#premier National banker
Text
When he spoke, speaking was little different from listening. No conscious will of his own moved him, no self-consciousness was in him. The multiple echoes of his voice from distant loudspeakers and the stone fronts of the massive buildings, however, distracted him a little, making him hesitate at times and speak very slowly. But he never hesitated for words. He spoke their mind, their being, in their language, though he said no more than he had said out of his own isolation, out of the center of his own being, a long time ago.
"It is our suffering that brings us together. It is not love. Love does not obey the mind, and turns to hate when forced. The bond that binds us is beyond choice. We are brothers. We are brothers in what we share. In pain, which each of us must suffer alone, in hunger, in poverty, in hope, we know our brotherhood. We know it, because we have had to learn it. We know that there is no help for us but from one another, that no hand will save us if we do not reach out our hand. And the hand that you reach out is empty, as mine is. You have nothing. You possess nothing. You own nothing. You are free. All you have is what you are, and what you give.
"I am here because you see in me the promise, the promise that we made two hundred years ago in this city - the promise kept. We have kept it, on Anarres. We have nothing but our freedom. We have nothing to give you but your own freedom. We have no law but the single princple of mutual aid between individuals. We have no government but the single principle of free association. We have no states, no nations, no presidents, no premiers, no chiefs, no generals, no bosses, no bankers, no landlords, no wages, no charity, no police, no soldiers, no wars. Nor do we have much else. We are sharers, not owners. We are not prosperous. None of us is rich. None of us is powerful. If it is Anarres you want, if it is the future you seek, then I tell you that you must come to it with empty hands. You must come to it alone, and naked, as the child comes into the world, into his future, without any past, without any property, wholly dependent on other people for his life. You cannot take what you have not given, and you must give yourself. You cannot buy the Revolution. You cannot make the Revolution. You can only be the Revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere."
- Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed
#Le Guin#The Dispossessed#Anarchy#Anarchism#The Hand That You Reach Out Is Empty. As Is Mine#book quotes
16 notes
·
View notes
Text
Sunday, June 25, 2023
The World’s Empty Office Buildings Have Become a Debt Time Bomb
(Bloomberg) In New York and London, owners of gleaming office towers are walking away from their debt rather than pouring good money after bad. The landlords of downtown San Francisco’s largest mall have abandoned it. A new Hong Kong skyscraper is only a quarter leased. The creeping rot inside commercial real estate is like a dark seam running through the global economy. Even as stock markets rally and investors are hopeful that the fastest interest-rate increases in a generation will ebb, the trouble in property is set to play out for years. After a long buying binge fueled by cheap debt, owners and lenders are grappling with changes in how and where people work, shop and live in the wake of the pandemic. At the same time, higher interest rates are making it more expensive to buy or refinance buildings. A tipping point is coming: In the US alone, about $1.4 trillion of commercial real estate loans are due this year and next, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. When the deadline arrives, owners facing large principal payments may prefer to default instead of borrowing again to pay the bill.
Inflation, health costs, partisan cooperation among the nation’s top problems
(Pew Research Center) Inflation remains the top concern for Republicans in the U.S., with 77% saying it’s a very big problem. Gun violence is the top issue for Democrats: 81% rank it as a very big problem. When it comes to policy, more Americans agree with the Republican Party than the Democratic Party on the economy, crime and immigration, while the Democratic Party holds the edge on abortion, health care and climate change.
The Brown Bag Lady serves meals and dignity to L.A.’s homeless
(USA Today) A Los Angeles woman, known affectionately as the Brown Bag Lady, is serving the city’s unhoused population with enticing meals and a sprinkle of inspiration for dessert. Jacqueline Norvell started cooking meals for people on L.A.’s Skid Row about 10 years ago in her two-bedroom apartment after getting some extra money from her Christmas pay check. She bought several turkeys and prepared all the fixings for about 70 people, driving to one of L.A.’s most high-risk areas to hand out the meals. “We just parked on a corner,” said Norvell. “And we were swarmed.” She says people were grateful and she realized the significant demand. Norvell’s been cooking tasty creations ever since. Norvell garnishes each dish with love and some words of encouragement. In addition to the nourishment, each bag or box has an inspirational quote. “We’ve got to help each other out,” she said. “We have to.”
Facing Brutal Heat, the Texas Electric Grid Has an Ally: Solar Power
(NYT) Strafed by powerful storms and superheated by a dome of hot air, Texas has been enduring a dangerous early heat wave this week that has broken temperature records and strained the state’s independent power grid. But the lights and air conditioning have stayed on across the state, in large part because of an unlikely new reality in the nation’s premier oil and gas state: Texas is fast becoming a leader in solar power. The amount of solar energy generated in Texas has doubled since the start of last year. And it is set to roughly double again by the end of next year, according to data from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. “Solar is producing 15 percent of total energy right now,” Joshua Rhodes, a research scientist at the University of Texas at Austin, said on a sweltering day in the state capital last week, when a larger-than-usual share of power was coming from the sun. So far this year, about 7 percent of the electric power used in Texas has come from solar, and 31 percent from wind. The state’s increasing reliance on renewable energy has caused some Texas lawmakers, mindful of the reliable production and revenues from oil and gas, to worry. “It’s definitely ruffling some feathers,” Dr. Rhodes said.
Guatemalans are fed up with corruption ahead of an election that may draw many protest votes
(AP) As Guatemala prepares to elect a new president Sunday, its citizens are fed up with government corruption, on edge about crime and struggling with poverty and malnutrition—all of which drives tens of thousands out of the country each year. And for many disillusioned voters—especially those who supported three candidates who were blocked from running this year—the leading contenders at the close of campaigning Friday seem like the least likely to drive the needed changes. Guatemala’s problems are not new or unusual for the region, but their persistence is generating voter frustration. As many as 13% of eligible voters plan to cast null votes Sunday, according to a poll published by the Prensa Libre newspaper. Some of voters’ cynicism could be the result of years of unfulfilled promises and what has been seen as a weakening of democratic institutions. “The levels of democracy fell substantially, so the (next) president is going to inherit a country whose institutions are quite damaged,” said Lucas Perelló, a political scientist at Marist College in New York and expert on Central America. “We see high levels of corruption and not necessarily the political will to confront or reduce those levels.”
Chile official warns of ‘worst front in a decade’ after floods, evacuations
(Reuters) Days of heavy rainfall have swollen Chile’s rivers causing floods that blocked off roads and prompted evacuation in the center of the country, amid what has been described as the worst weather front in a decade. The flooding has led authorities to declare a “red alert” and order preventive evacuations in various towns in the south of Santiago. “This is the worst weather front we have had in 10 years,” Santiago metropolitan area governor Claudio Orego said.
Crisis in Russia
(NYT/AP) A long-running feud over the invasion of Ukraine between the Russian military and Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia’s private Wagner military group, escalated into an open confrontation. Prigozhin accused Russia of attacking his soldiers and appeared to challenge one of President Vladimir Putin’s main justifications for the war, and Russian generals in turn accused him of trying to mount a coup against Putin. Prighozin claimed he had control of Russia’s southern military headquarters in the city of Rostov-on-Don, near the front lines of the war in Ukraine where his fighters had been operating. Video showed him entering the headquarters’ courtyard. Signs of active fighting were also visible near the western Russian city of Voronezh, and convoys of Wagner troops were spotted heading toward Moscow. The Russian military scrambled to defend Russia’s capital. Then the greatest challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power fizzled out after Prigozhin abruptly reached a deal with the Kremlin to go into exile and sounded the retreat. Under the deal announced Saturday by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Prigozhin will go to neighboring Belarus. Charges against him of mounting an armed rebellion will be dropped. The government also said it would not prosecute Wagner fighters who took part, while those who did not join in were to be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry. Prigozhin ordered his troops back to their field camps in Ukraine, where they have been fighting alongside Russian regular soldiers.
