#lisa bashar

[pencarterandthesuperfreaks]

Graham: Elliot sent me a “Get better soon” card the other day.

Lisa: Aw, that’s so sweet!

Graham: I’m not sick. He just thinks I should do better.

[kirstythejetblackgoldfish]

Bashar's outfit is similar to the outfit he wore in Paris all those years ago

[aijamisespava]

My Ideal Eurovision 2024

Well, we've had all of the competing songs for a while now. We've ranked them, we've pit them against the 2023 songs, we've even commiserated over the Semi-Final Running Orders.

But...there is one question that I've noticed is in most Eurovision fan's head, myself included: What if MY National Final Winners Won? And that's what I'm here to share. Below, as you can see from the title, is the Eurovision 2024 had all my National Final winners were selected.

DISCLAIMER: This is not a ranking. I'll have conclusions toward the end of the post. Countries are listed in alphabetical order. I won't change internal selections because that takes up way too much time that I really don't have. And, since this is FOR FUN, if a country has 2 songs that I liked equally, I include both. LET'S GO!

Albania: "Jetën N'skaj" by Erina & The Elementals (unknown placement) Armenia: "Jako" by Ladavina (Internally Selected) Australia: "One Milkali (One Blood)" by Electric Fields (Internally Selected) Austria: "We Will Rave" by Kaleen (Internally Selected) Belgium: "Before The Party's Over" by Mustii (Internally Selected) Croatia: "Rim Tim Tagi Dim' by Baby Lasagna (1st in NF)/"Voljena ženo" by Damir Kedžo (4th in NF) Cyprus: "Liar" by Silia Kapsis (Internally Selected) Czechia: "Red Flag Parade" by MYDY (3rd in NF) Denmark: "Sand" by Saba (1st in NF) Estonia: "My Friend" by Ollie (2nd in NF) Finland: "Dancing With Demons" by Cyan Kicks (4th in NF) France: "Mon Amour" by Slimane (Internally Selected) Georgia: "Firefighter" by Nusta (Internally Selected) Germany: "Naiv" by Marie Reim (6th in NF) Greece: "Zari" by Marina Satti (Internally Selected) Iceland: "Scared Of Heights" by Hera Björk (1st in NF)/"Wild West" by Bashar Murad (2nd in NF) Ireland: "Love Me Like I Do" by Erica-Cody (4th in NF) Italy: "Tu No" by Irama (5th in NF) Latvia: "Heaven's Raining Down On Me" by Patrīcija Spale (NQ in NF Semi) Lithuania: "Luktelk" by Silvester Belt (1st in NF) Luxembourg: "Drowning In The Rain" by Krick (2nd in NF) Malta: "Wild Card" by Gail (11th in NF) Moldova: "In The Middle" by Natalia Barbu (1st in NF) Netherlands: "Europapa" by Joost Klein (Internally Selected) Norway: "Heart On Fire" by Myra (NQ in NF Semi) Poland: "The Tower" by Luna (Internally Selected*) *I know some songs were released, but it was an internal selection* Portugal: "You Can't Hide" by Filipa (10th in NF Semi, NQ) San Marino: "11:11" by Megara (1st in NF*) *I didn't rank the NF songs since UVPSM happened in a literal blink* Serbia: "Ramonda" by Teya Dora (1st in NF)/"Duga je noć" by Filip Baloš (10th in NF Semi, NQ) Slovenia: "Veronika" by Raiven (Internally Selected) Spain: "Sé quién soy" by Angy Fernández (3rd in NF)/"Here To Stay" by Sofia Coll (7th in NF) Sweden: "Awful Liar" by Lisa Ajax (11th in NF) Switzerland: "The Code" by Nemo (Internally Selected) Ukraine: "Teresa & Maria" by alyona alyona/Jerry Heil (1st in NF)/"Dreamer" by Mélovin (3rd in NF) United Kingdom: "Dizzy" by Olly Alexander (Internally Selected)

Conclusions: Even with my NF winners, it still would have been a stacked year (bad bias joke, you can laugh now). But being honest, I think out of all of these, Belgium still would have been my winner. Serbia still would have scored well. The only threat I see to Belgium would be if Luxembourg had chosen Krick.

[ibrahimalbadriroleplay71]

Spoiler confermato: Charles Foster è ufficialmente fuori dal cast e morto non riuscendo a sopravvivere al pugnalamento avvelenato di Ibrahim "Ibbe" Haddad lasciando sconvolti e sofferenti suo marito Musa al-Badri e la sua amica Julies Garcia, prima di morire Charles disse che forse era troppo presto risposarsi con Musa al-Badri.

I detective Chase Harrison e Texas Storm saranno costretti a indagare sulla morte dell'ufficiale di polizia Charles Foster? si vedrà con il tempo se troveranno l'assassino.

Dopo la morte di Amy Logan e Lisa Shapiro da parte del serial killer Adam Lewis,la morte di Javier Martinez da parte di Naseem Bashar,l'uccisione dei 10 poliziotti ad ADX Florence e l'esplosione di un hotel a New York uccidendo 200 persone da parte del mafioso Leo Martinez e la condanna a morte di Leo Martinez possiamo concludere che la morte di Charles Foster è un altro evento sconvolgente e a sorpresa.

Il prestavolto era Michael Blake Kruse che è un attore noto per i ruoli di Rory Carabera (deceduto) nella soap opera General Hospital e Jude Store nella soap opera Telenovela D'Amore.

[emeraldskulblaka]

~ Emerald Streams ~

An Overview - 2021-2022

Here’s a list of all musicals I’ve streamed so far as part of my Saturday Streams (now: Emerald Streams) series. Feel free to suggest more shows to stream! I’ll gladly share all videos on request, the exception being #11.

#1

Saturday, 27 February 2021

Finding Neverland - Broadway - 17 August 2014: Jeremy Jordan, Laura Michelle Kelly, Carolee Carmello

#2

Saturday, 6 March 2021

Les Misérables - UK Tour - 25 September 2010: John Owen-Jones, Earl Carpenter, Madalena Alberto

#3

Saturday, 13 March 2021

Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 - Broadway - 16 November 2016: Scott Stangland, Denée Benton, Lucas Steele

#4

Saturday, 20 March 2021

Me and My Girl - New York City Center Encores - May 2018: Christian Borle, Laura Michelle Kelly, Harriet Harris

#5

Saturday, 27 March 2021

Falsettos - Broadway - January 2017: Christian Borle, Stephanie J. Block, Andrew Rannells

#6

Friday, 2 April 2021

The Phantom of the Opera - West End - March 2019: David Thaxton, Kelly Mathieson, Jeremy Taylor

#7

Saturday, 10 April 2021

Come From Away - Broadway - 10 March 2017 (preview)

#8

Saturday, 17 April 2021

Mary Poppins - UK Tour - 6 March 2009: Lisa O'Hare, Daniel Crossley, Martin Ball

#9

Saturday, 24 April 2021

Les Misérables - Broadway - 17 February 2007: Alexander Gemignani, Norm Lewis, Daphne Rubin-Vega

#10

Saturday, 5 June 2021

Les Misérables - West End - November 2018: Dean Chisnall, Bradley Jaden, Carley Stenson

#11

Saturday, 31 July 2021

The Lord of the Rings - West End - 2007: James Loye, Malcolm Storry, Laura Michelle Kelly

#12

Friday, 20 August 2021

Wicked - West End - 23 March 2019: Alice Fearn, Maria Coyne, David Witts

#13

Friday, 3 September 2021

Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 - Broadway - 29 October 2016: Josh Groban, Denée Benton, Lucas Steele

#14

Saturday, 11 September 2021

Come From Away (see #7)

