Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Every volunteer, no matter how big or small his or her contribution, helps to make the County of Maui one of the worlds best places to live. The work of helping hands and caring hearts mix the secret sauce that makes Maui, Molokai and Lanai such ono places to call home.

National Volunteer Week starts Sunday and runs through Saturday. This year, it encompasses two religious holidays, Easter and Passover, plus Earth Day on Friday.

National Volunteer Week formally recognizes those who generously give of their time and talent in service of others. As with other heroes, volunteers use their superpowers to quietly transform the world, one act of aloha at a time.

Volunteerism has long been a tradition in my own family. My wife Joycelyn and I have given several years of service to our church, Maui schools, community service organizations and youth programs like Little League Baseball, basketball, Boy Scouts and more. For decades, we volunteered to help make the Maui Fair happen each year, including my years of rewarding service as fair director. Our two sons, Mike and Shane, inherited our love for community service because they grew up experiencing the joy and satisfaction that comes from helping others.

Maui County would not have survived the COVID-19 pandemic without the thousands of anonymous volunteers who pitched in to help with mask-sewing and distributions, food drives, vaccination clinics, hot meal deliveries, keiki and kupuna care, and watching over those in quarantine.

The pandemic interrupted our personal lives, businesses and community institutions, including the many nonprofit organizations that serve our community so well. While some of us are still adjusting to post-pandemic life, others are ready to rejoin the community as volunteers with renewed energy.

After two years of pandemic-induced social isolation, volunteering is a simple, easy way to jump into socializing with positive-minded people. If you are new to Maui County, volunteering will acquaint you with the kindhearted folks who live aloha in our community.

The best part of volunteering is that it feels good to do good. Volunteers are needed to help fill the needs of children, seniors and families, culture and the arts, the sick, youth and adult sports, animals and pets, education, the homeless and hungry, immigrants and so much more.

With Earth Day coming up on Friday, I suggest we each commit to do something to help Mother Earth. This years theme is Invest in our Planet, but with the rising cost of everything these days, I know many of us arent in a position to invest money right now. But every single person can invest a little bit of time to care for our island home.

Malama Maui Nui welcomes volunteers to help clean up the islands. Ocean lovers can volunteer for the Maui Nui Marine Resource Council, Surfrider Foundation or Love the Sea to care for our nearshore marine environment. The East Maui Watershed Partnership, Leeward Haleakala Watershed Restoration Partnership and Friends of Haleakala regularly organize group service trips to preserve and protect crucial ecosystems. Molokai Land Trust, Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission and the Lanai Culture & Heritage Centers Kupulau Program offer opportunities for volunteers to help care for our sister islands. These are just suggestions there are many other important environmental groups throughout Maui County that welcome your help.

Theres no need to join a formal effort to do something good for the earth. Your contribution can be as simple as cleaning the roadsides in your neighborhood, planting a native tree in your yard, walking or biking instead of driving or shopping at a farmers market for locally grown produce. You can help the environment, save some money and get some fresh air by hanging your laundry in the sunshine instead of popping it into a dryer. Reduce, reuse, recycle, remove plastic waste from the beach or compost your organic household waste. There are countless things you can do to help the environment that cost you nothing.

Every small action matters. If 160,000 of us volunteer to do just one good thing for the aina, all living things throughout Maui County will benefit.

* Our County, a column from Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino, discusses county issues and activities of county government. The column alternates with Councils 3 Minutes every other weekend.

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

Read the original:
Volunteers are the heart of our community | News, Sports, Jobs - Maui News

Has Russias invasion of Ukraine saved Boris Johnsons premiership? Listening to some Conservative MPs, it sounds that way: he broke the law over Partygate, they admit, but Britain couldnt possibly have a change of prime minister at a time of war.

The Daily Mail agrees, having run the front-page headline: Dont they know theres a war on? Even vehement critics of Johnson, such as the Tory MP Sir Roger Gale and the Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, who had both previously called for him to stand down, say now is not the right time.

This argument has baffled some of the countrys leading historians and diplomatic experts, who are also unconvinced by Johnsons efforts to portray himself as a latter-day Sir Winston Churchill.

Britain is not at war, says Leo McKinstry, author of Attlee and Churchill, so this argument seems very specious. Every prime minister faces problems at home and conflict abroad. For 30 years, prime ministers faced conflict in Northern Ireland, so its a pretty dubious argument that the pressure of events mean he cant possibly resign.

He adds: Its a life-and-death struggle for Ukraine, but its not for Britain.

The mechanics of government would continue during a change in leadership because weve got a very good Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, and the logistical system has been set up to supply Ukraine.

And even if the UK were fighting, he tells i, it is ludicrous to suggest that the occupant of 10 Downing Street cannot change it has happened many times before.

Simon Fraser, a former Permanent Secretary at the Foreign Office during the Coalition government, tweeted: If the argument that you should not change PM during a war had applied in 1940, Boris Johnsons hero Churchill would not have become PM (And then, unlike now, we actually were at war).

This wasnt for lack of trying by No 10s incumbent at the time, says McKinstry. Neville Chamberlain presented the Boris-camp argument on 10 May 1940, saying that with the invasion of France and the Low Countries, this wasnt the time to change prime ministers. The Cabinet said this is exactly the time were facing the greatest crisis in the history of Britain, we need the best possible leader and youve proved youre not that man. Churchills time had come.

Not only did Churchill enter Downing Street during the war, he left with potentially months of bloody fighting still ahead in the Far East. When the public elected Clement Attlees Labour government by a landslide in July 1945, people had no idea that two atomic bombs still secret at the time would end the war within weeks.

That was a great argument that went on within the coalition: is this the time to hold an election with a potential change in government? People argued: surely we should wait until Japan is beaten? says McKinstry.

But one of the great strengths of democracy is that it carries on even in wartime. Think of Franklin Roosevelt having a US presidential election in 1944. And in a way, thats what Ukraine is fighting for against Russia. If that seems an odd argument that you have to suspend democracy because youre in the middle of a conflict.

Indeed, many have pointed out that France is going through a presidential election now, with Emmanuel Macron facing off against Marine Le Pen for a run-off vote on 24 April.