In Myanmar, Birthday Wishes for Aung San Suu Kyi Lead to a Wave of Arrests
(NYT) In military-ruled Myanmar, there seemed to be a new criminal offense this week: wearing a flower in one’s hair on June 19. Pro-democracy activists say more than 130 people, most of them women, have been arrested for participating in a “flower strike” marking the birthday of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the civilian leader who was ousted by Myanmar’s military in a February 2021 coup. Imprisoned by the junta since then, she turned 78 on Monday. The protest—a clear, if unspoken, rebuke of the junta—drew nationwide support, and many shops were reported to have sold all their flowers. Most of the arrests occurred on Monday, but they continued through the week as the military tracked down participants and supporters. In some cities and towns, soldiers seized women in the streets for holding a flower or wearing one in their hair. Some were beaten, witnesses said. The police have also been rounding up people who took to Facebook to post a birthday greeting or a photo of themselves with a flower. Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, called the campaign the latest example of the “paranoia and intolerance” of Myanmar’s military rulers.
Sweltering Beijingers turn to bean soup and cushion fans to combat heat
(Washington Post) China’s national weather forecaster issued an unconventional outlook this week: “Hot, really hot, extremely hot [melting smiley face],” it wrote Tuesday night on Weibo, China’s answer to Twitter. It was imprecise, but it wasn’t wrong. The temperature in Beijing hit 106 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday, a public holiday for the Dragon Boat Festival. It was the highest June recording since 1961. Visiting the Great Wall was “like being in an oven,” said Lin Yun-chan, a Taiwanese graduate student on her first trip to Beijing. The heat wave is almost the only thing anyone can talk about. Much of the online discussion revolves around food. People are sharing advice about the most hydrating snacks for the hot weather: mung bean soup and sour plum drink are popular options. Entrepreneurs looked for ways to capitalize on the heat wave: One promoted a seat-cushion fan designed to combat a sweaty butt, while tourism companies touted trips to the south of the country, which is usually hotter but currently less so.
Your next medical treatment could be a healthier diet
(WSJ) Food and insurance companies are exploring ways to link health coverage to diets, increasingly positioning food as a preventive measure to protect human health and treat disease. Insurance companies and startups are developing meals tailored to help treat existing medical conditions, industry executives said, while promoting nutritious diets as a way to help ward off diet-related disease and health problems. “We know that for adults, around 45% of those who die from heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke, that poor nutrition is a major contributing factor,” said Gail Boudreaux, chief executive of insurance provider Elevance Health speaking at The Wall Street Journal Global Food Forum. “Healthy food is a real opportunity.”
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
youtube
Sorry, I can't find a English video about this subject
Albert Kahn banker, his gardens of the world and the archives of the planet
In 1896, Albert Kahn undertook a trip to Japan during which he met the former Japanese ambassador to France, Baron Motono Ichirō, and met Count Ōkuma Shigenobu, who was twice a minister. Received at the University of Tokyo, he knows the great honor of being rewarded with a personal gift from the Emperor, three gold cups (decorated with boats?, "Kahn" meaning "boat in German) corresponding to a coat of arms. It was after this trip that Albert Kahn began the development of the Japanese garden of his property.
In 1898, his first patronage consisted of travel grants "Around the World" through the Albert Kahn Foundation: a discovery of other countries of more than a year offered to young men and women associates, to allow them to enrich their skills and their future teaching by direct knowledge of the world.9. From 1907, he extended this liberality to young graduates from Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Russia.9. Frequent meetings of the beneficiaries take place at his property in Boulogne, at the circle Around the World. Other patronages will follow as long as Albert Kahn has the financial means.
The Archives of the Planet
On November 13, 1908, Albert Kahn left for many months for Japan and China, via the United States, and had his mechanic-driver, engineer by training, Alfred Dutertre, take more than 4000 stereoscopic shots and cinematographic images that testify to his "trip around the world".4 ». A few months after his return, he left for two months in South America in 1909 where he visited Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil, probably with a first professional photographer recruited for his image collection project, Auguste Léon, who took like Dutertre black and white stereoscopic plates, but also experimented with the autochrome plate 9 × 12 cm . Other professional operators are then recruited and sent around the world and to France to photograph on autochrome plate (color) and film (movement) to testify "aspects, practices and modes of human activity, whose fatal disappearance is only a matter of time". The most prolific and adventurous are Stéphane Passet, Frédéric Gadmer, Lucien Le Saint, Paul Castelnau, Roger Dumas, etc. From 1912, the team was supervised by the geographer Jean Brunhes, who participated in certain missions. Between 1909 and 1931, some 72,000 autochromes and a hundred hours of film were brought back from some sixty countries.4. Many guests of Albert Kahn's gardens are also taken in portrait on autochrome plate (and these images are the only ones in color of many personalities of the interwar period) and filmed. The Archives of the Planet are the iconographic side of a vast documentation project that will take other forms (publications, documentation centers, etc.) and whose goal is a better knowledge of other nations for a better understanding, in order to prevent deadly conflicts. The images are also projected for this purpose to Albert Kahn's guests, often prestigious, from all over the world, as well as in higher education structures.
source : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Kahn_(banker)
***
Albert Kahn banquier, ses jardins du monde et les archives de la planète
Les Archives de la Planète
Le 13 novembre 1908, Albert Kahn part de longs mois pour le Japon et la Chine, via les États-Unis, et fait prendre par son mécanicien-chauffeur, ingénieur de formation, Alfred Dutertre, plus de 4000 clichés stéréoscopiques et images cinématographiques qui témoignent de son « voyage autour du monde4 ». Quelques mois après son retour, il repart pour deux mois en Amérique du Sud en 1909 où il visite l'Uruguay, l'Argentine, et le Brésil, sans doute avec un premier photographe professionnel recruté pour son projet de collection d'images, Auguste Léon, qui prend comme Dutertre des plaques stéréoscopiques noir et blanc, mais expérimente aussi la plaque autochrome 9 × 12 cm. D'autres opérateurs professionnels sont ensuite recrutés et envoyés dans le monde et en France afin de photographier sur plaque autochrome (la couleur) et de filmer (le mouvement) pour témoigner « des aspects, des pratiques et des modes de l'activité humaine, dont la disparition fatale n'est plus qu'une question de temps ». Les plus prolifiques et aventuriers sont Stéphane Passet, Frédéric Gadmer, Lucien Le Saint, Paul Castelnau, Roger Dumas, etc. À partir de 1912, l'équipe est encadrée par le géographe Jean Brunhes, qui participe à certaines missions. Entre 1909 et 1931, ce sont ainsi quelque 72 000 autochromes et une centaine d'heures de film qui seront rapportés d'une soixantaine de pays4. De nombreux invités des jardins d'Albert Kahn sont aussi pris en portrait sur plaque autochrome (et ces images sont les seules en couleur de très nombreuses personnalités de l'entre-deux-guerres) et filmées. Les Archives de la Planète sont le versant iconographique d'un vaste projet de documentation qui prendra d'autres formes (publications, centres de documentation, etc.) et dont le but est une meilleure connaissance des autres nations pour une meilleure entente, afin de prévenir des conflits meurtriers. Les images sont d'ailleurs projetées à cette fin aux invités, souvent prestigieux, d'Albert Kahn, venant du monde entier, ainsi que dans des structures d'enseignement supérieur.
source : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Kahn_(banquier)
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
LUCY & THE SPACE RACE
April 12th - International Space Day
International Day for Human Space Flight takes place across the world on April 12. The day celebrates the first space flight and the first human being in space — Soviet cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin - on April 12, 1961. Naturally, the space age ramped up on TV as well.
Long before man actually went to space, people wondered what might be up there.
In the 1950′s, America was fascinated by the idea of aliens - mainly Martians. Books, films, and television shows all captalized on this fear of the unknown.
The fascination and fear of outer space can be traced back to “War of The Worlds”, an 1898 novel by H.G. Wells. In 1938, Orson Welles and the Mercury Radio Theatre used it as a basis for a broadcast that many believed to be an actual invansion from outer space.
In “Lucy Becomes an Astronaut” (November 5, 1962) Lucy Carmichael and Vivian Bagley successfully spend 24 hours in a simulated space ship as part of a 'Women in Space’ experiment.