#15

Saturday, 18 September 2021

The Lord of the Rings (see #11)

#16

Saturday, 2 October 2021

Fellowship! - North Hollywood - 11 December 2004: Cory Rouse, Peter Allen, Kelly Holden Bashar

#17

Saturday, 23 October 2021

Tanz der Vampire - Berlin - January 2012: Drew Sarich, Amelie Dobler, Anton Zetterholm

#18

Saturday, 20 November 2021

Bat Out Of Hell - West End - 12 August 2017: Andrew Polec, Christina Bennington, Sharon Sexton

#19

Saturday, 4 December 2021

Finrod Zong - Theatre Eterius - 2014: Seraphim, Aleksey Tarantsev, Olga Kozlova

#20

Saturday, 26 February 2022

Bat Out Of Hell (see #18)

#21

Saturday, 2 April 2022

Wicked - Broadway - 27 December 2016: Jennifer DiNoia, Kara Lindsay, Michael Campayno

#22

Sunday, 8 May 2022

& Juliet - West End - December 2019: Miriam-Teak Lee, Cassidy Janson, Jordan Luke Gage

#23

Sunday, 5 June 2022

Les Misérables - West End - 14 June 2014: Daniel Koek, Tam Mutu, Na-Young Jeon

#24

Sunday, 19 June 2022

The Lord of the Rings (see #11)

#25

Thursday, 1 September 2022

Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (see #3)

#26

Saturday, 3 September 2022

Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (see #13)

#27

Sunday, 4 September 2022

Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 - Broadway - 13 August 2017: Denée Benton, Okieriete Onaodowan, Lucas Steele

#28

Saturday, 10 September 2022

Come From Away (see #7)

[bloomsburgu]

Working to defy the odds

Jackie Lithgow graduates from Bloomsburg University

By Eric Foster, editor and creative specialist

BLOOMSBURG — Seven years after a head injury left him in a coma, Jackie Lithgow defied expectations and graduated on Sunday, May 16, from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania with a degree in media and journalism.

Lithgow’s life changed forever on Feb. 23, 2014, when the 19-year-old, trying to break up a fight, was blindsided by a punch and his head struck the pavement. He was life-flighted to Geisinger Hospital in Danville and was in a coma for 15 days and was given the worst possible ranking on the Glasgow Coma scale. Over 90% of patients with this type of injury never regain consciousness and if they do, are significantly impaired.

But with perseverance and support from his parents, BU alumni Jim and Lisa, family and community, Lithgow defied the odds. In the spring of 2016, two years after his injury, he returned to Bloomsburg University to begin taking classes again.

The road back to class was a hard one, involving nine surgeries and intensive rehabilitation.

A turning point for Lithgow, of Carlisle, was aqua-therapy in which he relearned to walk, one step at a time, with a treadmill in a swimming pool.

“At first, they moved my legs for me. I was walking for the first time since my injury. This was a goal, I achieved the goal, what’s my next goal. You can achieve whatever you set your mind to,” said Lithgow.

“With brain injuries, you’re always in rehab and always learning and always healing. My one doctor told me that when you go to the real world and go to college and walk on campus, that will be your therapy. I’m going to classes and walking, learning.”

“When I first started BU, I was an ITM major and switched to digital forensics,” said Lithgow. “But when I came back from my injury, I didn’t understand anything going on. So I talked with Theresa Bloskey in Trio Student Support Services, and I took an intro mass communications class with professor (Jason) Genovese and was hooked.”

Each semester, Lithgow tried to add a course to his schedule until he was taking four classes. His mom stayed local with friends becoming a source of help and guidance. Support from BU extended well beyond the first semester and involved many offices.

“Jackie is the epitome of the grit and determination for which we Huskies are known,” said BU President Bashar Hanna. “We are inspired by all that he has overcome, and are beyond proud of all that he has accomplished.”

“It starts with Dr. Hanna, I had lunch with him every so often,” said Lithgow. “Dr. Genovese has been a role model. All the professors have been wonderful. Obviously, the graduation will be different with distancing, but I’m really looking forward to it.

“In my 15 years here at BU I have never seen a more inspirational story than Jackie’s,” said Jason Genevese, chair of the department of media and journalism. “To see how far he has come these past few years is truly remarkable. He attacked his school work with impressive vigor and energy. Despite what he’s been through, Jackie always wears a big smile on his face and has the most charming personality. Whether we chat about school, family or Philadelphia sports, I’m just lucky to have crossed paths with this young man.”

Lithgow has been involved in more than his classes. He also created the Jackie Lithgow Foundation to support traumatic brain injury survivors during their road to recovery. The foundation has raised over $65,000 for Magee Rehabilitation Hospital and local TBI patients.

“Media and journalism is where I want to be,” he said. “It’s helped me think about, especially with the foundation. How to reach out and connect with people.”

What’s next for Lithgow?

“I have an internship with a local company in Carlisle,” he said. “Then after that, I’ll see what works best and what jobs open. Explore the real world as they say. I’m going to enjoy the ride.”

[diarrheaworldstarhiphop]

i found a bunch of old news tabs i had saved on my browser lollll

* Rebels feel U.S. Mideast policy let Syrians down

* Concerned about Trump open-mindedness towards Russia

* Damascus eyes possible U.S. policy shift towards Assad (Adds HNC comment)

By Tom Perry and Lisa Barrington

BEIRUT, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Donald Trump's election as U.S. president on Wednesday aroused concern among Syrian rebels and a degree of optimism in Damascus, where his victory was seen as a better outcome than a Hillary Clinton win.

Syrian rebels have long been fiercely critical of what they perceive as the Barack Obama administration's inadequate backing for their fight against President Bashar al-Assad, though Washington has been an important sponsor of the uprising.

While some in the Syrian opposition said Trump had yet to articulate a clear Syria policy, his statements, and his more open-minded stance towards Assad's ally Russia, have fuelled rebel concern about the stance he may adopt on the war, in which Russia's air force has been bombing insurgents.

"I think things will become difficult because of Trump's statements and his relationship with Putin and Russia. I imagine this is not good for the Syrian issue," Zakaria Malahifji, head of the political office of an Aleppo-based rebel group, told Reuters.

Trump said in an Oct. 25 interview with Reuters that defeating Islamic State was a higher priority than persuading Assad to step down, and warned that Clinton could drag the United States into a new world war over the Syria conflict.

In one of his debates with Clinton, Trump said he did "not like Assad at all, but Assad is killing ISIS" with Russia and Iran.

RISE OF ISLAMIC STATE

The Syrian civil war, now in its sixth year, has killed hundreds of thousands of people, allowed the rise of Islamic State and created the world's worst refugee crisis.

Russia and Iran have provided direct military support to Assad while countries that want to see him gone from power, including the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey, have provided rebels with backing including military support.

Russia's intervention in support of Assad last year helped Damascus turn the tide against insurgents who had been making steady territorial advances, and gave Moscow decisive influence over diplomacy.

The Syrian opposition says Obama failed to back them adequately after calling for Assad to leave power, failing to enforce his own "red line" against the use of chemical weapons and blocking the delivery of anti-aircraft weapons to rebels.

In Damascus, a member of the Syrian parliament said he was cautiously optimistic that U.S. policy would shift Assad's way under Trump. "We must be optimistic, but cautiously optimistic," Sherif Shehada, the MP, told Reuters in a telephone interview.

He said Gulf Arab states - which have backed the Syrian rebellion - had been depending on a Clinton victory and were now in "a predicament". "The American administration must carry out what it said in the election campaign."

Georges Janbour, the Damascus-based head of the Syrian Association of Political Science, noted Trump's previous suggestion that Russia could be a valuable ally in the fight against Islamic Sate. "I hope that he continues in this line of thinking," he told Reuters.