Peter Ricketts, a crossbench peer who served as National Security Adviser to David Cameron and in high-ranking diplomatic roles for Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, tells i that the normal rules of politics should continue to apply, and theres no reason for suspending them because of Ukraine.

Lord Ricketts, the author of Hard Choices, explains: John Major replaced Margaret Thatcher in November 1990, when the Conservative Party had no scruples about making a change right in the middle of the final build-up for the Gulf War, where very large numbers of British forces were preparing for combat. They didnt have a problem then.

He adds: David Cameron won the 2010 election when the armed forces were heavily committed in Afghanistan. I dont think anybody said you couldnt change the government in the middle of a serious military operation. And while Johnson has been effective on Ukraine, he is not irreplaceable.

Both McKinstry and Ricketts underline that they do not necessarily think Johnson who maintains that he did not knowingly mislead Parliament over Partygate should resign or be ousted. Nor do they predict that he will.

I dont think this fine in itself disqualifies him from being Prime Minister but it poses a question to the Conservative Party: do they still think hes a fit person? says Ricketts.

Do they think this is enough to cause them to set in motion a Major-for-Thatcher kind of change? If they dont, in the end the electorate will decide in 2024.

McKinstry says: Johnson is the first prime minister to be convicted of breaking the law, but some might say that other prime ministers have committed far greater offences like Tony Blairs war in Iraq which many would say was illegal, Thatchers leaking of documents in the Westland crisis, Antony Edens invasion of Suez, Churchill and Attlee for the strategic bombing of Germany. You might say that those are greater moral offences than attending a birthday party during lockdown.

Perhaps the most outrageous example of a leading politician remaining in office despite a very dodgy record is David Lloyd-George.

When he was Chancellor of the Exchequer, he offloaded lots of Marconi shares when he had inside information, explains McKinstry.

That was a great stain on Lloyd George. Looking back, it seems inexplicable that he didnt end up in court on charges of insider dealing. How did he survive? That was in 1913. Three years later, Lloyd-George succeeded Asquith in running the Liberal-led wartime coalition. Will Johnson take inspiration from Lloyd-Georges brazen behaviour?

For those who think that drinks gatherings in No 10, even if they were illegal, should not be resigning matters, history also bodes well.

McKinstry names Archibald Primrose, the 5th Earl of Rosebery, as the only modern Prime Minister since the mid 19th century I can think of who resigned over not a major issue. He stepped down in 1895 after his Liberal government lost a vote on the supply of ammunition to the British Army. He wanted to get out anyway, so he just took it as an excuse to say: Theyve lost confidence in me, says the historian.

Every prime minister since then has either resigned because they lost an election, they lost the confidence of their party, they had ill health as in the case of Henry Campbell-Bannerman and Andrew Bonar Law or the major central plank of their policy was last, like Theresa May over Brexit.

Following visits to Kyiv by the prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia last month, Johnson was widely applauded for travelling to the Ukrainian capital at the weekend to meet President Zelensky, who urged the world: Be brave like Boris.

Commentators such as is Ian Birrell have little doubt that, while this was an important and admirable show of support for Ukraine by Johnson, he has also used Russias invasion opportunistically for his own political ends, portraying himself as a Churchillian wartime leader. Bloomberg declared that Boris Johnson Is Having His Winston Churchill Moment because in standing next to Zelensky, the Prime Minister knows that reflected glory is often the best way to come by extra kudos.

If these fines have been imposed to two or three months ago, his position would be far more precarious but he shored up his authority a bit with his statesmanlike leadership in the crisis, and that footage of him walking through Kyiv with Zelensky certainly did him no harm, says McKinstry.

He thinks criticism of Johnsons behaviour on Ukraine is harsh.

Hes surprised even his critics by his stature and the strength of his leadership. The Ukrainian government openly says that Britain has been their staunchest ally. There are all these problems at home, with transport chaos and inflation, but the actual organisation logistically of Britains military support for Ukraine has been very effective, from the anti-tank equipment to the Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles. Zalensky has been full of praise for him. Its not just an invention that he has proved himself an effective leader in a crisis overseas.

Nevertheless, he feels there are few genuine parallels to be made between Johnson and Churchill, beyond the fact they are both maverick, colourful characters whose careers recovered after wilderness years, and their oratory skills when able to write their scripts in advance.

Ricketts is also frustrated by misleading comparison between Johnson and Churchill. Churchill was leading the UK in an existential war for survival. Boris Johnson has not committed British Armed Forces to conflict, he says.

Johnson has long encouraged the public to think of him as a Churchillian figure. In 2016, he even wrote a biography of the man The Churchill Factor in which he referred to himself 30 times in the introduction alone.

The book says perhaps less about Churchill than it does about the ambition and self-image of Boris, concluded Sonia Purnell in her review.

Some will point out that many aspects of Churchills life mean he is not necessarily a good person to be likened to. Reviewing the book Churchills Shadow, in which Geoffrey Wheatcroft sought to cut through what he sees as blinkered idolisation of the man, a New York Times review summed up its argument that Churchill was not just a racist but a hypocrite, a dissembler, a narcissist, an opportunist, an imperialist, a drunk, a strategic bungler, a tax dodger, a neglectful father, a credit-hogging author, a terrible judge of character and, most of all, a masterful mythmaker.

But McKinstry says that as an overall characterisation of Churchill, this would unfair with no doubt that he was a truly great leader with tremendous judgment of military strategy and prescience.

The idea that he was just this drunken bore who invented stuff about himself is so absurd.

Ultimately, can analysis of the past offer us any guidance on what will happen next for Johnson? The author Sir Simon Jenkins thinks not. Boris Johnson is not Churchill or Pericles, he wrote in The Guardian this week, adding: As a guide to the present, let alone the future, history is for smart alecks and podcasts. It is bunk.

McKinstry agrees. History never repeats itself, and one of the great failings is always looking for parallels with the past. You get unstuck because theyre not exactly the same This is going to be decided by the Tory MPs.

