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dpr-lahore-division · 7 months

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With compliments from, The Directorate General Public Relations,

Government of the Punjab, Lahore Ph. 99201390.

No.241/AbdulAli/Mujahid

HANDOUT (A)

MARYAM NAWAZ SHARIF OUTLINES EXTENSIVE AGENDA FOR PUNJAB AS FIRST WOMAN CHIEF MINISTER

Lahore, February 26: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed her vision of inclusive governance, stating that she aims to serve as the Chief Minister for the entire Punjab, with open doors for all. She emphasized a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption and highlighted that harassment of women is a red line that will not be crossed. Maryam Nawaz Sharif pledged to take the oath, go to the office, and immediately start implementing the manifesto.

Addressing the Punjab Assembly after her election as Chief Minister, Maryam Nawaz Sharif announced several key initiatives. Free emergency medicine will be available in government hospitals starting today. A health screening program will be launched for timely disease treatment, along with a redesign of the health card system. Ultrasound machines and qualified doctors will be deployed in Basic Health Units (BHU) and Rural Health Centers (RHC).

To improve healthcare infrastructure, air ambulance and Motorway Rescue 1122 services will be initiated for timely patient transfers. Nurses will be trained and sent to hospitals in Gulf and Europe. Playgrounds will be established in every union council, with school grounds open for players in the evening.

State-of-the-art hospitals will be constructed in each district to treat cancer, kidney, and liver diseases. During Ramadan, 6.5 to 7 million relief packets will be delivered to homes under the "Nighaban" program. Talented students will receive education in top foreign universities.

A series of youth-focused programs will be launched, including the Youth Loan Programme, Interest-Free Loan, Youth Training, Small Business Loan, Laptop and iPad Scheme, and Paid Internship. Electric bikes will be provided to youth, especially women. An IT startup program will be introduced for freelancers.

For working women, hostels, daycare centers, and ladies' washrooms will be built at workplaces. Model women police stations and women desks will be established in every police station. Safe cities Program is being developed in 18 cities, with completion expected in 5 years.

A comprehensive program for screening prisoners will be launched, along with the creation of an IT city and the provision of 10 doorstep services. Free Wi-Fi will be available in major cities, starting with a pilot project in Lahore. The Farm to Market Roads Program will resume, and metro bus services will begin in Faisalabad, Gujranwala, and Sialkot.

Special attention will be given to South Punjab, with meetings starting with MPAs from the region. Charging points will be installed for electric buses, and smart agriculture zones will be created for farmers. Agricultural machinery will be provided at discounted rates, and a special package will be offered for livestock.

Disease-free animal meat from Pakistan will be exported to the Gulf market. Garbage collection in cities will be improved, and a free school transport program will be introduced, especially for girl students. Solar panels will be provided in convenient installments for citizens consuming less than 300 units of electricity.

The "Apna Chhat Apna Ghar" scheme will be launched, providing one lakh houses. Street markets will be kept clean under the "Suthra Punjab" program. A project will be launched to provide services to overseas Pakistanis, and health and life insurance will be provided for journalists.

While addressing the Punjab Assembly House, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed her gratitude to Allah Almighty, saying, "I humbly thank Allah Almighty by bowing my head." She reflected on the journey that led her to this moment, noting that "the system of nature first endures and then honors."

Maryam Nawaz congratulated Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan and Deputy Speaker Zaheer Iqbal Chanhar on their election, expressing hope that "under the leadership of Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan and Zaheer Iqbal Chanhar, this House will raise the flag of democracy."

Expressing regret over the absence of opposition members in the House, Maryam Nawaz remarked, "It is regrettable that the opposition members are not present in the House, I wish they were also present." She emphasized the importance of competition in politics, stating, "We are all democratic workers, competition is necessary in politics."

Reflecting on the challenges she faced, Maryam Nawaz expressed gratitude for the unwavering support of her party members. She stated, "There were very difficult moments, everyone was against us and we were subjected to brutality, thank God that every member of the party and all of us as a party did not give up."

Maryam Nawaz extended an open invitation to all members of the Assembly, saying, "My office, my doors, and my chambers are open 24 hours a day for every Member of the Assembly." She thanked her family, party workers, and supporters for their support, acknowledging, "The party not only nominated me for the Chief Ministership but also fully supported me, I thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Expressing gratitude to members of other political parties for their support, Maryam Nawaz highlighted the significance of her election as Chief Minister, stating, "Today is a day of honor for every Pakistani daughter, sister, and mother that there is a woman on the chair of the Chief Minister."

Despite facing adversity, Maryam Nawaz emphasized her lack of desire for revenge, stating, "Despite the difficulties and sufferings, there is no desire to take revenge from anyone in my heart." She credited her opponents for her growth, saying, "Opponents have trained me in difficult conditions by putting me in difficulties, putting me in death cell and putting me in Adyala Jail, NAB Jail, and Kot Lakhpat Jail."

Maryam Nawaz concluded by expressing her gratitude to her mother and teachers for their guidance, and to Nawaz Sharif for his mentorship and vision. She said, "Today I am on the chair where visionary leaders like Nawaz Sharif used to sit. Nawaz Sharif is honored to have made the country invincible." She also thanked Allah Almighty for Nawaz Sharif's leadership, noting, "Nawaz Sharif is the only person who was made Prime Minister 3 times by Allah Almighty."

Maryam Nawaz Sharif emphasized the importance of respecting and valuing parents, noting that "a parent's prayers reach places beyond human imagination." She acknowledged the legacy of Shahbaz Sharif, who is remembered as the "Khadim-e-Aala Punjab" and for his commitment to Punjab's development, recognized not only in Pakistan but also worldwide.

Maryam Nawaz highlighted her awareness of the challenges faced by the poor and the expectations associated with the Pakistan Muslim League (N). She pledged to take the oath, go to the office, and immediately start implementing the manifesto, focusing on addressing public issues.

Maryam Nawaz outlined her vision for Punjab, aiming to establish state-of-the-art hospitals in every city to ensure that no one has to travel to another city for treatment. She announced that government hospitals will start providing free emergency medicine from today.

Regarding business and economic development, Maryam Nawaz expressed her vision to make Punjab an economic hub. She emphasized the government's role in providing facilities to the business community and pledged to eliminate red tape and other obstacles. She promised to create a system where all business registrations can be completed under one roof and to convert existing government businesses into public-private partnerships.

Maryam Nawaz reiterated her zero-tolerance policy against corruption and pledged to bring a transparent system that would end bribery. She committed to monitoring government projects personally to ensure timely completion. She announced the continuation of helplines for youth and women and the launch of a relief package named "Neghaban" for Ramadan, delivering relief packages to people's homes.

Recognizing the need for authentic data for effective relief distribution, Maryam Nawaz directed the Chief Secretary to submit authentic data within three months. She expressed her dedication to youth welfare, promising to provide resources for education to those in need, resume scholarships under the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF), and support students studying in international universities. She also pledged to restore the youth loan program started by Nawaz Sharif.

Maryam Nawaz Sharif outlined a comprehensive plan for youth empowerment, including education, interest-free loans, training, laptops, and small business opportunities. She emphasized providing laptops, iPads, or tablets to students as needed and expanding internship programs with stipends of at least 25,000 to support their expenses. Electric bikes will be provided to students and professionals, and Maryam Nawaz Sharif pledged personal engagement with youth, keeping the doors of the Chief Minister's House open to solve their problems.

She committed to improving the education system, ensuring equal standards for all students, and enhancing teacher training programs. Buildings, classrooms, and labs will be upgraded, and a transport system will be provided to all schools in Punjab.

Maryam Nawaz Sharif emphasized curriculum development, addressing child labor by providing stipends to children working in kilns, and focusing on special education and the welfare of special needs individuals. She pledged to screen children for diseases early and establish a special education institution in every district.

In the health sector, she promised to deploy qualified doctors, medicines, and equipment in Basic Health Units (BHUs), Tehsil Headquarters (THQs), and Rural Centers. She committed to working tirelessly for the financial independence, protection, and empowerment of women and announced a special package for the transgender community to mainstream them into society.

Maryam Nawaz Sharif highlighted the importance of protecting minorities, promoting sports through the "Khailta Punjab Program," focusing on a digital Punjab, and providing 43 services at people's doorsteps under the Dastak program. She promised to investigate police brutality incidents, reduce police response time, and improve facilities for jail patients.

She pledged to pay more attention to small farmers, create smart agriculture zones, and adopt modern agricultural methods. A one-window program will be started for farmers, providing agricultural credit, quality seeds, and fertilizers.

To provide relief to the public, Maryam Nawaz Sharif announced the provision of solar panels to houses consuming less than 300 units of electricity and the construction of one lakh houses under the "Apni Chhat Apna Ghar" scheme. She also emphasized cleanliness under the Suthra Punjab program, combating climate change and smog with modern technology, and addressing the issues of overseas Pakistanis and media workers.

Maryam Nawaz Sharif concluded by emphasizing that while success is in the hands of Allah, good intentions and efforts are in the hands of humans, and requested the Speaker for opening of the press gallery.

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flyinglotus777 · 3 years

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Netflix’s Squid Game

SPOILER ALERT! If you are interested in watching the series, I HIGHLY suggest you do so. This article will be an overall synopsis and my review of the show. For an in-depth analysis of the symbolism of the show and ending, scroll down to the fourth to last paragraph.

