#Reno adoption lawyer

[mjcaffarattilaw]

Top Reno Adoption Lawyer: A Comprehensive Guide.

Adopting a child and growing your family is a fantastic privilege, but navigating all the legal nuances could feel overwhelming. Contracts, legalese, and home studies—it's sure to make your mind spin! A Reno adoption lawyer can help with that. Such lawyers are your go-to legal professional who will confidently and clearly walk you through each step. But how can you pick the best lawyer when there are so many you can choose from? We have everything covered! Here are some features to look for in an adoption lawyer who will be your reliable guide on this incredible path.

[femnet]

My mom was adopted when she was 2 days old. I don’t ever remember a time in my life when I didn’t know that fact and neither does she.  There was never a big shocking revelation about it. It was just always a fact of all of our lives.

My grandparents, Harry & June (Pops and Mama), were two of the most influential people in my life. When I think about celebrating International Women’s Day, I think about Mama and all she accomplished in her lifetime. She was raised on a cotton farm in Arkansas and was one of only 6 siblings to have a career outside of farm life. She was educated, something rare for a woman born before 1920, worked for a time as a teacher, and then for the State Department. She met Pops after WWII (long after a woman of her time should have been married) while they were both working in China, and made him chase her for months before she agreed to go on a date.

Harry and June adopted my mom some years later after they could not have a baby of their own. They were back in the states and reached out to a lawyer in Reno who had been a WWII buddy of my grandfathers. He helped them arrange the adoption of a baby girl, and the rest, as they say, was history.

For the next 60 years, all my mom knew of her biological family was that her birth mother was going through a divorce when she decided to put my mom up for adoption. We did know that she was originally supposed to be adopted by another family, one that ended up wrapped in a scandal, but that the lawyer switched her at the last minute and gave her to my grandparents instead.

My mom was raised as an only child, completely adored by Harry and June, and was their entire world.  When my parents moved to Texas for my dad’s job, they followed not long after and were everything we could hope for in grandparents.  We have always enjoyed poking fun at who my mom’s people may be, buying her birthday cards in other languages, coming up with elaborate stories about how the Queen would be coming for us one day, celebrating “our people” with a variety of cultural holidays, and more!

We lost Mama in 2000 after many years of battling breast cancer, and I was devastated. She had been a warrior and had fought with every last breath. I had just graduated high school and she made it just long enough to ensure that I had my diploma and my college acceptance in hand. Her only granddaughter was going to get an education. Pops passed away at the age of 95 in 2015. He had dementia in the last few years, but we were lucky in that, until the end, he was still there, and my kids even got to know their great-grandfather for who he was. He and I shared a birthday and were always incredibly close. He was the kindest man I have ever known. We celebrated both of their lives for what they were: lives well lived to the fullest, and always with love.

Two years ago, we were thrown a curve ball.  I was getting ready for bed one night when my Facebook Messenger went off. I looked to see that I had a new message request. Normally, I would ignore these, but I had just put a bunch of old stuff up on buy sell trade, so I figured that maybe someone was requesting information about something I had for sale. I could not have been more wrong! I opened the message to see:

I sent a private message to your mom, but I don’t know how often she checks it so I am messaging you too. My name is Debra and I am looking for my half sister and I think your mom may be her. I left a detailed message on your moms Facebook. Could you let her know so she can check it?

I quite literally fell out of bed! My mom’s adoption records were closed. Her birth mother had set it up so that she could not be found! I didn’t know what to do so I took a screenshot of the text and sent it to my brother! My husband immediately thought it was a scam. My poor brother replied with “OMG Pops had another family?!?!?!” forgetting that any biological children Pops had (he didn’t) would not be biological siblings of my mom, haha! I decided to reply asking for more information before I turned my mom's world upside down. We didn’t have a lot but we did have some specific details that would identify whether this person was legit or not.

Debra continued:

I was texting (the lawyer’s daughter). Her father handled an adoption for my mother and when I told her he also handled her divorce she told me her dad helped a WWII buddy adopt a baby girl which she thought might be in that time frame. I'm not sure when she was born but the divorce finaled in Jan 19**. She was able to give me your grandpa's name and I found his obit and you and your mom. I've been looking since my mother died about 5 years she only told me and my older sister a year before she passed. I've been disappointed a couple of times even went as far as having a sibling DNA test done. Was your mom born in Reno or does she know?

Mentioning the lawyer’s daughter by name and the city of Reno was enough for me to know that this woman was onto something. Pops had stayed very close friends with the lawyer throughout his life and my mom spoke of him and his daughter fondly. We chatted for a bit longer and she shared with me that she had two other living sisters and an older brother who had passed away. Debra, one sister, and the brother were older than my mom and the youngest sister was 12 years younger. The siblings had no idea their mother was even pregnant as she left the children with her family and went to work in Reno through her pregnancy to finalize the adoption and divorce. The baby was not her husband’s but conceived during an affair. The biological father had been in town for work and returned to his wife soon after his job was complete.

Debra’s mother, Marge, spent her left thinking the baby she gave up for adoption had gone to the other family, and had kept news clippings in a box of the stories of the adoption scandal. By the time she told her daughters of this missing sister, her dementia was well advanced, and so her recollection of the years was quite fuzzy.  It was this box that helped Debra and her sister begin their search. There were several children adopted to this family in order for an heiress to secure her inheritance. When the scandal broke, the children were all removed to a children’s home and other families. They were able to find the woman born around the same time, and reached out to her first. When the DNA results came back negative, they tracked down the lawyer’s family (Bob had passed some years before as well). His daughter felt comfortable sharing the name of her father’s longtime friend because she knew my mom had always known about the adoption. Could you imagine if we hadn’t known?

I did the only thing I could think of to do at 11:45 at night. I attached the screenshots to an email, and sent them to my mom and dad saying “your biological family found me last night.” There was probably a better way to share that information, but at that time of night, I was not thinking clearly!!!

The next morning my mom called and said “I’m waiting for the punch line. Where is the large woman in a mumu?”  No punch line this time, mom!  We met for an early lunch to talk about it.  Her head was spinning! We pulled up Debra’s Facebook account and started combing through her pictures, and clicking through members of her families. We could absolutely see a resemblance. They shared my blond hair and green eyes, one of Debra’s sons had very similar facial features to my brother, and then we saw the picture of Marge in her younger years. She did look a lot like my mom. It took my mom a few days to process everything, but she decided to go ahead and call Debra back and agreed to a DNA test using 23andme.  If it was negative, at least she would be helping someone along their journey.

Weeks went by as we waited. I began messaging with Debra’s daughter, but otherwise, the two families kept a distance. They were careful not to get their hopes up, only to be crushed again. Then, finally, one day they received the email they had been waiting on. They were biological half-sisters. Debra and her family were elated to finally have found their missing piece. Our family was a mix of emotions. We were all excited to meet this new, extended family, however, the revelation started a new journey of rediscovering self-identity.  My mom had always been Harry & June’s daughter. What did this mean now?

My mom and I decided to fly out to meet them in their home town a couple of months later. We met all three sisters, and two of their daughters, and had a wonderful weekend connecting. It was really a crazy experience seeing what characteristics are tied by DNA other than physical attributes. A simple mannerism or a laugh became little reminders of this new bond that has always been there.  They showed us around their town proudly, introducing my mom to everyone who had a tie to their mother. My new cousins and I invented a drinking game: every time someone said how much my mom looked like Marge, we drank! I was drunk by lunch!  It was a wonderful weekend of bonding and learning about the woman who made an impossible choice, sending my mom’s life in an entirely different direction.

The two years since have allowed us time to reflect and digest the new twist in our story. While we are now connected to these wonderful people on the other side of the country, we came to the realization that, when Marge gave my mom up for adoption and gave her to Harry and June, my mom became 100% their daughter. Our history is forever connected to them, their legacy, and the lessons they taught us.  When I speak of my grandparents, it will always be Harry and June that I’m referring to, and always be them who I adore and miss. I will forever be grateful to Marge, and the choice she made. I wouldn’t be here today if she hadn’t made it! I love my new aunts and new cousins, but differently than those who have been a part of my life since the beginning.  I believe they feel the same, as some have reached out to connect, but others have not. Those who have not probably feel the same as a few of our family members in that they know who their family is, and to them, we are basically strangers, and that’s ok too. My mom is glad to have a connection with her sisters, but the bond will never be as tight as the one the three who were raised together share. She may be their sister but she will always and forever be Harry and June’s daughter.

[berniesrevolution]

Last fall, an obscure government body called the Office of Refugee Resettlement caused an unexpectedly high-profile controversy. Scott Lloyd, a pro-life attorney who had become the director of the office in March, prevented a seventeen-year-old undocumented immigrant held in the government’s custody in Texas from having an abortion. She was sixteen weeks pregnant, and had already received a judge’s permission to have the procedure. But, after a month-long fight, it took the intervention of a federal appeals court, citing a “grave constitutional wrong,” to force Lloyd to stand down. Though the girl had an abortion last October, it’s become clear, in the months since, that Lloyd has not heeded the court’s ruling. Three other undocumented teen-agers in O.R.R.’s custody have recently joined a federal lawsuit alleging that they, too, were unlawfully prevented from having abortions. In December, Lloyd told an A.C.L.U. lawyer in a deposition that he’d also denied the abortion requests of girls whose pregnancies were the result of rape. When asked why he thought that the teens didn’t have a right to the procedure, Lloyd explained simply—and incorrectly—that it was “because of their immigration status.”

Lloyd represents two strands of Republicanism in the Trump era. One is a doctrinaire form of religious conservatism that is reminiscent of the George W. Bush Administration, when Lloyd served in the Department of Health and Human Services. (Then, as now, he was a controversial presence.) The other is a brazenness particular to this political moment. For the past year, President Trump has fulminated against “deadly loopholes” in the immigration system, which have allowed criminals “to enter the country as unaccompanied minors.” These pronouncements refer to young immigrants seeking asylum, who have travelled to the United States alone to join family members here; since 2014, more than a hundred and fifty thousand of them have arrived from Central America, fleeing violence in the region. The Administration’s aggressive stance, and especially its hostility to refugee programs, has given Lloyd an unusual opportunity to reshape the office’s priorities. In the past year, he has made a number of changes that have had a significant impact on an extremely vulnerable population.

When unaccompanied minors arrive at the border, federal authorities detain them, then run background checks to determine if they pose a public-safety threat. O.R.R. is supposed to place them with family members while their legal cases are pending before immigration judges. It typically takes about six weeks to get them to their families; in the meantime, the minors are housed in a network of shelters run by different aid organizations across the country. For the past twenty-one years, a legal settlement known as Flores v. Reno—reached by the federal government and two advocacy organizations representing immigrant children—established baseline conditions for how minors in facilities overseen by O.R.R. must be treated. Not only is the government required to release minors to their families “without unnecessary delay” but it also has to hold them in the “least restrictive setting,” according to their needs. Lloyd has taken a novel view of his office’s responsibilities under some of these terms, claiming, for instance, that abortion does not fit the definition of the “routine medical care” that O.R.R. is legally obligated to help provide. Each week, Lloyd receives a spreadsheet with detailed information on all the pregnant teens in O.R.R. custody nationwide. (There were four hundred and twenty last year.) O.R.R. staff members are now forbidden from allowing any of them to have abortions without Lloyd’s personal authorization.

At the same time, O.R.R. also appears to be flouting the core imperative of the Flores v. Reno settlement, which is to release minors as quickly as possible. Last June, Lloyd instituted a policy stating that only he or his deputy can sign off on the release of any teen placed in higher-security settings while in O.R.R. care. (A minor can land in a higher-security setting for a host of reasons, including mental instability, behavioral problems, and allegations of gang activity.) Gui Stampur, the deputy executive director of Safe Passage Project, a legal-aid organization representing some six hundred Central American children in New York, told me that there have been significant delays in reuniting kids with their families. “Releases seem to be at a near standstill,” he said. “The Administration is detaining immigrant children indefinitely, and this indefinite detention is illegal.” (O.R.R. maintains that it is in compliance with the Flores agreement, and that the average time children spend in its custody has declined over the past year.)

The change in policy came at a time of growing concerns, fuelled by the Trump Administration, that newly arrived unaccompanied minors were joining the violent Salvadoran-American street gang MS-13. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees O.R.R., told me that the change was adopted for the sake of public safety. But several former O.R.R. officials describe the policy change as a pretext for detaining immigrant teens longer, and forestalling their release into the United States. “If the director has to weigh in on every case, it would bring the system to a halt nationwide,” Robert Carey, who led O.R.R. from 2014 to 2016, told me. “Kids in O.R.R. custody are screened multiple times. They have caseworkers, psychologists. They’re in a tightly regulated environment. If the intent is to release people to be with their families, having the director personally sign off on every case isn’t feasible.”

(Continue Reading)

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 1.21

763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa. 1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and about a dozen others baptize each other in the home of Manz's mother in Zürich, breaking a thousand-year tradition of church-state union. 1535 – Following the Affair of the Placards, the French king leads an anti-Protestant procession through Paris. 1720 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Stockholm. 1749 – The Teatro Filarmonico in Verona is destroyed by fire, as a result of a torch being left behind in the box of a nobleman after a performance. It is rebuilt in 1754. 1774 – Abdul Hamid I becomes Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam. 1789 – The first American novel, The Power of Sympathy or the Triumph of Nature Founded in Truth by William Hill Brown, is printed in Boston. 1793 – After being found guilty of treason by the French National Convention, Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine. 1854 – The RMS Tayleur sinks off Lambay Island on her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Australia with great loss of life. 1861 – American Civil War: Jefferson Davis resigns from the United States Senate. 1893 – The Tati Concessions Land, formerly part of Matabeleland, is formally annexed to the Bechuanaland Protectorate, now Botswana. 1908 – New York City passes the Sullivan Ordinance, making it illegal for women to smoke in public, only to have the measure vetoed by the mayor. 1911 – The first Monte Carlo Rally takes place. 1915 – Kiwanis International is founded in Detroit. 1919 – A revolutionary Irish parliament is founded and declares the independence of the Irish Republic. One of the first engagements of the Irish War of Independence takes place. 1925 – Albania declares itself a republic. 1931 – Sir Isaac Isaacs is sworn in as the first Australian-born Governor-General of Australia. 1932 – Finland and the Soviet Union sign a non-aggression treaty. 1941 – Sparked by the murder of a German officer in Bucharest, Romania the day before, members of the Iron Guard engaged in a rebellion and pogrom killing 125 Jews. 1948 – The Flag of Quebec is adopted and flown for the first time over the National Assembly of Quebec. The day is marked annually as Québec Flag Day. 1950 – American lawyer and government official Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury. 1954 – The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in Groton, Connecticut by Mamie Eisenhower, the First Lady of the United States. 1960 – Little Joe 1B, a Mercury spacecraft, lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia with Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey on board. 1960 – Avianca Flight 671 crashes at Montego Bay, Jamaica airport, killing 37 people. 1960 – A coal mine collapses at Holly Country, South Africa, killing 435 miners. 1968 – Vietnam War: Battle of Khe Sanh: One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins. 1968 – A B-52 bomber crashes near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remains unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete. 1971 – The current Emley Moor transmitting station, the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, begins transmitting UHF broadcasts. 1976 – Commercial service of Concorde begins with the London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes. 1980 – Iran Air Flight 291 crashes in the Alborz Mountains while on approach to Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, Iran, killing 128 people. 1981 – Production of the iconic DeLorean sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. 1985 – Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 crashes near Reno–Tahoe International Airport in Reno, Nevada, killing 70 people. 1997 – The U.S. House of Representatives votes 395–28 to reprimand Newt Gingrich for ethics violations, making him the first Speaker of the House to be so disciplined. 1999 – War on Drugs: In one of the largest drug busts in American history, the United States Coast Guard intercepts a ship with over 4,300 kilograms (9,500 lb) of cocaine on board. 2000 – Ecuador: After the Ecuadorian Congress is seized by indigenous organizations, Col. Lucio Gutiérrez, Carlos Solorzano and Antonio Vargas depose President Jamil Mahuad. Gutierrez is later replaced by Gen. Carlos Mendoza, who resigns and allows Vice-President Gustavo Noboa to succeed Mahuad. 2003 – A 7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes the Mexican state of Colima, killing 29 and leaving approximately 10,000 people homeless. 2004 – NASA's MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies in the management of its flash memory and is fixed remotely from Earth on February 6. 2005 – In Belmopan, Belize, the unrest over the government's new taxes erupts into riots. 2009 – Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip, officially ending a three-week war it had with Hamas. However, intermittent fire by both sides continues in the weeks to follow. 2011 – Anti-government demonstrations take place in Tirana, Albania. Four people lose their lives from gunshots, allegedly fired from armed police protecting the Prime Minister's office. 2014 – Rojava conflict: The Jazira Canton declares its autonomy from the Syrian Arab Republic. 2017 – Over 400 cities across America and 160+ countries worldwide participate in a large-scale women's march, on Donald Trump's first full day as President of the United States. 2018 – Rocket Lab's Electron becomes the first rocket to reach orbit using an electric pump-fed engine and deploys three CubeSats.

[buckyscrystalqueen]

Stepping Up: Part 3

Pairings: Chibs x Reader, Past Jax x Reader

Warnings: Swearing

Word Count: 6,309

Stepping Up Masterlist   Aesthetic by @ravenangel33​

Part 1 / Part 2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Alright, this is the last of it.” You told Bobby as you looked through the last of the list of the things you had to buy for the club.

“What did you do with… Ah, thank you.” He said as he took the receipts you knew he was gunna ask for. “You know me all too well.”

“That I do. I actually need you to sign off on that fireworks order for Gem’s fundraiser.”

“Where do you have to go to get them?” You smirked at him across the desk in the office.

“Reno. I know a guy.” He laughed as he looked up at you over his glasses.

“You would have a fireworks guy.” You giggled and shrugged.

“Hey darlin’ did you get TP at the store?” You looked back at Tig, who had stuck his head in the office and laughed.

“You wrote it on the list twice, Tiggy. Yes, I got it. Have you seen the princess? I wanna get home.”

“Yep, Jax laid her down for a nap like an hour ago.” You sighed in relief, grateful that your night was going to be melt-down free since she took a nap; something that Jax was hit or miss on.

“Little miracles. I’ll help you carry the toilet paper over so you can have the joyful experience of waking the monster up so I don’t have to be the bad guy.”

“She’s no monster…” Tig claimed as the two of you headed over to the stack of weekly supplies you got for the club. You gave him a deadpan look and he chuckled. “OK, so she is definitely a Teller when you wake her up.”

“Yea, little bit.” You laughed as you grabbed two packs of Angel Soft and headed toward the dorms. “Gemma is the only one I have seen that has been able to wake her up no problems.”

“Probably because she had years of experience.” You tossed the packages outside the bathroom door and continued down the hall to Jax’s room.

“Well, now it’s your turn to try and get her up melt down free.” You knocked lightly on Jax’s door and quietly pushed it open. Your heart stopped at the sheer destruction that you saw.

“What the hell?” Tig asked as you pushed the door all the way open. Your stomach dropped when you saw the bed empty. Panic ripped through you as you stepped into the room to look for your daughter; every horrible scenario of how this could play out racing through your head. You could hear the shower running and your brow furrowed. You turned to look in that direction and your heart stopped.

Your worse imaginable fears were nowhere close to looking at your daughter pulling a hand gun out of a black purse. Her little fist was wrapped around the muzzle as she looked into the little hole at the end of the barrel. Your breath caught audibly in your throat as you braced yourself against the desk for a moment. You barely heard Tig’s muttered ‘Oh, my God.’

“No! Kelsi, no, no, no.” You stumbled a little as you tried to find your feet to get to your daughter. “That’s daddy’s, baby. You can’t touch.” She started to fuss as you took the gun away from her and picked her up off the floor. She had red lipstick smeared all over her face. Rage ripped through you as you heard the sound of a woman’s voice moaning Jax’s name from the bathroom. “Hold her.” You said as you passed off Kelsi to Tig. He quickly reached out and grabbed the gun from your hand so you wouldn’t do anything severe in the heat of the moment.

“Hun…” You shook your head as you stormed over to the bathroom door. Your hands shook as you grabbed the door knob and twisted to find it locked. You shifted your weight to your back foot and kicked the door in with an audible growl.

“Yo!” You ripped the shower curtain open and glared as Jax tried to use his body to cover Tara’s naked form.

“You’re fucking kidding me, right? You have to be kidding me because I KNOW I am not seeing you having sex while your fucking daughter was staring down the barrel of a fucking gun in the other room.”

“What?! She was napping…”

“She was pulling a fucking hand gun out of this fucking bitch’s purse. Our daughter…” Your words caught in your throat as reality seemed to set in your mind. Your voice cracked as tears welled in your eyes and started to fall down your cheeks. “My daughter could have shot herself just now and you were too busy getting dicked down to even notice.”

“That gun isn’t even loaded.” Tara claimed with a look of annoyed disgust on her face. You grit your teeth, pulled back and punched her as hard as you could, sending her flying back into the shower wall.

“Fuck you! That’s my baby!” Jax leapt out of the shower and moved you back as you lunged toward Tara again. You ripped out of his grip and slapped him as hard as you could. “I really hope she’s worth it, Jackson because you just lost your child.” You spun around and headed toward the door but Jax grabbed your arm and spun you back.

“You are not…” You pulled back and punched him as hard as you could as tears streamed down your cheeks. He let go of your arm and stumbled back a step as his hand flew to his jaw.

