US SEC and CFTC Imposes Fines of More Than $470 Million on Wall Street Entities

Technology

Strock Trading MonitorWall Street investment advisers and broker-dealer traders are being required to pay US regulators more than $470 million as fines for violating record keeping rules. In a statement made last Wednesday, officials of the US SEC and of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) that a number of entities providing broker-dealer and investment advice as a service, have violated the record-keeping rules; particularly, pertaining to communications about work-related matters

The announcement of the penalties is actually the latest wave of a massive multi-year enforcement campaign against the use of text and WhatsApp messaging, which Wall Street insists are “off channel” work communications. However, SEC and CFTC maintain that text and WhatsApp messages do not meet the standard record-keeping requirement.

The group required to pay hefty amounts of penalty are the following:

  • Epoch Investment Partners, to pay 75 million to the CFTC,
  • Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P, Ameriprise Financial Services LLC. Raymond James & Associates, Inc, and LPL Financial to pay $50 million each to the SEC

Wall Street firms like RBC Capital Market, BNY Mellon Securities Corp., Pershing LLC, and TD Private Client Wealth LLC and Inc, as well as several others, will also pay lower but still hefty settlements for breaching the record-keeping requirement of the SEC and CFTC.

Reason Why the SEC Considers WhatsApp Messaging as Non-Compliant

WhatsApp messagingThe main reason why SEC does not approve of using text, particularly WhatsApp messaging is that information conveyed by way of the application can be shared for securities trading purposes. The sharing of information without proper disclosure is a material trading information violation of the record keeping provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and also by the 1934 Securities Exchange Act.

The SEC’s authority to regulate and impose penalties is based on the provisions for such activity under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Overwhelming Poll Results Reveal Weak UK Voter-Support for Conservative Party

Politics

uk parliament in londonThe overwhelming results of a new poll revealed that incumbent  Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak will lose a majority of the parliamentary seats after the UK election. The Daily Mail reported that the results of the survey conducted by Find Out Now and Electoral Calculus show that Sunak’s Conservative Party will end up with only 80 parliamentary seats.

The survey shows that 42 % of the 18,000 voters who responded to the poll indicated support for the Labour Party. The outcome of the poll’s mock election showed that the Labour Party had a 20-point lead over the Conservatives, as only 80 party members garnered votes in their favor, According to The Daily Report, the said number of parliamentary seats would be the lowest ever in the political history of the Tories.

Surprising Poll Results Revealed Support for Labour Leader Sir Keir Stamer

parliament seats The results are actually considered surprising, shocking even, since the Labour Party just suffered a media backlash two weeks ago. Caused by the antisemitism remarks of Rochdale candidate Azhar Ali. Initially. Sir Keir at first stood by Ali, who remarked that Israel had prior knowledge of the Hamas terrorists’ plans to attack, but still allowed the assault to go on as planned.

However, after facing the UK media’s wrath, Sir Keir decided to drop his support for The Labour Party’s Rochdale by-election candidate.

Lobbying Industry Thriving and Growing in the UK Despite Scandals

Politics

The UK parliament has a long record of lobbying scandals, as influential people paid lobby groups to exert efforts in influencing legislations in their favour. However, there seems to be no end in sight for the series of lobbying scandals that frequently rock the UK parliament. The situation leaves many British entrepreneurs apprehensive over potential laws that could negatively affect their business.

Up until recently, the Committee on Standards in Public Life, an independent standards committee in the UK government, has been calling on members of the Parliament to shut down a group of MPs called “All-Party Parliamentary Group” (APPG). It’s a cross-party group of MPs coming from both the House of Lords and the House of Commons but has no official status as far as the UK Parliament is concerned.

The Standards Committee is calling for the abolition of the APPG as the members, albeit registered, are clearly demonstrating conflict of interests. They are first and foremost public servants whose primary function is to help legislate policies that work for the good of the general public Receiving substantial remunerations from private companies through lobby firms has been the root of most lobbying scandals in the UK parliament.

The Ethics of Lobbying or the Lack of It in the UK Parliament

Today, lobbying has become a big business that enable the privileged to access Members of the Parliament (MPs). It’s widely believed that those who cannot afford to pay for lobbying services have slim chances of having their business concerns addressed through the formation of laws.

The term “lobbying” stems from the occasions when MPs gather in the lobby of the Palace of Westminster, which makes it possible for an individual or a group of people to approach and persuade powerful MPs to support or vote for a particular policy or legislation.

  • Despite the scandals and the subsequent resignations of the MPs involved, the lobbying industry has been rapidly flourishing since the 1990s. While it was estimated in 2007 that the industry was worth £1.9 billion, new 2022 released in data indicates that the interest groups APPG received as much as GBP13 million from private firms; apparently satisfied with the results of lobbying activities during the year.

Social Media Engagement – Quick Glimpse of Its Evolution

Political Play

One of the most significant impacts of social media engagements is that of helping environmentalists and social activists organize and launch effective campaigns. In recent years, the ability of social media platforms to transmit information globally without the help of news channels, immediately became a potent tool in facilitating domestic and international protest actions. As a result, world leaders are put in a spot where they have to prove their integrity by revealing their true colors; instead of hiding behind political machinations and strategies.

In its early years of development, social media sites like Facebook and Twitter merely provided people in nearly all parts of the world, with efficient means of communicating and sharing important events. In subsequent years, businesses were able to gain access to certain information that provided them with insights and lead in targeting account users as potential customers or consumers.

Initially, the emerging advancements in digital technology provided FB and Twitter users a chance to communicate rapidly and instantly even by way of simple text messaging. The rest is history as Facebook’s Messenger app is still the leading communication tool that people from across the world use in sending and receiving text and phone messages.

Social Media Engagement’s Evolution as a Political Tool

Politically, it was an ambitious social media marketer who helped Trump take advantage of the way Facebook operated behind the scene. The use of social media sites in transmitting information became useful.

Yet political ambitions and greed for power also took advantage of the ease by which false and misleading information can be transmitted to beguile people. Fact-checking was still unheard of when Donald Trump launched his political campaigns against Hilary Clinton via Facebook.

Later on, as untoward events unfurled globally, including those that transpired during Trump’s reign, social media platforms slowly became vehicles for facilitating protest actions. The same is true in other countries, as rallying for support of different people coming from all walks of life, became a lot easier.

Tik Tok and The Phenomenal Gen Zs

The younger members of population Gen Z have a mind of their own. They went about their own style of social media engagements and sharing via a Chinese social media site called Tik Tok, originally a music streaming site called Douyin. Even Trump feared the emerging prominence of Tik Tok and his inability to post engaging content. Rather than become part of it, Trump gave the controversial shut down order, which only made the platform even stronger than ever today.

Many Tik Tokers apparently became aware that they can also wield political influence by supporting candidates they believed in. They launched their own brand of political and social actions.

In fact any person, entity or company who wants to gain prominence should strive to become a popular Tik Tok uploader or challenger. Some even use Social Boosting services to accelerate the growth of their Tik Tok account.

Government Websites Still Need to Use SEO Strategies

General

Search engines favor government websites because of their authoritative nature, while offering the most useful and reliable answers to important search queries. However, the right government website that provides the definitive answers could still rank low. That is if the site’s web pages are not enhanced with SEO elements that can bring it to the top pages of search engine page results (SERPs).

Unlike commercial, personal and social websites, government sites are not indexed and ranked by search engines as responses to queries about products, brands, lifestyles, remedies and similar topics. More often than not, government websites provide information needed not only by the local general public but specifically by professionals, specialists and researchers coming from other geographical locations.