Whats going to be a huge influence on their judgement is the outcome of the local elections. So in a perverse way, democracy is going to have the final say. If the Tories do really badly in the local elections, what seems possible, that would probably sound the death knell for Boris. In a way, it is quite democratic that its going to be the court of public opinion that will probably decide this.

Attlee and Churchill: Allies in War, Adversaries in Peaceby Leo McKinstry (10.99, Atlantic Books) and Hard Choices: The Making and Unmaking of Global Britain by Peter Ricketts (9.99, Atlantic Books) are both on sale now

View original post here:
Boris Johnson is no Churchill and can resign during a war, say baffled historians and diplomats - iNews

RIYADH: The Saudi-based Red Sea Development Company said on Monday that it had implemented the first wave of Enablon modules an integrated data enterprise software system to automate manual tools and processes as part of its ambitions as a global leader in responsible development.

The move aims to integrate, automate and streamline governance, risk compliance, health and safety, environment and sustainability, business continuity and internal audit practices across the organization.

The project was launched in January last year and the design and consultation process lasted 15 months, the company said. Wolters Kluwers Enablon was selected based on its industry-leading position as a provider of integrated software solutions, it said.

We began this journey at the height of the global pandemic, with the aim of integrating several of our risk and control functions. The main objective was to enhance monitoring, reporting and alignment across the multiple functions involved in the delivery of standard setting health and safety practices, said John Pagano, CEO of TRSDC.

The rollout has arrived at an opportune time, with manpower at site exceeding 16,000 TRSDC employees and contractors, he said. This was a large-scale implementation project which engaged multiple internal and external stakeholders.

TRSDC established a committee, with management consultants Ernst & Young, Wolters Kluwer as the software provider and Wipro as the implementation consultant, which oversaw the progress and implementation of the solution.

Laurent Dechaux, vice president and managing director, Wolters Kluwer Enablon, said: Our Enablon Vision Platform offers TRSDC a full 360-degree view of risk, addressing the environmental, health and safety challenges of the project.

Ernst & Young said that during the 15-month implementation, their priority was to ensure TRSDC requirements were met with a focus on future adoption and value: TRSDC was indeed a pioneer in conceptualizing the alignment between its risk and controls functions, (and) utilizing the strength of Enablon.

Given the remote location of many of the sites under development at The Red Sea Project, Enablons solution can also be used in an offline mode, allowing incident data or inspection and audit reports to be prepared and then uploaded once a device is connected to the network.

Additional features are being assessed in efforts to continue to automate and enhance operations through the Enablon integrated platform. The system will also be rolled out for AMAALA and the growing number of projects in the TRSDC portfolio, the Public Investment Fund-owned company said.

Work is on track to welcome the first guests to The Red Sea Project by the beginning of next year, when the first hotels will open. Phase one, which includes 16 hotels in total, will be completed by the end of 2023.

On completion in 2030, The Red Sea Project will comprise 50 resorts, with up to 8,000 hotel rooms and more than 1,000 residential properties across 22 islands and six inland sites. The destination will also include an international airport, luxury marinas, golf courses, entertainment and leisure facilities.

Read the original here:
Lebanon risks missing IMF preconditions for EFF owing to weak governance: S&P - Arab News

From crippling power cuts and a scarcity of essential commodities, to long queues at fuel pumps and a complete disruption of day to day life, Sri Lanka is facing an unprecedented economic crisis. Last week, Indian Express National Editor of Strategic Affairs Nirupama Subramanian, who has been covering the country since the 90s, was in Colombo to see how the crisis was folding.

In this episode, she joins host Shashank Bhargava to talk about what she saw, what has led to this crisis, and the challenge that the present government faces.

TRANSCRIPT

Shashank Bhargava: Hi, Im Shashank Bharagava,, and youre listening to three things The Indian Express new show. If you have been following the news, then you know that Sri Lanka right now is facing an unprecedented economic crisis, except for Afghanistan. No other country in South Asia has ever experienced such a crisis in the past 75 years. Sri Lankans currently are facing crippling power cuts scarcity of essential commodities, including medicines, and are having to stand in long queues at fuel pumps, because diesel is an extremely short supply. Now this economic crisis has also led to a major political crisis with massive protests taking place in Sri Lankas capital. Students, teachers, lawyers, doctors and those from a whole range of other professions are all demanding that the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa should resign. One slogan that has become really popular among people is Gota go home.

Last week, Indian Expresss national editor of strategic affairs Nirupama Subramanian was in Sri Lanka to see how the crisis was unfolding. Nirupama has been reporting on the country since the 90s, and was based out of Sri Lanka from 1996 to 2002. In this episode, she joins us to talk about what has led to this crisis, what she saw on the ground and the challenges that the present government faces. So Nirupama Why dont you begin by telling us just the kind of shortages and problems people in Sri Lanka are facing right now, because of this unprecedented economic crisis.

Nirupama Subramanian:: So the main thing here to remember is that Sri Lanka is a very important based economy, most of its essential items are imported. So this includes fuel oil, well, most of the world imports that, but in Sri Lankas case, its also milk, pulses, lentils, some kind of fish that they dont have then many other things for daily use even detergents. So many of the things that they dont make, its not really a manufacturing economy, their economy is basically tourism and tea, they export tea. And of course, they want tourists to come all the time. So these are the two big things in their economy on which theyre dependent, and the rest is all imported, all the goods are imported. So what happened was that they ran out of dollars to pay for these inputs. That was sometime last year.

Shashank Bhargava: And I think because they ran out of dollars, they couldnt buy fuel. And because of that they have been experiencing crippling power shortages. Right? There have been a lot of power cuts in the country.

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, exactly. So because many of the power plants are thermal fired plants, so they need the diesel to actually start them up. So that led to huge power cuts 13 hours at a time now at this point, of course, long queues at petrol pumps for petrol or diesel. And the other thing that happened was that because they had no foreign exchange, the President announced last year that they would stop importing chemical fertilizers and the whole agriculture in the country would switch to organic fertilizers.

Shashank Bhargava: And the way this decision was promoted was that they said that this was going to be some kind of a green revolution.

