Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

0 of 4

Expectations don't always line up with reality, and that's as true in NBA free agency as anywhere else.

Even this early in the 2020-21 season, buyer's remorse is real.

To the surprise of many (myself included), neither the Charlotte Hornets nor the Detroit Pistons will appear here. Gordon Hayward has been effective, and he's a big reason the Hornets have been so much fun to this point. Jerami Grant's Pistons aren't any good, but he's silenced doubters who were sure he couldn't thrive in a bigger role.

Regret may come for the Hornets and Pistons eventually, but it's nowhere to be found at the moment.

That isn't the case elsewhere, as the following teams should already be questioning their additions in 2020 free agency.

1 of 4

The Atlanta Hawks got part of the process right, shrewdly acquiring veterans to address last season's main shortcomings: backcourt defense, secondary playmaking and a lack of non-Trae Young shot-creation.

So far, the results have been a disaster.

That isn't necessarily Atlanta's fault, as the lack of production from those new additions is entirely because of injuries. With that said, all four of Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kris Dunn and Rajon Rondo are at least as notable for their checkered health histories as they are for their on-court production.

Gallo, who's played only two games, is out for several weeks with an ankle injury. He's averaged 26 games on the shelf over the past six seasons, and that's after missing the entire 2013-14 campaign with a torn ACL.

Bogdanovic missed 23 games over the past two years, and he just went down with a fractured knee Saturday. He has no timetable to return for now. Dunn, who's missed at least 14 games in each of the past three seasons, hasn't played at all yet. Hehas had ankle surgery, though. Finally, Rondo's balky right knee has limited him to a grand total of 31 minutes of action to this point. He hasn't surpassed the 50-game mark in either of the last two campaigns and has fallen short of 70 every year since 2015-16.

There's absolutely a luck element to injuries, and the Hawks deserve credit for aggressively finding void-filling pieces that made perfect sense in their idealized rotation. But they didn't exactly prize durability in their signings, and it has come back to bite them.

2 of 4

Tristan Thompson is helping the Boston Celtics on the offensive glass, which is the absolute minimum they likely hoped for when signing him for the mid-level exception. Thompson has always beenamong the league's bestgenerators of second-chance opportunities, and he's doing that for Boston in the early going.

Having now complimented the 29-year-old big man, we can dig into the rougher stuff.

Opponents are feasting at the rim with Thompson in the game, getting to close rangemore oftenand converting at alarming rates. Inside six feet, players are hitting74.4 percentof their shots with Thompson as the primary defender. That's the fifth-highest hit rate allowed in the league among players who've defended at least 40 total attempts. Among bigs, only Enes Kanter, Paul Millsap and Marvin Bagley III have been worse deterrents.

Boston's defensecraterswith Thompson and Daniel Theis on the floor, which isn't what you'd expect from an old-school two-big lineup. Those are supposed to struggle on offense but lock down the lane and suppress opponents' scoring. That hasn't happened.

Thompson isn't a floor-spacer, and he has long struggled to score efficiently in general. If he isn't helping the interior defense, it's hard for him to make a positive impact.

Jeff Teague looked fantastic in the early going, but he's been unproductive outside of some hot, low-volume three-point shooting. Kemba Walker's return can't come soon enough.

3 of 4

The Toronto Raptors' struggles feel like they stem more from subtractions than additions*, even if those are really two sides of the same roster-building coin. It's as if Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol took some indefinable quality with them when they leftcorporate knowledge, maybe, or championship experienceand neither Aron Baynes nor Alex Len has been able to find what's missing.

Also, neither new big man has been productive on the floor. Maybe we should have just kept it simple and started with that.

Baynes, bounced from the rotation after seven games, hasn't shown the three-point stroke he developed over the last two years. He's at 18.8 percent from deep and has been one of the NBA's most negatively impactful players on both ends. Quick and dirty summation: His minus-8.7 box plus/minus is second-worst leaguewide among players who've logged at least 100 minutes.

Len has gotten some reps in Baynes' place, but he hasn't been much better.

It's a good thing holdover Chris Boucher has taken a step forward. Without him, Toronto's center position might be the most hopeless in the league. A downgrade was inevitable with the Raptors losing two key vets, but nobody expected the free-agency replacements to be this bad.

*Fatigue following two deep postseason runs and the difficulty of playing home games in Tampa Bay can't be ignored, either.

4 of 4

Davis Bertans has shot it well by normal standards, but his 36.0 percent conversion rate on threes would be a career low if the season ended today. When you give someone a five-year, $80 million contract and further cave by adding an early termination option on the final season, giving Bertans all the power in the team-player relationship, you hope to see more than that.

Specialistsespecially the highly paid varietyneed to be special.

Still, Bertans' minutes coincide with the best point differential among all Washington Wizards rotation players, and his gravity has been a key driver of the team's top-five offensive rating. He's probably overpaid, but Bertans isn't the main reason Washington should be feeling some buyer's remorse over its free-agent moves.

Although Robin Lopez and Raul Neto aren't cap-cripplers on one-year deals at $7.3 and $1.9 million, respectively, they haven't been of much help in the early going.

Lopez typically juices a team's defensive rebounding success, but his impact on that end has barely been noticeable this year. Because Thomas Bryant, who's now out for the season with an ACL tear, is such a defensive minus, many of Lopez's early on-off numbers on that end look better than they have a right toand they aren't even all that good. Washington has been outscored by 9.9 points per 100 possessions in Lopez's floor time, the worst figure on the team among players who've seen at least 150 minutes of action.

Neto is close behind at minus-9.0, and that's despite shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 42.4 percent on threes. Opponents are crushing the Wizards defense six ways from Sunday, but they've found scoring particularly easy with Neto on the floor.

Bertans, Lopez and Neto aren't the problem in Washington. A lack of defensive accountability, head coach Scott Brooks' strange lineups and Russell Westbrook being a massive drag on both ends are the real issues. But the Wizards' offseason signings aren't producing solutions, either.

Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Accurate through games played Wednesday, Jan. 13. Salary info via Basketball Insiders.

Read more:
NBA Teams Already Regretting Their 2020 Free-Agency Pickups - Bleacher Report

As up and down as the first 12 games of the Golden State Warriors new season have been, no contest has underscored the difference between Stephen Curry 's past and present basketball reality more than Thursday's 114-104 loss to the Denver Nuggets. As much as both Curry and coach Steve Kerr tried to hammer home the point that the Warriors' defense has to play with more physicality in order to win, there was another issue that is just as important and grew more prominently throughout the game. An issue that will define the course of how the next four months of the group's season plays out: Curry's greatness isn't enough to overcome lackluster offensive production from those around him. For the first time all season, the Warriors dropped a game in which the 32-year-old two-time MVP scored at least 30 points.

"I think it's just a matter of our team connecting and figuring out who we are and what we are," Kerr said during a video conference with reporters, when asked how to keep Curry from getting frustrated when he's not getting enough help. "It's going to take some time because of the moving parts, new additions, also trying to ease James [Wiseman] along. So you look at Steph's line obviously great scoring night, 35 points, but seven turnovers, Draymond [Green] had five, we're not really in sync yet. And that's going to take time."

2 Related

To Kerr's point, the Warriors are still trying to weave in Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre Jr. into the offense and both players are still adjusting to the way Curry plays the game. Green had an uncharacteristically off night on both ends of the floor, but since his return from an early season foot injury and conditioning issues due to COVID protocols, he has proven to be a helpful antidote in getting the offense moving and getting Curry in position to operate.