Lucy just calls it “the space program,” but her daughter Chris knows that it is actually called NASA – the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. President Eisenhower established NASA in 1958. Alan Shepard became the first American in space in May 1961, just three weeks after Russian Yuri Gargarin. Although the American team planned to launch earlier, delays continually pushed the launch back, allowing the Russian program to scoop the headlines.
“The Lucy Show” wasn’t the only TV show to use the space program as the basis for storylines. Three months later “Dennis the Menace” aired “Junior Astronaut,” where Dennis and his classmates participate in the 'Junior Astronaut’ savings-stamp program. This episode starred Gale Godon, who would join “The Lucy Show” cast in season two. Star Jay North did a short promotional film for the real-life savings-stamp program to support NASA.
Also in January 1963, “McKeever & the Colonel,” a one-season sitcom that premiered on NBC a week before “The Lucy Show”, explored the topic in “McKeever’s Astronaut,” where a visiting astronaut turns out to be a chimp. Although not in the cast of this particular episode, Charles Lane (Lucy Carmichael’s banker Mr. Barnsdahl) was featured on the series in November 1962. Shirley Mitchell (Lucy Ricardo’s friend Marion Strong) was in the series premiere.
The most famous example of the space program on television is the sitcom “I Dream of Jeannie,” which premiered in 1965. It not only featured astronauts as the central characters, it was set in Cape Canaveral, Florida. After John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, the name was changed to Cape Kennedy. It reverted to Cape Canaveral a decade later, although the NASA facilities are still known as the Kennedy Space Center. Jeannie was played by Barbara Eden, who made her sitcom debut on a 1957 episode of “I Love Lucy.”
Lucy revisited the subject on October 11, 1971 on the “Here’s Lucy” episode “Lucy and the Astronauts”. When Harry and Lucy attend a splash down, she rushes to hug the returning crew before they can be medically cleared, meaning she and Harry must be quarantined with the astronauts.
Barely tolerating Lucy in the isolation unit, Dr. Jamison (Roy Roberts) grumbles “We never had this trouble with Neil Armstrong.” Neil Armstrong was the first American astronaut to set foot on the moon on July 21, 1969. Armstrong traveled with Buzz Aldrin on Apollo 11. His famous quote when he stepped onto the moon’s surface was “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
The episode incorporates stock footage of televised moon walks and splash downs.
This episode was featured in a set of View-Master reels. The View-Master system was introduced in 1939 by GAF, four years after the advent of Kodachrome color film.
The third act of “Lucy and the Generation Gap” (1969) was set in a futuristic space age in a musical comedy context.
In 1966, Desilu produced a science fiction series that explored life in outer space - “Star Trek”. Each episode started with the iconic phrase:
“Space: The Final Frontier”
Ball was friends with Majel Barrett and thought Gene Rodenberry was a talented creator. She supported the show when the network rejected it. Thanks to Lucy, the now iconic franchise has immeasurably contributed to the popularity of the space program.
#Lucille Ball#Space#Outer Space#NASA#TV#I Love Lucy#The Lucy Show#Here's Lucy#Star Trek#April 12#Astronaut
5 notes
·
View notes
Text
“It is our suffering that brings us together. It is not love. Love does not obey the mind, and turns to hate when forced. The bond that binds us is beyond choice. We are brothers. We are brothers in what we share. In pain, which each of us must suffer alone, in hunger, in poverty, in hope, we know our brotherhood. We know it, because we have had to learn it. We know that there is no help for us but from one another, that no hand will save us if we do not reach out our hand. And the hand that you reach out is empty, as mine is. You have nothing. You posses nothing. You own nothing. You are free. All you have is what you are, and what you give.
“I am here because you see in me the promise, the promise that we made two hundred years ago in this city —the promise kept. We have kept it, on Annares. We have nothing but our freedom. We have nothing to give you but your own freedom. We have no law but the single principle of mutual aid between individuals. We have no government but the single principle of free association. We have no states, no nations, no presidents, no premiers, no chiefs, no generals, no bosses, no bankers, no landlords, no wages, no charity, no police, no soldiers, no wars. Nor do we have much else. We are sharers, not owners. We are not prosperous. None of us is rich. None of us is powerful. If it is Anarres you want, if it is the future you seek, then I tell you that you must come to it with empty hands. You must come to it alone, and naked, as the child comes into the world, into his future, without any past, without any property, wholly dependent on other people for his life. You cannot take what you have not given, and you must give yourself. You cannot buy the Revolution. You cannot make the Revolution. You can only be the Revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere.”
— Ursula K. Le Guin, “The Dispossessed”
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
ROME -- Italian Premier Mario Draghi resigned Thursday after his ruling coalition fell apart, dealing a destabilizing blow to the country and Europe at a time of severe economic uncertainty brought on by the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Draghi tendered his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella during a morning meeting at the Quirinale Palace. Mattarella, who rejected a similar resignation offer from the premier last week, “took note” of the new one and asked Draghi’s government to remain on in a caretaker capacity, the president's office said. While the president could see if a new parliamentary majority was possible, his office indicated that he would dissolve the Legislature and call early elections.
The turmoil couldn’t have come at a worse time for the eurozone’s third-largest economy. Like many countries, Italy is facing soaring prices for everything from food to household utilities as a result of Moscow's invasion. On top of that, it is also suffering through a prolonged drought that is threatening crops and struggling to implement its EU-financed pandemic recovery program.
Any instability in Italy could ripple out to the rest of Europe, also facing economic trouble, and deprive the EU of a respected statesman as it seeks to keep up a united front against Russia.
Draghi, who is not a politician but a former central banker, was brought in 17 months ago to navigate the economic downturn caused by COVID-19. But his government of national unity imploded Wednesday after members of his uneasy coalition of right, left and populists rebuffed his appeal to band back together to finish the Italian Parliament's natural term.
Instead, the center-right Forza Italia and League parties and the populist 5-Star Movement boycotted a confidence vote in the Senate, a clear sign they were done with Draghi.
“Thank you for all the work done together in this period,” Draghi told the lower Chamber of Deputies on Thursday morning before going to see Mattarella. Clearly moved by the applause he received there, he repeated a quip that even central bank chiefs have hearts.
Dubbed “Super Mario” for helping to lead the eurozone out of its debt crisis when he was head of the European Central Bank, Draghi played a similar calming role in Italy in recent months. His very presence helped reassure financial markets about the debt-laden nation's public finances, and he managed to keep the country on track with economic reforms that the EU made a condition of its 200 billion-euro (-dollar) pandemic recovery package.
He was a staunch supporter of Ukraine and became a leading voice in Europe’s response to Russia’s invasion — one of the issues that contributed to his downfall since the 5-Stars rankled at Italian military help for Ukraine.
Domestic concerns also played a role. The 5-Stars, the biggest vote-getter in the 2018 national election, chafed for months that their priorities of a basic income and minimum salary, among others, were ignored. The final straw? A decision to give Rome’s mayor extraordinary powers to manage the capital’s garbage crisis — powers that had been denied the party’s Virginia Raggi when she was mayor.
While he could not keep his fractious coalition together, Draghi appeared to still have broad support among the Italian public, many of whom have taken to the streets or signed open letters in recent weeks to plead with him to stay on.
Italian newspapers on Thursday were united in their outrage at the surreal outcome, given the difficult moment that Italy and Europe are navigating.
“Shame,” headlined La Stampa on the front page. “Italy Betrayed,” said La Repubblica.
Nicola Nobile, associate director at Oxford Economics, warned Draghi's departure and the prospect that country would not have a fully functioning government for months could exacerbate economic turbulence in Italy, which investors worry is carrying too much debt and which was already looking at a marked slowdown for the second half of the year.
Mattarella had tapped Draghi to pull Italy out of the pandemic last year. But last week, the 5-Stars boycotted a confidence vote tied to a bill aimed at helping Italians endure the cost-of-living crisis, prompting Draghi to offer to resign a first time.
Mattarella rejected that offer and asked Draghi to return to Parliament to brief lawmakers on the situation. The premier did so on Wednesday, appealing to party leaders to listen to the calls for unity from ordinary Italians.
“You don’t have to give the answer to me. You have to give it to all Italians,” he told lawmakers.
