everyday Cleanser, gets a D score from the EWG because it consists of ingredients like sweet-basil oil (connected to cancer cells, skin irritation, as well as reproductive and body organ damage) and also a fragrance connected to breathing damage and also marine toxicity. We focused on natural cleansers that appear in the EPA's "Safer Option" data source or obtained a B rating or greater from the EWG. (The EWG offers an A ranking to products of "cheapest concern" to individual and also ecological wellness as well as a B score to items of "reduced concern.") While no single database is mosting likely to be extensive, Reade claims that consulting a combination of them and also doing some research study of your very own can go a long way: "If you're taking any kind of actions, after that you're reducing your general direct exposure to chemicals, and that's great." Even if you can't find a certain cleaning product in its data source, it's possible to search for certain active ingredients to learn just how secure they are.

Cleansing power: There's no use in purchasing a natural cleanser with incredible ecological credentials if it's not going to, well, work. We searched for all-round all-natural cleaners that can be used across a variety of surfaces and that come suggested by people that utilize them regularly or that we checked out for ourselves. In assembling a last checklist, we bore in mind of the context in which each of our recommendations would certainly work best.

Lasting packaging and refill alternatives: Going environment-friendly, as a number of our professionals keep in mind, doesn't only indicate utilizing all-natural, harmless items however also restricting inefficient packaging. While single-use plastic still is plentiful also in the natural-products area, we tried to find all-purpose surface cleansers that can be utilized around the house, concentrated formulas that will go a long distance, and huge refill dimensions.

Ideal overall natural cleanser

Bon Ami Powder CleanserVery Bargain Bon Ami Powder Cleanser $ 8 for 2 $ 11 currently 27% off 5 components|EWG A score|Multipurpose|Recycled packaging

Bon Ami, referred to as an effective yet gentle "scratch-free" home scrub, was advised by two specialists-- Saudia Davis of "Finest of New York" GreenHouse Eco-Cleaning and also Cindy DiPrima, co-founder and also former chief imaginative of CAP Appeal-- that use it as a scrubbing powder for every little thing from counter tops as well as bathtubs to floor tiles and also kitchen sinks. "I make use of Bon Ami, which has actually been around for life and also has a very simple component deck," DiPrima states. That quick list of eco-friendly, hypoallergenic components consists of sedimentary rock, feldspar mineral powder, soda ash, sodium bicarbonate, and a surfactant called alkylbenzene sulfonic acid. You can utilize this powder cleanser throughout your house: It combats both kitchen oil and also unusual washroom cruds, will certainly polish up your kitchenware, as well as is secure to utilize on stainless steel, copper, brass, granite, as well as porcelain, plus ceramic tiles. For the sustainably minded, all of Bon Ami's packaging is made from 65 percent postconsumer recycled materials. The EWG offers the cleanser an A rating.

Ideal concentrated natural cleanser

Dr. Bronner's-- Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner (32 Oz.). Dr. Bronner's-- Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner (32 Oz.). $ 14. Dr. Bronner's-- Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleanser (1 Gallon). Dr. Bronner's-- Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner (1 Gallon). $ 57.

As anybody who has ever read a Dr. Bronner's label knows, its line of fluid Castile soaps are truly all-round. Of all the brand name's products, Micaela Preston of mindfulmomma.com recommends Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleanser. Including plant-based surfactants and also vital oils for fragrance, it's effective enough to cleanse your floorings, dishes, furniture, and also even your automobile-- although it does consist of salt lauryl sulfate, which will not agree with everyone. The product packaging is plastic, gallon-size refill bottles are offered, and you can weaken this (cruelty-free and also biodegradable) formula as required, suggesting it can stretch out for a while. The EWG gives it an A rating.

Finest all-natural dish soap. Ecover Zero Dish Soap. Ecover No Recipe Soap. $ 23 for 6.

Davis makes a lot of her own house cleansers. Yet when she does purchase something from a brand name, it's Ecover's simple, fragrance-free dish soap. Jen Brady, chief green mom at Eco-friendly Baby Deals, likewise recommends Ecover recipe soap, keeping in mind that the EWG offers it an A rating as well as informing us that it's mild on hands however challenging on recipes. "My children are entering the dishwashing stage, and also I feel great letting them utilize this dish soap," she claims.

Ideal all-natural flooring cleaner. Bona Hardwood-Floor Cleaner. Bona Hardwood-Floor Cleaner. From $7.

Bona Hardwood-Floor Cleanser Refill. Bona Hardwood-Floor Cleaner Refill. $ 15.

One more hardwood-floor alternative is this pH-neutral Bona cleaner, which Davis uses at her cleaning business and also suggests to others. It's EPA Safer Choice licensed and also doesn't require any kind of elegant or lengthy self-mixing methods: Simply spray and also wipe. The water-based, eco-friendly, paraben-, phthalate-, and also phosphate-free formula is safe for all unwaxed hardwood floorings and will not leave any kind of residue. The firm markets huge refill dimensions so you don't need to keep acquiring extra plastic spray bottles.

Finest natural bathroom cleaner. Ecover Toilet-Bowl Cleanser. Ecover Toilet-Bowl Cleanser. $ 6.

For tidying bathroom bowls, Preston suggests this pine-scented cleanser. Not just does it eliminate difficult discolorations, smells, and any type of calcification from your toilet, however the product is likewise packaged in a recyclable container constructed from plant-based products. The cruelty-free formula is mostly plant based: water, citric acid to remove limescale, pH-regulating salt citrate, lauryl glucoside as a surfactant, fragrance, the thickener xanthan gum tissue, and the petrochemical glyoxal. The EWG gives it a B rating.

Ideal natural smell and stain eliminator. Biokleen Bac-Out Discoloration + Odor Eliminator. Biokleen Bac-Out Spot + Smell Cleaner. From $30.

Melissa Manufacturer, whose YouTube channel Tidy My Area has more than 1.3 million subscribers, suggests Biokleen's a lot of widely known product, Bac-Out, as an all-natural cleanser for carpets or any other kind of textile or upholstery. She claims it uses live enzymes to break down smells and remove discolorations from all sort of textiles without destructive or lightening. (She is also a follower of Nature's Wonder, a Planner favored, for animal stains and also smells.) The formula consists of no ammonia, chlorine, or phosphates, with an ingredients list that is primarily plant derived-- with the exception of the preservative phenoxyethanol. While Biokleen as a brand name appears in the EPA Safer Selection data source, it does not include this details product. The EWG provides Bac-Out a B rating.

Best all-natural degreaser. Krud Kutter Original Concentrated Cleaner/Degreaser, 32 Ounces. Krud Kutter Original Concentrated Cleaner/Degreaser, 32 Ounces. From $18.

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nkessenich19ahsgovus-blog · 6 years

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THE 3 P’S ASSESSMENT: PARTIES, POLITICAL INTEREST GROUPS, AND PAC’S

1. a. b.

Republican:

The Republicans start their statement on net neutrality with, “ The survival of the internet as we know it is at risk.” Its safe to say that they are against its repeal. This stance is because of foreign governments readiness to devour America's control of the root zone.

- I strongly agree with their position as the internet much like our border is something that should be strongly and fiscally protected from foreign powers

Democrat:

The Democrats platform states that the party is strongly against the repeal of any prior laws regarding net neutrality. And funnily enough, it continues by blaming the GOP for any repeals already in effect.

- On the surface level, I strongly agree with the Democrats stance as it is for the well being of all that net neutrality stays in place, but I do not agree with how they take the opportunity to bash their competitor.

Libertarian:

On the Libertarian website, their only reference of net neutrality can be found in an article published by their staff titled, “FCC Should Remain Neutral on Net Neutrality” Their stance can be driven from this and the fact that they are a left-leaning group.

- Of course, as the internet is something that should always remain separate from any overarching power I agree with their stance.

Green:

I could not find any statement on net neutrality but because the green party is about social justice I think its safe to infer that they are against its repeal.

- as I have stated in prior statements I strongly agree with keeping net neutrality in place as it's for the better of everyone that it stays where it is.

Peace and Freedom:

Peace and Freedoms stance on net neutrality is that it is imperative to the free speech of the individual that it stays in place.

- I also agree that if the net loses its loose and malleable nature that it with be detrimental to the individual.

The group I most agree with is Peace and Freedom, as I feel this group has the strongest hold on how serious of a problem repealing net neutrality would be. That being said however I would not vote for this party as wile net neutrality is a large and very important thing there is more in the world than just the internet, and I don't find myself agreeing with everything that Peace and Freedom stands for.

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2. Identify one national interest group that represents your issue. Include:

a. Computer & Communications Industry Association

b. The CCIA is a non-profit organization that promotes open markets, systems, networks, and competitions.

1. The CCIA emphatically wants to foster and empower innovation within the industry while at the same time never losing cooperation, as they state, “ cooperation is a valuable approach to progress, it must be balanced to never undermine the competitive drive to create”

2. The Free flow of information on the internet, which the CCIA says is, “essential to Internet freedom” In other words, the group is fiscally against any dismantling of net neutrality.

3. The CCIA view on cybersecurity is that of streamlining a dated system, to make the sharing of information between the private and federal sectors.

4. The CCIA’s view on user security is that trust be had between the consumer and the companies striking a balance between the protection of data and providing the services of the site.

5. The CCIA’s stance on Export Controls is “that it would unreasonably limit or burden the legitimate export business of technology companies”

d. Qualcomm a processor company was attempting to block the import and sale of iPhones not using their chip. The CCIA told ITC that Qualcomm’s request would harm consumers by enabling Qualcomm’s anti-competitive behavior.

e. Their headquarters is in Virginia and there are no local meetings

f. Nope

g. Identify additional developments you find interesting from the website/group.

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3. Identify one state interest group that represents your issue. Include:

a. California Chamber Of Commerce

b. The California Chamber Of Commerce is an interest group focused on California business and how to best keep jobs and things profitable.

1. Their main focus is on business.

2. They support the cardinal sin, not voting, “ abstain from voting, which will hinder the passage of a bill, just as a “no” vote does.”

3. They send out Alert letters (Link to one: https://advocacy.calchamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Vote-Record-10-19-2018.pdf) in these letters they tell their member how to vote

4. These Alert letters talk about “job killers” but to non-members these are known as bills which text buessness and effectively lowers the bottom line of profits.

5. One of these Job Killers is/was bill SD822 which the CCC strongly told members to vote against.

d. Bill SD822 which is meant to act as Californias own net neutrality, devoid of the Federal stance.

e. Sacramento CA, there are no local meetings I could attend.

f. None

g. Just how anti-net neutrality this group is, I would have guessed they would have been all gun ho for SD822, but instead, they are doing everything to shoot it down.

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4. Finally, compare the two interest groups.

Both groups in their own right seen highly successful and extremely well put together, but the CCIA’s, however, is rooted in not only the US but also the EU and is, therefore, the larger of the two. The CCIA targets not only people in the industry but also concerned individuals outside of the private sector. While the California chamber of comers is primarily focused on businesses. Both groups supporter bases are their target audiences.

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5. Choose one PAC or Super PAC that pertains to your civic action issue. Include:

a. AMAZON.COM SERVICES, INC. SEPARATE SEGREGATED FUND (AMAZON PAC)

b. The Amazon PAC is as the name suggests is focused on the interest on internet conglomerate, Amazon.com. Which means they are not only concerned about the longevity of net neutrality but also internet taxes for things like online shopping.

How much money have they raised/total receipt: ~2,224,000

How much have they spent: ~2,090,000

How much cash do they have on hand: ~134,000

Republicans: 52%

Democrats: 48%

e. A large majority of their donors are employees of the company, which shows how they must pester their employees to donate money.

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jerihco-blog1 · 6 years

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howdy, y’all ! my name’s billy and this is my boy adrian jay woods, or as you may know him from dc comics: joseph “jericho” william wilson. below the cut you’re going to find a ton of information about my guy here and if you have any other questions, you are free to ask. if you’d like to PLOT please LIKE THIS or MESSAGE ME a.s.a.p. so we can start going through the motions. he was kind of important to the deathstroke comics & teen titans comics in the 80′s and 90′s, but he’s been there through other times more recently too, given the rebirth and all the new comics.

WARNING:

there are some assumptions due to stuff from canon, if the characters are applied for i’ll hit them up. if i mess up otherwise, hit me up!

WARNING:

also there are undescriptive mentions of violence, killing, death, depression, addiction, and jumping off the ledge. it also has a lot of spoilers. so if you are uncomfortable with these mentions, please skip to the third part of the bio where i talk about him modern day or hit me up if you haven’t heard of jericho before.

DISCLAIMER:

so i totally forgot to mention that there are some things i won’t rp here because i’m a confusing person. i’m not comfortable rping: anything with any food (drinks and like fruit have always been find, but eating and like hotdogs and stuff make me feel gross), or nsfw (mainly nudity, sex, etc).

APPLICATION & PERSONALITY

№ — ( BRANDON FLYNN, HE/HIM & CISMALE, DC ) ┊ did you hear about JERICHO? i heard that they also go by JOSEPH WILSON - wait no ! they go by ADRIAN WOODS now - and are aged 23. they literally turned into dust for a hot second, so i don’t know how they’re doing, in all honesty. ( billy / 18 / est / he/him & they/them )

so honestly i wanna say i’ve read the rebirth comics and some of the 80′s, but otherwise i’m still working on all of the ones with jericho in it. i’ve just not had the time or patience for all the craziness there is in the comics. that being said, his portrayal is solely based on a mix of the comics and not from the movie or his tv show appearances. if arrow is adding jericho, i’m also ignoring that.

as both adrian and himself, his personality is pretty much the same. he’s a really big sweetheart who tries his best to be his best. he doesn’t like to fight, but when there really isn’t another option he knows how to hold himself up. while he places people on pedestals, he sees their flaws and chooses to ignore them. he can stand up for himself, but he’s just not that guy. he doesn’t let things go very easily and often times his negative thoughts become so within himself that it gets to be too much and it just comes out in a series of mistakes. he’s also got a clever sense of humor.

also he’s the child of slade wilson and adeline kane.

and he cannot speak due to a childhood incident, so to communicate he will use ASL or possession or his phone. there’s also some gloves that have been in the works for decades now so i think that when he was joseph he’d use that when in costume after he got his new suit to make battles easier for communication without it being completely just magic pill solution. sometimes the gloves don’t work or get hit so he also has a text to speech thing on him.

BEFORE THE SNAP - ( STATISTICS )

before the infinity war and the infamous snap and so much more, joseph was just your everyday kid. sure, his father and mother were dysfunctional at best and his older brother wanted nothing more than to run away from the family, but it wasn’t anything too abnormal. he went to parties when invited, got good grades, and had a fairly wide friend group.

his father and his children had a strained relationship, but in his own way he did show his children he loved them. he supported them when grant went towards having similar interests as himself, and he supported them when joseph started finding his passion in the arts.

one day his parents were fighting and his older brother, grant wilson, finally decided to run away for real. when he left, joey never got a chance to see him again until he heard he had been killed trying to kill the teen titans for a terrorist organization called h.i.v.e. many years later.

that day grant ran away though, was the day his father was contracted to kill a man who employed a villain named “jackal”. that death resulted in joseph’s kidnapping by said villain and in him getting his throat sliced - both taking his ability to speak and giving him his father’s blood in his system and triggering his mutant genes.

after joey healed in the hospital, his parents seperated and his mother ran away to new york with most of her things. his mother now resented slade and joey wouldn’t really see him again until much later.

so it was just his mother and him in the big apple and things were pretty relaxed. while he had to be a support rock for his mother, there were no more deaths and things due to slade being slade. life started to look up.

until the pair got mugged one day while shopping and joey found out he had the power to posess someone. after they were held at gunpoint, the boy’s eyes turned black and his irises a bright green and the next thing he knows, he’s in the guys body.

after this ability surfaced around his 11th birthday, joey wanted to be a superhero. he’s seen them on tv and he had this idea in his head he could save the world and bad things would stop happening. when he told his mother, she started training him to fight and got one of her old military friends to help create a bulletproof suit that would grow for him that looks like one of his 2nd comic ones HERE.

his crime “fighting” (he rarely went physical) mostly pertained to the area near the family home, stopping small crimes. he eventually was offered the name jericho by the creator of his original costume and it stuck. around this time his mother also started both her actual company “core policy group” and a side venture “searcher’s inc.”

when he was about 17, his mother had found out that his father was close to going through on the contract that her son, grant, had died trying to do; it was the one to kill the teen titans. so adeline started to watch and found a way to help when most of them were taken. she had told the remaining member about slade and what he did with them.

the catch was that joey had to come if she’d give exacts.

which he did go and after fighting his father, he was made an honorary member of the titans.

he started going on some missions with them and he even lived in the tower so that he could stay close by.

while living there he started to grow closer to the group and it began to become easier to communicate with everyone. he wanted nothing more than to help and to be their friends so after a year or so they made him an actual member. especially after being hospitalized from trying to posess raven when trigon finally got to her.

