#nepal congress

[yurideification]

Don't want to succumb to doomerism or anything but the fact that there haven't been any successful communist revolutions since the 1980s besides Nepal is incredibly depressing

[carbonemissionshater]

Reading about Camp Trans and lesbian dating events both being protested by TIMs is so infuriating. Women were not allowed in court rooms, workplaces, voting stations, schools for literally centuries. In some parts of the world, they still can’t. Girls in Nepal have to sit in menstrual huts. Women in rural India have no safe public restrooms. Women are and have been relinquished to the home for centuries, not to be seen in public. And in any of these cases there was no question who was a woman: it was adult human females.

Now that women have gotten a SLIVER of power and freedom, males are demanding our spaces. Demanding to be in our locker rooms, prisons, bathrooms, sports, rape shelters, lesbian events, women’s festivals. Everything. Suddenly, it’s not clear who’s a woman. Suddenly, anyone can be a woman.

Idc if they feel left out or have dysphoria, women should have the right to gather without males. Women shouldn’t have to relinquish female only spaces to accommodate males. TIMs maintain the right to exist anywhere else (some places they can’t wear their girl costumes but the right for males to wear dresses/makeup is not the same as women’s rights) and they do, in congress, on television, on magazines, at work, etc.

[allthegeopolitics]

The leader of Nepal’s largest communist party, Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, has been named the prime minister after shaping a new alliance in the country’s turbulent parliament. A statement on Sunday by the office of the president said the 72-year-old Oli will take his oath of office on Monday, the fourth time he is becoming the prime minister. He is replacing Pushpa Kamal Dahal, whose 18-month-old government collapsed on Friday after Oli’s party, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist, agreed to a new coalition with the centre-left Nepali Congress party.

Continue Reading.

Date of article: July 14th, 2024.

[mohite1]

Modi’s Pm Tenure Is the Second Longest Tenure in the History of India.

PM Modi took the oath of pm along with 72 cabinet members

Modi 3.0

The rumble of the pm post came to an end after pm Modi became the third consecutive prime minister of India. There were rumours like I.N.D.I.A bloc to make Nitish Kumar the PM of India but the offer was not accepted by Nitish Kumar hence last night Modi became the pm.

But as the many changes happen in the movie more changes happened in the Indian election there were ups and downs once it was looking like the I.N.D.I.A bloc was going to sweep the election but the fate of Modi was good at this time Chandra Babu Pawan Kalyan also Nitish Kumar scored well and hence were offered to became deputy prime minister of INDIA which was shocking but things did not happen as per Congress term.

PM Modi now has taken the oath of PM and has started his duty but will the government be strong as a diamond till 2029 or it will dissolve like butter?

We have seen what Triple Alliance has done in the state of Maharashtra.

Inter Politics of India

From 2014 till 2023 no one in the country could challenge the BJP because of its strong ideology of Hindutva and leadership of MODI but after the result of 2024.

The Modi wave has been downed by the current situation the ideology of Hindutva has also been which was extremely booming but why God knows due to the tactics played by the centre have not positively affected the states of India and mostly the people of India don’t’ like such type of politics? That could be the reason.

The centre’s policy to look upon Gujrat development is also not liked by the people of India specially the state people of Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu, because the growth of these states has simultaneously been reducing as Maharashtra’s GDP should have been positive but due to the new leadership of Maharashtra it has been fall and matter got worse after 17 tech companies of Pune left Maharashtra.

Seems the state election is going to soon happen in Maharashtra and the rumble will be on for the most prosperous state of Maharashtra whose GDP is more than Pakistan.

Geo Politics Around India

The South Asia group of Nations called ASEAN is now dead as the entry of PLA (people’s Liberation Army of China) & U.S.A. in the politics of Bhutan, Myanmar, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan only Bangladesh has been pro-India. In such a situation, India also has to develop its own naval fleet.

India has developed in the past decade since Andaman & Nicobar Island is India’s best asset government of India has mainly developed these islands as a naval fleet to keep an eye on China’s trade and especially the presence of China’s navy in the Indian Ocean. And also, for Pakistan which has become a close ally of China these days.

In the Persian Gulf India has made its two allies Iran & Afghanistan which are contemporary enemies of Pakistan.

If we move towards the Arabian region India has maintained great relations with Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Oman which are contemporary trade partners, and especially Oman which is the doorway for India to do trade with the other nations of Arab nations.

Central Asia

If we move up towards central Asia India has to maintain special relations with Tajikistan as India has its air base in Tajikistan.

Other central nations have maintained neutrality in the context of Indo-central relations.

RUSSIA

If we look at the past century Russia is one of the closest and most trustworthy allies. This is positive to India as the current political scenario Russia is more towards China as China provides Trade and other needs to Russia as it is affected by the restrictions put by the West & U.S.A.

Russia signed the same treaty with China as India in 1971 as a treaty of peace and cooperation. The same treaty was signed by Russia and India in the 1971 war but there is a loop.

The relationship between China and Russia has not been good since the issue of the Mussoorie River clash in 1969 hence China is a trade partner of Russia not of trusted partner.

Korean peninsula

The Korean peninsula conflict is since WW2 but India has maintained a balance and good relations with South Korea & North Korea and India has developed the tech trade with South Korea and Japan.

Japan is becoming the new military as well as a tech partner with India. India is going to operate a military base in Japan both sides bilateral talks were conducted at the 13th Japan Summit.

South East Asia

Southeast Asia and India relations have been very negative since the independence, also during the 1964 Indo-Pak war Indonesia was in full support of Pakistan and was ready to attack India but due to the maintenance of Indian armed troops in Andaman and Nicobar, the problem was swept.

India has historically traded with South East Asia during the time of Rajendra Chola who was one of the greatest kings of India. Now the situation is different the countries of Southeast Asia are ready to trade with India but due to the military coup in Myanmar and China’s dominance in the South China Sea, it is becoming difficult for India to trade with Southeast Asia.

As for handling National & International politics India’s current situation needs a strong leader who should be the next prime minister

MODI OR RAHUL GANDHI?