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, he was saying that Sri Lanka will be the first country to go entirely organic. Now farmers started screaming because farmers know better than anyone else that you cant change from one thing to another just overnight. So it was a bit like our Demonetization that overnight this change happened the paddy crop now the yield is much lower than it has been at other times. And because for organic farming, you have to prepare the soil, the soil has to be cleansed over almost a year of the chemicals and only then the organic fertilizers work, all this has happened. So they now have a rice shortage also. So these are the things that are in short supply, there is also hyperinflation so people who have the money can buy some of these items that are available that limited imports that are coming in or earlier stocks they can buy with that money, but even they are feeling the pinch because its not unrestricted supply. You cant go and buy like five or 10 kilos of milk powder because the shopkeeper has to service other customers also so the restrict those supplies and people who cant afford it. Those are the cues you see outside groceries because these are government run grocery fair price shop a bit like our ration shops but its not rational you which is available at a particular time of the month, it is not like that. Its always open grocery. And there because the rice is still sold at the old prices, people queue up for that. So those are the queues outside groceries that you see.

Shashank Bhargava: So, even though things havent gotten to a point where it has led to starvation, we are still seeing long queues for essential items. And one thing we havent even talked about so far is medicines. Those are in pretty short supply as well. Right?

Nirupama Subramanian: Completely medicines are another big emergency actually. Because I can tell you that when I went from here, friends asked me to bring some medicines like paracetamol. The main paracetamol is a brand called Panadol. And that was simply not there in the market. So people asked me to get some kind of paracetamol for them, which I took from here. But other things, I mean, you can put a price, the hotels are open, the restaurants open, the bars are open, people are there in those places eating you can get a pizza with nice cheese and everything on it imported cheese, because they dont really make their own cheese. And then you can order noodles, you can order pasta. So thats a parallel thing. And that happens. I guess even when there is a short supply, there are people who have money, you can go to these places, these restaurants and they can order and they can eat and they can lead their lives as they would normally. But everybody knows that the economy is in freefall, as it were. And these are artificial. I mean, even if they are in a restaurant and eating, its an artificial bubble. I think people are very aware of that because for the first time, even in Colombo, people are feeling the power cuts, the fuel shortages, the diesel shortages. I mean, its not just that you dont have diesel and or you dont have petrol, it is disrupted livelihoods, it has led to an increase in the prices of goods that are available in Sri Lanka, like vegetables. So vegetables are available, but they cost the earth because they have to be transported from A to B, and that requires diesel cabs. Uber is there but cabs are scarce because theres no petrol, theres a huge petrol shortage. So these are the daily things. I mean, so many gigs are dependent upon vehicles now. And those are all out of service because theres restricted supply of these two things.

Shashank Bhargava: Okay. so, when did this economic crisis start? I mean, many believes that this is an old problem, and it has been going on for a number of years. But when did this situation take its current turn? Like one thing you mentioned was Sri Lankas Demonetization moment, the Gotabaya government suddenly deciding to switch to organic fertilizers? So that I imagine was one thing, what are the other reasons?

Nirupama Subramanian: So that was really a consequence of the crisis? What really perhaps triggered it? I mean, if there is one moment to say that if youre looking for that precise trigger, then it was probably immediately after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa election in 2019, during the election, he had promised that he will cut taxes, he will abolish certain other taxes, which he immediately did upon being elected. So that came down from 15% to 8%. He abolished capital gains tax, I think there are seven varieties of taxes that he either got rid of or reduced immediately what happened was that the governments revenues fell dramatically.

Shashank Bhargava: Right, because you do need taxes, the government runs on taxes.

Nirupama Subramanian: Correct. So the minute the revenues came down the international ratings agencies, they downgraded Sri Lanka and Sri Lankas ability to borrow then was affected because earlier it had been borrowing from the market from the international capital market. So its much of its external debt, contrary to widespread belief that it was I mean, the maximum debts are with China, thats not really the case. China is just 10% of its external debt it owes to China and Japan also it was 10% of its external debt is to Japan. But the maximum about 40% is to the international capital markets. So you know, when this revenue fell, and it became very clear to international agencies, whats going on, they downgraded and Sri Lankas ability to borrow from the international market also ended so it started digging into its own reserves. And now when youre clearly living beyond your means, and then the pandemic hit in March, and the tourists stopped coming, and when the tourists stopped coming, then of course, it was completely I became unsustainable,

Shashank Bhargava: Right, because you mentioned that the two big things that Sri Lanka earns money from is tourism and tea.

Nirupama Subramanian: Tourism, tea and remittances also of workers living abroad. I mean, if youre thinking in terms of foreign exchange, these are the three big foreign exchange earners and then during the COVID all those people also came back because jobs were cut and majority of them like in everywhere in South Asia are low income earners, they go to work in low end jobs. A house helps, carpenters, masons that kind of job. So those God cut and they all came back. So that remittance also dramatically reduced. So this was the origin of the crisis.

Shashank Bhargava: And when talking about tourism, how much did the Easter bombings, the series of bomb blasts that took place in Colombo in 2019? How much has that contributed to the current problem? Because we know that the bombings had affected tourism as well.

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, actually, now that you say that we are talking exactly on the third anniversary of that Easter bombings. And in 2019 itself, as soon as the Easter bombings happened, the tourism business nosedived. And so it is already a struggling thing, right. And then in 20, the pandemic really finished whatever was left of it. So just before the second wave, they had a good season, I think. And then there was a second wave. And then after that, again, it picked up. So what Im hearing is that they are already on the path to recovery on the tourism sector. And when all this suddenly hit the roof, the shortages and everything.

Shashank Bhargava: Okay, so one thing is COVID, which every country in the world had to deal with. But a lot of the crisis that were seeing right now appears to be because of the mismanagement and the policies of the government. And this seems to be genuine anger in people against the Gotabaya Government. How do we see that anger manifested on the ground?

