During the period between the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), Jewish communities around the world are engaged in a process of personal and interpersonal reckoning. During this time Jews are commanded to reflect on their actions over the past year and ask themselves: What damage have I caused whether knowingly or by accident? Who have I hurt? How have I been dishonest? Leading up to Yom Kippur it is incumbent upon each member of the community to own up to their mistakes and request forgiveness of those that they have harmed. This period of reckoning is a painful and uncomfortable one, it requires people to look themselves in the mirror and engage honestly with their blemishes. It is a process that requires deep vulnerability. Following the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 and in the wake of a failed war in Afghanistan, it is time for a national period of reckoning, for the United States to channel the ethos of Yom Kippur. Historically, in …
Who is BJP to give certificate who is national and who is anti-national, asks Mamata
After visiting a mosque and a gurdwara, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday visited two temples in Bhabanipur clearly with the intention of wooing voters of all communities and religions. During the day, she had an interaction at Uttam Udyam with representatives of Gujarati, Marwari and Jain communities where the Trinamool chairperson said she is there for every community. Ms. Banerjee said she was destined to contest and represent Bhabanipur. The constituency located in south Kolkata is an eclectic mix of communities like Bengalis, Gujaratis, Marwaris and Hindi speaking people. “When I go to a mosque, the BJP raises questions why am I going there? They are making the videos of my visit go viral. Yesterday [Wednesday] I went to a gurdwara. I covered my head and went. I do Kali Puja. When I go to gurdwara or do Kali Pujo, the BJP doesn’t object to it,” Ms. Banerjee said. The Chief Minister said she had faced a similar campaign in Nandigram when the BJP had alleged that …
Navajo Nation reports 54 more COVID-19 cases, 2 more deaths
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — The Navajo Nation on Thursday reported 54 more COVID-19 cases and two additional deaths. The latest numbers pushed the tribe’s totals to 33,394 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,428 known deaths from the virus since the pandemic began more than a year ago. Navajo officials are urging people to get vaccinated, wear masks while in public and minimize their travel. Officials said all Navajo Nation executive branch employees will need to be fully vaccinated against the virus by the end of September or submit to regular testing. The new rules apply to full, part-time and temporary employees, including those working for tribal enterprises like utilities, shopping centers and casinos. Any worker who does not show proof of vaccination by Sept. 29 must be tested every two weeks or face discipline. The tribe’s reservation is the country’s largest at 27,000 square miles (70,000 square kilometers) and it covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. …
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Travel Ban Ends Nearly All Immigration from Terrorist-Sanctioned Nations
President Donald Trump’s travel ban executive order is proving to be one of his most effective pro-American immigration policy initiatives, stopping nearly all legal immigration from countries designated as sponsors of terrorism. Newly released data from the State Department reveals that Trump’s constitutional travel ban on eight foreign countries, designated as either dangerous or sponsors of terrorism, has warranted big results. The travel ban, State Department data finds, has reduced legal immigration from the eight foreign countries by about 80 percent, compared to 2016 when the ban had not been implemented yet. Six of the eight countries included in Trump’s travel ban have either sponsored Islamic terrorism in the past or have major issues with terrorism. The impacted countries include: Chad Iran Iraq Libya North Korea Syria Venezuela Yemen In total, more than 37,000 visas were denied in 2018 thanks to the travel ban — including about 15,400 foreign …
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The BBC managed to perfectly describe the nation’s prejudices against Birmingham – and Brummies like me are sick of it
Last week, BBC Archive tweeted a video of the Birmingham bid for the 1992 Olympics with the sneering and incredulous comment: “Birmingham was bidding to host the 1992 Olympic Games. Yes, Birmingham. Yes, the Olympic Games.” The remark was met with condemnation, with West Midlands mayor Andy Street denouncing it as a "silly, smug post". The hashtag #BirminghamYesBirmingham started trending on the social media platform in response, with many sharing photographs which showed their city in a more flattering light. Birmingham has more canals than Venice, more parks than Paris and is famously the birthplace of the beloved balti. It has the youngest population in Europe, and one of the most diverse, and is home to world-leading scholars, scientists and singers alike. So why does such a dismissive and distorted perception of Birmingham persist? The impression of the city as a grey, faceless wasteland seems to have been informed by the view from the A34 flyover. Though I …
Why do nations fail?