The Netflix show, “Squid Game,” written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk is a phenomenal Korean drama centered around our victor, Seong Gi-hun, played by Lee Jung-jae. Contestants were recruited to play in a life or death competition due to their lack of luck, financial knowledge, and influx of impending debt they have accumulated throughout their lives. We first meet Gi-hun as he is down on his luck. Living with his elderly, overworked mother (which in countries outside of the United States is not strange nor uncommon) Gi-hun was a friend to gambling, but that toxic love caused him to be in debt to a gang of (what seemed to be) loan sharks. When luck finally strikes him on the race track, life simultaneously decides to take an excrement on his reality. His debt seekers catch him on his hot streak and involuntarily sign him up to be a participant in the Squid Game.

Similar to many other of the 456 participants, they all shared a common denominator of being in situations it seemed only money could fix. Upon arrival the contestants were asked to voluntarily sign wavers in order to participate in the game, while unknowingly risking their lives, for the opportunity to win 456 billion won (which would be roughly over $3.5 million in US currency). The challenges were mostly based on nostalgic childhood games, both based in the United States and South Korea.

Now I knew due to the explanation in the introduction of episode one that if any player were to lose, they would die. So during the first challenge of red light green light, when players were bulletly penalized for losing I was not surprised. After the game, the players decided to rally together and quit playing. The influence of the cash prize split the decision down the middle, leaving the old man, player 1, to be the final decision. To my surprise he actually chose to decline, freeing all of the players. During the voting, many players screamed at each other as to why they would choose to stay in the hell hole as other players responded that the outside world was not any better if not the same as the harsh environment they were already in. This reality struck many contestants as they returned back to their reality of debt, dependents, and for some bounty hunts, thus resulting in them returning to the game.

During the whole season, I was trying to find the purpose of these games. We knew why the participants felt motivated to play, but I wondered what was the purpose of having them fight for their lives in the first place. When the PlayStation faced soldiers forced the doctor (player 111) to dissect the bodies for organs to sell at the black market, at first I thought that it was what the original game maker wanted which I thought was genius. Soon to learn that it was actually a violation to a code of equality that was placed inside the arena applying to all of those who existed, soldiers and participants alike. Which struck me as odd due to the soldiers being able to tote guns and wear masks based on their own hierarchy and the participants being collectively isolated and given numbers as if it was a remake of the Stanford Prison experiment. Nonetheless many soldiers faced the same fate as the players, and my pondering would meet the solution come the finale.

Let’s discuss players. I only favored Gi-hun because he was the protagonist, but throughout the story he grew on me as his big heart prevailed through the madness. I knew Choo Sang-woo, the embezzling business man and hometown friend of Gi-hun played by Park Hae-soo, was a psychopath when I saw him in a fully filled bathtub with his suit on. Running from the police, in debt or not, that’s just as much of a red flag for serial killer tendencies as sleeping with socks on or having too thin and highly arched eyebrows. The episode that he crossed Ali, the father of one from Pakistan with the missing fingers, made me hate Sang-woo for the rest of the series. I was infuriated and frustrated with Ali for being that naïve to believe that they could escape the round as a duo, but understood his perspective since up until that point Sang-woo was a dependable, trusted ally to Ali. However after that episode I didn’t care who won, I was just ready for Sang-woo to die.

Kang Sae-byeok, the skeptical and beautiful warrior from North Korea played by Jung Ho-yeon, deserves her own paragraph. Along with her beauty, her presence and demeanor was so bad ass. She was thrifty and intelligent, as her talent being pick pocketing. I was waiting for her to just be so bad ass. As the punk disguised to be gangster, Jang Deok-su, pushed her around which seemed to be normal behavior between the two, I was ready for Sae-byeok to twist his arm, send a plunging round house kick to his nuts, and cut his snake tattoo right off of his face. Although her exterior was tough, her heart was made of malleable gold which we got to see as she opened up to her female companion during the marble challenge and sobbed from her loss afterwards. Although she was not the killer bad ass queen I had wanted her to be, I still call her a warrior because of her resiliency throughout life’s and the game’s many obstacles and her drive to provide her younger brother with a better life.

Thankfully Deok-su got what he deserved as Han Mi-nyeo poetically decided to take both of their lives during the glass challenge. “You said we would be together till the end,” she said before diving into her inevitable death with her short lived lover. Mi-nyeo was incredibly annoying as I would often pinch the inside corners of my eyes and scratch my eyebrows when she would appear. However that crazy bitch served justice, and I love her for that.

I was highly disappointed by the demise of the detective Hwang Jun-ho, played by the handsome Wi Ha-joon. I was rooting for detective Jun-ho, as I’m sure we all were, on his pursuit to find his brother. I was not surprised that his brother was Front Man, as I had suspected that his brother must’ve died or been apart of the game making due to his absence in real life and the current game. After discovering his brother was the victor of his year, to me it only made sense that he would be apart of the game enforcement. As we saw from Gi-hun, a normal life is impossible to live after experiencing something so traumatic as a series of death ridden children games. However I was saddened and surprised that detective Jun-ho was unsuccessful in closing down the whole operation. I mean the man was close to performing forced, aristocratic fellatio in the name of serving and protecting the law. I truly thought because he had gotten so far and was so close to exposing the operation that the only choice he had was to be successful. At last he was shot and killed by his own blood, the one he had been looking for; providing us with a cinematic and heart jerking ending to detective Jun-ho.

Lastly lets discuss the old man, player 001 named O Yeong-su, whom I also nicknamed Poppy during the series. Deceivingly innocent and weak, I genuinely liked Yeong-su throughout the game play. I thoroughly enjoyed his relationship with Gi-hun and saw him as a valuable player in most instances. I believe he was one of the main reasons that Gi-hun continued to lead with his heart. Gi-hun claimed that Yeong-su was the reason he returned to the games and later found out that Yeong-su was the reason there were games in the first place. The climatic episode of the marble challenge was when their relationship had been defined as “gganbu” (which is a term for trusted, close friends in Korean, as explained in the series), thus Yeong-su establishing a special place in Gi-hun’s heart. During the challenge, Yeong-su begins to have an episode of what we all assumed to be dementia as the arena they are playing in is designed like his old neighborhood and he abandons the game to take a trip down memory lane. Gi-hun screams in frustration at the old man to play with him only to end up losing in their even and odd game and resulting in deceit, tricking the old man to let him be the victor. Now if I was Gi-hun, I would’ve convinced Yeong-su to let me hold his marbles for safe keeping and let him have a fun time reminiscing on his life while he ran down the clock. Then when it was time, I would’ve turned in all 20 marbles just as Sang-woo did and went about my business. It would’ve only been right for the old man to forfeit as he was already on his death bed, or so we innocently thought. Before I get into the ending, I want to talk about the last match between Sang-woo and Gi-hun.

Finally, the last game to see who would be victorious in a highly anticipated game of Squid between Gi-hun and Sang-woo. It seemed as if it were a battle between good vs evil; Gi-hun representing a more benevolent side as he would often optimistically look to help other competitors and extend the kindness he had been shown versus Sang-woo who represented a more vindictive and ruthless side, determined to hurt anyone in order to receive his highly coveted and long awaited prize in an arena that erased any foundation of morals or ethics as soon as the light turned red. Luck was on Gi-hun’s side as he had the opportunity to play offense. With a cunning mind and a vengeance for Sae-byeok’s death, Gi-hun delivered a can of whoop ass to his opponent. As the saying goes, the good shall always prevail. Perhaps his heart was too pure as Gi-hun halted from crossing the finish line and offered Sang-woo a chance to live, thus forfeiting the prize money. Needless to say, I applauded when Sang-woo committed suicide as it was the only right thing to do in his position.

A year passed by and Gi-hun seemed worse than before. Physically his style was bummy wealthy, a look pioneered by Bill Gates, but mentally he was in shambles. How could you blame him? Gi-hun discovered that the responsible party for these horrendous events was none other than his ggangbu, old man Yeong-su. The biggest, jaw dropping plot twist of the entire series. As they were joined on Christmas Eve and Yeong-su on his death bed, they placed one final bet on an assumed to be drunken, homeless man who sat on the streets as it snowed and waited for help to arrive. Yeong-su explained how he actually wanted to help people and give his money to people who needed it, but wanted to do it in an “entertaining way.” As Gi-hun flared with outrage towards the old man for finding amusement in killing people, the old man rebutted using horse races as an example of people’s amusement. Yeong-su also said he participated in the games because it was more fun to play than to be a spectator, which I had noticed him treating the competition as if it were adult summer camp. I had just assumed since he was old, he didn’t care if he had died or not.

I think most people will think that this show was a metaphor about how money and rich people are evil. However I think it can be seen as commentary on society as a whole, not just the wealthy. Yeong-su says on his death bed that it’s a test of humanity, and asks Gi-hun if he still has faith in humanity after what he has experienced. Although money was the luring motivator to win the game, people still chose to return to the competition to escape their problems. Sure, money was apart of their problems as all of the players (excluding Yeong-su) were in debt, but that was due to choices that they had made. Whether it had been through embezzling, gambling, lack of luck, or financial ignorance, it was the people who had gotten themselves into those situations. Money doesn’t have a personal vendetta against anyone nor does it have an inherent quality of good or evil. Money is a neutral energy used to be exchanged for goods and services. It’s people who designate that energy to their humane or inhumane desires.