Nirupama Subramanian: So that anger is very clear on the streets, people have come out, Ive never seen something like this. In all the years that Ive been following Sri Lanka used to be based there during the years that the government was waging this. I mean, the government and the LTTwere locked in a huge war. Ive never seen this kind of protest, even then the economy used to struggle at times, but this kind of a shortage, they have probably the nearest they have come to experience. This was in the 70s. But those were the shortages. People remember the as being comparable, but even those were not as crippling as ones that theyre facing now. And therefore the anger or the anger started with the farmers saying our crops are going to be destroyed by this whole organic fertilizer experiment. But you know, farmers voices, as we know, unless they take to the streets as they did in India, they dont come out really but what has happened in the last three months is that the Colombo folk have started feeling the pinch badly.

Shashank Bhargava: From the rural areas. The anger has now spread to the urban parts.

Nirupama Subramanian: Actually, the main the biggest protest we are seeing right now is in Colombo, there are so many protests outside, theres great discontent. Theres much insecurity about the future across the country, but the protests are really in Colombo, and for the first time middle class Colombo, wealthy Colombo professionals in Colombo lawyers, teachers, doctors, these are people who would not normally see on the road protesting like this, but theyre all out there. And the target of the ire of naturally is the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and of course, theres a feeling that the entire family the Prime Minister is Gotabayas elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa who used to be president before. He was president for 10 years between 2005 and 2015. And now he is the prime minister. And then there are many other family members in the government. So theres a feeling that we are suffering and they are very clear in their minds that these people have made money out of mismanaging the economy. They are well off, they are wealthy, they have the flash lifestyle. In fact, Namal Rajapaksa, whos the Prime Ministers son went off in the middle of these protests to the Maldives and the hotel put it up to advertise their own property saying Namal Rajapaksa. You know, he was waterskiing and they had a photo and all that that really got people.

Shashank Bhargava: Wait, so while Sri Lanka is facing a crippling economic crisis, you have the Prime Ministers son who is waterskiing in Maldives?

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, exactly. So all this really boiled peoples blood over and theyre out on the street, and everybodys saying they have to go first, well be able to solve our problems. Only this family quits all its positions in government, all the positions that are with the family members in the government, they have to leave and only then we can start solving the other problem.

Shashank Bhargava: And I suppose this is a bit surprising, right? Because up until a few months ago, the Rajapaksa family was actually pretty popular with the people right like people were pretty happy with them.

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, people are happy with them because people are especially happy with both minder Rajapaksa and his brother Gatabaya Rajapaksa because in 2009, when Mahinda was the president Gotabaya was a defense secretary, and he is widely credited as the architect of the defeat, or lets say, as the architect of the military campaign against the Tamil Tigers, which was successful and the entity was defeated. And both brothers took credit for having defeated terrorism and securing the country as it were from this terrorist group that was operating in the north and killing people in the south with it suicide bombers and all that this generation of protesters thats out there knows nothing. It has come of age at a time when Sri Lanka has known complete peace. There isnt that kind of fear that used to prevail at an earlier time.

Shashank Bhargava: So this idea that they got rid of terrorism from the country is what ran in their favor, basically.

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, so they have actually dined out on this they have projected themselves as the saviors of the country and then very quickly, it turned into the saviors of the Sinhalese Buddhist majority. So immediately after the war, and which ended in 2009, you saw this resurgence of Sinhalese or this majoritarianism this triumphalism in the majority community, the saying that, you know, we have defeated not just the LTT but also the Tamil community, you know that now we have kind of shown them their place. So this was the widespread kind of feeling at that time, and they have made good of this to win elections and so on.

Shashank Bhargava: And now the Sinhalese Buddhists, the majority population in the country are now also part of the protests against this government. But with this kind of anger with people protesting what kind of challenge does the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government face politically?

Nirupama Subramanian: So politically, still, there is a degree of uncertainty immediately after the first big incidents of these protests were on March 31. Okay, that is when some people attacked, tried to break into go to bars, restaurants, private residence, not as official residence. Its in a suburb of Colombo. And he never felt unsafe or insecure there before because he was so well loved by the people. Also, he believed that youd never be harm like that. So he was to live there often. And I dont know whether he was there on that particular day or not. But on March 31, like about hundreds of people, maybe 1000 people or so were in that March. And then they tried to break through the barricades and police had to resort to tear gassing and water cannons and some buses and all other vehicles belonging to the police was set on fire. So this was a big reality check for the entire house of rajapaksas. Because it was scary, I guess. And then he, of course, immediately call an emergency and put a curfew and all that, but better sense prevailed. And he pulled back all that because people were defying, because in a previous time curfew meant a curfew, nobody would step out. Because I mean, you could be shot off the streets immediately. But this time, people said to have a curfew. And they took out marches during the curfew. And I wasnt there on that particular day. But somebody who witnessed itself it was for me unprecedented that somebody will break a curfew. Like hes an older person. He is I think in a 60s and he has seen the worst of times earlier as well. Listen, unbelievable that people are marching on the streets completely defying saying come and arrest me if you want but I am going to march on the streets.

Shashank Bhargava: Okay, so this is what has happened on the streets with people. What has happened in the parliament so far.

Nirupama Subramanian: So what happened was basically there was a moment when, of course, in parliament they enjoy or they had a two thirds majority, because mind that just swept the elections. But what happened after these protests was a group of Parliamentarians 42 of them, they withdrew from the coalition, and they said theyre going to sit separately in Parliament, then there are some others within that ruling Alliance who are also unhappy with the rajapaksas. And they also indicated that they may not be with it, but even the withdrawal of these 42 people rendered their majority in parliament a bit shaky. Now, the claims on either side that we still have the majority and opposition saying no, you dont have the majority. The fact is, what has happened is no one has gone out and tested this, the opposition has not yet challenged the government to a floor test, whether through a no confidence, motion, or whatever. Instead, what has happened is the government has seen that the diffidence in the opposition ranks because no one has actually emerged as a challenger to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in Parliament. So there is a feeling that we can still possibly manage the situation among the Rajapaksa as this is appealing.