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 9.18

Holidays

Aging Awareness Day

Astronomy Day (Armenia)

Big Brothers Big Sisters Day (Canada)

Celebrate Your Name Day

Celebration of Talent (French Republic)

Chiropractic Founders Day

Clemente Day

Day of National Music (Azerbaijan)

Deceased Motorcyclists Remembrance Day (Ukraine)

Dieciocho (Chile)

Eleven Days of Global Unity, Day 8: Human Rights

European Heritage Days (EU)

Feast Day of the Walloon Region (Belgium)

Festival of Inner Worlds

Festival of Labour (French Republic)

Fiesta Patrias (Chile)

First Love Day

Global Company Culture Day

Hug a Greeting Card Writer Day

International Equal Pay Day (UN)

International Pitt Hopkins Awareness Day

International Read an eBook Day

Island Language Day (Okinawa, Japan)

Jeannie in a Bottle Day

Jitiya Parwa (Only Women Employees; Nepal)

Jonny Quest Day

Long Playing Record Day

Mickey Mantle Day (New York)

Mid-Autumn Festival Holiday (Taiwan)

Mountain Meadows Massacre Anniversary Day (by Mormon Church Members; Utah)

Mukden Incident Anniversary Day

National Cannabis Day (Germany)

National Ceiling Fan Day

National Colton Day

National Day of Civic Hacking

National Fitness Day (UK)

National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day

National Museum Day [also 5.18]

National Music Day (Azerbaijan)

National Play-Dough Day

National Rehabilitation Day

National Report Kickback Fraud Day

National Respect! Day

National Science Reading Day

National Tree Day (Canada)

Navy Day (Croatia)

New York Times Day

918 Day (Oklahoma)

Persian Literature and Pony Day (Iran)

PCOS Awareness Day

Scouring of the White Horse (Wantage, Berkshire, UK)

Shima-kutuba Day (Japan; Okinawa)

Top Ten List Day

U.S. Air Force Day

Victory of Uprona (Burgundy)

Vulver Awareness Day

World Bamboo Day

World Knot Tying Day

World Medical Ethics Day

World Water Monitoring Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

National Brett Day

National Cheeseburger Day

National Chocolate Day

Rice Krispies Treats Day

Independence & Related Days

Buddie Union (Declared; 2015) [unrecognized]

Chile (a.k.a. Dieciocho, 1st Gov't Junta, 1818)

Free Republic of Silbervia (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

3rd Wednesday in September

Banned Websites Awareness Day [3rd Wednesday]

Ember Day (Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches) [Wednesday after 9.14]

Human Resource Manager Day [3rd Wednesday]

Hump Day [Every Wednesday]

Mouth Cancer Awareness Day (Ireland) [3rd Wednesday]

National Attention Deficit Disorder Awareness Day [3rd Wednesday]

National Rehabilitation Day [3rd Wednesday]

National School Backpack Awareness Day [3rd Wednesday]

Quarter Tense (Ireland) [Wednesday after 9.14]

Wacky Wednesday [Every Wednesday]

Wandering Wednesday [3rd Wednesday of Each Month]

Website Wednesday [Every Wednesday]

Wiener Wednesday [3rd Wednesday of Each Month]

Weekly Holidays beginning September 18 (3rd Full Week of September)

Wear Cotton Week (thru 9.25)

Festivals Beginning September 18, 2024

Eurofurence (Hamburg, Germany) [thru 9.21]

Festival du Film Merveilleux et Imaginaire (Paris, France) [thru 9.20]

Lost Lands (Thornville, Ohio) [thru 9.22]

National Cattle Congress (Waterloo, Iowa) [thru 9.22]

Walnut Valley Festival (Winfield, Kansas) [thru 9.22]

Feast Days

Amoeba Assimilation Day (Pastafarian)

Anton Mauve (Artology)

Arcadius, Bishop of Novgorod (Christian; Saint)

Ariadne of Phrygia (Christian; Martyr)

Bidzin, Elizbar, and Shalva, Princes of Georgia (Christian; Martyrs)

Cassius Marcellus Coolidge (Artology)

Castor of Alexandria (Christian; Martyr)

Constantius (Theban Legion)

Ear Wig Fitting Day (Shamanism)

Edward Bouverie Pusey (Episcopal Church)

Eleusinian Mysteries begin (Ancient Rome; Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Eugene’s, Bishop of Gortyna (Christian; Saint)

Eustorgius I (Christian; Saint)

Ferreol (Christian; Saint)

Feast of Ceres (Roman Goddess of Agriculture & Grain Crops)

Festival of Labour (French Republic)

Foundation Day (Unification Church)

Hilarion of Optima (Christian; Saint)

Joe Kubert (Artology)

John Harvey Kellogg Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

José de Rivera (Artology)

Joseph of Cupertino (Christian; Martyr)

Juan Macias (Christian; Saint)

Konstantin Kakanias (Artology)

Leonardo da Crunchy (Muppetism)

Lord Berners (Artology)

Lynn Abbey (Writerism)

Mark di Suvero (Artology)

Methodius of Olympus (Christian; Saint)

Plataia (Ancient Greece)

Richardis (Christian; Saint)

Rosmerta (Celtic Book of Days)

Samuel Johnson (Writerism)

Scouring the White Horse begins (Everyday Wicca)

Sophia and Irene of Egypt (Christian; Martyrs)

Third Nostril of Christ Day (Church of the SubGenius)

Thomas of Villanova (Christian; Saint)

Tzom Gedaliah (Fast of Gedalia; Judaism)

Vanaheim Day (Pagan)

Vondel (Positivist; Saint)

Zay Day (Sus God Zay) [Wear red or purple hoodies]

Lunar Calendar Holidays

Chong Chao (Macau)

Chusok (South Korea)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Fortunate Day (Pagan) [38 of 53]

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Tycho Brahe Unlucky Day (Scandinavia) [31 of 37]

Unglückstage (Unlucky Day; Pennsylvania Dutch) [24 of 30]

Unlucky 18th (Philippines) [3 of 3]

Premieres

Abacab, by Genesis (Album; 1981)

Abou Ben Boogie (Swing Symphony Cartoon; 1944)

The Addams Family (TV Series; 1964)

Birthday, recorded by The Beatles (Song; 1967)

A Bully Frog (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1936)

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Film; 1958)

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Animated Film; 2009)

Continental Divide (Film; 1981)

Crazytown (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1959)

The Day the Earth Stood Still (Film; 1951)

Dog Daze (WB MM Cartoon; 1937)

Enough Said (Film; 2013)

The Farm of Tomorrow (MGM Cartoon; 1954)

Fatal Attraction (Film; 1987)

Five and Dime (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1933)

The French Lieutenant’s Woman (Film; 1981)

Funny Girl (Film; 1968)

Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss (Albums; 1978)

Get Smart (TV Series; 1965)

Goldfinger premiered in UK (1964) [James Bond #3]

Goo Goo Goliath (WB MM Cartoon; 1954)

The Gullible Canary (Phantasies Cartoon; 1942)

Hair Today Gone Tomorrow (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1959)

Heartache Tonight, by The Eagles (Song; 1979)

I Likes Babies and Infanks (Fleischer Cartoon Popeye Cartoon; 1937)

In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak (Children’s Book; 1970)

The Japoteurs (Fleischer Cartoon; 1942) [#10]

Jennifer’s Body (Film; 2009)

Jonny Quest (Animated TV Series; 1964)

Making Money, by Terry Pratchet (Novel; 2007) [Discworld #36]

Maple Leaf Rag, by Scott Joplin (Song; 1899)

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (Film; 2015)

The Moffatt Translation of the Bible (Bible; 1922)

More Than a Feeling,, by Boston (Song; 1976)

New York Times (Daily Newspaper; 1851)

Old Rockin’ Chair Tom (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1948)

Pain Strikes Underdog, Parts 1 & 2 (Underdog Cartoon, S2, Eps. 1 & 2 1965)