Kerr acknowledged that his team is still figuring out the best way to integrate Wiseman and hasn't gotten comfortable throwing him lobs in the paint yet. But if ever there was a night to remind Curry that Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala weren't by his side to take some pressure off his shoulders, this was it.

After Curry scored 12 points in the first quarter, the Warriors seemed to lose their way. Wiggins and Oubre missed open looks throughout the night, Green had no impact on the offensive end and the bench didn't have many answers against a Nuggets team that likes to get up and down the floor. The starting unit has only shown flashes of rhythm over the first month of the season and continues to struggle to string together solid performances.

"We've had some good days, some bad days," Curry said. "Twelve games in we got to understand what we can do better, especially offensively, just getting in a little bit more flow. And then living up to that expectation of what we're supposed to do defensively and that's just consistent energy. Night to night it's hard with a new group when you're playing really talented teams ... just be real with ourselves and what we need to do better. Not get in our feelings when we don't play well."

Kerr echoed similar sentiments in reiterating that he believes the offense will come together over time. The veteran coach appears much more concerned about getting his defense to play with more consistency than an offense that is still trying to find its way with a 19-year-old center. But as teammates continue to say they need to do a better job of playing off Curry, it's worth noting that there are times when Wiggins and Oubre still don't seem sure about exactly where they need to be on the floor. While trying to take accountability for some of his own shortcomings on Thursday, Curry hinted at the fact that the Warriors are still wrestling with how to work best off each other.

"Just keep being aggressive and being smart with the basketball," Curry said, when asked what he can do to help his teammates feel more comfortable. "There's a couple times tonight -- for instance where you start to rush a little bit. That aggressiveness turns into getting yourself in trouble and a couple untimely turnovers in that situation. I think offensively I got going creating my own shot and then we didn't get to that next level where I'm moving it, we have good flow and things kind of got a little stagnant pretty quick in that first quarter."

The NBA is back! Catch all the 2020-21 season action on ESPN, ABC and the ESPN App.

Friday, Jan. 15 Mavericks at Bucks, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN Pelicans at Lakers, 10 p.m. on ESPN

All times Eastern

Curry's minus-21 was the second worst plus/minus in his career during a game in which he scored at least 30 points, according to ESPN Stats and Information. As has been the case at various points throughout the year, he is trying to force the action when he sees that he's not getting the help he grew accustomed to when Thompson, Durant and Iguodala were on the floor. Curry continues to pump the outward positivity even though it is nights like these that offer a reminder that even when he does play 38 minutes and scores 35 points, that still won't be enough because the margin for error on this team is so small.

"It's not every time we lose and have a bad night, there's no panic," Curry said. "It's understanding we're 12 games into a new lineup and a new look and some nights it's going to look really, really great, some nights it might look really bad. It just kind of comes with the territory."

See the article here:
Even when Stephen Curry is on, Warriors struggling to find their rhythm - ESPN

For the most part, Bridgerton stays true to the romance novels by Julia Quinn, but it also makes some notable changes in a few key areas. The Netflix series has seemingly taken the world by storm, with massive viewership numbers and rumored plans for much more to come. Many new fans of the series will likely turn to the books while they wait for season 2, and theyll find that Quinns version of the story is different in some significant ways.

At its core, Bridgerton is a pretty formulaic Regency-era romance. Its full of dashing rich people, poor communication, rumors, and bodice-ripping.Bridgerton has garnered popularity beyond its genre, however, largely due to the fantastic chemistry of the shows cast and its strong writing along numerous, interconnected plotlines. Some of those high points are taken directly from the pages of Quinns novels, but a number of them are brand new for the Netflix version.

Related:Bridgerton: Every TV Show Character Who Wasn't In The Books

In any adaptation, maintaining a balance between staying true to the source material and introducing new ideas is a delicate task. Bridgerton threads that needle pretty well, and the changes it makes generally make sense for adjusting the story to a new medium. Here are the biggest changes the Netflix series makes to Julia Quinns books.

Starting with perhaps the shows biggest divergence from the novels, Marina Thompson is completely different in the two versions. In the show, she is a protagonist of near-equal narrative status to Daphne, offering a mirrored image in many ways of the Duchesss own story. Marina struggles with complex problems of ethics and self-preservation in a world that is not designed to protect her, and she becomes an emotional centerpiece of the story as a result. In the end, she agrees to marry Phillip, the brother of her deceased lover who was the father of her child.

This marriage to Phillip is the only real similarity between the Marina of Bridgerton and the Marina of the books. In Quinns novel, Marina is only briefly mentioned later in the series a severely depressed woman who dies following a suicide attempt. Phillip actually ends up becoming romantically involved with Eloise in the books, long after his former wifes passing. The book Marina was a relation of the Bridgertons, not the Featheringtons.

Bridgerton shows Daphne in her very first season of eligibility, after the Queens good word makes her the most desired lady in the ton. Her prospects drop significantly thanks to her older brother Anthonys incessant meddling, but she still manages to find love by the end of the courting season. Daphne's romancewith Simon is challenging, but the two manage to open up to each other by the end of season 1.

Related:Bridgerton's Lady Whistledown Twist Explained: Identity, Meaning & Future

The core of Daphne and Simons story is the same through both versions, but the show does make a few key changes. For starters, Daphne is in her second season in the books, not her first, and she has significantly more trouble attracting the eyes of promising suitors. Daphne's brother Anthony is much more relaxed about his sisters marrying, and is not the cause of her unfortunate circumstances. Anthony even knows about Simon and Daphnes ruse in the books and agrees to it, under the condition that they dont spend actual time alone. Lady Danbury also plays a slightly different role in the pairs story, as she is not the mother figure to Simon in the books that she is in the show.

The Netflix series also makes some notable improvements in terms of the toxicity of Simon and Daphnes relationship. Simon is a good deal coarser and harsher in the books, boasting some truly reprehensible moments of asserting his ownership of Daphne out of anger. This in turn sparks The Duke and Is most notorious scene, when Daphne causes Simon to ejaculate inside her against his will.

In the book, Simon comes to bed drunk one night after Daphne confronts him about pulling out during sex. After he falls asleep, Daphne takes advantage of his state in a scene that has widely been condemned seemingly condoning sexual assault. The show alters the scene notably, turning it into a consensual encounter between the two that Daphne turns to her advantage by staying on top of Simon when he climaxes. Still, Simons actual consent in the moment is questionable at best, and some viewers have criticized Bridgerton for not going far enough to fixthe scene, or remove the moment from the series completely.

In Bridgerton, Simon frequently engages in shirtless bare-knuckle boxing bouts with his friend Will Mondrich. Its a nice touch for fans of sweaty muscles or masculine bravado, but it has nothing to do with Quinns books. The boxing scenes, fight-throwing plotline, and even the characters of Will and his wife Alice are all new in the Netflix show. Overall, the added storyline is a good addition, showing some different dimensions to Simons character and introducing a wholly independent and compelling arc with Will and Alice. And of course, the boxing provides abs in plentiful supply.

Related:Bridgerton Season 1 Ending Explained (In Detail)

Season 1 of Bridgerton ends with the presumed death of Lord Featherington a character whos already dead by the time The Duke and I begins. His revival makes sense, as it gives Marina Thompson a reason to remain with the Featherington family after her pregnancy is discovered. Lord Featherington may not be a very major character in the series, but his despicable nature and gambling addiction move the plot along in some key ways. It will be interesting to see who replaces him in Bridgertonseason 2.