(okay from this point forward i’ve changed two things from his actual comic appearences: he doesn’t turn genuinely evil, and he doesn’t date david isherwood. he is bisexual and i will never erase that, but the second of those two things was creepy because david watched joey grow up and the first thing just wasn’t in line with what his personality has always been. he was always the lawful good of slade’s children and i ain’t doing that.)

after he got initiated into the teen titans he almost betrayed their trust. his mother was kidnapped and because the government was trying to find both of them, her for possible treason and him for questioning, some of the group distrusted him when he fled after cheshire took her. he went after her and after they all got home he explained everything. it would take a while to regain their trust.

and when he did AGAIN something happened. a year later, when he was around 19 years old, his morality started to change. he started to do things out of character and it would be argued he turned evil. it turns out he was starting to be taken over by the trigon-corrupted souls of azarath as they couldn’t enter raven. he started this whole event where he tried to take over the world but when his real self finally came through he found he was surrounded by friends and his father. his last words were asking his father to kill him, and so he did.

or that’s what joseph thought. when he woke up in a hospital (again) he found himself back to normal. but, he still didn’t trust himself to join the titans again. he went evil and he didn’t want to again. especially in front of his friends. so when he finally could, he emailed them telling them he quit and deleted the account. then changing his phone number and moving to a flat that his mother “technically” bought.

then his mother wanted to help him in the real world and offered him a major place at her job, which he accepted with open arms. there he got a assistant/interpreter and they kind of hit it off.

she helped him learn more about the business world and while they spent so much time together they developed feelings for eachother. they were about the same age and it was a perfect life. Sure, he had the itch to go and be a hero again, but he stayed for his life and even started college.

it was perfect until it wasn’t. he was 22 then and he had decided to get engaged and tell his family. he told his mother, who was conflicted, his half sister who had been in his life on and off, and then an old family friend: david isherwood. david had a suit that could fly from wherever he was, so joey invited him over to meet étienne so he could get to know her. when they got to talking up on the roof in private on his final night in new york, david didn’t approve and started to threaten to tell her about his past alter ego.

honestly, joey was scared because he wanted to keep that part of his life in the past and while this boy wouldn’t hurt a single bone in someone else’s body, he impulsively did something that he regretted the moment it happened; he took over david’s body and then jumped off the building. he made eye contact at the last second with a passerby and then he cried.

over the course of the night he wound up taking his ikon suit (look HERE for more) to hide david’s identity (later to be used as his own personal suit) and, after realizing he was alive, taking him to a hospital as the passerby. when he went back to the rooftop he took back over his body and he had to convince the woman not to call the police.

following the possible death of a role model, he started to have migraines and after seeing a doctor about it and them telling him to think about seeing a therapist, he ignored them and kept taking pain medication (eventually moving up to oxycodon when his perscription ended) that he should need. he eventually grew dependent on them and afterwards it started to affect his life. he hid his problems and around this time he also took on the stress of being an independent hero again. he told his fiance all about his past so that they can look for the future.

so three days before his wedding date, three things happen: 1. he finds out that his fiance is cheating on him with his father and working with the government to spy on slade, 2. he brings back david isherwood from the dead, 3. he has a major fight with his fiance and she decides to stay in the hotel until their wedding day.

on their wedding day she sort of died... murdered on the chapel stairs... so basically that started an episode. he started by mourning and then gave further into his addiction, resulting in him attacking his father and then shattering his sister’s skull when she tried to stop him. he genuinely thought his father was responsible when in reality it was his sister (but not).

while dealing with his loss, he also had to deal with his father’s insanity again when he tried to make things better in his life by stealing the flash’s superspeed and saving grant wilson from dying. this is the first time he sees the titans again and he decides to stay in david’s suit HERE to keep them from recognizing him.

after stopping his father he finally goes get help with a “narcotics anonymous” group. during this time he can heal more when david tells him he forgives joey.

this past year he has joined a group his mother started and - arguably - slade wilson leads called “project defiance”. it’s a good guy group and the only reason he joined was for his mother and to find out a definitive answer on who killed his fiance.

on this team he also starts dating romantically again instead of the short and sweet relationships he started to go through.

sometime down this line his father actually gets “kidnapped” by the, mutated, david isherwood. joseph helps him for a hot minute out but in the process his suit is turned off mid-flight. he ends up in the hospital yet again and he refuses to take pain medication because he’s really sticking through with recovery.

about a month before the infinity war, he decided to quit project defiance when there was nothing to really benefit from but the team disbanded when a team member, karen starr, looked to be dead.

after he left the project, he decided to keep on the heroing and keep up with all his career things too. he was finally in a better place, despite having to worry about his family and his boyfriend’s more mundane problems, and he was finally getting the therapy he needed.

then word of thanos reached him. he decided that despite the ikon suit being useless, he had to help. maybe he can get in him and figure out his motives or something- so he left to join the war.

when he finally got there he was rendered useless mere minutes after looking into thanos’ eyes through the ones of one of the other enemys. his astral body was inside thanos for a second before he was sent out by thanos; the shock was like when he was cast out from raven. he was paralyzed, but back in his own body on the battlefield. this time there was no time to take him to heal somewhere and when thanos finally had all the stones, he was with the unfortunate half of the universe.

SIX MONTHS LATER - ( STATISTICS )

well maybe unfortunate wasn’t that true. when adrian came to be, there wasn’t a forced smile or even weight on his shoulders. he was at peace.

when joseph woke up as adrian he had woken up on the streets of new york, guitar case on his back and a tune in his head. he already had his life story- well the parts that he could remember. he knew that he was on his way to the crowded apartment he called home just for a moment: long enough to grab his sketchpad and charcoal pencil.

adrian’s past is something of mystery. the first thing he remembers in life was his 13 year old self in a white room and lights. apparently, his father and him were in an accident, him being the survivor, and he didn’t have a mother to remember. he didn’t have permanent injuries besides him losing his voice, but that didn’t hurt him.

whatever happened didn’t concern him (you can’t grieve what you can’t remember), a mysterious aunt and cousin (who he’d come to know as the younger, but headstrong, alessandra “alex” lo - formerly known as rose wilson) came into his life to take care of the young woods kid and soon everything was okay.

adrian lived a happy life in a small town near nyc. he was a popular kid; he played guitar for the jazz band, he knew just about everyone, he was the sweetest little thing, he painted the town square mural, and there was just something in him people felt drawn to. he and his cousin were inseperable and genuinely life seemed pretty grand.

so when he graduated and decided to try his music career in the big apple, the town told him to visit and just about everyone sent him a little gift in the mail. it was a really sweet gesture.

when he got to the city, things were pretty good. he bumped into problems due to his voice, but he still managed things and generally the vibes were something that just worked for him.

day one he had actually found roomates by accident and rolled with it and the next year he started making his money through the arts. he painted portraits in central park (despite his art being personal, he felt like painting for others made it so much easier to connect and he just loved features) and then one day he had his guitar and started playing while he was waiting for the next person.

next thing he knows he has an actual job in a bar in town and he’s doing that too: playing guitar on their makeshift stage.

now he’s still doing that and he’s just content. one day he’ll get a big break, but does he even want that anymore? he’s never been this content with himself, even if he’s starting to question what happened to him.

he’s content, but sometimes depression hits him but that’s just life. he just feels like some of this is funny and sometimes he just wonders if this is what he deserves or was supposed to do. he’ll have episodes every once and a while and they can last as long as he’s thinking. and he thinks a lot.

obviously i don’t have as much detail here, but basically if you knew joseph and met adrian you’d be so much happier for him. i kind of imagine that his mother, for example, plays into the lie?? once she found out her son was alive of course. because just his life was just turning around but he was constantly waiting for something bad to happen and here he’s just like “am i supposed to be feeling this content, i feel awful for it” up and down. but it’s like he’s better off being the fake him.

basically this is what his life could have been like without the family he had.

also his powers are still triggered because they were from his father’s blood on the blade in his past life but he doesn’t know that yet. i imagine he’ll find out by accident but someone come and attack him please. or put him in a situation.

#infinites:intro #/ this is so much and i am so so so so sorry #also this is a mess and i know #i'm just sliding into those starters now

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patriotsnet · 3 years

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What Are The Differences In Democrats And Republicans

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What Are The Differences In Democrats And Republicans

What Does Democratic Mean

Democrats Vs Republicans | What is the difference between Democrats and Republicans?

Starting alphabetically, the word democraticmeans pertaining to or of the nature of democracy or a democracy.

Simply put, the lowercase democratic is a word used to refer to anything that resembles or has to do with a democracy, a form of government in which the supreme power rests with the people and is exercised by them directly or by politicians that they elect to represent them. In practice, this is usually accomplished through a fair, organized system of voting, in which;citizens or representatives cast votes in support of political candidates or societal issues .;

So, the word democratic is used to describe government systems that are or resemble democracies and the people that run these types of governments. The United States of America is a representative democracy in which the people elect representatives to perform the demands of politics on their behalf. This is why we say that the US is a democratic country or that we have a democratic form of government.;

The English word democratic dates all the way back to the late 1500 and early 1600s. It is derived from the Greek word dmokratía . The government system of the ancient Greek city-state of Athens, in which the people held the power , is considered the worlds first democracy. Considering that Athens was a patriarchal slave-owning society, its form of democracy was much different than the democratic governments of today.;

Most Americans Say Partisan Disagreements Extend Beyond Policies To Basic Facts

Fully 73% of the public says that most Republican and Democratic voters not only disagree over plans and policies, but also disagree on basic facts. Just 26% say that while partisan voters often differ over plans and policies, they can agree on basic facts. These opinions have changed only modestly since last year.

Comparable majorities of Republicans and Democrats say that Republican and Democratic voters cannot agree on basic facts.

What Is The Republican Party

Republican Party is a historical political party in the USA. The GOP is another name of the party. It is one of the two major political parties in the United States. It was established in 1854. Abraham Lincoln was the first president of the Republican Party. Washington DC is the headquarters of this party. Its symbol is the elephant, and the color is red. For example:-

Read more: Bureaucratic Management vs. Participatory Management.

Recommended Reading: Donald Trump Calling Republicans Stupid

Is The United States A Republic Or A Democracy

The following statement is often used to define the United States’ system of government: “The United States is a republic, not a democracy. This statement suggests that the concepts and characteristics of republics and democracies can never coexist in a single form of government. However, this is rarely the case. As in the United States, most republics function as blended representational democracies featuring a democracys political powers of the majority tempered by a republics system of checks and balances enforced by a constitution that protects the minority from the majority.

To say that the United States is strictly a democracy suggests that the minority is completely unprotected from the will of the majority, which is not correct.

What Is The Difference Between Presidential And Radical Reconstruction

The main difference between Presidential and Congressional Reconstruction was the degree of leniency they afforded to former confederate states. Under Congressional Reconstruction, former confederate states would have to meet stricter demands, such as the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Read Also: Democrats Voting For Trump

An African American Majority In The South Carolina Legislature

Because blacks in South Carolina vastly outnumbered whites, the newly-enfranchised voters were able to send so many African American representatives to the state assembly that they outnumbered the whites. Many were able legislators who worked to rewrite the state constitution and pass laws ensuring aid to public education, universal male franchise, and civil rights for all.

Bookmark this item: //www.loc.gov/exhibits/african-american-odyssey/reconstruction.html#obj12

Individual Vs Collective Rights

2021 Democrats VS Republicans- Round 2 | What is the difference between Democrats and Republicans?

Republicans believe in individual rights and in the survival of the fittest; and

Democrats believe in collective rights over individual rights.

While the differences between the two parties are clear, not all Democrats have the same ideas and not all Republicans support all the traditional beliefs of the GOP. The two parties have become so big that it is almost impossible to understand where they really stand on certain issues. For instance, while traditionally Republicans are against abortion and in favor of death penalty, there are cases in which Republican representatives have expressed their support for free choice and have condemned the use of capital punishment.

Furthermore, while Republicans traditionally advocate for a small government that should not interfere in the private sphere, they do support some big government stances when they insist on the need of imposing government regulations on abortion. In the same way, while Democrats advocate for a big government that should intervene in economic and social decisions, they support free choice and believe that the government should have no say on abortion and should not interfere with a womans pregnancy.

Summary

The traditional, right-leaning Republican Party opposes the liberal, left-leaning Democratic Party on economic, social and political matters:

Recommended Reading: What Is The Lapel Pin The Republicans Are Wearing

History Of The Democratic And Republican Parties

The Democratic Party traces its origins to the anti-federalist factions around the time of Americas independence from British rule. These factions were organized into the Democrat Republican party by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and other influential opponents of the Federalists in 1792.

The Republican party is the younger of the two parties. Founded in 1854 by anti-slavery expansion activists and modernizers, the Republican Party rose to prominence with the election of Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican president. The party presided over the American Civil War and Reconstruction and was harried by internal factions and scandals towards the end of the 19th century.

Since the division of the Republican Party in the election of 1912, the Democratic party has consistently positioned itself to the left of the Republican Party in economic as well as social matters. The economically left-leaning activist philosophy of Franklin D. Roosevelt, which has strongly influenced American liberalism, has shaped much of the party’s economic agenda since 1932. Roosevelt’s New Deal coalition usually controlled the national government until 1964.

The Republican Party today supports a pro-business platform, with foundations in economic libertarianism, and fiscal and social conservatism.

What Is The Difference Between Republicans And Democrats

Republicans and Democrats are the two main and historically the largest political parties in the US and, after every election, hold the majority seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate as well as the highest number of Governors. Though both the parties mean well for the US citizens, they have distinct differences that manifest in their comments, decisions, and history. These differences are mainly ideological, political, social, and economic paths to making the US successful and the world a better place for all. Differences between the two parties that are covered in this article rely on the majority position though individual politicians may have varied preferences.

Recommended Reading: Why Do Republicans Hate Planned Parenthood

Which Of The Following Was A Provision Of The Reconstruction Act Of 1867

The Reconstruction Acts of 1867 laid out the process for readmitting Southern states into the Union. The Fourteenth Amendment provided former slaves with national citizenship, and the Fifteenth Amendment granted black men the right to vote.

What are the four powers of the president as outlined in Article 2?

History Of The Republican Party

The Republican Party came into existence just prior to the Civil War due to their long-time stance in favor of abolition of slavery. They were a small third-party who nominated John C. Freemont for President in 1856. In 1860 they became an established political party when their nominee Abraham Lincoln was elected as President of the United States. Lincolns Presidency throughout the war, including his policies to end slavery for good helped solidify the Republican Party as a major force in American politics. The elephant was chosen as their symbol in 1874 based on a cartoon in Harpers Weekly that depicted the new party as an elephant.

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What Did Radical Republicans Believe

Radical Republicanswere

The Radical Republicans were a faction of the Republican Party during the American Civil War. They were distinguished by their fierce advocacy for the abolition of slavery, enfranchisement of black citizens, and holding the Southern states financially and morally culpable for the war.

Secondly, how did the radical Republicans differ from the Republican majority? Moderate Republicans, and the majority of the Republican Party, wanted assurance that slavery and treason were dead. Radical Republicans, on the other hand, hoped that reconstruction could achieve black equality, free land distribution to former slaves, and voting rights for African Americans.

Beside this, what was the Radical Republicans plan?

The Radical Republicansâ reconstruction offered all kinds of new opportunities to African Americans, including the vote , property ownership, education, legal rights, and even the possibility of holding political office. By the beginning of 1868, about 700,000 African Americans were registered voters.

Who were the Radical Republicans?

In Congress, the most influential Radical Republicans were U.S. Senator Charles Sumner and U.S. Representative Thaddeus Stevens. They led the call for a war that would end slavery.

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ruslanalekseev · 3 years

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Was Hiruzen a Good Hokage?

No. As many people have already pointed out, Hiruzen was very indecisive, and he always did what his advisors told him to. Which wouldnt be that bad, if not the fact that almost every single one of their decisions were suggested to them by Danzo.

Hiruzen might have had good intentions, but good intentions wont do you much good, if:You orchestrate the massacre of one of the founding clans in your village. You dont react to bullying towards the villages probably most valuable shinobi.You cant even bring yourself to killing one of the greatest criminals from your village

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What if a gay person was elected as the POTUS?

We have already had a gay President. James Buchanan Jr. was the 15th President (18571861) He was a member of the Democratic Party.

The only president to remain a bachelor, Buchanan's personal life has attracted great historical interest. Buchanan had a close and intimate relationship with William Rufus King, an Alabama politician. Buchanan and King lived together in a Washington boardinghouse for many years, from 1834 until King's departure for France in 1844.

King referred to the relationship as a "communion", and the two attended social functions together. Contemporaries also noted the closeness. Andrew Jackson called King "Miss Nancy" and prominent Democrat Aaron V.

Brown referred to King as Buchanan's "better half", "wife" and "Aunt Fancy"

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How did Canada manage to control COVID 19 so well despite its shared border with the US?

When doctors and scientists here in Canada told us that the COVID-19 virus would not only kill some people, but others who contracted the disease might suffer permanent damage to organs and body systems, we listened and became afraid. Then, when it was shown some young children also suffered devastating organ failures, we knew we must all do what we can to protect ourselves and others.

We didnt each need to personally know someone who has been so affected, we just imagined how our own actions could cause this result. For some reason, Americans do not seem to feel that same empathy for their fellow citizens. Tragic and sad

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What is the significance of WhatsApp for Facebook?

Why did Facebook acquire WhatsApp at such a hefty price of $19 billion?

Let us think about it. Say you are talking to your girlfriemd and you decide to go for a movie coming weekend.

It is not a big information for you. But for facebook it is a priceless piece of information. Since it they know now that you ar going to the movie they will project all the ads that is pertaining to movie going.

. Hence facebook achieves a greater accuracy of targeted ads. And hence 19Billion dollars.

Also facebook knows everything about you except your messages to your intimate people. Now that they bought whatsapp they literally know everything about you to sell you out when the time comes.

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Will Joe Biden be worse than Trump?

Worse at what? I guess it depends on what you value and what you place importance on. If youre a Republican partisan it doesnt matter what Biden does itll be worse than Trump.

If youre a Democrat partisan it doesnt matter what Biden does because itll be better than Trump. If youre an independent youll recognize that all Presidents have pluses and minuses. Theyll do things at annoy you and things youll applaud.

I didnt vote for Trump in 16 and hes done things I despise and things I applaud. I didnt vote for Obama either time and he did thinks I liked and things I hated

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Do many Chinese people hate Fujianese people?

I don't know where did you get this view.

In college, I had a roommate coming from Fujian who is an authentic, courteous, helpful person with lots of computer's knowledge. Every time our computers occur in problems, our first thought is to seek for his help not to go maintenance store straightly because of its expensive charge. There are a few Fujianese.

as far as I'm concerned, They all good person through conversation and cooperation. But, I can't say Fujianese all good people since I had met all good Fujianese. In working with people, The significant thing We need to do is giving our sincere heart to them.

Similarly, you will be rewarded for your sowing.

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How old should a kid be before seeing Deadpool?

FWIW, the airline cut is devoid of *all* sexual content (to the point of blurring out the slight glimpse of butt-crack visible in the opening credits, as well as losing the Stan Lee cameo), but I dont believe they removed *any* of the violence or swearing.

What a country!As for child-appropriateness, it depends on the child. I was OK with my kid seeing the airline cut because he never swears and he doesnt like gory violence (it wasnt too gruesome on my 5 phone screen).

Other kids his age may not be able to handle this material. Heck, I know adults who wouldnt do so well with this material

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How can we stop people from throwing garbage in the empty plots?

Please know that if people throw biodegradable garbage only in an empty plot after removing all plastics and dry wastes, you are actually replenishing the ground.

This will improve vegetation of the plot.The second approach is to promote home composting and community composting. This can happen only if there is source segregation.

Third approach is to penalize through a law.Instal leaves composter in the entrance of the plot and encourage people to deposit the dried leaves into it. Many aesthetically good looking composters are available.

The process is very simple and no stink involved.Be creative and you will have many more options. Cheers.

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Could we derive energy from gravity in space?

You mean free flowing gravity? Yes.

Look at a grandfather clock and see the weights it has to keep it going. Except for dams most of the ways are small but all together make up huge amounts. You could use the same clock system method with a much larger counter weight and just by hand moving it back up daily to the top would generate constant power.

In other words you could produce huge amounts of potential power by a little daily hand labor.Now you got me wondering if there is a natural limit it this because it is not being done or that people are just lazy in not doing this

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How will the GOP change if Trump loses to Biden?

I dont think they will change at all, at least in the short term.

Trumps presidency has done one useful thing - exposed the corrupt innards of the Democratic party, and the Republicans, with or without Trump, are going to want to follow through on things, especially when the Durham report comes out. Trump has also shown how to do things economically, such that even Biden wants to plagiarize him. Theres been absolutely nothing wrong with his policies.

They were working great prior to the pandemic and theres no reason to think they wont work again when things finally get back to normal

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Who is the best teacher for sociology for the UPSC optional preparation in Delhi?

Hello there .I am a Civil engineer , who did not have any prior knowledge about sociology .