Yet most government web pages have little visibility or even no visibility at all, if web administrators and content creators think SEO is just for marketing and selling purposes. The thing is, as a government website, you can help search engines like Google, effectively crawl and index pages that provide the best answers. While it benefits a government website to have higher SERP ranking, it also improves the site’s ability to provide useful information as a service to those who need them the most.

Essential Features of a Functional Government Website

It’s essential therefore to produce high-quality content that presents consistent information contributed by an authority on the subject matter.

Web pages and their content must be consistent and easy to navigate. The theme and design used should be browser-friendly regardless of the type of device used by a browser-user. The elements of a page can easily adjust to the size of the device screen as a way to create a satisfactory user experience for all types of search engine users.

Keyword Research is Still Important

Keyword research still reigns supreme since the only way to lead search engines to a site’s data is through the keywords appearing in the content of web pages. Keywords must include the specific geographic location in which a government exists and what most people want to know about your geographic location: e.g. travel advisories, vacation destinations, employment or business opportunities, schools, cost of living, real estate properties and other topics of particular interest to most people.

Keyword research used to be regarded as highly technical and something that if performed by a non-techie individual cannot be readily deemed as search engine responsive. Nowadays, however, there are online tools designed to help those with fewer experience or knowhow about keyword research. Use an online tool to rank check the keywords identified as the most potential search words or phrases that visitors will use to reach one’s government website.

Do On-Page and Off-Page Optimization

Once the keywords or phrases have been identified and ascertained, it is best to ensure on-page optimization. This technical aspect is not as difficult to accomplish because it’s only a matter of making sure the high-ranking keywords constantly appear in the site’s web pages, either as headings, titles or sub captions.

Off-page optimization, on the other hand, involves exactly what the process means — optimize using other web pages by linking content to internal pages of the government website; or to quality external content of other authoritative sites. .

It’s also important to review and edit the content for information updates to keep the site highly useful to readers. Make every visit a satisfactory experience for readers by using only words that are easily understood by the general public, and not to impress professionals and experts.

Former UK Relief Chief Voice Criticism vs UK Aid Cuts and Acts of Diverting Relief Money

General

Former UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Sir Mark Lowcock, expressed concerns that the UK has been diverting Afghanistan and Yemen relief money to help Ukraine refugees. Moreover, in an interview conducted by award-winning reporter Rob Hastings. Sir Lowcock said he is deeply worried over the British government’s cutting down of budgets in helping victims of famine and conflicts, considering that the Ukraine crisis has made matters worse.

While it is obvious that Russia’s inhumane attacks against hospitals, schools and recently a railway station in Ukraine, have been destroying lives, the other victims of Russian invasions are reportedly being abandoned by the UK government’s aid cuts.

Cutting Aid and Diverting Relief Money Will Result in Greater Loss of Lives

Sir Lowcock who has been UK’s highest-ranking British official in the UN from 2017 up to 2021, said that diverting aid money intended fro the starving people of poor countries in order to deal with the crisis in Ukraine is not right. It will actually result in the largest loss of lives, as many refugees who sought refuge in poor countries will die of starvation, in addition to the increasing body count of victims in Ukraine. The aid cuts make the UK government as guilty as anybody else.

Through a video call interview from his home in south-west London, Sir Lowcock also criticised proposed policies of sending to Rwanda those who seek asylum in the UK. After almost four decades of being at the forefront of aid programs, which culminated in his UN work, Sir Lowcock feels he has to speak out, which he did so in his new book Relief Chief.

Delay on Sue Gray’s Report of PM Johnson’s Partygate Scandal

News

As Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves for North Wales, the wait for senior civil servant Sue Gray’s Partygate scandal report involving the PM will be delayed. The ‘Partygate’ controversy had the whole country engaged in discussions for weeks after the police launched a formal probe of the “‘bring your own booze” (BYOB) party taking place in Downing Street. The parties are in direct violation of multiple and mandatory pandemic restrictions ordered by the government through the Prime Minister, during the critical periods when the COVID-19 virus was spreading across London and in the UK.

What was PM Johnson’s Role in the Partygate Scandal?

Boris Johnson’s position as the Prime Minister of UK is hanging by a thread as he tries to wriggle himself out two police investigations related to the rule-breaking BYOB parties that transpired in government offices during the lockdown. The key issues of this scandal includes whether Johnson ignored the concerns for the party, when he learned about the May 2020 BYOB party, and whether the gathering breached Covid-19 restrictions. Furthermore, he was also accused of misleading the Parliament which can be a resign-worthy matter.

Johnson answered at the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions, that the staff completely followed coronavirus rules. His response to the leaked video that led to the resignation of former press secretary Allegra Stratton where his colleagues joked about the party during a mock press conference was that there were no rules broken.

The key issues of this scandal includes whether Johnson ignored the concerns for the party, when he learned about the May 2020 BYOB party, and whether the gathering breached Covid-19 restrictions. Furthermore, he was also accused of misleading the Parliament which can be a resign-worthy matter.

PM Boris Johnson continues to refuse the calls for him to resign during the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session in the House of Commons. This despite the outcomes of the police investigation that created more damage to the Prime Minister’s reputation. The clamor for his resignation now includes calls coming from members of Johnson’s own conservative party.

Pandemic Video Gaming Drove Growth to Ireland’s Video Games Industry

Business

As tech companies stayed afloat amidst the pandemic, many were thankful for the distraction provided by video games during the stressful mandatory lockdowns. In Ireland, the country’s gaming industry experienced a phenomenal boom since Irish adults and young people alike warmed to video games as their stay-at-home go-to-entertainment.

Video game development companies in Northern Ireland are benefiting greatly from the resulting boom even after Brexit. The boost in sales enabled them to meet the UK government’s eligibility criteria for Video Games Tax Relief.

The UK strongly supports the video games industry as the country ranks second to Germany, for having the largest video games market on a global scale. Based on the data released by UK’s OfCom, around 62% of the nation’s adult population played video games, to which Northern Ireland players were in the thick of the gaming boom in 2020.

According to the Irish Post, data gathered from Pure Telecom showed that 36% of Ireland’s adult population played video games online.

Factors that Sparked the Popularity of Video Gaming in Ireland

Even before the pandemic, esports is already a passion among Irish locals. In Laois County, 33% of residents are quite involved in esports tournaments either as competitors or as audience members. Esports tournaments also enjoy great followings in Dublin and Limerick.

Yet the significant factors that drove growth to Ireland’s video game industry is not only the passion for esports. At the height of the health crisis in 2020, majority of Ireland’s households found the tech-oriented entertainment as the most satisfying form of distraction. The video games provided adults relief from stress and at the same time presented opportunities to bond with younger family members.

The Irish Post was able to gather data indicating that 71% of parents who responded to their surveys, mentioned that playing video games enabled them and their children to experience a less stressful environment. Moreover, fifty-nine percent of the survey respondents said their children were mostly engaged in educational video games.

Irish parents also discovered video board games to play both offline and online The virtual versions also posed as another form of social activity. Amidst the health crisis that prevented them from interacting with friends and neighbors, online multiplayer versions enabled them to make new friends with people from different places across the globe.

According to the Irish Post, their research data showed that while esports gamers spend an average of six hours per week behind their gamin consoles, other video game players in Ireland have been spending as much as 10 hours each week, That being the case, the increased appetite for video gaming in Ireland rubbed off on related businesses particularly in the gaming chairs market.