Quinns book series features a very brief appearance from an opera singer named Maria Rosso, who is a past mistress of Anthony Bridgerton. Her role in the novels is tiny, however, and her relationship with the Viscount seems to have been nothing more than a brief fling. Maria was adapted into the character of Siena Rosso in the show, similar in her occupation, but very different in her relationship with Anthony. Sienna is a much more fully-formed character, and she plays a much more important role in the story. The incompatibility between the two lovers comes off as truly tragic. Hopefully, Bridgerton hasnt seen the last of Siena Rosso.

One of Bridgertons bigger divergences from the books is the inclusion of more characters of royal stature. Queen Charlotte plays a major role in the plot, both by meddling in Daphnes affairs and in searching for the identity of Lady Whistedown. She even tries to set Daphne up with her foreign relation Prince Friedrich. Neither of these royals features in Quinns books, though they make excellent additions to the Netflix version of the story.

The second-born son of the Bridgerton clan has a substantial if isolated arc in the first season, where he experiments with art, sex, and not living strictly by the codes of his social station. There are orgies, paintings, queerbaiting, and some truly touching heart-to-hearts with Eloise. Most of this material, including the very existence of the modiste Genevieve Delacroix and the artist Henry Granville, is new to the show. It should be interesting to see how Benedicts story develops going forward, and if it will continue to veer off course from the version in the books.

Related:Bridgerton: What Happened To Daphne's Father

Lastly, Bridgerton makes one major change to the world of the story by introducing an alternate history of race relations in Regency-era England. The show presents a United Kingdom where at some unknown point in the relatively recent past reparations were paid to black citizens in the form of money, power, and political titles. This aspect of the world is only barely alluded to in a few passing lines, and it should be interesting to see how the story expands on the idea moving forward. The books have no such alternate history, and all their primary characters are presumably, assuredly white. In a genre generally lacking severely in diverse representation, its nice to see Bridgerton attempt to make some steps in the right direction.

Next:Bridgerton: What The Final Shot Of The Bumblebee Really Means

Star Wars Theory: Obi-Wan's New Darth Vader Duel Will Be A Force Vision

Rick Stevenson is a writer, editor and performer based in Brooklyn, NY. He's written on TV, film and games for over six years, in addition to assorted stints in bookselling, carpentry, and TV production. Rick studied writing at the College of William & Mary and Oxford University, and can report with some authority that they are both old. A comedian and improviser when not writing, he currently performs with Socially Distant Improv on Instagram, and is a founding member of the Oxford University House of Improv. He lives and dies for Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Read more here:
Bridgerton: Everything Netflix Changed From The Books - Screen Rant

After a long wait and multiple revised schedules, the start of the National Hockey League season is finally here. The ongoing pandemic means business will be nowhere near usual, but aside from the specter of ongoing outbreaks and stadiums with less than full capacity, it will be nice to see actual games with actual players again.

Last year, we awarded four postseason team titles to Minnesota Wild players who earned the distinction with superb play. Before the puck drops on the 2021 season, lets throw some hats into the ring and predict who might be the team award winners come next May (or hopefully, July), as well as try to envision where the Wild will end up in a brand new, albeit temporary, Honda NHL West Division.

Lets start with the most obvious selection of all:

The Wild made a series of moves in the offseason, and many of them are ready to make a serious impact...

OK, thats enough of that. Its Kirill Kaprizov. Of course its going to be.

But since the fight is so unfair, well give a special award this year...

While Im of the opinion that Nick Bonino might be able to have a bit of a career renaissance in Minnesotamaybe not to the level of someone like Eric Staal, but a resurgance nonethelesstruthfully, the player that can (and needs to) have the most immediate impact with the Wild is new starting goaltender Cam Talbot.

With a strong defensive corps in front of him, Talbot is coming into a situation where he can definitely succeed. And with Alex Stalock out indefinitely, Talbot will not only have to be an upgrade to outgoing starter Devan Dubnyk, hell likely be called upon to be in net nearly every night. Sure, the Wild have Kaapo Kahkonen on the bench, and Andrew Hamburglar Hammond on the taxi squad, but neither of the Wilds current secondary options are dependable enough to yet be trusted with long-term duty.

While I think Talbot might fall short of his 2016-17 season where he finished fourth in Vezina voting, hell more than surpass the other non-Russian newcomers and make his mark on the 2021 season.

Speaking of needing players to step up, the Wild have a number of young guys that have not quite lived up to their high draft picks and vaunted prospect statuses. The two obvious names that come to mind are Joel Eriksson Ek and Jordan Greenway. But while both players will have ice time opportunities aplenty with Mats Zuccarello to start the season, the forward that I think will take the biggest step forward is former college free agent signing Nico Sturm.

After scoring 12 goals and 20 assists in his first season with the Iowa Wild, Sturm scored his first NHL goal in last seasons play-in playoffs. And though hell start the season on the fourth line with Victor Rask and Ryan Hartman, Sturm had a good camp and will no doubt have a chance to move and up and down the lineup as the season progresses.

Choosing the newly-named captain Jared Spurgeon would be an easy pick here. And while I expect the General to have another solid defensive season that is ignored nationally, Im going to go way out on a limb and say that Matt Dumba will finally break out offensively.

Hes certainly already fired up for the season...

I dont have anything specific to lean on for this prediction, but the guys certainly due. Hes healthy. Hes made it through rumors and speculation that he was definitely going to be tradedthough those rumors will likely still persist in 2021 with Marcus Foligno re-signed and Seattle expansion still looming. Bottom line, hell be motivated to live up to his ability and expectations.

Kevin Fiala won the award last season, and theres no reason to believe he wont take home the prize again in a shortened 2021 season. Sure, Kaprizov might surprise everyone and win not only the Calder but the Hart as well, but even with the Russians high level of talent, he will be playing his first year in the NHL, and theres bound to be some bumps in the road, especially as opponents figure out his game.

Fiala, on the other hand, has had several seasons to acclimate and was by far the best player on the ice last year, leading the team in points (54) and finishing second in goals (23) and assists (31).

Fiala wont have his primary center with Staal gone, but should he be paired with Nick Bjugstad or Nick Bonino, he should still have the time, space and ability to pull off more of the insane goals that we saw last season.

1 Colorado AvalancheIt seems like every reporter, blogger and prognosticator has the Avs as the default winners of the new West, and Im not one to disagree. Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar... and we havent even gotten to Landeskog yet? Yeah, the West is the Avalanches to lose

2 Vegas Golden KnightsThe Golden Knights have in my mind the strongest defensive top four in the west and can roll three offensive lines at you. Granted, their centers after William Karlsson are a little suss with Stasny gone, but if Cody Glass has a strong sophomore season, Vegas might just be able to keep up with the Avs and give them a run for their money.

3 St. Louis BluesSome might have the Blues higher on the strength of their defense and goaltending, but with shallow offensive depth and Vladamir Tarasenko out of possibly half of a shortened season, nothing short of a Vezina-winning season from Jordan Binnington will allow the Blues to keep up point-for-point with the top two teams in the league. Luckily for them, that would be more than earn a playoff spot in the top three.

4 Minnesota WildIm all in on Talbot being a significant step up from Devan Dubnyks final two seasons in a Wild uniform. Kaprizov looks ready to impress. And as mentioned before, theres a chance this is finally the year Dumba puts it together. It wont be enough to really battle with the top teams in the West (and it will likely result in yet another one-and-done in the playoffs), but the Wild should be competitive and battling right into May for a spot in the postseason.

Whether or not thats something youre looking forward to? Thats another story.