I was an expressive person and with the suggestions of friends , I chose sociology as my optional .I went to Pranay Aggarwal Sir and that was the best decision I made . Reasons :-He took classes in small batches with led me to focus more on the subject .

He is very interactive which makes sociology come out very naturally from oneself .He is very helpful and extremely accepting of different ideas which gave me confidence and started loving the subject . His notes are all encompassing and I can vouch for it

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Why was Paul Manafort sent to prison?

This just reported by NY Times:Banker Accused of Arranging $16 Million in Loans to Manafort to Gain High-Level Trump PostA banker in Chicago has been changed with trying to buy an appointment as Treasury Secretary. He arranged $16 million in loans to Paul Mafort. I dont know if the prosecutors knew about that alleged crime when Manafort was sent to prison.

This news certainly speaks to what kind of person Manafort is. It continues to astound me how corrupt Trump is that he picks people like Manafort. How can Trump voters have been so clueless to have voted for this narcissistic(oops, I better restrain myself).

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Why was the Roman Empire so successful?

the roman empire was successful in its government form.it probably had the most advanced government in ancient times, a republic which represent each of the classes in society.

Outsiders or barbarians could also aspire to gain citizenship if they work hard enough, slaves could gain or buy their freedom. This makes roman empire have a equal opportunity system similar to the american dream.But things slowly deteriorated once ceasar become dictator for life, or sulla and marius trying to monopolize power through using the military triumphs.

It lead to rise of emperors and rulers not acccountable to the public, and right to rule slowly degenerate into hereditary succession or military coup.

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Did the music of led Zeppelin change your life?

Yes!

As does every song does, some more than others. The Rain Song played while I was enjoying the company of a young lady I met on Manhattan Beach as I was coming out the ocean, exhausted from surfing for 5 hours. I collapsed on my board and was laying there taking in the scene when this beautiful blonde girl with curly hair, piercing blue eyes, and a body of a Black girl, blocked the sun, looked down and said are you ok?

. That was the beginning of summer of 91 and we had fun. Especially the night we spent in a motel on the beach, listening to led Zeppelin

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Who is the most under appreciated American president?

Adams greatest war president in our nations history.When almost everyone in the young country wanted war with France egged on by that snake Jefferson. Adams held back, he understood war was not necessary would be destructive and would cripple the country for decades, he also well understood his stand would likely cost him his reelection but he stood firm.

The country did not go to war but he did loose his office. Such a shame the country remembers the man who did his most noble service as a citizen under an English king and not the man who formed the nation after the Revolutionary War

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Why did you leave Hinduism for Islam?

People group or regroup into religion for rudimentary security reasons, not due to any love for a religion.

Any person who understands the first alphabet of any religion will know the purpose of religion is to help and serve the society he or she lives selflessly, particularly those who donu2019t follow his/her beliefs and faith has to be served, loved and cared.If someone thinks that his/her religious group is better than the other, it discredit the fundamental first alphabet of the religion. Islam, Hinduism or any religion in the world, if it is practiced by grouping and subgrouping its practioners, it is deplorably divisive for the society and in general human welfare

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In WW2 during the Battle of France, why did it take so long for France to surrender?

Why didn't France surrender earlier?

France waited so that the English could be evacuated from Dunkirk. They held the German back while the small boats could get in and get the boys home.

Then they had a resistance to organise not easy when you have a whole lot of tanks running over your toes. Finally, the Italians decided to pop in for a late entry in the game of conquest so they had them to send packing. Then they surrendered.

That is to say the French Government surrendered, the French people on the other hand fought on.If you have ever seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you see just how ferocious the French can be in their taunting of opponents.

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jopok-krp · 3 years

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Personality:

hyunwoo is far from the nicest. he has a cold exterior and prefers to be by himself rather than around others; a good day for him consists of staying home while playing games or working. he has a hard time communicating in person due to his lack of verbal speech, and he absolutely despises anyone that looks down on him for using KSL or text to communicate with others. his words towards those that do so are incredibly harsh, though that isn’t too far off from how he acts in the first place. he tends to give short and blunt answers, and he’s far from afraid to let people know if he isn’t interested in them in general.

with hyunwoo, you reap what you sow. he isn’t overly rude to those that are nice to him, and he knows when others are putting in an effort to interact civilly. those are the people he respects and finds himself enjoying interaction with, even if it’s only vaguely.

Background:

𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜: 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙

born into a family of hackers belonging to a notorious group known as omicron, hyunwoo starts out his life comfortably. they have no shortage of money to spend on the necessities and more, and they certainly have no shortage of affection to offer their son. it’s a healthy environment, one where hyunwoo goes through school far easier than most kids his age. he learns to read and write quicker and aces his tests, though he hardly interacts with his peers. his parents and teachers chalk it up to him being shy, especially when the child is almost always happy in his parents’ company.

truth be told, his lack of seeking out others to socialize doesn’t seem to be that big of an issue. his parents take that opportunity to offer hyunwoo early insight towards their line of work, and he’s all too happy to indulge in the digital world. the numbers and countless lines of code mean nothing to him yet, but he enjoys immersing himself in different games more and more over the years.

[ 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍: 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍. ]

𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜: 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙣𝙙

hyunwoo opens up to people eventually. he makes a few friends in middle school, most of which seem more interested in his intellect than his personality — but that’s okay, because “at least you’re making friends.” he genuinely likes some of them, at least, and the moral of the story for this ten-year-old seventh grader goes as follows: not all people suck.

he progresses through life as any kid would (with added work, of course, but he doesn’t mind), spending time with friends here and there but clearly enjoying books and games far more. he has a knack for technology that slowly grows as time goes on with his parents’ added pointers gearing him towards learning about the inner workings of it all in the future; after all, they’d love for their son to work with omicron just like they do when he gets older. he has the tools to become a prodigy, so why not?

[ 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚗𝚍: 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍. ]

𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜: 𝙞𝙘𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙞𝙣

the shortage starts when hyunwoo is thirteen, and his family works tirelessly with omicron to find any and all information they can. when hyunwoo isn’t in high school (skipping grades due to his own intellect put him as possibly the youngest sophomore at his school), he’s at home doing homework or watching his parents work side-by-side. this only becomes an issue when his mother manages to hack into an elite family’s cameras, and, though hyunwoo doesn’t understand the exact importance of it, his parents clearly do. they all gather around the monitor and watch as the higher class swim in ridiculously large pools filled to the brim with water that most people could only dream of having at this point in time, and they truly believe they’ve found the breakthrough they needed to force some kind of response from the government. —which would be great, if hyunwoo didn’t lean forward a bit too far and hit a few keys on the keyboard. the led light for their camera flashes on for a mere second, and then everything turns off all at once. it isn’t hyunwoo’s fault, not really— not when their defenses are far too weak in the first place with elites lurking just behind encrypted lines of code and waiting for the right moment to counterattack. he doesn’t register just how bad the damage may be in that moment anyway.

his parents share worried glances, and then they continue on under the same mindset hyunwoo had for that moment: all that happened was he crashed their programs on accident, and it didn’t mean a single thing. days pass of hyunwoo continuing on at school, of his parents contacting omicron and trying to hack into the cameras all over again. if only things continued on that way.

it starts with a relatively odd occurrence at school; hyunwoo gets called down to the office to check out early, but he doesn’t recognize the person waiting for him. the person claims to be his mother’s cousin who is there to get him because his mother fell ill suddenly and is currently being taken to the hospital. at the time, hyunwoo decides not to question it; after all, the school has a strict policy of strangers not being allowed to take anyone anywhere. this person surely is related to him and documented somewhere in their system, so he goes with them while asking far too many distressed questions about the state of his mother.

it’s unfortunate that the situation continues on with hyunwoo being taken somewhere that definitely isn’t a hospital nor his home— even more unfortunate when he’s put in a room and held for ransom to lure out his parents and maybe even other members of the hacker organization his family took part in.

the days are long and painful.

in the end, no one comes for him. it’s as if he’s forgotten — lost in a system he hardly understands. they try to get information from him, of all people; him who didn’t have a single ‘technologically gifted or important’ friend to point out to them, him who was at least smart enough to feign some level of ignorance when it came down to his parents’ line of work.

eventually, the elites run out of use for him. he clearly isn’t a good bargaining chip, nor is he any good for spilling loads of information even under pressure (but holy shit, was that ‘pressure’ of theirs harsh for a child), and nor is he useful for keeping the situation contained when others have already done what omicron failed to — so, ultimately, they “let him go.”

letting him go consists of the following: they take him someplace secluded and tell him he’s free to go as long as he keeps his mouth shut. the moment he gets out of the car and they deem no one else to be around, they slit his throat and leave him there (“why would we let a kid like you cause more trouble for us?”).

he feels and hears his own scream at first, and then he’s silent. the world goes dark, slowly but surely.

[ 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍. 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝟸𝟶𝟶 𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚜. ] [ > 𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚚𝚍 > 𝚒𝚍𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚟 𝙼𝙰𝙿𝟹𝟶 ]

𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜: 𝙞𝙘𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙞𝙣

hyunwoo wakes up what can only be days (weeks, maybe? who knows) later in a hospital bed. his throat feels raw and his whole body aches, but the worst part? he can’t speak. he tries to make a sound countless times, but nothing comes out; it’s only when he reaches over for the nurse call button that he receives any sort of answer — and the answer he does get isn’t one he likes. the nurse tells him not to so much as try to speak because his vocal cords were damaged, and he’d likely be dead if someone hadn’t seen him and dialed 112.

weeks pass by of slow recovery, his only visitor being the person who saw him in the first place. he gets through it, somehow, and the moment he’s discharged he asks the lady to take him home. the only thing he wants is home these days — something about homesickness, something about not knowing where else to go.

he returns to an empty home devoid of any sentient beings, though it seems as if that’s what his parents wanted.

so, at thirteen, hyunwoo takes what his parents left to him (a house, money, a note tucked away with instructions and resources pertaining to various things) and lives the best he can. it’s hard at first; he’s young, and his mind can only handle so much despite his keen intellect.

things get better, though; he progresses through life slowly. first, he learns to take care of himself— eating properly, keeping the place decently clean, finally wrapping his head around how some financial aspects work. two years later, he begins using the other resources his parents provided— learning the basics of coding and attending school online. two years after that at age seventeen, he graduates high school and moves on to college as an online attendee. he uses money left over and money gathered from the small side job he works (a hacking-for-fun type thing, something that won’t get him in legal trouble but still nets him some money) to pay for the tuition, and that’s that.

somewhere along the line, he gets himself tangled into a bit more than he ever thought he would. he becomes a far better hacker than intended (his focus is cybersecurity, after all, so maybe that’s what gave him those tools), and his attitude towards his side job becomes far more serious the moment he realizes some of the people wanting his services are involved in far less legal aspects. that’s okay, though, because hyunwoo — omega, now — is twenty and good at finding information about others that is buried so, so deep in the depths of the internet. he works for whoever pays the most and decides he can be a bit picky with what jobs he accepts; his services are limited due to his own cold disinterest and his desire to finish his degree.

at twenty-one, he graduates college and, again, moves on. he doesn’t care for a “proper” job anymore; others coming to him to dig up information on interesting people is far better, so he continues down that path. omega becomes notorious in his own right, though it isn’t always for his good work; a lot of his notoriety stems from the fact he turns down clients in a heartbeat if they don’t offer him a good payment or an interesting job to complete.

[ 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚛 𝙾𝙼𝙴𝙶𝙰! 𝚔𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝟷𝟶𝟶% 𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚜 𝟷𝟶𝟶% 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝 𝟷𝟶𝟶% 𝚅𝙸𝙲𝚃𝙾𝚁𝚈. ]

#JOPOK ; acceptance

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tanadrin · 6 years

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A Short Description of the Government and Society of Nihwar

IN THE MANNER of such Travelers that have gone before me, as the learned Hythlodaeus and the doughty Gulliver, I offer here a Brief Account of my journeys in a far-distant Land, which is known in its own tongue as NI-HWAR; its people being one of those Ancient and Lost Tribes of Europe, viz., the OSTROGOTHS. They, like me, stumbled across this Rugged and Remote Island while wandering in the Carpathians, being Accosted by an emotionally unstable Wormhole--I, on my Summer Holiday, they during one of their ancient Migrations through the Dark Forests of the Long Medium Aevum. Blessedly, though they perforce settled in that rugged country, they have in the intervening Centuries made it a Hospitable and Modern Civilisation, and I was able to catch an Easy-Jet Flight home. Though my Sojurn in those parts was but a few Weeks, I found that, though their language was Uncouth, their Manners Strange, and their Mores Foreign, I found it most Instructive on matters pertaining to the Ideal State of the Human Animal, and its relation to Society and Government. In the Spirit both of such Journeys as Mine, and as a Concession to Modern Aestheticks, I have elected to render the remainder of this Account in the Manner of an Article from Wikipedia.

[This started out as an attempt to collect semi-realistic ideas on a practical utopia, from the grandiose to the mundane; it ended up mostly as a parody of the Wikipedia article on Iceland, littered with puns based on shoddy historical linguistics. Make of it what you will.]

Niwhar (/ˈnɪhʷar/), officially the Oathbound Kindreds of the Woodlands and the Windlands (Nihwaran: Aithbundana Kunja þize Widiwlanda iþþize Windlanda) is an island country located in the [REDACTED] Sea. It has a population of 162,511 and an area of 25,201 km. The capital and largest city is Nibaurgs. Located near the Mid-[REDACTED] Rift, Nihwar is volcanically active. The southern, western, and eastern fringes of the island are bordered by high mountains, and the northern coast is cut off by ice nine months of the year. The only warm-water port on the island is Grewsteins, on the eastern shore of Rignwato Bay.[1] The interior of the island is a mix of boreal forest in the south and tundra in the north.

According to the ancient manuscripts of the Skitagsailandboka, Nihwar was settled by a band of wandering Ostrogoths, whose chieftain refused to ask for directions,[2] “even long after it became clear that this was not the way to Italy.”[3] Over subsequent centuries, the small population of Goths was augmented by Viking exiles, Inuit fishermen, and a boatload of “very confused” Maghrebi pirates. The island was loosely organized into often-feuding chiefdoms until the beginning of the 14th century, when Heidrek the Hairless united representatives of the entire island at the First Thing (Nihwaran Gothic: Þingamaidjig). Although occasionally interrupted by civil strife, constitutional crises, war, and abuse of the rules on filibusters, Things continually met at semi-regular intervals until the early 1800s. In 1811, due to political disorganization caused by a growing population and influential new political ideas imported from Europe and North America, a constitutional convention was called at Nibaurgs, which after three years produced the Constitutions of Niwhar, the basis of its modern government.

Political reforms accompanied economic reforms, and Niwhar expanded from a primarily subsistence-farming based economy to one based heavily on mining, lumber, and fossil fuels. Modern Nihwar is one of the wealthiest countries in Eurasia, with the 12th-highest GDP in the world.

Nihwaran culture is founded on the nation’s eclectic heritage and industrious, if occasionally rowdy, spirit. The main language of Nihwar is Nihwaran Gothic, a highly conservative East Germanic language which has remained almost unchanged for the past twelve hundred years.[4][5][6] The country’s rich cultural heritage includes traditional cuisine,[7] the Nihwaran saga,[8] and small, careful arrangements of rocks.

Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Geography 4 Politics 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Culture 8 References 9 Further Reading

ETYMOLOGY The origin of the common name for the country, “Nihwar,” is unrecorded, but it is noted in the Skitagsailandboka that it was “considered appropriate for the condition and climate of the region in which we found ourselves.” The formal name of the country is a reference to the oath sworn to the national constitutions at the First Thing, as well as the various chieftaincies and tribal divisions which formally constitute the federal structure of Nihwaran government.

HISTORY The Settlement Period: ca. 550 - 800 See also: Scitagsailandboka

This section is a stub. You can help by adding to it.

Feuding Chiefdoms See also: War of the Horse, War of the Bucket (Nihwar), The Fight Behind Athanaric’s Barn (1104), War of the Insult to Gryggja’s Mother, War over Who Gets Granny Hervar’s Silver, The Fight Behind Athanaric’s Barn (1202), The Fight Behind Athanaric’s Barn (1211)

This section is a stub. You can help by adding to it.

Early Modern Period See also: Rediscovery of Nihwar, Second Rediscovery of Nihwar, The Existence of Nee-Warr: Fact or Fiction? (1602)

This section is a stub. You can help by adding to it.

Constitutional Convention This section is a stub. You can help by adding to it.

19th Century This section is a stub. You can help by adding to it.

20th & 21st Centuries This section is a stub. You can help by adding to it.

Geography This section is a stub. You can help by adding to it.

POLITICS Nihwar has a multi-party political system. Its most recent election was in 2016, resulting a parliament led by a center-left coalition, and the re-election of the incumbent Lawspeaker, Ragnagild Thiudareiksdauhtar. The largest party, and the leader of the governing coalition, is the Nihwaran Citizen’s League.[9]

Politics on the cantonal and municipal level tends to be heavily contested in Nihwar, and many regional, local, and single-issue parties exist that do not contest elections on the national level. Some national parties, like the NCL, tend to be formed by shifting coalitions of smaller parties, while others are of longer-standing duration.

By law, all campaigns in Nihwar are publicly funded, and restricted to the 60-day period before each election.

Constitutions Nihwar has two constitutions. The first and elder is the Grundlags, adopted by the Thing in 1811 (subsequently heavily amended). The Grundlags lays out the structure of federal government, the rights of the cantons, and the shared competencies of the cantons and federal government. The second constitution, the Mannareihtsleistan, adopted in the 1920s, enumerates individual rights of citizens and residents of Nihwar, including rights which the federal and cantonal governments are obligated to protect, as well as rights which are also protected from infringement by private agents.

Federal Government Nihwar is a federal republic comprised of nine cantons (six of which are divided into half-cantons), organized under a presidential system, though it is sometimes characterized also as a semi-presidential system. The head of state and government in Nihwar is the Lagsogareis, elected every four years by popular vote, who administers foreign policy, the diplomatic service, and acts as head of the armed forces should the need arise. The legislature is the Kunsamnonunga, which is elected every two years. The largest party in the Kunsamnonunga, if a majority, or the largest coalition of parties, has the right to select the Kunsogareis, who administers domestic and economic policy. Although formally the Lagsogareis is responsible for the appointment of heads of executive departments, in practice executive appointments are the result of consultation between the Lagsogareis and the Kunsogareis. In the event of the death or incapacity of the Lagsogareis, the Kunsogareis can temporarily assume the powers of the office.

The Kunsamnonunga is elected from single-member districts using range voting. Before 1996, Kunsamnonunga elections used the single-transferable vote system. Range voting was adopted as part of the 2005 electoral reform package, which first applied to the 2006 federal election.[10] Candidates are assigned ratings from 1 to 5, with 5 indicating highest preference; multiple candidates may be assigned the same number. The candidates with the highest overall ratings are elected to office. In addition to being the legislature, the Kunsamnonunga is responsible for reviewing executive and judicial appointments, via constitutionally prescribed standing committees.