“You will never be left alone with my daughter again. I don’t trust you with her anymore. Knock her up, maybe you’ll be a better father if you actually care about the mother.” Your body shook with rage as you stormed out of the bathroom. “Give her.” You said as you took your now screaming daughter from Tig. You heard Jax call your name as you power walked out of the dorms. You could barely see where you were going through your tears as Kelsi clung to your neck.

“What the hell happened?” Clay asked as you stormed past him, shaking your head as you fought to get to your car before you completely lost control. You heard Tig tell him the short version as Jax shouted your name. You ran as Kelsi started to scream for her da. You made it halfway to the garage before you couldn’t move anymore.

“(Y/N)?” Chibs shouted as you fell to your knees, sobbing. You shook your head as you tried to wrap your head around what just happened. “Love, wha’ ‘appened.”

“The gun… he… I…” You sobbed as you rocked your little girl in your arms.

“Babe, I can’t…”

“Is she hurt?” Clay asked as he ran over to you. You shook your head as you sat back and looked at your baby.

“What happened?” Gemma shouted as she ran over, her heels clicking madly on the pavement.

“Jax was fucking Tara in the shower while Kelsi napped. Princess woke up, trashed the room and found Tara’s gun…” Clay shared.

“‘e WHAT?!” Chibs shouted over him as he pulled Kelsi from your arms to make sure she was OK.

“She was looking down the barrel…” You cried as you wiped away tears that kept falling anyways. “He didn’t even care!”

“I’m done.” Gemma said as she headed toward the club.

“Take ‘er, love. Wait for me in the car.” Chibs said as he gave his princess a kiss and passed Kelsi back to you. You felt Clay help you to your feet and guide you over to your car.

“Let me put her in the car seat for you.” Opie said softly as he came up beside you and reached for Kelsi. You nodded as Tig handed him your purse and diaper bag as well.

“We’ll handle this, honey.” Clay said. You glanced up at the man who was the only real father figure you knew and nodded, numbly.

“She’s just a baby…” He nodded as he pulled you in for a hug as a fresh wave of tears fell down your cheeks.

“I’m gun’ take a couple days off if that’s a’right with ye.” Chibs said as he walked back over, shaking his hand a bit. “M’girls need me right now.”

“Absolutely. I’m sending Happy and Tig with you for the night.” Chibs nodded as Gemma came out of the club, screaming and dragging Tara out by her hair.

“… and if I ever see you near my grand baby again I will shoot you on the spot!” You looked over at Tara’s blood covered face as Gem whipped her purse at her before pocketing Tara’s gun and coming over to you. “You both OK?” You shook your head as you looked at Kelsi in the back seat.

“She’s just covered in lipstick but I am far from OK.”

“I’m sending Hap and Tig home with them.” Clay told her as Gem wrapped you in a hug. She nodded and kissed the top of your head.

“I’ll bring you all something for dinner in a little bit. I’m gunna call our lawyer first.” You nodded as she pulled away and cupped your cheeks in her hands. “I made you a promise and I am absolutely standing by it after this, you hear me?” You nodded as she gave you a chaste, motherly kiss. “Get my babies home safe.” Chibs nodded as he put his hand on the small of your back and led you to the passenger side.

You heard Jax scream out your name; begging you not to do this as Chibs closed the passenger door behind you. You watched in the side view mirror as Bobby, Juice and Opie blocked his path to your car while Chibs got in the driver’s seat. Neither of you could say a word as he started the car and left the Teller-Morrow lot. As the sounds of Happy and Tig’s motorcycles mingled in with Kelsi’s soft ‘mumma’ cries, you reached over and took Chibs hand in yours gently.

“We need to put ice on this.” You said softly as you kissed his knuckles. He sighed as he nodded his head.

“He’s never ta be ‘lone wit’ ‘er again.” You nodded in agreement.

“I don’t want her to not know him as her blood father; I couldn’t keep that from her or him no matter what. But I want his rights turned over so you can adopt her and be the dad she deserves.” He glanced over at you with a small smile and nodded.

“It’d be an honor, m’love.” You smiled weakly before turning on the radio to try to calm your baby girl down on the rest of the drive home.

——

No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t sleep. You tossed and turned for hours; seeing your daughter with that gun every time you tried to close your eyes. By two am, you gave up. With a sigh, you got out of bed quietly and tiptoed across the floor to the dresser. You donned one of Chibs’ Reaper Crew shirts and grabbed one of his cigarettes and the baby monitor.

You could hear Tig’s snores the second you opened your door and you smiled; wondering how Happy could sleep with all that racket. You got your answer once you opened the door to Kelsi’s room and saw Hap sleeping on the day bed with his hand wrapped around a knife. You huffed and shook your head as you quietly closed the door behind you and headed toward your front porch.

You stepped outside into the cool California night air and sighed. Curled up on your porch swing was Jax with an empty fifth of whiskey on the ground next to him. With an aggravated shake of your head you went over and whacked his leg.

“Sit up.” You grumbled as you lit your smoke. He blinked his eyes to wake up before forcing himself into a seated position.

“(Y/N), I’m…”

“No. Honey, you don’t get to say sorry right now.” You looked over at his tear-filled eyes and shook your head. “Jax, she could have died.”

“I know… fuck, I know.” He ran his hands through his hair, gripping it tight in his hands and pulling. His tears began to fall as he shook his head. “Please… please don’t take her away.”

“I would never take her away from you.” He looked over at you, stunned and you shook your head. “Jax, you’re her dad. You will always be her father and I will never, ever do what my birth mother did and deny my baby of her daddy. But you won’t be with her alone anytime soon. I can’t trust you right now. And because of today, Gemma is gunna file paperwork with her lawyer for you to sign over your rights. If something were to happen to me tomorrow, God forbid, I don’t think you could handle being a full time parent. Today kind of proved that. So Chibs is going to adopt her only as a formality.” He let out a choked sob and nodded.

“Can I still see her?”

“Of course. She’ll still come with me to work. You can still come over here as long as one of the guys, me or your mom are here with you and her. Tara is absolutely not welcome here. And if she shows up at the club when you’re with Kelsi… well… I really hope you know what the right thing to do in that situation is by now.” He nodded as he lit his own cigarette. You used your leg to slowly rock both of you back and forth as you smoked.

“I do care about you, (Y/N)” He said after a minute. “ I know I never really treated you that way but I do care.” You nodded as you reached over and rubbed his back.

“I know you do, Jax. I’m sorry I said that. Just the heat of the moment.” He nodded in understanding as your front door opened. You looked up at Chibs’ sleepy face and held your palm up before he could get angry.

“It’s fine, baby. But he can’t leave tonight.” You toed the empty bottle; letting it roll a few feet across the porch as your boyfriend sighed.

“‘e stays out ‘ere.” You nodded as Chibs came out and lit a cigarette as he shut the door softly. He ran his hand through his messy bed head as he slid down the wall next to you.

“You’re gunna adopt her.” Jax stated after a moment as he looked at his MC brother. “You’re better for her than I could ever be.”

“Jackie, tha’s not the point ‘ere. Neither of us want this outcome. Ye were doin’ so well ’til Tara came back. This last two months, ye ‘ardly show up to be wit’ Kels t’all. She’s become secondary in yer life ta some gash. That’s the big reason we’re where we are wit’ this shite. Ye know she asks us er’y day if daddy’s comin’ t’day. ’S’not fair ta ‘er; she’s just a wee bairn. She’s as much my daughter as she is yers and it’s killin’ me ta see ‘er ‘urt like this. I know (Y/N) n’ I don’t want ta have ye sign her over but we ‘ave ta provide security for ‘er…”

“That’s why you’re gunna adopt her. You’re the dad I’m never gunna be capable of being. Please… this is how it should have been from the beginning. I’ll still provide for her but… shit, I can barely take care of myself on a good day.” You sighed heavily, knowing that what he was saying was absolutely true. You scrubbed your hand across your face as tears threatened the backs of your eyes.

“Jesus Christ… how the fuck did we get here?” You mumbled as you got up and walked away, stepping off your porch onto the dew covered grass. You heard Chibs mumble ‘let her go’ as you walked over to Jax’s bike by the curb. You sat backwards across the seat and laid back to look at the tear blurred stars as a wave of guilt crashed over you.

You tried to figure out just where and how everything in your life had gotten so muddy; the lines of normality now long gone. You suddenly wanted to run; to pack your baby girl in your car and drive until you hit the other coast to escape the chaos that weighed on your mind and tore at your heart strings. All three of you knew that this wouldn’t be easy but you had been lucky enough to ride the high of simplicity the first year of Kelsi’s life. Seeing it go up into a inferno was so discomforting.

You don’t know how long you laid there as tears fell from the corners of your eyes, gravity pulling them down to land with small ‘plops’ on the metal of Jax’s bike, but eventually Chibs came over to get you. He didn’t say a word, struggling with the same weight you were, as he slid his arms under your shoulders and thighs and picked you up. He carried you back inside to bed; laying you down and pulling you into his arms immediately. He silently held you as you cried soundlessly until you cried yourself numb.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mr. Teller, you’re aware that if you agree to sign your parental rights over you have no legal claim of your daughter and it cannot be reversed.” You swallowed hard around the knot in your throat as you stood next to Jax in the court room. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes as he looked at his now almost two year old baby girl in his arms and nodded.

“Yes, sir.”

“And Miss (Y/L/N), you said you have someone willing to adopt?” You nodded and cleared your throat as subtly as possible.

“Yes, sir. My boyfriend.” You gestured to Chibs beside you. The judges brow furrowed ever so slightly as he gestured to Chibs to step forward.

“Your name?”

“Filip Telford.” He replied as he took your hand in his. The judge wrote his name down on the document in front of him.

“Now Mr. Telford, forgive me for being so forward but typically we don’t see ‘boyfriends’ adopting their partners children so there is a slight bit of concern here on my part. Is this a relationship you see turning into a marriage at some point?” You felt a slight blush creek up over your face as you glanced over at Chibs. This was definitely not a conversation you had had yet. Chibs sighed and nervously rubbed the back of his head.

“Umm. It would be yer ‘onor, ‘owever I’m not… actually capable of gettin’ married at the moment.” Your head whipped to the side as Chibs turned bright red and refused to meet your eyes. You let go of his hand and took a step closer to Jax.

“Excuse me?” You snapped before the judge asked you to be quiet.

“How about we reconvene at a later date? Give you some time to talk.” You jumped slightly as he called out the next case number. You spun on your heel and took Kelsi from Jax before quickly walking out of the courtroom.

“Love, wait…” You whipped around once you got into the hallway.

“What do you mean you aren’t capable of getting married? The only reason you wouldn’t be capable is if you were…”

“Still married… aye.” Your stomach dropped as you shook your head in disbelief.

“Do not come home tonight.” You snatched your diaper bag from Jax and turned to leave.

“M’love, ‘ear me out…” You whipped around and pointed at him accusingly.

“No! We have been friends for years, Filip and you have talked about Fiona multiple times. And all those times you called her your ex. Never once did you mention that you were still fucking married!” You shouted, not caring about the people that were staring at you.

“Darlin’…”

“Save it. I don’t want to even hear it. This is just icing on the shit cake that is my Goddamn life anymore.” You stormed off as tears threatened to spill over; your heart shattering with every step. Your daughter waved bye to her dads over your shoulder as you left the court house. With shaking hands, you dug through your diaper bag for your phone and your keys. You dialed an all too familiar number and held your breath.

“Hey baby girl. Sorry I couldn’t…”

“Did you know he was married?” Gemma gasped on the other end of the call and paused; her silence speaking volumes. You huffed as you unlocked your car. “WOOOOW. Et to Brutus?” You asked before you hung up the phone. The sharp knife of betrayal ripped through your heart as you buckled the only person you could trust into her car seat. You jumped in your car and pulled out of the parking spot as Chibs started to run to get to you. You grit your teeth as you stepped on the gas, leaving him standing in the parking lot.

“We’re getting out of here, baby girl.” You said as you headed toward your house. “We are getting away from this toxic world.”

——

“Thanks for letting us crash for the night.” You said to Happy as he held open the door to his house in Tacoma at almost 4 in the morning.

“Anytime mama… but you know I gotta tell your old man and your baby daddy you’re here.” You nodded as you sat down with your sleeping daughter in your arms.

“Tell them tomorrow. Gives me the night to think.” He sat down on the couch next to you and sighed.

“You know I can’t do that. SAMCRO has every member of every charter out looking for the two of you. How you made it this far with a Reaper sticker on your car, I will never know.”

“I was raised by Clay and Gemma. You gotta get crafty when you’re the adopted daughter of the president of an MC.” He nodded, reached out and pat your knee.

“What am I gunna do with you, girl.” He sighed before shaking his head and pointing to a door off the living room. “Go lay her down in my bed. I gotta call Chibs.” With a sigh, you put your hand on top of his.

“Just… ask him to give me a day or two. I just need to get my head on straight again. I feel like I’m drowning.” He nodded as you both stood up from the couch. You headed toward the bedroom, knowing you had roughly 11 hours before Chibs and Jax showed up. You could try to make a run for it to Canada; you had plenty of time, but the idea of losing the only family you had made you sick. The idea of depriving your baby of her fathers was even more sickening. As you tucked pillows on either side of Kelsi so she wouldn’t roll off the bed, you sighed.

“He’s on his way.” Hap said softly as you pulled up the blanket.

“Figured as much. Debating if I should just skip to Canada now or wait.”

“Not funny.” He said as you headed back out into the living room. You sat down on the couch, sinking back into the cushions as tears welled in your eyes.

“What the hell happened to my life?” Happy sat down next to you and handed you a beer you didn’t notice he was holding.

“Nothin’ happened to your life, mama. This is the hand you were dealt.”

“Awesome. Can I have a refund on the lying boyfriend and the baby daddy who would rather get his dick wet than be there for his daughter?” He chuckled and shook his head.

“Sorry mama. It don’t work like that. You know what you can do, though?” You arched your eyebrow and rolled your head to the side to look at him. “You can be the best mother that you are capable of being. Jax is gunna do Jax’s thing; that’s just the way he is. No one can change that and trying is just going to drive you nuts. Chibs… well, he has no excuse for lying to you but he’s a good man, baby girl. Yea, he’s got an estranged wife in Ireland but that can be changed.”

“God, did everyone know but me?” You groaned as you took a swig of your beer.

“He didn’t think you could love him if you knew.” You sat up and nearly choked on your beer at the new tidbit of information.

“How do you know that?” Happy chuckled as he took a swig of his beer.

“He told me. We were scoping… well… it don’t matter what we were doing. You’d been working at the club with Bobby for like a year. I’d seen the way he looked at you; way he’d stop talking mid-sentence when you’d walk into the room. Shit, he left me high and dry at a bar one time because you called him for help with something and he was supposed to be my wing man. So I called him out on why he never did anything about it. His response was that there was no way an angel like you could fall in love with a married man. He’s felt guilty about it every day since you started dating.”

“Shit…” You grumbled. “I really fucked this up…”

“No you didn’t.” Happy chuckled with a shake of his head. “Maybe you just pushed him in the direction to change that part of his life. He’d do anything for you, (Y/N).” You nodded as a few tears dripped onto your cheeks.

“Damnit, man… I have never wanted to be home so bad in my life.” You huffed as you wiped away your tears.

“Well, you’re here for tonight. It’s too far of a drive for you to drive all the way home on no sleep. So let’s smoke a little weed, drink another beer and call it a night. By this time tomorrow, you’ll have your man back.” You nodded as you took a swig of your beer.

“Thanks, Hap. Sorry I had to wake your ass up to get your advice though.” He chuckled and put his hand on your shoulder, shaking you a bit.

“Hey, you’re my family. You know it’s no big deal. Only next time, can you just like call me or some shit? No more running away to Canada. It’s fucking cold up there.” You laughed as you wiped your tears away and nodded.

“Yea, I think I can do that.” He nodded gratefully as he grabbed a glass bowl and a lighter off the table and handed it to you.

“Now, time for the mama to relax. I can handle the princess if you’re passed out. She’s an angel with Uncle Hap.”

“I think she already has you and Bobby as her favorites. She likes the smiles.” You said as you poked his stomach where his happy face tattoos are. “And Bobby’s squishy like a bear. She loves that.” Happy laughed as you smiled and took a hit off the bowl; letting the smoke fill your lungs pleasantly as the THC started it’s slow magic on making your problems disappear for a few hours.

“More like the damn Pillsbury dough boy.” He joked as he got up to get another beer.

“Oh, I’m so teaching her that, now.” You said as you exhaled with a laugh. It didn’t take much longer before the weed and sheer exhaustion took over and you passed out on Happy’s couch. With a small smile, he picked you up and carried you into his bedroom, gently laying you down in bed next to your angel. He grabbed one of the extra pillows off the bed and a blanket from the closet and headed out to catch some sleep on the couch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nine and a half hours was all Chibs took to get to Tacoma. Not twenty minutes after you laid Kelsi down for a nap did you hear the unmistakable rumble of his bike. You made your way to the front yard, more excited to see him than you had ever been in your life. Tears of joy fell softly as he whipped into the driveway.

“Are ye out’a yer fuckin’ mind?” He screamed as he parked and ripped off his helmet. You ran to him; needing to be home in his arms again.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” You burst into tears. He wrapped you in a tight hug; his own tears falling as fast as yours.

“I thought I’d never see ye again…” he said as he held the back of your head. “Love, I…”

“I know, baby. I know, it’s OK.” The two of you stood there for a moment, speaking volumes with your tears before he pulled back.

“Kels?” You nodded and used your thumbs to wipe his tears away.

“Just went down for a nap.” He nodded as he cupped your cheeks and captured your lips with his.

“Don’t ye e’er do this ta me again, ye understand? I’s worried sick.” You nodded as he brushed your tears away. With a quick pat on your cheek, he took your hand and headed into the house.

“You came alone?” You asked as he bobbed his head at Hap on the couch, too desperate to get to his little girl for a formal hello.

“Jax is ‘bout an hour or two behind me. Took a minute ta get ‘hold of ‘im this morn’.” You nodded as you opened the door to Happy’s bedroom. Chibs respectfully toed off his boots and climbed onto the bed, pulling Kelsi into his arms. He brushed her dirty blond hair back and kissed her forehead, fighting with himself to stop crying. You smiled as she snuggled closer to her da and her little hand grabbed ahold of his shirt. You stood and watched for a moment before quietly shutting the door; knowing that Chibs hadn’t slept at all in the last 36 hours.

“Told you he wouldn’t be mad.” Happy said as you snagged one of his cigarettes from the pack on the table and sat next to him on the couch. You nodded slightly as you lit up and sat back.

“Oh no, he’s pissed. He’s just happier that we are OK. I’ll hear all about this later.” Happy chuckled and nodded his head.

“I don’t doubt it. I’m guessin’ you guys are crashin’ one more day?” You shook your head as you leaned forward and ashed your cigarette.

“No, I can’t do that to you. I’ve put you out enough. We’ll probably get a hotel room.”

“You know I don’t mind at all, mama.” You nodded as you reached over and pat his knee.

“I know you don’t, Hap. But I already know Jax is coming up and there is a good chance Gemma is gunna be here at some point… A hotel keeps this place from being a zoo.”

“Shit… yea, if Gemma is coming, get a hotel. She gets scary when she’s mad.” You laughed and nodded in agreement.

“Yea, you’re tellin’ me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

You laid across the bottom of the bed, listening to Kelsi explain all about the adventure she had been on to come to Uncle Happy’s to her exhausted da. You had your arm over Chibs’ thighs and he held your hand tightly on his hip; terrified that you would leave again.

“And the deer… it jumped da! Right dere.” She pointed next to her as she told the story of the family of deer you had seen on the way up. They had leapt away from the car, thankfully, and not into it as you drove past.

“No way!” Chibs said with enthusiasm despite how tired he was. “‘ow many were there, princess?”

“Like this many.” She held up all ten fingers, shoving them almost in his face as you held up five fingers behind her.

“Wow! That's so cool!”

“Incoming Gem!” Hap shouted as the front door slammed opened.

“(Y/N) (Y/M/N) (Y/L/N) I swear to fucking God!” Gemma shouted as she stormed in to the house.

“Mommy’s in trouble.” You said to your little girl as you quickly got off the bed. You headed out into the living room as Kelsi climbed off the bed and ran past you.

“Mamaw!” She shouted as she ran at Gemma, quickly changing course as ‘daddy’ walked in behind her. You stopped and took a step back at the sheer rage on his face.

“And you call me a bad parent?!” He spat as he picked up his daughter. “Kidnapping is not good parenting…”

“I’ve been worried sick all night! Do you have any idea…” Gemma interrupted. You held up your hands and shook your head.

“Alright, enough. You’re pissed, I get it. I’m sorry I ran but yelling at me for it isn’t gunna do any good. Put yourself in my shoes for a second, huh? My entire family lied to me for years! How would you have felt Gem, to hear that Clay had been lying to you about something major like that right after Thomas, God rest his soul, passed away? Or you Jax; how would you feel to hear Tara got married in Chicago and didn’t tell you? How would you both have felt to learn I knew about those things but didn’t tell you?” You arched your eyebrows and waited for a moment before continuing in the silence.

“Yea, it’s not an easy pill to swallow. So I ran and I came to the only person other than Chibs that I trust to talk to. Yea, it’s kinda shitty to drive two states away and not just make a phone call but I reacted. Same way both of you do when you get mad. So please, before you jump up on your soap box, take your own inventory on what you would have done.” Neither of them said a word; the only sound in the room was the horror movie Happy was watching; ignoring the fighting going on around him.