Gaming Chairs in Ireland also Gained Popularity

The need for gaming chairs became pronounced after adult Irish players realized that the best way to fully enjoy the hours spent video gaming is to take on a sitting position that supports proper posture. Apparently, adult gamers experienced back, neck, arms and leg strains sitting for prolonged hours on regular office or dining chairs.

It became clear that all the health benefits touted as reasons for using gaming chairs are not just hyped-up selling points. In fact even in work places, gaming chairs have become the preferred sitting provisions. The ergonomic support they provide makes a huge difference for people who practically have to sit long hours in front of computers.

Still, not all gaming chairs in the market offer the same levels of comfort and durability. It’s always best to checkout gaming chair brands backed by reliable consumer and expert reviews before purchasing one. A popular gaming chairs information resource for Irish  consumers

White House Announces Lifting of Travel Restrictions on 33 Countries

News

This week, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients announced that the US will resume accepting fully vaccinated air travelers of 33 countries. The announcement is part of the White House’s effort to ease pandemic-related restrictions this coming November. Ex-president Donald Trump ordered the travel restriction in 2020 but without fully providing conditions on how and when the ban will be lifted.

The list of countries to which the US will reopen for vaccinae supporting countries mies like Italy, France, Greece, Germany, Switzerland and Spain, as well as Britain, Ireland, China, Iran, Brazil, India, and South Africa. The past restrictions have forced these countries to institute counter travel restrictions on vaccinated U.S. air travelers visiting their respective countries.

The announcement though was a surprise since Pres. Biden previously declared that it’s still not the best time to lift travel restrictions, as the coronavirus cases across the globe are still on the rise.

Travel Advisory Announcements Included Extended Restriction Bans on Land Borders

The White House announcements included advisory that the U.S. has lengthened the duration of pandemic-related restrictions for non-essential tourists entering the US via the land-borders of Mexico and Canada/ The extension will be in effect up to October 21, 2021 The land border extension did not specify if the extended restriction applies to fully vaccinated tourists who entering the aforementioned borders.

Conservative MPs Voiced Sentiments Vs. Withdrawal of UK Soldiers in Afghanistan

Uncategorized

This week, Operation TORAL, the UK government’s military contribution to NATO’s support for war-torn Afghanistan had ended with the withdrawal of British troops. However, several Conservative MPs have expressed their disappointment over Prime Minister Johnson’s decision to follow the footsteps of new U.S. President Joe Biden. The latter announced the withdrawal of American troops from the NATO forces in Afghanistan sometime in April, 2021.

As it is, only a few UK military personnel remains in Afghanistan to facilitate a new phase of the UK Government’s support for the country until the end of NATO’s mission

Conservative MPs Warn PM Johnson of Catastrophic Results of the UK Pullout

Senior Tories, some of whom had served in the British military are concerned that the Taliban, the other faction in the Afgahn Civil War, would succeed in re-establishing control over the region. The only thing that prevented them from doing so is the presence of UK and US troops deployed in the country to help the Afghan government maintain control.

MP Tom Tugendhat, a former Army officer who chairs the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, said the Prime Minister talks about achievements that were attained with the blood of his friends. All of which will be undone if the Taliban succeeds in reasserting itself. MP Tugendhat’s main concern is that other countries will no longer perceive the British as reliable allies.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a former Tory leader told the House of Commons that the UK’s withdrawal from the Afghan region looks a lot like the hurried exit the U.S. did in Vietnam, after failing to help the South Veitnamese win in the civil war against the communist North Koreans.

Sir Edward Leigh, a Veteran Conservative MP said the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan marks a sad day as it poses as a “catastrophic defeat for the West.” MP Leigh sees it as an abandonment of their friends in Afghanistan whose protection was the life work of tens of thousands British personnel.

Nusrat Ghani, a former Parliamentary Under-Secretary who served at the State Department for Transport voiced concerns for the Afghan women and children, as their schools and clinics will be closed under Taliban rule.

PM Johnson Insists the UK Troop Withdrawal Does not Denote Abandonment of Commitment

According to PM Johnson, the UK is not abandoning its commitment to the Afghan nation, whilst rejecting calls for conducting an inquiry into the war. As it is, the UK will continue to give the Afghan government funding for development (£100 million) and funding for security forces (£58 million).

However, the government is also aware of the dangers of the present day situations and what lies ahead for the 750 military trainers who will facilitate the transition.

The Head of the Armed Forces, Gen./Sir Nick Carter said the situation is “pretty grim as the Afghanistan government is losing its grip over a country that is greatly fractured. Nonetheless, he doubts that the Taliban will be able to have complete control since the Afghan government forces have the advantage of international air support given to them.

Trade and Consumer Groups Call for Inclusion of Online Scams in Forthcoming “Online Harms Bill”

General

As the UK is about to pass a law called the “Online Harms Bill,” there has bee a growing objection to the exclusion of online scams as among the harmful online elements. Senior
MP Stephen Timms and several trade organizations and consumer groups are currently clamouring for the addition of online scams in the new bill.

After all, the purpose of the bill is to compel tech companies and advertising firms to promote internet safety against child sex abuse, hate crimes, cyber-bullying, fake news, and terrorist content. Those found violating the bill once it is implemented will pay huge fines as consequences.

Latest updates about the online scams in the UK is that there is a significant increase of frauds reported as a result of the promotion of the fraudulent schemes usually in social media sites. According to the report, there has been 50% increase since last year, numbering as many as 89,153 cases reported since January 1st, 2021. The approximate value of the amount scammed from victims has reached £406.5 million.

Senior MP Timms contends that online platforms have been profiting from fake websites and scam advertisements including those making money from Scam Smarts ads cited by the Financial Conduct Authority.

UK Finance’s Katy Worobec, MD, the finance and banking industry are still tackling problems with fraud and that they need as much help as they can, including from other industries and online platforms being utilized for scamming purposes by unscrupulous elements.

Starling Bank Anne Boden contended last January that it is the financial services sector that turns out to be the underwriter of all types of fraud that are, technical not financial fraud. If online scams will be included in The Online Safety Harms and Bill, tech giants will be constrained to take responsibility in protecting online visitors and users from this kind of threat.

MP Timms added that during the Pimfa’s Virtual Fest 2 event, Prime Minister Johnson has made a promise to look into the growing concerns about the matter

Escalation of NI Border Disputes Prompts UK and EU Officials to Hold Virtual Meeting

Uncategorized

A dispute over new trade rules for Northern Ireland has been escalating, which prompted officials from the UK and EU to hold a virtual conference last Feb. 03. UK Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove and EU Vice-President Maros Šefčovič, along with Northern Ireland’s leaders discussed matters related to suspension of some NI ports following reports that the inspecting staff have been receiving “sinister” threats.

According to recent reports, the dispute is a result of a new Brexit agreement between UK and EU, regarding the checking of some British products entering Northern Ireland. The disagreements escalated as some deliveries for online shopping and food supplies for Northern Ireland, were delayed because the staff conducting the inspections reported receiving threats.

The situation was aggravated by the EU’s threat of imposing emergency controls on exports of COVID-19 vaccines arriving at the NI border. Apparently alarmed at the repercussions, the EU later withdrew the pronouncement.

In a joint statement after the virtual conference held with the leaders of Northern Ireland leaders, both the UK and EU leaders who attended the virtual talks said they condemn without reservations, any threats or intimidation; stressing that the utmost priority of both countries will be “the welfare and safety of the people of Northern Ireland.”

BBC Sources Disclosed that Talks Did Not Make Much Progress

Although a reiteration of their full support to the Good Friday Agreement was given by both the UK government and the EU Commission, an unnamed BBC source said the talks did not really make much progress as far as the implementation of the new rules are concerned. .