Pink in the Clink (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1968)

The Road to Ruin or Mine Over Matter (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S2, Ep. 55; 1960)

Rockin’ with Judy Jetson (Hanna-Barbera Animated TV Movie; 1988)

Rush Hour (Film; 1998)

School Daze (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1942)

The Scorch Trials, by James Dashner (Novel; 2010) [Maze Runner #2]

Serve It Forth (Art of Eating), by M.F.K. Fisher (Food Essays; 1937)

Severed Relations or How to Get a Head (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S4, Ep. 161; 1962)

Sicario (Film; 2015)

Singles (Film; 1992)

Smiley Smile, by The Beach Boys (Album; 1967)

Strange Little Girl, by Tori Amos (Album; 2001)

A Streetcar Named Desire (Film; 1951)

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (TV Series; 2006)

Superman: Doomsday (WB Animated Film; 2007)

That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles or Me and My Chateau (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S4, Ep. 162; 1962)

Tired and Feathered (WB LT Cartoon; 1965)

Two Flying Ghosts or High Spirits (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S2, Ep. 56; 1960)

Wagon Train (TV Series; 1957)

War Pigs, by Black Sabbath (Song; 1970)

Where’s Wally, by Martin Hanford (Puzzle Book; 1987)

WKRP in Cincinnati (TV Series; 1978)

Today’s Name Days

Herlinda, Josef, Lambert, Rica (Austria)

Alfonz, Irena, Jonatan, Josip, Sonja (Croatia)

Kryštof, Oskar (Czech Republic)

Titus (Denmark)

Tiido, Tiidrik, Tiidu, Tiit (Estonia)

Tytti, Tyyne, Tyyni (Finland)

Nadège, Véra (France)

Alfons, Herlinde, Lambert, Rica (Germany)

Ariadne, Ariadni, Evmenis, Kastor, Romylos (Greece)

Diána (Hungary)

Eumenio, Giuseppe, Maria, Sofia (Italy)

Alinta, Elita, Gizela, Liesma (Latvia)

Galmantė, Mingailas, Stefa, Stefanija (Lithuania)

Henriette, Henry (Norway)

Dobrowit, Irena, Irma, Józef, Ryszarda, Stefania, Tytus, Zachariasz (Poland)

Eumenie (Romania)

Elizaveta, Raisa (Russia)

Eugénia (Slovakia)

José, Sofía, Sonia (Spain)

Orvar (Sweden)

Irene (Ukraine)

Clint, Clinton, Corbin, Corwin, Corwyn, Korbin, Korvin (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 262 of 2024; 104 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 3 of Week 38 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Muin (Vine) [Day 18 of 28]

Chinese: Month 8 (Guy-You), Day 16 (Yi-You)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 15 Elul 5784

Islamic: 14 Rabi I 1446

J Cal: 22 Gold; Oneday [22 of 30]

Julian: 5 September 2024

Moon: 99%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 10 Shakespeare (10th Month) [Racine]

Runic Half Month: Ken (Illumination) [Day 12 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 91 of 94)

Week: 3rd Full Week of September

Zodiac: Virgo (Day 28 of 32)

[courseyoulovemeyoudontknowme]

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981, Steven Spielberg)

10/03/2024

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 1981 film directed by Stephen Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman, as well as the progenitor of the Indiana Jones film saga.

It was the highest-grossing film of 1981, earning approximately $330.5 million worldwide, and also a critical success, receiving praise for its modern take on the serial film, its seamless action and adventure, as well as for the cast, especially Ford, Allen and Freeman. The film was nominated for several awards and, among others, won five Academy Awards, seven Saturn Awards and a BAFTA Award.

The United States Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1999.

In 1936, American archaeologist Indiana Jones leads an expedition to recover a Golden idol from a Peruvian temple with snares and deadly traps. When it seems to be successful, the local guide Satipo betrays Jones to steal the idol, only to end up killed by a trap, and only Jones manages to escape alive with the idol from the crumbling temple. Rival archaeologist René Belloq corners him and steals the idol. Pursued by the dangerous Hovitos Indians, allies of Belloq himself, Jones escapes on a waiting seaplane.

After returning to his university, Jones, along with colleague and friend Marcus Brody, is informed by two US Secret Service agents that the Nazis are digging in Tanis, Egypt, and one of their telegrams mentions Jones' old mentor, Abner Ravenwood. Jones deduces that the Nazis seek the mythical Ark of the Covenant, hidden in a secret chamber in the city, which they believe will make them invincible. To find it they must get their hands on the Staff of Ra amulet, guarded by Abner, which can indicate where the chamber is located via a scale model of the city.

At a bar in Nepal, Jones reunites with Abner's daughter, Marion Ravenwood, with whom Jones had an illicit affair, and learns that Abner is dead. The bar is later set on fire during a scuffle with a group of Nazis, led by the sinister Gestapo agent Arnold Ernst Toth, intent on taking the medallion from Marion.

[beardedmrbean]

The Biden administration said Tuesday that it will extend legal status by 18 months for more than 300,000 people from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal, disappointing some advocates and members of Congress who sought a more generous offer.

The extensions provide “continued safety and protection” for those already legally in the U.S. on Temporary Protected Status, which is due to end soon under Trump-era decisions, said U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

While the decision benefits an estimated 334,000 people from the four countries, including 239,000 from El Salvador, some had hoped for a far more sweeping gesture including expanded eligibility for more recent arrivals from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat who strongly pressed the White House for extensions, applauded the step but added it "simply does not go far enough” and suggested it “may have been driven in part by political calculations instead of sound policy rationale and the conditions in each country.”

Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat and House member who was among 116 members of Congress who signed a letter in May seeking an expansion, said the administration “has allowed political fear rather than humanitarian concern to drive its decision.”

The administration has aggressively used TPS, a 1990 law that allows people already in the United States to remain in 18-month increments if the Homeland Security secretary determines that natural disasters or civil strife prevent them from safely returning home.

Under Biden's watch, the number of people eligible has soared more than 70% to nearly 1 million people by December, reversing a Trump-era trend, according to an analysis by the Cato Institute, which advocates for more immigration. TPS encompasses 15 countries, including Venezuelan and Ukraine, up from 10.

The extensions announced Tuesday will apply to about 239,000 El Salvadorans through March 9, 2025, about 76,000 Hondurans through July 5, 2025, about 14,500 Nepalese through June 24, 2025 and about 4,000 Nicaraguans through July 5, 2025.

But TPS beneficiaries from Central America are required to have lived in the United States more than two decades to be eligible, prompting criticism from advocates that the administration failed to consider recent turmoil in countries including Nicaragua, which last year became one of the top sources of migration to the U.S. TPS for El Salvador was granted after an earthquake in the Central American country in 2001 and for Honduras and Nicaragua after a hurricane in 1998.

Advocates also pushed to include Guatemala, whose people have never been eligible for TPS.

While nothing in Tuesday's announcement precludes the administration from later expanding TPS, immediate prospects appeared dimmer.