5 Arizona CoyotesThe Coyotes lost some considerable pieces to free agency in Taylor Hall and Derek Stepan, but the young and talented core looks ready to build on their 2020 playoff success, having knocked off the Nashville Predators in the play-in round. That said, theyve also made a bunch of self-inflicted wounds from a management standpoint, whether it was violating the NHLs combine testing policy and losing two draft picks, or selecting Mitchell Miller knowing full well about his checkered past. But goaltenders can often carry less than stellar teams on their shoulders, and while I think Darcy Kuemper and Anti Raanta can get the Coyotes pretty far, I dont see getting them far enough to see the postseason.

6 Los Angeles KingsThe Kings are a mix of super old and super young, with not much in between. If everyone is clicking, they can win some games theyre not supposed to, especially high-scoring affairs against the Golden Knights or the Avalanche. But in a condensed season, relying that much upon the likes of Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter could catch up to Los Angeles in a big way. They could find their way into the fourth and final playoff spot, but theyll likely finish short.

7 San Jose SharksAfter finishing last season in the unfamiliar territory of the cellar of the Pacific division, the Sharks decided to throw everything they could at the problem. They brought in Devan Dubnyk to shore up goaltending. They traded for Ryan Donato to hopefully fill a top-six role that he couldnt find with the Wild, though hes already been shifted down to the third line during training camp. They brought back Matt Nieto and Patrick Marleau to fill bottom-six spots as well. But the Sharks are another team with aging stars and injury issues. If they can overcome their issues from last season (and their additions pay off), they could possibly finish as high as the fourth playoff spot. But so much has to go right, and with the lack of depth and a goaltending tandem that could be one of the worst in the West, theres not a whole lot of reason to think theyll be able to pull it off.

8 Anaheim DucksAnaheim is another team stuck in the muddled middle of competing and going full rebuild mode. The difference between them and the Wild is that the Ducks dont yet have the young players ready to kick down the door like Kevin Fiala last year or Kirill Kaprizov this year. Also, their defensive zone is less than inspiring. Gone are the days where they could steal a win or two from the Flames, Oilers and/or Canucks. Now, with Colorado and St. Louis and even the Wild taking their place, the Ducks might not have a choice whether or not to rebuild - their hand might play itself.

Continued here:
Minnesota Wild Predictions: Who will win the 2021 West division and Wild team awards? - Hockey Wilderness

The new enterprise taking shape on a strip of derelict land beside a garden centre in Staffordshire would be extraordinary at any time. But the large pond, greenhouses, cabins and homemade enclosures that will comprise this particular startup are positively miraculous given that it is driven by two 17-year-olds, both studying for their A-levels in the middle of a pandemic.

Childhood friends Harvey Tweats and Tom Whitehurst are on a mission to rewild Britain by restoring reptile and amphibian species that are either virtually extinct or have been extinct for centuries in this country. Their company, Celtic Reptile & Amphibian, will soon open what the pair believe will be the countrys largest outdoor breeding facility for reptiles and amphibians. They hope it will be the first step in restoring lost species so that British ponds, lakes and wetlands once more resound to the croak of pool frogs and agile frogs as well as other once-common lizards and frogs. In the long term, Tweats and Whitehurst hope that the European pond turtle (which they source from Moldova) and the Aesculapian snake, already unofficially released in a couple of UK sites, may be embraced as new native species after being absent from the country for thousands of years.

This may appear wildly ambitious especially for a pair of school pupils but they are knowledgable, passionate environmentalists, and they have secured the financial backing of leading rewilders, such as Ben Goldsmith (brother of the environment minister Zac Goldsmith), who has already supported efforts to reintroduce the beaver, and Charlie Burrell, the owner of the rewilded Knepp estate in West Sussex.

Its incredible, I enthuse, when Tweats, whose personable self-assurance makes him seem older than his years, and Whitehurst, who is quieter and in charge of the technical aspects of their operation, show me around their back-garden facilities via video. Its not incredible, replies Tweats, laughing drily. Its really hard work.

That work includes building their new facility which, despite Covid-related delays, they are aiming to open for the spring breeding season. Their current operation is in their parents back gardens. In the sunniest corner of Tweatss small suburban garden is a greenhouse and a tidy patio surrounded by large, open-topped plastic storage boxes. Inside each box grow plants that match the native habitat of the animals they are breeding.

Tweats dips his hand into a small pond and gently picks out a moor frog. The dun-coloured frog crouches on his fingers, glistening in the sunlight. This species is extinct in Britain but we want to bring it back, he says. Its a male and its hibernating at the bottom of the pond, in a state of torpor.

In another enclosure, Tweats carefully pulls out a European pond turtle, a gorgeous small reptile which lives across mainland Europe. The turtles colonised Britain after the ice age, but are thought to have disappeared from the country after a period of climatic cooling. Who doesnt love a turtle? says Tweats, beaming. The fact that they can sleep under ice and were once native to Britain Brilliant.

They may be experts in breeding European species, but the pair are also nurturing less exotic species such as common toads, which have declined by 68% in Britain since the 80s. Conservationists focus so much on the endangered species that we dont actually have a clue how to breed common stuff, says Tweats. You can learn so much from captive breeding that feel for the animal. You can almost telepathically know how that animal is, whether it is sick or injured or in a breeding condition.

Tweatss interest in frogs and lizards began when he was small. Its almost innate, as if its in your DNA to love nature, he says. My grandad was, and still is, a massive nature nut. Hes taught me all about the countryside, ecology, everything. Tweats collected frogspawn and watched tadpoles become frogs. He reared butterfly and moth caterpillars, but his first captive breeding on quite a large scale was stick insects. The babies would get out and climb all up the walls, he says. He was nine when he got a tortoise, which helped him understand reptiles needs. Later, he kept exotic snakes, such as pythons.

Every summer, Tweats and his family holidayed close to an area of lowland heathland in east Devon, the Pebblebed Heaths. One year he and his grandad attended an evening looking for nightjars an elusive, nocturnal bird and the wildlife warden, Ed Lagdon, impressed with Tweatss enthusiasm, invited his family on a tour of the heath. Later, they kept in touch and, when a population of beavers was discovered on the nearby River Otter, Lagdon invited Tweats to do work experience on a trial to study the beavers impact in the valley.

By now a teenager, Tweats had been inspired by George Monbiots book Feral. Working on the beaver project, I had that lightbulb moment, he says. These beavers are creating incredible wetlands for amphibians and reptiles and yet they arent there because they went extinct so long ago.

During his work experience, Tweats saw how beavers are ecosystem engineers. By building dams, they create new wetlands for amphibians and reptiles but also dragonflies and other insects, and the birds and mammals that eat them. He now believes that many of Britains missing amphibians went extinct in medieval times because the beaver was hunted to extinction.

Tweats and Whitehurstd had begun breeding amphibians in earnest when they were revising together for their GCSEs. So was Whitehurst dragged along by Tweatss enthusiasm? You could say that, says Whitehurst, laughing. He always enjoyed being outdoors in nature and admired Tweatss passion. When Harvey started keeping European green lizards, that made me go: Hang on, this is something I want to be involved in. They were so stunning. Pythons are cool, but everybodys seen them. When you realise these vibrant green lizards are a European species and you can actually keep them outdoors, that inspired me.

We suddenly thought: If Harvey got some green lizards and I got some eyed lizards, why dont we start a Facebook page and see what connections we can make? So the friends merged back garden breeding operations and posted pictures online. It started to gain momentum and we eventually transformed it into a company, says Whitehurst.

One day, on the beaver trial, Tweats had a cup of tea with Derek Gow, an outspoken environmentalist known as Mr Beaver for masterminding beaver releases across Britain and the talk turned to amphibians. I said: I breed them. And boom! There you go, Tweats says. Suddenly, he realised that he could scale-up his hobby and contribute to big rewilding projects.