While the next steps were unclear, Mattarella seemed likely dissolve Parliament after a period of consultations, paving the way for an election as soon as late September or early October. The Legislature’s current five-year term is due to expire in 2023.
Mattarella planned to meet with the presidents of the upper and lower chambers of Parliament later Thursday, his office said. The announcement cited the article in the Italian Constitution that says the president can dissolve Parliament.
Opinion polls have indicated the center-left Democratic Party and the right-wing Brothers of Italy party, which had remained in the opposition, are neck-and-neck.
Democrat leader Enrico Letta said Parliament had betrayed Italy.
“Let Italians show at the ballot that they are smarter than their representatives,” he tweeted.
The Brothers of Italy has long been allied with the center-right Forza Italia of ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi and the League of Matteo Salvini, suggesting that a center-right alliance would likely prevail in any election and could propel Brothers’ leader Giorgia Meloni to become Italy’s first female premier.
Meloni, who has been gunning for an early election since before the crisis erupted, was triumphant.
“The will of the people is expressed in one way: by voting. Let’s give hope and strength back to Italy,” she said.
Some commentators noted that Draghi’s government, which has been among Europe's strongest supporters of Ukraine, collapsed in large part thanks to political leaders who previously had ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Berlusconi has vacationed with Putin and considered him a friend; Salvini opposed EU sanctions against Russia after its 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula; and then there's 5-Star leader Giuseppe Conte's opposition to Italian military aid to Ukraine.
After 5-Star senators boycotted last week's vote, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio accused Conte of giving Putin a gift.
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
WHY WOMEN WIN
1916
Why Women Win is a four act comedy-drama by Joseph Ferguson. It originally starred the author. Others in the original cast included Mabel Wilson, Anthony De Motto, Charles Rondeau, Juanita Bertram, Harry Wilson, and Harriet Stein.
The play premiered in Atlantic City at Nixon’s Apollo Theatre on the Boardwalk on January 6, 1916. It was to play the second half of a split week (Thu / Fri / Sat) with The Cinderella Man by Edward Childs Carpenter.
On New Year’s Day 1916, the Atlantic City Press reported that:
“While an outline of the plot is not available at present, it is said that ‘Why Women Win’ is a clean, moral, interesting, up-to-date story told with gripping situations and that the comedy element predominates throughout, there being a character called ‘Biddy’ who interrupts many of the tense moments with laughs.”
On January 4th, the same newspaper reported that the plot of the play dealt indirectly with the Suffragette movement.
“Incidental to the play, Mr. Ferguson will sing several of his new songs, assisted on piano by Mrs. Stein.”
On January 6th, in advance of a follow-up booking the following week, the Vineland Evening Journal revealed the plot:
"’Why Women Win’ a new up-to-date comedy drama by Joseph Ferguson, will be the attraction at the Auditorium, Vineland Monday evening January 10. An unusual plot is embodied in this play which is based on the adoption of two orphans by different well-to do families. One of the orphans a boy turns out an ungrateful ne'er-do well and robs the bank in which his foster father places hm. He is not suspected and his foster brother later catches him robbing the safe at home a struggle ensues in which the adopted brother knocks his foster brother unconscious and arranges evidence that points toward him as the criminal. His foster mother detects the real criminal and orders him from the house forever.. Her son is engaged to be married and bis fiancé turns out to be the sister of the foster son whom she has just turned from the house. The girl induces her brother to return his loot to the bank and to the home and all ends well.
An Irish servant injects many a laugh in the midst of the tense dramatic moments which character is very well done by Anthony de Motto. Mr. Ferguson himself plays the part of William Stanton the real son of the banker and Charles Rondeau enacts the role of John, the foster brother. Miss Mayo has the role of Avis Laird, the adopted girl, and Miss Bertram does the Mrs. Stanton part. The other characters are in the hands of a good supporting company. The company comes direct here from the Apollo Theater at Atlantic City.”
After a single performance, the management of Nixon’s Apollo cancelled the remaining performances. No explanation was provided for the abrupt cancelation.
The company was scheduled to appear the following Monday in nearby Vineland NJ on Monday, January 10, 1916. Whether Ferguson and company performed the play in Vineland, or called it quits after being nixed by Nixon’s in Atlantic City, is a mystery. It may be that the play was one of the few to open and close out-of-town after just a single performance.
Meanwhile, in 1916 Alice Paul and her colleagues rename the Congressional Union (CU) the National Woman's Party (NWP) and began demonstrations, parades, mass meetings, and picketing the White House over the refusal of President Woodrow Wilson and other Democrats to actively support the Suffrage Amendment. It would be four long years before women won the right to vote.
The League of Women Voters of New Jersey was depicted in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, set in Atlantic City.
#Why Women Win#Nixon's Apollo Theatre#1916#Joseph Ferguson#Atlantic City#Vineland NJ#women's suffrage#New Jersey#Boardwalk Empire
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
Top 5 @Wikipedia pages from yesterday: Tuesday, 27th February 2024
Welcome, mirë se vjen, καλωσόρισμα (kalosórisma), dobrodošli 🤗
What were the top pages visited on @Wikipedia (27th February 2024) 🏆🌟🔥?
1️⃣: Self-immolation of Aaron Bushnell
"On February 25, 2024, Aaron Bushnell, a 25-year-old serviceman of the United States Air Force, committed an act of self-immolation outside the front gate of the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C. Immediately prior to the act, Bushnell said on a live stream that he was protesting against "what..."
2️⃣: Shōgun (2024 TV series)
"Shōgun is an American historical drama limited series created by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, based on the 1975 novel of the same name by James Clavell. The novel was previously adapted into a 1980 limited series. The series premiered with its first two episodes on February 27, 2024, on Hulu and..."
3️⃣: Dune: Part Two
"Dune: Part Two is a 2024 American epic science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jon Spaihts. The sequel to Dune (2021), it is the second of a two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert, and follows Paul Atreides as he unites with the Fremen..."
4️⃣: Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild
"Nathaniel Charles Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, (29 April 1936 – 26 February 2024), was a British peer, investment banker and a member of the Rothschild banking family. Rothschild held important roles in business, finance and British public life, and was active in several charitable and..."
Image licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0? by National Library of Israel| Photography: Hanan Cohen
5️⃣: Cleopatra
"Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (Koinē Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Θεά Φιλοπάτωρ lit. Cleopatra "father-loving goddess"; 70/69 BC – 10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler. A member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, she was a descendant of its founder..."
Image by Louis le Grand
0 notes
Text
Rewatching It's A Wonderful Life
Not a year goes by without a nationwide re-release of Frank Capra’s festive classic It’s A Wonderful Life (1946). Over recent years, the film has regularly been screened by mainstream cinema chains in Wales as well as independent venues like Chapter and Tramshed in the capital. This year’s most imaginative showing will take place at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea. With a musical adaptation by Paul McCartney and Lee Hall (Billy Elliott & Rocketman) seemingly set to bring this magical tale to a whole new generation of fans, Kevin McGrath takes a look at the unique story of how a movie that flopped at the Oscars and which barely made a dent at the box office somehow became an enduring part of Christmas for so many.
Frank Capra’s post-war masterpiece It’s A Wonderful Life has rightly gone down in film history as one of the greatest feel-good movies of all time. From its humble beginnings as The Greatest Gift, an unpublished short story that author Philip Van Doren Stern turned into a 24-page pamphlet-come-Christmas card, it has become the most cherished of all movies, regularly figuring in best picture polls either side of the Atlantic. For many in America, Christmas simply isn’t Christmas without the family gathering around the TV to watch this incredibly affecting festive tale. And it was TV, of course, that had rescued the film from relative obscurity when its copyright was allowed to lapse in 1974. By 1984, The Wall Street Journal discovered, 152 public stations and 175 commercial stations had taken up the rights to broadcast the movie).
The reason that It’s A Wonderful Life continues to stand the test of time today must surely be attributed to the flawless filmmaking of its visionary director Frank Capra. Prior to the outbreak of the Second World War (during which he made the exemplary documentary series, Why We Fight), Capra had established himself as one of Hollywood’s premiere directors, with a string of box office smashes to his name. The most notable of which, 1934’s romantic comedy It Happened One Night, became the first film to win all five major Academy Awards picking up Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay and, of course, Best Director. Capra had become a master craftsman and a master storyteller, specialising in crowd-pleasing ‘moral fables’ about the honest Joe, the American everyman, who stands up for ‘liberal’ ideals and values against corrupt businessmen and politicians.