“It’s a disappointment," said Berta Sanles, who has lived in the United States without legal status since she arrived from Nicaragua with her husband and 6-year-old daughter more than two decades ago. The Miami resident says she's holding out hope, though.

Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, chief executive of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, said the extensions are "welcome relief for hundreds of thousands of people who have found safety in the United States, many of whom have called this country home for decades now." But she also called it “a missed opportunity to expand protections to more recent arrivals, whose return to danger would be no less devastating.”

TPS has been absent from a slew of carrot-and-stick measures that the administration has announced in recent months around the end of pandemic-related asylum restrictions on May 11, known as Title 42. They include parole for up to 30,000 people a month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua or Venezuela and, on the flip side, a virtual ban on asylum for those who travel to the U.S. border and enter the country illegally after traveling through another country, like Mexico.

[ashmitasapkota]

Political Campaign Strategy of Gokul Baskota

-a political leader of Nepal

Gokul Baskota is a Nepali politician. He belongs to the political party CPN UML. He served as Minister of Communication and Information Technology of Nepal and is currently serving as the member of House of Representatives elected from Kavrepalanchok-2, province number 3 for the second term. He was born on August 29, 1970 on Kavrepalanchok district. He has spent his childhood in Kavrepalanchok. Later in his teenage days, his father shifted to Kathmandu.

Gokul Baskota is frequently known for his uncharacteristically brash attitude, using derogatory language towards political opponents, and remarks for attacking the free press. An audio clip of Baskota bargaining for 700 million in bribes with an agent of a Swiss company based on Kathmandu over the procurement of security printing for government was leaked to media outlets. He was accused of demanding Rs 700 million bribe in exchange for a contract to print e-passports in Nepal. He subsequently resigned from his ministerial position. He has opened the way for fair investigation. No any proof of guilty has found on him. Then, he shortly filed a defamation lawsuit against Mr. Vijay Mishra.

He has win the election held on Mansir-4, 2079 BS and been elected as a member of House of Representatives from Kavrepalanchok-2. He has received 45,345 votes. He beat his nearest rival Shiva Prasad Humagain of the Nepali Congress by 5,863 votes. He has been re-elected here 2nd time.

What makes him re-elected?

Many outsiders thinks, after such the blame against him of 700 million how can he again win the election. But us the residents of Kavrepalanchok-2 has eye witnessed his followers inside the Kavre and very sure of his victory again as well. The main reason most people liked him here is his truth specking capability. He appeared in media as a fighter. Every time the opponents backbite him, he faces it with weight in speech. He is a kind of manipulator as well. He knows what the people needs. He fights with the words of opponent in a funny way. So that the people don’t take much grudge on him.

Apart from this, many constructive work has been done after he elected as house of representative in kavrepalanchok. Hospital is going on under construction. Roads here are being pitched. People has got the sufficient facility of education and water supply and many more.

Beside this, he has good ability to attract the media and its audience. He has utilized the local media during the political campaign before election. He clearly knows that it is very important to utilize the local media for attracting the local audience. He knows local media works effectively in political campaigning rather the national media in his case. Because many common people listens the local media because they have more concerns in local issues rather than in national issues. Baskota has used the local media of Kavrepalanchok district to convey his messages to the audience of Kavre district.

He even reach at each one’s home and convey his messages to the voters. He mostly talks about his previous activities during the political campaign. He convey the voters that if he will again win, he will work for the betterment of Kaveli like he has done before. His good sense of humor and direct specking behavior also helps in influencing the voters. This is because most people prefer humor and direct specking person.

Conclusion

From all the above discussions, it is clearly known that Gokul Baskota effectively use the local media as a political campaign tool.

[sleepfight]

This conversation did not happen. The question was asked at the very end of the conference, but the answer was mealy mouthed bullshit that pivoted to trans people and drag shows before he walked off stage, unchallenged.

Johnson's actual answer can be read if you scroll to the bottom of the caption log. I've pasted his answer below the cut, sorry for the all capslock and weird auto-caption spelling issues.

Anyway, this point, assume anything from twitter is bullshit.

I HAVE TO CHALLENGE THE QUESTION. I'M A FIERCE ADVOCATE AND DEFENDER OF ARTICLE 1. WE ARE THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH. THERE IS A REASON THE FOUNDING FATHERS BUTT THE CONGRESS, LEGISLATIVE BRANCH AS THE FIRST ARTICLE IN THE CONSTITUTION. WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, I THINK THERE IS A GROSS OVERREACTION IN THE MEDIA TO WHAT IS HAPPENING.

THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT IN OUR SYSTEM HAS THE RIGHT TO EVALUATE HOW EXECUTIVE BRANCH AGENCIES ARE OPERATING. AND TO ENSURE THAT NOT ONLY THE INTENT OF CONGRESS IN FUNDING MECHANISMS, BUT THE STEWARDSHIP OF PRECIOUS AMERICAN TAXPAYER DOLLARS IS BEING HANDLED WELL. THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE DOING. BY PUTTING A PAUSE ON SOME OF THESE AGENCIES. EVALUATING THEM. DOING THESE INTERNAL AUDITS. THAT IS A LONG OVERDUE, MUCH WELCOMED DEVELOPMENT. THAT'S WHAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DEMAND AND DESERVE. THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING.

WE DON'T SEE THIS AS A THREAT TO ARTICLE ONE AS ALL. WE SEE THIS AS AN ACTIVE ENGAGED COMMITTED BRANCH AUTHORITY DOING WHAT THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH SHOULD DO. THEY HAVE BROAD DISCRETION IN ALL THE FEND PFUNDING. YOU FOLLOW THIS. WHEN CONGRESS FUNDS AN AGENCY THEY GIVE BROAD DISCRETION OTT EXECUTIVE BRANCH HOW IT'S ADMINISTERED. THEY ARE USING THAT AUTHORITY RIGHT NOW IN A WAY IT HASN'T BEEN USED IN A LONG TIME. IT LOOKS RADICAL. IT'S NOT. I CALL IT STEWARDSHIP. I THINK THEY ARE DOING RIGHT BY THE AMERICAN STEURP.

WE SUPPORT THAT PRINCIPLE WHEN IT COMES TO THE POINT OF CODIFICATION AND LEGISLATION AND ALL THE REST, WE'LL BE EVALUATING THOSE THINGS. I THINK THEY ARE ACTING WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE AUTHORITY. THERE ARE LEGAL CHALLENGES. THE COURTS WILL HAVE THINGS TO SAY. 1235RS I'M CONCERNED THIS IS NOT A AOU SURPTATION OF THE -- A USURPATION OF AUTHORITY. THEY ARE DOING WHAT WE EXPECTED, HOPED, AND ASKED THEY WOULD DO FOR YEARS. MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH AEFRPB CONGRESS, SENATE AND HOUSE, HAVE ASKED FOR DETAILS. THEY ASKED FOR EXPENSES OF USAID THEY ASKED FOR EXPENSES OF USAID.