Clinton was the U.S. secretary of state when the uprising against Assad began in 2011, during a wave of protests against Arab autocrats known as the Arab Spring.

Prominent Syrian opposition politician George Sabra said: "We do not expect much from the new American administration, but we hope that the face of President Donald Trump is totally different to the face of Mr. Donald Trump the candidate."

While some in the opposition expressed concern about Trump's statements, others said a more isolationist approach from Trump could be a good thing for the rebellion by allowing regional powers such as Saudi Arabia to act free of U.S. constraints.

Hadi al-Bahra, former head and current member of the Syrian National Coalition, an opposition political body, told Reuters that potential positive aspects to Trump's presidency included his opposition to Iranian influence and Iran's nuclear deal.

Bassma Kodmani, member and spokeswoman for the Syrian opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC), said Trump's intentions remained largely unclear.

"All we can say is he has called for good relations with Russia," she told Reuters. "On Syria he will have to make difficult decisions. Cooperation with Russia over the last year and a half has not worked ... considerations should be towards a different policy," she said.

Some rebels believe that Trump will make no difference to long-established American policy.

"The Americans were never honest with us. They left us in a quagmire that drowned the Syrians ... Everyone is trading with our blood and suffering," said Abu Hamed, head of the military council of rebel group Liwa al Haq Brigade, speaking from Hama.

(Reporting by Tom Perry and Lisa Barrington in Beirut, Kinda Makieh in Damascus and Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman; editing by Ralph Boulton)

[thaimassagegreenock]

Cold war icy blast strikes at heart of Johnson’s government

Greenock, Scotland news and updates.

This post was provided by Newsnet.scot.

Screenshot from CBS news coverage of the 30 year celebrations

By Russell Bruce

30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall Johnson faces questions over his own links to Russia and massive Russian oligarch funding of the Conservative party. Just how did we get here?

With the revelation the Conservatives have received £3.5 million since 2010, Russian oligarchs, well connected to the Kremlin and some with links back to the days of the KGB, have donated steadily so they must believe they are getting value and influence for their money.

In the last year, according to Open Democracy the Tories have received at least £489,850.

In the wider scheme of things Russian influence is buying Britain at bargain basement rates. In electoral terms it becomes very expensive to a crumbling democracy.

When the Berlin wall came down 30 years ago it changed the dynamic of geopolitics in eastern Europe as the Soviet Empire collapsed. The Berlin wall was erected to stop the continuous flow of people to the West. The oppressive regime of Erich Honecker lasted from 1971 until it collapsed in October 1989. Honecker was directly behind the building of the wall and responsible for the order to fire along the East German border on those still attempting to escape.

At the time of Mikhail Gorbachev’s ‘perestroika and glasnost’, initiatives that Honecker opposed urging Gorbachev to suppress the protests taking place is Eastern Europe by sending in Soviet forces as had happened in the Prague Spring of 1968 and the Hungarian revolution of 1956.

The loss of prestige and influence has rankled with Russian nationalists ever since. Former Warsaw pact countries quickly moved to begin a process of alignment with the West, eventually leading to eight of the former communist states joining the EU in the major enlargement of 2004. Romania and Bulgaria followed in 2007 and Croatia in 2013.

Angela Merkel greeting crowds on 30th anniversary France 24

As EU boundaries extended eastwards and into the Balkans, Russian angst rose to new heights as EU dialogue continued to grow with other former parts of the Russian Soviet Empire. This was a challenge too far for Vladimir Viadimirovich Putin, until 1991 a Lieutenant Colonel in the KGB. Putin joined Boris Yeltsin’s administration in 1996 as director of the ‘new’ Russian security service, the FSB. Taking over as acting President when Yeltsin became ill, he has ruled Russia ever since, either as President or Prime Minister.

The tension has built in the last few years including Russian military intervention in Ukraine with the ‘annexation’ of Crimea and the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. This year Trump abandoned Kurdish allies in Syria and Putin quickly increased his backing for Bashar al-Assad with heavy military intervention including devastating air power to bring parts of Syria under Assad’s control. Putin has defence bases in Syria on the eastern Mediterranean. His support is based on Russian interests and Assad just happens to be useful.

The EU is the largest global trading block with considerable political alignment on social issues, workers rights, defence and security issues. As Lisa (not her real name) from Bavaria told Newsnet: “This coming together of many European countries has kept the peace in Europe – not including the conflict in Yugoslavia.”

War related deaths in Europe between 1801 and 2016 total a staggering 63,573,005. Deaths in recent years include 1055 in the Russian-Georgian war of 2007 and between 2014 and 2016 another 6,493 deaths in the war in Donbass Ukraine.

Lisa is concerned about the rise of the far right in parts of eastern Europe and added: ”The success of the AfD in Germany, particularly in states of former East Germany, suggest to me a failure of mainstream politics.”

The rise of the far right is also due to Russia exploiting tensions in former Warsaw Pact countries and equally happy to bolster the far right in France, Italy and Brexit England. In a painstaking investigation, Carole Cadwalladr of The Guardian uncovered ‘gold play’ offers from the Russian Ambassador to Arron Banks on the day LeaveEU launched its campaign.

Russia has only directly funded Marine Le Pen’s Front National and Matteo Salvini of Lega Nord, a former Italian deputy prime minister who sought millions of Euros from Russia. One of Le Pen’s great admirers is Nigel Farage. Elsewhere Putin’s involvement has been more behind the scenes, except in countries where Russian interests involved direct military invasion, with or without Putin’s troops wearing uniforms with Russian identification.

German foreign security services Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) investigated early last year Alternative fúr Deutschland (AfD) links with Russia, concerned about Russian influence in the forthcoming EU elections and regional elections in Germany.

Since reunification in 1990 the democratic and economic outlook of East Germany has been transformed, yet it still lags well behind employment and prosperity levels in the West. Statista, reporting on the the continuing gap concluded, Germany is still divided 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The figures are interesting because Merkel’s government has invested heavily to raise living standards in the former GDR and bring in new industries. Those who think Brexit will mean a radical improvement in living standards in the UK should listen and learn, Jacob Rees-Mogg in a rare moment of honesty said Brexit will take 50 years to deliver the hoped for outcome.

Germany is the largest economy in the EU. Scotland currently has lower unemployment than the figure for West German states and has GDP per capita of $43,740. Statista give figures in euros quoting the source as the German Federal Statistical Office. Using International Monetary Fund GDP data for 2018 in international dollars for comparison, shows Scotland has higher GDP per capita than 16 EU nations, including Italy and Spain.

At $43.740 Scotland’s is comparable to the UK as a whole, Finland, France, and comfortably above that of New Zealand. The three poorest European countries 100 years ago – Norway, Ireland and Iceland are all doing very well. Scotland has the economic base to make rapid strides once freed from the continuing damage of Brexit and able to realise its own European future.

The cold war, as we remember it, has not ended – just entered a very different phase.

Lisa from Bavaria talked to me on the condition of anonymity. EU nationals living in Scotland remain very nervous as long as the Home Office hostile environment continues to control immigration, deciding who can stay here and who can not. I will be publishing a longer piece from our conversation in the next couple of days.

You can find similar content on our blog: https://thaimassagegreenock.co.uk/blog/

Please let me have your feedback below in the comments section.

Let us know what topics we should cover in future.

source https://thaimassagegreenock.co.uk/cold-war-icy-blast-strikes-at-heart-of-johnsons-government/

[pencarterandthesuperfreaks]

Elliot: Everyone, I have some bad news. Pen was hit by a car.

Lisa: Where?

Elliot: It happened this morning in the parking lot. I took her to the hospital. And the doctors tried to save her life, they did the best they could. And… she is going to be okay.