Screen giants like James Stewart and Gary Cooper had turned in widely acclaimed performances in Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes To Washington and Meet John Doe respectively, and it was to Stewart, his most trusted actor, that Capra turned when casting the part of quintessential nice-guy George Bailey. Stewart, one of the few major stars to enlist in the war against fascism, had been away from Hollywood for the best part of five years, and was in anguish about resuming his acting career when Capra called to offer him the role, that ultimately, film critics would regard as the finest of his distinguished career. Luckily, the director was able to talk Stewart around, and the rest, as they say, is history!
Stewart’s nuanced portrayal of the decent, unselfish, yet ultimately tormented Bailey, offers us a masterclass in screen acting. It’s as if Stewart had never been away as he plays through a succession of comic, romantic and dramatic scenes with absolute confidence. Stewart is able to convince us of George’s good heart and of his deeply felt moral opposition to scurrilous Banker Henry Potter, whilst also capturing the frustration eating away at his character’s soul as he sees life passing him by and his friends making their own mark on the world. George Bailey is a man desperately divided against himself, as Stewart’s reflective performance gradually makes clear.
Thankfully, his fellow actors are equally as good, with Lionel Barrymore proving to be an inspired piece of casting in the role of Potter, the Dickensian villain who tries to drive the Bailey family business into ruin in his quest to monopolise the wealth of Bedford Falls. (Capra had surely noted Barrymore’s legendary portrayal of Scrooge for the Campbell Playhouse dramatisation of A Christmas Carol, broadcast each Christmas Eve since 1934). And, as the years have gone by, it’s become impossible to imagine anyone other than the whimsical Henry Travers as the very special emissary Clarence Oddbody, whose celestial mission it is to save George Bailey from the tragic fate that awaits him on Christmas Eve.
The movie begins with George’s family and friends frantically seeking divine intervention to help him through a spiritual crisis at Christmas and uses the device of extended flashbacks to tell the tale of a young boy/college student determined to travel the world, all the while threatening to “shake the dust of this crummy little town off my feet”. He subscribes to National Geographic magazine and spends his days dreaming of “going out exploring someday’. A family tragedy and financial difficulties combine, though, to ensure George’s ambitions are thwarted at every turn, as he finds himself trapped into running the family Building and Loan Company, the only institution in town not owned by slum landlord Potter. George is loved by the whole of Bedford Falls for standing alone against Potter time and again, and, in a crucial scene which illustrates Capra’s humanitarian message, Bailey challenges Potter over his scandalous business practices –
‘Do you know how long it takes a working man to save five thousand dollars? Just remember this, Mr. Potter, this rabble you keep talking about…they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn’t think so. People were human beings to him’.
Stewart is acting out of his straight-laced skin here, violently trembling with anger. For me, it’s one of the most genuinely moving scenes in film history.
Though George has quietly transformed the lives of all those who reside in Bailey Park, he is unable to find consolation in his own achievements. He simply cannot free himself from the resentment he feels, as first his younger brother Harry takes up his place at College, and then as his old friend Sam Wainwright cuts a dash through the business world. Drunk and despairing on Christmas Eve, he wishes he’d never been born.
Throughout the film, Capra remains in complete control of the story. Each scene plays perfectly, the transition between episodes is seamless and the script cohesive from start to finish. This is all the more remarkable given the number of writers involved in developing a screenplay that proved almost impossible to knock into shape. Whilst the final screen credit went to husband and wife screenwriting team Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich, as well as Capra himself, there were already three fully developed scripts in existence when Capra bought the property from RKO in 1945.
Three of the biggest names in the business had failed spectacularly in adapting Van Doren Stern’s quirky fantasy. Neither Marc Connelly, the Pulitzer winning playwright and fully paid-up member of the Alongquin roundtable, Dalton Trumbo (an Oscar winner for The Brave One) or Clifford Odets, the left-wing firebrand whose work with the Group Theatre had revolutionised Broadway in the thirties, found a way to incorporate the various fantasy/reality elements of the plot into a coherent whole.
While Connolly and Trumbo’s contributions were dismissed out of hand by Capra, some key scenes from the Odets script were retained. According to Jeanine Basinger, curator of the Capra archives, his scripts “bring into focus the elements found in the final movie: the accident on the ice in which Harry nearly drowns; the Gower drug store sequence and George’s marriage to Mary.” It’s worth noting that at this stage the Potter character simply did not exist. The dramatic conflict in each of these scripts was between a good George and an evil George.
None of this turmoil is reflected in the finished movie itself. Capra was able to unfold his story with clarity, balancing the requirements of the plot with his need to convey an uncompromising message to the audience. In the same way that Dickens, who was on a lifelong crusade to improve the conditions of the poor, wrote A Christmas Carol to try and progress social change in Victorian England, so Capra, who was just back from the Second World War, his film cans stuffed with footage of the horrors of the concentration camps, passionately wanted to tell a story that would make a serious statement about the times in which he lived.
Dickens’ plea to his readers was for them to follow the example of a reformed Scrooge when, at the novella’s end, he pledges to “honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all year round”. Capra’s motivation was equally straightforward. He had in mind a reaffirmation of John Donne’s view of the human condition
“No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main”
Still haunted by a war, in which Historians currently estimate, up to 70 million people died, Capra was at pains to point out how one man’s life touches another. His Christmas message was for us all to extend a helping hand to the next fellow.
When I went to see It’s A Wonderful Life at my local cinema, last Christmas, the usherette, on taking my ticket said: “I hope you’ve brought a supply of hankies”. Indeed, I had. I can never get past that early scene in Gower’s drugstore, where the distraught and drunk chemist brutally slaps a young George Bailey around, without breaking down. And, of course, the famous finale with George, having escaped from his nightmare existence in Pottersville, charging joyously through the snowy streets of Bedford Falls on Christmas Eve, wishing everyone and everything a Merry Christmas, has me in floods of tears every time I have the privilege of viewing it.
Watching It’s a Wonderful Life every Christmas, making it a part of the ritual and tradition of the festive period means it can be hard to be wholly objective about the film as a work of art. For good or bad the film comes imbued, perhaps even burdened, with our own memories and associations. In the darkness, as the credits begin to roll, we suddenly sense The Ghost of Christmas past sitting next to us in the cheap seats.
For others, Capra is too sentimental and the derogatory term “Capra-corn” applied by some cynics to his films has stuck over the years. Look beyond the joyous, feel-good message at the centre of It’s A Wonderful Life though, and there is a real darkness rooted within the heart of small-town America. Capra, having witnessed at first hand the atrocities of a World War, knew all about the evil ordinary people were capable of but remained an optimist and a believer in the brotherhood of man, nonetheless.
0 notes
Text
Navigating the Current Real Estate Landscape: A Look into 2024 Trends and Insights
Introduction: As the new year unfolds, prospective homebuyers are reemerging, armed with a strategic approach to secure deals before the market's competitive landscape intensifies. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reports a notable 9.9% increase in mortgage applications on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending Jan. 10. This surge, driven partially by a 6% uptick in purchase applications, signifies a proactive response to year-end rate declines and a slight inventory boost.
Rising Competition and Bidding Wars: Despite this initial window of affordability, bidding wars are already surfacing in various U.S. regions, contributing to potential increases in home prices. Stayce Mayfield, a Redfin premier agent, notes the unpredictability of prices, with bidding wars ranging from 20-30 offers, emphasizing the influence of location and property condition on market dynamics.
Charlie Sells, CEO of Strategic Passive Investments, shares his perspective on the current real estate climate.
"In today's dynamic market, seizing opportunities early is crucial. The surge in bidding wars reflects heightened buyer interest, influenced by declining rates and increased inventory in select areas. However, potential investors should stay vigilant, as new economic data may impact the Federal Reserve's rate decisions, affecting mortgage rates and affordability."