JUST THREE QUICK EXAMPLES. TELL ME IF THIS IS UNREASONABLE. SOME OF THE STUFF MONEY BEING SPENT 2N 2E 2IDN'T EVEN KNOW. CRAZY EXAMPLES THAT CAME OUT. $100 MILLION ON INITIATIVES LIKE EXPANDING ATHEISM IN NEPAL? THAT'S WHAT AMERICAN TAXPAYERS SHOULD PAY FOR? TRANSGENDER OPERAS IN COLOMBIA? DRAG SHOWS IN ECUADOR? NO WAY. WE HAVE A $36 TRILLION FEDERAL DEBT. IT IS A SERIOUS THREAT TO THE FUHR AND SECURITY OF OUR NATION. WE HAVE TO SPEND MONEY.

IN THIS EXECUTIVE BRANCH AND WHITE HOUSE WILL TAKE THE INITIATIVE TO DIG IN AND FIND THOSE DETAILS AND EXPOSE THEM WE APPLAUD IT. THANKS.

Thiiiiiis is what journalism is supposed to be. The media shrugs at GOP hypocrisy every fucking day, good for this reporter for calling it out instead.

[kansainepalnews]

"Crafting a Constitution on the Edge: Proceeding with Caution"

In Viratnagar, a town in Nepal, Dr. Shekhar Koirala, a leader of the Nepali Congress, has expressed regret and acknowledged his involvement in drafting a controversial constitution. During a meeting held on Thursday, he admitted to errors and requested forgiveness for his part in the process. The event, organized jointly by the Nepal Democratic Lawyers Association and the Nepali Congress, aimed…

[newsbds]

India's deep conspiracy to oust the President of Maldives

South Asia's largest country, India, has tried hard to keep trusted partners like Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh and the Congress Party in Nepal in power. However, analysts warn that the work carries risks.

Nilanthi Samaranayake, a researcher at the East-West Center in Washington, said that as India developed close and personal ties with these small South Asian countries, there was resentment. Both the opposition and the people remember the issues.

Continue to read more

[brookston]

Holidays 1.11

Holidays

Accession Day (Oman)

Amelia Earhart Day

Art Deco Day

Atang de la Rama Day (Philippines)

Banana Boat Day

Burning of the Clavie (Tar Barrel; Burghead, Scotland)

Children’s Day (Tunisia)

Cigarettes Are Hazardous To Your Health Day

Designated Hitter Day

Eugenio Maria de Hostos Day (Puerto Rico)

First Society Day

Girl Hug Boy Day

Global Human Trafficking Awareness Day

Guantanamo Detention Anniversary Day

Heritage Treasures Day (UK)

Hostos Day (Philippines)

Insulin Day

International Paget’s Awareness Day

International Parity at Work Day

International Thank You Day (Portugal)

Jump in a Puddle and Splash Someone Day

Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day

Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Day

Lottery Day

Martha Hughes Cannon Day (Utah)

Missionary Day (Mizoram, India)

National Arkansas Day

National Artist Atang de la Rama (Philippines)

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day

National Joel Day

National Marketing Day

National One-Handed Bowlers Day

National Tara Day

National Unity Day (Nepal)

Nature Reserves and National Parks Day (Russia)

Republic Day (Albania)

Salt Day (French Republic)

Secret Pal Day

Send a Dollar to the Treasury Day

Sir John A. MacDonald Day (Canada)

Smoking May Be Hazardous To Your Health Day

Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day

Tattoo Pride Day

Thank You Card

Unity Day (Nepal)

Use More of Your Mind Day

World Bollard Day

World Sketchnote Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

German Apples Day (Germany)

Kagami Biraki ("Opening the Mirror," referring to “breaking of the mochi” or the “opening a cask of sake;” Japan)

Milk Bottle Day

National Hot Toddy Day

National Milk Day

Rhubarb Day

Nature Celebrations

Arbor Vitae Day (Strong Friendship; Korean Birth Flowers)

Independence, Flag & Related Days

Alabama (Seceded from the U.S.; 1861)

Bataan Foundation Day (Bataan, Philippines; 1757)

Flag Day (Norfolk Island)

Independence Manifesto Day (Morocco; 1944)

Kosrae (Constitution Day; Micronesia)

Michigan Territory (Created by US Congress; 1805)

Proclamation of the Republic Day (Albania; 1946)

Sabini (Declared; 2020) [unrecognized]

New Year’s Days

Karen (Kayin) New Year (Myanmar)

No Longer New Year’s Day

2nd Saturday in January

Children’s Day (Thailand) [2nd Saturday]

Eagle Day [2nd Saturday]

Miss America Pageant [2nd Saturday]

National Skate Day for Alzheimer’s (Canada) [2nd Saturday]

National Vision Board Day [2nd Saturday]

Salad Saturday [2nd Saturday of Each Month]

Sandwich Saturday [Every Saturday]

Satirical Saturday [2nd Saturday of Each Month]

Six For Saturday [Every Saturday]

Spaghetti Saturday [Every Saturday]

Straw Bear Day [Saturday before Plough Monday]

Vinegrower's Day (Bulgaria)

Weekly Holidays beginning January 11 (1st Full Week of January)

Cuckoo Dancing Week (thru 1.17)

International Snowmobile Safety and Awareness Week (thru 1.19)

Festivals Beginning January 11, 2025

Aruban Carnival (Oranjestad, Aruba) [thru 3.2]

Atlanta Travel & Adventure Show (Atlanta, Georgia) [thru 1.12]

Dhaka International Film Festival (Dhaka, Bangladesh) [thru 1.19]

Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival (Hwacheon, South Korea) [thru 2.2]

International Kite Festival in Gujarat (Ahmedabad, India) [thru 1.14]

National Western Stock Show, Rodeo & Horse Show (Denver, Colorado) [thru 1.26]

Oak Brook Home Show (Oak Brook, Illinois) [thru 1.12]

Ocean Sounds Festival (Newhaven, Victoria, Australia)

Feast Days

Air, Sea and Land Day (Celtic Book of Days)

Al Capone Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Alice Paul (Humanism)

Anastasius of Suppentonia (Roman Catholic)

Banquet of Fairies, Goblins, Pixies, and Elves (Shamanism)

Carmentalia (Old Roman Festival to 9 Muses [thru 1.15]

Cyrus (Positivist; Saint)

Feast of Jurturna (Goddess of Fountains & The Underworld; Ancient Rome)

Feast of Sokar (Ancient Egypt)

Hecate’s Day of the Midwives (Pagan)

Hyginus, Pope (Christian; Martyr)

Juturnalia (Prophetic Waters Festival)

Leucius of Brindisi (Roman Catholic)

Mary Slessor (Church of England)

Old New Year (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Paldo, Taso and Tato (Christian; Saints)

Paulinus II of Aquileia (Christian; Saint)

Riff (Muppetism)

Salvius (a.k.a. Sauve; Christian; Saint)

Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam Day (Pastafarian)

Theodosius the Cenobiarch (Christian; Saint)