Graham: What is wrong with you?! Why would you phrase it like that?!

[kirstythejetblackgoldfish]

[sewingscars]

Diversion!!!

To all the trans military and veterans who have fought for our freedom, WE SEE YOU AND WE THANK YOU!!! . 

We will NOT be posting any articles about the Anus-Mouthed-Leathery-Tangerine's tweets from his shitter. This is not to devalue or distract from this mornings news. On the contrary, it is simply a reminder.

 This piece of shit H.R.2796 - Civil Rights Uniformity Act of 2017 was introduced into Congress on 6-7-2017. 

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2796 

.Civil Rights Uniformity Act of 2017 

This bill prohibits the word "sex" or "gender" from being interpreted to mean "gender identity," and requires "man" or "woman" to be interpreted to refer exclusively to a person's genetic sex, for purposes determining the meaning of federal civil rights laws or related federal administrative agency regulations or guidance. 

No federal civil rights law shall be interpreted to treat gender identity or transgender status as a protected class unless it expressly designates "gender identity" or "transgender status" as a protected class. 

. 

YESTERDAY DAY 187- 1/ Senate Republicans secured the 51 votes needed to advance their health care bill after Pence cast the tie-breaking vote. The Senate will now begin debating, amending, and ultimately voting in the coming days on the future of Obamacare. The vote was too close to call until the last moments, when several Republican holdouts announced their support, including Rand Paul, Dean Heller, Rob Portman, and Shelley Moore Capito. Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski both voted against the motion to proceed. (New York Times / Washington Post / CNN)

 .

 2/ The Senate will now have 20 hours of debate the health care bill, evenly split between the two sides. Senators can bring up and debate an unlimited number of amendments to the bill as long as they are “germane” to the bill and would not add to the budget deficit. Then a period known as vote-a-rama happens, where Senators votes on the amendments. The first amendment will be the Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act, which repeals most of the Affordable Care Act without a replacement. If that fails (as is expected), Senators will then vote on the Better Care Reconciliation Act, which cuts massive portions of the ACA. Because of reconciliation rules, these amendments would require 60 votes to pass. If BCRA fails, Senators will consider what is being called a “skinny repeal,” which repeals the individual mandate penalty, the employer mandate penalty, and the tax on medical devices. (New York Times / Vox / Time / NBC News) John McCain returned to the Senate for the health care vote after being diagnosed with brain cancer last week. McCain’s vote is critical to today’s procedural vote. His absence would have left Senate Republicans with no margin of error. (Washington Post / Politico) Senate Republicans don’t know what’s in their health care plan, but they voted anyway on the motion to proceed. About a half-dozen senators were publicly undecided about whether to start debate on rolling back the Affordable Care Act. Several senators have said they want a “replace” plan ready to go before voting “yes.” An agreed upon replace plan is not in place. The bill will have to pass the House before making its way to Trump’s desk. McConnell forced the procedural vote to put every senator on record. (Politico / Vox / CNN). 

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 3/ Trump ripped Jeff Sessions on Twitter, calling him “very weak” when it comes to investigating Hillary Clinton. Trump has repeatedly taken aim at Sessions in recent days, leading to speculation that it’s just a matter of time before the attorney general resigns or is fired. The recent tweets come a day after Trump publicly described Sessions as “beleaguered.” (NBC News / CNN) 

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 4/ Later in the day, Trump added that he is “very disappointed in Jeff Sessions” but won’t say if he’ll fire him. Trump has previously discussed replacing Jeff Sessions in a move viewed by some of Trump’s advisors as part of a strategy for firing special counsel Robert Mueller in order to end his investigation into the campaign’s efforts to coordinate with the Kremlin to influence the 2016 election. Sessions recently asked White House staff how he could patch up relations with Trump, but that went nowhere. Instead, Trump floated longtime ally Rudy Giuliani as a possible replacement for Sessions. (Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / Associated Press)

 .

 5/ Sessions is “pissed” at Trump for the attacks, but doesn’t plan to quit. Senate Republicans have said that attacks on Sessions, who spent 20 years in the Senate, strain their relationship with Trump. Many GOP senators have expressed annoyance with Trump’s tweets, saying “I really have a hard time with this” and "I’d prefer that he didn’t do that. We’d like Jeff to be treated fairly.” Senators have also been nonplussed by Trump’s criticism of Sessions’ decision to recuse himself, saying “Jeff made the right decision. It’s not only a legal decision, but it’s the right decision.“ Trump’s senior policy adviser Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon also support Sessions. (The Daily Beast / McClatchy DC)

 .

 6/ Anthony Scaramucci says it’s "probably” correct that Trump wants Sessions gone. The new White House communications director didn’t want to speak for the president, but said he thinks Trump has a “certain style” and he is “obviously frustrated.” (The Hill)

 .

 7/ Senate Democrats are planning a procedural move to prevent Trump from making recess appointments by forcing the Senate to hold “pro forma” sessions – brief meetings, often only a few minutes. Democrats are worried Trump could attempt to bypass Congress and appoint a new attorney general and undermine special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing probe into alleged Russian meddling in the US election during the planned August recess. (CNN / Reuters) 

.

 8/ The Senate Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena to Paul Manafort to testify in its Russia probe. Manafort had agreed to provide notes of the meeting at Trump Tower last year with the Russian lawyer, according to a person close to the investigation. Committee chairman Chuck Grassley and ranking member Dianne Feinstein said they had been “unable to reach an agreement for a voluntary transcribed interview with the Judiciary Committee” with Manafort. (ABC News / Politico) . UPDATE: **The Senate Judiciary Committee has dropped the subpoena against Paul Manafort **and plans are underway for the former Trump campaign chairman to speak to investigators. (Politico) 

. 

9/ Parents are angry after Trump delivered a politicized speech to tens of thousands of boy scouts. Over 35 minutes, Trump threatened to fire one of his Cabinet members, attacked Obama, dissed Hillary Clinton, marveled at the size of the crowd, warned the boys about the “fake media,” mocked the polls, and said more people would say “Merry Christmas.“ Responding to criticism, the Boy Scouts of America insisted it was "wholly non-partisan and does not promote any one position, product, service, political candidate or philosophy.” (Washington Post / BBC) Trump joked he would fire Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price if the health care bill doesn’t pass. “Hopefully he’s going to get the votes tomorrow to start on the path to kill this thing called ObamaCare that’s really hurting us,” Trump said during a speech to Boy Scouts at the 2017 National Jamboree. “He better get them, otherwise I’ll say, ‘Tom, you’re fired.’” (The Hill) 

. 