Leading to the next point of the wealthy and how they are seen to be evil due to having wealth. Although I do believe that there are some wealthy people who act as villains, money didn’t create the villain inside of them. Those people were going to behave maliciously whether they have money or not. The VIPs, who were spectating the finale of challenges, were tied to a bank devoted to the wealthy and gambled on the competitors who played (and most likely helped subsidize the events). We place judgement on them, but as Yeong-su said, people gamble on horse races. Although people are not animals and by my knowledge I don’t believe most or any horses die during these races, it is still the principle of watching an entity being tortured for amusement, which is not only confined to the wealthy population. When the concept of killing and tormenting living breathing beings for amusement is normalized within society, the lines begin to blur on who is okay to perform and who is not. Take the audience of this show for example, we all watched a show where hundreds of people were mercilessly killed for the desire of winning a cash prize for our own amusement, thus making “Squid Game” the number one show on Netflix at the moment. Although the show is fictional and brilliantly written, this Hunger Games concept is not new. We come in contact again and again with the idea of people who are disadvantaged given an opportunity to better their lives through inhumane means, including risking their own lives or actively sacrificing the life of another, and being spectators on the edge of our seats who can’t seem to look away. It is no different than a Roman gladiator match in a grand colosseum, which in modern day would be a MMA fight at the MGM hotel. We blame it on the rich who are ridiculed for creating these events, but at the end of the day it is the people, rich,poor, and everyone in between, who continue to still go along with it and to some extent desire it. Which makes me question, what does that say about humanity, and do I actually have faith in us? Although Gi-hun went through hell and back, he still remained pure of heart and used his wealth to enhance his life and those around him; proving that wealthy people can still be benevolent and desire righteous good. Similar to Gi-hun, the optimist in me wants to believe that there are still people in this world with good hearts, but I guess we just have to wait until the time comes to see.

Ultimately the show was phenomenal, and definitely sparked a desire inside of me to watch more Korean dramas. I don’t think the show will have a second season. Simply because I think the story line would be better cut off there, thus leaving the audience always wanting more. However if season 2 ever comes out, I’m ready for Gi-hun to take a Liam Neeson approach to ending the Squid Game and hopefully with a beard. Thank you for reading my article. I know it was incredibly lengthy. I have just finished the season after a 2 day binge watch, and have a lot of emotions and thoughts ruminating in my brain. Let me know what you think of the show and what you think of the article. Did anyone else notice the paintings of the games on the walls of the dormitory?

God bless.

#squid game #netflix #review #korean drama #kdrama #series review #web series

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patriotsnet · 4 years

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Did Republicans Riot After Obama Was Elected

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/did-republicans-riot-after-obama-was-elected/

Did Republicans Riot After Obama Was Elected

Undocumented Kids Are Saved By Obamas Executive Order Daca Which Would Put A Halt To Deportation For Those Whod Entered The Country Before Age 16 And Yet In A Bid To Get The Gop To Come Over To His Side On Immigration Reform The President Has Also Deported A Record 15 Million People In His First Term

A Family Caught in Immigration Limbo

When Belsy Garcia saw her mother’s number appear on her iPhone on the afternoon of June 15, she felt what she calls the “uncomfortable fluttering” sensation in her chest. She knew that daytime calls signaled an emergency. The worst one had come the previous year, when her sister told her ICE agents had placed their father in federal custody.

Garcia was attending Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, when her father was marched out of her childhood home. As an undocumented immigrant — like both of her parents, who are from Guatemala — she couldn’t qualify for loans. She financed her education through scholarships and a stipend she earned as a residential assistant. Now she wondered if her mother was calling to say her father had been deported, which might force her to leave school to become the family’s breadwinner.

But this call was different. “Go turn on the television,” Garcia’s mother said. “You’re going to be able to work, get a driver’s license.”

Onscreen, President Obama was announcing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Undocumented immigrants who had arrived in the United States as children could apply for Social Security numbers and work permits. Garcia qualified: Her parents had brought her to this country when she was 7 years old. DACA transformed her into a premed student who could actually become a doctor. “It was like this weight was lifted,” she says. “All of that hard work was going to pay off.”

In The Next Hundred Days Our Bipartisan Outreach Will Be So Successful That Even John Boehner Will Consider Becoming A Democrat After All We Have A Lot In Common He Is A Person Of Color Although Not A Color That Appears In The Natural World Whats Up John Barack Obama White House Correspondents Dinner

And Then There Were Three

The first woman to argue a case before the Supreme Court did so in 1880. It would take another 101 years for a woman to sit on that bench rather than stand before it. Even then, progress was fitful. Over the 12 years that Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg served together, their identities evidently merged; lawyers regularly addressed Ginsburg as “Justice O’Connor.” When O’Connor retired in 2006, she left the faux Justice O’Connor feeling lonely. Ruth Bader Ginsburg warned of something far more alarming: What the public saw on entering the court were “eight men of a certain size, and then this little woman sitting to the side.” They might well represent the most eminent legal minds in America. But there was something antiquated, practically mutton-choppy, about that portrait.

How many female justices would be sufficient? Nine, says Justice Ginsburg, noting that no one ever raised an eyebrow at the idea of nine men.

Seal Team Six Kills Osama Bin Ladenraiding His Secret Compound In Abbottabad Pakistan While Obama And His Top Advisers Watch A Live Feed Of The Mission From The White House Situation Room The Picture Of The Assembled Becomes The Last Supper Of The Obama Era

Poop Feminism

For me, it’s one moment. All the bridesmaids have come to the fancy bridal shop to see Maya Rudolph try on wedding dresses. This should be a familiar scene: The bride emerges from the changing room and … This is the dress! The friends clap. The mother cries. Everyone is a princess. Go ahead and twirl!

But when the bride emerges in Bridesmaids, almost all of her friends have started to feel sick. Sweat coats their skin. Red splotches creep over their faces. They try to “ooh” and “aah,” but it’s already too late. It starts with a gag from Melissa McCarthy, followed by another gag. Then a gag that comes simultaneously with a tiny wet fart. It’s the smallness of the fart that’s important here. It’s the kind of fart that slips out — a fart that could be excused away, a brief, incongruous accident. Women don’t fart in wedding movies, and women certainly don’t fart at the exact moment that the bride comes out in her dress. This can’t be happening. Melissa McCarthy blames the fart on the tightness of her dress. We breathe a sigh of relief.

Then sweet Ellie Kemper gags, and the sound effect is surprisingly nasty. Ellie’s face is gray. Melissa’s face is red. They look bad. They are embarrassed. How far is this going to go?

The camera cuts. We are above now. We look down from a safe perch as the release we have been anticipating and dreading begins. It is horribly, earth-shatteringly gross. A woman has just pooped in a sink. The revolution has begun.

The Government Acquires A 61 Percent Stake In Gm And Loans The Company $50 Billion The Auto Bailout Will Eventually Be Heralded As A Great Success Adding More Than 250000 Manufacturing Jobs To The Economy

The Auto Industry Gets Rerouted

“The president was very clear with us that he only wanted to do stuff that would fundamentally change the way they did business. And that’s what we did. There were enormous changes. For example, General Motors had something like 300 different job classifications that the union had. If you were assigned to put the windshield wipers on, you couldn’t put tires on. And we wiped all that stuff out. We basically gave back management the freedom to manage, to hire, to fire. People stopped getting paid even when they were on layoff. We reduced the number of car plants so that there wasn’t so much overcapacity. So now, when you have 16 million cars sold , they’re making a fortune.”

Black Lives Matter Activists Are Arrested In Baton Rouge Louisianaprotesting The Murder Of Alton Sterling; More Than 100 People Are Detained In St Paul Minnesota Protesting The Murder Of Philando Castile

What Is the Point of a Quantified Self?

Melissa Dahl: The Fitbit was introduced at a tech conference eight years ago. It’s kind of incredible to realize that, before then, this idea of the “quantified self” didn’t really exist in the mainstream.

Jesse Singal: I feel like it’s the intersection of all these different trends: Everyone plays video games these days. You got smartphones everywhere. And people are realizing that solutions to the big problems that lead to sleeplessness and anxiety and bad eating — unemployment and income inequality and yada yada yada — aren’t gonna get solved anytime soon.

MD: That’s interesting, because all of this self-tracking is also, according to some physicians, giving people more anxiety! A Fitbit-induced stress vortex.

Cari Romm: It feels like productive stress, though. I’m talking as a recovered Fitbit obsessive, but it does make you look at Fitbit-less people like, “You mean you don’t care how many steps you took today?”

MD: Oh, God. I don’t care. Should I care? Sleep is the one thing I obsessed over for a while. Which does not really help one get to sleep.

JS: Do you think an actually good and not obsession-inducing sleep app could help, though?

MD: There’s some aspect to the tracking idea that really does work. I mean, it’s just a higher-tech version of a food journal or sleep journal, right? Ben Franklin 300 years ago was tracking his 13 “personal virtues” in his diary.

JS: Would Ben Franklin have been an insufferable tech-bro?

Officer Darren Wilson Fatally Shoots Michael Brownin The St Louis Suburb Of Ferguson Sparking A National Protest Movement And Setting Off Unrest That Will Remain Unresolved Two Years Later

On the Triumph of Black Culture in the Age of Police Shootings

In the two years since Mike Brown was fatally shot by the police in Ferguson, and the video footage of his dead body in the street went viral, we have seen the emergence of a perverse dichotomy on our screens and in our public discourse: irrefutable evidence of grotesquely persistent racism, and irrefutable evidence of increasing black cultural and political power. This paradox is not entirely new, of course — America was built on a narrative of white supremacy, and black Americans have simultaneously continued to make vast and essential contributions to the country’s prominence—but it has become especially pronounced. And it’s not just because of the internet and social media, or the leftward shift of the culture, or black America’s being sick and tired of being sick and tired. In fact, it is all of these things, not least two terms with a black president. In the same way that black skin signals danger to the police , his black skin, to black people, signaled black cultural preservation. African-Americans didn’t see a black man as the most powerful leader in the free world; we saw the most powerful leader in the free world as black. This is what comedian Larry Wilmore was expressing at the 2016 White House Correspondents’ Dinner when he said, “Yo, Barry, you did it, my nigga.” It was a moment of unadulterated black pride.