Thomas of Cori (Christian; Saint)

Vitalis of Gaza (Roman Catholic)

William Carter (Christian; Blessed)

Secular Saints Days

Ellinor Aiki (Art)

Andrea Appiani (art)

Manfredi Beninat (Art)

Alexander Calder Day (Art)

Ben Crenshaw (Sports)

Jasper Fforde (Literature)

Diana Gabaldon (Literature)

Reinhold Gliere (music)

Alexander Hamilton (Politics)

Nora Heysen (Art)

Georgios Jakobides (Art)

William James (Philosophy)

Aldo Leopold (Conservation)

Parmigianino (Art)

Alice Paul (Politics)

Carol Shelby (Automobiles)

Stanley Tucci (Entertainment)

Bastiaan Govertsz van der Leeuw (Art)

Alexander H. Wyant (Art)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Binary Day [111] (3 of 9)

Prime Number Day: 11 [5 of 72]

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Tycho Brahe Unlucky Day (Scandinavia) [5 of 37]

Unglückstage (Unlucky Day; Pennsylvania Dutch) [6 of 30]

Premieres

Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (Trade Organization; 1927)

An American in Paris (Film; 1952)

Aphrodite Means Death, by John Appleby (Novel; 1951)

Atonement (Film; 2008)

Banshee (TV Series; 2013)

Bargain Counter Attack (Little Lulu Cartoon; 1946)

Bottles (Happy Harmonies MGM Cartoon; 1936)

The Bucket List (Film; 2008)

Bugs Bunny’s Mad World of Television (WB Cartoon TV Special; 1982)

Charing Cross Station (London Underground; 1864)

Chemtrails Over the Country Club, by Lana Del Rey (Song; 2021)

Donald’s Decision (Disney Cartoon; 1942)

Eventyr (Once Upon a Time), by Frederick Delius (Tone Poem; 1919)

Exploding Population or Pull Yourself Together (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S6, Ep. 336; 1965)

The First Snow (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1935)

Ford Model TT Truck (Automobile; 1917)

His Girl Friday (Film; 1940)

The Golfers (Meany, Miny, and Moe Cartoon; 1937)

Inherit the Wind, by Jerome Lawrence (Play; 1955)

I Wanna Play House (WB MM Cartoon; 1936)

The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross (TV Series; 1983)

Let’s Blow Up New York or We Bombed’Em at the Palace (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S6, Ep. 335; 1965)

Little Orphan Willie (Flip the Frog Cartoon; 1930)

The Nut Job (Animated Film; 2014)

On the Basis of Sex (Film; 2019)

Pink Panic (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1967)

Please Please Me, by The Beatles (Song; 1963)

Popcorn (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1931)

The Pretenders, by The Pretenders (Album; 1980)

The Promised Neverland (Anime TV Series; 2019)

Purple Haze, recorded by Jimi Hendrix (Song; 1967)

The Saint and Mr. Teal (a.k.a. Once More the Saint), by Leslie Charteris (Short Stories; 1933) [Saint #11]

Selfridge’s, in London, England (Department Store; 1909)

Sex Education (TV Series; 2019)

The Sunshine Makers (Rainbow Parade Cartoon; 1935)

Symphony for Organ and Orchestra, by Aaron Copland (Symphony; 1925)

This Was, by Jethro Tull (Album; 1969)

Wasn’t Tomorrow Wonderful?, by the Waitresses (Album; 1982)

Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang, by Kate Wilhelm (Novel; 1976)

Whiskey A-Go-Go, opened in Hollywood, California (Music Venue; 1963)

Today’s Name Days

Paulin, Paulinus, Ronan, Theodosius (Austria)

Časlav, Honorat, Neven (Croatia)

Bohdana (Czech Republic)

Hyginus (Denmark)

Osvald, Ove (Estonia)

Kari, Karri (Finland)

Hortense, Pauline (France)

Thomas (Germany)

Theodosios, Theodosis (Greece)

Ágota (Hungary)

Igino (Italy)

Arkādijs, Franciska, Smaida (Latvia)

Audrius, Marcijonas, Stefanija, Vilnė (Lithuania)

Børge, Børre (Norway)

Feliks, Hilary, Honorata, Hygin, Krzesimir, Matylda, Mechtylda (Poland)

Teodosie (Romania)

Malvína (Slovakia)

Higinio (Spain)

Jan, Jannike (Sweden)

Bethany, Darby, Derby, Dermot, Kermit, Kermore, Rhett (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 11 of 2025; 354 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of Week 2 of 2025

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ruis (Elder) [Day 21 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Ding-Chou), Day 12 (Geng-Chen)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Coptic: 3 Tubah 1741

Hebrew: 11 Teveth 5785

Islamic: 11 Rajab 1446

J Cal: 11 White; Foursday [11 of 30]

Julian: 29 December 2024

Moon: 94%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 11 Moses (1st Month) [Cyrus]

Runic Half Month:Peorth (Womb, Dice Cup) [Day 5 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 22 of 90)

Week: 1st Full Week of January

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 21 of 30)

[nepalniceties]

Celebrating the 101st Birth Anniversary of Sant Leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai

Today marks the 101st birth anniversary of Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, the founding leader of the Nepali Congress, fondly remembered as Kisunji in the political sphere.

Today marks the 101st birth anniversary of Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, the founding leader of the Nepali Congress, fondly remembered as Kisunji in the political sphere. Known as the Saint Leader (Santaneta), Bhattarai’s legacy of integrity, simplicity, and unwavering dedication to democracy continues to inspire. A Life of Humility: Kisunji, who served as the Prime Minister of Nepal during the…

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

Biden shrinks from view ahead of Trump’s return to Washington (Politico) Biden only has 42 more days left in office, but within the Democratic Party, on Capitol Hill—and even within his own administration—it feels like he left the Oval Office weeks ago, Politico reports. “Biden has effectively disappeared from the radar in the wake of Democrats’ bruising electoral loss. Since Nov. 5, he’s largely stuck to prepared remarks, avoided unscripted public appearances or press questions and opted to sit out the raging debate over Donald Trump’s victory, policy conversations in Congress and the Democratic Party’s future.” And the president’s low profile “has contributed to the sense of rudderlessness that’s taken hold across swaths of Washington, as lawmakers, aides and party officials brace for Trump’s return to power and seek a new direction and vision ahead of the midterms and 2028.”

2024 will be the hottest year on record, EU scientists say (Reuters) This year will be the world's warmest since records began, with extraordinarily high temperatures expected to persist into at least the first few months of 2025, European Union scientists said on Monday. The EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said data from January to November had confirmed 2024 is now certain to be the hottest year on record, and the first in which average global temperatures exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial period. The previous hottest year on record was 2023. Extreme weather has swept around the world in 2024, with severe drought hitting Italy and South America, fatal floods in Nepal, Sudan and Europe, heatwaves in Mexico, Mali and Saudi Arabia that killed thousands, and disastrous cyclones in the U.S. and the Philippines.