According to Laura Kuenssberg, the political editor of BBC, their source said not much progress came out of the virtual talks, but the officials on both sides have agreed to keep the lines for discussion open.

In the meantime, the UK government called for a temporary extension of the lighter rules being enforced at the NI border up to early 2023. Sinn Fein’s First Deputy Minister Michelle O’Neill, called Mr Šefčovič’s plan of personally going to the UK next week to engage in further discussions about the matter, is a “very constructive and pragmatic approach” to moving forward.

In a separate statement written via the Daily Telegraph, DUP leader and NI First Minister Arlene Foster, warned that Unionists in NI have been pushing the UK government to ease down checks on British goods entering Northern Ireland. The way the First Minister sees it, simply extending grace periods would not solve the problem, because for the Northern Ireland Protocol to work effectively, certain adjustments on the arrangements at the Irish border must take place.

P-E Biden Demonstrates Reasons Why Older Adults Should Engage in Physical Activities

Uncategorized

Nowadays, seeing older adults aged 65 or older actively taking part in a sport or engaged in some kind of physical activity is no longer a surprising sight. Yet, we must admit that we are struck with awe when we see a senior vigorously pedaling a bike, competing in bowling tournaments , vying for pro tennis rankings or even show off their dancing prowess in international talent competitions.

Rather than let old age be a handicap that prevents them from doing things they love do to, many seniors are of the mind set to conquer aging symptoms by staying active, as doing so all the more makes them physically and mentally fit.

Present Day Politicians Exemplify Physical and Mental Ability as Seniors

Just look at the most prominent politicians in our midst today, in the persons of President-elect Joe Biden and soon-to-be-former president Donald Trump.

While Trump constantly mocked his presidential-election rival as “Sleepy Joe,” the description doesn’t fit because Mr. Biden has the look and stamina of a healthy senior. After the news media declared Joe Biden as the president-elect, he showed to the world that he is still physically and mentally fit to become the 46th U.S. President. Millions of viewers worldwide saw him jog on the way to the podium while wearing a protective mask; but not at all sounding short of breath when he delivered his moving speech.

During his campaign rallies, the former vice-president has been confronted with questions about mental fitness, for having stuttered, stammered and making verbal blunders during his public appearances. Yet today as we listen to his speeches, and observe the manner by which he is handling the transition process made difficult by Donald Trump, doubts about the president-elect’s mental fitness are all but gone.

After nearly a year of gruelling campaign activities, the now 78-year old President-Elect has shown only indications of determination to address all problems currently faced by the country, including the effects of climate change.

Transitioning from Inactive to Active, Best to Seek Medical Consultation First

Only recently, Pres-Elect Joe Biden’s personal care physician published a medical report attesting to the incoming POTUS’ fitness in assuming the related duties and responsibilities of a national leader. Dr. Kevin O’Connor also pointed out that the President-elect’s aversion to smoking and years of active engagement in regular workouts at least 5 times a week are the main reasons why even as a septuagenarian, Mr. Biden is still very much physically fit.

Seniors who are looking to transition from inactive to active lifestyle should first consult with their personal care physician. While many older adults can be physically active at any age, it would be best to have a medical opinion about one’s level of fitness. While there are different kinds of physical activities to engage in, the level of intensity and the length of time in which to spend engaged in such activity should be under professional medical supervision.

Let’s take for example the recumbent 3-wheel bikes that have become popular among active older adults. It would be wise for an elderly to start with light bike runs first, before moderately increasing one’s recumbent biking. Many older adults prefer to ride a 3-wheel bike because it’s more stable and allows for easy mobility. Especially now when they buy groceries and supplies online. A 3-wheel bike with a rear basket enables them to pick-up the ordered items instead of having to wait several days via a doorstep-delivery.

By the way, there’s an array of 3-wheel bikes available at Amazon, but as the Black Friday sale is on an extended run, the increasing demand for affordable 3 wheel bikes for seniors have caused some of the most popular brands to run out-of-stock

UK PM Johnson’s Support of Pres-Elect Biden Eases Fears of Tension

Uncategorized

After being declared by news networks as President-elect, the first among the European leaders whom Joe Biden called was UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. A Downing Street spokesperson said that during the call, PM Johnson expressed his congratulations to both President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

In related news reports and as Trump continues to refuse to accept the election results, the UK Prime Minister refused to give any comments about the issue. Nonetheless, PM Johnson said that the United Kingdom will still maintain a good relationship with the U.S. regardless of who takes the seat of the country’s presidential position.

Is There Tension between President-elect Biden and UK Prime Minister Johnson

It can be surmised that the reason why the UK PM was the first to be called is due to the fact that last month, President-elect Biden posted a tweet about the U.S.-UK trade relationship. The incoming U.S. president remarked that the future of trade deals between the U.S. and the UK depends on the latter country’s commitment of not turning its back on the Good Friday Peace Treaty with Northern Ireland.

https://youtu.be/2dCZfqYhXNA

The call between the two leaders lasted for 25 minutes, in which certain concerns were brought up; including President-elect Biden’s known opposition to Brexit. Many anticipate that the incoming President’s opinion of the UK’s Brexit move could cause tension that would result in a strained relationship with the UK.

The peace treaty or the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) was also brought up during the call and the UK Prime Minister reassured Pres-elect Biden that under his Brexit, the GFA will be kept secure. It is acknowledged that the two leaders of the country talked through the significance of Brexit while still keeping the Good Friday Agreement.j

MP’s of PM Johnson’s Conservative Government Showed Support for Biden

Not many in the U.S. are aware that in the later part of October, Ministers of Parliament in PM Jonson’s Conservative government had already expressed their support for Joe Biden. According to UK news reports, the Conservative Ministers of Parliament had already advised PM Johnson that a Biden-win will likely see the U.S. re-engaging in amicable trade deals and it would be in the best interest of the UK not to be left behind in the potential trade deals.

Under the Trump administration trade negotiations between European countries were impacted by Trump’s unwarranted imposition of higher tariffs.

The UK’s Long-Term Plan for Addressing Mental Illness Among British Adolescents,

General, Health, Society

Mental illness among adolescents has become a major social problem, for which countries like the UK formulated solutions to help arrest the continuing rise.

There are several factors that can cause mental health disorders among Britons, especially now that the COVID-19 pandemic is on its second wave. Yet the UK government is raising public awareness that adolescents are in a critical stage that makes them vulnerable to mental illness. Based on the most recent data collected, the UK government found out that one in every seven (7) adolescents between ages 11 to 16 year old, have been diagnosed with potential mental health disorder.

Moreover, the data also revealed that by the time those youths reached the age of 14, about 50% were confirmed as mentally unwell. Even more alarming is that 75% of those pre-diagnosed, were suffering from serious mental health problems at age 24.

Schools Play an Important Role in Detecting Mental Illness Among Adolescents

Schools in England play an important role in detecting adolescents likely suffering from mental illness. In recent years, not a few schools have bee making referrals to the the government-funded healthcare system, the National Health Services (NHS), concerning students needing mental health treatment. During the recent 3 years, the number of school referrals grew by more than ⅓,. Over a 4-year period, 55% of those that received referrals for mental health treatment came mostly from primary schools.

A more comprehensive analysis of the available data showed that in an average class comprised by an average of 30 15 year-old students, the recommendations for mental treatment arose from the following reasons:

  • 1.  Witnessing parents separate;
  • 2.  Experiencing death of a parent;
    3.  Bullying or being bullied
    4.  Proneness to inflicting self-harm

UK Government’s Introduction of the NHS Long Term Plan

In carrying out the government’s policy to undertake actions that will help improve the mental health of UK’s adolescents, a 5-year programme called the NHS Long Term Plan was established. The programme commits to develop mental health services in providing mental treatments to pre-adolescent and adolescents, starting 2020-2021.