Regional Variances in Activity: Redfin's data shows a 3% month-over-month increase in mortgage-purchase applications during the first week of January. Areas with favorable weather conditions experienced heightened activity, as observed in Phoenix, where a premier agent, Heather Mahmood-Corley, encourages buyers to act now before competition intensifies in March.
Affordability Challenges and the Impact of Mortgage Rates: Despite the apparent affordability, the influx of competition may erode these advantages. Redfin reports that 24% of homes sold in the weeks leading up to Jan. 7 went above list price, with the median price at $363,125, marking a 4.1% year-over-year increase. Zillow's Nicole Bachaud emphasizes that demand, particularly from first-time buyers, hinges on mortgage rates, which, while lower, remain relatively high, potentially limiting overall market demand.
Economic Indicators and Mortgage Rate Trends: Recent economic data, including higher-than-expected inflation and unemployment figures in December, may influence the Federal Reserve's stance on interest rates. Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at Realtor.com, suggests that this could keep mortgage rates higher for an extended period, potentially leading to an increase in the coming weeks.
Seller Strategies and Limited Price Cuts: The current market dynamic favors sellers, with Zillow reporting a record-low share of listings (just under 16%) featuring price cuts in December. Scott Driscoll, a Redfin premier agent, notes that sellers are holding firm on prices, despite an increase in listing activity. The persistent inventory shortage, with December's active inventory 36% below typical levels, contributes to sustained home prices.
Role of New Construction in Easing Demand: The pressure on buyer demand may find relief through new construction, as noted by the surge in single-family home construction in November. Homebuilders are expressing confidence, and the National Association of Home Builders suggests that an increase in housing starts could temper the seller's market.
Conclusion: As we navigate the complex real estate landscape in early 2024, it is evident that both challenges and opportunities abound. Potential investors must remain agile and well-informed, considering factors such as mortgage rate trends, regional variations, and the impact of new construction. The insights from industry experts like Charlie Sells underscore the importance of strategic decision-making in the face of evolving market conditions.
#finance#investing#success#economy#retirement#real estate investing#real estate#realestate#sdira#selfdirectedira#passive investing#passive income
0 notes
Text
Holidays 11.28
Holidays
Auto Race Day
Bedfordshire Day (UK)
Bukovina Day (Romania)
Constitution Day (Abkhazia)
Decorate Your Dog Day
Feast of the Miraculous Medal
Flag Day (Albania, Kosovo)
Giving News Day
Gone-ta-Pott Day [every 28th]
Heroes’ Day (Sri Lanka)
Honey Day (French Republic)
Hōonkō (Japan)
Hug a Furry Day
International Day of the Mediterranean
It’s Letter Writing Day
Make Your Own Head Day
Molossaphone Day (Republic of Molossia)
National Alan Day
National Big Time Rush Day
National Cole Day
National Day of the Deaf (Mexico)
National Madison Day
National Patrick Day
Nice Knee-High Socks Day (Japan)
Navy Day (Iran)
Red Planet Day
Republic Day (Burundi; Chad; Congo)
Royal Society Day
Skywriting Day
World Compassion Day
Food & Drink Celebrations
Cake Remembrance Day (Cakeland)
National French Toast Day
4th & Last Tuesday in November
Crypto Giving Tuesday [Tuesday after Thanksgiving]
Giving Tuesday [Tuesday after Thanksgiving]
National Day of Mourning (United American Indians of New England) [4th Tuesday]
Strange Names Day [Last Tuesday]
Throw Out Your Leftovers Day [Tuesday after Thanksgiving]
Travel Deal Tuesday [Last Tuesday]
Independence Days
Albania (from the Ottoman Empire, 1912)
East Timor (from Portugal, 1975)
Francisville (Declared; 2008) [unrecognized]
Hawaii (from France & UK; 1843)
Mauritania (from France, 1960)
Panama (from Spain, 1821)
Westland Province Day (New Zealand)
Feast Days
Acacius, Hirenarchus, and companions, of Sebaste (Christian; Saint)
Ascension of `Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í)
Blue Cheese Day (Pastafarian)
Catherine Labouré (Christian; Saint)
Emma (Anglican Church of Hawaii)
Feast of the Holy Sovereigns (Episcopal Diocese of Hawaii)
Herman of Alaska (The anniversary of his actual death; Eastern Orthodox)
James of the Marches (Christian; Saint)
Kamehameha and Emma (Episcopal Church (USA))
Moltar Day (Church of the SubGenius)
Our Lady of Kibeho (Christian; Saint)
Gregory III, Pope (Christian; Saint)
Morris Lewis (Artology)
Rufus (No. 8; Christian; Saint)
The Rural Dionysia (Fertility Festival to Dionysus; Ancient Greece)
Sophia’s Day (Pagan)
Space Ghost Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)
Stephen the Younger (Christian; Saint)
Waldo Woodpecker (Muppetism)
Washington (Positivist; Saint)
William Blake (Artology)
Lucky & Unlucky Days
Dismal Day (Unlucky or Evil Day; Medieval Europe; 22 of 24)
Egyptian Day (Unlucky Day; Middle Ages Europe) [22 of 24]
Lucky Day (Philippines) [65 of 71]
Sensho (先勝 Japan) [Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon.]
Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 55 of 60)
Premieres
The Banker’s Daughter (Disney Cartoon; 1927)
Before I Disappear (Film; 2014)
Bob the Builder (Kids TV Series; 1998)
Briefcase Full of Blues, by The Blues Brothers (Album; 1978)
Cats A-Weigh! (WB MM Cartoon; 1953)
Chip an’ Dale (Disney Cartoon; 1947)
A Christmas Carol (Film; 1951)
Christmas Time Is Here Again, by The Beatles (Fan Club Song; 1967)
Circus, by Britney Spears (Album; 2008)
The Continental Op, by Dashiell Hammett (Short Stories; 1930)
The CooCoo Nut Grove (WB MM Cartoon; 1936)
Down to Earth or Me and My Shatter (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S3, Ep. 130; 1961)
Elvis: the Musical (London Musical; 1977)
Flight 714 to Sydney, by Hergé (Graphic Novel; 1968) [Tintin #22]
Grand Ole Opry (Radio/TV Music Series; 1925)
The Group, by Mary McCarthy (Novel; 1963)
Hittin’ the Trail for Hallelujah Land (WB MM Cartoon; 1931)
The Imitation Game (Film; 2014)
I Would Die 4 U, by Prince (Song; 1984)
Many a Thousand Gone or The Haul of Fame (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S3, Ep. 129; 1961)
Meet Me in St. Louis (Film; 1944)
Misty of Chincoteague, by Marguerite Henry (Novel; 1947)
Nagina (Film; 1986)
Paddington (Film; 2014)
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, “The Emperor Concerto,” by Ludwig Van Beethoven (Concerto; 1811)
Three Little Beers (Three Stooges short film; 1935)
Today’s Name Days
Berta, Gunther, Jakob (Austria)
Držislav, Jakov (Croatia)
René (Czech Republic)
Magdalene, Sophie (Denmark)
Laima, Niina, Raima (Estonia)
Heini, Kaisla (Finland)
Jacques (France)
Albrecht, Berta, Jakob (Germany)
Irinarhos (Greece)
Stefánia (Hungary)
Fausta (Italy)
Lukrēcija, Olita, Rīta, Vita (Latvia)
Rimgaudas, Rufas, Vakarė (Lithuania)
Ruben, Rut (Norway)