Massacre in Haiti’s Capital Leaves Nearly 200 Dead, U.N. Says (NYT) More than 180 people were killed in a massacre over the weekend in one of the poorest neighborhood’s of Haiti’s capital, the United Nation’s human rights chief said on Monday. A leading Haitian human rights group described the killings as the personal vendetta of a gang boss who had been told that witchcraft caused his son’s fatal illness. Older people who practiced Voodoo appeared to have been targeted, according to the group. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, told reporters in Geneva that at least 184 people had been killed. The latest killings bring the country’s total death toll to 5,000 people this year, U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said on Monday. More than 700,000 people have fled Haiti due to the violence, and almost half of the country’s 11.7 million people face hunger.

Protests in Georgia (Foreign Policy) For the past week, hundreds of thousands of Georgians have taken to the streets in cities across the country, and the situation is escalating by the day. In the capital, Tbilisi, the demonstrators have been met with an increasingly forceful government response, with the use of tear gas and water cannons now routine. Social media is flooded with videos and photos that document police brutality targeting journalists, political activists, and ordinary citizens. Opposition politicians have been arrested from their homes. Despite the heavy-handed crackdown, the protests show no signs of abating. Given the intensity of anger on the streets, the country appears to be in a “pre-revolutionary state.”

Ukraine death toll (Washington Post) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is facing increased pressure to deploy more younger people to the front lines. With future aid from Washington uncertain, U.S. officials have warned that Ukraine’s personnel shortage is perhaps more critical right now than its arms deficit, and comes as Russia has continued gaining ground on the battlefield with high-attrition-style combat. Meanwhile, Zelensky said Sunday that around 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died since Russia invaded in 2022. The comments were in apparent response to President-elect Donald Trump’s claim hours earlier that Kyiv had “lost” some 400,000 soldiers in battle “and many more civilians.”

South Korea President Yoon banned from foreign travel as leadership crisis deepens (Reuters) South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been banned from leaving the country over a failed attempt at imposing martial law, a justice ministry official said on Monday, amid growing calls for him to step down and a deepening leadership crisis. Yoon has apologised for the botched attempt and said he was leaving his political and legal fate to his ruling People Power Party (PPP) but has not resigned. On Monday, the defence ministry said Yoon was still legally commander in chief, but growing dissent among senior military officers against the president has thrown into question his grip on power.

Taiwan raises alert as China deploys 90 ships in likely drills (Reuters) China has reportedly deployed 90 warships, coast guard ships near Taiwanese waters, as well as around the southern Japanese islands and East and South China Seas. According to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND), Beijing has also set up seven "temporary reserved areas" of airspace to the east of its eastern Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. In response to these latest moves, Taipei declared the launch of combat readiness drills.

Rent’s too high down under (Guardian) According to a new report, homelessness is a massively growing problem in Australia. The report, published by the University of New South Wales and the non-government organization Homelessness Australia, found that homeless shelters were helping an extra 10,000 homeless people per month, a significant increase to the roughly 95,000 they help in an average month. “We’ve seen an extraordinary period of rent inflation, which has run over the last four years,” said one researcher. With inflation included, he said, renters were facing a “29% real increase over four years,” pushing “a lot of people into a riskier situation, or into homelessness.” “Rent is increasing significantly and people are unable to afford it. So they’ll come in for help because they’re in rent arrears or for help finding a new property because they have been trying, and there’s just nothing that’s affordable for them any more,” said another leader at a homeless aid center.

Fall of Assad puts Russia’s large military footprint in Syria at risk (Washington Post) Russia’s military bases in Syria were a major asset for Moscow before the Assad regime’s stunning collapse over the weekend. Now, they could be a major liability. The Russian military sites in Syria include a naval port on the Mediterranean Sea to berth submarines and an airfield to project power across the Middle East and Africa. But after rebels ousted Kremlin-backed President Bashar al-Assad, the future of these installations is uncertain. Russia backed Assad in Syria’s 13-year civil war, hitting rebels with airstrikes from 2015 on and prolonging his reign. Other nations also maintain military facilities in Syria. The U.S. base at Tanf, on the Syrian border with Jordan, has housed Special Operations forces; Turkey has bases in Idlib and elsewhere in the north. But Russia’s holdings are far larger in scale, strategic significance and vulnerability.

Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency that toppled Syria’s Assad? (AP) Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the militant leader whose stunning insurgency toppled Syria’s President Bashar Assad, has spent years working to remake his public image, renouncing longtime ties to al-Qaida and depicting himself as a champion of pluralism and tolerance. As he entered Damascus behind his victorious fighters Sunday, he even dropped his nom de guerre and referred to himself with his real name, Ahmad al-Sharaa. The extent of that transformation from jihadi extremist to would-be state builder is now put to the test. Insurgents control Damascus, Assad has fled into hiding, and for the first time after 50 years of his family’s iron hand, it is an open question how Syria will be governed. Syria is home to multiple ethnic and religious communities, often pitted against each other by Assad’s state and years of war. Many of them fear the possibility that Sunni Islamist extremists will take over. The country is also fragmented among disparate armed factions, and foreign powers from Russia and Iran to the United States, Turkey and Israel all have their hands in the mix. “Syria deserves a governing system that is institutional, no one where a single ruler makes arbitrary decisions,” he said in an interview with CNN last week. “Don’t judge by words, but by actions,” he said.

Israeli Ground Forces Cross into Syria, Officials Say (NYT) Israeli ground forces advanced beyond the demilitarized zone on the Israel-Syria border over the weekend, when they took control of the mountain summit of Mount Hermon on the Syrian side of the border, as well as several other locations deemed essential for stabilizing control of the area. Israel has been covertly operating in Syria for many years amid its current conflict with Hezbollah. More recently, the Israeli military has been more explicit about striking sites and people there, saying it was targeting Hezbollah’s supply lines. But the deployment of ground troops beyond the demilitarized zone in Syria marks a significant shift in policy as the first overt entry of Israeli military forces into Syrian territory since the 1974 cease-fire agreement that officially ended the last war between Israel and Syria.

Netanyahu is set to take the witness stand for the first time in his corruption trial in Israel (AP) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to take to the witness stand Tuesday for the first time in his trial on corruption allegations, a pivotal point in the drawn-out proceedings that comes as the leader wages war in Gaza and faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes charges. At home, Netanyahu is on trial for accusations of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate affairs. Netanyahu denies wrongdoing, but his appearance on the witness stand will be a low point in his decades-long political career, standing in contrast to the image of a sophisticated, respected leader he has tried to cultivate. It will be the first time an Israeli prime minister has taken the stand as a criminal defendant, and Netanyahu has repeatedly sought to delay the proceedings.