The NHS Long Term Plan commits to the continuance of the programmes over the next 10 years, by broadening access to government-funded mental health services by way of community-based centers, including setting up support services in schools and colleges.

Other programmes include making Relationship Education a compulsory subject in state-funded primary schools. The topic advances to Relationship and Sex Education for students in the seconday level. In both programmes, pupils will also be required to learn about mental wellbeing. In September 2020, the Department of Education has made these subjects compulsory in all state-funded schools.

UK Government Also Highlights the Need to Provide a Supportive Environment for Adolescents

Still, as these programs can only help prevent the increase in mental health illness among UK’s youth, the government still highlights the importance of a supportive environment involving family and peers. Even the simple act of gift-giving can contribute to building a protective environment in combatting and mitigating the risks of mental illness among adolescents.

While choosing gifts for adolescents especially those aged 14-year old, gifting a son or a relative with something related to his interest or hobbies is a confirmation that you are aware of his current activities. Listening to what a beloved teen often talks enthusiastically about, are good enough clues for finding a gift that will show how much people around him truly cares.

Former M16 Officer Wants UK Gov’t. to Beef Up Security vs Russian Activities

Politics, Security

Christoper Steele, a former M16 officer who submitted evidence on illicit Russian activities in the country, wants the government to to take a proactive stance.

Steele had previously submitted dossiers to the Security Committee conducting a Russia inquiry. However, he was disappointed with the report released by the committee last month, saying the UK government badly underestimates the Russian threat.

There are a lot of unanswered questions, specifically those raised regarding the funds that flowed into the Conservative Party. The dossier presented evidence that the money came from individuals who have ties with Russia but later defected to become UK citizens.

Although parliament ministers are now contemplating on requiring foreign agents to register in the UK as a means of strengthening UK’s security laws, Mr Steele recommends that such laws must be framed carefully in order to be effective. He asserts that the UK government must also launch organised efforts to bar Russia from carrying out its plan of distorting and disrupting the political systems of countries, .

Former M16 Officer’s Explanation about the Russian Threat

The former M16 intelligence officer explained the Russian threat to Conservative MP Daniel Collins in the latter’s Infotagion podcast.

As a backgrounder, Christopher Steele took part in building the Trump-Russia dossier. The dossier gave the U.S. FBI team led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, evidence in a related investigation. The results of which led to the successful prosecution of several Trump allies and Russian individuals, who allegedly took part in Kremlin’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign

Steele explained:

”Moscow’s goal is to create great partisanship and division, in order to create polarity within political systems; the likes of which have not been seen before in democracies.”

He asserts the need for the UK government to proactively engage the help of the country’s M15 and M16 security services, inasmuch as UK political parties are currently being targeted by way of cyber hacking and political donations. Citing the Brexit movement as an example, Steele said Kremln launched efforts to shatter consensus that led to extreme lengths of political debate.

He added that the UK government’s lax regulation over the flow of Russian money in the country, enabled the Kremlin to interfere with Brexit and other political issues during the past years. Although Moscow denied such allegations, Mr. Steele presented evidence to the Security Committed, showing leaked documents about UK-US trade talks that emerged before the 2019 elections.

The information was stolen by hacking the personal email account of Conservative MP Liam Fox and were subsequently published online. The Labour Party then used the leaked information in their 2019 campaign by claiming that the country’s National Health Services (NHS) would be put at risk.

Steele warns of more interference in the forthcoming 2020 U.S. election because other foreign governments that harbor concerns if Democratic contender Joe Biden wins in the November U.S. presidential election.

He argues that at present, the UK is on the defensive, with the West being weaker at this point since the end of the Cold War. He pointed out that the government has been slow in its response because of the vulnerabilities created by democracy, combined with modern technology; to which the country has yet to catch up in order to prevent adversaries from using and exploiting them.

The Politicalization of Instagram

Political Photography, Politics, Social Media

While a lot has been going on around the world, there are also lots of things not happening, and as a result spurred the politicization of Instagram. Inasmuch as the U.S. is the leading Instagram user on a global scale, photographic content of political nature, particularly those chronicling the Black Lives Matter rallies across all states now dominate the photo-sharing platform’s news feeds.

The rest of the world are now gradually working their way out of the economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet there are still no events, concerts, celebrations and even restaurants from which interesting pictures can be taken, to draw the people’s interest away from U.S. political occurrences.

Why Instagram Serves as a Better Platform for Political Activism

Instagram has transitioned into becoming a social media platform for letting people around the world know what is actually happening in America today. Its importance as a more effective tool for political activism is enhanced by the two thousand number of characters that IG users can utilize in captioning a photo. The number stands in stark contrast to Twitter, which allows up to a maximum of 280 characters only.
Moreover, since Instagram is an affiliate of Facebook, it enables IG users to instantly spread their photographs across millions of FB accounts and make it go viral.

Socially shared photographs rather than words can lay bare truths much faster than the curated news being broadcasted by TV and online news channels. In fact, they often provide the lead that journalists pick up and follow through with formal coverage; making the information official as the latest development on a trending issue.

The Real World Now Matters at Instagram

Instagram initially gained popularity as a social platform where people can instill, as well as draw inspiration, on and from matters pertaining to lifestyle and life choices. To some, sharing and viewing IG photographs is a way of escaping reality. To entrepreneurs and brand advertisers, the platform serves as an easier and faster way to spread knowledge about their products and/or services.

Yet now more than ever, Instagram users are using the platform to raise awareness that “real changes” must take place in America today.

After all, Donald J. Trump, who as president of the United States, has been making feeble propaganda instead of addressing the ill effects wrought by COVID 19 on the country’s economy and people. He is now on a mission to project himself as the president who restored law and order, while encouraging his racist supporters to commit acts of violence.

To make matters worse, he has been deploying unidentified military forces in major U.S. cities who go after peaceful protesters instead of protecting them against agitators.

Instagram audiences around the world are still keen on liking and sharing photographs of political leaders who convey messages of hope for a better future. In fact, Indian Prime Minister Modi, being the leader of the nation with the second highest number of Instagram users, is ranked as the political leader with the biggest number of IG followers. Although Donald Trump would prefer to be in that position, he only comes in third. Former U.S. President Obama ranks second for being the political leader with the most number of IG followers.

While many are also hoping to grow the number of their followers, not a few find ways to push the visibility of their uploads by seeking assistance from the best place to buy instagram likes.

UK’s Vulnerable Sector Threatened by Stockpilers

Health, Society, Uncategorized

British shoppers’ incessant stockpiling habit is causing abnormal food and medicine shortages that threaten the well-being of the UK’s vulnerable citizens.

The UK is a nation in which nearly 12 million of the population are elderly citizens. The World Health Organization warns that those 65 years old and above as well as people with existing disorders like asthma, diabetes and heart problems, are deemed vulnerable to the harms caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. That is why it is important for these groups of people to stay confined within their homes to avoid contracting the infectious disease.

Although those who are able, can go out occasionally to buy food and/or medicines and other basic household supplies, the Briton’s panic-buying behavior has made it impossible for them to do so. Nonprofit organisations and churches who have been working for the welfare and interest of these people finally raised concerns over the stockpiling habits of UK shoppers.