“She ‘as a point.” Chibs finally said as he stepped up next to you and put his hand on the small of your back. “Every one of us, if put in the same spot would’ve run. We’d turn our phones off and be ‘ard ta find. Now, while we ‘ave er’y right ta be pissed, we’ve ta look at the bigger picture of what the lot of us is goin through. And we also ‘ave ta see that the reason there is so much anger in this situation is because Kelsi is involved.” Every one turned to look at the little girl that was on Jax’s hip. You smiled as you watched her wrap the string of her daddy’s hoodie around his sunglasses. She let go, thinking it would hold but gravity pulled the heavy sunglasses down and they fell to the floor.

“Uh oh.” She said quietly as she looked up to see if Jax had noticed. A blush crept across her cheeks when she saw him looking at her with a smile. She quickly hid her face in his hoodie as every one chuckled.

“I know it’s just words but I would have come back. I just needed to clear my head. I felt like I was drowning and I though running was my only escape but the farther I drove, the more I wanted to go home. Then once I talked to Happy… shit I would have drove back last night if it wasn’t so far.”

“She really did try. I wouldn’t let her leave.” Hap chimed in to your defense.

“I’m sorry I scared all of you.” No one said anything for a second before Gemma finally walked over and pulled you in for a hug.

“I’m sorry baby girl. I’m just so glad you’re alright.” You nodded against her shoulder as a few tears fell on her shirt. She leaned back and cupped your cheeks. “No more running. You have a problem, you lock yourself in one of the dorms at the club so we all know your at least safe.” You nodded as she kissed your forehead.

“Da, we go home now? I forgot my bear…” You laughed as you wiped away your tears.

“Not tonight baby. We’re gunna take Uncle Happy out for dinner to say thanks for letting us stay here last night. And we gotta let da and daddy and mamaw get a good night sleep first. They’re tired.” She looked over at Chibs as if waiting for confirmation. He yawned and stretched his arms over his head and out wide; his ‘it’s bedtime’ action.

“How about I call pop and see if he will go and get your bear so she won’t be lonely tonight?” Gemma said as she took her granddaughter from Jax.

“Otay… but he has ta take Unca Tig too. They’re boyfriend and girlfriend.” You snorted a laugh as you covered your mouth with your hand.

“What was that? Did I just hear…” You nodded at Jax as you tried to stifle your giggles.

“This is why Tig doesn’t watch her.” Chibs said with a laugh. You held up your finger as you coughed to clear your throat.

“Kelsi, who’s your boyfriend?” She looked at you as sarcastically as possible and rolled her eyes.

“Mumma… it’s Unca Juice, duhhh!”

“Oh God, help us all.” Jax said as he flopped down on the couch. “She has her mother’s sass.”

Part 4

[allianceforisraeladvocacy-blog]

NEWEST ARENA FOR THE ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT: YOUR STATE?

Supporters of Israel are pushing, even writing bills to blunt Palestinian-led boycott.

The front lines in a bitter debate between Israel’s defenders and critics now lie in an unexpected place: state capitals across America.

Palestinian rights activists calling for people to boycott, divest from and sanction Israel have racked up policy victories over the last 14 years across the globe and in the U.S., particularly on university campuses.

In response, pro-Israel advocates have taken the battle to state legislatures, where their lobbyists have worked with sympathetic lawmakers to shut down an effort they say threatens the very existence of a Jewish state.

A rapid succession of states — 27 in four years — have adopted measures to curb the boycott initiative known as BDS.

These new laws and executive orders have been crafted by activists, then copied from one state to the next, adopted with virtually identical language. Most require tens of thousands of state contractors to pledge not to boycott Israel — or lose their government funding. Other efforts require state pension boards to divest from companies that boycott Israel.

As part of a two-year investigation into copycat legislation in statehouses, the Center for Public Integrity and  USA TODAY examined dozens of anti-boycott bills and executive orders and then traced the communication between pro-Israel lobbyists and lawmakers who supported their efforts.

The broader investigation, “Copy, Paste, Legislate,” which also involves The Arizona Republic, shows for the first time how governors and lawmakers across the country allowed a handful of special-interest groups to write public policy word for word.

In Louisiana, emails obtained by the Center show that pro-Israel advocates actually wrote the governor’s anti-boycott executive order and press release.

In Nevada, a pro-Israel lobbyist guided the legislation’s sponsor with detailed and frequent feedback, in one case reviewing and approving statements by a lawmaker who planned to support the bill.

In South Carolina, state Rep. Alan Clemmons called an activist supporting his anti-boycott legislation his “buddy and wordsmith-in-chief.”

A network of pro-Israel Jewish and evangelical Christian advocacy groups have quietly but forcefully pushed the anti-boycott legislation, marketing it as a solution to address a growing trend of anti-Semitic incidents. Among the leaders are well-known organizations such as the Jewish Federations of North America as well as smaller groups such as the Israeli-American Coalition for Action.

The groups pushing the bills are building off goodwill generated from years of courting state officials with — sometimes free — trips to Israel. And the Israeli government then writes to thank state officials instrumental in passing the measures.

Now pro-Israel groups are urging states to enforce the new divestment laws against specific companies, such as Danske Bank and Airbnb, which angered pro-Israel advocates last year when it announced it would remove Israeli rental listings on the West Bank. The groups are also pushing for passage of further measures to undermine pro-Palestinian activism on college campuses.

The anti-boycott movement in state capitals is a strikingly bipartisan initiative at an especially partisan moment in American history. In 2017, all 50 U.S. governors and the mayor of the District of Columbia signed a statement rejecting the BDS movement as an effort to “demonize and delegitimize Israel.”

Some anti-boycott activists have said they took the debate to state legislatures in part to find friendlier waters than universities. “You don’t want to fight on your enemy’s terrain,” said pro-Israel activist Noah Pollak at a 2016 conference. “While you were doing your campus antics, the grown-ups were in the state legislatures passing laws that make your cause improbable.”

Taken together the anti-boycott measures represent a largely successful effort to embed controversial foreign policy into state law, short-circuiting public discourse about Israel, to the detriment, say some, of Americans who would like to do business with their states but also hold deep convictions about Palestinian rights.

The American Civil Liberties Union and Council on American-Islamic Relations have spearheaded a slew of lawsuits over the demands for contractors to disavow Israel boycotts. Among the plaintiffs: a Texas speech pathologist who decided she could not work a tenth year at her suburban school district, a former Maryland state legislator who lost out on a $50,000 state contract, and an Arizona lawyer who had to choose between advising state prison inmates and a zeal to promote justice overseas. Last week a federal judge in Texas ruled the state’s anti-boycott law was likely unconstitutional, joining two earlier federal court decisions in Arizona and Kansas. But another court in Arkansas has disagreed, and it remains to be seen whether a higher court will take up the issue.

Backers say the anti-boycott laws fit with the United States’ longstanding alliance with Israel and clamp down on discrimination against Israelis.

“The BDS movement is an anti-Semitic movement. It discriminates against no one on the planet other than Jews,” said Peggy Shapiro, executive director of the Midwest chapter of StandWithUs, which has advocated for anti-boycott laws. “It’s important for governors and legislatures to speak up and say this is not something our states will invest in.”

The U.S. Senate in February passed federal legislation championed by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to protect the state laws from legal challenges, though it appears unlikely to pass the House.

Supporters of the international BDS movement argue Israel’s treatment of Palestinians is inhumane, and that the new anti-boycott state laws help insulate Israel from legitimate criticism.

“They’re attacking individuals’ and even companies’ and nonprofits’ ability to engage on this issue through First-Amendment-protected activities,” said Dima Khalidi, director of Palestine Legal, which provides legal support to Palestinian rights advocates. “This movement is about human rights.”

It’s a high-stakes, emotional discussion. The anti-BDS lobbying campaign is pitting Holocaust survivors and their memories of 1930s German boycotts of Jewish goods against activists who, seeing similarities between Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and the Jim Crow South, hope to usher in a new era of equality for Palestinians.

The anti-boycott movement in the states has frustrated some American Jews, who in surveys support Israel yet criticize some of its policies.

“Boycotts are a tactic. It’s a neutral tactic,” said Rabbi Jill Jacobs, executive director of T’ruah, a Jewish human rights group that supports neither BDS nor state anti-BDS laws. “The best way to protect Israel is to fight for the human rights of both Israelis and Palestinians there and not to argue about the tactics.”

THE START OF A MOVEMENT Illinois and South Carolina were the first states to pass anti-boycott measures in 2015, and many of the bills that followed shared their exact wording, from Arizona to Rhode Island and more states in between.

At the ground level, the debates are personal. University of Nevada-Reno junior Matthew Levin showed up to a Carson City meeting room in March 2017 in a suit jacket and tie to urge his state to both turn away contractors that boycott Israel and to disclose any investments in boycotting companies.

Earlier in the semester, Levin’s Jewish fraternity brothers in a Las Vegas chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi found swastika graffiti near their campus, part of a nationwide uptick in anti-Semitic incidents. Attacks on Jews jumped by 37 percent in 2017, according to the FBI, and they’ve since grown deadly. In October 2018, a gunman killed 11 people at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, and just last week another shooter killed one and injured three at the Chabad of Poway Synagogue near San Diego.

“I’m scared to be a Jew for the first time in my life,” Levin told the committee. “And the threats to the state of Israel are not making it any better.”

More than a dozen others supported the bill that day, alongside more than 60 people who showed up to a later hearing, easily outnumbering the handful of opponents who testified, according to video. The show of consensus against the BDS movement was bipartisan, as it had been in other states. The bill passed.

Former Nevada Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison worked closely with a pro-Israel lobbyist, Dillon Hosier, to craft and pass the bill modeled from Arizona’s law, according to emails obtained by the Center for Public Integrity.

“I don’t think there’s a First Amendment right to have the government do business with you,” Hutchison said in an interview.

Former Nevada Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison on a trip to Israel. (Republican State Leadership Committee) Hutchison has traveled to the Middle East at least twice, including on a $15,000 trip in 2013 paid for by the American Israel Education Foundation, an affiliated charity of pro-Israel lobbying group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Israel is a common destination for state officials, including some other anti-boycott bill sponsors. At least 21 of the 50 sitting governors have visited or planned to visit the country at least once, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of news reports.

At one point an assemblywoman supporting the bill asked for the lieutenant governor’s thoughts on her planned testimony. His office forwarded the testimony to Hosier, the lobbyist.

“Hits all the right notes,” the lobbyist replied.

Hosier at the time worked for the Israeli-American Coalition for Action, a Los Angeles-based advocacy group that works to strengthen U.S.-Israel ties. A board member of the group, Adam Milstein, said in a 2017 speech that his organization was “spearheading” efforts to combat BDS at the state and federal level, taking credit for passing legislation in California and working to pass it in five other states at the time, according to prepared remarks. The charitable group that created the IAC for Action, called the Israeli American Council, has received more than $60 million in donations from GOP megadonors Sheldon and Miriam Adelson.

But anti-boycott legislation has been a team effort, Hosier told the Center for Public Integrity, saying there was “a core group of organizations that attempted to drive it across the country.”

Republican state representative Clemmons sponsored the first anti-boycott law dealing with contractors in South Carolina in 2015. He said a trip to Israel, paid for with election campaign funds, inspired the legislation and that he received help from multiple groups, including the D.C.-based Israel Allies Foundation.

“We’ve not been a big financial player. It’s just really coordinating the different groups to work together,” said Daniel Williams, a former executive director of the foundation. “And the person that has been driving that is Joe Sabag.”

Clemmons in 2017, in an email obtained by the Center for Public Integrity, called the foundation’s Sabag his “buddy and wordsmith-in-chief.” Sabag, formerly the foundation’s U.S. director who has since moved to the IAC for Action, said he often helps legislators who ask for his expertise.

George Mason University law professor Eugene Kontorovich also helped draft the bill, and went on to assist other states with their anti-boycott measures; he now frequently defends the laws’ constitutionality in the media.

“One man’s boycott is another man’s discrimination,” Kontorovich said.

Also in 2015, Illinois passed a bill forcing state investment funds to divest from companies boycotting Israel, aided by the American Jewish Committee and a local Jewish Federation, according to emails obtained by the Center for Public Integrity.

The Israel Allies Foundation then announced it was combining the South Carolina and Illinois bills into “one piece of model legislation.” Clemmons, the South Carolina state representative, said he also urged lawmakers in other states to copy his bill.

Hosier, who has since left IAC for Action to help start a new Israeli-American advocacy organization, now criticizes some of the model anti-boycott legislation. At least five states passed laws mimicking South Carolina’s prohibition on Israel-boycotting contractors, which he says is unconstitutional.

“This is a kind of house of cards that can be very easily knocked over by one or two federal judges,” Hosier said.

In Louisiana, Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards did not write his anti-boycott executive order nor the press release accompanying it. Both drafts were sent to him by Mithun Kamath, a lobbyist for the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans. In an email obtained in a public records request by the Center for Public Integrity, Kamath said that the draft executive order had been reviewed by AIPAC and Israel Action Network, a group founded by the Jewish Federations of North America to “counter delegitimization” of Israel.

The final executive order and press release were nearly word-for-word what the Federation had delivered.

The Federation also hired powerful Louisiana lobbyist Ryan Haynie, who emailed a pro-Israel speech drafted for the governor, though it’s unclear if Edwards used it.

“No pride of authorship just want to help jumpstart the process for you guys,” Haynie wrote to the governor’s office. Haynie and his mega-lobbyist father, Randy Haynie, are fixtures in Louisiana politics and have represented everyone from tech titan Apple Inc. to tobacco giant Altria Group Inc.

A spokesperson for the governor, Shauna Sanford, said it is common for interest groups to supply the governor with talking points and said about the speech that “there’s no way to know what remarks were delivered” since the event was private.

The Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, AIPAC and the Israel Action Network did not respond to requests for comment.

CAMPUS VS. CAPITOL The anti-boycott efforts have built on groundwork laid by pro-Israel lobbyists a decade ago, when at least 17 states passed legislation saying their pension funds would divest from any companies that did business with Iran.

The new push for legislation at the state level has also followed years of campus activism by Palestinian rights advocates, who hope to replicate the boycott movement that helped end South Africa’s apartheid in 1994. Similar to South Africa, they argue, Israel persecutes Palestinians, controlling their movements on the West Bank and overlooking their abuse by soldiers, among other concerns. (Israel’s supporters deny those claims.)

BDS activists take credit for convincing student governments at more than 60 American universities — New York University, the University of Minnesota and the University of South Florida among them — to take up the Palestinian cause by, for instance, urging their schools to cut ties with companies “complicit in Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights.” They have also persuaded cities such as Berkeley, California, to divest from companies such as G4S accused by BDS activists of providing services to Israeli prisons where Palestinians are allegedly tortured. (G4S said it sold its business in Israel in 2017, that it did not manage the prisons and that independent reviews have found the company did not contribute to human rights violations.) They’ve pushed mainline Protestant denominations such as the United Methodist Church to boycott products made in West Bank settlements. And they have encouraged American celebrities to “#skipthetrip” when offered free tours of Israel.

The movement has had even more success in Europe, where the European Union now requires goods made in Israeli settlements to be labeled as such.

Many of those who have found themselves harmed by state anti-boycott laws, however, are practicing relatively quiet expressions of BDS activism, such as a Texas poet who boycotts Sabra hummus, partially owned by an Israeli company, or the Mennonite teacher who refuses to buy products from companies operating in Israeli settlements.

Omar Barghouti, a Qatar-born Palestinian resident of Israel and co-founder of the BDS movement, predicts that the statehouse countermovement will backfire and actually strengthen BDS in the U.S.

Israel’s “attempts to muzzle free speech and undermine the U.S. Constitution are decisively and perhaps irreversibly alienating the liberal mainstream, including younger Jewish-Americans,” Barghouti told the Center for Public Integrity in an email.

ISRAELI APPROVAL The Israeli government has congratulated states that passed anti-boycott laws, emails obtained by the Center for Public Integrity show.

“As Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs, I have been entrusted with leading the Israeli government’s efforts to counter the discriminatory and anti-Semitic boycott campaign,” Gilad Erdan wrote to Ohio Gov. John Kasich in December 2016 after an anti-boycott bill there became law. “I sincerely appreciate your contribution.”

In 2015, Israel’s Consul General for the Midwest wrote to Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s then-chief of staff who had helped pass that state’s anti-boycott bill: “Great job, as always.”

And during a signing ceremony for Kentucky’s anti-boycott executive order in November, Gov. Matt Bevin said that on his trip to Israel earlier in the year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally asked him to work on the issue, according to a report by Louisville’s WFPL radio station.

WHAT’S NEXT Pension fund administrators in some states have opposed anti-boycott bills, concerned about politics muddying their fiduciary duties.

“We believe that these assets are held in trust and belong to the participants of the plan and that they should not be used for ulterior motives including social purposes,” said Keith Brainard, research director of the National Association of State Retirement Administrators, whose members oversee more than two-thirds of the $4.4 trillion held for nearly 25 million current or retired employees of state and local government.

Most states that have passed the anti-boycott pension measures have only come up with a handful of companies to divest from, leading some to think the laws are largely symbolic. But state pension funds are still feeling the anti-boycott pressure.

Milstein, the Israeli-American Coalition for Action board member, has urged Florida and Indiana to divest from certain companies and provided them with research on companies that boycott Israel, according to emails obtained by the Center for Public Integrity. IAC for Action also took credit for New Jersey dropping its investments in Danish lender Danske Bank in 2017.

A spokesman for Danske Bank said the bank does not boycott Israel, but that its responsible investment policy prompted it to cut ties with many companies, including two companies in Israel.

Last year pro-Israel groups unsuccessfully pushed Florida to cancel the singer Lorde’s concerts there after she canceled a show in Israel, and they successfully lobbied state officials to punish short-term rental website Airbnb for deciding to remove listings in Israeli West Bank settlements (a decision the company recently reversed).

New Zealand singer and songwriter Lorde, seen here performing during the Corona Capital music festival in Mexico City in 2018, cancelled a show in Israel, prompting pro-Israeli lobbyists to unsuccessfully push Florida to cancel her concert. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) Lorde did not respond for comment. A spokesman for Airbnb said it opposes the BDS movement.

More bills to fight the BDS movement may be on the horizon. A pro-Israel Christian evangelical group based in Tennessee, Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, plans to lobby states to define anti-Semitism to include criticisms of Israel that apply “double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.” The broad definition, which originated from the U.S. State Department’s “working definition” of anti-Semitism adopted in 2010, could force state universities to treat BDS activism as anti-Semitic.

“That’s one of our goals is to shut down these groups that parade themselves as legitimate clubs on college campuses,” said the Tennessee group’s leader, Laurie Cardoza-Moore.

South Carolina last year became the first state to adopt the broad anti-Semitism definition by including it in a plank of its budget that is only valid for one year. Emails requested by the Center for the Public Integrity show that Sabag and Clemmons again teamed up to urge lawmakers to adopt the definition.

Meanwhile, Proclaiming Justice to the Nations planned bills in Florida, Ohio and Tennessee this year. So far the Tennessee bill has been introduced, and the Florida bill has passed the legislature and awaits the governor’s signature.

“The attorneys are still working on it,” Cardoza-Moore said of the new model legislation in December. “Each state will be slightly different … each draft will be specific to the state legislature that’s introducing it.”

[politicoscope]

Tom Perez Biography and Profile

New Post has been published on https://www.politicoscope.com/tom-perez-biography-and-profile/

Tom Perez Biography and Profile

Thomas Perez (Thomas Edward Perez), an American politician, attorney, Chair of the Democratic National Committee since February 2017 was born on 7 October 1961. Perez, a civil-rights lawyer who served as deputy of the Clinton DOJ civil-rights division, has spent most of his career in government service enforcing anti-discrimination laws.

Perez has strong labor support and served as Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s (D) labor secretary from 2007 until 2009, when he was tapped for the Justice Department position. Thomas Perez, a longtime Takoma Park resident, also served on the Montgomery County Council and was the first Latino elected to the council. He has been the key official under Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. handling civil rights cases, the centerpiece of what Holder hopes will be his legacy.

Thomas Edward Perez Full Biography The son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Thomas Edward Perez grew up in Buffalo where he learned the values of a union town: hard work, integrity, service, and perseverance. Having lost his father when he was 12, Tom understood early in life never to take a day for granted, and that urgency has driven him to spend his life in public service.

“The United States gave them my parents opportunities even though this was their adopted homeland. They would tell me how much they loved this country and how it was important for me to be involved.” – Thomas Edward Perez.

After high school, Tom put himself through college earning tuition money on the back of a garbage truck, went to law school, and started his career as a civil rights attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice. There, he fought to protect and expand opportunity for all Americans. While prosecuting some of the Department’s most high-profile civil rights cases, Tom saw firsthand the effects of hate and bigotry, and he fought to ensure that our justice system held accountable those who would violate the civil and constitutional rights of their fellow Americans.

Later on, Thomas Perez was special counsel to Senator Ted Kennedy, advising him on civil rights, criminal justice, and constitutional issues. He worked with Senator Kennedy to fight discriminatory laws like the Defense of Marriage Act. And as African-American churches were being burned to the ground in the late ‘90s, Tom and Senator Kennedy worked to pass the Church Arson Prevention Act, making it a federal crime to commit arson or vandalism against a place of worship.

Tom also served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights under Attorney General Janet Reno and led the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at the end of the Clinton administration.