Militants Attack American Compounds In Benghazi Libya Killing Us Ambassador Chris Stevens And Three Other Americans There Will Eventually Be Eight Congressional Probes Into The Incident

“I Know I Let Everybody Down”

“Before the debate, David Plouffe and I went in to talk to him and give him a pep talk and he said, ‘Let’s just get this over with and get out of here,’ which is not what you want to hear from your candidate right before the debate. We knew within ten minutes that it was going to be a debacle. We had armed him with a joke — it was his 20th anniversary, and he addressed Michelle — and it turns out Romney was expecting just such a line and had a really great comeback. And Romney was excellent — just free and easy and clearly well prepared and showed personality that people hadn’t seen before. Obama looked like he was at a press conference.

We had a meeting at the White House and he said, ‘I know I let everybody down and that’s on me, and I’m not going to let that happen again,’ and that was his attitude. We always had debate camps before, where we’d re-create in hotel ballrooms what the set would look like, and all of the conditions of the real debate. When we went down to Williamsburg, Virginia, for the next debate camp, he seemed really eager to engage in the prep. We had a decent first night. That was on Saturday. On Sunday night, Kerry, playing Romney, got a little more aggressive and Obama a little less so; it looked very much like what we had seen in Denver. It was like he’d taken a step back.

Scott Brown Is Elected Massachusetts Senatorturning Ted Kennedys Seat Republican For The First Time Since 1952 And Suddenly Throwing The Prospect Of Passing Obamacare Into Jeopardy

Plan B

“I’m talking to Rahm and Jim Messina and saying, ‘Okay, explain to me how this happened.’ It was at that point that I learned that our candidate, Martha Coakley, had asked rhetorically, ‘What should I do, stand in front of Fenway and shake hands with voters?’ And we figured that wasn’t a good bellwether of how things might go.

This might have been a day or two before the election, but the point is: There is no doubt that we did not stay on top of that the way we needed to. This underscored a failing in my first year, which was the sort of perverse faith in good policy leading to good politics. I’ll cut myself some slack — we had a lot to do, and every day we were thinking, Are the banks going to collapse? Is the auto industry going to collapse? Will layoffs accelerate? We just didn’t pay a lot of attention to politics that first year, and the loss in Massachusetts reminded me of what any good president or elected official needs to understand: You’ve got to pay attention to public opinion, and you have to be able to communicate your ideas. But it happened, and the question then was, ‘What’s next?’

Sheryl Sandbergs Lean In Hits Bookstores Making The Feminist Case That Women Should Be More Aggressive And Ambitious In Their Careers And Making Feminists Themselves Very Angry

The “Mommy Wars” Finally Flame Out

After decades of chilly backlash, we find ourselves, these past eight years, in an age of feminist resurgence, with feminist websites and publications and filmmakers and T-shirts and pop singers and male celebrities and best-selling authors and women’s soccer teams. Of course, as in every feminist golden age, there has also been dissent: furious clashes over the direction and quality of the discourse, especially as the movement has become increasingly trendy, shiny, and celebrity-backed.

Perhaps the most public feminist conflagration of the Obama years came at the nexus of policy and celebrity, of politics and pop power. It was the furor over Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, who gave a viral 2010 TED Talk about women in the workplace who “leave before they leave” — who alter their professional strategy to accommodate a future they assume will be compromised by parenthood — which led to the publication of her 2013 feminist business manifesto, Lean In.

It’s a lesson of the Obama era: One approach to redressing inequality does not have to blot out the others. Sometimes, attacking from all angles is the most effective strategy.

Texas State Senator Wendy Davis Laces Up Her Pink Running Shoes And Spends Ten Long Hours Attempting To Filibuster A Billthat Wouldve Imposed Statewide Abortion Restrictions

“The Concept of Dignity Really Matters”

“I was given an enormous degree of latitude. I did communicate with the White House counsel on occasion about high-profile cases, but it was much more in the nature of just giving them a heads-up, to calm any nervous feelings they might have. There’s only one exception to that, and it was on marriage equality, in the Hollingsworth v. Perry case in 2013. We were contemplating coming in and arguing that it was unconstitutional for California to refuse to recognize the legal validity of same-sex marriages. But we didn’t have to do it . And because it was a discretionary judgment, and it was such a consequential step, that was the one matter where I really sought out the president’s personal guidance. I wanted to make sure the president had a chance to thoroughly consider what we should do before we did it. It was really one of the high points of my tenure. It was a wide-ranging conversation about doctrinal analysis, about where society was now, about social change and whether it should go through the courts or through the majoritarian process, about the pace of social change, about the significance of the right at stake. He was incredibly impressive.

A Golf Summit Between John Boehner And Barack Obama Stirs Hopethat Perhaps The Two Parties Will Come To A Budget Agreement And Forestall A True Crisis Secret And Semi

A Grand Bargain That Wasn’t, Remembered Three Ways

“The president of the United States and the Speaker of the House, the two most powerful elected officials in Washington, decided in a conversation that they both had to try to make something happen. Maybe it would be the way it worked in a West Wing episode in a world that doesn’t work like a West Wing episode. That’s how it started — two individuals saying we’re going to try. I think they both shared a belief in the art of the possible, and they both did not think compromise was a dirty word.

When our cover was blown — a Wall Street Journal editorial came out saying that Boehner and Obama were working on this and attacking the whole premise — that was devastating. It resulted in Cantor being a part of the talks. Cantor and Boehner came in, and I think it was a weekend private session with the president in the Oval Office, and they were talking about the numbers. At one point Cantor said, ‘Listen, it’s not just the numbers. There’s concern that this will help you politically. Paul Ryan said if we do this deal, it will guarantee your reelection. If we agree with Barack Obama on spending and taxes, that takes away one of our big weapons.’ There were so many obstacles, some of them substantive — how much revenue, and what about the entitlements? — but there was also this overlay of ‘This is going to help Obama.’

Illustrations by Lauren Tamaki

The Obama Administration Unveils Its Plan For Regulating Wall Streetwhich Is Then Introduced In Congress By Senator Chris Dodd And Representative Barney Frank

MJ=JC?

Lane Brown: Michael Jackson’s death was a big deal for lots of obvious reasons, including the surprising way it happened and the fact that he was arguably the most famous person on the planet.

Nate Jones: He was an A-lister with an indisputable body of work; he was 50 years old, his hits were the right age — old enough that every generation knew them, but not too old that they weren’t relevant anymore.

LB: But it was also the first huge celebrity death to happen in the age of social media, or at least the age of Twitter.

NJ: MJ’s death came alongside the protests in Iran, which was when Twitter went mainstream.

LB: It also meant that so much of the instant reaction was to make it all about us.

Frank Guan: In a lot of ways, the culture prefers the death of artists to their continuing to live. Once an artist gets launched into the stratosphere, there’s no way to come down, and that permanence becomes monotonous. They run out of timely or groundbreaking material and the audience starts tuning out. At some point, their fame eclipses their art, and then the only way to get the general audience to appreciate them anew is for them to die.

LB: People seem to like the grieving process so much that even lesser celebrities get the same treatment.

Congresswoman Gabby Giffords Returns To The House Floor For The First Time Since Being Shot In A Massacre In January Casting A Vote In Favor Of The Debt

A Rare Moment of Unity

“I was doing intensive rehabilitation in Houston at the time but was following the debate closely, and I was pretty disappointed at what was happening in Washington. I’d seen the debate grow so bitter and divisive and so full of partisan rancor. And I was worried our country was hurtling toward a disastrous, self-inflicted economic crisis. That morning, when it became clear the vote was going to be close, my husband, Mark, and I knew we needed to get to Washington quickly. I went straight from my rehabilitation appointment to the airport, and Mark was at our house in Houston packing our bags so he could meet us at the plane.

That night, I remember seeing the Capitol for the first time since I was injured and feeling so grateful to be at work. I will never forget the reception I received on the floor of the House from my colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats. And then, like I had so many times before, I voted.

I worked so hard to get my speech back, and honestly, talking to people who share my determination helped me find my words again. I’ve been to Alaska, Maine, and everywhere in between. Best of all, I got back on my bike. Riding my bike once seemed like such a huge challenge. It seemed impossible.”

Miley Cyrus Twerks At The Mtv Vmassetting Off A Controversy About Cultural Appropriation That Soon Ensnares Seemingly Every White Pop Star On The Planet

• Karlie Kloss wears a Native American headdress and fringed bra at the Victoria’s Secret fashion show.

• Justin Timberlake is accused of appropriating black music when he tells a black critic “We are the same” after praising Jesse Williams’s BET Humanitarian Award speech about race and police brutality.

• DJ Khaled gets lost on Jet Ski, snaps the whole time.

• Two UW-Madison students snap their meet-cute as the entire student body cheers them on.

• Playboy Playmate Dani Mathers films and mocks an anonymous woman in the gym shower.

• A Massachusetts teen records the sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl. The video is later seen by a friend of the victim.

Prior To Going To War In Iraq Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Optimistically Predicted The Iraq War Might Last Six Days Six Weeks I Doubt Six Months

What’s more, Vice-President Dick Cheney said we would be greeted as liberators by the Iraqi people after we overthrow Saddam.

They were both horribly wrong. Instead of six weeks or six months, the Iraq war lasted eight long and bloody years costing thousands of American lives. It led to an Iraqi civil war between the Sunnis and the Shiites that took hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives. Many Iraqi militia groups were formed to fight against the U.S. forces that occupied Iraq. What’s more, Al Qaeda, which did not exist in Iraq before the war, used the turmoil in Iraq to establish a new foothold in that country.