Even online stores can no longer provide for the elderly as supplies have already been booked several weeks in advance. NHS workers and those who can only afford the cheaper brands have been deprived of their choices. Apparently, hoarders who are fortunate to have greater buying power, have practically emptied the shelves, much to the detriment of buyers with limited resources.

UK’s Salvation Army leader Commissioner Anthony Cotterill, called on the government to urge major retailers to put in place a coordinated approach in order to normalise the buying behavior of UK shoppers.

“Measures are urgently needed in both urban and rural areas as a means to help older people and key workers obtain the grocery items they need in staying healthy.”

Why Stockpiling Causes Artificial Shortages of Supply

Many are not aware that manufacturers follow a system of basing production on the existing average demand. That way, the quantities stockpiled in warehouses and freezers will not over-exceed the demand, since excessive surpluses could only lead to wastage or spoilage.

Actually, large groups of the British population have been stockpiling since the early days of the No-Brexit Deal. Although manufacturers and producers tried their best to meet the increased demand so they can also increase quantities delivered to wholesalers and retailers, the Covid-19 outbreak had aggravated the situation.

Major outlets Asda, Tesco and Waitrose have responded to the appeal for order, by implementing rationing of essential items, as well as putting in place social distancing measures among the panic-buying consumers.

To help the NHS frontliners, older citizens and other vulnerable customers carry out their regular shopping, Sainsbury has set a schedule for them between 8 to 9 am during Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Tesco followed suit by reserving Sundays as special store hours for NHS employees and other vulnerable members of communities.

Morrisons on the other hand, took to taking on help offered by 500 charity shop workers to assist vulnerable shoppers.

Iceland has made online orders exclusive to state pensioners, to people placed in self-isolation, and vulnerable people including the disabled.

However, Age UK continues to worry because despite the changes implemented by supermarkets, the stockpiling behavior is still prevalent among UK consumers.

Great Britain to Move Forward with EU Withdrawal Without a Formal Brexit Deal

General, Politics

Great Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union (EU) without a formal agreement will finally take place at exactly 11 p.m. London time on January 31, 2020. Thereafter, during an 11-month transition period, the entire United Kingdom will temporarily abide with the EU rules, whilst moving forward without any representation in the EU organization. The period of transition is set to expire on December 31, 2020.

During the transition term, negotiations for a formal agreement governing trading and diplomatic relationships between Great Britain and the EU will continue until December 31, 2020. In the event that a formal Brexit deal has not been reached by the end of the year, the No-Deal Brexit status continues with still uncertain trade arrangements and agreements, including rules governing aviation standards, data sharing and security, supply of electricity and regulation of medicines.

Although certain barriers and potentially higher costs are anticipated, the formality of the Brexit move, will enable Great Britain to propose and enter into trading negotiations with other nations, starting February 01, 2020. That is why UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressly stated that as much as possible, he prefers not to prolong the negotiation process nor agree to any legislation that would extend the deadline for the negotiation of a Brexit deal at the end of the 11-month transition period.

However, since the ministers of the European Union are set to reconvene in Brussels in February 25, 2020, negotiations for the Brexit deal will still be on hold. The start of the negotiation process will have to wait until the EU Commission re-confirms its approval of French diplomat Michel Barnier as the official EU representative in the negotiation process. This means that the earliest by which talks regarding Brexit move will start, will be in March 2020.

Calls for Extension of Transition Period Rejected

At this early stage, the Labour and Liberal Democrats in Parliament are already calling for the extension of the December 31, 2020 end of the transition period; arguing that the 11-month time frame is much too short within which to negotiate a favourable deal. As it is, a great many are sceptical that a Brexit deal could be finalized within a short time, considering that trade agreements typically take years to reach finalisation.

Nonetheless, EU negotiator Michel Barnier said they intend “do the maximum” in finalising a Brexit deal within the current time frame. The French politician opines that Britain is entitled to reject any calls for extension, saying that the British government has the right to choose whatever procedure it deems fit in moving forward with the No-Deal Brexit.

EU Poised to Offer a Major Concession that Could Finalise a Brexit Deal

Politics

As the Brexit deal continues to drag on, the Irish backstop remains as one of the important reasons stalling EU and UK negotiators from arriving at a Brexit deal. Still the news currently floating around is that the European Union is planning to put forward a plan that will allow Northern Ireland to exit the Irish Backstop deal after a specific period of time.

What exactly is the Irish Backstop?

Basically, the Irish backstop was conceptualised as a form of safety net that would deter any attempt to reintroduce a hard border between the UK’s Northern Ireland section and the Republic of Ireland. The need to do so stems from worries that if a physical border will be in place to mark the divide, it will rekindle conflicts regarding the cultural, social and religious differences between the two regions.

The Backstop therefore serves as an invisible marker that will come into recognition once a Brexit deal is finalised; but before a complete and comprehensive set of guidelines has been worked out by the UK government and the EU body. During that period, Northern Ireland will remain under the single market trade agreement covering  EU economic zones.

That would also mean that goods passing through the Irish Backstop will not require custom checks for tariffs, product standards, quotas, custom processes, products of origins and such other applicable EU or UK trade policies. The backstop will pose as a common territory; the purpose of which is to minimise, if not avoid the occurrence of economic disruptions. However, under such conditions, the UK will still adhere to EU trade rules, albeit touted as temporary.

Not all members of the UK parliament are amenable to the backstop agreement though. That is why Theresa May’s early negotiations have been rejected by majority of the members of the British parliament. After all, the duration with which the temporary agreement will last is still not clear, leaving UK still without total control over goods that will be passing the Northern Irish border.

As a way of settling matters, incumbent Prime Minister Boris Johnson appears to be pushing for a No-Brexit Deal, calling the backstop issue ‘dead.”

Deal or no deal, Brexit is supposed to change everything as far as economic trade is concerned. The Northern Ireland sector will have to recognise the UK government’s set of trade rules and regulations, while the Republic of Ireland will remain part of the EU economic zone.

As a concession, the European Union is said to be contemplating an offer that will allow the Northern Irish government to leave the so-called Irish backstop after a specific number of years,

Prime Minister Modi Officially Launches NPCI’s RuPay Card Payment System in the Kingdom of Bhutan

News

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently spent a two-day state visit to the Kingdom of Bhutan to meet with with Bhutanese leaders led by Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering. The visit further strengthens bilateral ties through the signing of nine (9) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The agreements signed by the leaders of the two countries included the launching of the RuPay Card, India’s proprietary card payment system.

To officially launch the credit card payment scheme, PM Modi made the first RuPay purchase at Simtokha Dzong, one of the dzongs in Bhutan which currently serves as the country’s administrative and monastic centre.

The RuPay card payment system, owned and operated by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), enables Indian RuPay card holders to make purchases by way of credit and debit cards, as an alternative to the Visa and Mastercard international card payment schemes. The launching of RuPay in Bhutan makes the country the second nation, after Singapore, in which citizens in both countries are empowered to use a RuPay credit or debit card for seamless, cashless purchases.

The MoU signed by the two leaders include a standby swap arrangement involving an additional $100 million made available to Bhutan in meeting the related foreign exchange requirements.

The deployment of the RuPay card payment system in the Kingdom of Bhutan will transpire in two phases. The first phase entails the issuance of Rupay Cards by Indian banks, to qualified Indian nationals, which they can use during their visits to Bhutan. The second and final phase will be carried out by Bhutan banks in which RuPay cards will be issued to qualified Bhutanese citizens for their sojourns in India.