The cantonal governments are also entitled to send representatives Dailsamnonunga, where each canton has two votes, which must be cast together in the case of unified cantons, and are cast separately by each half-canton in the case of divided cantons. The Dailsamnonunga acts primarily as a coordination mechanism between cantons on matters not of particular relevance to the federal government, and is mostly used to negotiate and formalize inter-cantonal compacts and agreements.

Appointments to the federal judiciary are made by the National Judicial Committee, which is by law nonpartisan, and drawn from academic bodies, like the Law Faculty of the University of Nibaurgs, and senior federal judges. After an initial term of office, voters are required to approve newly-appointed judges as part of biennial federal elections, or their term immediately expires.

Federal law and civil rights case law mandates that electoral districts in Nihwar be drawn by nonpartisan committees, and observe the requirements of equal size, contiguousness, compactness, and geographic orderliness.[11]

The Lagredas is Nihwar’s supreme court, functioning both as the court of final appeal and the constitutional court. Laws may be referred to the Lagredas for review either by lawsuits, the Judicial Committee of the Kunjasamnonunga, or by the Lagsogareis. If a law is found to be unconstitutional, it is referred to the National Judicial Committee for revision, if it can be revised to be in harmony with the constitutions; if the NJC determines a law cannot be made constitutional without fundamental alteration, it is automatically repealed.

Cantons Nihwar has nine cantons: Nurþrata Windlands, Austrata Windlands, Tibrans, Fairgunjalands, Fonhullu, Bitrawidu, Sunthrastranda, Eisahwos, and Wostinjos. Six of the nine cantons--Tibrans, Fairgunjalands, Bitrawidu, Sunthrastranda, Eisahwos, and Wostinjos--are divided into half-cantons, their principal cities having a degree of autonomy that reflects the substantially different demographic and political makeup from the surrounding region.

Nihwaran cantons have wide latitude on culture, education, and land management; they share competency with the federal government on matters of transport, housing, criminal and civil law, foreign relations, and infrastructure. The federal government has exclusive competency on healthcare, defense, economic policy, and the national UBI.

Cantons are divided into Landkraitos and Baurgkraitos (municipalities and rural districts). Municipalities are governed by municipal councils, in conjunction with nonpartisan Municipal Planning Departments. MPDs are normally tasked with observing and forecasting local economic trends, in conjunction with the National Office of Statistics, and providing regular reports to the municipal council in order to formulate policies to avoid or ameliorate negative future trends: for instance, to encourage the building of additional housing, if a housing shortage is on the horizon. The NOS also furnishes MPDs with model land-use schemes to discourage urban sprawl and encourage efficient, mixed development.

Enclaves and subcommunities By law, any community of individuals has the right to establish an enclave outside an existing urban area, or a subcommunity within an urban area, either to “maintain a distinct cultural, philosophical, religious, or artistic identity,” or “for the purpose of pursuing a special artistic, scientific, academic, or spiritual aim.” Enclaves cannot be established on federally managed land, but enjoy exemption from many forms of local, cantonal, and federal taxation. Charters for enclaves are granted for 20-year intervals, and enclaves must meet specific criteria in order for charters to be renewed. Subcommunities, being dependent on urban infrastructure, enjoy fewer autonomous rights than enclaves but otherwise function in largely the same fashion.

Enclaves and subcommunities have consultative rights within cantonal assemblies and the Kunjasamnonunga, but do not have distinct voting representation.

Budget and taxation The primary methods of taxation in Nihwar are a Georgist land tax, based on the unimproved value of land, VAT, and an income tax on incomes above NWM 100,000 per annum. Financial transaction taxes and the Nihwaran Sovereign Wealth Fund are also used to fund certain social programs.

The primary government expenditures of Nihwar are the national UBI and the national healthcare system; these programs, as well as the civil defense budget and the internal development budget have their size fixed by law. Discretionary spending is determined biennially by the Kunjasamnonunga based on the General Tax Survey, in which citizens roughly indicate how they want the discretionary portion of the budget spent by allocating their tax returns to one or more general categories of spending.

Foreign Relations Nihwar has trade agreements with the European Union, Russia, Canada, and the Nordic countries. In addition, its cantons are permitted to conduct separate foreign policy in certain matters of particularly local interest; this has mainly been used by coastal cantons like Sunthrastranda to establish fisheries treaties with nearby nations.

Military Nihwar does not have a standing military. Disaster relief and the unlikely possibility of national defense are first and foremost the responsibility of the National Civil Defense Organization, a national service organization which also helps manage federal land, administers infrastructure projects, and conducts aid work in foreign countries.

Although there is no draft, at least one year of service in the NCDO exempts Nihwaran citizens from specific tax penalties after age 30 which scale with income, intended to prevent wealthier citizens from being more able to avoid service. By statute, service in some capacity, however ancillary to the main projects of the NCDO, is open to all citizens; the NCDO also provides job training in specific areas.

The NCDO is organized into pseudo-military “regiments,” each regiment drawing from as broad a cross-section of the population (economically and geographically) as possible, and each regiment cultivating its own unique espirit de corps. Regimental associations formed by former members of the NCDO are a significant feature of Nihwaran social life.

In the event of an invasion, defense would primarily be the responsibility of the National Sea Institute (the Nihwaran coast guard, a branch of the NCDO) and the Ranger Corps of the NCDO; the NCDO maintains a small body of trained officers and special forces personnel, intended to form the backbone of a larger military mobilization in the event of a serious military conflict.

Nihwar’s intelligence service operates primarily by leaking information on foreign governments to their local press or to international human rights watchdogs.

Criminal law Prisons do not exist in Nihwar.

The only classes of crime which can permanently deprive a Nihwaran citizen of their rights are public corruption or the infringement of human rights. Conviction for serious crimes in this category may result in the loss of the right to hold public office.

Immigration and naturalization Nihwar has open borders; anyone arriving at a sea port or airport in Nihwar is assumed to have the right of entry, and will not be refused unless it is discovered that they are wanted for a serious crime that is also in contravention of Nihwar’s laws, or they carry a serious, highly-contagious infectious disease (in which case they will simply be quarantined and treated).

Anyone born on the territory of Nihwar, or its isles and seas, is automatically a citizen of Nihwar, as is anyone born to a Nihwaran citizen. Anyone ordinarily resident in the country for one year or more (defined as registering their address at the local Kraitmelþogahausjands or online, or being able to demonstrate long-term residency through other criteria) can apply for provisional citizenship, which expires if one de-registers or moves away from Nihwar. Provisional citizenship can be converted to permanent citizenship after three years of ordinary residence in Nihwar. Nihwaran citizenship can also be granted by an act of the Kunjasamnonunga, or by order of the Lagsogareis.

ECONOMY The economy of Nihwar is mostly based on lumber, mining, oil drilling, and tourism.[12]

Currency The currency of Nihwar is the Nihwaran mark (NWM), equivalent to approximately EUR 0.80. The mark is managed by the Bank of Tibranbaurgs, which is part of the National Department of Statistics and Planning.

Healthcare Nihwar has a universal healthcare system, administered by the Institutes for Public Health. Healthcare is generally free to the end user everywhere in Nihwar.

Pharmeceuticals in Nihwar are prescription-only only if 1) the IPH has determined there is a high likelihood for abuse which could constitute a public health hazard, or 2) the drug is both sufficiently dangerous when improperly administered, and is difficult to correctly administer. In general, many more pharmeceuticals are available for purchase in a Nihwaran pharmacy than in most other countries. Recreational drugs are regulated under a similar regime.

Transport Eisarnreda Nihwar provides high-speed rail transport throughout the country. Municipal light rail services are available in Nibaurgs, Tibranbaurgs, Grewsteins, and Bitrasteins. An Eisarnkarta can be purchased in Nihwar, or online before traveling to Nihwar, which provides unified access to all buses, taxis, trains, ferries, and airline flights within Nihwar’s borders.

Privately owned automobiles not declared as a business expense for tax purposes are subject to a high annual tax.

Communication and advertising Radijonati Nihwar provides a free national broadband network and, in conjunction with municipal governments, local broadband and WiFi access; higher-speed providers are regulated by the Nihwaran Communications Authority. By statute, as many government services as possible must be accessible online.

The National Standards Agreement is an agreement negotiated by the government between Nihwar’s media outlets not to sensationalize coverage of mass violence, terrorism, or suicide.

Outdoor advertising is banned throughout Nihwar.[13]

Corporate governance The Nihwaran tax code strongly encourages the Nihwaran model of corporate governance, which involves employee ownership and the election of managers up to and including the senior management. Foreign companies operating in Nihwar are not required to conform to this standard, but will find their tax liability is somewhat reduced based on the percentage of their employees that belong to a Nihwaran union.

Labor relations are overseen by the Nihwaran Business and Labor Alliance, a non-governmental organization.

DEMOGRAPHICS This section is a stub. You can help by adding to it.

CULTURE Education Education is free from kindergarten through university; specialized professional job training programs and apprenticeships are also common in Nihwar, and 1 to 3-year non-university training courses are the means of entry into most non-academic professions. Further technical education is provided both through third-level institutions and the NCDO.

Language Nihwar has no official language, though Nihwaran Gothic is the major language of politics and academics. The minor dialects of Nihwaran Norse, Nihwaran Arabic,[14] and Nihwaran Greenlandic are spoken by about 35% of the population.

Sport The most popular sport in Nihwar is Nihwaran Skull Cricket, organized by the International Nihwaran Traditional Sports Association. The INTSA has been sanctioned repeatedly since the 1970s by international human rights organizations, mostly due to fallout related to the quadrennial Skull Cricket championships.

REFERENCES [1] ^ “The World’s Six Worst Vacation Destination” Buzzfeed.com, retrieved March 11, 2015 [2] ^ “The ‘Shitty Island Book’ and the Foundation of Nihwar,” Joseph Wright [3] ^ ibid. [4] ^ “Nihwaran Language Academy rejects neologisms proposal, will continue to refer to computers as ‘magic rocks’”, BBC News, January 5 2010 [5] ^ “The NLA: Linguistic Conservatives, or Linguistic Reactionaries?”, Journal of the Germanic Linguistics Association, June 2011 [6] ^ “Nihwaran Language Academy Barricades Conference Room Door, Won’t Stop Quoting Edmund Burke”, Nihwartimes.com, retrieved October 13, 2011 [7] ^ “Nihwaran Rock and Twig Soup, and other specialties,” Food.com, retrieved May 15, 2009 [8] ^ “Nihwaran Literature: A Mistake?” Joseph Wright. Wright notes that the Nihwaran saga is a primarily oral art form, and usually continues until someone in the back of the audience shouts “Bullshit!” They primarily concern feuds over cattle, the division of inheritance, and “stories about how Grandpappy froze to death back in aught three.” [9] ^ “Elections in Nihwar,” The Economist, March 15, 2016. The NCL is composed of several centrist parties, including the Sozjal-”Deimakratisk” Party (Marxist-Leninist), Niu Nihwar (Blairo-Clintonian Post-Socialist Chickenshit), and the Liberal-Allajans (Nakedly Plutocratic). Despite repeated complaints from the political leadership, the power of the Nihwaran Electoral Commission to add punctuation and snide commentary to the names of Nihwaran political parties remains immensely popular with the electorate. [10] ^ “Nihwaran President: ‘It Worked for Hot or Not; Why Not For Us?’” BBC News, October 11, 2005 [11] ^ Nihwar lacked gerrymandering rules until the 1960s, when a fortuitous coalition deal and an ambitious party leader managed to net the Nihwaran Miner’s League control of the national electoral comission and, subsequently, three Kunjasamnonuga majorities with less than four percent of the vote each time. The NML was subsequently banned and entire party leadership deported to Svalbard. [12] ^ VisitNihwar.su, accessed September 23, 2002. The current slogan for Nihwaran Tourism is “At Least We’re Not Svalbard,” which replaced its previous logo, “Come For the Cheap Cigarettes, Stay Because An Unpronounceable Volcano Grounded Your Flight.” The slogan before that was “Not As Depressing As The Pictures Make It Look.” [13] ^ “Protecting the Scenery - Sort of,” The Economist, June 2010. “In a new proposal pushed as a way to protect Nihwar’s natural beauty, the country’s president has proposed legislation that would ban outdoor advertising across the country. Critics from within the country have answered mostly with ‘what natural beauty?’ But the real pressure seems to be coming from the Nihwaran Union of Poster Stickers, who have reported a record number of cases of summer frostbite this year, and whose leader seems to be old friends with Mr. Skildus.” [14] ^ “Nihwaran Arabic,” Journal of Obscure Languages, Autumn 1983. “Nihwaran Arabic is unique in two respects: first, it is the only Afro-Asiatic language spoken above the Arctic Circle; second, it is the only language--on Nihwar or anywhere else in the world--written with runes. Considering that the Nihwarans have never used runes to write their language, and Arabic speakers did not arrive on the island until the runic alphabet had been extinct elsewhere in Europe for centuries, the use of runes to write this peculiar dialect has never been satisfactorily explained.”

FURTHER READING The Living Goths: Nihwar, its Land, and Peoples, Joseph Wright, 1906 Al-Jazirat Al-Qabiha, Ibn Musafir, 1662 “The Forgettable Land,” National Geographic Magazine, Ann Bancroft, 2001 The Atlas of Remote Islands 2: Why Bother?, Judith Schalansky, 2014 The Oral Poetry of Nihwar: An Anthology, Penguin Books, 1992

#ramblings and doggerel #fiction #nihwar #abuse of the gothic language #tanadrin's fiction

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What Have Republicans Done For Blacks

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/what-have-republicans-done-for-blacks/

What Have Republicans Done For Blacks

Yes We Wrote And Signed The Violent Control And Law Enforement Act In 1994

ESPN host: Black people should vote for GOP

Essentially creating the prison industrial complex we have today. Joe Biden wrote the bill in the Senate, and a Democrat from Texas wrote it for the house, Jack Brooks. This bill included some good things, like the Violence against Women Act, but it eliminated education for inmates, added 60 new death penalty statutes, codified a three strikes policy, and put millions of more people in jail.

Why Republicans Do Better Than Democrats For Black Americans

Over the past month, our country has taken extra time to honor the many contributions of heroic black Americans who, through their patriotism and perseverance over the years have triumphed over injustice and enriched every aspect of our lives. But while the commemoration of Black History Month might be winding down, Republicans will continue our efforts to engage with black voters and communities of color across the country.

We are taking the old aphorism of you will not win votes you do not ask for to heart. Under the strong leadership of President TrumpDonald TrumpUN meeting with US, France canceled over scheduling issueTrump sues NYT, Mary Trump over story on tax historyMcConnell, Shelby offer government funding bill without debt ceilingMORE, our party is fighting for every single vote just like he fights for all Americans with his policies. Just this week, the Republican National Committee has opened more than a dozen new Trump Victory Committee field offices within the heart of historically Democratic and predominantly black neighborhoods.

Spread across seven key battleground states all over the country, in such cities from Cleveland to Charlotte and Milwaukee to Miami, the new field offices will help the Republican Party outreach in these communities and build on the growing support that this president now has among many black Americans by highlighting how his policies are uplifting the black community and making a positive difference in the lives of all Americans.

Younger And Older Republicans Diverge

On both perceptions of discrimination and favorability measures, Americans views seem to be shaped more by partisanship than age, race or gender. So, Republicans men and women generally see discrimination in similar ways and view the same groups favorably or unfavorably. So do black and white Democrats. A helpful illustration of the partisan dynamics is that a greater share of Democratic men than Republican women thought that women in the U.S. face high levels of discrimination.

But there is a big GOP split on age. Republicans under the age of 45 were more likely to say that they saw high levels of discrimination than those over 45. And that cuts across the traditional divisions younger Republicans saw more discrimination than older Republicans against blacks and against whites . In the wake of Floyds death, a clear majority of Republicans under 45 thought there was a lot of discrimination in America against black people. The over-45 GOP cohort did not share that view.8

Older Republicans were much more likely than younger Republicans to say that they had negative views of undocumented immigrants and Muslims.9

More of the younger Republicans see discrimination

Percentage of respondents who said each group experiences a great deal or a lot of discrimination, by age category

Group

Survey conducted from May 28 to June 3.

Also Check: What Is Donald Trump A Republican Or Democrat

Brainwashed Blacks Racist White Republicans Are Primary Enemies Of Black People

Were in the midst of a horrific pandemic and a toxic political season that seems to have uncovered old racial wounds. One problem in particular is Black people who are brainwashed into misusing facts to trick other Blacks to believe that todays Republican Party is more favorable. I beg to differ.

Once upon a time, Black lives really mattered to white slaveholders regardless of political party. Nowadays, we Black people must absolutely align ourselves with those who clearly demonstrate that our lives, our votes and our issues matter. To do otherwise would be akin to being enslaved again.

The article written by Mr. Tyrone Jones a few weeks ago necessitated this very serious response. Young blacks need to know the real facts as they pertain to the current time much more so than the past. That is the goal of my response . Thank you for giving me the opportunity to set the record straight.

Political Opinions Versus Honest Facts

A recent opinion article entitled Young Blacks need the facts exposed how some brainwashed Black people try to cleverly brainwash other Black people for political gain. The article tries to glorify the Republican Party and demonize the Democratic Party.

Nevertheless, when it comes to looking out for the best interest of Black people, the history of both political parties is questionable. Overall, it is a well-established fact that Black people have no permanent enemies and no permanent friends; just permanent interests.

John E. Jones

What Is Happening To The Republicans

In becoming the party of Trump, the G.O.P. confronts the kind of existential crisis that has destroyed American parties in;the past.

Save this story for later.

Content

But, for all the anxiety among Republican leaders, Goldwater prevailed, securing the nomination at the Partys convention, in San Francisco. In his speech to the delegates, he made no pretense of his ideological intent. Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, he said. Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue. Goldwaters crusade failed in November of 1964, when the incumbent, Lyndon Johnson, who had become President a year earlier, after Kennedys assassination, won in a landslide: four hundred and eighty-six to fifty-two votes in the Electoral College. Nevertheless, Goldwaters ascent was a harbinger of the future shape of the Republican Party. He represented an emerging nexus between white conservatives in the West and in the South, where five states voted for him over Johnson.

Shopping

agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions.

Read Also: Did Trump Say Republicans Are Stupid

Us Election : Why Trump Gained Support Among Minorities

Despite his election defeat, President Donald Trump can boast a success that has intrigued pollsters – he was more popular with ethnic minority voters than in 2016.

Some might find this surprising given that his critics so accused him of racism and Islamophobia. Trump denies the charges and has accused Democrats of taking African Americans voters for granted.

The Republican president gained six percentage points among black men, and five percentage points among Hispanic women. It means some voters changed their minds, after either not voting or voting for another candidate in 2016.

But it tells us something about Trump’s unique appeal.

“I was definitely more liberal growing up – my grandmother was big in the civil rights movement here in Texas during the 60s, and I grew up with that ideology.”