Tom returned to the Department of Justice in 2009 after President Obama was elected, serving as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. Leading the Civil Rights division after the Bush administration had decimated it, Tom oversaw the effort to restore and expand the division’s achievements.

With his leadership, they successfully implemented:

the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act;

protected equal housing opportunity by pursuing and resolving the largest fair-lending cases in history;

helped ensure schoolchildren are free from discrimination, bullying and harassment;

dramatically expanded access to employment, housing and educational opportunities by fighting for people with disabilities;

defended Americans’ right to vote free from discrimination;

took record-setting efforts to ensure that communities have effective and accountable policing;

safeguarded the employment, housing, fair lending and voting rights of service members

Thomas Edward Perez expanded the division’s partnerships, working across federal agencies to address shared challenges in human trafficking, employment discrimination and fair lending, among others.

Thomas Edward Perez’s also been a local leader and organizer, running and winning a seat on the Montgomery County Council. He was the first Latino elected to the council, serving from 2002 until 2006, and was Council president. He then served as Secretary of Maryland’s Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

In 2002, Tom started as board president at CASA de Maryland, an organization that provides services to immigrants. Under his leadership, CASA experienced monumental growth – from the basement of a church to a $7M headquarters that opened without a lease – and grew from a service provider to one of the largest immigrant advocacy organizations in the country.

Tom received a bachelor’s degree from Brown University in 1983. In 1987, he received a master’s of public policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a law degree from Harvard Law School. He lives in Maryland with his wife, Ann Marie Staudenmaier, who is an attorney with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, and their three children.

Thomas Edward Perez’s Record Tom has never hesitated to take on a fight. He’s stood up for our progressive values his entire career, from his time on the Montgomery County Council to his years leading the U.S. Department of Labor. And as DNC Chair, Tom will continue to get things done. He’ll make the DNC an all-day, every-day, year-round organization to support our state parties, reach out to voters in every zip code and grow from the grassroots up.

Montgomery County

In 2002, Tom ran for a seat on the Montgomery County Council and won, becoming the first Latino elected to the Council and later served as its President.

Tom led an initiative to let Montgomery County residents buy cheaper prescription drugs.

Years before the housing crisis, Tom introduced and passed a bill to combat predatory lending and housing discrimination, a bill the Bush administration opposed.

Over intense opposition, Tom supported a law banning discrimination against transgender people in Montgomery County.

Tom stood up for working families in Montgomery County and fought for affordable housing.

And Tom worked to improve literacy and immigration programs in Montgomery County.

Maryland Labor Secretary

As Maryland’s Labor Secretary, Tom fought wage theft by focusing on worker misclassification.

Tom hired more health and safety inspectors to keep Maryland workers out of hazardous workplace conditions.

And Tom helped push for Maryland’s living wage initiative, the first in the country.

Tom fought the immigrant “brain waste,” helping consolidate adult education and workforce development under Maryland’s Department of Labor to support programs focused on improving the language skills of immigrant professionals.

And Tom co-chaired Maryland’s Homeownership Preservation Task Force in 2007, calling for tougher mortgage laws, more outreach and emergency funds for families having a hard time keeping their homes.

CASA de Maryland

As Board President of Casa de Maryland, Tom grew the group, expanding it to an immigration advocacy organization.

Tom helped Casa improve the lives of immigrants by establishing services for day laborers and vocational training at community colleges.

Civil Rights

As a career attorney in the Justice Department, Tom prosecuted a gang of white supremacists in Texas who went on a shooting spree, trying to start a race war.

Later, Tom worked with Senator Kennedy as a special counsel and developed laws which ultimately expanded hate crime protections to include the LGBT community and violence against women.

And Tom worked with Senator Kennedy to pass the Church Arson Prevention Act making destroying religious property because of race, color or ethnicity easier to prosecute as a federal crime.

While running the Office of Civil Rights at Health and Human Services, Tom worked to end racial and ethnic disparities in health care, including pursuing a case against a hospital segregating their maternity ward by race.

Tom took over a Civil Rights Division that had been “decimated” by the Bush administration and turned it around. While Tom led the Civil Rights Division, it set a record for opening investigations into sheriff and police department conduct.

Under Tom’s leadership, the Civil Rights Division successfully prosecuted the first cases under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

With Tom at the helm, the Civil Rights Division stood up against religious discrimination.

And Tom’s first congressional testimony after becoming Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights was supporting the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which outlawed discrimination in hiring on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Civil Rights Division under Tom protected students from bullying and harassment based on their race, gender, and sexual orientation. And Tom stood up to make sure LGBT youth know It Gets Better.

Tom sued Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio for discriminating against Latinos.

And Tom worked with his colleagues at DOJ to challenge Arizona’s discriminatory immigration law, SB 1070, all the way to the Supreme Court. He did the same with Alabama’s anti-immigrant law, HB 56.

Tom worked to end human trafficking as part of the Worker Exploitation Task Force when he was an attorney at the Justice Department and set records of enforcement when he was leading the Civil Rights Division.

Tom challenged discriminatory voter ID laws in Texas and South Carolina, laws which unjustly targeted minority voters.

Tom went after the big banks for racial discrimination and foreclosing on active-duty service members and got the largest fair-lending housing settlements ever.

And Tom stood up for medical professionals and their patients by increasing enforcement of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

Labor

When Tom was nominated for Labor Secretary, he had to overcome a 4-month, republican-led Senate filibuster and was confirmed without a single republican vote.

At Labor, Tom leads a complex organization with over 17,000 employees, a multi-billion dollar budget and a presence in every state and three territories.

Tom expanded the overtime rule, guaranteeing workers earning less than $47,476 had the right to be paid for their additional work.

He aggressively combated worker misclassification, the unfair practice of classifying employees as independent contractors to cut costs and deprive them of wages and benefits. In 2016 alone, Labor collected $266 million in back pay owed to workers.

After two weeks of negotiations, Tom helped resolve the Verizon strike with an agreement that included protections for Verizon’s retail workers, a victory for hardworking employees often left out from benefits.

Tom led on leave and expanded paid sick leave so workers don’t have to choose between the jobs they need and the families they love.

He helped West Coast port workers and their employer reach an agreement in 2015 after months of protracted negotiations.

Tom set a target goal for federal contractors’ work forces have at least 7 percent of their employees be people with disabilities and 8 percent be veterans.

Under his leadership, Labor expanded apprenticeships, creating more than 125,000 since 2014 to help Americans gain the skills and training they need to land good-paying jobs.

And Tom made sure Americans with disabilities are integrated into communities with the access they need.

Tom issued a new rule to protect workers across industries like construction and manufacturing from being exposed to dangerous levels of harmful silica dust, known to cause disease and cancer.

He raised the minimum wage and extended overtime protections for home health care workers, impacting nearly 2 million workers.

And Tom stood up for workers, issuing a rule requiring companies to disclose how much they spend combating union organizing efforts.

Tom played a key role in ensuring companies with federal contracts pay their contract workers a minimum wage and provide paid sick leave.

With Tom’s leadership, the Labor Department issued a conflict of interest rule forcing retirement advisors to put their clients’ best interest ahead of their own, potentially saving Americans billions of dollars per year.

Tom Perez is a proven leader who has spent his life standing up for progressive values and making real change happen at the local, statewide, and national levels.

Thomas Edward Perez Biography and Profile (Thomas Edward Perez / Politicoscope)

[itsfinancethings]

New story in Politics from Time: Supreme Court Denies Nevada Church’s Request to Strike Down State COVID-19 Limits on Worship Services

(RENO, Nev.) — A sharply divided U.S. Supreme Court denied a rural Nevada church’s request late Friday to strike down as unconstitutional a 50-person cap on worship services as part of the state’s ongoing response to the coronavirus.

In a 5-4 decision, the high court refused to grant the request from the Christian church east of Reno to be subjected to the same COVID-19 restrictions in Nevada that allow casinos, restaurants and other businesses to operate at 50% of capacity with proper social distancing.

Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley argued that the hard cap on religious gatherings was an unconstitutional violation of its parishioners’ First Amendment rights to express and exercise their beliefs.

Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the liberal majority in denying the request without explanation.

Three justices wrote strongly worded dissenting opinions on behalf of the four conservatives who said they would have granted the injunctive relief while the court fully considers the merits of the case.

“That Nevada would discriminate in favor of the powerful gaming industry and its employees may not come as a surprise, but this Court’s willingness to allow such discrimination is disappointing,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in a dissent joined by Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh.

“We have a duty to defend the Constitution, and even a public health emergency does not absolve us of that responsibility,” Alito said. “The Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion. It says nothing about freedom to play craps or blackjack, to feed tokens into a slot machine or to engage in any other game of chance.”

Kavanaugh also wrote his own dissent, as did Justice Neil Gorsuch, who said today’s world “with a pandemic upon us, poses unusual challenges.”

“But there is no world in which the Constitution permits Nevada to favor Caesars Palace over Calvary Chapel,” Gorsuch wrote.

David Cortman, senior counsel for Georgia-based Alliance Defending Freedom representing the church, said in an email sent to The Associated Press late Friday that they were disappointed in the ruling but will continue to work to protect Calvary Chapel and others “from discriminatory policies that put religious groups at the back of the line for reopening.”

“When the government treats churches worse than casinos, gyms, and indoor amusement parks in its COVID-19 response, it clearly violates the Constitution,” he said.

The governor’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month after a U.S. judge in Nevada upheld the state’s policy that allows casinos and other businesses to operate at 50% of normal capacity.

The appellate court in San Francisco is still considering the appeal, but it has denied the church’s request for an emergency injunction in the meantime. Its ruling July 2 pointed to the Supreme Court’s refusal in May to strike down California’s limit on the size of religious gatherings.

The church in Nevada’s Lyon County appealed to the Supreme Court six days later, asking for an emergency injunction prohibiting the state from enforcing the cap on religious gatherings at least temporarily while the justices consider the merits of the case.

“The governor allows hundreds to thousands to assemble in pursuit of financial fortunes but only 50 to gather in pursuit of spiritual ones. That is unconstitutional,” its lawyers wrote in their most recent filing to the high court last week.

The church wants to allow as many as 90 people to attend services at the same time — with masks required, sitting 6-feet apart — at the sanctuary with a capacity of 200. Other secular businesses in the state that are allowed to operate at half capacity include gyms, hair salons, bowling alleys and water parks.

Nevada’s lawyers said last week several courts nationwide have followed the Supreme Court’s lead in upholding state authority to impose emergency restrictions in response to COVID-19.

“Temporarily narrowing restrictions on the size of mass gatherings, including for religious services, protects the health and well-being of Nevada citizens during a global pandemic,” they wrote.

Alito said in the lead dissent that by allowing thousands to gather in casinos, the state cannot claim to have a compelling interest in limiting religious gatherings to 50 people — regardless of the size of the facility and the measures adopted to prevent the spread of the virus.

“The idea that allowing Calvary Chapel to admit 90 worshipers present a greater public health risk than allowing casinos to operate at 50% capacity is hard to swallow,” he wrote.

Kavanaugh said he agreed that courts should be “very deferential to the states’ line-drawing in opening businesses and allowing certain activities during the pandemic.”

“But COVID-19 is not a blank check for a state to discriminate against religious people, religious organizations and religious services,” he wrote in his own dissent. “Nevada is discriminating against religion.”

from Blogger https://ift.tt/3eXcXoV via IFTTT

[lawfirmmelbourne-blog]

Immigration - How To Get A Visa With Typically Helps To See Of An Immigration Lawyer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administration_of_justice will handle all the legal consultation, documentation, and often will represent you in all legal tasks. Make sure that your lawyer offers updated paperwork so which you could monitor the status of your immigration work permit. Acquiring new citizenship may not be simple but absolutely encounter fewer problems with a reputable lawyer. Besides handling any such issue, the lawyer may also handle child adoption off their countries, migration to another country, because relevant situations. You will need all the luck and expertise of the lawyer to take advantage of the results. Find an Best Migration lawyer service in Melbourne in england and wales. Yes, you are through all of the process about your own; however, visa matters and UK immigration law are complex and your odds of improve exponentially if you hire a competent lawyer. In my case Got to acquire a police report 'legalized' (stamped) by the Uruguay consulate in both Canada and England, web site report is required for everywhere that include lived within the past five a number of. A legalization is also required for an migration lawyer Melbourne birth certification. Note that when applying for these documents, in order to tell the consulate that this is for immigration purposes, by Uruguayan law there isn't fee involved for this amazing. I in no way forget how Elian was removed from his relatives house in Miami by gunpoint. The scared to death 6 year old kid was deported for you to Cuba from your heavy hand of nation Government. This one of Janet Reno's more famous actions while head with the Justice Scale. ODon't Be Provoked Naturally. No matter the amount provocation from the locals also known as the police, don't be provoked easily or engage in a fight. Some sort of racism exists in countries so bear it to certain extents. I people deported due individual they became very angry while being accosted your authorities that (authorities) become challenged and issue deportation proceedings (out of hate!). There are some of ways keep more permanently in Questions. The first is to locate a business to sponsor you really. The 457 visa allows for you to work nationwide for a single employer for 4 years. The other option is you will be eligible Permanent Residency through the points system (175 Visa) Currently you've 120 take into account qualify and earn points for your skill, English ability and any Australian experience. way to find Immigration lawyer Melbourne that are an excellent source of demand are awarded more points, Immigration lawyer Melbourne making it easier to go into the country. SPOUSE VISA APPLICATIONS Basic to -"MY FRIEND DID IT HIM/HERSELF" - that might be true towards the friend but, if your friend was jumping off a steep ledge and over rocks into the ocean, would you jump too? None of us do everything our friends do - our nation make some of our choices, particularly in matters as essential as love and migration the location risks are so incredibly high. I, for one, strongly believe society immigration reform, INS is really a mess usually and needs to be changes. Although i wonder what it is that each and every address this matter in this Bill. I really believe all people deserve to treated if ill. In case money could be the issue, which, who shall we be held kidding, this is the biggest issue here, what exactly is ignore how millions individuals live in the and aren't documented. Real estate professional going to always get insurance too? Can they be insurance without proving citizenship, or will the government now institute a rule that need to have documentation in order to get insurance?

[journalofsportsmedicine]

Problem Gambling: An Interplay Between Law and Medicine and A Platform to an Interdisciplinary Approach to This Mental Health Disease- Juniper Publishers

Responsible Gaming Juniper Publishers- Journal of Physical Fitness, Medicine & Treatment in Sports

Introduction

Gaming and betting contracts are a practical expression of homo ludens: they symbolize a desire for entertainment, a ludic desire. That ludic desire of the player, symbolizing an eminently personal need, does not have enough material foundation to merit the right to legal protection, because it lacks economic interest [1]. This consideration is no small one. Governments worldwide are not keen to legalize the gambling activity. Social costs inextricably linked with gaming leisure industry underpin this widespread hesitation. Efforts concerning the creation of a sound responsible gaming model that strives to achieve the deemed harm-minimization is a definitely the goal that one ought to tirelessly pursue in this realm. This cannot be achieved without an interdisciplinary engagement between the knowledge creators (scholars, researchers, medical doctors) and the end-users (casinos, public entities, lawyers, psychiatrists, whose main purpose is to curb problem gambling).

As far as the aforementioned goes, there are not many papers that proficiently combine the legal side with the other side (medical, psychologic, psychiatric, neurological, sociological, social policy), aiming to curtail the issue of problem gambling. To shape a proper responsible gambling model it is crucially important to address the problem gambling in an interdisciplinary way. Needless to say, this is the main aim of this paper.

Background - What is Problem Gambling?

First things first. How can one outline an accurate definition of problem gambling or problem gambler? [2] Despite the existence of problem gambling, there have been ongoing difficulties with grasping a widely accepted definition of this mental health disease. Conversely, despite being often used, the legal taxonomy «responsible gambling» and «responsible provision» are also scarcely defined. «Although, differences in definition are quite important because they impact on solutions provided to overcome the problem» [3].

«For instance, the Australian Productivity Commission (1999), included a vast range of definitions of problem gambling that variously emphasized either symptoms (e.g., loss of control, chasing debts) or effects (e.g., disruption and damage to personal, family or work life). One widely accepted definition is that adopted by the Victorian Casino and Gaming Authority (VCGA) which states that problem gambling occurs “where a person´s gambling activity gives rise to harm to the individual player, and/or to his or her family, and may extended into the community» [4]. On the other hand, «Problem Gambler», as far as the Canadian doctrine is concerned, is widely carved out as any person whose ability to resist the impulse to gamble has been impaired, or whose gambling has compromised, disrupted, or damaged personal family, or vocational pursuits [5].

While gambling may be portrayed by the vast majority of gamblers as a dazzling form of entertainment and an enjoyable leisure pursuit, its very nature means that there are staggering risks involved in this activity [6]. «Problem gambling (PG) behaviours (as a reminder, problem gambling is a mental disease) occur when an individual gamble in a manner that exceeds their means, for money than they can afford and spending excessive time gambling, both which can cause deleterious effects on the lives of the gambler. Such effects may include neglecting family, health, hygiene, and even employment, as well financial obligations, which highlights PG as not only an issue at the individual level, but also for wider society. Indeed, for every PG there is potential for a multitude of individuals to be negatively impacted» [7].

Background - Problem Gambling, an Overall Shift of Perspective in Relation to Research and Theory?

«Over the last 15 years or so, the field of responsible gambling (RG) has developed from a basic interest in minimising gambling problems, to a fast-growing field of research, theory, and practice covering all aspects of the gambling experience. Even in the recent past, RG was typically the remit of perhaps one or two individuals in an organisation, maybe just a minor part of the primary role. However, over the last few years and in many gaming companies, RG has become a concept embraced at all levels from the CEO down to the point-of-sale retailer, and all those in between. Whilst some of this focus has been driven through regulatory policy and an increased awareness of problem gambling across many jurisdictions, much of the interest stems from a realisation that problem-free players make for a better business. That is, long term customers are going to be those who continue to play, without problems, primarily for reasons of leisure. In short, proactive gaming companies have developed socially responsible business models, that are based on increasing the number of moderate-spending, long-term repeat customers and, that strive to avoid custom from players with gambling problems» [8].

The burgeoning growth of Responsible Gaming practice has been accompanied by an overall shift of perspective in relation to research and theory. «Previously, RG was largely influenced by a view of gambling problems that primarily adopted a medical and/or disease model, with little control or power attributed to those that were most negatively affected. However, increasing support for individual autonomy has become the main issue. This position was outlined in detail by the «Reno Model» [9] which argues that responsible gambling should be based upon two fundamental principles: « (1) decisions to gamble reside with individual and represent a choice, and (2) in order to make good decisions, individuals need to be well informed. This shift in perspective also reflects wider social and cultural changes that have seen more of an emphasis on the importance of consumers making informed purchase choices across a variety of products and services. On the other hand, technological developments have become a driving force, for both the design of games and gambling environments, as well as for tools and services that can assist players to play responsibly» [10].

However, whilst there has been a significant development in research and technological breakthroughs in the Responsible Gaming realm, the translation of valid research into wide-spread practice has sometimes been slower to take effect than initially expected [11].

This portrays a huge gap between the above-mentioned knowledge creators and end-users. This gap surely needs to be bridged. But how?

By engaging in an interdisciplinary path that ought to connect both sides of the gambling industry (medical doctors, gambling leisure industry, lawyers) that would significantly boost the benefits of the global innovation in gaming leisure industry. There is no other way. This particular issue will be addressed later and its concretes features will be also thoroughly carved out.

Background - Problem Gambling as a Repository of Interdisciplinary Contributes: The Cardinal Importance of Empirical Evidence in the Context of Electronic Gambling Machines (EGMs)

Electronic Gambling Machines (EGMs) represent a sweeping part of the gambling leisure industry. It is widely accepted that EGMs are the core of gambling leisure industry, except in the casinos of Macau, where the table games, namely the Baccarat, heavily outweigh EGMs. That´s the reason why Knowledge Creators focus have been driven towards the empirical evidence for the differential impact of gambling outcome on behaviour in electronic gambling [12]. The research undertaken in this specific field has achieved a major breakthrough: EGM´s are the realm of addictive patterns of gambling behaviour as they enhance the illusion of control of the players about the outcome of the game. Furthermore, EGM´s are markedly the domain of the loss-chasing behaviour, the core characteristic of Problem Gambling, which can be thoroughly explained because:

Ǥ Approximately 13 % of EGM gamblers meet diagnostic criteria for problem gambling (PG) which is one of the highest rates of among all other forms of gambling. EGMs are interactive, computerised gambling platforms found in many licensed betting offices, casinos, and other leisure facilities.

§ They adopt variable ratio schedules of reinforcement that subject a player to addictive patterns of gambling behaviour. EGMs have been shown to instil and maintain irrational and superstitious beliefs, as well as distort concepts of randomness and probability that can contribute to illusions of control. Such features may act in maintain or indeed contribute to the onset of PG behaviours. § In addition, EGMs offer high maximum stake and prize sizes, where an individual can bet up to £ 100 on a gambling event and win jackpots equalling £ 500 and the fact that accessibility of EGMs are abundant on the high-street, means even inexperienced and leisure gamblers are at risk of increased rate and volume of loss, irrespective of whether they would be classed as PG or not. A rapid speed of play provided by EGMs offer fewer opportunities between bets to break trancelike dissociative states gamblers experience, as well as less time to consider one’s decisions in an informed and controlled manner.

