Paradise News

Tag: General News

  • Man Runs Away With 2 Bags Of Rice In Lagos After Deceiving Trader

    Rice-at-Dutse-Market

    A yet-to-be-identified man in Lagos State has run away with two bags of rice by deceiving a trader.

    The man had approached the rice seller with a boy who he claimed was his younger brother to buy bags of rice.

    However, he claimed later that he forgot his money at home and had to go back to get it.

    To convince the rice seller that he was truly going home to get his money, the man left the boy behind and made away with two bags of rice.

    After waiting for the man for several hours, the seller asked the boy he left behind to take him to ‘their’ house, only for the boy to deny knowing the man.

    This was disclosed by the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, on Saturday.

    According to Hundeyin, the boy explained that the man saw him on the road and asked him to accompany him to buy something.

    Hundeyin warned traders to be wary of such tricks.

    “Traders, this is for you. Something happened for the umpteenth time yesterday. Someone approached a rice seller with a minor to buy bags of rice. He ‘discovered’ he forgot his money at home and left his little ‘brother’ behind as assurance that he was not running away. He went away with two bags of rice. After hours of waiting, the seller asked the minor left behind to take him to ‘their’ house. The minor denied knowing the man, saying, ‘He just saw me on the road and asked me to escort him to buy something.’ The seller took him home all the same.

    “Meanwhile, the minor’s parents were already going through trauma looking for him.

    “Traders, beware! Insist that they leave with their brother or sister and bring the money before they can take any item,” he said via his X handle.

    Man Runs Away With 2 Bags Of Rice In Lagos After Deceiving Trader is first published on The Whistler Newspaper



    Source

  • Fact Check: Undocumented immigrants are not proof of a scheme to replace whites with nonwhites

    Far-right activist Charlie Kirk claimed that undocumented immigrants coming to the U.S. is proof of an organized effort to “replace” white Americans.  

    “The ‘Great Replacement’ is not a theory, it’s a reality,” Kirk wrote in a Feb. 24 Instagram post alongside a screenshot of a Fox News story with the headline: “7.2M illegals entered the U.S. under Biden admin(istration), an amount greater than population of 36 states.”

    The Instagram post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

    We emailed Kirk at his Turning Point USA organization about the claim but received no response.

    The “great replacement theory” is a debunked conspiracy theory that warns of an elaborate conspiracy by Democratic and U.S. elites to systematically replace white Americans with nonwhite people to change U.S. political systems. It traces back to 20th century French nationalism but has become a frequent talking point for former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. The theory also has been cited by several perpetrators of violent attacks of the last several years, including the shooter who killed 10 people at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket in 2022. 

    The theory ignores the many documented root causes people seek to immigrate to the U.S. through the southern border, including war, scarcity of food and medicine, a legacy of corporate colonialism and other social ills.

    This post’s claim distorts reported immigration figures.

    The number in Fox’s story — 7.2 million — represents the number of encounters U.S. border officials had with immigrants at the Southwest border from October 2021 through September 2024.

    But that figure doesn’t show how many migrants entered and remained in the country. U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s encounter data tracks events, not people, and the same person can be recorded multiple times for repeated tries at crossing the border.

    Millions of encounters led to removals.

    There have been more than 3.6 million removals, returns and expulsions from February 2021, Biden’s first month in office, to September 2023, Department of Homeland Security estimates show.

    This data also represents events, not people. So, the same person can be expelled multiple times and each time would count as a separate expulsion.

    About 2.3 million people have been released into the U.S. under Biden’s administration, Department of Homeland Security data shows. Most of them are families, according to The Washington Post. About 356,000 children who crossed the border alone were also let in.

    That data alone is not proof of a vast plan to systematically bring in undocumented immigrants to replace white citizens in the U.S., a nation of about 334 million people. 

    We rate this claim False. 

    PolitiFact Reporter Maria Ramirez Uribe contributed to this report.



    Source

  • Nick Ahmed debuts with a bang in first spring win

    SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Bob Melvin admitted it Friday morning.