10/ Trump confirmed a covert CIA program while tweeting that the Washington Post had “fabricated the facts” about his decision to end a program aiding Syrian rebels fighting the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Trump was referring to a story about ending an Obama program where the CIA armed and trained moderate Syrian rebels, a move long sought by the Russian government. (Washington Post / Politico) 

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 11/ A federal judge ruled that Trump’s voter fraud commission may request voter roll data from states. Opponents contend the effort could infringe on privacy rights. The judge said the lawsuit did not have grounds for an injunction because the commission was not technically an action by a government agency – the commission is an advisory body that does not have legal authority to compel states to hand over the data. (Reuters) 

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12/ Jared Kushner bought real estate from an oligarch’s firm represented by the Russian lawyer. Lev Leviev was a business partner at Prevezon Holdings, where Natalia Veselnitskaya acted as legal counsel. Prevezon was being investigated by Preet Bharara for money laundering before he was fired by Trump in March. Prevezon Holdings attempted to use Manhattan real estate deals to launder money stolen from the Russian treasury. In 2015, Kushner paid $295m to acquire several floors of the old New York Times building at 43rd street in Manhattan from the US branch of Leviev’s company. The Prevezon case was abruptly settled two days before it was due in open court in May for $6 million with no admission of guilt on the part of the defendants. (The Guardian) 

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13/ A White House press aide resigned after Anthony Scaramucci said he planned to fire him over alleged leaks. Michael Short is the first to leave after Scaramucci promised all aides “a clean slate” and “amnesty” to prove that they were not leaking. “This is the problem with the leaking,” Scaramucci told reporters outside the White House. “This is actually a terrible thing. Let’s say I’m firing Michael Short today. The fact that you guys know about it before he does really upsets me as a human being and as a Roman Catholic.” Short, who initially said Tuesday that he hadn’t yet been informed of any decision, resigned Tuesday afternoon. (Washington Post / Politico / The Hill) 

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DAY188 - Trump TWEETS ( NO official report, NO press release, NO executive order) that trans people are banned from the military. The Internet explodes. Everything that has been happening is no longer discussed. His diversion has been executed perfectly. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. #lightingahellfiretocoverashitstorm

[wp-yahoo-style-1042-yahoopa-blog]

TV Anchor Trolls Daily Mail by Repeatedly Wearing Same Blouse, Proves Important Point About Sexism

Breaking news: An anchor in Australia wore the same shirt a few times within the same amount of months. The horror!

We’re joking, but the Daily Mail was not when they called out Lisa Wilkinson, co-host of Channel Nine’s Today Show in Australia, for wearing the same blouse months apart. “Lisa Wilkinson looks to have a preference when it comes to attire, seen sporting the same floral shirt, just four months apart,” the Daily Mail reported Monday, after Wilkinson appeared on-air in a burgundy blouse with a keyhole neckline and floral pattern just four months after she debuted it in December. The nerve.

In good humor, Wilkinson had the most amazing response to being called “thrifty” by the website.

I am sooo busted! Seems I've been seen hosting breakfast TV wearing same blouse with "strategic cutout above the bust" just 4months apart!!! pic.twitter.com/hx1AaQw2b2

— Lisa Wilkinson (@Lisa_Wilkinson) April 11, 2017

“I am sooo busted!” the journalist and editor at large for Huffington Post Australia wrote on Twitter in response to the Daily Mail’s story. “Seems I’ve been seen hosting breakfast TV wearing same blouse with ‘strategic cutout above the bust’ just 4 months apart!!!”

To further troll the publication, Wilkinson did the unthinkable: She wore the same shirt again the very next day. Don’t worry — she washed it. She explained herself in a piece for Huffington Post entitled, “I Want To Thank The Fashion Police For Airing My Dirty Laundry.”

“I did something incredibly brave today,” she wrote. “In fact, I did something that has never been done before by a female presenter in the history of TV news broadcasting — at any news desk, in any studio, anywhere in the Western world.” Wilkinson poked fun at the attention placed on her attire when there are more important things going on in the world by saying, “It didn’t involve a live cross to Bashar Al Assad in the Syrian war zone. Or an exclusive interview with Donald Trump on Air Force One. I didn’t manage to make Sean Spicer sound good. It wasn’t a journalistic scoop, or even a hard-hitting editorial. No, from this day forward perhaps my greatest legacy to the annals of female news broadcasting history will likely be that I dared to wear the same outfit two days in a row on national TV.”

“That’s right: same outfit, consecutive days. On national TV,” Wilkinson hilariously declared.

She added: “Dang that dastardly, eagle-eyed investigative team at the Daily Mail [that] had already gone and blown my fashion recycling cover! As they so accurately and exclusively reported in breaking news yesterday morning, shortly after our show went to air, the top in question was one I had worn on air before.”

Wilkinson sarcastically said she believes there was plenty of time in between wearings, stating that she originally wore the top in 2016. “Or, let’s just work this out for a sec… oh yeah, about 125 outfits ago,” she wrote.

We think 125 outfits is safe space to re-wear something. If Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, can wear the same coat three times and a queen can wear the same dress twice, we think it’s OK for a news anchor to recycle a blouse four months later.

And Wilkinson did exactly that, trolling the Daily Mail by wearing the same blouse yet again. “The only thing this (stubborn) girl could do under the circumstances… wear that baby again!” she continued. “So this morning I did. Hence my claim to fashion-broadcasting fame.”

Of course, Daily Mail took the bait. “So nice, she wore it thrice!” their headline read. It was a test, and the Daily Mail failed.

While Wilkinson seems to have laughed the whole thing off, she’s also proving an important point: Women are still treated differently than men in media. “Today I am thanking the Daily Mail,” she wrote, “for proving once and for all what we know to be true. You see, I’m the gal that sits next to the guy who wore exactly the same suit on air every weekday for a whole year. Every single day. And no one noticed. But let a woman try that on… twice? Not on your Nelly!”

The best part is that her comeback has inspired several supporters: News anchors are speaking out in support of Wilkinson and are even putting on the shirt themselves.

David Campbell, Wilkinson’s co-host, threw on the blouse and posted a picture to Twitter with the caption, “I stand with @Lisa_Wilkinson.”

I stand with @Lisa_Wilkinson on @TheTodayShow pic.twitter.com/FyJuzslOII

— David Campbell (@DavidCampbell73) April 12, 2017

Then another Today anchor hosted in the blouse.

@Lisa_Wilkinson The plot thickens… ???? @Channel9Style #9Today pic.twitter.com/SBPEngqOMY

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) April 11, 2017

  And they aren’t the only ones.

Probably should have checked social media before choosing my outfit today! @SXNewsTas @Lisa_Wilkinson pic.twitter.com/kkJngi60Zy

— Jo Palmer (@JoPalmerSCTV) April 12, 2017

“Meanwhile, in Syria…,” she so pointedly concluded her essay.

Read more from Yahoo Beauty + Style:

Spanx Founder Sara Blakely Shares Empowering Message About Following Your Dreams

North West Carries $5,000 Fendi Purse to Church — Totally Normal

Viral Video of Toddler Trying to Get Into His Skinny Jeans Is So Relatable

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyle and @YahooBeauty.

[forextutor-blog]

New Post has been published on Forex Blog | Free Forex Tips | Forex News

!!! CLICK HERE TO READ MORE !!! http://www.forextutor.net/in-the-trump-era-one-u-s-muslim-investor-tries-a-louder-voice/

In the Trump era, one U.S. Muslim investor tries a louder voice

By Ross Kerber | BOSTON

Shareholder activism is rare in Islamic finance, but one wealth manager has staked out new territory as the most outspoken voice among Muslim investors in the United States.

Working from an office in Falls Church, Virginia, Bashar Qasem was the only Islamic financial representative among religious shareholder advocates who sent a letter in February to protest U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel ban.

It was only one of a number of such moves since 2015, when Qasem’s Azzad Asset Management firm started weighing in on issues like worker safety, climate change and lobbying disclosures.

This direct advocacy will test whether many U.S. Muslim investors will support the sort of faith-based shareholder activism common among other religious groups even as many cite safety concerns or have experienced bullying.

Qasem said his clients seemed to welcome his growing public role. Most are Muslim, and about half are immigrants. “Most of them, they feel it’s about time,” said Qasem, who grew up in Jordan, moved to the United States in 1987 and became a citizen in 1996.

So far Qasem’s strategy appears to be helping to differentiate his firm at a time when the popularity of cheaper index-tracking products is rising.

Azzad’s assets increased 11 percent in 2016 to $487 million at year-end. Growth included $5.7 million into the firm’s mutual funds, the third consecutive year of inflows.

By contrast, the Amana family of mutual funds, which Morningstar says is the largest in U.S. Islamic finance at $2.9 billion of assets, has had three years of investor withdrawals, which it blames partly on the rise of passively managed products.