Mateo Mokarzel, 40, is a graduate student from Houston, Texas and is of mixed heritage, Mexican and Lebanese. He didn’t vote in 2016, and he isn’t loyal to either major party – but this time around he decided to cast his vote for the Republicans.

“The first time Trump ran I really wasn’t convinced. I just thought, here’s this celebrity talk-show host guy that wants to run for president, I didn’t take him seriously – so I was not a Trump supporter the first time he ran. To be honest, I thought he was a ringer for Hillary, so I just wasn’t interested,” he tells BBC News.

But Mokarzel says his upbringing in Texas influenced his view of both political parties.

No Trump Didnt Win The Largest Share Of Non

President George W. Bush.

At his;post-election press conference, President Trump said of his presidential campaign, I won the largest share of non-white voters of any Republican in 60 years. While Trump did improve on his performance with minorities in 2020 vs. 2016, according to exit polls, the previous Republican presidentGeorge W. Bushdid significantly better in 2004.

Don’t Miss: How Many States Are Controlled By Republicans

What Republicans Have Done For Blacks And Women A Quick History Lesson

Are looking for a quick roundupof all the things Republicans have done for Blacks and Women? How about something that also includes a look at all the things Democrats;have done to blacks and women?

How about what Democrats have done to prevent them from having the same rights and liberties as the rest of us?

Carol Swain from the James Madison Society at Princeton University and a;former Vanderbilt Professor of Political Science has what you need. It is a quick synopsis of how the Republican Party was responsible for every advancement for minorities and women in U.S. historyand remains the champion of equality to this day.

This is good stuff. Useful ammunition when confronted by ignorant Democrats who call you a racist bigot. Make time to watch or listen.

What Its Like To Be A Black Republican In 2020

GOP lawmaker has message for Congressional Black Caucus shutting him out

by Corey D. Fields, author of Black Elephants in the Room: The Unexpected Politics of African American Republicans

The 2020 Republican National Convention featured a diverse line-up of speakers, including many Black speakers who trumpeted the Republican Party and its presidential nominee Donald Trump. Unsurprisingly, these speakers received a mixed response. Some questioned whether this outreach would be effective with black voters. Others thought the efforts were thinly veiled attempts to convince white voters that the party wasnt racist. Either way, the convention was yet another reflection of how the face of Black conservatives has shifted under the Trump administration. Diamond and Silk have replaced Mia Love. Sheriff David Clarke is more relevant than General Colin Powell. Candace Owens has supplanted Condoleezza Rice. Internet celebrities have taken the place of the legislators, military leaders, and judges who used to stand in as the face of Black Republicans.

The selection of these speakers and the response to them reflects many of the themes I found in my own research on Black Republicans for my book, Black Elephants in the Room. In particular, two related phenomena frequently mentioned by the people I studied help make sense of the reaction to this years convention speakers: the sellout critique and the skeptical embrace.

This, of course, only heightens the intensity of the sellout critique.

Recommended Reading: Democrat And Republican Switch Platforms

Nah Southern Strategy Is More Recent And Is Part Of The Reason Its Ok For Benedict Donald

… to say what he’s been saying in the M$M’s eyes seeing the gop has been saying a lighter version of it for since RayGun .

Here’s what I’ve read.Don’t know if it’s right or wrong.Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation because he and his generals thought this would spark a massive slave rebellion.From Lincoln’s Speech, Sept. 18, 1858. “While I was at the hotel to-day, an elderly gentleman called upon me to know whether I was really in favor of producing a perfect equality between the negroes and white people. While I had not proposed to myself on this occasion to say much on that subject, yet as the question was asked me I thought I would occupy perhaps five minutes in saying something in regard to it. I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the black and white races — that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making VOTERS or jurors of negroes, NOR OF QUALIFYING THEM HOLD OFFICE, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any of her man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.”

After The Civil War Democrats Continued To Fight Against Equality For Blacks

For 100 years the democrats staged a rear guard action seeking to keep blacks subservient and doing their bidding.

They passed laws to limit black peoples ability to vote, to sit on the front of the bus, to own land, to rent apartments, to go to the same schools and many other things.

If anyone owes black people reparations it is these democrats.

Given this history of democrats it is stunning that the Democratic Party continues to exist. Shouldnt it be disbanded? We are tearing down statues, removing names of historically racist people and institutions so why not destroy the Democratic Party? It is slavery and was the principal advocate of slavery. They also were heavily involved in passing racist laws, hanging blacks and many republicans who opposed the democrats.

Why would anyone want to be part of a party that was historically so critical and central to the whole effort to enslave and repress blacks?

People have a tendency not to be partisan and to label this as white Americans that did this but it was the Democrats. Republicans were the ones fighting it. If not for those republicans the black people in America would never have been freed or gotten voting rights or many other things that had to be fought. Many white republicans were killed by democrats even after the end of the civil war who were called sympathizers.

Again, why doesnt this basic fact that is indisputable matter?

Those blacks who could vote between 1860 and 1969 voted for republicans.

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What Happened In 1969

The war in Vietnam came to a head. The democrats under Kennedy had gotten us into the war and then after Kennedy was killed President Johnson continued and grew our presence in Vietnam.

Peoples opposition to the war became the focus of the democrat party and the emotional democrats became the protagonists for eliminating the policies that kept blacks in the back of the bus as well as free love and marijuana.

I was young at the time and this is the Democratic Party i remember which were opposed to real things. There was a war in vietnam. People were dying. There was segregation.

Republicans didnt resist outlawing segregation. The resistance was focused on the remaining segregationists in the Democratic Party. Strom Thurmond a democrat from the south fillibustered the passage of the civil rights act.

In 1968 the democrats held a national convention. This convention devolved into riots and was the watershed for racism and the Democratic Party. The racists were ejected from the Democratic Party ostensibly.

Democrats today claim that in 1969 what happened is that the racists in the Democratic Party moved to the Republican Party.

There is no evidence of this. Storm Thurmond, Robert Byrd never switched parties. Robert Byrd a former KKK leader stayed a democrat until he retired from the senate in 2010. Biden called Byrd a mentor.

Biden was one of the most outspoken opponents of busing.

None of that is true.

If you arent a democrat then they dont want you in the identity group.

Numerous Republicans Outperformed Trump With Hispanics & Asians

Now, lets turn to Hispanics and Asians. As you can see below, both Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush bested Trumps share of the Latino vote in 2016 and 2020 .;

George H.W. Bush won the Asian vote in 1992, 55%31%.

FREOPP.org

Trumps performance with Asians in 2020, at 32%, is actually the third-worst ever recorded, only ahead of his own showing in 2016 and Mitt Romneys in 2012 . Indeed, George H.W. Bush actually won the Asian vote in 1992,;55-31, as did Bob Dole in 1996 . The Bush-Dole margins might have been higher, had Ross Perot not ran as an independent in 1992 and 1996.

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Rick Woodoctober 01 2015

John: I noticed that too, and I agree. So Kelvin’s argument in that respect isn’t persuasive. But Sherri is on to something, isn’t she? And I have a feeling Kelvin starts from the same point. White men in this country enjoy privileges we didn’t earn. We’re not giving them back or turning them down, and no one is asking for that. But a little empathy towards others is in order. On the empathy scale, I’d say Democrats beat Republicans, hence blacks and women do tend to be and vote Democratic. A good question is why that empathy difference among while make Democrats and white male Republicans exist. There are certainly more white males in the Republican Party, but that doesn’t explain why.

Bob Livesayoctober 04 2015

Simple. Districts are broken down by population. Democratric districts in and around big cities are over whelmingly Dems. They skew the vote total big time in favor of Democrats. Republican districts are bigger in area size but do not have an overwhelimingly Rep vote. So you get a skewed imbalance on vote total but not districts. My advise is have the Dems move to rural area. Oh, I forgot they then would vote Republican.

Read Also: Can The Democrats Stop Trump

Political Parties And A Complicated History With Race

Black people who could vote tended to support the Republican Party from the 1860s to about the mid-1930s. There were push-and-pull aspects to this. Republicans pledged to protect voting rights.;African Americans viewed the party as the only vessel for their goals: Frederick Douglass said, The Republican Party is the ship; all else is the sea.

And the sea was perilous. The Democratic Party for most of the 19th century was a white supremacist organization that gave no welcome to Black Americans. A conservative group of politicians known as the Bourbons controlled Southern Democratic parties. For instance, well into the 20th century, the official name of Alabamas dominant organization was the Democratic and Conservative Party of Alabama.

Fact check:U.S. didn’t reject an earlier version of Statue of Liberty that honored slaves

The Bourbons called their Republican opponents radicals, whether they warranted the label or not, Masur said.

The Democrats were often called conservative and embraced that label, she said. Many of them were conservative in the sense that they wanted things to be like they were in the past, especially as far as race was concerned.

In consequence of this intolerance, colored men are forced to vote for the candidate of the Republican Party, however objectionable to them some of these candidates may be, unless they are prevented from doing so by violence and intimidation, he said.

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knoxjlnv318-blog · 4 years

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11 Embarrassing Immigration Law Faux Pas You Better Not Make

The migration law is the federal government policies and laws that manage migration to the country. The requirements to immigrate to the United States are figured out by a number of aspects, including your intent of migration (i.e., household immigration or professional migration) and the length of time that you want to be a legal long-term citizen (such as 6 months).

There are particular requirements that are needed to get your green card, but you need to ask the immigration officials to help you with this. Some other files that will be necessary to include the birth certificate of either the child or the partner of the immigrant.

As soon as you have all the needed files to show your identity, you can now lawfully immigrate to the US. You will then require to look for a visa, which can be gotten through the visa application process. Your visa will give you the right to live in the US and work.

Once your application for a visa and green card is approved, you will be able to reside in the US and make an application for permanent residence. This is typically done by going to the US consulate and requesting a permit there. Then you will return to your nation to get your citizenship.

The process of acquiring citizenship is extremely comparable to that of getting permanent home, but it requires that you go through a process where you can submit an application to your house nation for citizenship. Once you receive your citizenship, you can then request naturalization as an American.

The US code is an excellent reference for many things in the United States, such as migration law. To begin, you can read the US code, which is the laws that have been gone by the US Congress to govern migration and citizenship.

You can also look up the United States Code on the web to learn more about immigration law, or any part of it that you are not acquainted with. If you want to find out more about the procedure of requesting a visa and becoming a person, you can look for a lawyer who practices law in the United States. However, you need to understand that for the most part, immigration attorneys are not accredited to practice law in the US. If you can not locate a legal representative who practices in the United States, you might want to think about looking at one of the lots of companies that provide the service to find a legal representative near you.

These companies will find you certified legal representatives, both in-country and beyond the US, who practice in the location of immigration laws. By utilizing these services, you can quickly find a lawyer who practices law in the United States. They will also give you the details you need to begin your own practice of migration law, and they will provide you with the resources to assist you with the documents and other aspects of the treatment, which will make your life much easier.

It might be useful to you to know what is immigration law and why it is important. This can help you get some insight into the process of immigration law and the different issues that arise when you begin the application and naturalization procedure. Knowing what is migration law will assist you comprehend your rights and comprehend the various requirements that are associated with being a permanent homeowner of the US.

Some of the most essential points about migration law consist of the value of your household, the worth of work experience and education, and the significance of the country that you are attempting to end up being a person of. When you have all of this info in your hands, you will be much better prepared to start the process.

So, what is immigration law? Well, it's a legal procedure for everybody, not just immigrants. When you are planning to immigrate to the United States, take some time to discover out as much as you can about the legal requirements that you will need to satisfy.

In the contemporary period, it is necessary to be able to respond to the concern "What is migration law?" There are many laws and agencies that govern the migration procedure, that we have a very difficult time knowing what they indicate.

USA Migration Law - What is it? The Migration Act, also called the INA, has an essential part in how the law controls migration. The very first chapter covers immigration laws concerning immigrants and aliens and the second chapter covers the migration laws regarding the country of origin of an immigrant or alien.

Office of Migration Affairs - What is the Office of Immigration Affairs? This is the firm that governs the application of immigration laws by the federal https://immigrationhelpla.com/immigration-law/eb2-professional-workers/ government agencies. It is responsible for assigning and paying out resources for the administration of migration laws.

Workplace of Policy Development and Research - What is the Office of Policy Advancement and Research? It is the office of the Secretary of State that oversees the policies, procedures, research programs and activities that are developed to assist and carry out immigration policies.

This is a workplace that handles cases worrying immigration. It will determine whether or not an applicant can use for an immigrant visa, and how many times that individual will be permitted to use for another one.

Office of Citizenship and Migration Services (USCIS) - What is USCIS? This is the department that administers the legal immigration process. It is accountable for the processing and approval of applications. It also has obligations for making certain that any immigrant who applies has the ability to settle in the country he or she is in.

Those offices are some of the official offices that become part of the Office of Migration Affairs. Each one of these workplaces handles their own separate responsibilities.

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There are a lot of companies and companies that are focused on informing individuals about migration laws, particularly the significance of being knowledgeable about how the system works. They typically offer workshops, webinars and in-person classes on immigration law.

Immigrants can get help from the web is an excellent source for details. If an immigrant wants to learn how many days are required in order to sponsor his or her member of the family, for instance, she or he can do a Google search and find out the response to his or her question. question.

However, prior to an immigrant can discover more about immigration law, there are certain things that he or she need to think about. The most crucial of which is, first off, that it is an individual decision. based on just how much cash or danger he or she want to take.

Second, that migration laws are continuously evolving and altering. In some states there are specific laws that are still in impact while in other states they have already been changed. For that reason, an excellent immigrant should stay up to date with the modifications and maintain to date.

That every immigrant need to be willing to pay their dues. Every immigrant must have a strategy in terms of payment if she or he wants to be confessed into the nation that she or he means to go to.

When it pertains to making certain that a person has the ability to get the appropriate documentation when it pertains to immigrating to a new country, many individuals wonder what is migration law? Immigration attorneys handle all elements of immigration, from much shorter short-term stays like visas to long-term citizenship. Families seeking to immigrate to the United States.

The laws relating to family members of a prospective immigrant are really complex. In order to guarantee that relative receive the same rights and benefits that any other irreversible citizen may have, numerous individuals look for legal help from an immigration lawyer. There are certain laws that pertain particularly to member of the family, and it is important to be knowledgeable about these laws prior to coming to America.

A migration attorney has the knowledge and resources necessary to assist ensure that relative have the ability to stay in the United States when it concerns their immigration status. These lawyers can likewise be utilized to guarantee that those who have actually already been legally accepted into the country to get the rights, advantages and advantages that any other permanent citizen might receive. It is necessary to seek out the services of an attorney if there are questions about whether or not a relative is eligible for legal status in the nation.

Migration law can be broken down into two categories: immigration law relating to immigrants. While migration law deals mostly with immigrants who wish to come to the United States lawfully, the 2nd classification covers immigrants who remain in the nation illegally. In this case, an attorney will take a look at each of the people' scenarios in order to determine which avenue of relief might be readily available to them. It is very important to keep in mind that some laws specify to illegal immigrants, and that they will not apply to legal immigrants.

A great deal of individuals think that immigration law is simply another element of the United States' migration system. This is not always real. While most migration laws handle issues associated with migration, there is another area of the law that deals with immigrants and their visas. The United States has certain specific laws that relate to those who are attempting to come to America on an immigrant visa.

There are 2 types of immigration visas: Nonimmigrant and immigrant. Nonimmigrant visas need that an immigrant first go through an evaluation by the Department of State.

Immigrant visas allow an individual to end up being a long-term citizen of the United States by showing their eligibility to do so. They then have the opportunity to get a Green Card (permit) and remain in the United States.

There are various types of immigration laws for every single type of immigrant. For instance, nonimmigrant visas have more complicated requirements than immigrant visas. Immigrant visas may have a longer processing time than nonimmigrant visas.

When you are looking at immigration laws, it is very important to remember that they remain in place for the protection of both the United States federal government and the individual looking for to immigrate. Every state has its own laws concerning immigration, however much of these laws are not directly appropriate for the United States.

You ought to also be aware that migration law can vary in between different parts of the United States. For example, in some states immigrants are required to reside in their state for one year, while in others the law needs that immigrants leave after one year.

The exact same thing holds true for each state. While in some states the laws concerning immigration remain in place in all of them, in other states they are in place in just some locations of the state. In some states, the laws on immigration are also in place only in cities.

It is very important for anyone to note that immigration laws are very intricate and can change at any time. It is likewise important for anyone looking to immigrate to the United States to speak to a migration legal representative in order to make sure they understand their rights and obligations concerning their legal status in the country.