Gow now sits on their advisory board and introduced Tweats and Whitehurst to financial backers, including Goldsmith and Burrell. This allowed them to rent a half-acre patch of ground 10 minutes walk from their homes for their new breeding facility.

The friends are also, of course, in their final year of school, and are having to study from home. Like other students, their interrupted education has left them agonising over their final exams which have now been cancelled for months. Its just been an absolute nightmare, admits Tweats. Well be fine, says Whitehurst. Weve got a lot of work to get on with so it kind of works in our favour.

The support of influential adults is vital, but what do their peers think? Loving wildlife was once the badge of a teenage nerd. I do think thats changing, says Tweats. Environmentalism is becoming almost sexy. I hate to use the term fashionable, because this isnt just a Gucci handbag, this is something we really need to take seriously as stewards of the Earth. But it has become a bit more of a trend. Friends you wouldve never thought would be environmentally friendly are posting things on social media.

So fellow pupils never call them newt boy at school? I am a people person and Im very confident in social situations, says Tweats. I will make a joke about it and well have a laugh, but overall its been incredibly positive. Maybe were lucky to be in a year group who are just so nice.

In fact, friends bribed with bacon butties and beer have dug the pond for their breeding centre. But what do their girlfriends or partners make of their mission? Do they even have time for girlfriends or partners? No, we dont, says Whitehurst. I wouldnt say it gets in the way, but as 17-year-olds wed much rather crack on with this, at least for a year or so, before we start looking for something serious.

There is still a lot of work to do security fencing should arrive soon and then they will build enclosures with rat-proof mesh and a quarantine area. Biosecurity is vital because of pathogens such as the chytrid fungus [a big cause of global amphibian declines], says Tweats. Their dads help them with the build at weekends. Tweatss father, a deputy head and former business teacher, also sits on their advisory board and guides business matters.

Tweats and Whitehurst hope to become self-sustaining with revenue from breeding animals for sale to hobbyists and also making money from social media and providing animals for filming and photography. They are already earning sponsorship from their YouTube channel and one of their European pond turtles has appeared on Countryfile on BBC One.

Ultimately, however, they want to breed thousands of amphibians and reptiles to support conservation programmes and bring back species including the pool frog, moor frog and the agile frog on Britains new beaver-created wetlands. And they are dismayed by the modest attempts made so far, such as returning the pool frog to a couple of pools in Norfolk.

If thats the imagination were going to have, considering were in the sixth mass extinction, we may as well admit defeat, says Tweats. If we want to get this species back and not just as a tick-box species so we can say weve got the pool frog back it needs to be in every single pond in the UK. End of.

Releasing 100 pool frogs is not rewilding, admits Tweats, but restoring these amphibians could definitely fit into the jigsaw puzzle of rewilding.

While wolves or lynx capture the imagination of rewilding purists, the significance of smaller creatures is underestimated, he explains, citing a US study that found the weight of juvenile amphibians on 10 hectares of healthy marshland to be equivalent to a black rhino and 1,400kg of amphibians in a marsh is a lot of food.

Although we think of amphibians as small, collectively they assemble into a massive superorganism that feeds so many species, says Tweats. People ask why do we want to bring back the pool frog or the moor frog or the agile frog? Its simply food. All these different species inhabit slightly different niches in the ecosystem and open up the availability of food to many other species. If we want to bring back white storks at Knepp, then weve got to think about returning food to the landscape, as well as the inspiration and beauty that comes from these mini-dragons.

Despite supply-chain delays meaning their big new greenhouse will arrive months late, Tweats says they have encountered so much wonderful support over the past year. The interest in these species has just been insane. They used to be completely vilified toads were once seen as the spawn of witches. Its come full circle and these animals are a symbol of hope and restoration.

I tell Tweats and Whitehurst they will soon be famous and constantly asked to name their favourite reptile or amphibian. They look pained at the prospect of choosing one. Tweatss favourites include the sand lizard and European pond turtle; Whitehurst loves eyed lizards (they reach 90cm long, the largest mainland lizard in Europe), common lizards (the fact they give live birth, incubating the eggs inside them, is something thats always fascinated me) and tree frogs.

What about Gallotia goliath? says Tweats. It was a giant species of lizard that lived on the Canary Islands and it went extinct when the Conquistadors arrived. There are still remains, so theres the potential to do a Jurassic Park-style resurrection on them.

Well be at the forefront of that, says Whitehurst with a gleam in his eye.

When were famous and weve got enough cash, adds Tweats, laughing.

Will the next Jurassic Park be found in Staffordshire? I wouldnt bet against it.

1. Just add water and nature will come back. A pond even a tiny one, from a washing-up bowl will soon attract frogs and newts.

2. Create hibernaculums (where animals can spend the winter) by leaving piles of logs or twigs underneath hedges or in garden corners.

3. Leave your lawn to grow wild to boost insects and provide food for amphibians. Frogs live in long grass.

4. Modern wooden fencing prevents frogs and toads from roaming between gardens. Cut small holes at the fence base, like the increasingly popular hedgehog holes.

5. Dont use pesticides or slug pellets or other chemicals that destroy insect life.

6. Collar bells for cats can help frogs evade them. Or consider not having a cat.

This article was amended on 12 January 2021. Due to an editing error, the European pond turtle was incorrectly described as an amphibian.

Link:
'Who doesn't love a turtle?' The teenage boys on a mission to rewild Britain with reptiles - The Guardian

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh bid farewell to his hometown Tuesday night in what his office described as his final state of the city address.

After being nominated to serve as President-elect Joe Bidens labor secretary, Walsh is preparing for life in Washington, D.C.

And the wake of his pending departure leaves behind some deal of uncertainty not just about who will replace Walsh but also when voters will choose that replacement, and just how many times theyll have to do so.

In the short term, Walsh if confirmed by the Democratic-controlled Senate hands off to Boston City Councilor Kim Janey, who as City Council president becomes acting mayor for at least a few months.

In the longer term, its a little less clear.

Walsh is set to leave office in the midst of an election year, with a preliminary election and general election scheduled for September and November, respectively, and two declared candidates City Councilors Michelle WuandAndrea Campbell are already running to be the next mayor. More are expected to jump into the race; Janey herself is even considering a bid for a full term.

However, according to the city charter, Boston is required to also hold a special election if Walsh officially vacates his position within 16 months of the last citywide election or, in other words, before March 5.

Its theoretically possible that the narrowly divided Senate doesnt approve Walshs nomination before March 5, in which case the entire subject becomes a moot point. The first labor secretary under President Donald Trumpwasnt confirmed until April of 2017. However, that was only because the process was delayed after the Republican presidents first labor nominee withdrew. All of Trumps other cabinet nominees wereconfirmed by March 2.

Assuming that Senate Democrats confirm Walsh by March 5, a special election would need to be held between 120 and 140 days after he officially vacates office. And while the charter does not explicitly mention it, officials say the city would also hold a preliminary election for that special election.

All that is to say that Boston voters could be staring down four elections over the course of fewer than six months this year.

Some local elected officials say thats unacceptable, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During a Boston City Council meeting Wednesday afternoon, Councilor Ricardo Arroyo filed a home rule petition to override the special election requirement if Walsh leaves after March 5, calling it irresponsible to schedule multiple elections at a time the region is seeing record levels of the contagious disease and with a vaccine still months away for most residents.

Arroyo also argued that an additional election would exacerbate voting disparities and put an additional burden on already-strained city resources.

Having multiple elections for the office of mayor in the same year in the midst of a pandemic is a serious threat to the health of our residents and communities, will contribute to the disenfranchisement of people of color, disabled and low-income communities, would be a wasteful and costly expenditure for the city at a time when our revenues are down and so many critical services are in need of increased funding, the District 5 councilor said.