Laila El-Haddad, who writes about food and Palestinian politics, said Qasem’s outspokenness helped draw her to his firm. “Given the choices between two Islamic investment companies,” she said, “we would definitely opt for the one taking this approach.”

TESTING INVESTORS’ FAITH

Funds involved in Islamic finance are sometimes classified as “Sharia-compliant,” or adhering to religious precepts such as avoiding investments in alcoholic beverage companies and businesses making or receiving interest payments.

Qasem said he preferred the term “Halal investing,” referring to the Arabic word for “permitted” investments.

Islamic finance assets stood at $2 trillion worldwide in 2015, up from $1.7 trillion in 2012, according to the latest Thomson Reuters data.

The much smaller $4.6 billion U.S. Islamic finance sector, however, has grown little in recent years. Only a few institutions, mostly community banks, have significant Islamic lending practices.

Ibrahim Warde, an adjunct professor at Tufts University’s Fletcher School, said the slow growth reflected both U.S. regulations that make some Islamic products difficult to offer and some Muslim financial executives’ desire to avoid drawing attention, given the public mood.

“There’s this question of keeping a low profile,” he said.

Sheraz Iftikhar, managing partner of New York wealth manager Arch Global Advisors, said his clients, who are mainly Muslim, had not changed their investment strategies lately.

“It’s too early to see a change in Muslim investor sentiment,” said Iftikhar.

Typical of Qasem’s recent efforts is a measure that Azzad co-filed in January, calling on Google parent Alphabet Inc to adopt “Holy Land Principles” that would lead U.S. companies doing business is Israel to hire more Palestinian Arabs.

Azzad spokesman Joshua Brockwell said Alphabet told the firm it would hold a vote on the measure at its annual meeting.

Azzad has also co-filed a shareholder resolution calling on Exxon Mobil Corp to disclose more about its spending on lobbying. Brockwell said the oil company would probably oppose the measure, as it did last year.

Spokesmen for Alphabet and Exxon declined to comment.

In addition, Qasem signed on to a Feb. 1 letter from the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility and other groups, urging business leaders to use an upcoming meeting with Trump to speak out against his ban on travelers from a number of Muslim-majority nations. Courts have since blocked the restrictions, and the U.S. Justice Department has appealed the rulings.

While the ban jarred Qasem and some of his clients, he expressed optimism about U.S. economic growth prospects, given Trump’s agenda of tax cuts and infrastructure investments. Higher interest rates could also help Azzad’s holdings in low-debt companies, he said.

“After all,” Qasem said of Trump, “he’s a businessman.”

(Reporting by Ross Kerber; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

In the Trump era, one U.S. Muslim investor tries a louder voice In the Trump era, one U.S. Muslim investor tries a louder voice http://feeds.reuters.com/news/wealth $inline_image

[naijastudio]