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grid6ix · 5 years

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Commentaries on Eroding Federalism

Decentralization is widely regarded as a necessity for countries so vast and diverse such as Canada and the United States, and although federalism, which divides government into multiple sovereign entities each with their respective responsibilities, is the most popular and arguably the best avenue for achieving sustainable decentralization, countries all over the world just as large and diverse as Canada and the United States (such as China) operate in a relatively decentralized manner without employing federalism. At the same time, federalism remains a tradition in smaller Germanic countries such as Switzerland and Austria, where one may argue that the decentralized power it protects are less of a necessity. The United States is an interesting example of how quickly a federal system can erode despite the constitutional protections through which it was established being among the most robust. If one were to read the constitutions of Canada and the United States side by side, and focus on the respective sections pertaining to federalism, they would most likely conclude that the sovereignty of federal subjects is better protected in the latter, and although there do exist certain areas where US states enjoy greater freedoms than Canadian provinces (criminal law, etc.), I would argue that federalism is in a much more healthy state in Canada. Most scholars would argue that the erosion of federalism in the US was a result of the response to the great depression, when the government applied Keynesian principles at the federal level through the introduction of federal welfare programs, but the writing had been on the wall for decades prior to that after the ratification of the 16th and 17th amendments, and Supreme Court cases such as Wickard v. Filburn that established the broad interpretations of Article 1, Section 8 which today serve as the basis for almost every federal stature regulating the population’s conduct. Unlike the United States Constitution, which until 1913 prohibited direct federal taxation on incomes, the Canadian constitution provides for the establishment of a unitary revenue agency, and empowers it with the ability to administer federal and provincial taxation, as well as transfer payments. Likewise, while the US constitution before 1913 allowed direct state representation in Congress through state legislature-elected Senators, members of the Canadian Senate were always appointed on the advice of the incumbent government, effectively giving the provinces no say on federal legislation. Furthermore, the British North America Act set forth a process whereby the crown would appoint its viceregal representative at both the federal and provincial levels, in effect this means that the governor-general exercises indirect control over provincial governments through the appointment of their respective lieutenant-governors. And finally, the Canadian constitution in sections 91 and 92 enumerates federal and provincial powers, and provides that all responsibilities not included in the enumeration be reserved to the federal government, whereas the US Constitution only enumerates (and thus limits) the legislative powers of Congress, and through its 10th amendment, provides that all powers left out stay with the states. These realities, in addition to the more unitary structure found in the Canadian judiciary, would lead one to believe that Canada is a quasi-federal state in the same way that India (with its unitary judiciary and federally-appointed governors) is. But ironically in an effort to preserve the autonomy of the states, the US constitution established a unitary structure in arguably the most important of all institutions, elections. Though instead of having them administered at the federal level, they are carried out by the states. Although the constitution gives Congress the power to regulate its own elections notwithstanding any decisions made by the respective states, this power has not been employed to the extent at which the federal government is able carry out its own elections (I would argue that it could not be employed to such an extent since the states are vested with the ability to determine electoral qualifications regardless of Congress’ wishes, meaning that federally-administered elections would have to pertain to each state’s complex set of voter qualifications), instead it is used to impose certain regulations on how the states administer them (such as the requirement for single-member districts and the laws establishing a uniform date). Similarly, the constitution provides for the appointment of presidential electors in a manner determined by each state legislature, in practice this means that presidential elections are administered at the state-level. The result of this system in most states is an electorate which fails to make a distinction between state-level and federal politics. Voters are often restricted to voting in primary elections for the party in which they are registered, which usually has to be the same for state and federal elections. Because of this, voters are made to feel like they have to lean the same way for national and local issues, even though substantively they may have little in common. Even in the absence of structural provisions protecting it, federalism is able to survive if it lives on in the hearts and minds of the electorate, but where voters can’t make a distinction between the levels of government and their responsibilities, they will petition the one they perceive as more powerful for a redress of all of their grievances. And as is natural in a democracy, the sentiment of the electorate will eventually make its way into the agenda of the legislature, even if its implementation would exceed the historically-accepted limitations of the federal state. This is the very reason that we often see presidential candidates in the United States talking about matters of local importance such as police forces and public schools, when in reality, the only effect they could possibly have in those areas would take the form of them signing an appropriations bill authorizing grants thereto, and attaching certain conditions and requirements to the grants in order to influence local policy. Canadians know better, and it has more to do with the federalist administration of their elections than anything else. Some Canadians may lean left on local issues, and right on national issues, or vice versa, and the system through which they vote allows them to voice their diverse opinions as such. That’s not to say that federalism in Canada is perfect by any means, we still have federally-administered programs at every corner, and although our provinces (through a unitary revenue agency) can provide for the funding of their own operation, they still sometimes rely on federal funding to assist with capital costs. But this is by design, the people of Canada have, through legislation and amendments passed by their elected representatives, chosen to form a more unitary federation than what was adopted in the US, Canada has remained relatively faithful to the textual provisions of its constitution pertaining to federal-provincial relations, whereas one can argue that the United States has completely abandoned its version of the same. As society changed, more actions became interstate in consequence, and demands for a larger federal government arose, the United States Constitution, with its strictly defined boundaries of federal power, and its even stricter amending formula, failed to keep up. You can call it tyranny of the majority if you’d like, but ultimately the will of the people, no matter how misled or misinformed they may be, will prevail to some extent and in some form, whether through legislation or litigation.

If you found this interesting, check out this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMSKtg7MtAA

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thechasefiles · 5 years

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 6/14/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Friday 14th June 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT), Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) or by purchasing a Weekend Nation Newspaper (WN).

WHARTON ‘FRONT-RUNNER’ FOR TRANSPORT BOARD JOB – A ZR driver and owner is among the candidates vying to be behind the steering wheel of the Transport Board. Reports reaching the Weekend Nation indicate that Fabian Wharton, who is also public relations officer for the Public Service Vehicles Workers’ Association, has applied for the post of general manager at the problem-plagued state entity. He and two other candidates were being considered for the job, but sources said Wharton appeared to be the front-runner. (WN)

EX-BAICO WORKERS TELL KPMG: WE WANT OUR MONIES – Former employees of failed British American Insurance Company (BAICO) showed their displeasure with its judicial manager, KPMG, with a short peaceful protest in front of the accounting firm’s Hastings, Christ Church office yesterday. The protest, however, hardly lasted 15 minutes, as KPMG senior management hastily asked to meet with a few of the protesters to discuss the matter. Some of the protesters who remained outside spoke to the Weekend Nation about their frustrations. (WN)

DLP DEBT – The Democratic Labour Party owes several contractors more than $200,000 for services rendered during the 2018 general election campaign, Barbados TODAY investigations have revealed. The services include stage lighting, sound, lighting towers, chemical restrooms, advertising and meeting coordinators. Williams Industries, GKY Lighting, S&R Rentals and A&R Electrical are some of the companies which are said to have been affected. The managing director of Williams Industries, Stuart Williams, confirmed to Barbados TODAY that his company had supplied several light towers to the DLP’s failed bid for reelection to government. Williams acknowledged that he had not dealt directly with the DLP, but with suppliers who were acting on behalf of the party. Williams said to date he had only received around 20 per cent of the debt. He said: “We dealt with suppliers who ordered equipment on their [DLP] behalf, so I did not have any conversations directly with Verla DePeiza. “We supplied several light towers for events. We have received promises of payment, but we haven’t received anything substantial. “What we have been told by those suppliers is that they have not been paid yet and are therefore unable to pay us. They have been unwilling to pay us without being paid.” But Williams said he was confident that the outstanding debts would be settled once “everything was sorted out”. A meeting coordinator who spoke to Barbados TODAY on condition of anonymity revealed being owed close to $5,000. Numerous attempts to reach out to DePeiza to arrange payment failed, the source said. The contractor told Barbados TODAY: “I was on the ground from the time Prime Minister at the time Freundel Stuart called the elections. “I was running around arranging everything and I also had to be at every single meeting in the constituency I was stationed. “I worked from the time elections were announced until it came to an end but no one came forward to make any payments. “We were told that payment wouldn’t have been an issue because they had received funding for the election campaign, but now I am hearing that there is no money.” After several failed attempts to get paid, the source said they were left with little choice but to put the matter in the hands of their lawyer. But even this had proved problematic, the source said, as letters and phone calls to DePeiza had gone unanswered. “They didn’t have the decency to call and say anything or to arrange any payment plan. This is downright ridiculous,” the source added. When contacted by Barbados TODAY, DePeiza said she was not authorised to speak on DLP matters in public. She said: “I have no authority to discuss DLP business in the public domain, that is number one. Number two; I think from what you said to me Mr Williams made it pretty clear that he didn’t contract with the DLP to do anything.” When asked if she could reveal if she had been contacted by anyone about being paid for work done during the campaign, DePeiza responded, “No I can’t tell you that”. (BT)

BADMC INDUSTRIAL STRIFE DEEPENS – Industrial unrest is intensifying at the state-owned Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC), as the National Union of Public Workers delivers a fresh ultimatum to management. NUPW Acting Deputy General Secretary Wayne Walrond has told management that it has another “couple of weeks” to respond to its proposals on a wide range of concerns to avoid the union stepping up to undisclosed industrial action. Walrond told Barbados TODAY this afternoon: “We are waiting on a meeting… and it is causing unrest among workers. We hope that that would be very soon.” He said BADMC management has asked for time to take the union’s proposals to the board of directors for discussion before the two sides could start negotiations on a fresh collective agreement. Asked how long the union was willing to wait, Walrond replied: ”Within a reasonable time. If within the next couple of weeks we can’t meet around the table, we would have to see how we can advance the matter. I wouldn’t say directly what we intend to do, but if within the next couple of weeks we can’t have this meeting, we would have to determine what strategy to engage. “[Industrial action] is always a tool that unions can’t rule out. It is not a first option, but it is something that unions could never rule out. The whole idea of taking action for the pursuance of a dispute if we declare there is a dispute… and people use their collective power to draw attention to have their issues addressed; that is always a possibility.” The proposals centre around a need for a new collective agreement, the union boss said. “It would contain things like the hours of work, sick leave policy, vacation leave, disciplinary action, grievance procedure; it would speak to probation, pensions and promotion policies,” Walrond told Barbados TODAY. He accused the BADMC of seemingly bent on trying to move away from proper industrial relations practices in recent years but said the union wants to return to the bargaining table to work out a collective agreement. But the acting deputy general secretary said morale at the corporation has hit rock bottom in an environment where he claimed the rights of employees were being eroded. “We still want to sit down with the corporation. The corporation over the years has moved away from a relationship with NUPW where it is more like they are trying to set their own terms and conditions… but we are insisting we want to get around the table and have a collective agreement in place. I think that is one of our greatest battles,” Walrond said. He added another issue is how decisions were being implemented at the farm production and marketing board. The NUPW official told Barbados TODAY the workers fear that the BADMC human resources department seemed more interested in making decisions to their disadvantage instead of trying to empower them to feel a part of the organization. “They are not happy with the state of affairs…they feel their rights are being undermined and the management is seemingly looking at ways to reduce whatever benefits they enjoy or terms and conditions they enjoy. So they are not happy generally and there is low morale at the BADMC.” Management of the corporation could not be reached for comment. (BT)

NUPW CUTTING TIES? – It appears that the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) is set on ending its association with General Secretary Roslyn Smith. This afternoon Barbados TODAY was reliably informed by sources close to the organisation that the executive body of the largest public sector trade union had opted not to extend Smith’s contract, which expired on March 31. “Ms Smith was sent a letter informing her that the contract would not be renewed. I can’t say if she received the letter, but we have to now wait and see how she responds,” said one source, who noted that Smith had the option of appealing the decision. Smith is recovering from an undisclosed illness and has been receiving treatment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) since last December. She had submitted a request for a leave extension in a letter dated March 15. At the time union president Akanni McDowall said a decision on the matter should be deferred to the union’s incoming executive committee and national council. However, another source explained to Barbados TODAY that while a new national council is yet to be formed, the executive of the NUPW took the decision not to renew the contract. “The new council is being formed now but the executive would have made the decision as it pertains to Roslyn [Smith]. The executive made the decision that the contract not be extended,” the source explained. However, the source also pointed out that a new national council, once in place, could reverse the decision. “A new national council could decide that they want to bring the General Secretary back. So, there is nothing cast in stone and that would be up to them, but as of March 31, she was not being paid by the NUPW,” the source, said while noting that it might be some time before the NUPW seeks a replacement as there is currently an acting General Secretary and an acting Deputy General Secretary in place. “We currently have Delcia Burke acting as General Secretary and Wayne Waldron acting as Deputy General Secretary. So, I don’t believe that the union would necessarily be looking for someone right away,” the source explained. Barbados TODAY made several attempts to reach Smith for comment but was unsuccessful. In recent months, Smith’s relationship with the NUPW president has been volatile. In the days leading up to NUPW’s elections last April, news broke that Smith and McDowall were heading to court to settle a lawsuit stemming from a memo dated August 28, 2018, in which McDowall made certain statements to the NUPW’s National Council referencing Smith’s use of the union’s credit card. Smith has accused McDowall of making several “extremely serious, sensational and irrefutably false statements against her”, which had the potential to cause her to lose her job. According to a release issued by Smith last March, correspondence was sent to McDowall’s lawyers on January 11, 2019, informing him of the planned action. However, at the time, McDowall, who is represented by the legal firm Clarke Gittens Farmer, has claimed that he is protected from any defamation lawsuit. A letter sent to Smith’s attorney Duana Peterson, a copy of which was obtained by Barbados TODAY, stated that McDowall was protected under the Trade Unions Act, as president and chairman of the national council. “In fulfillment of this duty, our client issued the memo to the national council under the letterhead of the NUPW and in his capacity as chairman and president. Therefore, the memo was issued by our client on behalf of NUPW. Consequently, we have advised our client that he is afforded protection from your client’s claim of defamation pursuant to Section 7(1) of the Trade Unions Act CAP 361,” the letter stated. (BT)

LAND TAX DISCOUNTS ‘END IN AUGUST’, SAYS BRA – A discount on this year’s land tax bills has been extended until the end of August, the Barbados Revenue Authority announced this evening. BRA spokeswoman Carolyn Williams-Gayle said the rebate was in line with a promise made during the Budget. She said in a statement: “In accordance with the Budgetary Proposals 2019, there will be a single discount of five per cent this year on all accounts that are paid in full on or before August 31.” The BRA official said there are alternative payment options so homeowners could avoid standing in line at their offices. Williams-Gayle added: “We are encouraging persons to use the other options for paying their land tax bills which include using the drop boxes for cheques at our locations, wire transfers for those persons living overseas and paying online using EzPay on the government portal. The EzPay option requires persons to register for this service and a direct link to registration can be found on our website www.bra.gov.bb/Pay.” Bill payments could be made at the authority’s offices in Bridgetown at the Treasury Building and the Weymouth Corporate Centre, at Warrens Tower II, and in Oistins and Holetown, the release added. The opening hours for the Treasury Building and Holetown offices are Monday to Friday between 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., while the other locations are from 8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., it said. (BT)

TRAFFIC CHANGES FOR OFFICIAL VISIT OF GHANA DELEGATION –There will be several temporary traffic changes tomorrow in Bridgetown to facilitate the visit of president of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, to Parliament. From 6 a.m., no parking will be allowed in the area and footpaths around the Parliament Building, Broad Street, Shepherd Street, Trafalgar Street, High Street, Ricketts Street, and Palmetto Street. There will be traffic diversions at St Michael’s Row, Bay Street and Broad Street from 3 p.m. Traffic travelling into The City along St Michael’s Row will turn right on to Spry Street, and exit The City, or turn left on to Bridge Street, travel across the bridge in the direction of Probyn Street and exit The City. No traffic will be allowed to turn right on to Wharf Road, as it will be closed to all traffic. Commuters along Bay Street going into The City will be allowed to turn right on to Independence Square and travel towards the traffic lights at the junction with Bridge Street, Probyn Street and Fairchild Street and either travel straight to Fairchild Street or turn right on to Probyn Street and exit The City. There will be no left turns on to Bridge Street. Motorists travelling along Lower Broad Street will be diverted at the junction on to Prince William Henry Street and travel in the direction of Coleridge Street and exit The City. Uniformed police officers will be on duty during the event and road users are urged to comply with all directions given. Motorists wishing to travel these areas during this period are encouraged to seek alternative routes. (WN)

COMMON ENTRANCE RESULTS TO BE ANNOUNCED NEXT MONDAY – The results of the 2019 Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination (BSSEE), more popularly known as the Common Entrance Exam or 11-Plus will be announced next Monday, June 17. Minister of Education,Technological and Vocational Training, Santia Bradshaw, will make the announcement at 10a.m. in the Minister’s Conference Room at the Ministry’s Constitution Road, St Michael headquarters. (MR/BGIS)

PLASTICS ‘ARE EVERYWHERE’ – A conservationist has warned that plastic pollution globally could be more pervasive than previously thought. Addressing a panel discussion on single-use plastics last night, the director of public education and awareness at the Barbados Sea Turtle Project Carla Daniel said recent environmental studies have shown that humans may be ingesting as much as five grammes of plastics which can be found in the air, in drinking water and the oceans. Daniel said: “They’re saying that you are ingesting about five grams of plastic. Where’s this plastic coming from? It’s coming from your bottled water that you love so much. And it’s also coming from tap water. “People are not sure what the health impact from all of this plastic ingestion is but they do know that basically every week you’re eating a credit-card sized amount of plastic.” According to Daniel, land-based microplastic pollution may be as much as four to 23 times as high as marine plastic pollution. “So you’re really concerned about all the plastic in the water and so on, but all of that soil you’re walking on, all of that soil you’re putting your crops in, all of the rivers that are flowing through…. All of those things have plastic as well. “Research is suggesting that 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced since then… 6.3 billion metric tonnes is plastic waste. So even with the best intentions of recycling, we still have 79 per cent of this buried in landfills or in nature. And if we continue at this rate of production … without better recycling infrastructure, 12 billion tonnes of plastic waste in landfills by 2050. That’s probably the size of a few Barbadoses.” She also described the impact of plastic litter on Barbadian wildlife, particularly sea turtles, whose hatchlings are sometimes trapped in plastic bags. “One of the issues with putting garbage on the sand is that sometimes when turtles try to lay their eggs they will bury that garbage in with the eggs. Sometimes what happens is that people that are cleaning the beach or people who are on the beach think they are doing a good deed somehow by burying their dirty diapers, burying their Styrofoam or whatever containers, burying their plastic bags down in the sand.” But she believes that Barbados can improve the state of its environment. “This is the golden age of technology, we have the opportunity to be a shining example. “We have the opportunity to clean up our act, we have the opportunity to clean our island. “We have 166 square miles, we have approximately 280,000 people, if we all got on board we could probably clean up this place in no time.” Dominique Tudor, the founder of Eco Rebel, a provider of environmentally friendly products, hailed the ban on single-use plastics, which took effect on April 1. (BT)

‘WEEDED OUT’ – One Canadian-based preventative and medical physician has poured cold water on any notion that Barbados could compete with other jurisdictions for the growing of cannabis for export. At the same time, Professor Louis Hugo Francescutti is warning Barbadian authorities to proceed with caution as they establish a medical marijuana industry here. He was addressing the opening of a Barbados Employers’ Confederation one-day seminar at the Savannah Hotel on Thursday under the theme Decriminalization of Marijuana: The Employers’ Response. Highlighting the country’s ongoing drought, the past president of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada said growing on a large scale would require a lot of water and he did not see Barbados being able to do that on a sustained basis. “Just in case you wanted to start growing it here, you know, if you think that ‘we are going to grow Barbados marijuana and we are going to make a fortune and the revenue is going to be great’… Well, to grow marijuana makes no difference if they are growing it in the Arctic or in Barbados, you are not going to be growing it outdoors. It has to be grown in a controlled environment,” said Francescutti. “And a controlled environment is going to require certain amount of humidity, a lot of electricity and a lot of water. Water woes continue. So I don’t know if you are the right place to start growing marijuana to try and compete with countries that are so far ahead of you. In Canada the operations are unbelievable. I don’t think an island like Barbados could compete at any level,” he said. The Mia Mottley administration has already announced the addition of five marijuana-based drugs to be added to the local drug formulary, a first step towards fully establishing medical cannabis industry. However, when it comes to legalization of the weed for recreational use, Government has promised to have a referendum. Francescutti warned that it was critical that the country put certain mechanisms in place including laws similar to those in Canada that would make provision for employers to accommodate users of cannabis and cannabis products even if they become addicts. “Eventually if you are following what other countries are doing you may end up with laws like that, or if somebody challenges you and take it to the court system you have to accommodate them,” he said. “If you are going to go down this route you better start putting some serious dollars towards treatment because you are going to need it. And if you are an employer you better start figuring out how you are going to deal with people that are going to show up at work under the effect,” he warned. He added: “Make it mandatory that if the government goes through to legalization and is promoting this industry, that 40 per cent of it is directed towards treatment.” He said if there was a country that Barbados should look to for guidance in rolling out a medical cannabis market is Portugal. He said that country had a “very robust detoxification programme and support programmes in place”. Francescutti said he did not see the decriminalization of the drug impacting the illicit drug trade, since those who want to buy large quantities would still do so. He said while the medical cannabis industry could be a lucrative one there were a number of devastating consequences that should be considered. “The only good consequence I guess is that there is a little more revenue, but you have to balance that by how much more policing and expense in medicine that you are going to have to put into this. So you can do it but do it very carefully,” he cautioned. The past president of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) told the room of professionals that with the decriminalization of marijuana, the country faces the risk of having an increased number of addicts and suicide cases. Using the state of Colorado as an example, he also stated that cannabis use could result in more high school dropouts, an increase in fatal road accidents and a decline in tourist arrivals. “If there is a family history of schizophrenia, starting to smoke at a young age will increase the risk of the schizophrenia manifesting itself. You are going to see a lot more psychotic episodes and we are beginning to see this right now in Canada,” he warned. “Start measuring drops in tourism as well because quite frankly, you go down this route and your motor vehicle rates go up, your fatality rates go up because the lifeguard is up in the lifeguard shed smoking a joint and not seeing people drowning….The little things like that and word gets out, who is going to want to come to Barbados? …. So it is going to impact on your tourists. It is going to impact on your productivity,” he said. He suggested that any law put in place should ensure that the use of cannabis-based products or the use of small quantities of the drug was by individuals over the age of 25. Pointing out that marijuana had not yet undergone extensive research, Francescutti said there was need for frank and open discussions in Barbados before government established a medical marijuana industry. He noted that establishing such an industry meant that marijuana would be included in many things including food, body products and medications. Stating that it was a difficult but crucial conversation that would evoke a lot of emotional responses, he warned of the impact it could have on the youth under 25 that could be irreversible. In frank terms, the physician said if Barbados ended up with an increase in addiction due to decriminalization of cannabis and did not have resources and mechanisms in place to deal with them “then you are sc…ed”. “Because what you are doing is creating a population of addicts but you are not providing any kind of means to help them,” he said. (BT)