Shashank Bhargava: Right and when Rajapaksa as majority became unsure, they even asked all ministers to hand in their resignations. And they said that they will appoint a new government, and they even invited the opposition to form a new government. But the opposition of course said that they dont want to be a part of this. In fact, you I had one of the main opposition leaders this man called Sajith Premadasa. He said that they should instead abolish the executive presidency. Sri Lanka of course has a kind of presidential system in which the Executive power is exercised by the President on the advice of the prime minister. And Premadasa says that they should get rid of that. Why does he want that?

Nirupama Subramanian: So the executive presidency in Sri Lanka is very, very strong. You know, the guy who the president who got it in who made this oversaw the transition from Prime Ministerial former government to the presidential former government was J.R Jayewardane, and he famously joked, I dont know it may be an apocryphal story, but it said that he used to boast that with this constitution, a president can do anything except change a man and to one and a woman into a man, everything else is possible for a president for this constitution. So now it gives so much powers. Thats also another reason why no one wants to form an interim government with Gotabaya still as executive president,

Shashank Bhargava: Right, because no matter what they do Gotabaya in his position as the president can just change that.

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, he can still change that if Prime Ministers Mahinda Rajapaksa and the brother is the President, if the finance minister of say from the opposition takes a particular decision, Prime Minister and President can join hands and they can sack the finance minister also. So that is another reason why national government is not such a hot attraction for anybody but Sajith. Premadasa believes that if you abolish the executive presidency, half the problems in this country will resolve themselves on their own, and perhaps they will, and he has made a big pitch for it. But the problem is that its a very long game.

Shashank Bhargava: Yeah, it would require significant amendments in the Constitution, right?

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, there has to be amendments to the Constitution, it needs a two thirds in Parliament. Now, even for the no confidence motion, which they have been discussing, which is a simple majority. Theyre wondering if they have a simple majority or not. But two thirds in Parliament, even if its passed by Parliament, it has to be approved in a referendum. So those are very, very long process. And many people have tried it before. I mean, many people have at least promised it before but have never kept their promise. Because once they become president, then they see Oh, wow.

Shashank Bhargava: Yeah, because then they also enjoy the same powers and privilege.

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, they dont want to change it. So there is an impasse, meaning the rajapaksas have not yet been able to appoint a full cabinet. Theyve been asking people to come up and take charge. But I think every minister, every person who was in the cabinet before, and everybody whos being approached by the rajapaksas are feeling the heat of the protests outside and they dont want to be compromised or tainted by accepting a position now so that everybody is waiting and watching.

Shashank Bhargava: Okay, so you have the Rajapaksa who have immense power because of the presidential system. And even though they have a wafer thin majority, they dont have a major challenger who can strongly oppose them. And then you have a large population of the country who want them to go, but obviously theyre not doing that. And you spoke to protesters, and Im sure because of all these factors, they must be so uncertain about the future, right?

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, So nobody knows what next and even in the opposition, no one knows what next. So even for the opposition, whatever glue it is, that can bring them together is if tomorrow we bring a no confidence motion against Prime Minister Rajapaksa. What is the next step? What after that, who will form the government? What kind of government will it be who will edit? Those are the questions that they have not been able to resolve? Monday, April 19, is when the parliament meets again, so maybe something will emerge from that session?

Shashank Bhargava: Okay, so now lets come to the India part of the story. India has extended help Sri Lanka, it has given the country rice and fuel, both diesel and petrol. How much relief has that been to the country?

Nirupama Subramanian: So it has eased the shortages, but its limited quantities right? I mean, its 500 million credit line for fuel. So, you have seen diesel coming in from India and it has eased the shortages a bit and then there is another credit line of $1 billion for food and medicines. So Indian rice has been has started coming in. And April 14, it was a new year for Sinhalese and for Tamil so they were able to release some supplies of rice into the market. So the shortages were kind of mitigated a bit. So this is the extent and India is supposed to be considering another 2 billion in some form or the other it may not be a credit line. It may be something in some other form, but they are supposed to be considering this request from Sri Lanka for another 2 billion

Shashank Bhargava: and Nirupama. One of the things that you write is that Sri Lankans, they sort of have a mixed reaction to this assistance by India, right.

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, so one of the very first things that I heard when I left landed in Sri Lanka and went to a protest site was somebody just asked me Are you Indian? So I said yes. He said, I have a message for India tell your government not to help the Rajapaksa they must stand with the people. They must not stand with Rajapaksa. So I asked him, Why do you say that he was not able to explain it to me immediately. But I spoke to some other people later on. And they said, there is a sentiment, theres an undercurrent in which this food help and the diesel help that and the fuel help that weve been extending people think, okay, the shortages will be mitigated by that and then peoples anger will come down, the temperature on the streets will come down, and the rajapaksas will use it to their advantage, they will take the credit of that. So this I heard even as late as two days ago, when somebody said, your government is giving 2 billion more to the rajapaksas. So I said, its not for the Rajapaksa, its for the people of the country. They said yeah yeah. I mean, thanks a lot, but what is going to happen is that they are going to take the credit of that, you know, so there is a very strong undercurrent in this whole thing that India is probably trying to save the situation for the rajapaksas. So the Indian High Commission, whenever it speaks on these issues, they emphasize very strongly that it is a humanitarian assistance that they are extending ages for the people of the country, it is to mitigate the suffering of the people. The other rumor that came up and that also was denied very emphatically. I mean, they had to actually deny more than once the Indian High Commission is that the Indian Army had landed in Sri Lanka. And they were going to help secure the Rajapaksa family. And again, this had to be refuted very strongly by the Indian High Commission, because I dont think theres any such thing and India would not be so adventurous as to send some soldiers to another country. Theyve done this in the past, and they did this in the Maldives wants to secure your home against a coup attempt. But that was different. I mean, those are different circumstances.

Shashank Bhargava: Okay, so finally, is there any next big thing or an event that will decide how this crisis will unfold?