Nigerian History's Top 20 Dethroned Traditional Rulers

Dethronement can occur for a variety of reasons, including disagreements with the powers that be, particularly the government, which typically leads to official pronouncements of dethronement, self-exile to prevent abduction or removal from the throne through court injunctions. Dethronement is often brought about by uprisings and revolts among subjects in response to dissatisfaction with reigns or claims of misbehavior and misconduct. So, which Nigerian Kings have been deposed against their will? As a result, I've gone to the trouble of compiling this list in order to highlight the fact that history has been repeating itself without our notice. The following is a list of the 20 Nigerian Kings who have been dethroned 1. Ooni of Ife – Ogboru Ogboru is a 19th-century Ooni of Ife who was dethroned by the Ife Palace Chiefs who were bored of his 70-year reign. He was tricked into leaving his place to go see something in the historic Ile-Ife town's Atiba square, and he wasn't allowed to return to the palace. He stormed off to another continent, where he created and settled a small village called Ife-Odan. Ife Chiefs had to seek for him at Ife Odan to get him to return, but he resisted and offered them his daughter Moropo to sacrifice at the palace, after which his son Giessi became the next Ooni after him. 2. Oba of Benin Ovoranwen Nogbaisi (1888 – 1897) In 1897, he was removed by the British government for monopolizing trade forms that the British government, led by Vice-Consul Phillips Roberts, found objectionable, and hence rooted for his removal. The Consult attempted to elude the Oba's palace but was ambushed and slain by royal emissaries. Benin City was demolished and the palace was badly looted as a result of a military action led by Harry Hawson. The Oba was supposed to be hanged, but he managed to flee when his dethronement was revealed and was exiled to Essien, a tiny village in Calabar, where he died in 1914. 3. Emir of Bauchi – Umar Mohammed On the 16th of February, 1902, Mohammed was overthrown by Lord Lugard's second-in-command, William Wallace, for alleged slave trading, insubordination against the British government, and misrule of his people. His son was sworn in as Emir for the first time. 4. Emir of Kano Aliyu Ibn Abdullahi Maje Karofi When the Sultan of Sokoto appointed another prince named Tukur as the new Emir of Kano in 1894, he became the Emir of Kano, and he and his elder brother, Yusuf, launched a “Bassa” resistance battle known as the 3rd Kano Civil War. Aliyu, known as the Sango of Zaki (the gun runner) or Ali Balads for his heavy use of explosives in most fights, seized Kano and became the Emir in 1894 after a year-long struggle. Following an homage visit to the Sultan at Sokoto, he was deposed in 1903 when British-French forces assaulted Kano, putting an end to his reign. He was initially deported to Yola and then to Lokoja, where he died in 1926 as the capital of the new Northern Nigerian administration. 5. Emir of Ningi – Dan Yaya Dan Yaya was overthrown by the British Temple just months after Umar Emir of Bauchi was exiled in July 1902 for oppressing his people, resulting in the murder of a mallam, and siding with Emir of Bauchi. A new Sarkin Ningi, Mammadu, was enthroned as the heir to the throne. Dan Yaya fled to Bura Town, where he was slain by the Bura people in 1905 for his continuing terrorizing deeds. 6. Olu of Warri – Erejuwa I Between 1951,1964, 1966 and1989, Erejuwa was the traditional ruler of Itsekiri. Before becoming king, he was a senior officer with UAC who was dismissed by the NCNC eastern party in 1964 because of his support for Awolowo's Action Group, which is the party of many prominent Itsekiris. As a result of the political struggle, the Midwestern States were formed. After being restored by a military administration led by David Ejoor in 1966, Erejuwa was exiled to the village of Ogbesse, where he governed until 1989. 7. Alaafin of Oyo – Oba Adediran Adeyemi II Oba Adediran Adeyemi II (father of the current Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi) was dethroned for political rivalry with the Western government of Nigeria led by Chief Awolowo when he gave his political will and support to an opposition party led by Chief Nnamdi Azikwe, which was exacerbated by disagreement and conflict with the then Awolowo Action group leader, Bode Thomas. In July 1955, Oba Adediran was exiled from Oyo town and housed in Lagos by Alhaji N.B Soule, a wealthy NCNC member, following which Gbadegesin Ladigbolu was enthroned as the new Alaafin of Oyo until 1970. 8. Alaafin Adediran Adeyemi Timi of Ede – Abibu Lagunju Timi Abibu Languju, the first Muslim Yoruba king in history, reigned from 1855 to 1892 until being ousted and deported by the British to Ibadan, where he lived with Sunmonu Apampa, the Asipa of Ibadan at the time, until his death in 1900. One of his offspring, Raji Lagunju, was born to an Ile-Ife bride and raised to become the second Chief Imam of Ile-Ife. 9. Oba Adenuga, Awujale of Ijebu-Ode, 1892-1925 Awujale Adenuga In November 1925, Folagbade was named an Awujale of Ijebu Ode. He was 33 years old and lived in Igbeba, a small village near Ijebu Ode, with his mother. He was the “Odi” (Ijebu kingmakers) choice for the Tunwase ruling house, but other local chiefs objected to his appointment, believing he was too young and premature for the throne. In 1929, he was ousted and deported to Ilorin for corruption involving forestry fees and influencing the appointment of Oba Onipe of the IBU. He was succeeded by Oba Ogunnaike, who died in 1933. 10. Akarigbo of Remo – Oyebajo Oba Oyebajo was the traditional ruler of Ijebu Remo from 1811 until 1915 when he was in his mid-twenties. The British removed him as a de-facto ruler who refused to respect his senior chiefs (Bademowo – The Lisa of Remo & Awofala, the Losi of) and denied them their due portion of the constitutionally entitled stipends, as part of the 1914 amalgamation regulation that local rulers should be part of native courts. The British Officer in Charge of the Administrative District, H.F Ducoumbe, not only deposed him but also sentenced him and two others to hard labor in prison at Ijebu Ode. He was liberated 6 months later and later resided in Sagamu. 11. Alase of Remo, High Chief Awolesi In a grandiose coronation ceremony attended by British Officer Ducoumbe, Awolesi was crowned the new Akarigbo. On the 25th of February 1916, Awolesi died suddenly, and the British appointed Oba Oyebayo's clerk, an educated public writer, as the new Akarigbo of Remo. With rising Oyebajo groups calling for his reinstatement, he was imprisoned along with another follower named Ali and sent to Calabar in 1918, where he barely lived for 3 months. Ali died in 1922 after the Governor denied his clemency request. 12. Osemawe of Ondo – Oba Adekolurejo Jimosun II (Otutubiosun) In 1925, the Oba, who ruled from 1918 to 1925, was deposed and exiled to Ile-Ife, where he lived and died. Ondo town had its first secondary school, called Ondo boys high school, under the reign of Oba Jimosun. 13. Oba Adenuga Fidipote II, Osemawe of Ondo Oba Adenuga was said to be a wealthy ruler of Ondo town, and he is credited with constructing the town's first modern palace. He ruled for seven years before being overthrown and forced out of town to Ibadan in 1942. Here's where you may learn more about Ondo Obas. 14. Oba of Lagos – Ibikunle Akintoye & Kosoko Akintoye was Oba of Lagos twice, the first time from 1841 until 1845 when he was ousted and sent to Badagry for advocating against the slave trade. Oba Kosoko was overthrown for having a rift with the British government after he refused to hand over the Lagos colony to the British and ordered the British administration to meet with the Oba of Benin. In 1851, the British administration returned Ibikunle Akintoye, who had been exiled as Egba and Badagry, in revenge for his gut. He reigned for a second time until September 1853, when he died and was succeeded by Oba Dosumu. The deposed was afterward summoned to Lagos and promoted to high chief Oloja of Eleko, a salaried position in Oshodi tapa Epetedo. In 1872, he resided and died in this town. 15. Emir of Gwandu – Mustapha Jokolo Following various claims leveled against him by his chiefs, the Ex-Emir was deposed by the Kebbi State administration in 2005 and banished to Kaduna. By June 2005, he had been succeeded by Muhammadu Illyasu Bashar, a retired major who had previously served as the military governor of the old Gongola State between 1976 and 1978. Jokolo, who has been deposed for 15 years, is still fighting his dethronement in court. 16. Emir of Kano – SIR Mohammodu Sanusi I Sanusi I was the Emir of Kano between 1954 to April 1963, when he was overthrown by Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, a distant cousin, following an allegation of financial corruption in the emirate. In 1964, he was overthrown by Azare and died in Wudil a few years later. Sanusi I is the grandfather of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the recently deposed Emir of Kano who, like his grandpa, governed from 2014 to 2020. 17. Olofa of Offa – Oba Wuraola Isioye Oba Isioye was enthroned on January 5, 1957, and reigned as Offa District Chief for two years until being deposed by the Northern Regional Government after a successful move to recognize Offa Local Court and abolish the long-used Ilorin Alkali Court. This prompted the late Saurduna to oust him and banish him to the Ogbomoso-Kogi Area, where he remained until his return in 1964. Even though his district title was not recovered, he was reinstated as Olofa till his death in 1969. 18. Sultan of Sokoto – Ibrahim Dasuki The dethronement of Late Sultan Dasuki by the military administration of Abacha in 1996 is perhaps the most extensively documented case of a king being deposed in Nigeria, as practically everyone in Nigeria in their late twenties is aware of the event. There were also songs recorded by musicians to that effect on the continuing alteration of traditions, such as Yoruba Fuji Singer Abbass Obesere's waxing of "T'oba kan o Ku, Oba kan o Je," which states that a new king cannot be crowned while another is living. Ibrahim Dasuki's departure was said to be linked to a feud between him and Abacha over the late Abacha's relative's property. It was also speculated that it was because of rumors of his modernist style of government and that many people favored Sultan Maccido, who would follow him. 19. Olowo of Owo – Oba Olateru Olagbegi II Oba Olateru, the richest and most powerful Olowo of Owo town in Ondo state, was elected Olowo in 1941 and reigned until 1966 when he joined forces with Chief S.L Akintola against Chief Awolowo, his ally. In fact, the Awolowo Action Group party was created inside Olowo palace, and Owo has been involved in political and kingship battles for years, culminating in 1966 with a cold-blooded coup that resulted in the loss of many possessions and lives. The people of Owo rose against their King and exiled him for another 27 years, after which Oba Ogunoye ascended to the throne. Olateru was reappointed as the new Olowo of Owo in 1993 after the death of Ogunoye, and he reigned for another 5 years until his death in 1998. In 1999, his eldest son succeeded him and reigned for the next 20 years. 20. Deji of Akure – Oba Oluwadamilare Adesina Osupa III The ignominious exit of Oba Oluwadamilare as Akure's paramount king is just another reminder of the importance of royal carriage and behavior, as they are considered leaders and role models. The monarch was deposed on June 10, 2010, after his estranged wife was beaten at her house in Akure, in what the Ondo state government described as "dishonorable, condemnable, and disgusting conduct unworthy of a king," invoking a clause of the state chieftaincy legislation of 1984 as amended. On the 13th of August 2010, a new Deji of Akure Adebiyi Adeshida Afunbiowo II was declared with quick action. Other Kings who have been dethroned include: Oba Awujale Sikiru Adetona Adetona was ousted in 1981 after being suspended by a commission of inquiry set up by Olabisi Onabanjo, the then-Governor of Ogun State, and was found guilty of the accusation. Following a military takeover, he was luckily reinstated by Col. Diya. Onojie of Uromi Kingdom – Anslem Aidenojie Former Governor Adams Oshiomole suspended Aidenojie and deposed him in 2016 for abusing a woman and showing blatant disrespect for constituted authority by failing to apologize within the two-week period he was given. In 2018, Gov. Obaseki, on the other hand, reinstalled the former king. Olupoti of Ipoti Ekiti – Oba Oladele Ayeni After 25 years in power, Oba Isiah Oladele, who was accused of being unjustly chosen in 1987, was deposed in 2012. Eleruwa of Eruwa, Oba Samuel Adebayo Adegbola After 21 years in power, he was deposed by the Supreme Court in November 2019. He was dethroned for the first time in 2011, and after filing an appeal, he lost the reign eight years later. Read the full article

[smitheeblog]

Being Nice and Other Assorted Virtues

My last post was about how saying irrelevant things can sometimes make you come across as a dick, even if you’re actually being sincere.

Another thing that often makes very good-intentioned people come across as assholes is not acknowledging that bad things are bad. Imagine Keith and Lisa are arguing about whether the United States should invade Syria.