‘Polarization’ is Merriam-Webster’s 2024 word of the year (AP) The results of the 2024 U.S. presidential election rattled the country and sent shockwaves across the world—or were cause for celebration, depending on who you ask. Is it any surprise then that the Merriam-Webster word of the year is “polarization”? “Polarization means division, but it’s a very specific kind of division,” said Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster’s editor at large, in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press ahead of Monday’s announcement. “Polarization means that we are tending toward the extremes rather than toward the center.” The election was so divisive, many American voters went to the polls with a feeling that the opposing candidate was an existential threat to the nation. According to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters, about 8 in 10 Kamala Harris voters were very or somewhat concerned that Donald Trump’s views—but not Harris’—were too extreme, while about 7 in 10 Trump voters felt the same way about Harris—but not Trump. Last year’s pick was “authentic.” This year’s comes as large swaths of the U.S. struggle to reach consensus on what is real.

Queen Elizabeth II Did Bath Time in Her Crown, Charles Reveals (Newsweek) King Charles III has revealed in the new documentary Coronation Girls that his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, once wore her crown while giving her children a bath to “get used to how heavy” it was ahead of her 1953 coronation. St. Edward’s Crown weighs nearly 5 pounds; it consists of a 22-karat solid gold frame decorated with 444 gemstones. Ah, the royals. They’re just like us.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 2.1 (after 1960)

1960 – Four black students stage the first of the Greensboro sit-ins at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. 1964 – The Beatles have their first number one hit in the United States with "I Want to Hold Your Hand". 1968 – Vietnam War: The execution of Viet Cong officer Nguyễn Văn Lém by South Vietnamese National Police Chief Nguyễn Ngọc Loan is recorded on motion picture film, as well as in an iconic still photograph taken by Eddie Adams. 1968 – Canada's three military services, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force, are unified into the Canadian Forces. 1968 – The New York Central Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad are merged to form Penn Central Transportation. 1972 – Kuala Lumpur becomes a city by a royal charter granted by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia. 1974 – A fire in the 25-story Joelma Building in São Paulo, Brazil kills 189 and injures 293. 1979 – Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Tehran after nearly 15 years of exile. 1981 – The Underarm bowling incident of 1981 occurred when Trevor Chappell bowls underarm on the final delivery of a game between Australia and New Zealand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). 1991 – A runway collision between USAir Flight 1493 and SkyWest Flight 5569 at Los Angeles International Airport results in the deaths of 34 people, and injuries to 30 others. 1991 – A magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes the Hindu Kush region, killing at least 848 people in Afghanistan, Pakistan and present-day Tajikistan. 1992 – The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal court declares Warren Anderson, ex-CEO of Union Carbide, a fugitive under Indian law for failing to appear in the Bhopal disaster case. 1996 – The Communications Decency Act is passed by the U.S. Congress. 1998 – Rear Admiral Lillian E. Fishburne becomes the first female African American to be promoted to rear admiral. 2002 – Daniel Pearl, American journalist and South Asia Bureau Chief of The Wall Street Journal, kidnapped on January 23, is beheaded and mutilated by his captors. 2003 – Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during the reentry of mission STS-107 into the Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard. 2004 – Hajj pilgrimage stampede: In a stampede at the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, 251 people are trampled to death and 244 injured. 2004 – Double suicide attack in Erbil on the offices of Iraqi Kurdish political parties by members of Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad. 2005 – King Gyanendra of Nepal carries out a coup d'état to capture the democracy, becoming Chairman of the Councils of ministers. 2007 – The National Weather Service in the United States switches from the Fujita scale to the new Enhanced Fujita scale to measure the intensity and strength of tornadoes. 2009 – The first cabinet of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir was formed in Iceland, making her the country's first female prime minister and the world's first openly gay head of government. 2012 – Seventy-four people are killed and over 500 injured as a result of clashes between fans of Egyptian football teams Al Masry and Al Ahly in the city of Port Said. 2013 – The Shard, the sixth-tallest building in Europe, opens its viewing gallery to the public. 2021 – A coup d'état in Myanmar removes Aung San Suu Kyi from power and restores military rule. 2022 – Five-year-old Moroccan boy Rayan Aourram falls into a 32-meter (105 feet) deep well in Ighran village in Tamorot commune, Chefchaouen Province, Morocco, but dies four days later, before rescue workers reached him.

[mentally-quiet-spycrab]

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Help pass the "Snowmobiles Aren’t Weapons" Act! (URGENT)

Protect Offshore Lands from Oil Drilling!

Protect the climate with 3X the impact to save the Polar Bears!

Donate to Lady FreeThinker to stop Animal Cruelty!

Give justice for Elvis the Dog and his Littermates!

Serve Justice for Willie now!

Sue Smithfield Foods for Animal Cruelty!

Tell Biden to stay committed to an ambitious global treaty to help stop plastic pollution!

Urge NY to Pass ‘Peanut’s Law’ to Protect Sanctuary Animals From Being Seized & Killed!

Illuminate and Protect our World! (DONATIONS)

Tell President Biden to Block Pipelines to Uphold Climate Progress! (URGENT)

Sue H&M for Animal Cruelty!

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Donate to the Environmental Defense Fund now! (URGENT)

Support the Rainforest Alliance Team!

Donate to help nature's animals in need!

Help End the Torture of Millions of Turkeys in the U.S.!

Tell Brazil to Be the climate leader we need!

Help Save America’s Wildlife Before It’s Too Late! Protect lands and wildlife year-round with a monthly donation! (URGENT!)

Donate to Animal Survival International!

Give donations to help save the elephants!

Please support The Wilderness Society Action Fund!

Help power Azul by Donating to them!

Donate to EarthJustice now!

Save starving animals in Botswana! (Donations)

Tell Congress to Take Action against cruel Farming Operations!

Support Clean Energy Advocacy!

Ban Paraquat for causing damage to farmworkers’ respiratory system, their kidneys, and their eyes!

Give justice and save Suzie the Flying Fox! (DONATIONS)

Help Free Kshamenk the Last Captive Killer Whale / Orca!

Demand Congress work for people and public lands—not fossil fuel interests!

Gruesome fur farming is still legal in much of Europe. Sign to help make Animal Cruelty illegal!

Support Clean Energy Advocacy with Vote Solar! (Donations)

Help give wolves a fighting chance!

Donate to the World Wildlife Fund to protect wildlife!

Demand the "Big Four" Fashion Weeks Ban on Exotic Animal Skins!

Sue a Westchester Man for animal cruelty!

Give birds long-term protection by Donating to Audubon! (URGENT)

SIGN for Justice for Dogs, Cats, and Guinea Pigs Found in Filth!

Help shield our forests from logging — please donate now!

Support Palestine's United Nations Proposal!

Support the "600 Million Dogs" company to stop Animal Cruelty! (Donations)

Tell Home Depot to Don’t sell wood from critical habitat in the boreal forest!

Thank President Biden for His Commitment to the Environment!

Help Wildlife SOS to save Elephants by giving a gift donation!

Donate to Nonhuman Rights Project!

Stop Government Over Reach From Killing Family Pets!

Demand Montana to stop slaughtering wolves!

Donate to Environment Action to help protect Wolves and animals, as well to help amplify impact!

Support the American Bird Conservancy!

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