The Iraq war was arguably the most tragic foreign policy blunder in US history.

In 2012 Republicans Predicted That Failure To Approve The Keystone Pipeline Would Send The Price Of Gasoline Sky High And Kill Large Numbers Of Jobs

Despite the fact that the Keystone Pipeline was not approved, the price of gasoline continued to drop below $1.80 per gallon, millions of new jobs were created and unemployment dropped from 8% to 4.9% by early 2016. The most optimistic predictions say that the Keystone Pipeline would only create a few dozen long-term jobs and would do nothing to lower the price of gasoline.

Eric Cantors Stunning Primary Loss Suggests No Politician Is Safe From The Rage Of The Tea Party Not Even The Tea Partys Canniest Political Leader

From Party’s Future to Also-Ran in a Single Day

On the day his political career died, Eric Cantor was busy tending to what he still believed was its bright future. While his GOP-primary opponent, David Brat, visited polling places in and around Richmond, Virginia, Cantor spent his morning 90 miles away at a Capitol Hill Starbucks. He was there to host a fund-raiser for three of his congressional colleagues — something he did every month, just another part of the long game he was playing, which, he believed, would eventually culminate in his becoming Speaker of the House.

The preceding five years had brought Cantor tantalizingly closer to that goal. In the immediate aftermath of Obama’s election, he’d rallied waffling House Republicans to stand in lockstep opposition to the new president’s agenda. In 2010, he’d helped elect 87 new Republican members, giving the GOP a House majority and making Cantor the House majority leader. He became the champion of these freshmen members, stoking their radicalism during the debt-ceiling fight and working to undermine Obama and John Boehner’s attempt to strike a “grand bargain.” His alliance with the ascendant tea party was strategic — it gave him leverage not only over Obama but over other Republicans who might also have had aspirations of becoming Speaker. It never occurred to him that the wave he was trying to ride might crash on him instead.

In 1993 When Bill Clinton Raised Taxes On The Wealthiest 15% Republicans Predicted A Recession Increased Unemployment And A Growing Budget Deficit

They weren’t just wrong: The exact opposite of everything they predicted happened. The country experienced the seven best years of economic growth in history.

Twenty-two million new jobs were added.

Unemployment dropped below 4%.

The poverty rate dropped for seven straight years.

The budget deficit was eliminated.

There was a growing budget surplus that economists projected could pay off our national debt in 20 years.

Republicans Predicted That We Would Find Iraqs Weapons Of Mass Destruction Even Though Un Weapons Inspectors Said That Those Weapons Didn’t Exist

The Bush administration continued to insist that WMDs would be found, even when the CIA said some of the evidence was questionable. As we all know, the WMDs predicted by the Bush administration did not exist, and Saddam Hussein had not resumed his nuclear weapons program as they claimed. Ultimately, both President Bush and Vice President Cheney had to admit that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Republicans Predicted That President Obamas Tax Increase For The Top 1% In 2013 Would Kill Jobs Increase The Deficit And Cause Another Recession

You guessed it; just the opposite happened. In the four years following January 1, 2013, when that tax increase went into effect, through January 2017, unemployment dropped from 7.9% to 4.8%, an average of more than 200,000 new jobs were created per month, Wall Street set new record highs, and the budget deficit was cut in half.

Over 5.7 million new jobs were created in the first two years after that tax increase. That’s more jobs created in two years than were created during the combined 12 years of both Bush presidencies.

In 2001 When George W Bush Cut Taxes For The Wealthy Republicans Predicted Record Job Growth Increased Budget Surplus And Nationwide Prosperity

Once again, the exact opposite occurred. After the Bush tax cuts were enacted:

The budget surplus immediately disappeared.

The budget deficit eventually grew to $1.4 trillion by the time Bush left office.

Less than 3 million net jobs were added during Bush’s eight years.

The poverty rate began climbing again.

We experienced two recessions along with the greatest collapse of our financial system since the Great Depression.

In 1993, President Clinton signed the Brady Law mandating nationwide background checks and a waiting period to buy a gun.

Apple Announces That It Has Sold 100 Million Iphoneswithin A Few Months It Will Overtake Exxonmobil As The Most Valuable Company In The World

Earthlings Gain a New Appendage

What if we had the singularity and nobody noticed? In 2007, Barack Obama had been on the trail for weeks, using a BlackBerry like all the cool campaigners, when the new thing went on sale and throngs lined up for it. The new thing had a silly name: iPhone. The iPhone was a phone the way the Trojan horse was a horse.

Now it’s the gizmo without which a person feels incomplete. It’s a light in the darkness, a camera, geolocator, hidden mic, complete Shakespeare, stopwatch, sleep aid, heart monitor, podcaster, aircraft spotter, traffic tracker, all-around reality augmenter, and increasingly a pal. At the Rio Olympics you could see people, having flown thousands of miles to be in the arena with the athletes, watching the action through their smartphones. As though they needed the mediating lens to make it real.

This device, this gadget — a billion have been made and we scarcely know what to call it. For his 2010 novel of the near future, , Gary Shteyngart made up a word, “äppärät.” “My äppärät buzzing with contacts, data, pictures, projections, maps, incomes, sound, fury.” Future then, present now. His äppäräti were worn around the neck on pendants. Ours are in our pockets when they aren’t in our hands, but they also sprout earbuds, morph into wristwatches and eyeglasses. Contact lenses have been rumored; implants are only a matter of time.

Let’s face it, we’ve grown a new organ.

Republicans Said Waterboarding And Other Forms Of Enhanced Interrogation Are Not Torture And Are Necessary In Fighting Islamic Extremism

In reality, waterboarding and other forms of enhanced interrogation that inflict pain, suffering, or fear of death are outlawed by US law, the US Constitution, and international treaties. Japanese soldiers after World War II were prosecuted by the United States for war crimes because of their use of waterboarding on American POWs.

Professional interrogators have known for decades that torture is the most ineffective and unreliable method of getting accurate information. People being tortured say anything to get the torture to end but will not likely tell the truth.

An FBI interrogator named Ali Soufan was able to get al Qaeda terrorist Abu Zubaydah to reveal crucial information without the use of torture. When CIA interrogators started using waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation methods, Zubaydah stopped cooperating and gave his interrogators false information.

Far from being necessary in the fight against terrorism, torture is completely unreliable and counter-productive in obtaining useful information.

In 2008 Republicans Said That If We Elect A Democratic President We Would Be Hit By Al Qaeda Again Perhaps Worse Than The Attack On 9/11

Former Vice-President Dick Cheney stated that electing a Democrat as president would all but guarantee that there would be another major attack on America by Al Qaeda. Cheney and other Republicans were, thankfully, completely wrong. During Obama’s presidency, we had zero deaths on U.S. soil from Al Qaeda attacks and we succeeded in killing Bin Laden along with dozens of other high ranking Al Qaeda leaders.

Game Of Thrones Arrives On Televisionwith An Assemblage Of Dragons Torture Nudity Incest And Despair A Show The Whole Family Can Enjoy

Explaining Kale

ADAM PLATT: Many things in Foodlandia, these days, have a political element to them, and if you want to emblazon a flag to be carried into battle, you could do worse than a bristly, semi-digestible bunch of locally grown kale.

ALAN SYTSMA: To eat kale is to announce you’re a person who cares about the matters of the day.

AP: The idea of kale is much more powerful than kale itself. In short order it went from being discovered, to appreciated, to being something that was parodied. Frankly, I’m all for the parody.

AS: The same thing happened to pork. Remember bacon peanut brittle? Bacon-fat cocktails? There’s bacon dental floss.

AP: Ahhh, bacon versus kale. The two great, competing forces of our time.

AS: Do you think one gave way to the other?

AP: What we’re really talking about is artisanal bacon, and the more sophisticated-sounding pork belly, made from pigs that were lovingly reared at upstate farms and fed diets of pristine little acorns. Bacon is the great symbol in the comfort-food, farm-fresh-dining movement, a kind of merry, unbridled pulchritude. Kale is the righteous yin to pork’s fatty, non-vegan yang.

AS: But pork has an advantage: People like the way it tastes.

AP: That’s a huge advantage, one that will hopefully see it through to victory.

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newstfionline · 5 years

Text

Headlines

UN calls for global cease-fire (Foreign Policy) United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for a global cease-fire in order for countries to focus on the coronavirus pandemic. “End the sickness of war and fight the disease that is ravaging our world,” he said. “It starts by stopping the fighting everywhere. Now. That is what our human family needs, now more than ever.”

Lost jobs, income, and mortgages (Wall Street Journal) Mortgage companies are bracing for a severe cash crunch when Americans who lose jobs and income because of the coronavirus pandemic stop making payments on their home loans. The companies expect a wave of missed payments from borrowers as early as next month that will force them to come up with tens of billions of dollars on short notice.

US airline shutdown coming? (Wall Street Journal) Major U.S. airlines are drafting plans for a potential voluntary shutdown of virtually all passenger flights across the U.S., according to industry and federal officials, as government agencies also consider ordering such a move and the nation’s air-traffic control system continues to be ravaged by the coronavirus contagion. No final decisions have been made by the carriers or the White House, these officials said.