About India’s RuPay Card Payment System

RuPay card scheme was the project conceived by the NPCI in fulfilling the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) vision to have a locally operated open and multilateral payment system. The goal is to provide Indian nationals with a credit payment facility that charges lower processing fees than the card payment systems offered by Visa and Mastercard.

The RBI through its 2009-2012 vision stated that the need for such payment systems in the country arises from the high cost of affiliation that Indian banks have to bear in order to obtain accreditation with international card companies like Visa and Mastercard. As a result, even domestic credit card transactions that account for more than 90% in India’s market were being routed outside of the country.

Rupay processing fees for credit transactions are 23% lower than those charged by the companies behind the two leading international credit cards. The NPCI collects only 60 paise from the acquiring bank and 30 paise from the bank that issued the RuPay card

Backed by 10 leading banks, 6 of which are public-sector banks that include the Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, the State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Bank of India, and the Union Bank of India; two (2) private-sector banks represented by HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank ; and two (2) foreign banks, namely Citibank and HSBC.

Presently, the NPIC has issued 64 million Rupay Global Cards released between 2014 and March 2019.

Amazon for one, which has an India branch makes it possible for Indian online consumers to stay active members via RuPay cards, especially during the holding of the online store’s annual Amazon Great Indian Sale.

El Paso Mass Shooter Echoes Trump’s “Invasion” Rhetorics but Trump Refuses to Accept Responsibility

News, Politics

The gunman responsible for the El Paso mass shooting last Saturday reportedly posted a manifesto on the 8chan online forum, warning readers about “Hispanic invasion,” minutes before he gunned down shoppers at the El Paso Walmart. The incident has more than ever amplified concerns over Trump’s repeated use of the word “invasion.” Although stated as a rhetoric about the rising number of Latino immigrants coming into the country

Instead of acknowledging even a hint of responsibility that his oft repeated rhetoric about “immigrant invasions:”somehow influenced the El Paso mass shooter to commit the “hate crime,” Donald Trump typically blamed other factors such as mental health and violent video games. He also blames Democrats for linking his rhetoric invasions to the recent spate of mass shootings, including the shooting incident that occurred in Ohio on the same day.

Police identified Saturday’s El Paso mass as Patrick Crusius, who turned 21 a week before he drove 10 hours from his hometown in Allen, Texas to commit a hate crime. Crusius is currently held in El Paso jail without bail and has been charged with capital murder.

Survivors and Witnesses Said Crusius Targeted Only Hispanics

According to relatives of the victims who were also at the scene of the shooting, Crusius was determined to kill only those that appeared to be of Latinx origin.

Chris Grant, a 50-year old African American whom Crusius took shots at only after Grant started throwing soda bottles as a way of distracting the shooter still have vivid memories about the incident. Grant recalls that Crusius had let white and black shoppers leave the store before shooting the victims. Since Grant was shot, he witnessed how the victims kneeled and prayed, begging Crusius to

‘Please! Please! Don’t shoot me.’

Grant said the memory of how Crusius just gunned down people who were already on the ground without any sign of remorse, still haunts him.
Still, Trump refuses to accept that the “invasion” rhetoric directed toward immigrants passing through the US. Mexico Border had nothing to do with the gunman’s actions.

El Paso Residents Want Trump to Apologize to the Community

Generally, the people of El Paso does not intend to welcome Trump upon his arrival. City Representative Alexsandra Annello though received some messages that encouraged welcoming Trump because the mass shooting is not about politics.

The City Representative disagrees, saying that after a week, people can expect Trump to turn around and resume mouthing the same racist rhetoric. After putting the community of El Paso in danger, she does not see Trump apologizing to the Hispanic people.

White House Officials Keeps White House Rejection of Climate Change Raging Even While Trump is Away

General, Politics

While president Donald Trump and his family went on a 3-day state visit to the UK, White House officials saw it fit to bar the State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research from submitting a written testimony about the catastrophic possibilities of human-caused climate change. The White House decision to stop Dr. Rod Schoonover, Senior Analyst of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, was obviously in deference to Donald Trump’s staunch opposition to movements pertaining to global climate change.

Later, some unnamed White House members told the Washington Post that the Office of Legislative Affairs decided to allow Dr Schoonover to attend a House Intelligence Committee hearing, scheduled last Wednesday; but, without the need to submit his bureau’s written scientific findings about the effects of climate change. According to the unnamed White House sources, the State Department had rejected suggestions to remove reference to human use of fossil fuel as the main cause of climate change.

The Washington Post could not reach Senior Analyst Schoonover in order to obtain his remarks about the White House order. Nonetheless, The Post published a full text of the White House-banned document entitled “The National Security Implications of Climate Change.”

President Donald Trump’s Stance on Global Warming/Climate Change

President Trump’s widely publicized remarks about climate change made clear his opposition to the global movement against the widespread use of carbon dioxide. He previously posted via Twitter, his belief that

”The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.”

During his UK state visit, Trump met with Prince Charles, who is himself a stern supporter of movements to reduce fossil fuel use. As opposed to Donald Trump, Prince Charles believes in the general scientific consensus that carbon dioxide, being a “heat-trapping gas,” has rapidly attained a level that yielded significant global climate changes.

Time and again, Trump made it clear that he is not a believer of scientific reports claiming that human use of fossil fuels is the main reason for the continuing rise of the climate-changing carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere. In fact, National Security Council senior director, William Harper, who was tapped by the White House administration to lead the counter consensus against climate change was quoted stating,

“The demonization of carbon dioxide is just like the demonization of the poor Jews under Hitler.”

Ladder : Its Use as Metaphor, Its Origins, Development and Functionalities

General

More often than not, the word ladder is used as a rhetorical device, when referring to or narrating an uphill journey to reach the pinnacle of success. We often encounter phrases like, “climbing the ladder of success,” “corporate ladder,” political ladder,” and “social ladder” to idiomatically describe a quest that requires working one’s way to the top in a linear manner.

Why ladder and not stairs or steps? The idea is to use metaphor that is more related to slow upward movement, while maintaining a strong foothold on a step that is characteristically narrow. Maintaining balance or equilibrium on every level is important, as critical missteps can adversely affect one’s chances of making it to the top.

The same is true when trying to physically reach the top by way of a ladder. The latter, being a standalone equipment, requires several factors such as normal force, frictional force, gravitational force, wall-to-ladder angle, and the torque produced when all forces are at work. However, such forces must achieve a state of equilibrium to make sure the contraption will not slip or topple.

Origin of Ladders

The interesting thing about ladders is that the earliest period in which they were invented is as far back as 10,000 years ago. Paintings discovered in the mesolithic rocks of the Spider Cave in Valencia, Spain provided evidence that flexible ladders, seemingly constructed with some kind of grass, were already in use as means of accessing honey bee nests.

Still, not a few researchers believe that ladders with more functional designs came around during biblical times, in which ancient Egyptians and Hebrews developed and perfected ladders into what most of us use today.

Modern-Day Ladders: Forms and Uses

Modern-day ladders come in many forms, and are now commonly self-supporting; not requiring a wall or hard solid surface on which a force acts upon to create leverage. Most households keep a ladder handy in case they need to do chores that involve reaching or accessing something way above the head. Painters, carpenters, installers, as well as artists working on murals prefer ladders to scaffoldings, being a safer alternative to makeshift contraptions.

The advent of different home designs, installable devices and equipment, including the latest outdoor innovation, above-ground swimming pools, has made ladder use quite important. Dependent on the nature and purpose with which ladders are used, a ladder may be single or double-sided, may include a top deck, built with steps instead of rungs, or a combination of steps on one side and rungs on the other side. Materials also vary, ranging from wood, metal, aluminum or plastic.