Gościrad, Grzegorz, Jakub, Lesław, Lesława, Rufin, Zdzisław (Poland)
Irinarh, Stefan (Romania)
Henrieta (Slovakia)
Catalina, Jaime, Santiago, Urbano (Spain)
Malte (Sweden)
Rad, Radomyr (Ukraine)
Nola, Nolan, Nolana, Norton (USA)
Today is Also…
Day of Year: Day 332 of 2024; 33 days remaining in the year
ISO: Day 2 of week 48 of 2023
Celtic Tree Calendar: Ruis (Elder) [Day 1 of 28]
Chinese: Month 10 (Gui-Hai), Day 16 (Geng-Yin)
Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)
Hebrew: 15 Kislev 5784
Islamic: 15 Jumada I 1445
J Cal: 2 Zima; Twosday [2 of 30]
Julian: 15 November 2023
Moon: 98%: Waning Gibbous
Positivist: 24 Frederic (12th Month) [Washington]
Runic Half Month: Is (Stasis) [Day 3 of 15]
Season: Autumn (Day 66 of 89)
Zodiac: Sagittarius (Day 7 of 30)
Calendar Changes
Ruis (Elder) [Celtic Tree Calendar; Month 13 of 13]
0 notes
Text
Holidays 11.28
Holidays
Auto Race Day
Bedfordshire Day (UK)
Bukovina Day (Romania)
Constitution Day (Abkhazia)
Decorate Your Dog Day
Feast of the Miraculous Medal
Flag Day (Albania, Kosovo)
Giving News Day
Gone-ta-Pott Day [every 28th]
Heroes’ Day (Sri Lanka)
Honey Day (French Republic)
Hōonkō (Japan)
Hug a Furry Day
International Day of the Mediterranean
It’s Letter Writing Day
Make Your Own Head Day
Molossaphone Day (Republic of Molossia)
National Alan Day
National Big Time Rush Day
National Cole Day
National Day of the Deaf (Mexico)
National Madison Day
National Patrick Day
Nice Knee-High Socks Day (Japan)
Navy Day (Iran)
Red Planet Day
Republic Day (Burundi; Chad; Congo)
Royal Society Day
Skywriting Day
World Compassion Day
Food & Drink Celebrations
Cake Remembrance Day (Cakeland)
National French Toast Day
4th & Last Tuesday in November
Crypto Giving Tuesday [Tuesday after Thanksgiving]
Giving Tuesday [Tuesday after Thanksgiving]
National Day of Mourning (United American Indians of New England) [4th Tuesday]
Strange Names Day [Last Tuesday]
Throw Out Your Leftovers Day [Tuesday after Thanksgiving]
Travel Deal Tuesday [Last Tuesday]
Independence Days
Albania (from the Ottoman Empire, 1912)
East Timor (from Portugal, 1975)
Francisville (Declared; 2008) [unrecognized]
Hawaii (from France & UK; 1843)
Mauritania (from France, 1960)
Panama (from Spain, 1821)
Westland Province Day (New Zealand)
Feast Days
Acacius, Hirenarchus, and companions, of Sebaste (Christian; Saint)
Ascension of `Abdu'l-Bahá (Bahá'í)
Blue Cheese Day (Pastafarian)
Catherine Labouré (Christian; Saint)
Emma (Anglican Church of Hawaii)
Feast of the Holy Sovereigns (Episcopal Diocese of Hawaii)
Herman of Alaska (The anniversary of his actual death; Eastern Orthodox)
James of the Marches (Christian; Saint)
Kamehameha and Emma (Episcopal Church (USA))
Moltar Day (Church of the SubGenius)
Our Lady of Kibeho (Christian; Saint)
Gregory III, Pope (Christian; Saint)
Morris Lewis (Artology)
Rufus (No. 8; Christian; Saint)
The Rural Dionysia (Fertility Festival to Dionysus; Ancient Greece)
Sophia’s Day (Pagan)
Space Ghost Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)
Stephen the Younger (Christian; Saint)
Waldo Woodpecker (Muppetism)
Washington (Positivist; Saint)
William Blake (Artology)
Lucky & Unlucky Days
Dismal Day (Unlucky or Evil Day; Medieval Europe; 22 of 24)
Egyptian Day (Unlucky Day; Middle Ages Europe) [22 of 24]
Lucky Day (Philippines) [65 of 71]
Sensho (先勝 Japan) [Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon.]
Umu Limnu (Evil Day; Babylonian Calendar; 55 of 60)
Premieres
The Banker’s Daughter (Disney Cartoon; 1927)
Before I Disappear (Film; 2014)
Bob the Builder (Kids TV Series; 1998)
Briefcase Full of Blues, by The Blues Brothers (Album; 1978)
Cats A-Weigh! (WB MM Cartoon; 1953)
Chip an’ Dale (Disney Cartoon; 1947)
A Christmas Carol (Film; 1951)
Christmas Time Is Here Again, by The Beatles (Fan Club Song; 1967)
Circus, by Britney Spears (Album; 2008)
The Continental Op, by Dashiell Hammett (Short Stories; 1930)
The CooCoo Nut Grove (WB MM Cartoon; 1936)
Down to Earth or Me and My Shatter (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S3, Ep. 130; 1961)
Elvis: the Musical (London Musical; 1977)
Flight 714 to Sydney, by Hergé (Graphic Novel; 1968) [Tintin #22]
Grand Ole Opry (Radio/TV Music Series; 1925)
The Group, by Mary McCarthy (Novel; 1963)
Hittin’ the Trail for Hallelujah Land (WB MM Cartoon; 1931)
The Imitation Game (Film; 2014)
I Would Die 4 U, by Prince (Song; 1984)
Many a Thousand Gone or The Haul of Fame (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S3, Ep. 129; 1961)
Meet Me in St. Louis (Film; 1944)
Misty of Chincoteague, by Marguerite Henry (Novel; 1947)
Nagina (Film; 1986)
Paddington (Film; 2014)
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, “The Emperor Concerto,” by Ludwig Van Beethoven (Concerto; 1811)
Three Little Beers (Three Stooges short film; 1935)
Today’s Name Days
Berta, Gunther, Jakob (Austria)
Držislav, Jakov (Croatia)
René (Czech Republic)
Magdalene, Sophie (Denmark)
Laima, Niina, Raima (Estonia)
Heini, Kaisla (Finland)
Jacques (France)
Albrecht, Berta, Jakob (Germany)
Irinarhos (Greece)
Stefánia (Hungary)
Fausta (Italy)
Lukrēcija, Olita, Rīta, Vita (Latvia)
Rimgaudas, Rufas, Vakarė (Lithuania)
Ruben, Rut (Norway)
Gościrad, Grzegorz, Jakub, Lesław, Lesława, Rufin, Zdzisław (Poland)
Irinarh, Stefan (Romania)
Henrieta (Slovakia)
Catalina, Jaime, Santiago, Urbano (Spain)
Malte (Sweden)
Rad, Radomyr (Ukraine)
Nola, Nolan, Nolana, Norton (USA)
Today is Also…
Day of Year: Day 332 of 2024; 33 days remaining in the year
ISO: Day 2 of week 48 of 2023
Celtic Tree Calendar: Ruis (Elder) [Day 1 of 28]
Chinese: Month 10 (Gui-Hai), Day 16 (Geng-Yin)
Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)
Hebrew: 15 Kislev 5784
Islamic: 15 Jumada I 1445
J Cal: 2 Zima; Twosday [2 of 30]
Julian: 15 November 2023
Moon: 98%: Waning Gibbous
Positivist: 24 Frederic (12th Month) [Washington]
Runic Half Month: Is (Stasis) [Day 3 of 15]
Season: Autumn (Day 66 of 89)
Zodiac: Sagittarius (Day 7 of 30)
Calendar Changes
Ruis (Elder) [Celtic Tree Calendar; Month 13 of 13]
1 note
·
View note
Text
Wells Fargo Workers Seeking Bank Unionization Vote
A group of Wells Fargo workers has filed a petition seeking a bank unionization vote. The petition, filed by employees at the bank’s Bethel AK and Albuquerque NM branches, notified the National Labor Relations Board of the groups plan to hold an election to unionize and join the Communication Workers of America’s Wells Fargo Workers United.
According to reports, more than a thousand workers at Wells Fargo offices across the U.S. have joined the unionization campaign. Their efforts are reportedly being supported by the group Committee for Better Banks. The move marks the first formal effort to obtain union status for employees of Wells Fargo, which is the fourth-largest bank in the U.S.
What’s behind the bank unionization vote effort?
Of course, unionization is a rarity within the financial sector. According to estimates, slightly more than one percent of workers in the finance sector are union members. Meanwhile, the BLS estimates that roughly ten percent of all U.S. workers belong to unions.