Trump Weighs Rollback of Lockdown Measures as Economy Worsens (Foreign Policy) At a White House briefing yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that normal economic activity would resume in weeks, not months. “Our country was not built to be shut down,” Trump said, “This is not a country that was built for this. It was not built to be shut down.” His comments highlighted the growing friction between public health experts keen to halt the spread of the coronavirus and White House advisors who see the economy as the priority. “The president is right. The cure can’t be worse than the disease,” Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council said on Fox News on Monday, “And we’re going to have to make some difficult trade-offs.” Such sentiments are not limited to the White House. There is a growing chorus among conservatives and in mainstream publications calling for a rethink.

Britain Placed Under a Virtual Lockdown by Boris Johnson (NYT) Facing a growing storm of criticism about his laissez-faire response to the fast-spreading coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday that he would place Britain under a virtual lockdown, closing all nonessential shops, banning meetings of more than two people, and requiring people to stay in their homes, except for trips for food or medicine. People who flout the new restrictions, the prime minister said, will be fined by the police.

With live sports gone, announcer offers play by play of the everyday (NYT) Freelance rugby announcer Nick Heath is filling a sports-sized void with short videos where he provides a running commentary on regular life in London. In one clip, four women walking with strollers are suddenly competing in the “international four-by-four pushchair formation final.” Pedestrians using a crosswalk are in the “2020 crossroad dash.” Each clip is an absurd delight that’s both funny and very British.

As Coronavirus Surveillance Escalates, Personal Privacy Plummets (NYT) In South Korea, government agencies are harnessing surveillance-camera footage, smartphone location data and credit card purchase records to help trace the recent movements of coronavirus patients and establish virus transmission chains.

In Lombardy, Italy, the authorities are analyzing location data transmitted by citizens’ mobile phones to determine how many people are obeying a government lockdown order and the typical distances they move every day. About 40 percent are moving around “too much,” an official recently said.

In Israel, the country’s internal security agency is poised to start using a cache of mobile phone location data--originally intended for counterterrorism operations--to try to pinpoint citizens who may have been exposed to the virus.

As countries around the world race to contain the pandemic, many are deploying digital surveillance tools as a means to exert social control, even turning security agency technologies on their own civilians. Health and law enforcement authorities are understandably eager to employ every tool at their disposal to try to hinder the virus--even as the surveillance efforts threaten to alter the precarious balance between public safety and personal privacy on a global scale.

Pakistan moves toward lockdown (Al Jazeera) Pakistan has moved closer to a countrywide lockdown to attempt to control the accelerating spread of coronavirus cases across the country, as cases hit more than 850 and doctors complain of dwindling personal protective kits. On Monday, a full lockdown went into effect in the southern city of Karachi, home to more than 20 million people, while Punjab province--home to almost half of Pakistan’s 207 million people--also announced widespread restrictions on public movement.

India orders 21-day lockdown (Foreign Policy) India, South Asia’s largest economy, has ground to a halt since the weekend. Authorities urged people to take curfew orders seriously, shutting down domestic commercial flights and rail services. In a televised address to the nation on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a strict 21-day nationwide lockdown. “If we are not able to manage the next 21 days, we will be pushed back by 21 years,” he warned. “For 21 days, forget what it means to step outside your home.”

Documents Show Modi Govt Building 360 Degree Database To Track Every Indian (Huffington Post) The Narendra Modi government is in the final stages of creating an all-encompassing, auto-updating, searchable database to track every aspect of the lives of each of India’s over 1.2 billion residents, previously undisclosed government documents reviewed by HuffPost India establish.

Reducing Afghan aid (NYT) The State Department said it was cutting $1 billion to Afghanistan this year, and potentially another $1 billion in 2021, after rival Afghan leaders failed to support a unified government. It’s a condition that U.S. diplomats consider crucial for peace talks.

China ends Wuhan restrictions (NYT) Officials in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak started, said today that public transportation would resume within 24 hours and that residents would be allowed to leave the city beginning April 8, as infections appeared to be dwindling.

Tokyo Olympics postponed to 2021 (AP) The IOC announced a first-of-its-kind postponement of the Summer Olympics on Tuesday, saying that the Tokyo Games “must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020, but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community.”

Libya becomes theatre for drone combat (Guardian) The blind eye the western world is turning to Libya has allowed it to become the world’s main theatre of drone combat, with the UAE and Egypt introducing Chinese-made drones to the field of Middle Eastern warfare. Not only does this undercut America’s short-lived monopoly on military drone technology, it has also shown the world that Chinese drones, as well as other equipment such as guided artillery, are the cheap and effective alternative for proxy warfare. It is a foreboding symbol of the future of arms proliferation and the technological upgrade that smaller, regional conflicts are set to experience.

African finance ministers call for debt waiver (Foreign Policy) In a joint statement, African finance ministers called for $100 billion in stimulus to allow the continent to weather the dual storms of coronavirus and falling oil prices. The statement calls for a waiver on interest payments on public debt and sovereign bonds--a move that would free up $44 billion and “provide immediate fiscal space and liquidity to the governments in their efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the ministers said.

South Africa imposes lockdown (South China Morning Post) South Africa will impose a nationwide lockdown for three weeks as it tries to contain a surge in coronavirus cases, which on Monday jumped from 274 to 402 in a day. President Cyril Ramaphosa said it was “a decisive measure to save millions of South Africans from infection and save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.” The country’s 56 million people have been told to “stay at home” from midnight on Thursday until midnight on April 16 “to prevent a human catastrophe of enormous proportions in our country.”

#headlines #news

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thecryptoconsortium · 5 years

Text

Hello my soon to be new friends. My name is Kelly Wayne Alma and I am from America. I started a non profit movement that helps the poor all over the world learn how to take advantage of the bitcoin explosion and earn FREE money online.....regardless of age, religion, education or any other of the human BULLSHIT that stops gods children from achieving true peace and unity.

Anyone ages 12 or older, with reasonable english skills outside of skype, can work with me directly to start building a brighter financial. future. Younger than that are also welcome, but out of respect I want to speak to their parents first. Explain the program and to what degree and purpose I will be engaged with their children. And, most important of all, to get their blessing.

This is no scam of the rich to take your money and keep you down...or some child's get rich quick fantasy. It takes time to build and a little effort online a few times a week...but IT DOES WORK. Poor people all over the world are ALREADY making a difference in their lives with cryptocurrencies. A few dozen from using my rough but VERY effective technique. TENS OF THOUSANDS more in other ways on their own.

I made, personally, made almost $35,000 USD last year in bitcoins. My first year dedicatedly involved, knowing almost NOTHING about crypto, and I started by earning A FEW PENNIES a day online from faucets and ptc. NOW I know alot more, found a few safe and good avenues, I want to share what I have learned with as many people as I possibly can how THEY can do it too FREE...WITH NO MONEY OUT OF POCKET. My NEW life goal is to make 100,000 poor families RICH before I die. Rich by GODS STANDARDS....not the standards of human greed!!!

I already have HUNDREDS of people from The Philippines and a couple dozen other countries interested in TCC and I have initiated an OUTREACH PROGRAM I tentatively labeled "THE FAMILY ENRICHMENT PROGRAM", but I am having a MAJOR PROBLEM in The Philippines and surrounding regions that I cant solve, alone, from the United States. Many of the sites I use that the poor would need to use are blocked(possibly by local governments I think) and I need to find new sites that are comparable.

I need volunteers, in multiple cities/villages/ regions and from different countries, like The Philippines, Romania, Moldovia, Ukraine, South America, Korea, India, Pakistan, Iran and similar locations to help me run a few localized tests that will allow me to develop dedicated "earning lists" according to country and region. This process, and the resulting lists, will allow the poor all over the world to start earning A LITTLE free money online, then invest those few pennies to build a long term residual income that WILL lead to an unbelievable amount of FREE MONEY coming in DAILY within a year. Two if you slack off a bit😁😁👍

This testing process will cost you ABSOLUTELY NOTHING EVER but a few minutes a day. You can even do it from home while spending some quality family time...and IT WILL EVEN PROVIDE a small but reliable additional daily income fairly quickly that could be used as a holiday recovery fund, vacation fund , or whatever.

Ideally would be to put together small groups(8-12) of friends or family working together, with AT LEAST ONE being able to speak read and write fairly good English, acting as a "leader" to interact with me for tutorial purposes. These first few groups would help solidify a localized process that the poor ALL OVER THE WORLD can use to start building a new financial future.

This is also A GREAT OPPORTUNITY for anyone that could use an easy and LONG TERM RESIDUAL income to GET PAID TO HELP THE POOR in their communities by "taking it into the streets". Teach others what I teach you and earn an extra income from the residual referral commissions that the investment sites pay members for bringing in new investors.

I am also looking for some volunteers who are fairly skilled in the English language to periodically translate items into their native language for me...and, when the time is right, to help me with placing some localized advertising in order to spread awareness of TCC and its goals. Professional services(share plans only please) in the areas of website creation and management, app and bot development, program development and management, and more.

For the more financially secure looking for a SAFE INVESTMENT here is one with a twist. NO LONGER will you need to give your money away as a "donation to help others". TCC's Family Enrichment Plan helps the poor get started by providing safe investment sites that have been TESTED AND PROVEN BY US with our own money, providing full training of what to look for in potential avenues, offering lifetime support as they traverse their new paths, and even providing a small interest free loan for startup capital if they show some evidence of honest effort...NO DAMN WELFARE HERE....they WORK for it, but it takes several weeks for the loaned funds to return to return to us, with no profit like we would have received had those same funds been invested.....3-4 times REINVESTED in the time it was loaned out....so we actually LOSE ALOT OF MONEY in the short term.

The response to this initial pilot program has been so unexpectedly high that I run out of operating capital on a daiily basis, sometimes even several times a day, and have to wait for returns from our own investments before we can help any more registrants get started...