§ The rapid event cycle in EGM play also allows for a high rate and volume of loss, which is allowed to further exacerbate if ones engage in loss-chasing behaviour – as stated above, a core characteristic of PG. Loss chasing may not however, be limited to PGs, and there is potential for the fast-paced characteristic of EGM play to negatively impact on» [13]. In this regard, a recent research (conducted by renowned scientists) has investigated how these EGM characteristics interact with winning and losing outcomes and the resulting gambling behaviour, «as there is wide body of evidence outside of gambling research that suggests gains and losses have an asymmetrical impact on affect and arousal, as well as cognitive capacity and decision makingessential components to controlled and rational gambling decisions [14].

Conversely, losses squarely compared to the bulk of wins, have a larger effect on physiological arousal. Hochman and Yechiam (2011) reported significantly larger pupil diameter and increased heart beat in response to losses compared to equivalent sized wins» [15]. On another hand, if losses lead to a greater increase in psychological arousal, this may result in the gambler´s optimal level of arousal being surpassed, which may be detrimental to rational decision making (crucially important when it comes to cease immediately the gambling endeavours) and lead to a loss of control during gambling, «where the fastpaced and high stakes features of EGM play may exacerbate the harm caused by a loss of control» [16].

Having this body of evidence very firmly in mind, it is very important to implement strategies that enable the gambler to remain in control during the gambling session so that gamblingrelated decision are made in a rational manner. Moreover, that assortment of measures embodies the deemed harmminimisation strategies that the legal side of gaming leisure industry should not forsake.

Background - The Importance of Empirical Evidence in the Context of Electronic Gambling Machines (EGMs) and The Harm Minimisation Strategies: The Pop-Up Messages and The Personalised Feedback

If wins and losses do indeed result in an asymmetrical impact on a gambler´s behaviour during EGM gambling, it is important to implement harm minimisation strategies in a timely manner before harmful behaviour augment or escalate. As a consequence, prior to the implementation of any harm minimisation strategies whatsoever there is a major paradigm shift yet to be undertaken: the problem gambling should be approached in a proactive manner rather than a purely reactive one. Meaning, knowledge creators (medical doctors and scientists) and end-users (gaming leisure industry, governments, lawyers) ought to synergetically contribute to the creation of healthy gambling environments in a timely manner.

Alongside the technological developments, research into cognitive psychology of gambling has shown that irrational gambling-related cognitions and misunderstandings inextricably connected to randomness and probabilities represent some of the key ingredients contributing to the initiation and maintenance of problem gambling in general, and in electronic (or online) gambling specifically [17]. «More importantly, it has been shown that problematic gambling behaviour can be decreased in response to cognitive-behavioural therapy and other cognitive interventions. As a consequence, some organisations and gaming operators are beginning to offer players information about common gambling myths and erroneous beliefs. Furthermore, players can now access general advice on healthy and responsible gambling» [18].

«A small body of empirical research has shown that educational programs about erroneous beliefs can successfully help change the targeted cognitions. For instance, Wohl developed an animation-based educational video regarding the function of slot machines, their results demonstrated that the animation was effective in promoting responsible play as demonstrated by those viewing the video staying within their pre-set limits. The study also showed that animated educational information on slot machines can be an effective to increase user adherence to pre-set limits» [19].

Research conducted in this realm have also shown that the way the information is presented to problem gambler has a significant impact. Several studies have duly investigated the effects of interactive pop-up messages during gambling sessions either taken online or in a simple brick-and-mortar casino. Static (and colourless) messages do not appear to be as effective, whereas interactive pop-up messages and «attractive and coloured» (say animated) information can thoroughly quash both irrational beliefs and behavior [20]. Stewart and Wohl (2013) highlighted that gamblers who have received a monetary limit pop-up reminder were more prone to adhere to monetary limits than participants who did not [21].

Increasingly arising on the horizon of the gambling field is the personalised feedback, developed for responsible gambling purposes. In sum, personalised feedback is a behavioural tracking tool, for responsible gambling purposes. There are several programs that constitute a striking example of it, such as Playscan, mentor, Bet Buddy [22]. Eulogized scholars emphasized that gamblers receiving carefully tailored feedback about their online gambling behaviour are far more prone to swiftly alter their gambling behaviour (as gauged by the amount of time and money spent gambling online or in a brick-and-mortar casino) compared to those who do not receive a tailored feedback [23].

«A recent study investigated the behavioural change in 279 online gamblers that received personalized feedback after they had signed up to a voluntary service (i.e. mentor) at a European online gaming website. Those signing up to use the personalized feedback system were compared with 65, 423 matched controls. The preliminary results of that study show that personalized behavioural feedback within a motivational framework appears to be an effective way of changing gambling behaviour in a positive way (i.e., players significantly reduced the amount of time and/or money they spent gambling after receiving personalized feedback). For instance, if a player significantly increases the amount of money they have deposited over a half year time period, they received the following message: “Over the last 6 months the amount of money deposited into your account has increased. Are you spending more money than you intended? You can check the account you have spent gambling on your account page and use our helpful tools to set a daily/ weekly/monthly limit» [24].

The aforementioned example conspicuously portrays that the messages are non-confrontational, attractive, colorful, personal, and motivational. Additionally, the often-emphasized interactive aspect was taken into account through the use of a pop-up window that has been carved out into the casino operator´s gambling site [25]. Overall, the personalization approaches outlined above strive to significantly alter a person´s behaviour via behavioural feedback. Such approaches are underpinned on both the «Stages of Change”» model (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1983) and «motivational interviewing». Specifically asserted the paramount importance of carefully tailored information. In their study they have summarized a vast array of motivational psychology literature to develop a motivational framework based on the Transtheoretical (i.e. States of Behaviour Change), «which states that individuals attempting to change their behaviour in some way go through a series of stages (i.e., pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and relapse)» [26]. For each stage, they highlighted the motivational goal (s), and recommendation (s) as to how technologies can motivate sustainable energy usage behaviours by people [27]. In sum, behavioural feedback systems enable an optimistic approach of responsible gambling, as they achieve the targeted goal of helping the players sensibly limit the amount of time and money spent gambling [28].

    Discussion

The implementation of a responsible gaming model does not override an interdisciplinary approach. Quite the opposite, the foundation of a proper and sound responsible gaming model cannot be successfully applied without an interdisciplinary approach. Conversely, in order to embrace such a challenge, a collaborative approach between the knowledge creators (e.g., researchers, medical doctors and academics who effortlessly study the social and medical phenomenon of problem gambling) and end-users [29] (e.g., policy makers, lawyers, gambling industry, regulators, gamblers) is now needed more than ever. A collaborative problem-solving between knowledge creators and end-users ought to be based not only in a science-based empirical approach, as emphasized by the Reno Model, but be shaped through linkage and exchange of knowledge between both sides of gaming leisure industry.

As far as an interdisciplinary approach goes, mutual learning in the gaming industry requires the input of a wide range of stakeholders, as the aforesaid mutual learning has multiple stages such as planning, producing, and applying existing empirical research, and its concrete implementation in practice should not disregard the input of any the end-users or decision makers. An interdisciplinary approach of responsible gaming is a two-way street: researchers produce and gather empirical research and decision makers tend to apply existing or new research in decision-making. Researchers do not successfully transfer their empirical findings without the input of the decision makers; conversely, decision makers cannot benefit from an evidence-into-practice approach if they not successfully engage with the researchers.

An effective knowledge exchange involves, oftentimes (if not always) the interaction of both sides of the gambling industry aimed at accelerating the benefits of global innovation in this realm. Therefore, knowledge creators and decision makers, as they are planted itself squarely in the middle of the gambling industry, play a pivotal role both in the creation and implementation of harm minimizing strategies and, ultimately, in the construction of a functional problem gambling model.

Because of that they are the key players of the process of taking knowledge and converting it into practice; they are the protagonists of a strategic framework that intends to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

The guidelines for the implementation of an interdisciplinary approach of responsible gaming, can be summarized as follows:

a) The deemed Knowledge Exchange (KE) is a process of taking knowledge and converting it into practice;

b) KE is a form of interdisciplinary engagement between the knowledge creators and decision makers;

c) To ensure mutual learning, knowledge creators and decision makers should arrange regular meetings and issue joint statements about the major priorities of problem gambling;

d) Knowledge creators and end-users should provide guidelines and recommendations in implementing harm minimization strategies;

e) The creation of a task-force of specialists in psychology, psychiatry, sociology, law, that should jointly operate inside the casino facilities;

f) This task-force should be primarily responsible for the implementation of harm minimization strategies and complementarily should be also responsible for training the casino staff, as far as spotting, tracking down, identifying and handling the problem gamblers is concerned;

g) The needs of the end-users should be timely identified by the knowledge creators;

h) To facilitate the aforementioned goal, an atmosphere of trust between the knowledge creators and the end-users is needed;

i) To facilitate that reciprocal approach, regular briefings should be held in order to discuss preliminary results of the implementation of harm-minimization strategies, such as the aforesaid, personalized feedback, loss-limits, win limits, pop-up messages;

j) The communication channel between the researchers and the end-users should always be open, as their relationship should be strengthened through linkage, exchange and joint production;

k) The public entities, or governments, should play a pivotal role as well in establishing priorities, preferences, and goals related with the problem gambling;

l) Moreover, governments should create joint structures that, symbiotically, address the issue of problem gambling;

m) Those joint government structures should have an interdependent relationship, and they should hold meetings and briefings in a regular basis with the casino operators and their interdisciplinary teams;

n) In a regular basis, that joint structures should issue joint guidelines, and should issue joint statements in which they set up harm-minimization strategies to curb problem gambling;

o) Governments who depends heavily on the gaming revenue, for instance Macau, should take the problem gaming seriously;

p) As a consequence, a responsible gaming model should be embraced by the government of Macau, and its focus should be geared not only towards the problem gamblers but, likewise, the positive players, those who just play for fun – in the long run, those are the ones that will keep going to the casinos and not the problem gamblers;

q) Therefore, positive play should be, more than ever, an axiom that the government of Macau should take into account.

r) Focus groups constituted by decision makers from the casino industry and the problem gamblers should take place in a regular basis, in order to assess and appraise ongoing harm-minimization strategies.

s) Problem gamblers input should be taken into account; as far as setting up feasible responsible gaming features, their insight is invaluable.

t) Problem gamblers family should also participate in the process of creation of harm-minimization strategies - they are the core of the personal structure of the problem gambler, and they are the ones who can provide the muchneeded guidance and support throughout the whole process of dealing with the problem gambling.

    Conclusion

Problem Gambling is now so ingrained in the culture of gaming industry as a whole that it will not cease to be a part of service industries anytime in the foreseeable future. For this very reason, an interdisciplinary approach to problem gambling poses a considerable challenge to the casino industry as a whole. For the sake of long-term sustainability of gaming industry as a whole, such a challenge should be timely embraced.

For more Open Access Journals in Juniper Publishers please click on: https://juniperpublishers.com

For more articles in Journal of Physical Fitness, Medicine & Treatment in Sports

please click on: https://juniperpublishers.com/jpfmts/index.php

 For more Open Access Journals please click on: https://juniperpublishers.com

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 1.21

763 – Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa. 1525 – The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and about a dozen others baptize each other in the home of Manz's mother in Zürich, breaking a thousand-year tradition of church-state union. 1535 – Following the Affair of the Placards, the French king leads an anti-Protestant procession through Paris. 1720 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Stockholm. 1749 – The Teatro Filarmonico in Verona is destroyed by fire, as a result of a torch being left behind in the box of a nobleman after a performance. It is rebuilt in 1754. 1774 – Abdul Hamid I becomes Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam. 1789 – The first American novel, The Power of Sympathy or the Triumph of Nature Founded in Truth by William Hill Brown, is printed in Boston. 1793 – After being found guilty of treason by the French National Convention, Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine. 1854 – The RMS Tayleur sinks off Lambay Island on her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Australia with great loss of life. 1861 – American Civil War: Jefferson Davis resigns from the United States Senate. 1893 – The Tati Concessions Land, formerly part of Matabeleland, is formally annexed to the Bechuanaland Protectorate, now Botswana. 1908 – New York City passes the Sullivan Ordinance, making it illegal for women to smoke in public, only to have the measure vetoed by the mayor. 1911 – The first Monte Carlo Rally takes place. 1915 – Kiwanis International is founded in Detroit. 1919 – A revolutionary Irish parliament is founded and declares the independence of the Irish Republic. One of the first engagements of the Irish War of Independence takes place. 1925 – Albania declares itself a republic. 1931 – Sir Isaac Isaacs is sworn in as the first Australian-born Governor-General of Australia. 1941 – Sparked by the murder of a German officer in Bucharest, Romania the day before, members of the Iron Guard engaged in a rebellion and pogrom killing 125 Jews. 1948 – The Flag of Quebec is adopted and flown for the first time over the National Assembly of Quebec. The day is marked annually as Québec Flag Day. 1950 – American lawyer and government official Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury. 1954 – The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in Groton, Connecticut by Mamie Eisenhower, the First Lady of the United States. 1960 – Little Joe 1B, a Mercury spacecraft, lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia with Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey on board. 1960 – Avianca Flight 671 crashes at Montego Bay, Jamaica airport, killing 37 people. 1960 – A coal mine collapses at Holly Country, South Africa, killing 435 miners. 1968 – Vietnam War: Battle of Khe Sanh: One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins. 1968 – A B-52 bomber crashes near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remains unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete. 1971 – The current Emley Moor transmitting station, the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, begins transmitting UHF broadcasts. 1976 – Commercial service of Concorde begins with the London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes. 1980 – Iran Air Flight 291 crashes in the Alborz Mountains while on approach to Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, Iran, killing 128 people. 1981 – Production of the iconic DeLorean sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. 1985 – Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 crashes near Reno–Tahoe International Airport in Reno, Nevada, killing 70 people. 1997 – The U.S. House of Representatives votes 395–28 to reprimand Newt Gingrich for ethics violations, making him the first Speaker of the House to be so disciplined. 1999 – War on Drugs: In one of the largest drug busts in American history, the United States Coast Guard intercepts a ship with over 4,300 kilograms (9,500 lb) of cocaine on board. 2000 – Ecuador: After the Ecuadorian Congress is seized by indigenous organizations, Col. Lucio Gutiérrez, Carlos Solorzano and Antonio Vargas depose President Jamil Mahuad. Gutierrez is later replaced by Gen. Carlos Mendoza, who resigns and allows Vice-President Gustavo Noboa to succeed Mahuad. 2003 – A 7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes the Mexican state of Colima, killing 29 and leaving approximately 10,000 people homeless. 2004 – NASA's MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies in the management of its flash memory and is fixed remotely from Earth on February 6. 2005 – In Belmopan, Belize, the unrest over the government's new taxes erupts into riots. 2009 – Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip, officially ending a three-week war it had with Hamas. However, intermittent fire by both sides continues in the weeks to follow. 2011 – Anti-government demonstrations take place in Tirana, Albania. Four people lose their lives from gunshots, allegedly fired from armed police protecting the Prime Minister's office. 2017 – Over 400 cities across America and 160+ countries worldwide participate in a large-scale women's march, on Donald Trump's first full day as President of the United States. 2018 – Rocket Lab's Electron becomes the first rocket to reach orbit using an electric pump-fed engine and deploys three CubeSats.

[viralnewstime]

Whenever the Valentine’s Day season rolls around, the topic turns love—and, inevitably, to the ways it can end. When I divorced seven years ago, California law allowed me to sever my marriage bond with no assignment of fault. With the aid of a mediator, we worked out financial support for my child, who was still a minor, and the splitting of our marital assets—all in the space of a few weeks. True, it took a few months for the divorce to become official, but I was free to immediately embark on a new life.

Had I divorced in 1952, the year my most recent novel is set, my experience would have been very different. Depending on the state where I resided, I would have to prove grounds for divorce, with no guarantee that a court would grant one. Two-thirds of U.S. states still treated property acquired during the marriage as being under the control of the husband. Those states that did grant divorce recognized grounds that were nearly impossible to prove, such as physical evidence of abuse, and some states did not allow remarriage.

No wonder so many women, facing the prospect of a lengthy, arduous process and uncertain outcome, opted instead to go to Reno, Nev.—the city that, in tourist materials, proclaimed itself the “divorce capital of the world.” There, local laws meant they could establish residency in a mere six weeks and then expect a rubber-stamp decree no matter the circumstances of their split. The practice of seeking divorce in Reno dates back to the early 20th century, when the city shrewdly built lodging and entertainment steps from its courthouse, drawing a steady flow of “divorce tourists” looking to escape the East Coast press. By the 1950s, by which time Reno’s divorce laws had further loosened, a thriving economy had evolved for the sole purpose of meeting divorcees’ needs while they waited — and, indeed, Reno relied on the divorce trade to keep her coffers full.

LMPC via Getty ImagesRalph Graves and Hedda Hopper in ‘A Reno Divorce,’ 1927

Though the divorce rate has been in decline in the United States for some time, it rose steadily for most of the 20th century, peaking in the 1970s after most states adopted no-fault divorce laws. The rate in 2016 stood at 3.2 divorces per 1,000 people—18% fewer than in 2008. But underneath this overall rise and fall are several interesting shifts. The first divorce boom occurred right after World War II, with rates decreasing in the 1950s before beginning to rise again. The reason for an increase in post-war divorces is widely acknowledged to be rooted in women getting a taste of independence when, their husbands away fighting, they took jobs that were vacated by soldiers. Simply put, women were not inclined to give up their newfound independence easily, though whether they initiated divorce or their husbands did so in protest of their wives’ newly unruly natures is not clear.

The decline of the divorce rate in the 1950s owes to the idealization of the nuclear family, with rigid gender roles assigning women responsibility for staying home and raising children. It was a stifling relationship model for people who’d enjoyed a measure of acceptance in the fringes of society in prior decades, including LGBTQ people and those who were single by choice—and, we can safely assume, women who wanted more from life than the pervasive drudgery described by Betty Friedan a decade later in The Feminine Mystique.

That the majority of Reno divorce-seekers were women reflects the fact that men had jobs that kept them home, though many women found work in Reno, either by choice or necessity. A steady need for waitresses, laundresses, card dealers, clerks, maids and even ranch hands meant a girl could arrive with next to nothing and earn enough to pay her way. For many women, this was the first time they had money of her own to manage and spend.

If some new arrivals hoped to find an atmosphere of relaxed morals, where they might try their hand in a card room or go to a tavern unaccompanied by a man, Reno did her best to exceed these expectations. Hotels and ranches offered full calendars of entertainment including roulette lessons, singalongs, live music performances and even bawdy shows. A crop of male “drivers” made themselves available to escort the well-to-do, often partying with them long into the night. Dancing and flirting were the norm in many establishments, liquor was readily available and women’s inhibitions often vanished, especially since the system itself seemed to run on a winking disregard for social and even legal censure.

Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter

Another community flourished in Reno that, elsewhere in the country, conducted its business and pleasure in the shadows. Reno’s LGBTQ population enjoyed some measure of freedom and acceptance as early as the 1930s, when a Virginia Street bar called Belle Livingston’s Cowshed put on popular cross-dressing shows, while personal accounts from the mid-20th century make reference to a lesbian community that gravitated to the proliferating women-only lodging establishments. It is not unreasonable to imagine that some divorcees were leaving marriages that were not sexually suitable, and that they too may have found the freedom to explore in Reno.

By the early 1950s, the days of casual acceptance were numbered: The Cold War brought homophobia, transphobia and a police clampdown on suspect activities, including a ban on cross-dressing performances. And another sea change was beginning too—one that would see an end to this period in Reno’s history.

An early bill to change divorce law was penned by women and published in the Women Lawyers Journal in 1952, proposing that a divorce should be granted when a court finds “that there is no reasonable possibility of reconciliation … and that the welfare of [the husband, wife, and children, if any] will be promoted by the divorce.” In the years that followed, with the advent of Family Court and a move toward this “no fault” mode of divorce, laws began to change across the country. Eventually, there was no need to go to Nevada to end a marriage. Every U.S. state now offers no-fault divorce, and Reno’s reputation faded—but it hasn’t been very long since splitting from one’s spouse could most easily be accomplished by an adventure in Reno.

Sofia Grant is the author, most recently, of Lies in White Dresses, a novel about “the Reno cure.”

[janicecpitts]

Bathroom Ideas Remodelers Near Me in My Area On a Budget Under $10000 Orange County California 92823

Exactly how to pull off a kitchen and bathroom renovation according to an expert. A lawyer discusses co-op and condo renovations: Where to start in the planning process? - by C. Jaye Berger. Inside Orange County’s renovation of Witte Hall: AC, nongender bathrooms, more lounges. Home Renovation Projects with the Best and Worst Return on Investment. Storage Design Storage Ideas Master Bathroom Remodel Ideas Small Master Bathroom Ideas Master Suite Bathroom Bathroom Bath Bathroom Remodeling Master Bathroom Designs Bathroom Renos Custom pullout provides power and storage for a hair dryer, curling iron and flat iron.