Nirupama Subramanian: So now theres fear that they might actually crack down on the protesters, maybe try to drive them away, maybe call them for talks, I think Mahinda Rajapaksa said, come and talk to me. And they said, No, first you go, and then we will talk to you. So theres been theres all that also, I think things are a bit up in the air right now. Well have to see. I think the next big thing really, in this week will be what happens at the IMF. And of course, Sri Lanka is reaching out to various countries for bridge financing the reckon for the next six to nine months, theyll need about three to $4 billion to meet the import bills. So they will be looking for that the government is hoping to tire out the protesters that they will go home, how long can they stand here and shout, maybe the energy will dissipate and they will go home. So that is one line of thinking that do not think let them all just let it fizzle out. And they also declared all of last week a holiday. They said its New Year. And so between two weekends, all days were declared official holidays by the government thinking that people will stay at home. But actually it worked in the opposite way. A lot of people just congregated at golf ease, which is the site of the protests. And I mean, the numbers are now huge. So its growing in many ways. And we just have to see how this is resolved. But a lot of people thought regime change is imminent. That has not happened yet. And for the protesters, that is a big disappointment that you know, they didnt run away.

Shashank Bhargava: Youre listening to three things by the Indian Express. Todays show was written and produced by me, Shashank Bhargava and was edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar. If you like the show, then do subscribe to us wherever you get your podcast. You can also recommend the show to someone you think would like it, share it with a friend or someone in your family. Its the best way for people to get to know about us. You can tweet us at @Expresspodcasts and write to us at podcasts@ Indianexpress.com

Follow this link:
How Sri Lanka's unprecedented crisis is unfolding on the ground - The Indian Express

While Porchfest might center around the almighty porch and our beloved musicians, theres a lot more to the event than meets the eye. As the popular annual event becomes more of a heralded tradition, visitors are finding plenty of ways to enjoy themselves.

Attendees to Porchfest not only come across bands and porches of all ranges and sizes, they also encounter business communities that do their part to make the wandering affairs even more special. What started of as a purely porch-centric event has spread its wings. And in doing so, theres even more to see and do, whether its grabbing a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant, popping into a neighboring boutique, or simply sitting under a tree at the nearest park. The event is an invitation to explore neighborhoods in more intimate and thoughtful manners.

Porchfest is day when people open their homes (the porches) and hearts (the bands) to the public, asking nothing in return except for sharing a heightened appreciation for the cultural joys that embody the undertaking.

In 2022, there are multiple Porchfests taking place throughout Greater Buffalo, starting with Buffalo Porchfest in the Elmwood Village (lead image), set to be held on Saturday, May 21, from 1pm to 6pm. The event is being hosted by the Elmwood Village Association.

South Buffalo Porchfest is also back in 2022, so be sure to save the date Saturday, June 25 (noon to 5pm). The event is hosted by South Buffalo Roots.

Then, later in the summer, Tonawanda City Porchfest will get underway on Sunday, August 28.

Remember, if you have a porch, consider offering it up. And if youre a musician, think about throwing your hat in the ring.

Fans of Porchfest have a lot to look forward to this year. Each of these events is very distinct, thanks to the respective host neighborhoods. At the same time, they are all very much in tune with each other, because they are all built upon the notion that strong neighborhoods and vibrant culture go hand-in-hand. The event allows musicians, music fans, homeowners, and neighbors to band together in ways that wouldnt otherwise be possible. Its kind of a big deal, so be sure to choose your favorite Porchfest flavor, by saving a date.

See the original post here:
2022 Porchfests are a lot more than "porches and bands" - Buffalo Rising

The West Side building where a porch collapsed earlier this week killing one man and injuring two others must be demolished because its not structurally sound, city officials announced Thursday.

The Department of Buildings has determined that the building located at 3418 W. Jackson is not structurally sound and must be demolished. The department plans to work closely with the owners to determine a timeline for demolition and will continue to assist them as they recover from this tragedy, read a statement from the Buildings Department.

The collapse occurred Tuesday, killing Anthony Wright, 53, and injuring two others.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday said the collapse happened at a family home that a brother and sister could not afford to maintain.

What we learned is that a sister and a brother who were living in the family home had fallen on hard times and were not able to keep up the upkeep of their property, the mayor said.

As fate would have it, a truss at the top of the building failed. Part of the faade fell down as they were sitting outside enjoying the warm weather.

A 68-year-old man was taken in critical condition to Mount Sinai Hospital with crush injuries. A third man, 32, was taken to Stroger Hospital with a broken left leg and injured back, officials said.

If you know somebody on your block that owns their home and has some challenges with keeping up the maintenance, please reach out to me or someone on my team because there are resources available. Weve got to keep Black folks in their homes, Lightfoot said.

On June 29, 2003, 13 young partygoers died shortly after midnight when a three-story porch pancaked to the ground at 713 W. Wrightwood Ave. in Lincoln Park.

Five annual city inspections did not flag the allegedly unpermitted, oversized porch that collapsed on that fateful night.

Five years later, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that City Hall had quietly scaled back the flurry of porch inspections it had ordered in response to the tragedy.

The task force of 39 inspectors created to scour the city for shaky porches was folded back into the Building Departments Conservation Bureau to maintain the integrity of existing buildings.

More here:
East Garfield Park building where porch collapsed to be demolished: city - Chicago Sun-Times

Wet Leg, the buzziest buzz band thats come along in years, have a fun and eminently repeatable origin story. Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, two friends from the UKs remote Isle Of Wight, decided to start a band together while riding a ferris wheel at a music festival, and they named that band after an Isle Of Wight slang term for people from the British mainland. For the past year, Wet Leg have been taking the world by storm, and they just finally released their worth-the-wait self-titled debut. Sometime in there, Wet Leg carved out a moment to return to the Isle Of Wight and to film themselves playing live on a porch.

Wet Leg just shared the video of that 15-minute porch performance, and it sure seems like they made that without any audience whatsoever. The porch itself looks really nice, but the video, directed by Joey Julliard, goes for the intentionally-grainy look. Even without an audience, Wet Leg really show their massive charm in this video. There are all these great little holy-shit-were-doing-this eye-contact moments between Teasdale and Chambers, and the songs continue to slap. Watch the set below.

Wet Leg is out now on Domino.

See the original post:
Wet Leg Play Isle Of Wight Homecoming Show On A Porch: Watch - Stereogum

Police arrested a Joliet woman accused of pushing her 70-year-old mother-in-law off a porch.