Lisa: 400,000 people have died in Syria since the outbreak of the civil war! We have to do something to overthrow Bashar al-Assad

Keith: Um, actually, US attempts to overthrow foreign powers usually result in power vacuums and more conflict. Lisa: But think of all the children dying! We need to do something!

Keith, in this instance, despite potentially being right, kind of sounds like an asshole.

Lisa will probably not want to engage with Keith anymore, and Keith will likely lose credibility with onlookers of this argument.

Try this again with one more line:

Lisa: 400,000 people have died in Syria since the outbreak of the civil war! We have to do something to overthrow Bashar al-Assad

Keith: That’s really tragic, and we should try our best to find a solution, but US attempts to overthrow foreign powers usually result in power vacuums and more conflict. Keith is now a nice guy. I might have a beer and discuss Syria with Keith. And the only thing that Keith did was preface his counter argument with an acknowledgement of the problem.

It’s actually wild how much better it sounds to do this, and how much nicer and friendlier people sound when they do these things.

There’s a lot more involved in being a nice person in discourse, but this is a really easy fix that can go a long way.

[biofunmy]

Trump Defended Abandoning The Kurds And Made No Sense While Doing It

President Donald Trump defended his decision to move US troops out of the way of a Turkish invasion of Syria last week in a press conference that was, even for him, baffling in the number of fabrications, historical errors, and outright weird shit that came from his mouth.

Trump, never one to moderate his speech in front of the press, was in rare form on Tuesday. As he stood next to Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the White House, he went from a monotone delivery as the pair read off their prepared statements to combative and energized as they took questions from the assembled reporters.

Earlier in the day, Trump made clear he had no regrets about letting the Turkish armed forces attack members of the Syrian Democratic Forces, who were the main US allies on the ground in the fight against ISIS in Syria. Turkey’s incursion has “nothing to do with us,” he said, before insisting that the Kurds who make up the bulk of the SDF “are no angels.”

He doubled down on that in response to the first question tossed his way:

They’ve been warring for many years. It’s unnatural for us, but it’s sort of natural for them. They fight and they fight long and they fight hard and they’ve been fighting Syria for a long time and on the border. That’s the border with Syria. I say, why are we protecting Syria’s land? [Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is] not a friend of ours. Why are we protecting their land?

And Syria also has a relationship with the Kurds, who, by the way, are no angels, okay? Who is an angel? There aren’t too many around.

But Syria has a relationship with the Kurds, so they’ll come in for their border and they’ll fight. They may bring partners in. They could bring Russia in, and I say welcome to it. Russia went into Afghanistan when it was the Soviet Union and it became Russia. It became a much smaller country because of Afghanistan.

You can overextend, you can do a lot of things. But frankly if Russia is going to help in protecting the Kurds, that’s a good thing, not a bad thing. Syria doesn’t want Turkey to take its land. I can understand that. What does that have to do with the United States of America? Syria does have a relationship with the Kurds.

In that section alone, which, again, was in response to the first question, there’s a lot to unpack. We have Trump pushing a narrative that implies that for those people over there, the brown ones, fighting is “natural” and there’s nothing the more civilized countries of the world can do about it. He claims that Syria will be the protectors of the Kurds, even after the Kurds were fighting against Assad’s rule and setting up a territory of their own until Trump’s decision last week. And he said yet again that the Soviet Union only “became a much smaller country” because of its invasion of Afghanistan — despite that not really being the case at all.

But it quickly got even worse when Trump said this:

The PKK, which is a part of the Kurds, as you know, is probably worse at terror and more of a terrorist threat in many ways than ISIS.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could not be any happier about those words coming from Trump. It’s been his country’s position for years that the Kurdish separatists represent a true threat to Turkey’s security, scolding the US for its partnership with the branch that made up the SDF and warning of dire consequences. Now here’s the president of the United States saying, Yes, this group is just as bad as the one that required a global coalition to stop it in its tracks.

The ongoing fighting between Turkey and the PKK, or the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, is a real concern — it has been since a ceasefire collapsed in 2015, even as Turkey has cracked down on Kurdish citizens and sympathizers in response. But the PKK has not carried out an attack in Europe for decades, or expanded into Afghanistan like ISIS has. And that doesn’t cancel out the Kurds fighting in Syria’s feelings of betrayal after an estimated 10,000 of them died in the war against ISIS.

Jonathan Karl, ABC’s White House correspondent, asked: “You don’t think the country’s worried about ISIS? You mentioned earlier you think some of the countries might hate ISIS more than the United States.”

Trump answered that because ISIS is 7,000 miles away, the US doesn’t need to worry about it; it’s totally fine if Russia handles it:

Absolutely. Russia hates ISIS as much as the United States does. Iran hates ISIS. I mean, we’re fighting a war for Russia, we’re fighting a war for Iran? You look at Syria. Syria hates ISIS. We’re over there killing ISIS. Don’t forget, we’re 7,000 miles — so we’re killing ISIS, we’re 7,000 miles away. Russia is much closer. Iran is right there, Turkey is right there. They all hate ISIS. Turkey a little bit less so, but the others very much. Russia had a plane blown up by ISIS. Russia wants nothing to do with ISIS. Russia’s tough. They can kill ISIS just as well, and they happen to be in their neighborhood.

All I’m saying is this, I’m not going to lose potentially thousands and tens of thousands of American soldiers fighting a war between Turkey and Syria. Syria’s not our friend. Assad is not our friend. That’s the way it goes.

(Rep. Liz Cheney reportedly pushed back on that comment in a meeting with Trump later on Wednesday, reminding him that the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks had come from people 7,000 miles away.)

And when asked about criticism at home from erstwhile supporters like Sen. Lindsey Graham, Trump turned his full ire on the Republican senator, urging him to get back to running the Senate Judiciary Committee and, well, investigating conspiracy theories like “Spygate”:

Lindsey Graham would like to stay in the Middle East for the next thousand years with thousands of soldiers fighting other people’s wars. I want to get out of the Middle East.

Lindsey should focus on … the do-nothing Democrats, as I call them. They’re getting nothing done. They’re not getting USMCA done between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. They’re getting nothing done.

I think Lindsey should focus on Judiciary. He ought to find out about what happened with Comey, what happened with McCabe, Lisa [Page], what happened with Peter Strzok, what happened with President Obama, what happened with Brennan. That’s what Lindsey ought to focus on. That’s what the people of South Carolina want him to focus on.

The people of South Carolina don’t want us to get into a war with Turkey, a NATO member, or with Syria. Let them fight their own wars. They’ve been fighting for a thousand years. Let them fight their own wars. The people of South Carolina want to see those troops come home. I won an election based on that. Whether it’s good or bad, that’s the way it is. And if you look at this country, I’d be willing to bet anything, political instinct, that that’s what the country wants.

As he was putting that out there, Graham was busy grilling Brian Hook, a senior State Department official, about Trump’s decision. It did not go well for Hook.

Meanwhile, Trump continued on to claim that US troops have been in Syria for…a decade? (US forces were first deployed to Syria to take on ISIS in 2015.) And he then insisted that, because the US has the biggest military in the world, “We’re the boss”:

We were supposed to be in Syria for one month. That was 10 years ago. And we’ve been a police force. It’s time to bring our soldiers back home. That’s the way it is. We’ve had no soldiers injured or hurt. That’s because I’m president. We’re the boss. Just remember that. We have the most powerful military in the world by far.

But all of that pales in comparison to Trump’s letter to Erdogan, released Wednesday afternoon, to the point that the baffling things he said in his press conference will likely be forgotten by tomorrow.

And the historians of the world wept.

Sahred From Source link World News

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