I partnered with Home Depot on a DIY small bathroom remodel. This bath renovation included how to install a shower surround with tile, installing a toilet, new vanity and lighting. The shower tile … Lowe’s bathroom installation services can have you enjoying your upgrades in no time. We’ll match you with qualified independent professionals in toilet installation , shower installation , shower door installation and more. A house truly becomes your own not when you sign the deed, but after you customize it to your unique lifestyle. Our home improvement tips help you rock those upcoming remodeling and yard projects. Check out examples of real-life successes (and flops!), plus clever hacks and ideas from the experts. Houzz is the new way to design your home. Browse 18 million interior design photos, home decor, decorating ideas and home professionals online. Find DIY bathroom project ideas for remodeling and installing cabinets, countertops, vanities, bath tile and more with before and after and how-to photos from DIYNetwork.com. Wayfair offers thousands of design ideas for every room in every style. Get inspired with bathroomideas and photos for your home refresh or remodel. Skip to Main Content Small Bathroom Makeover Ideas. Paint the bathroom. The power of paint is amazing! The old paint was a yellowish white which made the bathroom feel drab and boring. I perked it up with a fresh coat of paint in 1 hour!! More details on the paint color and tips and tricks to painting quickly here. Replace old baseboards. Or just repaint them. Small Bathroom ideas Small Bathroom ideas - Modern Bathroom Remodel - Sustainablebc.org. Add scented candles to make the ambiance more tranquil and soothing. Place some red towels to create a mood for passion filled nights. Whatever, you might do in the bathroom, let the space be a reflection of your mind. 23 Stylish Bathroom Design Ideas. Shop a similar look: ornate mirror, $327, wayfair.com A tall cubby takes up almost no floor space but multiplies storage in a snap, especially in the absence of a vanity or medicine cabinet. Put out your prettiest products, but remember makeup, nail polish and perfume should stay far away from the humidity. Small Bathroom Design Ideas Designing a bathroom can be a real challenge, especially if you’re working with a small space. There’s so many elements - bathtub, shower, sink, toilet - it even needs to be a bathroom laundry combo sometimes. Then you might be ready for a bathroom remodel, and there is no better place to start then with RoomSketcher! Design Your Bathroom Online. RoomSketcher provides an easy-to-use bathroom planner that you can use to create a bathroom design online. Visualize your bathroom design ideas and turn them into a reality. 80 Wonderful Small RV Bathroom and Toilet Remodel Ideas. If you purchase a used one from someone, ensure that it includes each of the proper hardware and hoses and is vented. You should have drawer storage! First of all, you must always remember to properly and totally seal the outside of your RV. 100 Easy Bathroom Ideas. There’s the large master bathroom ideas that are fit for a king or the smaller bathrooms that may be short on space but aren’t on creativity. Whatever kind you have, we’ve compiled 100 bathroom decorating ideas that are bound to inspire your next redesign. From paint options to colorful tiles to space saving storage,… Start to finish Time lapse Schluter bathroom Kerdi-line linear drain Ditra heat large format tile. - Duration: 34:35. Sal DiBlasi 2,426,495 views Renovating or building a bathroom? Reece is your online destination for ideas, inspiration, tips, trends and more. Discover over 100 bathrooms in our gallery or plan your design with our top trends. Bathroom Design Ideas Browse bathroom pictures and save your favourite images to your inspiration board. With bathroom remodel software you can choose your own floor plan, create your perfect layout, add materials and visualize your finished bathroom project. These bathroom remodel programs are inexpensive and now easier to use than ever before. Below are 10 of the best bathroom remodel software programs you can use to quickly create a design that … The lovely tiles in the bathroom and modernistic overhead chandelier add a touch of ethereal beauty and class to this opulent bathroom. Image Credit: houzz Since it’s important to have a bathroom where one can relax or have a leisurely bath it is essential that you choose bathroom ideas and designs which appeal to you. Here is an overview of our quick and easy bathroom decorating ideas: Paint. Paint your walls with the perfect shade you selected. It’s no longer necessary to choose gloss in a bathroom to combat moisture, ask the paint shop to add an additive to matte paint to keep it from mildewing. It might not be the largest room in your home, but the bathroom still deserves to be beautiful. These fresh ideas, fit for every style and budget, will have you excited to renovate and redecorate your washroom … DIY bathroom remodeling is not only a popular trend going around the U.S., but it’s also one of the most valuable. In fact, on average, bathroom remodeling projects yield a 60% return on investment. As such, you may not only get to enjoy the luxury of using an updated bathroom, but the monetary … If redesigning a bathroom sounds a little bit too much for you then consider executing remodel bathroom ideas on a budget instead. The terms don’t necessarily require you doing a lot of changes in the bathroom that will make spend more money. BATHROOM REMODEL IDEAS - A small bathroom remodel could be all that you need to make your home a lot comfortable, but carrying out this task can be a very tiring and expensive one, you have to go through as many bathroom photos and ideas as possible, after which you will have to determine the features you wish to see in your bathroom it is after this that you can determine the design you … Browse photos of bathroom renovations and designs, and discover bathroom ideas for baths, toilets, showers, vanities and more. Well, those are my ideas that will hopefully help you to successfully remodel your bathroom on a very tight budget. But I’d love to hear any pointers you may have. So tell me, how have you remodeled a bathroom on a super tight budget? We love hearing from you guys. So please leave your comments in the space provided below. Ad Modern Bathroom Designs and Styles - Remodel Your Shower Space with DreamLine Shop Innovative, Trend-Setting Shower Styles and Find Beautiful DreamLine Designs homedepot.com has been visited by 1M+ users in the past month Typical Bathroom Remodel - Pricing Notes. This estimate for a 2019 Typical Bathroom Remodel is derived from the unit cost method summarized in the American Institute of Architects Detailed Cost Estimating - Best Practices. This approach is used by professional designers, contractors, engineers and estimators and uses current wages, material … Renovation Bathroom Remodel & Design Ideas. When it comes to home improvements, there are few more satisfying transformations than those that result from renovating your bathroom, a place that can … Bath remodeling options and ideas to meet your design and budget! Our innovative design specialists can help you explore the latest trends and styles in bathroom design or match existing decor in the rest of the house—creating a design that fits your budget. Our acrylic tubs and showers are a big hit with our customers! When it comes to flooring choices on your bathroom remodel ideas, you don’t have to be stuck in the regular white tiles. You can explore with the affordable budget as well! Gain the look of uniformity for your bathroom remodel ideas using a bolder pattern, or use a more natural pattern to support your desired theme. Top bathroom remodeling updates and ideas Here are the essentials that realtors and builders recommend including in your bathroom renovation plan: 1. Replace old, dated fixtures (sink, toilet, faucet, countertops): this is an easy, relatively inexpensive fix that goes a long way. Jess is no stranger to working with small bathrooms. She recently finished her own bathroom renovation where she wasn’t able to structurally change anything - except for the design. “Functionality is paramount when dealing with any small space as gaining any extra room for storage will be the gift that keeps on giving,” says Jess. Small Bathroom Renovations & Designs. You don’t have to spend a million dollars to carve a window into a wall. Likewise, you can make remarkable transformations even in the confined spaces like bathrooms if you have the right experts to guide and help you. These HDB flat bathrooms are not particularly big in size, and so they have designs that are relatively simple. Still, they manage to look modern and trendy — see what ideas you can adopt! Brickwork and mosaic tiles come together in a colour and material clash, for an unexpected feature wall.

.

Find inspiration for a beautiful bathroom, improve your bathroom functionality and save water and money with our new bath fixtures. A new vanity with coordinating mirror and modern faucet will go a long way toward improving the style of your bathroom. Add storage cabinets, light fixtures and bathroom accessories to make it complete. Whether it’s a tiny powder room or a shower stall with barely enough room to scrub, a small bathroom can make mornings even worse than they already are. But you don’t need to move, you just need … Bathroom Ideas Welcome to Bathroom Ideas, a one-stop resource for everything bathroom-related. Whether you’re searching for inspiration and design tips for your bathroom or looking for some expert advice, you’ll find it all here.

Find inspiration for a beautiful bathroom, improve your bathroom functionality and save water and money with our new bath fixtures. A new vanity with coordinating mirror and modern faucet will go a long way toward improving the style of your bathroom. Add storage cabinets, light fixtures and bathroom accessories to make it complete. Whether it’s a tiny powder room or a shower stall with barely enough room to scrub, a small bathroom can make mornings even worse than they already are. But you don’t need to move, you just need … Is it time for a new bathroom? If the answer is yes and you need design ideas, don’t miss these photos of fabulous bathrooms from contemporary master baths to traditional powder rooms.

Mr Build Co Mr Build Co

Bathroom Builders Bathroom Builders Near Me Bathroom Renovation Builders Bathroom Ideas Builders Elite Bathroom Builders Best Bathroom Builders Bathroom Contractors Bathroom Contractors Near Me Bathroom Contractors In My Area Bathroom Renovations Under $10000 Bathroom Remodelers Bathroom Remodelers Near Me Bathroom Remodels On A Budget Bathroom Remodelers In My Area Bathroom Remodels Under 5000

Bathroom Ideas Remodelers Near Me in My Area On a Budget Under $10000 Orange County California 92823

Bathroom Ideas Remodelers Near Me in My Area On a Budget Under $10000 Orange County California 92823

[skilltradecontractor]

Bathroom Ideas Remodelers Near Me in My Area On a Budget Under $10000 Orange County California 92823