SO WE HAVE OPENED OUR DOORS TO OUTSIDE INVESTORS. TCC is now offering it's standard investors($50 to $1000) 1% daily for 365 days.....principle included and insured against loss. Thats a 365% return. Try to get THAT from any bank or trading house. Under $50 will receive a 30 day principle return(not insured) plus an equivocable share of any profit earned.

For the more adventurous souls investing MORE THAN $1000 better terms MIGHT be available, depending on market conditions, and available vessels at the time of deployment.

✨⚜️YOU EARN TO HELP THE POOR⚜️✨

💰🏦NO DONATION BEGGING HERE🏦💰

Within the next 90 days(if funds allow....God's children come first) I hope to have a more professional investment website available, along with several phone apps and bots, to make the various processes a little more comfortable and accessible for both registrants and investors, but for now its just the honor of an old school country boy too scared of bringing shame to his beloved mama's name to do anything but the RIGHT thing!!!

Interested parties should email me for more details and/or instructions. Thank you for your time and God Bless!!! Please share.

Kellywayne,

The Crypto Consortium

[email protected]

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lahoreherald · 3 years

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Kamyab Pakistan will assist all those living in poverty says PM Imran Khan

Prime Minister Imran Khan stated that the Kamyab Pakistan Program will help poor people better Pakistani living standards.

The initiative is scheduled to be launched on 9 August and will be an “example for developing countries,” stated the Premier at ICEE 2021 an event designed to spread information on continued changes in the building sector.

He vowed to give 40% of Pakistan’s poor people easy access to education, healthcare and homes.

“Each member of each household will have access to rapid and easily accessible technical training and IT training that opens new prospects for earners,” stated the PM. “Every household receives a Rs10,000 health cards that is available in any hospital.”

A family member is provided with interest-free loans to establish a business and become independent financially.

Exports

The Prime Minister has stated that the administration has progressively eliminated barriers to promoting Pakistan’s export culture. “We’re an enormous market. Why must we import it still?”

Credits for housing

PM Imran Khan commented that throughout the years the Pakistan government of Tehreek-i-Insaf has worked hard to guarantee that banks grant home loans comfortably. In Pakistan – the lowest in the region — only 0.2 percent of home loans are provided.

Change in climate

The Prime Minister spoke of the hazards of global warming and climate change. He stated only by growing more trees can the country preserve itself from ever more catastrophic weather patterns.

Published in Lahore Herald #lahoreherald #breakingnews #breaking

#Imran khan #Kamyab Pakistan #Latest #National

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hassanzohaib · 3 years

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How to buy AC on installments in Pakistan?

Summers may be rather relentless in Pakistan. If we can all agree on one thing, Pakistan's summers can be tolerated if you have air conditioning. We all know the sense that we are heading to an air-conditioned house from a hot, wet day: pure comfort.

Summer is warm enough, and the feeling grows much worse when humidity adds to it. The mix of heat, pressure, and water is not healthy for living with. This is a sufficiently solid incentive to invest in air conditioning.

Whether it's online or offline, make sure you get the proper AC unit for pleasant cooling. You can get the most effective air conditioner to overcome the summer heat here for recommendations.

The difficulty is, however, that not everybody is willing to acquire a new AC unit. Do not fear; there are abundant financial choices that let you buy AC on the installment, so you do not have a credit card or do not want to use it.

Can I buy AC on installments in Pakistan without a Credit Card?

Yeah, without a credit card, you may buy an AC on installment. In the next portion of this post, we will discuss many possible funding alternatives.

How to buy AC on installment?

If you like to purchase the AC without using a credit card, you may convert the order to simple installments without paying any upfront.

These are your alternatives for sources of finance:

1. Web-based financier’s personal loan

Online lenders meet every consumer's desire for simple personal financing. They rely on technology to provide personal loans or personal loans as long-lasting loans for consumers.

Lahore center – A go-to option for a personal loan to buy AC on installments in Pakistan

• Offers a fixed interest and installment rates that may extend from two months to three years.

• Offers are a single lump payment in the form of a credit line. With our INSTALLMENT loan calculator, you can determine your installment amount. So, no devaluation here! No devaluation here!

• No collateral needs to be used. It's a personal loan that's not secured.

• Provides 100% financing for installment purchases of AC. No cash is needed for the down payment.

• The personal loan application process is simple and online.

• Instantly check your credit history and loan score to determine whether you're fit. Enter into a few seconds a personal loan.

2. INSTALLMENT cards

Several banks and financial institutions offer installment cards. You may purchase AC without a credit card on installment.

A pre-approved personal loan is attached to an installment card. By transforming your shopping into manageable installments, you can pay back the amount.

3. Consumer durable loans

You merely have to go to the salesman on the store if you stroll into the store and want an AC, but you do not have enough cash. You may obtain a lasting consumer loan with minimum documents. However, sustainable consumer loans may not give 100% financing. A down payment might be requested on your purchase.

4. Installments on debit cards

Some banks can use a debit card to purchase AC. You may buy the AC from a partner dealer without a credit card on INSTALLMENT, as long as you have enough money in your account.

Advantages of buying AC on installments in Pakistan

Whatever financing option you choose to accept the AC on installments in Pakistan, you'll have these advantages:

· Repay in easy installments

To repay the loan, you must not break the bank. Easy, pocket-friendly installments.

· No charge for converting your purchase into installments

To restore your purchase into reasonable installments, you don't have to pay any processing costs.

· Instant approval and disbursal

No waiting to get your AC home. Funds are instantly disbursed.

· For what you buy, you may select a simple INSTALLMENT payment plan

You can choose a loan tenure based on your financial convenience. You can split the purchasing costs into evenly distributed installments for a tenor from 1 to 5 years.

· It helps build up your credit score.

You may also increase your credit score by buying a loan to buy AC on installments in Pakistan. By timing your payments, you can raise the credit score by following rigorous financial disciplines.

Buying a new air conditioner? Keep these things in mind

· Tonnage.

· Efficiency.

· Type – Split or Window.

· Air Quality.

· Key Components.

· Speed.

· Installation and Maintenance.

· Additional features

Why choose us?

Lahore Center has been helping our locals with their home comfort requirements for numerous years. Take advantage of programs and services suited to your requirements locally with the Lahore Centre. We are still there to support you whether you are a well-established customer or a new customer who wishes to join us. We want you to feel more at home relaxed. Feel free to contact us at any time of the year. For more information, visit our websites lahorecenter.com

Reference: https://lahorecentreblog.blogspot.com/2021/05/how-to-buy-ac-on-installments-in.html

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saliha · 6 years

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Loved this story. 😀 #Repost @humansofpakistan (@get_repost) ・・・ I loved someone but could not get married to her due to my economic status. I am a woodcutter and work as a daily wage labourer. However, the person I got married to ultimately became the love of my life. We had six children out which two died due to poor health. After the death of my second child, I quit woodcutting and started looking for other work. Seeing the frustration, my wife asked me to sell her earrings to get some money to start a business. It was not enough but was something to start with. I started a confectionary shop within my house from the money and it kept our stove burning from that point. However, I felt bad almost every day that wife had to sell her jewellery for us. After a few weeks, a group of people came to our house who told us that they would give my wife an interest free loan if she starts or contributes to a business. After consulting a few people, we agreed and got the loan to invest more in our shop. The business increased and I have saved enough money to get back my wife those earrings that made our life better. #EmpoweredWomenEmpoweredPakistan ————— —- @SUCCESSinSindh is funded by the European Union in Pakistan and aspires to work exclusively with rural women in 8 districts of Sindh to reduce poverty. It is implemented by Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) Pakistan, NRSP, SRSO and TRDP in eight districts of Sindh, namely: Kambar Shahdadkot, Larkana, Dadu, Jamshoro, Matiari, Sujawal, Tando Allahyar and Tando Muhammad Khan. #EmpoweredWomenEmpoweredPakistan #EUinPakistan #SUCCESSinSindh #EuropeanUnionPakistan #RSPN #NRSP

#europeanunionpakistan #repost #successinsindh #empoweredwomenempoweredpakistan #nrsp #euinpakistan #rspn

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dpr-lahore-division · 3 years

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PARLIAMENTARIANS CALL ON CM

With the compliments of, The Directorate General Public Relations,

Government of the Punjab, Lahore Ph: 99201390.

No.1292/QU/Zahid

HANDOUT (A)

LAHORE, Aug. 11:

Malik Farooq-e-Azam MNA, MPAs namely Ghazeen Abbasi, Asif Majeed, Samiullah Chaudhary, Mian Shafi, Raees Nabeel and others called on Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar at the circuit house in Bahawalpur and congratulated him over PTI's victory in PP-38.

Talking on the occasion, the CM said negative politics has failed before the agenda of public service and repeated that the government is taking every step to serve the masses. I have been regularly visiting different cities and towns to resolve public problems on the spot, he added. The CM said the district development package worth 360 billion will help to resolve public problems as it has been designed in consultation with the parliamentarians. The people will be prosperous due to the policy of composite development and the problems of Bahawalpur will also be resolved, concluded the CM.

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No.1293/QU/Zahid

HANDOUT (A)

PUBLIC DELEGATIONS CALL ON CM IN BAHAWALPUR

LAHORE, Aug. 11:

Delegations of lawyers, party workers and people from different walks of life met with Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar at the circuit house in Bahawalpur and apprised him about their problems.

The CM assured to resolve public issues adding that the Punjab government is committed to resolving the problems of the legal fraternity. The government was assisting the bar councils by providing necessary financial assistance to them, he maintained. I have a close association with the legal community as I have been a lawyer myself, he replied. The CM announced to strengthen the party across the province adding that the workers' proposals are important for the government as they are the identity and asset of the party.