MINISTER SHOULD QUIT OVER PRISON ‘TRAVESTY’ – An outspoken senator is demanding the resignation of Minister of Home Affairs Edmund Hinkson and Superintendent of Prisons Lieutenant Colonel John Nurse over the recent discovery of inmates on remand being lost in jail without having their day in court. Opposition Senator Caswell Franklyn who is also industrial relations consultant to the Prison Officers’ Association of Barbados is livid that a person on remand should, in modern Barbados, be left to languish in jail for nearly ten years for a petty theft which attracts a sentence of no more than six months. A week ago, it was revealed in the High Court that Winston Agard had been on remand for seven years without going to court. Criminal attorney-at-law Angella Mitchell-Gittens, who has been fighting on behalf of some of those prisoners has told Barbados TODAY she was informed that there were close to 50 persons at HMP Dodds who had not appeared before the court for a prolonged period. But yesterday Minister Hinkson suggested the numbers were considerably lower when he said that there is “less than a handful” of prisoners on remand at HMP Dodds who have not been to court in over two years. Hinkson said that a list of prisoners on remand at the penal institution was vetted, revealing those numbers. However, Senator Franklyn today insisted that the Minister was misleading the country. “In any case, one, is one too many. We should not be behaving like a banana republic. Nobody should be lost in prison. All hell has broken loose up there [Dodds Prison]. All kind of things seem to be going wrong under him [Minister Hinkson]…and the Prime Minister should take away the rest of his portfolios let him go back doing what he was good at…being a successful criminal lawyer,” Senator Franklyn told Barbados TODAYthis afternoon. “In fact, they all should resign; Hinkson and the superintendent,” added the industrial relations consultant. “Nobody should be lost in prison. A warrant is issued by a magistrate and it has a deadline on it. So when that deadline is gone you go and get the person to appear in court. I don’t know what he [superintendent] doing up there. He come and change up everything. John Nurse should resign,” the controversial Franklyn declared. Meanwhile Minister Hinkson has described Agard’s situation as a “travesty”. He said after it was highlighted he met with senior prison management, senior management of his ministry, as well as the chairperson of the Prisons Advisory Board, Queen’s Counsel Cicely Chase. “There are, however, less than a handful of persons who have been on remand for more than two years without their cases being before the courts, and whose earlier sentences have recently expired, or who are not serving any sentence at the present time.” The minister said those persons would be provided with the opportunity to come before the courts and plead guilty, or otherwise be given a trial hearing. But Mitchell-Gittens said while she was relieved to hear that action was being taken, the numbers given by the Minister did not add up. Barbados TODAY reached out to prison boss Nurse for a comment, but he declined saying that the Minister had already spoken to the matter. Efforts to contact Hinkson this afternoon for a response to Franklyn’s call to resign proved futile. (BT)

HINKSON DEFENDS DODDS – Minister of Home Affairs Edmund Hinkson is hitting back at criticism that the medical unit at HMP Dodds is not up to scratch, particularly for inmates with certain health challenges. He was responding to queries from the Weekend Nation, after the personal physician of Richard Arthur, who was convicted last month on ammunition charges but later granted bail on medical reasons, criticised conditions at the St Philip facility. Hinkson said the unit has up-to-date emergency care equipment, three doctors daily, prison officers qualified as nurses and an ambulance on site. (WN)

CRUISE PROMOTERS: BLAME IT ON SOCIETAL VIOLENCE – Party cruises not to blame! With dozens of party cruises already scheduled for this year’s Crop Over season, promoters have joined scores of Barbadians pleading with authorities to take the unprecedented spate of violence more seriously. The promoters have unanimously agreed that the problem is not as a result of the parties, but is a manifestation of the growing violent culture taking over the country. The discussion followed last weekend’s fatal shooting of security guard Dave Archer while at a Sand 2 Sea promotional cruise on the MV Dream Chaser. In recent times, cruise boats officials have introduced changes in security protocols including banning glass bottles and instituting extensive searching of patrons including the removal of footwear before entry. Officers of the Royal Barbados Police Force are also present at the docks before vessels depart and when they return. Reacting to the most recent incident, Shakeel Greaves, promoter of popular summer cruise, Beards and Bikinis argued that boat owners and promoters have been taking reasonable steps to respond to safety concerns. “It’s a problem with the country moreso than the party cruises,” he declared. “It’s a problem the country needs to confront altogether. I hear people blaming cruises and saying there are not going on cruises anymore, but to be honest, somebody was shot while in Sheraton and people have been shot in town. It is more something that we have to do as a country rather than simply going after the party cruises.” Promoter of the popular Waves Cooler Cruise Ken Mason described the problem as “a reflection of society”. “We have to look at things a bit differently. Conflict resolution is a thing of the past and people nowadays are just quick to run for the gun. What can be done in the communities to prevent them from having these guns that are ending up on the streets?” asked Mason. “That is where the conversation should be headed instead of dealing with the promoters. All we can do is to bring ten more guards or 20 more guards; it does not negate the fact that the gun was already there. It’s just a matter of ensuring the guns are off the streets as a whole. It must be a collaborative effort between the community, the police and the coast guards to ensure the presence is there.” While suggesting more support from the police and coast guard, Mason said the onus is also on boat owners to better screen promoters who request the use of their vessels for parties. He in fact identified three categories of cruises: ‘boujee’, ‘ghetto’/urban cruises and “those in between”. While admitting he frequents “all different types” of cruises, Mason admitted the urban or ghetto cruises were often singled out as trouble cruises. Another promoter who requested anonymity revealed some have started restricting registration to persons known to themselves and their committee members. The source, a long time entertainment entrepreneur also revealed while hiring police as security was often preferable, promoters are often deterred by exorbitant prices. “The average cost of a security guard is between $80 to $120 per guard for the night. The average cost of a police starts at $120. A constable starts at $120 but that is the lowest level of police and when you are employing police, you can’t just employ constables. You have to employ inspectors and superintendents as well,” said the source, adding the RBPF would often determine how many police would be required if they were employed to cover the event. “They may recommend 15 constables, a station sergeant and an inspector. In addition to that, before you even sell a drink at your event, the police have to be paid. So as a party promoter, you tend to shy away from the police, because obviously it’s difficult and at the end of the day, it is a business too. “I’m not saying that you want to play with people’s lives, but if it is difficult to acquire the services of the police, and you could understand why, the promoter would be at a disadvantage as opposed to someone who can afford. It’s still a struggle, because you can only have about 750 people on a boat,” the source argued. On the other hand, promoter of Amped: The Cruise Russell Grant revealed for at least one pleasure boat, the RBPF served as official security. This, he said would continue to be his vessel of choice. “I think it’s all about the crowd and as a promoter, I know the crowd that we will attract and I know the people… I think that a certain cruise might be considered a ‘bad man’ cruise unfortunately. “The more popular the boat, the more problems it will have… it started out being the Buccaneer, then it became the Jolly Roger and now it’s the Dream Chaser. “I just think the police presence makes a difference and many of these guys know who are the police, so they probably won’t go onto the boat with a gun. They know the possible repercussions if they shoot a police officer may be different. So I think the boats need to just hire more police,” said Grant. (BT)

BOYCE URGES YOUTH RESTRAINT AGAINST DISRESPECT – Too many young people are resorting to violence over petty slights, Deputy Commissioner of Police Erwin Boyce has complained. Boyce expressed concern that youngsters are demonstrating a lack of restraint whenever faced with perceived disrespect. “We see this coming out when we do our investigations. We hear things like ‘this person disrespect me or this person disrespect my girl or my family and as a result, I had to take the action that I did.’ This is not the way to respond,” the senior police officer said. Boyce made the comments in the feature address at the Drug Awareness Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) graduation and awards ceremony for the George Lamming Primary School, which was held today at Prince Cave Hall in the District ‘A’ Police Complex. Boyce urged the graduating class to arm themselves with appropriate problem-solving skills, as they would encounter these issues on a regular basis as they go through their adolescent lives. “Disrespect is a word that is used quite often in the criminal landscape. I want to urge you that things will happen and you have to build the sort of resilience and the power to prevent yourself from being drawn into situations that will cause you to go down the wrong side of the road.” The deputy commissioner also told the graduating class of a number of other areas that they need to be on the lookout for, as they handle conflict resolution in their lives, suggesting that at times their courage would be challenged. But he urged them to bear in mind that they have nothing to prove to their peers. “You would hear words such as spine, disrespect, you are a worm, crime, violence and bullying. All these are now going to be part of your vocabulary as you move from this stage of life to the other. “When you hear someone does not have spine, it is meant to mean that person is a coward. Quite often many persons see that as a way to show off their manhood.” “How you deal with those matters would be critical in the understanding of your own personal development. You have been given lessons of right and wrong and you must determine what is best for you. Your response must be contingent on how you want to be seen,” he said. (BT)

UNNATURAL DEATH IN ST PHILIP – Police are on the scene of an unnatural death in St Philip. Preliminary reports indicate a man is dead in the Ruby area. (WN)

RAPE ACCUSED ON BAIL – A 27-year-old labourer accused of committing three offences against a woman is out on $10,000 bail. Mark Sylvester Vaughn, of No. 31 Watermill Place, Bayville, St Michael is alleged to have raped the woman on May 26 and occasioned actual bodily harm on her. He is further accused of using a computer between May 26 and 30 to send indecent and reckless electronic communication which could cause annoyance, inconvenience, distress or anxiety to the same woman or any other person to whom he intended its contents to be communicated. He secured bail before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant when he appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ recently. His bail conditions state that he must report to the Hastings Police Station every Tuesday and Saturday before noon with valid identification. Vaughn was also warned to stay away from the complainant and not to communicate with her in any manner. His next court date is October 15. (BT)

JAMAICAN MAN DENIES ASSAULTING HIS WIFE – The freedom of a Jamaican man appears to rest solely with his wife who he claims is Barbadian and is accused of assaulting. Despite being married since September 5, 2018, Derief Austin Noble, of 2nd Avenue Flint Hall, St Michael does not have a certificate to prove his union and has no official legal status in Barbados. The 37-year-old self-employed man appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court this afternoon charged that he assaulted Kaydene Clarke on May 15 occasioning her actual bodily harm. He pleaded not guilty to that charge as well as the allegation that he assaulted Donna Phillips, his wife, on June 9 occasioning her actual bodily harm. Following the not guilty pleas an immigration officer informed Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant that Noble arrived in the country on January 22, 2016 and requested a 14-day stay but was granted six months. However, he remained in the country illegally when the time expired and had not made any applications to regularise his status. The officer said that Noble had informed her that he was married to a Barbadian but did not produce any documents to substantiate that statement. His lack of status prompted Station Sergeant Cameron Gibson to raise an objection to his bail. Noble’s attorney Mohia Ma’at told the court that his client was “indeed a married man here in Barbados” and was married at a church in St Andrew. “It is quite simple to ascertain if they are married. That marriage . . . places him in a unique position as it relates to his status. He is not someone that overstayed,” the lawyer submitted. Magistrate Cuffy-Sargeant pointed out that Noble had been in the country illegally before his marriage last year. “And having been married to the complainant he did nothing to regularise his status,” the magistrate said before remanding Noble to Dodds until July 11. (BT)

CAR SMASHER GETS JAIL TIME – Twenty months in prison. That’s how long Lamar Keelan Eversley, of Vauxhall Gardens, Christ Church will spend at Her Majesty’s Prison Dodds for breaking into several vehicles. The 30-year-old unemployed man had previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court this afternoon. Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant imposed a six-month sentence on him for damaging a motorcar belonging to Phillip Garnes between October 29 and 30, 2018. He got four months to run consecutively with the first sentence for stealing a book and $5 cash belonging to Perry Dennis between April 5 and 6. For stealing an ashtray and $3.50 belonging to Laura Nicholls between the same dates he will spend a further six months at Dodds which will run consecutively. Added to that he will also spend a further four months for stealing an ashtray and $10 cash belonging to Jamaala Fagon on March 21. Eversley was convicted, reprimanded and discharged for the offence of loitering on the premises of Grantley Ifill on March 22 when there was cause to suspect that he was about to commit theft. Officer Kenmore Phillips said in all the incidents the complainants secured their vehicles and on their return found them broken and entered and the items missing. In Garnes’ case he found the left side rear window smashed. In Ifill’s case he was sleeping when he suddenly awoke due to noise on the outside. When he looked he saw it was Eversley and proceeded to throw rocks at him but the culprit made good his escape. (BT)

PINELANDS WOMEN GET BAIL – Two St Michael women accused of using abusive language towards a police sergeant appeared in court recently and were granted bail. They are 20-year-old Nariba Davini Maynard and 22-year-old Tamara Shanice Francis both of No. 21 York Terrace, Pinelands. Maynard is alleged to have used the words “Don’t pay he no mind he is a p**** and f*** you too. You feel somebody care if you is a police or not” towards Sergeant Frank Olton. She is further accused of obstructing and resisting the sergeant in his line of duty on June 10. Francis meanwhile is alleged to have said “I don’t know who the f*** he think he talking to. Go and look for the weed and big guns yuh c***,” also to Sergeant Olton on the same date. Both women entered not guilty pleas to the charges leveled against them before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant. However, Francis pleaded guilty to a separate charge of wearing a dress made of the camouflage pattern. A probation report has been ordered on her in preparation for sentencing on that offence. Magistrate Cuffy-Sargeant has also ordered that the case involving the officer be completed by December 12 with disclosure to be served to the accused on their next court appearance on July 8. In the meantime they must report on Tuesdays and Wednesdays before noon with valid identification to a police station – Maynard to Hastings and Francis to Black Rock. (BT)

SLAPPED AND BULLIED – Student Ian Elroy Gibson “was being bullied” on the day he was involved in an accident along Sunbury Road, St Philip. That was the evidence of former third form Princess Margaret Student Julia Howard who took the stand in the No. 2 Supreme Court today in the manslaughter case against three former schoolmates. Shaquille Shamal Khalleel Bradshaw and Doniko Javier Alleyne both of Balls Land, Christ Church and Maria Antoinette Goddard of Parish Land C, Balls Land, Christ Church are on trial before an eight-member jury accused of the unlawful killing on September 20, 2009 of then 11-year-old Gibson, a Princess Margaret student. Howard told the court that she was sitting on the side of the road on Friday, September 18, 2009 with friends waiting on a bus to go home when Alleyne walked up to Gibson and told him ‘you was wukking up behind me today’ and started to “slap him up”. “Ian ran across the road and Maria hold him and she was hitting him . . . . Maria said to Shaquille that Ian said something about his mother . . . . Shaquille was walking towards him with a stick and Ian was saying ‘leave me, leave me.’ And all I heard was a sound and saw Ian on the ground,” Howard told the court presided over by Justice Randall Worrell, while answering questions posed by Principal Crown Counsel Alliston Seale. Under cross-examination by Arthur Holder who is legal counsel for Bradshaw, the Crown’s witness said she could not recall if Devon Brathwaite was at the scene on the day neither could she say whether someone had taken up a piece of galvanise. She however said that someone named Earl did hit Ian but did not know a Jamal Cox. Howard also stated that she saw Bradshaw hit Gibson with a stick but “can’t remember how many times”. “I honestly can’t remember how everything play out”, she admitted even as she stated that the car, which Gibson collided with, was “white”. Her evidence followed that of the Director of Medical Services at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) Dr Anthony Harris who read the report of the attending doctor who pronounced Gibson dead at 12:58 a.m. on September 20, 2009. That doctor has since left the QEH. The Crown then closed its case. The trial resumes tomorrow. (BT)

RIGHT ON, MIKEY! – They might’ve been fierce opponents on the field, but former West Indies fast bowler, now commentator Michael Holding has got New Zealand’s Jeremy Coney is his corner over a recent controversy with the International Cricket Council (ICC). A day after Holding stood firm because the ICC asked him to avoid pointing out the errors of umpires on air during the ongoing World Cup, Coney says what the ICC is trying to do is “just not on”. “People saw the mistakes. Do you want silence at that moment, especially if its (video) being replayed? No you don’t,” said the 66-year-old Coney, who is working as a radio commentator for the BBC at the World Cup. (WN)

RAPTORS WIN FIRST NBA TITLE, KAWHI IS MVP – The Toronto Raptors delivered Canada its first NBA title with a 114-110 victory over the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors on Thursday that set off a country-wide celebration. With a nation hanging on their every shot, Canada’s only NBA team put the finishing touches to a remarkable 4-2 series upset that denied the Warriors a fourth championship in five years. “I can’t really think right now, this is crazy. This is awesome man,” said Toronto guard Kyle Lowry. “Toronto! Canada! We brought it home baby! We brought it home!” When the final buzzer sounded, jubilant Raptors fans flooded the streets of downtown Toronto for a night of celebration not seen in the city since Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays last won a World Series title in 1993. Toronto forward Kawhi Leonard, who arrived in a blockbuster trade with the San Antonio Spurs last July, was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. “Last summer I was going through a lot. I had a great support system, I just kept working hard, working hard and had my mind set on this goal right here,” said Leonard, who last season was limited to nine games due to a quadriceps injury. “I came to a team, a new coach, and that mindset was the same as mine. This is what I play basketball for, this is what I work out for all summer, during the season and I’m happy that my hard work paid off.” Leonard, who also won the award in 2014 while playing for the San Antonio Spurs, joins basketball greats Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as the only players in NBA history to win Finals MVP with two different franchises. Lowry and Pascal Siakam each had 26 points for Toronto and Leonard 22, while sharp-shooting Warriors guard Klay Thompson, who left the game with an injury in the third quarter, had 30 points. Despite playing against a more playoff-seasoned opponent, the Raptors proved unflappable throughout the series and whenever the Warriors looked set to seize momentum Toronto would use some smart passes and precise shooting to maintain control. (WN)