As Arroyo noted, the special election would create the possibility of four different people serving as Bostons mayor in less than a year.

Under these conditions, when we can act to prevent it, we should, he said.

During the meeting, Councilor Kenzie Bok also noted that another logistical issue is that the special election would result in overlapping signature requirements where we would have a special still running while people were gathering signatures for a general. Even with just one set of elections last year, local signature thresholds faced legal challenges due to the pandemic.

Secretary of State Bill Galvin, the top election official in Massachusetts, also backed the idea of bypassing the special election requirement this week, given the potential confusion for voters with what could become a crowded field.

Its not about the candidates, its about the voters, giving the voters the maximum amount of time to make choices, Galvin told The Boston Globe this week.

For their part, at least one of the candidates also supports skipping the special election, even though a shorter runway would ostensibly benefit those who are already organized and have campaign infrastructure in place. Wu told Politico on Tuesday she supported nixing the special election, saying that the extra costs and public health considerations of having two elections in a year have to be weighed in this current moment. Campbell also added her name Wednesday in support of further discussing the subject at the to-be-scheduled council hearing but has not yet taken a stance on Arroyos petition itself.

Home rule petitions do face a number of hurdles, including approval from the City Council, the mayor, both chambers of the state legislature, and Gov. Charlie Baker. However, state lawmakers and Baker just recently approved a similar petition to bypass a special election this year in Lawrence, whose mayor officially resigned to take a state job.

Arroyos office said Wednesday that they were confident they had sufficient support to follow suit in Boston and his petition has received support from civil rights groups, including the local chapter of the NAACP.

However, not all of Arroyos colleagues are on board.

During the meeting, Councilor Matt OMalley argued that the additional costs of a special election shouldnt be a consideration, amid concerns about going the majority of the year with an unelected acting mayor.

Democracy costs money to do it well, to address these barriers, to do it safely, to make sure that we have early vote, to make sure that we have vote by mail, he said. To make sure that were able to allow as much civic input in this important, important election is what we ought to be spending our money on.

OMalley and fellow Councilor Frank Baker also raised concerns that effectively canceling a special election could give the appearance that the council is putting their thumb on a race involving at least two of their colleagues and further sow distrust in government.

Baker even directly suggested that his colleagues were acting out of self-interest.

Theres a reason why people, right now, dont like politicians, because were doing things like this, where we because we have the power to manipulate elections now were going to manipulate elections, he said. And even though we say its about finance and its about COVID its about who is our person in the race and how does it benefit them directly. I cant help but think that that is the underlying reason.

Several other city councilors, including Annissa Essaibi-George and Micheal Flaherty, are also considering a mayoral campaign in the wake of Walshs departure.

Arroyo, Baker, Bok, and Councilor Lydia Edwards, who chairs the committee that will hold a hearing on the petition, all made a point of noting that they are not running for mayor, nor have they publicly endorsed either Wu or Campbell.

Councilor Julia Mejia, who has also said she wont run for mayor, shot back that a special election would simply compound the advantage that older, white voters have historically had in low-turnout municipal elections.

Were going to let a few thousand politically active people decide who will be the mayor of 700,000 people for the next four years, because we already know whats up, Mejia said. Dont get it twisted here. We know who comes out in droves in special elections. It is not those who are mostly impacted by the decisions that are being made every single day.

During the meeting, Bok suggested that the body shouldnt get stuck in the obvious political implications. Edwards, who unsuccessfully ran in a 2016 state Senate special election, added that special elections hurt all candidates opportunities to engage with voters.

Edwards made the case that the council should let the process play out and have a transparent open conversation with a hearing in her government operations committee with advocates and stakeholders, followed by a potential working session.

There is no special bending, working around, and trying to manipulate, Edwards said. We have legal procedures. We are all following them.

Enable breaking news notifications straight to your internet browser.

Great, youre signed up!

Read the original here:
Marty Walsh is shipping out of Boston. So what exactly happens next? - Boston.com

Lands Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney addresses a press conference in Nairobi.

A notice by the Ministry of Lands that it will issue new title deeds to replace those issued under repealed laws as it transitions to a new registration system has raised concern among landowners.

As a follow up to a gazette notice published on December 31 by Lands Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney informing landowners in Nairobi of changes in their land reference numbers, Ardhi House on Tuesday said it will cancel and replace all title deeds issued under old laws.

The laws include the Indian Transfer of Property Act, 1882, the Government Lands Act (Cap. 280), the Registration of Titles Act (Cap. 281), the Land Titles Act (Cap. 282) and the Registered Land Act (Cap. 300), which were repealed by enactment of the Land Registration Act.

Replacement of the title deeds will follow a process set out by the Land Registration (Registration Units) Order, passed by parliament in 2017.

Parcel numbers

There will be changes in the parcel numbers, which Karoney told the public to be on the look out for.

The changes have already started in Nairobi where over 5,000 new titles will be issued.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest developments and special offers!

For instance, in the Nairobi, the parcel of land identified as L.R. No. 209/7229 is now Parcel Number 1 in Nairobi/Block1 while L.R. No. 4393/12 in Nairobi/Block2 is now Parcel Number 1 in Nairobi/Block2.

Since enactment of the Land Registration Act, registration of land transactions has been going on under the transitional provisions since 2012.

Title deeds bear the title of the law that they are issued under, just below the coat of arms. Title deeds issued before 2012 bore the title of the now-repealed Registered Land Act, but titles issued after 2012 bear the titles of both the repealed and the new law.

The conversion begins with the Ministry of Lands preparing cadastral maps, graphical indices of parcels and a conversion list which will show the old land reference number and the new one.

The announcement has caused concern among sceptics who see it as opening for dispossession when the land is converted.

Existing freehold

The ministry and the Law Society of Kenya, however, say the process is foolproof and there will be no change in existing freehold and leasehold tenure.

Land Registration Act 2012 needs georeferencing of land parcels to produce cadastral plans and maps to eliminate overlap of the land parcels.

There are about 11 million title deeds in the hands of Kenyans, 6 million of which were issued between 1963 and 2012.

We cannot migrate all those titles at once. We are starting with Nairobi and even then we are doing it in batches, Karoney said.

The ministry has started the process of migrating 29 out of the 250 blocks that make up the city.

As we go digital in a county, we are going to migrate the titles until we finish all of them. That is why we are starting with Nairobi because it is going go fully digital in a month, the CS said.

The process of the conversion is supposed to continue until the end of 2022 and will be done free of charge.

The landowner will be required to apply to the Ministry of Lands for the new titles. The application will include providing the original title and copies of their other identification documents.

Ardhi House is, however, silent on the time it will take to produce the new titles.

Advocacy group, Land Development and Governance Institute (LDGI), said confidence the public has on the government will inform how the process will be received.

Does the public trust that when they deliver their titles and dont get the replacement the same day they will be comfortable getting it at any other time? That is where you hear a lot of noise from Kenyans,Ibrahim Mwathane who heads LDGI said.

Mwathane says the aspect of public trust will be the most fundamental in the exercise. He said it unfortunate that there is that perception of a deficit of trust in the ministry.

I think I can understand where the Kenyans are coming from. But I am sure the CS and her team know that there is that perception.This is a very demanding and sensitive exercise, any error can be misconstrued and can undermine confidence and consequently deter people from supporting the exercise, he said.

Mwathane said another concern Kenyans have is the governments capacity to carry out the exercise.