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No.1294/QU/Zahid

HANDOUT (A)

CM CONDOLES LOSS OF LIVES

LAHORE, Aug. 11:

Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has expressed a deep sense of sorrow over the loss of lives in a road accident near Faisalabad and extended sympathies to bereaved heirs. He also directed to provide the best treatment facilities to the injured.

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No.1296 /QU/Umer

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CM MESSAGE ON INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY

LAHORE, Aug. 11:

Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has said the youth have played a pivotal role in national development.

In his message, the CM said Pakistan has a lot of expectations from its youth as their role in national development is very important. Keeping in view the importance of the youth community, the government is economically empowering them, he added. Youth empowerment is an important agenda as they have brought laurels home on every occasion, he continued. While Arshad Nadeem and Talha Talib have set new examples for the youth, the government will continue to provide resources and opportunities to the youth to empower them for a beneficial role in society, concluded the CM.

******

No.1297/QU/Umer

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PTI GOVERNMENT GIVES NEW IDENTITY AND EMPOWERMENT TO SOUTH PUNJAB: USMAN BUZDAR

LAHORE, Aug. 11:

Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has said the PTI-led government has given new identity and empowerment to south Punjab adding that a secretariat will also be established in Bahawalpur.

Addressing the ceremony to launch the kisan card at the Islamia University of Bahawalpur, the CM said the Bahawalpur region enjoys a unique identity and importance and the role of the Bahawalpur State in the establishment of a separate homeland for Muslims will be written in golden words. The Bahawalpurites love Pakistan and IUB stand among the 1000 best universities in the world, he said. While giving credit to PM Imran Khan for the achievements, Usman Buzdar said the PTI is fulfilling its promises made with the people and assured that the south Punjab secretariat will be established soon in Bahawalpur. The government has allocated a 35 per cent budget for south Punjab while ringfencing Rs. 190 billion and a separate annual development plan has also been devised for the southern districts, he added. Similarly, a decision has been made, in principle, to fix a 32 per cent quota for south Punjab in provincial employment and the proposal of including Mianwali and Bhakar in this quota is being reviewed, as well.

The CM reiterated the district development package worth Rs. 360 billion has been devised to remove deprivations adding that the kisan card will help in farmers' empowerment. 13.55 lakh plus farmers have registered themselves for kisan cards to use this facility as an ATM to get agri items. This will help to increase agri produce; he added and continued that megaprojects valuing Rs. 300 billion are in progress under the agri emergency programme. A sum of Rs. 45 billion is given to 70,000 farmers under the e-credit scheme as interest-free loans and 4.40 billion is provided for the procurement of certified seeds and agri machinery at subsidized rates, he continued. The 9 lakh farmers are given a subsidy of more than 12 billion for subsidizing the production cost and the latest irrigation system is introduced as well. A subsidy of more than 4 billion is given for solar system and drip sprinkler systems while introducing crop insurance, for which the provincial government has paid 15 billion as premium, he further said.

The CM said support prices of cotton, wheat and sugarcane are fixed at Rs. 5000, Rs. 1800 and Rs. 200 respectively and record production of seven crops has recorded an increase of Rs. 600 billion in agri economy. He welcomed the inauguration of the national cotton breeding institute and intercropping research centre adding that the 2.5-megawatt solar power project in IUB will produce 1.7 rupees per unit of electricity. He appreciated that the university college of nursing will provide higher education facilities to the nursing students for better employment opportunities.

Meanwhile, the PTI government will start more development schemes in Bahawalpur, he stated and added that 36.32 billion were being spent on 187 development schemes in district Bahawalpur. 136 new development schemes will be launched under the district development package with an amount of 12.54 billion, he added. Similarly, the upgradation of the Hakra canal and improvement of the desert branch canal is in progress and 20 inflatable rubber dams project is under consideration to store floodwater. He said 79 roads projects will be completed in the district adding that a 42-KM long link road from Bahawalpur N5 to Jhangra East Interchange will be constructed with four billion rupees and Hasilpur-Bahawalpur dual carriageway will be completed with five billion rupees. Along with it, a 40-KM long Yazman-Bahawalpur road will also be constructed, he added. 52-KM long rural roads are completed under RAP1 and seven schemes of 44-KM long roads will be completed this year under RAP2, the CM further stated.

The CM said that work on 31 projects of provision and disposal of water is in progress in district Bahawalpur and a water drainage scheme will be completed in the city with 3.87 billion. He said 279 schools will also be upgraded besides starting a non-formal education project for Cholistan. Upgradation of different wards of Bahawal Victoria Hospital will be completed soon and a gynae complex will be constructed in THQ hospital Yazman besides setting up an emergency block in Khairpur. Gynaecology and dialysis units will be added to Rajgaan rural health centre, he said. Civil Hospital Bahawalpur is named after Nawab Sir Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi, he further said.

The CM pointed out that the Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences is completed by the incumbent government and besides appointing its vice-chancellor, 260 officials were also recruited to provide the best educational facilities to the students. 2247 students are enrolled in the university and the first badge will pass out in 2024, he added. The CM said industrial estate will be established with an amount of seven billion and coordinated development projects will be launched through 11 departments in the Cholistan. 27694 lots will be allotted to landless locals in Cholistan and the PITB will hold balloting in November to ensure transparent allotments, he added. He said the people of Bahawalpur have a great love for PTI and PM Imran Khan and invited the prime minister to visit Bahawalpur again to lay the foundation stone of the south Punjab secretariat. The rules of business of south Punjab secretariat are being formulated and Bahawalpur will be brought at par with other developed cities to fulfil the right of development of people living in the area, concluded the CM.

*****

No. 1298/QU/Umer

HANDOUT (A)

CM SEEKS REPORT FROM RPO GUJRANWALA

LAHORE, Aug. 11:

Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has sought a report from RPO Gujranwala about a murder attempt made on a couple in Gujranwala and directed to provide the best treatment facilities to the injured woman. No one will be allowed to take the law into its own hand, the CM added.

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patriotsnet · 4 years

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Did Republicans Riot After Obama Was Elected

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/did-republicans-riot-after-obama-was-elected/

Did Republicans Riot After Obama Was Elected

A Family Caught in Immigration Limbo

But this call was different. “Go turn on the television,” Garcia’s mother said. “You’re going to be able to work, get a driver’s license.”

And Then There Were Three

How many female justices would be sufficient? Nine, says Justice Ginsburg, noting that no one ever raised an eyebrow at the idea of nine men.

Poop Feminism

Then sweet Ellie Kemper gags, and the sound effect is surprisingly nasty. Ellie’s face is gray. Melissa’s face is red. They look bad. They are embarrassed. How far is this going to go?

The Auto Industry Gets Rerouted

What Is the Point of a Quantified Self?

MD: That’s interesting, because all of this self-tracking is also, according to some physicians, giving people more anxiety! A Fitbit-induced stress vortex.

MD: Oh, God. I don’t care. Should I care? Sleep is the one thing I obsessed over for a while. Which does not really help one get to sleep.

JS: Do you think an actually good and not obsession-inducing sleep app could help, though?

JS: Would Ben Franklin have been an insufferable tech-bro?

Officer Darren Wilson Fatally Shoots Michael Brownin The St Louis Suburb Of Ferguson Sparking A National Protest Movement And Setting Off Unrest That Will Remain Unresolved Two Years Later

On the Triumph of Black Culture in the Age of Police Shootings

Militants Attack American Compounds In Benghazi Libya Killing Us Ambassador Chris Stevens And Three Other Americans There Will Eventually Be Eight Congressional Probes Into The Incident

“I Know I Let Everybody Down”

Scott Brown Is Elected Massachusetts Senatorturning Ted Kennedys Seat Republican For The First Time Since 1952 And Suddenly Throwing The Prospect Of Passing Obamacare Into Jeopardy

Plan B

Sheryl Sandbergs Lean In Hits Bookstores Making The Feminist Case That Women Should Be More Aggressive And Ambitious In Their Careers And Making Feminists Themselves Very Angry

The “Mommy Wars” Finally Flame Out

It’s a lesson of the Obama era: One approach to redressing inequality does not have to blot out the others. Sometimes, attacking from all angles is the most effective strategy.

Texas State Senator Wendy Davis Laces Up Her Pink Running Shoes And Spends Ten Long Hours Attempting To Filibuster A Billthat Wouldve Imposed Statewide Abortion Restrictions

“The Concept of Dignity Really Matters”

A Golf Summit Between John Boehner And Barack Obama Stirs Hopethat Perhaps The Two Parties Will Come To A Budget Agreement And Forestall A True Crisis Secret And Semi

A Grand Bargain That Wasn’t, Remembered Three Ways

Illustrations by Lauren Tamaki

The Obama Administration Unveils Its Plan For Regulating Wall Streetwhich Is Then Introduced In Congress By Senator Chris Dodd And Representative Barney Frank

MJ=JC?

Lane Brown: Michael Jackson’s death was a big deal for lots of obvious reasons, including the surprising way it happened and the fact that he was arguably the most famous person on the planet.

LB: But it was also the first huge celebrity death to happen in the age of social media, or at least the age of Twitter.

NJ: MJ’s death came alongside the protests in Iran, which was when Twitter went mainstream.

LB: It also meant that so much of the instant reaction was to make it all about us.

LB: People seem to like the grieving process so much that even lesser celebrities get the same treatment.

Congresswoman Gabby Giffords Returns To The House Floor For The First Time Since Being Shot In A Massacre In January Casting A Vote In Favor Of The Debt