Bathroom Ideas Remodelers Near Me in My Area On a Budget Under $10000 Orange County California 92823 body,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 font-family: "Lato", sans-serif .w3-bar,h1,button font-family: "Montserrat", sans-serif .fa-anchor,.fa-coffee font-size:200px /* W3.CSS 4.07 December 2017 by Jan Egil and Borge Refsnes */ htmlbox-sizing:border-box*,*:before,*:afterbox-sizing:inherit /* Extract from normalize.css by Nicolas Gallagher and Jonathan Neal git.io/normalize */ html-ms-text-size-adjust:100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust:100%bodymargin:0 article,aside,details,figcaption,figure,footer,header,main,menu,nav,section,summarydisplay:block audio,canvas,progress,videodisplay:inline-blockprogressvertical-align:baseline audio:not([controls])display:none;height:0[hidden],templatedisplay:none abackground-color:transparent;-webkit-text-decoration-skip:objects a:active,a:hoveroutline-width:0abbrBathroom Ideas Remodelers Near Me in My Area On a Budget Under $10000 Orange County California 92823border-bottom:none;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline dotted dfnfont-style:italicmarkbackground:#ff0;color:#000 smallfont-size:80%sub,supfont-size:75%;line-height:0;position:relative;vertical-align:baseline subbottom:-0.25emsuptop:-0.5emfiguremargin:1em 40pximgborder-style:nonesvg:not(:root)overflow:hidden code,kbd,pre,sampfont-family:monospace,monospace;font-size:1emhrbox-sizing:content-box;height:0;overflow:visible button,input,select,textareafont:inherit;margin:0optgroupfont-weight:bold button,inputoverflow:visiblebutton,selecttext-transform:none button,html [type=button],[type=reset],[type=submit]-webkit-appearance:button button::-moz-focus-inner, [type=button]::-moz-focus-inner, [type=reset]::-moz-focus-inner, [type=submit]::-moz-focus-innerborder-style:none;padding:0 button:-moz-focusring, [type=button]:-moz-focusring, [type=reset]:-moz-focusring, [type=submit]:-moz-focusringoutline:1px dotted ButtonText fieldsetborder:1px solid #c0c0c0;margin:0 2px;padding:.35em .625em .75em legendcolor:inherit;display:table;max-width:100%;padding:0;white-space:normaltextareaoverflow:auto [type=checkbox],[type=radio]padding:0 [type=number]::-webkit-inner-spin-button,[type=number]::-webkit-outer-spin-buttonheight:auto [type=search]-webkit-appearance:textfield;outline-offset:-2px [type=search]::-webkit-search-cancel-button,[type=search]::-webkit-search-decoration-webkit-appearance:none ::-webkit-input-placeholdercolor:inherit;opacity:0.54 ::-webkit-file-upload-button-webkit-appearance:button;font:inherit /* End extract */ html,bodyfont-family:Verdana,sans-serif;font-size:15px;line-height:1.5htmloverflow-x:hidden h1font-size:36pxh2font-size:30pxh3font-size:24pxh4font-size:20pxh5font-size:18pxh6font-size:16px.w3-seriffont-family:serif h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6font-family:"Segoe UI",Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:400;margin:10px 0.w3-wideletter-spacing:4px hrborder:0;border-top:1px solid #eee;margin:20px 0 .w3-imagemax-width:100%;height:autoimgvertical-align:middleacolor:inherit .w3-table,.w3-table-allborder-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;width:100%;display:table.w3-table-allborder:1px solid #ccc .w3-bordered tr,.w3-table-all trborder-bottom:1px solid #ddd.w3-striped tbody tr:nth-child(even)background-color:#f1f1f1 .w3-table-all tr:nth-child(odd)background-color:#fff.w3-table-all tr:nth-child(even)background-color:#f1f1f1 .w3-hoverable tbody tr:hover,.w3-ul.w3-hoverable li:hoverbackground-color:#ccc.w3-centered tr th,.w3-centered tr tdtext-align:center .w3-table td,.w3-table th,.w3-table-all td,.w3-table-all thpadding:8px 8px;display:table-cell;text-align:left;vertical-align:top .w3-table th:first-child,.w3-table td:first-child,.w3-table-all th:first-child,.w3-table-all td:first-childpadding-left:16px .w3-btn,.w3-buttonborder:none;display:inline-block;outline:0;padding:8px 16px;vertical-align:middle;overflow:hidden;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;background-color:inherit;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;white-space:nowrap .w3-btn:hoverbox-shadow:0 8px 16px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.2),0 6px 20px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.19) .w3-btn,.w3-button-webkit-touch-callout:none;-webkit-user-select:none;-khtml-user-select:none;-moz-user-select:none;-ms-user-select:none;user-select:none .w3-disabled,.w3-btn:disabled,.w3-button:disabledcursor:not-allowed;opacity:0.3.w3-disabled *,:disabled *pointer-events:none .w3-btn.w3-disabled:hover,.w3-btn:disabled:hoverbox-shadow:none .w3-badge,.w3-tagbackground-color:#000;color:#fff;display:inline-block;padding-left:8px;padding-right:8px;text-align:center.w3-badgeborder-radius:50% .w3-ullist-style-type:none;padding:0;margin:0.w3-ul lipadding:8px 16px;border-bottom:1px solid #ddd.w3-ul li:last-childborder-bottom:none .w3-tooltip,.w3-display-containerposition:relative.w3-tooltip .w3-textdisplay:none.w3-tooltip:hover .w3-textdisplay:inline-block .w3-ripple:activeopacity:0.5.w3-rippletransition:opacity 0s .w3-inputpadding:8px;display:block;border:none;border-bottom:1px solid #ccc;width:100% .w3-selectpadding:9px 0;width:100%;border:none;border-bottom:1px solid #ccc .w3-dropdown-click,.w3-dropdown-hoverposition:relative;display:inline-block;cursor:pointer .w3-dropdown-hover:hover .w3-dropdown-contentdisplay:block;z-index:1 .w3-dropdown-hover:first-child,.w3-dropdown-click:hoverbackground-color:#ccc;color:#000 .w3-dropdown-hover:hover > .w3-button:first-child,.w3-dropdown-click:hover > .w3-button:first-childbackground-color:#ccc;color:#000 .w3-dropdown-contentcursor:auto;color:#000;background-color:#fff;display:none;position:absolute;min-width:160px;margin:0;padding:0 .w3-check,.w3-radiowidth:24px;height:24px;position:relative;top:6px .w3-sidebarheight:100%;width:200px;background-color:#fff;position:fixed!important;z-index:1;overflow:auto .w3-bar-block .w3-dropdown-hover,.w3-bar-block .w3-dropdown-clickwidth:100% .w3-bar-block .w3-dropdown-hover .w3-dropdown-content,.w3-bar-block .w3-dropdown-click .w3-dropdown-contentmin-width:100% .w3-bar-block .w3-dropdown-hover .w3-button,.w3-bar-block .w3-dropdown-click .w3-buttonwidth:100%;text-align:left;padding:8px 16px .w3-main,#maintransition:margin-left .4s .w3-modalz-index:3;display:none;padding-top:100px;position:fixed;left:0;top:0;width:100%;height:100%;overflow:auto;background-color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0.4) .w3-modal-contentmargin:auto;background-color:#fff;position:relative;padding:0;outline:0;width:600px .w3-barwidth:100%;overflow:hidden.w3-center .w3-bardisplay:inline-block;width:auto .w3-bar .w3-bar-itempadding:8px 16px;float:left;width:auto;border:none;outline:none;display:block .w3-bar .w3-dropdown-hover,.w3-bar .w3-dropdown-clickposition:static;float:left .w3-bar .w3-buttonwhite-space:normal .w3-bar-block .w3-bar-itemwidth:100%;display:block;padding:8px 16px;text-align:left;border:none;outline:none;white-space:normal;float:none .w3-bar-block.w3-center .w3-bar-itemtext-align:center.w3-blockdisplay:block;width:100% .w3-responsivedisplay:block;overflow-x:auto .w3-container:after,.w3-container:before,.w3-panel:after,.w3-panel:before,.w3-row:after,.w3-row:before,.w3-row-padding:after,.w3-row-padding:before, .w3-cell-row:before,.w3-cell-row:after,.w3-clear:after,.w3-clear:before,.w3-bar:before,.w3-bar:aftercontent:"";display:table;clear:both .w3-col,.w3-half,.w3-third,.w3-twothird,.w3-threequarter,.w3-quarterfloat:left;width:100% .w3-col.s1width:8.33333%.w3-col.s2width:16.66666%.w3-col.s3width:24.99999%.w3-col.s4width:33.33333% .w3-col.s5width:41.66666%.w3-col.s6width:49.99999%.w3-col.s7width:58.33333%.w3-col.s8width:66.66666% .w3-col.s9width:74.99999%.w3-col.s10width:83.33333%.w3-col.s11width:91.66666%.w3-col.s12width:99.99999% @media (min-width:601px).w3-col.m1width:8.33333%.w3-col.m2width:16.66666%.w3-col.m3,.w3-quarterwidth:24.99999%.w3-col.m4,.w3-thirdwidth:33.33333% .w3-col.m5width:41.66666%.w3-col.m6,.w3-halfwidth:49.99999%.w3-col.m7width:58.33333%.w3-col.m8,.w3-twothirdwidth:66.66666% .w3-col.m9,.w3-threequarterwidth:74.99999%.w3-col.m10width:83.33333%.w3-col.m11width:91.66666%.w3-col.m12width:99.99999% @media (min-width:993px).w3-col.l1width:8.33333%.w3-col.l2width:16.66666%.w3-col.l3width:24.99999%.w3-col.l4width:33.33333% .w3-col.l5width:41.66666%.w3-col.l6width:49.99999%.w3-col.l7width:58.33333%.w3-col.l8width:66.66666% .w3-col.l9width:74.99999%.w3-col.l10width:83.33333%.w3-col.l11width:91.66666%.w3-col.l12width:99.99999% .w3-contentmax-width:100%;margin:auto.w3-restoverflow:hidden .w3-cell-rowdisplay:table;width:100%.w3-celldisplay:table-cell .w3-cell-topvertical-align:top.w3-cell-middlevertical-align:middle.w3-cell-bottomvertical-align:bottom .w3-hidedisplay:none!important.w3-show-block,.w3-showdisplay:block!important.w3-show-inline-blockdisplay:inline-block!important @media (max-width:600px).w3-modal-contentmargin:0 10px;width:auto!important.w3-modalpadding-top:30px .w3-dropdown-hover.w3-mobile .w3-dropdown-content,.w3-dropdown-click.w3-mobile .w3-dropdown-contentposition:relative .w3-hide-smalldisplay:none!important.w3-mobiledisplay:block;width:100%!important.w3-bar-item.w3-mobile,.w3-dropdown-hover.w3-mobile,.w3-dropdown-click.w3-mobiletext-align:center .w3-dropdown-hover.w3-mobile,.w3-dropdown-hover.w3-mobile .w3-btn,.w3-dropdown-hover.w3-mobile .w3-button,.w3-dropdown-click.w3-mobile,.w3-dropdown-click.w3-mobile .w3-btn,.w3-dropdown-click.w3-mobile .w3-buttonwidth:100% @media (max-width:768px).w3-modal-contentwidth:500px.w3-modalpadding-top:50px @media (min-width:993px).w3-modal-contentwidth:900px.w3-hide-largedisplay:none!important.w3-sidebar.w3-collapsedisplay:block!important @media (max-width:992px) and (min-width:601px).w3-hide-mediumdisplay:none!important @media (max-width:992px).w3-sidebar.w3-collapsedisplay:none.w3-mainmargin-left:0!important;margin-right:0!important .w3-top,.w3-bottomposition:fixed;width:100%;z-index:1.w3-toptop:0.w3-bottombottom:0 .w3-overlayposition:fixed;display:none;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0;right:0;bottom:0;background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0.5);z-index:2 .w3-display-topleftposition:absolute;left:0;top:0.w3-display-toprightposition:absolute;right:0;top:0 .w3-display-bottomleftposition:absolute;left:0;bottom:0.w3-display-bottomrightposition:absolute;right:0;bottom:0 .w3-display-middleposition:absolute;top:50%;left:50%;transform:translate(-50%,-50%);-ms-transform:translate(-50%,-50%) .w3-display-leftposition:absolute;top:50%;left:0%;transform:translate(0%,-50%);-ms-transform:translate(-0%,-50%) .w3-display-rightposition:absolute;top:50%;right:0%;transform:translate(0%,-50%);-ms-transform:translate(0%,-50%) .w3-display-topmiddleposition:absolute;left:50%;top:0;transform:translate(-50%,0%);-ms-transform:translate(-50%,0%) .w3-display-bottommiddleposition:absolute;left:50%;bottom:0;transform:translate(-50%,0%);-ms-transform:translate(-50%,0%) .w3-display-container:hover .w3-display-hoverdisplay:block.w3-display-container:hover span.w3-display-hoverdisplay:inline-block.w3-display-hoverdisplay:none .w3-display-positionposition:absolute .w3-circleborder-radius:50% .w3-round-smallborder-radius:2px.w3-round,.w3-round-mediumborder-radius:4px.w3-round-largeborder-radius:8px.w3-round-xlargeborder-radius:16px.w3-round-xxlargeborder-radius:32px .w3-row-padding,.w3-row-padding>.w3-half,.w3-row-padding>.w3-third,.w3-row-padding>.w3-twothird,.w3-row-padding>.w3-threequarter,.w3-row-padding>.w3-quarter,.w3-row-padding>.w3-colpadding:0 8px .w3-container,.w3-panelpadding:0.01em 16px.w3-panelmargin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px .w3-code,.w3-codespanfont-family:Consolas,"courier new";font-size:16px .w3-codewidth:auto;background-color:#fff;padding:8px 12px;border-left:4px solid #4CAF50;word-wrap:break-word .w3-codespancolor:crimson;background-color:#f1f1f1;padding-left:4px;padding-right:4px;font-size:110% .w3-card,.w3-card-2box-shadow:0 2px 5px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.16),0 2px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.12) .w3-card-4,.w3-hover-shadow:hoverbox-shadow:0 4px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.2),0 4px 20px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.19) .w3-spinanimation:w3-spin 2s infinite linear@keyframes w3-spin0%transform:rotate(0deg)100%transform:rotate(359deg) .w3-animate-fadinganimation:fading 10s infinite@keyframes fading0%opacity:050%opacity:1100%opacity:0 .w3-animate-opacityanimation:opac 0.8s@keyframes opacfromopacity:0 toopacity:1 .w3-animate-topposition:relative;animation:animatetop 0.4s@keyframes animatetopfromtop:-300px;opacity:0 totop:0;opacity:1 .w3-animate-leftposition:relative;animation:animateleft 0.4s@keyframes animateleftfromleft:-300px;opacity:0 toleft:0;opacity:1 .w3-animate-rightposition:relative;animation:animateright 0.4s@keyframes animaterightfromright:-300px;opacity:0 toright:0;opacity:1 .w3-animate-bottomposition:relative;animation:animatebottom 0.4s@keyframes animatebottomfrombottom:-300px;opacity:0 tobottom:0;opacity:1 .w3-animate-zoom animation:animatezoom 0.6s@keyframes animatezoomfromtransform:scale(0) totransform:scale(1) .w3-animate-inputtransition:width 0.4s ease-in-out.w3-animate-input:focuswidth:100%!important .w3-opacity,.w3-hover-opacity:hoveropacity:0.60.w3-opacity-off,.w3-hover-opacity-off:hoveropacity:1 .w3-opacity-maxopacity:0.25.w3-opacity-minopacity:0.75 .w3-greyscale-max,.w3-grayscale-max,.w3-hover-greyscale:hover,.w3-hover-grayscale:hoverfilter:grayscale(100%) .w3-greyscale,.w3-grayscalefilter:grayscale(75%).w3-greyscale-min,.w3-grayscale-minfilter:grayscale(50%) .w3-sepiafilter:sepia(75%).w3-sepia-max,.w3-hover-sepia:hoverfilter:sepia(100%).w3-sepia-minfilter:sepia(50%) .w3-tinyfont-size:10px!important.w3-smallfont-size:12px!important.w3-mediumfont-size:15px!important.w3-largefont-size:18px!important .w3-xlargefont-size:24px!important.w3-xxlargefont-size:36px!important.w3-xxxlargefont-size:48px!important.w3-jumbofont-size:64px!important .w3-left-aligntext-align:left!important.w3-right-aligntext-align:right!important.w3-justifytext-align:justify!important.w3-centertext-align:center!important .w3-border-0border:0!important.w3-borderborder:1px solid #ccc!important .w3-border-topborder-top:1px solid #ccc!important.w3-border-bottomborder-bottom:1px solid #ccc!important .w3-border-leftborder-left:1px solid #ccc!important.w3-border-rightborder-right:1px solid #ccc!important .w3-topbarborder-top:6px solid #ccc!important.w3-bottombarborder-bottom:6px solid #ccc!important .w3-leftbarborder-left:6px solid #ccc!important.w3-rightbarborder-right:6px solid #ccc!important .w3-section,.w3-codemargin-top:16px!important;margin-bottom:16px!important .w3-marginmargin:16px!important.w3-margin-topmargin-top:16px!important.w3-margin-bottommargin-bottom:16px!important .w3-margin-leftmargin-left:16px!important.w3-margin-rightmargin-right:16px!important .w3-padding-smallpadding:4px 8px!important.w3-paddingpadding:8px 16px!important.w3-padding-largepadding:12px 24px!important .w3-padding-16padding-top:16px!important;padding-bottom:16px!important.w3-padding-24padding-top:24px!important;padding-bottom:24px!important .w3-padding-32padding-top:32px!important;padding-bottom:32px!important.w3-padding-48padding-top:48px!important;padding-bottom:48px!important .w3-padding-64padding-top:64px!important;padding-bottom:64px!important .w3-leftfloat:left!important.w3-rightfloat:right!important .w3-button:hovercolor:#000!important;background-color:#ccc!important .w3-transparent,.w3-hover-none:hoverbackground-color:transparent!important .w3-hover-none:hoverbox-shadow:none!important /* Colors */ .w3-amber,.w3-hover-amber:hovercolor:#000!important;background-color:#ffc107!important .w3-aqua,.w3-hover-aqua:hovercolor:#000!important;background-color:#00ffff!important .w3-blue,.w3-hover-blue:hovercolor:#fff!important;background-color:#2196F3!important .w3-light-blue,.w3-hover-light-blue:hovercolor:#000!important;background-color:#87CEEB!important .w3-brown,.w3-hover-brown:hovercolor:#fff!important;background-color:#795548!important .w3-cyan,.w3-hover-cyan:hovercolor:#000!important;background-color:#00bcd4!important .w3-blue-grey,.w3-hover-blue-grey:hover,.w3-blue-gray,.w3-hover-blue-gray:hovercolor:#fff!important;background-color:#607d8b!important .w3-green,.w3-hover-green:hovercolor:#fff!important;background-color:#4CAF50!important .w3-light-green,.w3-hover-light-green:hovercolor:#000!important;background-color:#8bc34a!important .w3-indigo,.w3-hover-indigo:hovercolor:#fff!important;background-color:#3f51b5!important .w3-khaki,.w3-hover-khaki:hovercolor:#000!important;background-color:#f0e68c!important .w3-lime,.w3-hover-lime:hovercolor:#000!important;background-color:#cddc39!important .w3-orange,.w3-hover-orange:hovercolor:#000!important;background-color:#ff9800!important .w3-deep-orange,.w3-hover-deep-orange:hovercolor:#fff!important;background-color:#ff5722!important .w3-pink,.w3-hover-pink:hovercolor:#fff!important;background-color:#e91e63!important .w3-purple,.w3-hover-purple:hovercolor:#fff!important;background-color:#9c27b0!important .w3-deep-purple,.w3-hover-deep-purple:hovercolor:#fff!important;background-color:#673ab7!important .w3-red,.w3-hover-red:hovercolor:#fff!important;background-color:#f44336!important .w3-sand,.w3-hover-sand:hovercolor:#000!important;background-color:#fdf5e6!important .w3-teal,.w3-hover-teal:hovercolor:#fff!important;background-color:#009688!important .w3-yellow,.w3-hover-yellow:hovercolor:#000!important;background-color:#ffeb3b!important .w3-white,.w3-hover-white:hovercolor:#000!important;background-color:#fff!important .w3-black,.w3-hover-black:hovercolor:#fff!important;background-color:#000!important .w3-grey,.w3-hover-grey:hover,.w3-gray,.w3-hover-gray:hovercolor:#000!important;background-color:#9e9e9e!important .w3-light-grey,.w3-hover-light-grey:hover,.w3-light-gray,.w3-hover-light-gray:hovercolor:#000!important;background-color:#f1f1f1!important .w3-dark-grey,.w3-hover-dark-grey:hover,.w3-dark-gray,.w3-hover-dark-gray:hovercolor:#fff!important;background-color:#616161!important .w3-pale-red,.w3-hover-pale-red:hovercolor:#000!important;background-color:#ffdddd!important .w3-pale-green,.w3-hover-pale-green:hovercolor:#000!important;background-color:#ddffdd!important .w3-pale-yellow,.w3-hover-pale-yellow:hovercolor:#000!important;background-color:#ffffcc!important .w3-pale-blue,.w3-hover-pale-blue:hovercolor:#000!important;background-color:#ddffff!important .w3-text-amber,.w3-hover-text-amber:hovercolor:#ffc107!important .w3-text-aqua,.w3-hover-text-aqua:hovercolor:#00ffff!important .w3-text-blue,.w3-hover-text-blue:hovercolor:#2196F3!important .w3-text-light-blue,.w3-hover-text-light-blue:hovercolor:#87CEEB!important .w3-text-brown,.w3-hover-text-brown:hovercolor:#795548!important .w3-text-cyan,.w3-hover-text-cyan:hovercolor:#00bcd4!important .w3-text-blue-grey,.w3-hover-text-blue-grey:hover,.w3-text-blue-gray,.w3-hover-text-blue-gray:hovercolor:#607d8b!important .w3-text-green,.w3-hover-text-green:hovercolor:#4CAF50!important .w3-text-light-green,.w3-hover-text-light-green:hovercolor:#8bc34a!important .w3-text-indigo,.w3-hover-text-indigo:hovercolor:#3f51b5!important .w3-text-khaki,.w3-hover-text-khaki:hovercolor:#b4aa50!important .w3-text-lime,.w3-hover-text-lime:hovercolor:#cddc39!important .w3-text-orange,.w3-hover-text-orange:hovercolor:#ff9800!important .w3-text-deep-orange,.w3-hover-text-deep-orange:hovercolor:#ff5722!important .w3-text-pink,.w3-hover-text-pink:hovercolor:#e91e63!important .w3-text-purple,.w3-hover-text-purple:hovercolor:#9c27b0!important .w3-text-deep-purple,.w3-hover-text-deep-purple:hovercolor:#673ab7!important .w3-text-red,.w3-hover-text-red:hovercolor:#f44336!important .w3-text-sand,.w3-hover-text-sand:hovercolor:#fdf5e6!important .w3-text-teal,.w3-hover-text-teal:hovercolor:#009688!important .w3-text-yellow,.w3-hover-text-yellow:hovercolor:#d2be0e!important .w3-text-white,.w3-hover-text-white:hovercolor:#fff!important .w3-text-black,.w3-hover-text-black:hovercolor:#000!important .w3-text-grey,.w3-hover-text-grey:hover,.w3-text-gray,.w3-hover-text-gray:hovercolor:#757575!important .w3-text-light-grey,.w3-hover-text-light-grey:hover,.w3-text-light-gray,.w3-hover-text-light-gray:hovercolor:#f1f1f1!important .w3-text-dark-grey,.w3-hover-text-dark-grey:hover,.w3-text-dark-gray,.w3-hover-text-dark-gray:hovercolor:#3a3a3a!important .w3-border-amber,.w3-hover-border-amber:hoverborder-color:#ffc107!important .w3-border-aqua,.w3-hover-border-aqua:hoverborder-color:#00ffff!important .w3-border-blue,.w3-hover-border-blue:hoverborder-color:#2196F3!important .w3-border-light-blue,.w3-hover-border-light-blue:hoverborder-color:#87CEEB!important .w3-border-brown,.w3-hover-border-brown:hoverborder-color:#795548!important .w3-border-cyan,.w3-hover-border-cyan:hoverborder-color:#00bcd4!important .w3-border-blue-grey,.w3-hover-border-blue-grey:hover,.w3-border-blue-gray,.w3-hover-border-blue-gray:hoverborder-color:#607d8b!important .w3-border-green,.w3-hover-border-green:hoverborder-color:#4CAF50!important .w3-border-light-green,.w3-hover-border-light-green:hoverborder-color:#8bc34a!important .w3-border-indigo,.w3-hover-border-indigo:hoverborder-color:#3f51b5!important .w3-border-khaki,.w3-hover-border-khaki:hoverborder-color:#f0e68c!important .w3-border-lime,.w3-hover-border-lime:hoverborder-color:#cddc39!important .w3-border-orange,.w3-hover-border-orange:hoverborder-color:#ff9800!important .w3-border-deep-orange,.w3-hover-border-deep-orange:hoverborder-color:#ff5722!important .w3-border-pink,.w3-hover-border-pink:hoverborder-color:#e91e63!important .w3-border-purple,.w3-hover-border-purple:hoverborder-color:#9c27b0!important .w3-border-deep-purple,.w3-hover-border-deep-purple:hoverborder-color:#673ab7!important .w3-border-red,.w3-hover-border-red:hoverborder-color:#f44336!important .w3-border-sand,.w3-hover-border-sand:hoverborder-color:#fdf5e6!important .w3-border-teal,.w3-hover-border-teal:hoverborder-color:#009688!important .w3-border-yellow,.w3-hover-border-yellow:hoverborder-color:#ffeb3b!important .w3-border-white,.w3-hover-border-white:hoverborder-color:#fff!important .w3-border-black,.w3-hover-border-black:hoverborder-color:#000!important .w3-border-grey,.w3-hover-border-grey:hover,.w3-border-gray,.w3-hover-border-gray:hoverborder-color:#9e9e9e!important .w3-border-light-grey,.w3-hover-border-light-grey:hover,.w3-border-light-gray,.w3-hover-border-light-gray:hoverborder-color:#f1f1f1!important .w3-border-dark-grey,.w3-hover-border-dark-grey:hover,.w3-border-dark-gray,.w3-hover-border-dark-gray:hoverborder-color:#616161!important .w3-border-pale-red,.w3-hover-border-pale-red:hoverborder-color:#ffe7e7!important.w3-border-pale-green,.w3-hover-border-pale-green:hoverborder-color:#e7ffe7!important .w3-border-pale-yellow,.w3-hover-border-pale-yellow:hoverborder-color:#ffffcc!important.w3-border-pale-blue,.w3-hover-border-pale-blue:hoverborder-color:#e7ffff!important /* latin-ext */ @font-face font-family: 'Lato'; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; src: local('Lato Regular'), local('Lato-Regular'), url(https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/lato/v14/UyBMtLsHKBKXelqf4x7VRQ.woff2) format('woff2'); unicode-range: U+0100-024F, U+0259, U+1E00-1EFF, U+20A0-20AB, U+20AD-20CF, U+2C60-2C7F, U+A720-A7FF; /* latin */ @font-face font-family: 'Lato'; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; src: local('Lato Regular'), local('Lato-Regular'), url(https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/lato/v14/1YwB1sO8YE1Lyjf12WNiUA.woff2) format('woff2'); unicode-range: U+0000-00FF, U+0131, U+0152-0153, U+02BB-02BC, U+02C6, U+02DA, U+02DC, U+2000-206F, U+2074, U+20AC, U+2122, U+2212, U+2215; /* cyrillic-ext */ @font-face font-family: 'Montserrat'; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; src: local('Montserrat Regular'), local('Montserrat-Regular'), url(https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/montserrat/v12/rBHvpRWBkgyW99dXT88n7yEAvth_LlrfE80CYdSH47w.woff2) format('woff2'); unicode-range: U+0460-052F, U+1C80-1C88, U+20B4, U+2DE0-2DFF, U+A640-A69F, U+FE2E-FE2F; /* cyrillic */ @font-face font-family: 'Montserrat'; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; src: local('Montserrat Regular'), local('Montserrat-Regular'), url(https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/montserrat/v12/NX1NravqaXESu9fFv7KuqiEAvth_LlrfE80CYdSH47w.woff2) format('woff2'); unicode-range: U+0400-045F, U+0490-0491, U+04B0-04B1, U+2116; /* vietnamese */ @font-face font-family: 'Montserrat'; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; src: local('Montserrat Regular'), local('Montserrat-Regular'), url(https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/montserrat/v12/SKK6Nusyv8QPNMtI4j9J2yEAvth_LlrfE80CYdSH47w.woff2) format('woff2'); unicode-range: U+0102-0103, U+0110-0111, U+1EA0-1EF9, U+20AB; /* latin-ext */ @font-face font-family: 'Montserrat'; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; src: local('Montserrat Regular'), local('Montserrat-Regular'), url(https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/montserrat/v12/gFXtEMCp1m_YzxsBpKl68iEAvth_LlrfE80CYdSH47w.woff2) format('woff2'); unicode-range: U+0100-024F, U+0259, U+1E00-1EFF, U+20A0-20AB, U+20AD-20CF, U+2C60-2C7F, U+A720-A7FF; /* latin */ @font-face font-family: 'Montserrat'; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; src: local('Montserrat Regular'), local('Montserrat-Regular'), url(https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/montserrat/v12/zhcz-_WihjSQC0oHJ9TCYPk_vArhqVIZ0nv9q090hN8.woff2) format('woff2'); unicode-range: U+0000-00FF, U+0131, U+0152-0153, U+02BB-02BC, U+02C6, U+02DA, U+02DC, U+2000-206F, U+2074, U+20AC, U+2122, U+2212, U+2215; /* cyrillic-ext */ @font-face font-family: 'Montserrat'; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; src: local('Montserrat Regular'), local('Montserrat-Regular'), url(https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/montserrat/v12/rBHvpRWBkgyW99dXT88n7yEAvth_LlrfE80CYdSH47w.woff2) format('woff2'); unicode-range: U+0460-052F, U+1C80-1C88, U+20B4, U+2DE0-2DFF, U+A640-A69F, U+FE2E-FE2F; /* cyrillic */ @font-face font-family: 'Montserrat'; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; src: local('Montserrat Regular'), local('Montserrat-Regular'), url(https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/montserrat/v12/NX1NravqaXESu9fFv7KuqiEAvth_LlrfE80CYdSH47w.woff2) format('woff2'); unicode-range: U+0400-045F, U+0490-0491, U+04B0-04B1, U+2116; /* vietnamese */ @font-face font-family: 'Montserrat'; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; src: local('Montserrat Regular'), local('Montserrat-Regular'), url(https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/montserrat/v12/SKK6Nusyv8QPNMtI4j9J2yEAvth_LlrfE80CYdSH47w.woff2) format('woff2'); unicode-range: U+0102-0103, U+0110-0111, U+1EA0-1EF9, U+20AB; /* latin-ext */ @font-face font-family: 'Montserrat'; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; src: local('Montserrat Regular'), local('Montserrat-Regular'), url(https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/montserrat/v12/gFXtEMCp1m_YzxsBpKl68iEAvth_LlrfE80CYdSH47w.woff2) format('woff2'); unicode-range: U+0100-024F, U+0259, U+1E00-1EFF, U+20A0-20AB, U+20AD-20CF, U+2C60-2C7F, U+A720-A7FF; /* latin */ @font-face font-family: 'Montserrat'; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; src: local('Montserrat Regular'), local('Montserrat-Regular'), url(https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/montserrat/v12/zhcz-_WihjSQC0oHJ9TCYPk_vArhqVIZ0nv9q090hN8.woff2) format('woff2'); unicode-range: U+0000-00FF, U+0131, U+0152-0153, U+02BB-02BC, U+02C6, U+02DA, U+02DC, U+2000-206F, U+2074, U+20AC, U+2122, U+2212, U+2215;

Bathroom Ideas Remodelers Near Me in My Area On a Budget Under $10000 Orange County California 92823

Exactly how to pull off a kitchen and bathroom renovation according to an expert. A lawyer discusses co-op and condo renovations: Where to start in the planning process? - by C. Jaye Berger. Inside Orange County's renovation of Witte Hall: AC, nongender bathrooms, more lounges. Home Renovation Projects with the Best and Worst Return on Investment.Storage Design Storage Ideas Master Bathroom Remodel Ideas Small Master Bathroom Ideas Master Suite Bathroom Bathroom Bath Bathroom Remodeling Master Bathroom Designs Bathroom Renos Custom pullout provides power and storage for a hair dryer, curling iron and flat iron.