This is a very massive exercise and it will be extremely demanding. One would expect that it would be phased out. I want to believe what has started is the first phase which will be like a pilot so people learn lessons and hopefully once the lessons are learned there will be an improvement going forward, Mwathane said.

But the CS said the new titles will be produced almost immediately. The trust problems that have plagued the sector have been created over 57 years. Part of what we are doing is to set up systems that will restore public confidence. That is why digitization is a priority. The best way to assure the landowners is to put in place a system that is not only accessible to them but is also kept away from fraudsters, she said.

Karoney said yesterday that they will work overtime to complete the process.

We are doing it gradually because we do not want the process to be overwhelming. Migrating all those titles is not easy so you have to phase it out, she said.

Ardhi House has attempted to build confidence in the exercise withKaroney saying fears and speculations over the exercise are unfounded.

The entire process will be carried out in a transparent manner. The conversion process does not involve a change of ownership, she said. The transition to the use of Registry Index Maps will curb fraud as landowners will easily note changes as opposed to deed plans that contain survey data on one parcel of land.

Cases pending

There are questions about the fate of titles on contested properties with cases pending in courts or titles that were acquitted for infrastructural development. The ministry has not given plans on how it was planning to handle the conversion of such titles.

CS Karoney said the ministry is still consulting stakeholders in the land sector to find a way forward and shall issue further communication in due course.

But landowners whose titles are held by banks as collateral will have to talk to their banks so the financial institutions can facilitate their application for the title replacement. Some of the titles are held by hospitals and courts and shall only be replaced on the application by a proprietor, who will have to liaise with the third party to facilitate the replacement process.

Land that is under caveat shall automatically be migrated to the new register.

Link:
Jitters as ministry plans to replace old land title deeds - The Standard

Lands Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney. PHOTO | FILE

Land owners in the country will soon be required to apply for new title deeds to replace the old titles issued under the old laws.

This is after the Ministry of Lands embarked on a process of converting all parcels of land under the repealed statues with a view to migrating to the newly enacted Land Registration Act,2012.

Lands Cabinet Secretary Farida Karoney said the object of the conversion is to collapse land registration processes in the repealed land registration laws into one with all titles issued under the repealed laws cancelled and replaced with titles under the Land Registration Act,2012.

She explained that the cancellation and replacement will migrate the parcels to the new regime while retaining the ownership, size and the other interests registered against the respective title.

This will mean the full use of Registry Index Maps (RIMs) as registration instruments, replacing the deed plans further minimising land fraud.

Boundaries, as well, will not be affected since RIMs are generated from survey plans with fixed boundaries.

Both the RIMs and the survey plans are accessible to land owners on request for verification of boundary details at the Survey of Kenya Headquarters, Ruaraka.

The RIMs display all land parcels within an area as opposed to a deed plan that captures data on one specific parcel. It is thus easy to note any change or alteration, said Ms Karoney.

The migration is necessitated by the need to have a centralised land registration process eliminating fraud, delays in service delivery and threats to the right to property in the process.

Title documents held by third parties including banks, hospitals, and courts as security at the time of commencement shall be replaced upon application by the proprietor. The general public is advised to take note of the converted parcel numbers, she said.

The Lands CS decried that even though the Land Registration Act was enacted in2012thereby repealing all other land registration statutes in the country by unifying the registration regime in Kenya under the statute, the country had however not migrated to the exclusive use of the new Act continuing to ride on the saving and transitional clauses in the Act and thus operating as though the statutes had not been repealed.

Some of the repealed legislations included the Government Lands Act (Cap. 280), the Registration of Titles Act (Cap. 281), the Land Titles Act (Cap. 282) and the Registered Land Act (Cap. 300).

Each of these pieces of legislation created its own register making land registration complex. The confusion occasioned by the different regimes has become a breeding ground for fraud, delays in service delivery, centralisation of land services and threats to the right to property, she decried.

The conversion process will entail preparation of cadastral maps together with a conversion list indicating new and old numbers for parcels of land within a registration unit or registration section/ block and their corresponding acreages.

Under regulation 4(4) of the Land Registration (Registration Units) Order,2017, the cadastral maps together with a conversion list will be published in the Kenya Gazette and two daily newspapers with the notice specifying a date to be the date after which the register shall be open to the public for transactions or dealings within the registration unit.

Thereafter, any person with an interest in land in the registration unit shall lodge a complaint to the registrar who shall resolve the same within 90 days of receipt.

At the commencement date, all registers shall be closed and all transactions carried out in the new register. However, all the closed registers and supporting documents shall be maintained in the new registration unit.

A notice will be published in at least two newspapers of nationwide circulation and announced in radio stations of nationwide coverage inviting registered owners to make application for replacement of title documents from the closed registers.

The application shall be accompanied by the original title and the owners identification documents. The registrar will replace title deeds with new ones but retain the old title documents for record and safe custody.

See the rest here:
Why all land owners will have to apply for new title deeds - Nairobi News

The Democratic-controlled US House of Representatives, which is rushing ahead towards impeaching Donald Trump over the unprecedented Capitol Hill attack, has passed a resolution urging Vice President Mike Pence to invoke 25th Amendment to remove the president from office.

The resolution was voted by 223 to 205 votes on Tuesday night. The voting was mostly on party lines, with one Republican voting in favour of the resolution and another five abstaining. The resolution calls upon Pence to mobilise the Cabinet to activate the 25th Amendment to remove the president from office.

The 25th Amendment, adopted more than 50 years ago in the wake of President John F Kennedy's assassination, provides a mechanism for the succession of the president for his or her replacement in the event he or she proves unfit to serve. Under the amendment, the vice president and a majority of either the Cabinet or some other body designated by Congress may remove the president from office.

The vote came after Pence, a Republican, wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he would not invoke the 25h Amendment.

Under our Constitution, the 25th Amendment is not a means of punishment or usurpation. Invoking the 25th Amendment in such a manner would set a terrible precedent, Pence said in a letter to Pelosi, a Democrat.

Speaking on the House floor, Pelosi said on January 6, President Trump incited a deadly insurrection against America that targeted the very heart of its democracy, the US Capitol.

"Defiling the genius of the Constitution, separate but equal, attacking the first branch of government, trying to prevent the US from ascertaining the constitutional duty to ascertain that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be President and Vice President of the United States.

The gleeful desecration they have gleeful desecration of the Capitol and violence against the Congress, our staff and our workers are horrors that will forever stain our nation's history. Five Americans have died following the violent attack. More than 50 police officers were seriously injured, including fifteen officers who were hospitalised, Pelosi said.

She said the "facts are very clear" that the President called for the seditious attack.

"For days, he urged supporters to come to Washington for the insurrection. Wednesday (Jan 6) morning he participated in a rally to encourage the rioters to march on the Capitol and fight. And, not only did he urge people to march on the Capitol and fight, he further fanned the flames and he and his family cheered and celebrated the desecration of the Capitol, Pelosi said.

As the dangers escalated, he ignored and flat out rejected the pleas of Congress, including those of his own party, to call off his supporters the rioters, the terrorists as they engaged in vandalism and violence. Later that day and, now, the President is saying that he is not responsible and that his incitement to violence was totally appropriate, she said.

Referring to the impeachment proceedings against him, Trump in a public speech on Tuesday in a Texas border town said free speech is under assault in the US like never before.

"The impeachment hoax is a continuation of the greatest and most vicious witch hunt in the history of our country and is causing tremendous anger and division...which is very dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time," he said.

Pelosi said Trump's actions demonstrate his absolute inability to discharge the most basic and fundamental powers and duties of his office.