The incident occurred Monday night when Kristin Martinez, 31, of the 8000 block of Harrier Avenue arrived at her mother-in-laws house to pick up her children, police said.

An argument ensued after the victim would not allow Martinez into the residence because of the victims intoxicated state, according to a police news release.

During the argument, Martinez pushed the victim off the porch, according to the release. The victim fell off of the porch to the ground and suffered a serious injury to her wrist.

The incident occurred at about 7:30 p.m. in the 7600 block of Violet Lane, which is in the Kendall County section of Joliet.

Police said they were called for a domestic disturbance.

Martinez was arrested and taken to the Kendall County jail.

Kendall County prosecutors charged Martinez with aggravated domestic battery, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and aggravated battery to a victim over 60.

She remained in jail as of Tuesday.

The mother-in-law was taken to Ascension Saint Joseph-Joliet for her injuries, police said.

Read the rest here:
Woman accused of pushing mother-in-law off porch - The Herald-News

If local music legend Aunt Samantha Bumgarner is sitting on a cloud in Heaven, she might put her harp down and sing along from noon until 6 p.m. on April 30 when Music on the Porch returns to the Appalachian Womens Museum in Dillsboro.

This years event is titled Music on the Porch, an Appalachian Homecoming, said Rob Ferguson, a history professor at Western Carolina University and board member at Appalachian Womens Museum. We are trying to emphasize the homecoming theme. Were just excited to see people out there. It will be fun just to gather again.

The event is at the old Monteith Homestead, 100 W. Hometown Place, Dillsboro.

This event was inspired by the fact that we have some world-class musicians from the local community who have learned from their family members over several generations, he said.

Some of those to appear on the porch are the Junior Appalachian Musicians, part of an after-school program that provides young people instruction and performance opportunities in Mountain Heritage Music on traditional Appalachian instruments.

That will be awesome, to have some young local musicians come out and showcase their talents, Ferguson said. They kick off the show from noon to 1 p.m.

From 1-2 p.m. Lee Knight is next on the west side of the old Monteith Farmsteads wrap-around porch.

He is sort of a like a local gem kind of hiding in plain sight, Ferguson said. He is a folksinger and musician going back decades. He lives in Cullowhee and has traveled the world making music with some of the most famous folksingers of the 20th Century. He knows and has played a lot of the old songs.

Another local is balladeer Susan Pepper, a professional old-time musician set to perform from 2-3 p.m. She holds workshops for children and adults to teach them old-time music, Ferguson said.

She closed out the festival in 2019, he said. Shes a regional treasure. If there is anybody in the county right now carrying on the old ballad traditions, its Susan Pepper.

From 3-4 p.m. is Kornbread Kreek, led by Steve Estes, who knows the entirety of Bumgarners music catalogue and is known as a local expert on her music, Ferguson said.

Kornbread Kreek is really is steeped in local and more broadly, Appalachian roots music, he said. Theyre always a fun time.

Peppers friend, Sheila Kay Adams, might bring the most star-power to the event when she cranks up at 4 p.m.

Adams is a full-on celebrity in the folk music community, Ferguson said. Shes from Madison County and has won many awards for her ballad-singing and her banjo playing. She has played at the Smithsonian Folk Festival and many other major venues.

Pepper joins Adams on the stage to close out the show from 5-6 p.m.

The Pressley Girls were on the card when the posters were printed, but had to cancel.

We hope to have them back in 2023, Ferguson said.

Tickets are on sale now for $15. Children 12-and-under are admitted free. Some of the proceeds from the event will go toward building an exhibit in the Museum focused on music.

The exhibit will focus on more than Samantha Bumgarner, though of course she is going to be a big presence in there, Ferguson said. The exhibit will focus on Appalachian music and Appalachian women musicians specifically.

During her life and musical career, Bumgarner traveled to New York City to make a record; to Del Rio, Texas, to appear on Dr. John Brinkleys radio show; and to the White House to perform for President Franklin Roosevelt and the King and Queen of England. She also entertained thousands during 32 years of headlining Ashevilles Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, starting in 1928 and continuing through 1959.

The Appalachian Womens Museum encourages attendees to bring a lawn chair or blanket to the event. Dogs are welcome. Parking is free across the tracks in Monteith Park. Its a rain or shine event. Food trucks will be onsite

Visit link:
Music on the Porch brings the old sound to town - The Sylva Herald

Memphis Police said they found Clyde Dear on a porch, claiming it was his aunt's home. Investigators said it wasn't.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. A man wanted in a bank robbery in West Memphis was captured after leading police on a chase into Memphis Wednesday.

According to the affidavit, police in West Memphis, Arkansas, responded to a robbery at Evolve Bank & Trust just before 10 a.m. Wednesday. There was a tracking device in the money that was stolen, and police tried to stop a 2019 Dodge Durango which the device was pinging to. They said the driver refused to stop and took off into Memphis.

The chase ended in the area of Vance and Boyd, where they said the driver stopped and tried to run away. They found the Dodge Durango behind an abandoned home. The affidavit said police saw money scattered in the truck and leading through the backyard of homes. They said they found the truck was registered to Clyde Dear but had a stolen license plate. They then found a bag of clothes matching the description of the bank robber, and under the bag was more money and a gun.

Officers said they spotted a man in dirty clothing walking between houses then sitting on a porch of one of the homes on Boyd. They said the man, later identified as Clyde Dear, told officers it was his aunts home, but they contacted the homeowner who said they did not know Dear.

Dear was arrested and West Memphis Police identified him as the suspect in the bank robbery. They said about $30,000 total was taken in the robbery.

Dear is charged with convicted felon in possession of a handgun, intentionally evade arrest in an auto, possession of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony, theft of property $10,000-$60,000, ad theft of property $1,000 or less.

His bond was set at $50,000.

Bank Robbery Arrest300 Block of Boyd StreetReport #2204005502MEMEMPHIS, TN On April 13, 2022, at 0957 hours, West...

View post:
Suspect in West Memphis bank robbery leads police on chase into Memphis, caught sitting on porch - WATN - Local 24