I partnered with Home Depot on a DIY small bathroom remodel. This bath renovation included how to install a shower surround with tile, installing a toilet, new vanity and lighting. The shower tile ...Lowe's bathroom installation services can have you enjoying your upgrades in no time. We'll match you with qualified independent professionals in toilet installation , shower installation , shower door installation and more.A house truly becomes your own not when you sign the deed, but after you customize it to your unique lifestyle. Our home improvement tips help you rock those upcoming remodeling and yard projects. Check out examples of real-life successes (and flops!), plus clever hacks and ideas from the experts.Houzz is the new way to design your home. Browse 18 million interior design photos, home decor, decorating ideas and home professionals online.Find DIY bathroom project ideas for remodeling and installing cabinets, countertops, vanities, bath tile and more with before and after and how-to photos from DIYNetwork.com.Wayfair offers thousands of design ideas for every room in every style. Get inspired with bathroomideas and photos for your home refresh or remodel. Skip to Main ContentSmall Bathroom Makeover Ideas. Paint the bathroom. The power of paint is amazing! The old paint was a yellowish white which made the bathroom feel drab and boring. I perked it up with a fresh coat of paint in 1 hour!! More details on the paint color and tips and tricks to painting quickly here. Replace old baseboards. Or just repaint them.Small Bathroom ideas Small Bathroom ideas - Modern Bathroom Remodel - Sustainablebc.org. Add scented candles to make the ambiance more tranquil and soothing. Place some red towels to create a mood for passion filled nights. Whatever, you might do in the bathroom, let the space be a reflection of your mind.23 Stylish Bathroom Design Ideas. Shop a similar look: ornate mirror, $327, wayfair.com A tall cubby takes up almost no floor space but multiplies storage in a snap, especially in the absence of a vanity or medicine cabinet. Put out your prettiest products, but remember makeup, nail polish and perfume should stay far away from the humidity.Small Bathroom Design Ideas Designing a bathroom can be a real challenge, especially if you're working with a small space. There's so many elements - bathtub, shower, sink, toilet - it even needs to be a bathroom laundry combo sometimes.Then you might be ready for a bathroom remodel, and there is no better place to start then with RoomSketcher! Design Your Bathroom Online. RoomSketcher provides an easy-to-use bathroom planner that you can use to create a bathroom design online. Visualize your bathroom design ideas and turn them into a reality.80 Wonderful Small RV Bathroom and Toilet Remodel Ideas. If you purchase a used one from someone, ensure that it includes each of the proper hardware and hoses and is vented. You should have drawer storage! First of all, you must always remember to properly and totally seal the outside of your RV.100 Easy Bathroom Ideas. There's the large master bathroom ideas that are fit for a king or the smaller bathrooms that may be short on space but aren't on creativity. Whatever kind you have, we've compiled 100 bathroom decorating ideas that are bound to inspire your next redesign. From paint options to colorful tiles to space saving storage,...Start to finish Time lapse Schluter bathroom Kerdi-line linear drain Ditra heat large format tile. - Duration: 34:35. Sal DiBlasi 2,426,495 viewsRenovating or building a bathroom? Reece is your online destination for ideas, inspiration, tips, trends and more. Discover over 100 bathrooms in our gallery or plan your design with our top trends.Bathroom Design Ideas Browse bathroom pictures and save your favourite images to your inspiration board.With bathroom remodel software you can choose your own floor plan, create your perfect layout, add materials and visualize your finished bathroom project. These bathroom remodel programs are inexpensive and now easier to use than ever before. Below are 10 of the best bathroom remodel software programs you can use to quickly create a design that ...The lovely tiles in the bathroom and modernistic overhead chandelier add a touch of ethereal beauty and class to this opulent bathroom. Image Credit: houzz Since it's important to have a bathroom where one can relax or have a leisurely bath it is essential that you choose bathroom ideas and designs which appeal to you.Here is an overview of our quick and easy bathroom decorating ideas: Paint. Paint your walls with the perfect shade you selected. It's no longer necessary to choose gloss in a bathroom to combat moisture, ask the paint shop to add an additive to matte paint to keep it from mildewing.It might not be the largest room in your home, but the bathroom still deserves to be beautiful. These fresh ideas, fit for every style and budget, will have you excited to renovate and redecorate your washroom ...DIY bathroom remodeling is not only a popular trend going around the U.S., but it's also one of the most valuable. In fact, on average, bathroom remodeling projects yield a 60% return on investment. As such, you may not only get to enjoy the luxury of using an updated bathroom, but the monetary ...If redesigning a bathroom sounds a little bit too much for you then consider executing remodel bathroom ideas on a budget instead. The terms don't necessarily require you doing a lot of changes in the bathroom that will make spend more money.BATHROOM REMODEL IDEAS - A small bathroom remodel could be all that you need to make your home a lot comfortable, but carrying out this task can be a very tiring and expensive one, you have to go through as many bathroom photos and ideas as possible, after which you will have to determine the features you wish to see in your bathroom it is after this that you can determine the design you ...Browse photos of bathroom renovations and designs, and discover bathroom ideas for baths, toilets, showers, vanities and more.Well, those are my ideas that will hopefully help you to successfully remodel your bathroom on a very tight budget. But I'd love to hear any pointers you may have. So tell me, how have you remodeled a bathroom on a super tight budget? We love hearing from you guys. So please leave your comments in the space provided below.Ad Modern Bathroom Designs and Styles - Remodel Your Shower Space with DreamLine Shop Innovative, Trend-Setting Shower Styles and Find Beautiful DreamLine Designs homedepot.com has been visited by 1M+ users in the past monthTypical Bathroom Remodel - Pricing Notes. This estimate for a 2019 Typical Bathroom Remodel is derived from the unit cost method summarized in the American Institute of Architects Detailed Cost Estimating - Best Practices. This approach is used by professional designers, contractors, engineers and estimators and uses current wages, material ...Renovation Bathroom Remodel & Design Ideas. When it comes to home improvements, there are few more satisfying transformations than those that result from renovating your bathroom, a place that can ...Bath remodeling options and ideas to meet your design and budget! Our innovative design specialists can help you explore the latest trends and styles in bathroom design or match existing decor in the rest of the house—creating a design that fits your budget. Our acrylic tubs and showers are a big hit with our customers!When it comes to flooring choices on your bathroom remodel ideas, you don't have to be stuck in the regular white tiles. You can explore with the affordable budget as well! Gain the look of uniformity for your bathroom remodel ideas using a bolder pattern, or use a more natural pattern to support your desired theme.Top bathroom remodeling updates and ideas Here are the essentials that realtors and builders recommend including in your bathroom renovation plan: 1. Replace old, dated fixtures (sink, toilet, faucet, countertops): this is an easy, relatively inexpensive fix that goes a long way.Jess is no stranger to working with small bathrooms. She recently finished her own bathroom renovation where she wasn't able to structurally change anything - except for the design. "Functionality is paramount when dealing with any small space as gaining any extra room for storage will be the gift that keeps on giving," says Jess.Small Bathroom Renovations & Designs. You don't have to spend a million dollars to carve a window into a wall. Likewise, you can make remarkable transformations even in the confined spaces like bathrooms if you have the right experts to guide and help you.These HDB flat bathrooms are not particularly big in size, and so they have designs that are relatively simple. Still, they manage to look modern and trendy — see what ideas you can adopt! Brickwork and mosaic tiles come together in a colour and material clash, for an unexpected feature wall.

.

Find inspiration for a beautiful bathroom, improve your bathroom functionality and save water and money with our new bath fixtures. A new vanity with coordinating mirror and modern faucet will go a long way toward improving the style of your bathroom. Add storage cabinets, light fixtures and bathroom accessories to make it complete. Whether it's a tiny powder room or a shower stall with barely enough room to scrub, a small bathroom can make mornings even worse than they already are. But you don't need to move, you just need ... Bathroom Ideas Welcome to Bathroom Ideas, a one-stop resource for everything bathroom-related. Whether you're searching for inspiration and design tips for your bathroom or looking for some expert advice, you'll find it all here.

Find inspiration for a beautiful bathroom, improve your bathroom functionality and save water and money with our new bath fixtures. A new vanity with coordinating mirror and modern faucet will go a long way toward improving the style of your bathroom. Add storage cabinets, light fixtures and bathroom accessories to make it complete. Whether it's a tiny powder room or a shower stall with barely enough room to scrub, a small bathroom can make mornings even worse than they already are. But you don't need to move, you just need ... Is it time for a new bathroom? If the answer is yes and you need design ideas, don't miss these photos of fabulous bathrooms from contemporary master baths to traditional powder rooms.

Mr Build Co Mr Build Co

Bathroom Builders Bathroom Builders Near Me Bathroom Renovation Builders Bathroom Ideas Builders Elite Bathroom Builders Best Bathroom Builders Bathroom Contractors Bathroom Contractors Near Me Bathroom Contractors In My Area Bathroom Renovations Under $10000 Bathroom Remodelers Bathroom Remodelers Near Me Bathroom Remodels On A Budget Bathroom Remodelers In My Area Bathroom Remodels Under 5000

Bathroom Ideas Remodelers Near Me in My Area On a Budget Under $10000 Orange County California 92823

via Bathroom Ideas Remodelers Near Me in My Area On a Budget Under $10000 Orange County California 92823 Local Contractors Blueprint

[mikemortgage]

Agency built pen for possible horse slaughter

RENO, Nev. — The U.S. Forest Service has built its first corral for wild horses, which could allow it to bypass federal restrictions and sell the animals for slaughter.

The agency acknowledged in court filings in a potentially precedent-setting legal battle that it built the new pen in Northern California for mustangs gathered this fall on national forest land along the Nevada border because of restrictions on such sales at other federal holding facilities.

The agency denies claims by horse advocates it has made up its mind to sell the more than 250 horses for slaughter. But it also says it may have no choice because of the high cost of housing the animals and continued ecological impacts it claims overpopulated herds are having on federal rangeland.

“While slaughtering wild horses does not present a pleasant picture, the reality of this dire situation is not pleasant,” Justice Department lawyers representing the agency wrote in its most recent filing last month. “The Forest Service is taking a step to reduce what is universally recognized as a natural catastrophe.”

Horse advocates have been suing the government for two decades over mustang roundups that private ranchers say are necessary to curb growing herds that reduce the forage on federal lands they lease for cattle and sheep grazing across the U.S. West. The region holds roughly 90,000 wild horses.

A sharp reduction in demand in recent years for a federal program that offers the horses for adoption to the public has left little room in existing corrals. Horse advocates argue the mustangs are federally protected and that taxpayers subsidize the livestock grazing on U.S. land.

A hearing is scheduled Jan. 31 in federal court in San Francisco on a motion filed by the Animal Legal Defence Fund and American Wild Horse Campaign seeking an injunction to block the sale of the horses captured in the Modoc National Forest in October and November for possible slaughter. The new pen is in the forest, about 170 miles (273 kilometres) northwest of Reno.

Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen announced late last year she would postpone any sales for slaughter until at least Feb. 18.

The protection groups say it would be the first time in nearly a half-century the government has sold mustangs “without limitation,” or for any purpose, including slaughter.

Horse slaughterhouses are prohibited in the U.S. but legal in many other countries, including Canada, Mexico and parts of Europe where horse meat is considered a delicacy.

The Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burros Act that President Nixon signed into law in 1971 prohibits the inhumane destruction of wild horses. Congress approved an appropriations amendment in 2004 that allows the Forest Service, under its parent Agriculture Department, to sell horses without limitations if they’re over age 10 and have been offered for adoption three times unsuccessfully.

But in most years since then, Congress has specifically prohibited the Bureau of Land Management, under the Interior Department, from using any appropriations for such purposes. President Donald Trump proposed allowing such sales in his 2017 budget, but Congress refused to go along.

The Forest Service has previously held any horses it gathered at pens belonging to the BLM, which manages 385,000 square miles (997,000 square kilometres) of public lands in the West.

With few exceptions, lawsuits have targeted the bureau because it captures the vast majority of the horses. BLM lands hold an estimated 83,000 wild horses, while national forests managed by the Forest Service hold about 8,000.

The Forest Service gathered 932 horses in the Modoc National Forest late last year and shipped about 260 to the new corral, while placing about 650 at a BLM facility in nearby Susanville, California, where it has held all the horses it captured in the past.

Justice Department lawyers acknowledged in the December filings “BLM is not permitted to humanely destroy healthy, unadopted horses or conduct any sale that could ultimately result in their destruction, which includes any Forest Service horse in BLM custody.”

“What has changed is that the Modoc now has its own short-term holding facility … which is not subject to congressional restrictions,” they wrote about the corral, which currently can hold up to 300 horses but has room for expansion to accommodate as many as 1,500. They said local ranchers “generally support these sales” because of the horses’ economic impact on leased grazing land.

The attorneys also said the opponents’ assertion the horses will be slaughtered “is only speculative, not concrete and imminent.”

Horse advocates say the government can’t have it both ways.

“It cannot both argue it is harmed by plaintiffs’ delay in bringing this action because of all the time and resources it has expended to allow the sale of horses without limitation, yet also insist to the court that it has not yet made any such decision,” their lawyers wrote Jan. 8. “In short, the record and defendants’ own statements make clear that the decision to sell horses without limitation is final and judicially reviewable.”

from Financial Post http://bit.ly/2ANqqOF via IFTTT Blogger Mortgage Tumblr Mortgage Evernote Mortgage Wordpress Mortgage href="https://www.diigo.com/user/gelsi11">Diigo Mortgage

[politicoscope]

Tom Perez Biography and Profile

New Post has been published on https://www.politicoscope.com/tom-perez-biography-and-profile/

Tom Perez Biography and Profile

Thomas Perez (Thomas Edward Perez), an American politician, attorney, Chair of the Democratic National Committee since February 2017 was born on 7 October 1961. Perez, a civil-rights lawyer who served as deputy of the Clinton DOJ civil-rights division, has spent most of his career in government service enforcing anti-discrimination laws.

Perez has strong labor support and served as Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s (D) labor secretary from 2007 until 2009, when he was tapped for the Justice Department position. Thomas Perez, a longtime Takoma Park resident, also served on the Montgomery County Council and was the first Latino elected to the council. He has been the key official under Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. handling civil rights cases, the centerpiece of what Holder hopes will be his legacy.

Thomas Edward Perez Full Biography The son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Thomas Edward Perez grew up in Buffalo where he learned the values of a union town: hard work, integrity, service, and perseverance. Having lost his father when he was 12, Tom understood early in life never to take a day for granted, and that urgency has driven him to spend his life in public service.

“The United States gave them my parents opportunities even though this was their adopted homeland. They would tell me how much they loved this country and how it was important for me to be involved.” – Thomas Edward Perez.

After high school, Tom put himself through college earning tuition money on the back of a garbage truck, went to law school, and started his career as a civil rights attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice. There, he fought to protect and expand opportunity for all Americans. While prosecuting some of the Department’s most high-profile civil rights cases, Tom saw firsthand the effects of hate and bigotry, and he fought to ensure that our justice system held accountable those who would violate the civil and constitutional rights of their fellow Americans.

Later on, Thomas Perez was special counsel to Senator Ted Kennedy, advising him on civil rights, criminal justice, and constitutional issues. He worked with Senator Kennedy to fight discriminatory laws like the Defense of Marriage Act. And as African-American churches were being burned to the ground in the late ‘90s, Tom and Senator Kennedy worked to pass the Church Arson Prevention Act, making it a federal crime to commit arson or vandalism against a place of worship.

Tom also served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights under Attorney General Janet Reno and led the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at the end of the Clinton administration.

Tom returned to the Department of Justice in 2009 after President Obama was elected, serving as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. Leading the Civil Rights division after the Bush administration had decimated it, Tom oversaw the effort to restore and expand the division’s achievements.

With his leadership, they successfully implemented:

the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act;

protected equal housing opportunity by pursuing and resolving the largest fair-lending cases in history;

helped ensure schoolchildren are free from discrimination, bullying and harassment;

dramatically expanded access to employment, housing and educational opportunities by fighting for people with disabilities;

defended Americans’ right to vote free from discrimination;

took record-setting efforts to ensure that communities have effective and accountable policing;

safeguarded the employment, housing, fair lending and voting rights of service members

Thomas Edward Perez expanded the division’s partnerships, working across federal agencies to address shared challenges in human trafficking, employment discrimination and fair lending, among others.

Thomas Edward Perez’s also been a local leader and organizer, running and winning a seat on the Montgomery County Council. He was the first Latino elected to the council, serving from 2002 until 2006, and was Council president. He then served as Secretary of Maryland’s Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

In 2002, Tom started as board president at CASA de Maryland, an organization that provides services to immigrants. Under his leadership, CASA experienced monumental growth – from the basement of a church to a $7M headquarters that opened without a lease – and grew from a service provider to one of the largest immigrant advocacy organizations in the country.

Tom received a bachelor’s degree from Brown University in 1983. In 1987, he received a master’s of public policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a law degree from Harvard Law School. He lives in Maryland with his wife, Ann Marie Staudenmaier, who is an attorney with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, and their three children.

Thomas Edward Perez’s Record Tom has never hesitated to take on a fight. He’s stood up for our progressive values his entire career, from his time on the Montgomery County Council to his years leading the U.S. Department of Labor. And as DNC Chair, Tom will continue to get things done. He’ll make the DNC an all-day, every-day, year-round organization to support our state parties, reach out to voters in every zip code and grow from the grassroots up.

Montgomery County

In 2002, Tom ran for a seat on the Montgomery County Council and won, becoming the first Latino elected to the Council and later served as its President.

Tom led an initiative to let Montgomery County residents buy cheaper prescription drugs.

Years before the housing crisis, Tom introduced and passed a bill to combat predatory lending and housing discrimination, a bill the Bush administration opposed.

Over intense opposition, Tom supported a law banning discrimination against transgender people in Montgomery County.

Tom stood up for working families in Montgomery County and fought for affordable housing.

And Tom worked to improve literacy and immigration programs in Montgomery County.

Maryland Labor Secretary

As Maryland’s Labor Secretary, Tom fought wage theft by focusing on worker misclassification.

Tom hired more health and safety inspectors to keep Maryland workers out of hazardous workplace conditions.

And Tom helped push for Maryland’s living wage initiative, the first in the country.

Tom fought the immigrant “brain waste,” helping consolidate adult education and workforce development under Maryland’s Department of Labor to support programs focused on improving the language skills of immigrant professionals.

And Tom co-chaired Maryland’s Homeownership Preservation Task Force in 2007, calling for tougher mortgage laws, more outreach and emergency funds for families having a hard time keeping their homes.

CASA de Maryland

As Board President of Casa de Maryland, Tom grew the group, expanding it to an immigration advocacy organization.

Tom helped Casa improve the lives of immigrants by establishing services for day laborers and vocational training at community colleges.

Civil Rights

As a career attorney in the Justice Department, Tom prosecuted a gang of white supremacists in Texas who went on a shooting spree, trying to start a race war.

Later, Tom worked with Senator Kennedy as a special counsel and developed laws which ultimately expanded hate crime protections to include the LGBT community and violence against women.

And Tom worked with Senator Kennedy to pass the Church Arson Prevention Act making destroying religious property because of race, color or ethnicity easier to prosecute as a federal crime.

While running the Office of Civil Rights at Health and Human Services, Tom worked to end racial and ethnic disparities in health care, including pursuing a case against a hospital segregating their maternity ward by race.

Tom took over a Civil Rights Division that had been “decimated” by the Bush administration and turned it around. While Tom led the Civil Rights Division, it set a record for opening investigations into sheriff and police department conduct.

Under Tom’s leadership, the Civil Rights Division successfully prosecuted the first cases under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

With Tom at the helm, the Civil Rights Division stood up against religious discrimination.

And Tom’s first congressional testimony after becoming Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights was supporting the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which outlawed discrimination in hiring on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Civil Rights Division under Tom protected students from bullying and harassment based on their race, gender, and sexual orientation. And Tom stood up to make sure LGBT youth know It Gets Better.

Tom sued Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio for discriminating against Latinos.

And Tom worked with his colleagues at DOJ to challenge Arizona’s discriminatory immigration law, SB 1070, all the way to the Supreme Court. He did the same with Alabama’s anti-immigrant law, HB 56.

Tom worked to end human trafficking as part of the Worker Exploitation Task Force when he was an attorney at the Justice Department and set records of enforcement when he was leading the Civil Rights Division.

Tom challenged discriminatory voter ID laws in Texas and South Carolina, laws which unjustly targeted minority voters.

Tom went after the big banks for racial discrimination and foreclosing on active-duty service members and got the largest fair-lending housing settlements ever.

And Tom stood up for medical professionals and their patients by increasing enforcement of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

Labor

When Tom was nominated for Labor Secretary, he had to overcome a 4-month, republican-led Senate filibuster and was confirmed without a single republican vote.

At Labor, Tom leads a complex organization with over 17,000 employees, a multi-billion dollar budget and a presence in every state and three territories.

Tom expanded the overtime rule, guaranteeing workers earning less than $47,476 had the right to be paid for their additional work.

He aggressively combated worker misclassification, the unfair practice of classifying employees as independent contractors to cut costs and deprive them of wages and benefits. In 2016 alone, Labor collected $266 million in back pay owed to workers.

After two weeks of negotiations, Tom helped resolve the Verizon strike with an agreement that included protections for Verizon’s retail workers, a victory for hardworking employees often left out from benefits.

Tom led on leave and expanded paid sick leave so workers don’t have to choose between the jobs they need and the families they love.

He helped West Coast port workers and their employer reach an agreement in 2015 after months of protracted negotiations.

Tom set a target goal for federal contractors’ work forces have at least 7 percent of their employees be people with disabilities and 8 percent be veterans.

Under his leadership, Labor expanded apprenticeships, creating more than 125,000 since 2014 to help Americans gain the skills and training they need to land good-paying jobs.

And Tom made sure Americans with disabilities are integrated into communities with the access they need.

Tom issued a new rule to protect workers across industries like construction and manufacturing from being exposed to dangerous levels of harmful silica dust, known to cause disease and cancer.

He raised the minimum wage and extended overtime protections for home health care workers, impacting nearly 2 million workers.

And Tom stood up for workers, issuing a rule requiring companies to disclose how much they spend combating union organizing efforts.

Tom played a key role in ensuring companies with federal contracts pay their contract workers a minimum wage and provide paid sick leave.

With Tom’s leadership, the Labor Department issued a conflict of interest rule forcing retirement advisors to put their clients’ best interest ahead of their own, potentially saving Americans billions of dollars per year.

Tom Perez is a proven leader who has spent his life standing up for progressive values and making real change happen at the local, statewide, and national levels.

Thomas Edward Perez Biography and Profile (Thomas Edward Perez / Politicoscope)