"Therefore, the President must be removed from office immediately. This is a decision we make with the utmost solemnity and prayerfulness, which this crisis requires. Removal of the President is an unprecedented action, but it is required because he is an because it is an unprecedented moment in history because of the danger he poses," she said.

The House of Representatives is expected to consider an article of impeachment against Trump on Wednesday, thus opening the possibility of Trump becoming the only president in US history to be impeached twice.

The articles of impeachment charges Trump with a count of 'incitement of insurrection' for his actions on January 6, when he delivered a speech inciting his supporters to lay siege to the Capitol, an action that temporarily halted the counting of Electoral College votes and resulted in the deaths of five individuals, including a police officer.

Earlier, the House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler released a majority staff report for the impeachment of Trump. The 50-page report made a strong case to impeach the Republican president.

Trump has falsely asserted that he won the 2020 presidential election and repeatedly sought to overturn the results of the election. As his efforts failed repeatedly, he continued a parallel course of conduct that "foreseeably resulted in the imminent lawless actions of his supporters, who attacked the Capitol and the Congress", the report said.

The facts establish that he is unfit to remain in office a single day longer and warrant the immediate impeachment of President Trump, it said.

The House on December 18, 2019 had approved the articles of impeachment against Trump, charging him of pressuring Ukraine to smear Biden, using nearly USD 400 million in military aid as leverage. However, the Republican-controlled Senate in February 2020 acquitted him of the two charges -- abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Continued here:
US House passes resolution asking Pence to remove Donald Trump from office - Business Standard

Thanet council

Eight jobs will be made redundant as part of a Thanet council restructure.

The job losses are part of budget measures aimed at plugging a 840,000 deficit for the 2021-22 financial year.

Council finances have been significantly impacted by the covid pandemic, although Cllr Rob Yates responsible for finance says Thanet is in a better position than council which have made commercial investments and so rely on commercial rents and those which have not reduced borrowing.

At a meeting of Cabinet members tonight (January 14) he said: This budget has been set during a totally unprecedented period for local government.

He said the authority work force had been diminished by covid and despite government funding not all losses due to the virus, such as those for business rates and fees and charges, would be compensated. In a time of higher expenditure and lower income the current national lockdown is adding to these pressures.

He added: Some businesses will not have survived or have built up debt, many people will have lost jobs. It is unlikely that Thanet will bounce back to its pre-covid state, at least not in the short term.

Cllr Yates said the coming year would require savings although efforts had been made to minimise the impact on services and redundancies.

He added: I am please to report a minimal impact on services, especially frontline services. There are up to 8 posts that will be deleted and the people occupying those posts will be going through restructuring.

Although it is too early to say some of those might be subject to compulsory redundancy but every effort will be made to find alternative council employment for them.

Cllr Yates did not reveal which roles were under threat.

Cabinet members at the meeting approved a report containing the budget measures and proposals for a rise in council tax of 4.99 or 2.1% increase per year for Thanet District Councils element of Council Tax for a Band D property. This equates to a weekly increase of around 10p per week.

The Budget sets out how the council will allocate 17.165million to fund services from April 2021 March 2022.

Plans include a 2% rise on fees and charges which will bring in an estimated 400,000. The fees hike will include areas of on and off street parking, crematorium fees, costs for bulky and green waste and higher port and harbour fees.

The budget will now be considered at a full Council meeting in February.

There are expected to be shortfalls in the collection of council tax and business rates due to the and increased unemployment from an economic downturn (resulting in more Council Tax Support (CTS) claimants and non-payment by those not in receipt of CTS).

Business Rates income could similarly be hit by business failures from an economic downturn with a non payment estimate of600k. There is also the potential cliff-edge of Business Rates relief for small businesses and those in retail, leisure and hospitality, which has applied for this year but will end in 2021-22, with those businesses expected to start paying rates again

Income from fees, including parking, are also expected to be hit as Covid restrictions continue. This includes Dreamland car park is part of the Dreamland estate sale to amusement park operator SHL resulting in a forecast loss of 150k income for the year.

Your Leisure The councils leisure trust, Your Leisure, is facing a substantial shortfall in its income as a result of Covid, as are all leisure trusts.The council has paid its management fee for the year up front, and has paid an additional 160k to the trust. This additional fee is equivalent to the previously agreed 2020-21 budget saving in the management fee that will not be achieved as a result of the pandemic.

Ongoing discussions are taking place with Your Leisure to establish their resourcing requirements, which could lead to further demands on the councils finances

The council says permanent savings must be made.

There will be reduced spending and bolstering council reserves will be delayed until 2022-23 to help meet the financial gap.

Council staff also face a restrained cost of living pay award in 2021-22 in order to protect services and minimise staffing reductions. Up to eight job losses have been announced.

A 1% increase in pay is proposed to be built into the budget, along with the cost of paying the National Living Wage and increments. Incremental increases through the grading structure are a contractual obligation to the council and a right for staff. In addition, the council is legally required to implement the increase in the National Living wage which is forecast to increase by 5.5% to 9.20 per hour on 1st April 2021. The combination of these pay pressures will cost the council an estimated 294k in 2021-22.

The councils property holdings total of 267 million net book value after depreciation has been applied.

Where assets are no longer viable or surplus to requirements they will need to be disposed of in order to reduce the councils liabilities and to generate capital receipts to fund new developments or be transferred for community benefit.

The creation of new investment assets, such as new beach huts, will be explored to create additional income.

Social rents have been set based on government rent guidance. Affordable Rents are linked to local market rents and to the Local Housing Allowance for the area. Rents are applied to individual properties at the lower of either 80% of the local market rent or the Local Housing Allowance.

Councillors have raised concerns about the impact of a rent increase on current tenants and, as a result, the budget suggests a CPI+1% increase for social rent tenants and a freeze for affordable rent tenants. Based on the proposed increase across the whole stock the average rent is 84.94, this is an average increase of 1.89p per property per week

Service Charge Increases

Tenant service charge increases continue to be capped at 3 a week.

Jet-Ski Berths at Ramsgate Marina.

Ramsgate Port Berth 1 Refurbishment

Thanet District LED Lighting convert council owned street/open spaces lighting to LED (also replacing lamp columns where necessary).

Replacement Crematorium Chapel Roof to make the roof watertight and reduce the need for repairs.

Royal Harbour Multi-Storey Car Park Lift Replacement.

A further tranche of emergency Covid funding in 2021-22 of 1.016m.

A promise of further support for quarter one of 2021-22 for losses in sales, fees and charges due to Covid.

A Local Income Tax Guarantee scheme to assist with irrecoverable losses of Council Tax and Business Rates in 2020-21, value currently unknown.

A Local Council Tax Support grant to assist with additional costs of Council Tax Support, worth approximately 300k in 2021-22.

Revenue Support Grant of 100k rolled over for one more year to 2021-22.

A Lower Tier Services grant, probably one-off, worth 215k in 2021-22.

Consideration of using the Minor Works team to generate income from selling handyperson services.

A review of printing services income and expenditure including scope to in-source more printing.

Growth in income generated from fees and charges.

Investigation of more shared services including leadership teams.

Expand the CCTV service to sell to other external organisations.

Increase the use of direct debits to improve income collection across all chargeable services.

The money that is used to fund public services is made up of Council Tax, income including fees and charges, retained Business Rates and Government funding (including Revenue Support Grant and New Homes Bonus).

Thanet District Council receives just 12p in every 1 of Council Tax. The remainder goes to: Kent County Council, Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, Kent Fire and Rescue Service and Town/Parish Councils.

Related

View original post here:
Eight redundancies expected at Thanet council amid budget pressures due to covid - The Isle of Thanet News