GRYNNER NOW FOREVER KING OF THE ROAD – Iconic calypsonian MacDonald The Mighty Grynner Blenman is once again, and for all time, King of the Road. Grynner, whose seven-time champion road marches dominated the soundscape of the Spring Garden Highway will now be officially associated with the one-mile stretch of tarmac which is to be renamed The Mighty Grynner Highway. News of Blenman having the highway renamed in his honour broke last night when an image of new signage near the Esso service station at the Holborn end of the highway, went viral on social media. Since then, members of the entertainment industry have shared on social media their congratulations to the pioneer of the Barbadian calypso art form. An elated Grynner told Barbados TODAY he never imagined that he would have a road renamed in his honour. He said: “I feel very good and I am glad to know that I get something before I go along. I am proud and happy with the response I received. I am glad things work out for me like that I never had it in a dream, but I get it.” The seven-time road march king said he will be doing all of his celebrations at the official rededication which is yet to be announced. “It depends on when it is. Once they have the official one, I have to be there. No, I am going to wait till the official opening,” he said. Tent manager of De Big Show Calypso Tent Merle Niles shared on her Facebookpage: “Congratulations to the road boss! Leo McDonald Blenman. The Mighty Grynner”. Also giving kudos was entertainer Ishaka McNeil who said in a Facebook post: “Oh, this is what I call one of the most beautiful days in history. This highway should have the Leggo I Hand section, the Mr T section, Wait for me Grynner section and De Bajan Yankees section of the Highway. Congrats to a legend well deserved.” Longtime friend Adonijah told Barbados TODAY the renaming of the road was well deserved. “The ol’ dawg is the King of the Road. Congrats to him,” he said. Tent Manager of House of Soca calypso tent Sharon Carew also offered her congratulations to the veteran calypsonian. Carew said: “I think he is deserving of it. It is very fitting. It is an accolade that I am so glad that he is alive to see it. I really think that you could not have given it to a nicer person and someone that deserves it.” Blenman first won the calypso monarch title back in 1976 with Crop Over Bacchanal. Since then Grynner has become the lone calypsonian to have two hat-tricks in the Tune of The Crop – the Kadooment Day Road March – as he reigned from 1983-1985 with the songs Mr T, Stinging Bees and More Grynner. He returned in 1988-1990 and once again captured the crown with Wait For Me, Leggo I Hand and Get Out De Way. In 1998, he was once again in winner’s row with his song Grind Dem which won the Tune Of The Crop making it his seventh time capturing the coveted title. He also produced such hits as Bajan Yankee in 1986, Ah Coming in 1991, My Car in 2014, Turn Up The Speaker in 2016, King of The Road which featured veteran calypsonian Ras Iley in 2017 and Lock Dem Up in 2018. (BT)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 201 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

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joshuajacksonlyblog · 5 years

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Investment Firm: Bitcoin Might Already Be Better Than Gold, Here’s Why

Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of the Bitcoin (BTC) project, always expressed an inkling of mistrust and cynicism towards centralized institutions, including Wall Street and the incumbent government. This theme was only accentuated when the first ever crypto diehard embedded a Financial Times headline, which pertained to 2008’s Great Recession, into the coinbase of his/her brainchild’s first-ever block.

Related Reading: Would McAfee’s Revelation of Satoshi Nakamoto Affect Bitcoin Prices?

But over the years, the underlying value proposition of Bitcoin has been misconstrued, especially as ‘get rich quick’ schemes have become a sector mainstay. In fact, many argue that now, BTC’s primary use case isn’t as a media of exchange, but as a speculation instrument, giving its ‘investors’ an asymmetric risk-return profile. However, some are sure that Bitcoin is best suited as a form of digital gold.

The Digital World Demands Digital Gold

Gold has been an integral part of human society for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Although the precious metal does have viability as a component for modern technologies, gold has, is, and will likely continue to be primarily used as a store of value, an asset that allows its holders to keep their wealth over time, rather than lose it due to inflation of fiat monies or the destruction/degradation of purchasable goods.

But, a contender to gold’s hegemony as the go-to value store is approaching. And that contender, if you haven’t guessed it already, is Bitcoin. Grayscale Investments, an investment subsidiary of crypto industry conglomerate Digital Currency Group, recently released an extensive report on why Bitcoin might be better than the already good gold.

Is #bitcoin ($BTC) the new digital #gold? Check out our recent report: Bitcoin & the Rise of Digital Gold #DropGold https://t.co/0FNfz9r7Zq pic.twitter.com/ZyrITTyIml

— Grayscale (@GrayscaleInvest) April 23, 2019

Grayscale’s team, known for putting out works on industry trends, such as the impending block reward reduction, first pointed out that gold’s usability has plummeted in the 21st century. The long and short of it was: try purchasing your groceries with gold.

Respects were paid where they were due, however, with Grayscale noting that the metal remains a viable store of value against inflation, especially in nations which are stricken with “hyperinflation, currency wars, and imprudent monetary policies.” Gold’s value is only accentuated when you realize that the average lifespan of a government-issued currency is 30 years. No, not 300, but a mere three decades.

But Bitcoin may do an even better job than gold. Unlike the metal, BTC is mathematically scarce, capped at 21 million units; BTC is decentralized and verifiable through the Internet; BTC is portable and divisible through digital technologies, and is unconfiscatable. Gold, on the other hand, has an unlimited supply, centralization risks, an inability to be easily divided and moved around, and legitimacy concerns. The chart below from Grayscale sums this argument up fairly well.

The benefits that Bitcoin provides has led some, like Gemini’s Tyler Winklevoss to quip that the only thing that gold has over BTC is a “3,000-year headstart.”

What A World Where Bitcoin > Gold Would Look Like

Let’s say the world realizes the potential that Bitcoin holds, resulting in the world looking to store their value in BTC compared to gold. What would this hypothetical (yet totally possible) world look like?

According to HodlWhale, a Seattle-based cryptocurrency investor, a world where Bitcoin has absorbed all the value of the gold in circulation would see BTC valued at $350,000.

If #Bitcoin were to displace the value of gold the current value of a single Bitcoin would be $350K. Bitcoin has the ability to displace value across many financial and technology markets. $BTC is greater than #Gold #BTC350K

— HodlWhale (@HodlWhale) April 19, 2019

This figure isn’t exactly baseless. As reported by NewsBTC on an earlier date, all gold in circulation is currently valued at approximately $7.83 trillion, while all BTC has a mere $94 billion valuation. If the latter was to fully displace the value of the first, Crypto Voices, an industry analytics and research group, estimated that BTC would swell to a value of a casual $450,000 — slightly above HodlWhale’s estimate.

Featured Image from Shutterstock

The post Investment Firm: Bitcoin Might Already Be Better Than Gold, Here’s Why appeared first on NewsBTC.

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brettzjacksonblog · 5 years

Text

Investment Firm: Bitcoin Might Already Be Better Than Gold, Here’s Why

Related Reading: Would McAfee’s Revelation of Satoshi Nakamoto Affect Bitcoin Prices?

The Digital World Demands Digital Gold

Is #bitcoin ($BTC) the new digital #gold? Check out our recent report: Bitcoin & the Rise of Digital Gold #DropGold https://t.co/0FNfz9r7Zq pic.twitter.com/ZyrITTyIml

— Grayscale (@GrayscaleInvest) April 23, 2019

The benefits that Bitcoin provides has led some, like Gemini’s Tyler Winklevoss to quip that the only thing that gold has over BTC is a “3,000-year headstart.”

What A World Where Bitcoin > Gold Would Look Like

According to HodlWhale, a Seattle-based cryptocurrency investor, a world where Bitcoin has absorbed all the value of the gold in circulation would see BTC valued at $350,000.

— HodlWhale (@HodlWhale) April 19, 2019

Featured Image from Shutterstock

The post Investment Firm: Bitcoin Might Already Be Better Than Gold, Here’s Why appeared first on NewsBTC.

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#IFTTT #CryptoCracken SMFeed

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michaelbennettcrypto · 5 years

Text

Investment Firm: Bitcoin Might Already Be Better Than Gold, Here’s Why

Related Reading: Would McAfee’s Revelation of Satoshi Nakamoto Affect Bitcoin Prices?

The Digital World Demands Digital Gold

Is #bitcoin ($BTC) the new digital #gold? Check out our recent report: Bitcoin & the Rise of Digital Gold #DropGold https://t.co/0FNfz9r7Zq pic.twitter.com/ZyrITTyIml

— Grayscale (@GrayscaleInvest) April 23, 2019

The benefits that Bitcoin provides has led some, like Gemini’s Tyler Winklevoss to quip that the only thing that gold has over BTC is a “3,000-year headstart.”

What A World Where Bitcoin > Gold Would Look Like

According to HodlWhale, a Seattle-based cryptocurrency investor, a world where Bitcoin has absorbed all the value of the gold in circulation would see BTC valued at $350,000.

— HodlWhale (@HodlWhale) April 19, 2019

Featured Image from Shutterstock

The post Investment Firm: Bitcoin Might Already Be Better Than Gold, Here’s Why appeared first on NewsBTC.

from Cryptocracken WP http://bit.ly/2Gx03P7 via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Cryptocracken WP

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lindarifenews · 5 years

Text

How to Use Facebook Lead Ads to Grow Your Business

Facebook lead ads can accomplish a variety of marketing objectives, but they’re best at helping with one of marketing’s golden rules: Know thy audience.

Many marketers think they know their audience, but often confuse customer data with customer analytics. In a mostly online ecosystem, it’s easy to forget that sometimes the best way to learn about customers is to just ask questions. That’s exactly what Facebook lead ads (sometimes called Facebook lead forms) do.

If your objectives include market research, customer feedback, or even increasing conversions, Facebook lead ads may be the right solution. This guide will answer all of your questions about the ad format, including how to create a campaign and how to optimize for success.

Bonus: Download a free guide that teaches you how to turn Facebook traffic into sales in four simple steps using Hootsuite.

What are Facebook lead ads?

Facebook lead ads are essentially promoted forms. These forms allow marketers to capture details from customers while offering opportunities to connect, such as newsletter subscriptions, demo requests, or contest registration.

When someone clicks on a lead ad, they presented with a form that’s pre-populated with information from their Facebook profile. The rest can be completed in a few easy taps.

A major attribute about lead ads is that they are optimized for mobile. That’s key for Facebook’s 88 percent share of mobile users–especially since it typically takes 40 percent longer to complete forms on desktop.

Another advantage Facebook lead generation ads offer is that generated leads can be synced directly with your company’s customer-relationship management system or downloaded as a .CSV file. This allows marketers to follow-up more efficiently, which is vital for closing the deal.

How to create a Facebook lead ad in 10 steps

Here’s how to set up Facebook lead generation ads, step by step.

1. Go to Ads Manager.

2. In Ads Manager click Create in the top left corner.

3. Choose Lead generation as your objective and name your campaign.

4. Choose the Page you plan to use for the lead ad. Click View Terms and then agree to the Facebook Lead Ads terms and conditions after you’ve read them.

5. Choose your target audience, placements, budget, and schedule. Note: Lead ads cannot be targeted to people under the age of 18.

6. Select your lead ad formats. You can select carousel, single image, video, or slideshow.

7. Add your headline, body copy, and a call to action. A window on the right offers a preview of your ad as your create it.

8. Scroll down and click Contact Form. Here you can add a form title, add an intro, questions, your company’s privacy policy, and a thank you screen.

Intro: Use this section to clearly explain why people should fill out your form.

Custom questions: There are two types of questions you can choose: Standard questions (ie. gender, job title) and custom questions. Ask custom questions that pertain to you business, for example: “When are you looking to buy a new car?” Up to 15 questions can be included. Some governments bar advertisers from requesting certain information,

Form type: Under Form Type you can select: More volume or higher intent. Choose more volume if your campaign goal is to get the form completed by as many people as possible. Selecting higher intent adds a step to your form that allows people to review and confirm their info before they hit submit. This is a good option if your objective is to seal a deal.

Privacy policy: Facebook lead ads require a link to your company’s privacy policy. Make sure you have a page on your business website.

Thank you screen: This screen will appear after the form is submitted. You can also include a call-to-action or download link here.

9. Click Settings under the name of your form and check that you would like to collect organic leads. This advanced step is optional, but recommended. You can also change the language of your form here.

10. Click Finish in the top-right corner. Review your ad from Ads Manager and when you’re ready to publish, click Confirm.

Once you’ve created an ad, you can access leads through, customer system integration, implementation of the Facebook Marketing API, or by manual download.

Facebook also allows advertisers to collect leads using Facebook Instant Experience forms.

Tips for creating Facebook lead ads that convert

Offer an incentive

People are more willing to share their personal information with you if you offer something in return. Whether it’s a promo code or a free download, a good incentive shows customers you value their information.

Popular incentive examples include:

Get deals and offers

Enter sweepstakes and contests

Receive product samples

Attend an event

Pre-order products

Download studies and whitepapers

Be clear about your offer

Share your value proposition upfront so that people understand what they are signing up for. While optional, Facebook recommends you include this information in your promotional copy and in the introduction at the beginning of your form. Also, add branding throughout the experience so there isn’t any ambiguity as to who people are sharing their info with.

It’s also important to choose imagery that supports your messaging. For instance, point-of-sales systems provider Revel Systems tested different creative for its lead ad campaign, and found images with the product as a focal point were much more effective.

Use compelling content and formats

Just like any other Facebook ad, lead ads best served when the medium fits the message. For instance, if you want to showcase multiple products or features, perhaps a carousel format is the best choice. Short video, on the other hand, is a good format for storytelling and increasing brand awareness.

Don’t assume that because you’re offering an incentive creative doesn’t matter. Include high quality images and videos, sharp copy, and a CTA button for best results. You can find lead ad design specs here.

Keep your form simple

It’s simple: The easier your form is to fill out, the higher your completion rate will be. According to Facebook, with each question you add, the chance of someone abandoning the form increases.

Only ask for the most relevant information. If your form includes multiple-choice questions, limit the number of choices between three and four.

Ask the right questions

If Facebook’s provided questions don’t meet your needs you can create custom questions for your form. Choose between short answer, multiple choice and conditional questions, which change based on how a previous question was answered.

Your form can also include Store Locator and Appointment Scheduling fields which let people search for a nearby location or schedule visits.

Need help brainstorming questions? Facebook’s rubric of business goals and examples is a good place to start.

Target the right audience

Your target audience should align with your lead ad’s objectives. There are three primary audience types you can choose from:

Lookalike audiences: If your goal is to expand your customer base, create a Lookalike Audience modeled off of your most valuable customers in order to find similar users. Learn more about how to use lookalike audiences.

People near you: If you have one or more locations and your account is managed by a Facebook representative, you can use the business locator feature and target ads to people in range of your stores. This audience segment is ideal if your aim is to schedule appointments, demos, or simply encourage customers to visit.

Custom audiences: Examples of custom audiences can include people who are subscribed to your newsletter, recent site and app visitors, or people in your CRM.

Plan to follow-up

A swift follow-up can significantly improve the chances of a conversion. And the quicker you do it the better. A landmark study published in Harvard Business Review found that businesses that make contact with customers within an hour are seven times more likely to secure qualified leads.

Keep in mind that messaging apps are now consumers’ preferred way to connect with brands. Two-thirds of customers rank messaging ahead of phone, live chat, and face-to-face communications. Maybe it’s time for your business to hop onto Facebook Messenger. And of course, if you want to know your customer’s preferred time and means of communication, don’t forget to ask.

Test and optimize

The best lead ads are often the result of A/B testing and fine-tuning. Consider running two lead ads with different imagery or copy. Or try running lead ads with different form lengths to measure completion rates.

6 successful Facebook lead ad examples from brands

Here are some Facebook lead ad examples to inspire your next campaign.

LA Auto Show: Fueling ticket sales

The LA Auto Show ran multiple Facebook ad campaigns to promote its marquee event, but lead ads were critical for revving up interests. To find auto enthusiasts and increase ticket sales, LA Auto Show created a lead ad campaign targeted to a lookalike audience similar to those who had already purchased tickets online.

The lead ads offered a ticket discount incentive for those who submitted the form. And critically, LA Auto Show representatives followed up to complete the sales, contributing to a 37 percent increase in online ticket sales compared with the previous year.

Hubble Contacts: Clear market insights

To assess market interest in affordable disposable contact lenses, Hubble Contacts leveraged lead ads to create a simple sign up form. All the company asked for was for people to submit their pre-populated email address if they were interested in learning more.

Bonus: Download a free guide that teaches you how to turn Facebook traffic into sales in four simple steps using Hootsuite.

Get the free guide right now!

While the company hadn’t launched yet, these insights played a critical role in raising funding. “The data from this campaign was key to raising a USD 3.7 million seed bridge before launch, which gave us the capital to lean heavily into marketing from day one,” said Co-CEO Jesse Horowitz.

When Hubble launched was able to use its email list to create ads optimized for conversions.

Revel Systems: Optimizing pays off

With the goal of generating more customer leads for its point-of-sales system, Revel Systems tested lead ads against link ads that directed people to a campaign landing page.

Early results showed that the in-app lead ad format led to 619 times the amount of leads and a 74 percent lower cost per lead. The company also tested different images, finding that images that focused on the product performed better.

Generali Thailand: Ensuring better responses

To improve its response time to new customer queries, personal insurance company Generali Thailand ran a lead ad campaign that integrated leads with its CRM management system.

The pre-populated forms and automated collection of customer information helped take the burden off of sales team agents, helping them identify and respond to new queries faster. By acting on Facebook leads within 24 hours, Generali Thailand saw a 2.5x increase in sales conversions.

Myra: Slimming down sampling costs

The UL Skin Sciences brand Myra is a big brad in the Philippines and was able to grow its national customer base through offering samples offline. To grow its business online and reduce costs, Myra turned to Facebook lead ads.

Using lookalike and custom audiences, the beauty brand targeted an existing customer base and a new qualified customer segment. The campaign was able to secure 110,000 sign-ups at a 71 percent lower cost per sign-up rate.

Real Madrid: Scoring leads in new markets

Champions League soccer team Real Madrid has a loyal fan base on Facebook, and an even stronger one offline. To bridge the gap and grow its base in countries with low engagement, the club launched a series of lead ads.

Optimization played a big role in the three-month campaign through a series of A/B tests that compared audiences, creative, and formats. At the end of the allotted period, the club generated a whopping 2.4 million leads, and was able to achieve a 70 percent decrease in cost per lead.

Create Facebook ads and collect leads using AdEspresso by Hootsuite or Hootsuite Ads. Both are powerful options that make it easy to create, manage, and optimize campaigns.

Get Started

The post How to Use Facebook Lead Ads to Grow Your Business appeared first on Hootsuite Social Media Management.

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