Brexit : What’s Stopping the No-Deal EU-Withdrawal from Happening?

Uncategorized

Brexit to many is not as as simple to understànd, especially up to now when the move to withdraw has been extended twice, to which date of effectivity has extended to October 31, 2019.

Confusions About the Deal or No-Deal Brexit Conditions

Mentions about exit with or without deal upon effectivity date has been floating but remains baffling. The general understanding was that the UK was set to exit from the European Union last March 29, 2019, even if the UK and EU Council fails to arrive at a withdrawal agreement. .

Under the No-Deal scenario, the UK will engage in free trade, while businesses and people carrying on with activities in the UK, will abide by UK’s own set of laws. Yet Brexit finality remains uncertain, since extensions rather than the no-deal Brexit, has transpired.

Concerns Over a No-Deal Brexit

The crux of the matter is that if the UK goes ahead with free trade without a Brexit deal, there are apprehensions that disruptions and confusions may transpire. Disagreement may arise with regard to trading laws, border issues, tariffs, residence rights of citizens, consumer rights and protection and even over matters as simple as mobile phone charges.

Certain movements of goods and people require definitive rules. Although the UK has already set some guidelines, some EU member countries and other territories may raise issues if UK’s non-EU aligned policies adversely affect their businesses and citizens.

On the other hand, if UK goes into free trade with a Brexit deal, the withdrawal movement initially sets out within a transition period. In which case, temporary agreements are in place until unforeseen problems have been threshed out and resolved with a more permanent UK or EU policy.

Examples of Issues Clouding a No-Deal Brexit

As a rule, countries that do not have free trade deals between them have to abide by the rules set forth by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). This denotes that if the UK trades with EU member countries without a pre-agreed deal, tariffs or taxes imposed on imported goods will be based on WTO tariff rates.

A certain land border must be established in order to determine up to what point EU’s trade directives apply or do not apply as far as UK is concerned. Instead of installing custom posts, border towers and security systems, the EU and UK agreed to establish the 310-mile border separating Ireland from Northern Ireland as the the land border between the UK and EU.

In this scenario, Northern Ireland remains aligned with EU, which means UK products brought to the territory may be subject to controls and checks based on EU regulations. The establishment of the border has been referred to as “the backstop” safety net in the Brexit negotiations.

In the event the UK goes ahead with free trade, without formalising an agreement pertaining to border transactions, the “backstop” safety net stays. This denotes UK product movements in Northern Ireland will abide with EU regulations until such time that a more definitive agreement has been established.

Analysis of Trump’s Migration Policy Changes Has Lowered Number of Foreigners Granted Immigrant Status

Politics

The Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan organization that conducts authoritative research and analysis of information about migration and integration policies recently came out with an analysis of what the Trump administration has achieved so far.

https://youtu.be/2Lfk8ZqqH9M

The analysis shows that despite the strong pronouncements made by President Trump about his intention to change the migration landscape in the US, his administration has so far achieved only baby steps. Nonetheless, the changes implemented even if not visible, are important, since fewer number of immigrants have succeeded in gaining legitimate entry into the country

Examples of Policy Shifts that Lowered Migrant Admissions in the US

While Trump’s main political promise to build a higher US-Mexico Border Wall in the south is yet to see fulfillment, several changes were set into motion. Their implementation in related federal agencies somehow brought down the number of foreign nationals taken in by the country.

Enhancement of Immigration Enforcement – Interviews on all visa applicants, including those applying for “green card” has been mandated. Applicants for temporary visa were met with increased scrutiny, while additional requirements became necessary as part of a more comprehensive vetting procedure. All of which, contributed to the slowing down of US visa processing.

Cut Backs on Humanitarian Programs – In addition to increasing application requirements, federal agencies in charge of handling refugees and asylum seekers have implemented a narrower set of eligibility criteria. The goal of which is to scale down the number of noncitizens allowed to enter as refugees, or to receive temporary protection.

Increased Vetting and Obstacles for Legal Immigration – After hurdling a legal battle, the Trump administration succeeded in banning nationals coming from Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen; citing as reasons terrorist activities, inability to properly document travelers and poor cooperation with US authorities.

Critical Setbacks Preventing Trump Administration in Implementing Other Migration Policy Shifts

To date, the Trump administration is faced with several lawsuits and house committee investigations. Many of which are aimed at putting an end to president Trump’s continuing pursuit of the billions of dollars worth of funding for expanding the US Mexico border wall. In fact, none of Trump’s proposed legislations have been passed by the US Congress, while not a few court rulings have suspended the implementation of his executive orders, which include the “Zero Policy”. The latter calls for the filing of criminal charges against adults proven to have illegally entered the US.

Why Even Wedding Photography is Also About Conveying Political Statements

Political Photography, Politics

Politics has a different meaning from political. Photography is not politics because as a profession, its essence as a career has nothing to do with activities associated with governance, or in referring to ideologies dividing individuals into parties, organizations or stances.

Yet photography can be political because it captures images that can make a statement, or convey a message, as well as tell a story about a subject and what he, she or they represent. Political photography therefore is similar to wedding photography.

Different Facets of Political Photography

Political photography makes photographic statements that suit the purpose of different persons, bodies or organizations involved in politics.

The Chief Official White House Photographer, for example, handles a team of photographers who covers the daily activities not only of the incumbent president, but also those of the members of his immediate family. However, not all photographs taken during the day are released for publishing. The White House communications department chooses which of the captured images can be best used to illustrate official White House statements offered as press releases.

Another example of political photography involves work commissioned to cover campaign trails of political candidates. To which the objective of course is to take photographs of candidates in ways that will convince voters of his sincerity in fulfilling his campaign promises. Campaign trail photographs also project stories of how well-loved, or at least how well the candidate was received in different regions.

Political Photographer vs. Photojournalist – A photojournalist covering the same campaign trail is not expected to duplicate the same shots taken by the political journalist.

A photojournalist has more leeway on how he or she wants to project the image of the candidate, usually for purposes of conveying neutrality or reality. If a candidate looks pale and feeble, then there is no need to adjust saturation in order to make the candidate look well and lively; or to edit out liver spots that suggest health disorders. A photojournalist may also apply lighting that will give equal emphasis on the candidate and the background, to suggest neutrality of the political statement conveyed by a photo

https://youtu.be/3bfPvDBaK0Y

Still, all those three photographers are into political photography, albeit adhering to different photo-taking principles.

Wedding Photography is Also Political by Nature

Catherine Ross a professional wedding photographer is also a disciple of political photography. Her gallery of wedding photographs at https://catherinejgrossphotography.com exemplify how she uses lighting, angles and saturation in positions idealizing the bridal couple’s relationship. A wedding may be traditional, but it does not necessarily mean producing staple photos that project only the usual betrothal rites and the typical beaming smiles during wedding ceremonies.

To be political in capturing images of the union, a wedding photographer may choose angles that project the couple as a pair of forward-looking individuals all set to face the challenges of marriage. Rather than present them as dreamy-eyed lovers, a political presentation will focus on emphasizing facial projections that suggest strength and solidity of union.

Like Catherine, the current Official White House Photographer Shealah Craighead also started out as a professional wedding photographer. In interviews in which she was asked about her work as the official photographer of a quite controversial president, Ms. Craighead remarked that the challenges are mainly on the hectic schedule and in handling a team of photographers, but not on the job itself.

She also commented that the job offer was an opportunity too valuable to pass up. After all, her main task is to see to the documentation of the history of Donald Trump and that of his first and second families, during his tenure as the 45th president of the United States.