Lee Jong-wha The author, former chief economist at the Asian Development Bank and a senior adviser for international economic affairs to former President Lee Myung-bak, is a professor of economics at Korea University. In the wee hours of Aug. 30, the last U.S. troops flew out of Kabul Airport, completing the U.S. military’s drawdown and leaving Afghanistan in frantic disarray in the hands of the ruthless Taliban. The Islamic fundamentalist regime has taken command over the country 20 years after a U.S.-led invasion toppled it for sheltering al-Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The return of harsh Islamic fundamentalist rules has been seriously endangering the lives of women and ordinary citizens. The chaotic scenes of Kabul were mirrored in the recent Korean film “Escape from Mogadishu,” an action drama based on real events in December 1990 depicting a perilous escape attempt by workers at the embassies of the two Koreas …
Why California Has One of the Lowest Covid-19 Rates in the Nation
Here’s some good news to start your morning: California has less Covid-19 transmission than any state in the country. That’s according to federal officials, who on Wednesday ranked the state’s current coronavirus case rate the lowest in the nation. Sure, there are mask mandates and other measures to credit, but most deserving of thanks is the Golden State’s high level of vaccinations. More than 82 percent of Californians aged 12 and older have at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. Only nine states have more of their populations immunized. The surge of the Delta variant has been a real-life experiment in the effectiveness of vaccines, one that appears to have helped Gov. Gavin Newsom survive a recall election on Tuesday . For the most part, places with high vaccination rates have been protected from the virus . And in California, the Delta surge appears to have done something else as well: pushed vaccination rates even higher. The number of people getting …
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Family buy decaying wreck in national park and turn it into £1.2million dream home
A family who bought and renovated a wreck of a farmhouse near the coast in Wales have turned it into a dream house. Some buyers viewing a potential new home struggle with visualising how they might change the decor, fit their furniture inside or how they could rework the space to fit their lifestyle, reports Wales Online . Imagine then how they might feel if they visited this derelict former farmhouse as a potential future home - but the Doy family have amazingly turned West View Farm, in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, into a sprawling, contemporary dream home. Sitting in 16 acres of mainly flat countryside allows the house to enjoy sweeping rural vistas to the coast and to the castle, views that totally surround the home with only your own woodland to interrupt the horizon. Mr and Mrs Doy have turned it into a stunning home ( Image: JJ Morris Haverfordwest / Behind The Lens Media WS) It's rare to find a home in this prime position with …
Restoring the special position of Sabah and Sarawak for a sweeter future for the nation
FIFTY-EIGHT years ago on Sept 16, 1963, the Federation of Malaya joined the self-governing territories of North Borneo (Sabah), Sarawak and the British colony of Singapore to forge the new and enlarged nation of Malaysia. Even though Singapore exited the Federation two years later, the formation of Malaysia was nevertheless a remarkable feat. While the late Tunku Abdul Rahman is commonly regarded as the leading architect of Malaysia, this remarkable union would not have been possible without the tireless negotiations between, and the warm cooperation of, key Sarawakian and Sabahan leaders of the time – Tun Fuad Stephens and Tun Datu Mustapha Harun of Sabah and Tun Temenggong Jugah, Stephen Kalong Ningkan and Tan Sri Ong Kee Hui of Sarawak. In embarking on the formation of Malaysia, the delegates of Sabah and Sarawak made it very clear to the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) headed by Lord Lansdowne and the then Deputy Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak that special constitutional …
Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve is nation’s latest on Unesco conservation list
GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve (PHBR) is the country's latest biodiversity conservation and protection area on Unesco's list, Malaysia's third after Tasik Chini in Pahang and Crocker Range in Sabah. It was listed as a Unesco biosphere reserve under Unesco’s Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB). The announcement was made after the 33rd Session of the Man and the Biosphere Programme International Coordinating Council held in Abuja, Nigeria, from Sept 13 until Friday (Sept 17). The PHBR spans an area of 12,481ha and encompasses terrestrial, marine and coastal ecosystems. It includes 7,285ha of terrestrial ecosystem and 5,196ha of marine ecosystem and covers Penang Hill, Penang National Park, Penang Botanical Gardens, Teluk Bahang Dam and Ayer Itam Dam. It also includes six permanent forest reserves, namely Bukit Kerajaan, Teluk Bahang, Laksamana, Penara Hill, Highlands and Pantai Acheh as well as several water catchment areas on Penang island. Penang Hill …