According to some workers who support the move, the push for unionization is largely driven by employees’ desire to change the company’s culture. In a statement, senior premier banker Sabrina Perez said:
“We are joining together in a union in order to improve Wells Fargo’s culture and move the bank towards a brighter future where workers and customers are treated equitably and with respect. While we are the first Wells Fargo workers to file for union elections, we will not be the last.”
An effort that may be gaining steam
Organizers of the union push claim that support for the move is growing within the company. In fact, Committee for Better Banks organizing director Nick Weiner suggested that hundreds of additional workers may join their petition over the next month.
Union supporters also point to Wells Fargo’s long history of consumer protection violations as a reason for unionizing. They claim that violations like 2016’s fake account scandal were caused by the firm setting unreasonable goals for employees. They argue that unionization would provide a structure for workers to resist that type of pressure.
Other workers point to insufficient pay. They allege that many customer-facing employees are forced to subsidize their income with public assistance.
For its part, the bank claims to want direct relationships with their employees. However, it claims to prefer direct connections with individuals rather than dealing with a union. For now, however, the push for a bank unionization vote will likely continue to move forward.
Related Articles:
- How One OH Credit Union Is Expanding Credit Opportunities for 1099 Workers
- Biden Pick for Fed Banking Supervision Role One Step Closer to Senate Confirmation
- Make more money with 0 extra effort using this 1 simple phrase:
- Major Banks Restricting Use of ChatGPT
- Senate Committee Passes SAFER Banking Act
Read the full article
0 notes
Text
Live Ghana National Banker For 10/06/2023
Live Ghana National Banker For 10/06/2023
Check live Ghana lotto national banker from Abc Naija Lotto today and be rest assured of winning, National lotto banker two sure live drop.
Ghana best lotto banker National – premier lotto National live banker, Ghana National Lotto Key Setting Plan For Live Banker, Two Sure, Best Three & Perm.
National two sure – National Lotto forecast for 10 June 2023.…
View On WordPress
#Ghana National Lotto 2-Sure#Ghana national lotto 3direct#ghana National lotto banker#Ghana National Lotto Long Perm#Ghana National Lotto Perm7#Ghana National Weekly Lotto#live Ghana National banker#National 2Sure#National Lottery in Nigeria#Prediction for National Weekly
0 notes
Text
China's Xi wants bigger global role after Saudi-Iran deal
China should “actively participate in the reform and construction of the global governance system” and promote “global security initiatives,” said Xi, the country’s most powerful leader in decades.
BEJIING: President Xi Jinping called Monday for China to play a bigger role in managing global affairs after Beijing scored a diplomatic coup as the host of talks that produced an agreement by Saudi Arabia and Iran to reopen diplomatic relations.
Xi gave no details of the ruling Communist Party's plans in a speech to China's ceremonial legislature. But Beijing has been increasingly assertive since he took power in 2012 and called for changes in the International Monetary Fund and other entities it says fail to reflect the desires of developing countries.
China should “actively participate in the reform and construction of the global governance system” and promote “global security initiatives,” said Xi, the country’s most powerful leader in decades.
That will add “positive energy to world peace and development," Xi said.
On Friday, Xi was named to another term in the ceremonial presidency after breaking with tradition in October and awarding himself a third-five year term as general secretary of the ruling party, putting himself on track to become leader for life.
The National People’s Congress on Sunday cemented Xi’s dominance by endorsing the appointment of his loyalists as premier and other government leaders in a once-a-decade change. Xi has sidelined potential rivals and loaded the top ranks of the ruling party with his supporters.
The new premier, Li Qiang, tried Monday to reassure entrepreneurs but gave no details of possible plans to improve conditions after Xi's government spent the past decade building up state companies that control banking, energy, steel, telecoms and other industries.
Li's comments echoed promises by other Chinese leaders over the past six months to support entrepreneurs who generate jobs and wealth. They have vowed to simplify regulations and taxes but have given no indication they plan to rein in state companies that entrepreneurs complain drain away their profits.
The ruling party will “treat enterprises of all types of ownership equally” and “support the development and growth of private enterprises,” Li said.
“Our leading cadres at all levels must sincerely care about and serve private enterprises,” he said.
Chinese officials earlier indicated anti-monopoly and data security crackdowns that knocked tens of billions of dollars off the stock market value of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group and other tech companies were ending. But entrepreneurs were rattled anew in February when a star banker who played a leading role in tech deals disappeared. Bao Fan's company said he was “cooperating in an investigation” but gave no details.
Li said Beijing will make a priority of job creation as it tries to revive economic growth that sank to 3% last year, the second-lowest level in decades. This year's official growth target is “around 5%."
The premier expressed confidence China can cope as its workforce shrinkage. The number of potential workers age 15 to 59 has fallen by more than 5% from its 2011 peak, an unusually abrupt decline for a middle-income country.
Li said that while China is losing its “demographic dividend” of young workers, better education means it is gaining a “talent dividend.” He said some 15 million people still enter the workforce every year.
“Abundant human resources is still China’s outstanding advantage,” he said.
Abroad, Beijing also has built on China’s growing heft as the second-largest economy to promote trade and construction initiatives that Washington, Tokyo, Moscow and New Delhi worry will expand its strategic influence at their expanse.
Those include the multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative to construct ports, railways and other trade-related infrastructure across an arc of countries from the South Pacific through Asia to Africa and Europe. China also is promoting trade and security initiatives.
Xi's government rattled the United States and Australia in early 2022 when it signed an agreement with the Solomon Islands that would allow Chinese navy ships and security forces to be stationed in the South Pacific nation.
The foreign minister, Qin Gang, warned Washington last week of possible "conflict and confrontation” if the United States doesn't change course in relations that have been strained by conflicts over Taiwan, human rights, Hong Kong, security and technology.
Xi called Monday for faster technology development and more self-reliance in a speech loaded with nationalistic terms. He referred eight times to “national rejuvenation,” or restoring China to its rightful place as an economic, cultural and political leader.
He said that before the ruling party took power in 1949, China was “reduced to a semi-colonial, semi-feudal country, subject to bullying by foreign countries.”
“We have finally washed away the national humiliation, and Chinese people are the master of their own destiny,” Xi said. “The Chinese nation has stood up, become rich and is becoming strong.”
Xi also called for the country to “unswervingly achieve” the goal of “national reunification,” a reference to Beijing’s claim that Taiwan, the self-ruled island democracy, is part of its territory and is obliged to unite with China, by force if necessary.
0 notes
Text
“You can only be the Revolution”
O eastern light, awaken
Those who have slept!
The darkness will be broken,
The promise kept.
It is our suffering that brings us together. It is not love. Love does not obey the mind, and turns to hate when forced. The bond that binds us is beyond choice. We are brothers. We are brothers in what we share. In pain, which each of us must suffer alone, in hunger, in poverty, in hope, we know our brotherhood. We know it, because we have had to learn it. We know that there is no help for us but from one another, that no hand will save us if we do not reach out our hand. And the hand that you reach out is empty, as mine is. You have nothing. You possess nothing. You own nothing. You are free. All you have is what you are, and what you give.
I am here because you see in me the promise, the promise that we made two hundred years ago in this city—the promise kept. We have kept it, on Anarres. We have nothing but our freedom. We have nothing to give you but your own freedom. We have no law but the single principle of mutual aid between individuals. We have no government but the single principle of free association. We have no states, no nations, no presidents, no premiers, no chiefs, no generals, no bosses, no bankers, no landlords, no wages, no charity, no police, no soldiers, no wars. Nor do we have much else. We are sharers, not owners. We are not prosperous. None of us is rich. None of us is powerful. If it is Anarres you want, if it is the future you seek, then I tell you that you must come to it with empty hands. You must come to it alone, and naked, as the child comes into the world, into his future, without any past, without any property, wholly dependent on other people for his life. You cannot take what you have not given, and you must give yourself. You cannot buy the Revolution. You cannot make the Revolution. You can only be the Revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere.
(Shevek’s speech to the people of Urras at Capitol Square)
- The Dispossessed
1 note
·
View note
Last Seen Blogs
waterabz
WATER
camestela
I feel awesome, let's go kill a dude
kurobaslations
KNB Translations
soybee
Без названия
all-the-weeks
Tegridy