    “Yes,” the San Francisco Giants manager said, “I’ve been a little cranky the past couple days.”

    Even when the games don’t count, it turns out, winning cures all.

    The manager was in the mood for jokes a few hours later after notching his first win as Giants manager, 11-5, over Bruce Bochy’s Rangers before a strong crowd of 8,933 on hand to see the former San Francisco skipper inducted to the Cactus League Hall of Fame.

    It only took until the second weekend of Cactus League play.

    “If we didn’t win today, part of our fundamentals tomorrow was going to be bringing guys off the field and shaking hands to remind them,” Melvin cracked after making it through his first high-five line of the spring.

    The fans were also treated to a lineup of expected regulars for the Giants, which for Melvin was all part of the plan.

    With Jung Hoo Lee leading off in center field, Jorge Soler in the cleanup spot and Kyle Harrison pitching to Patrick Bailey, the lineup resembled one Melvin may write on the second day of the season, after Logan Webb’s expected Opening Day start.

    “It does, doesn’t it?” Melvin said beforehand. “There is a flavor of what could be a lineup.”

    After a big day from Lee on Thursday, he was back in the lineup for a consecutive day for the first time this spring. But it was the Giants’ other free-agent addition, Jorge Soler, who kickstarted their three-run third inning with a single past shortstop Marcus Semien. Patrick Bailey followed with a walk, and J.D. Davis cleared the bases with his second home run of the spring, sending a 2-2 breaking ball onto the berm in left field.

    In total, the Giants slugged four homers in the best scoring output by their starters this spring.

    Luis Matos muscled one home run halfway up the berm in left field, then lined a second that was clocked at 109 mph off the bat, an exit velocity he never reached last season. He’s slugged three in five games to lead the team. And new shortstop Nick Ahmed put a ribbon on his first game by lining a three-run shot 400 feet to left.

    “You want to get these guys together,” Melvin said. “So they kind of know how each other works in the lineup and who may steal here, who might need this. I think as many times as you can do that, especially when we’ve got some new people here.”

    Ahmed debuts

    The players occupying the bottom two spots of the Giants’ lineup, the only ones with their roster status in question, made a strong case for themselves.

    With Mike Yastrzemski and Austin Slater, both sides of their projected platoon in right field, not yet cleared to play the field, it was Matos who rounded out the lineup in right field. One spot ahead of Matos, who’s fighting for the fifth outfield spot, was Ahmed, ostensibly in competition with top prospect Marco Luciano.

    The duo combined for three home runs and drove in five of the Giants’ nine runs, and Ahmed quickly put his two-time Gold Glove-winning defense to work.

    Playing his first game since being released by the D’backs last September, Ahmed ranged far to his right to keep a ground ball from Ezequiel Duran on the infield, throwing late — but on-line — to first, then was immediately challenged again by a slow chopper from catcher Sam Huff. He charged, cleanly picked the ball and this time threw in time to record the out at first.

    “It was fun to get a lot of action out there,” said Ahmed, 34, a non-roster invitee. “I’m just coming in and competing, doing what I normally do. Ultimately it’s not my decision, but just going to prove that I can still play the game at a really high level.”

    Harrison changes things up

    Making his second start of the spring, Kyle Harrison fumed as he walked off the mound in the middle of the third inning.

    Source

  • Most Surprising March Madness Winners Of All Time

    The Connecticut Huskies celebrate with the NCAA National Championship trophy.

    Brett Wilhelm/NCAA Photos // Getty Images
    Written by Bob Cooper

    There’s a reason it’s called March Madness.

    Besides the mad enthusiasm (and heavy betting) of partisan fans, the madness of underdog teams posting upset after upset to advance as far as the Final Four or even the championship game makes for compelling theater. Who doesn’t love an underdog or, in March Madness parlance, a Cinderella?

    ATS.io compiled a ranking of the most surprising men’s March Madness champions since 1982 (when “March Madness” was coined) using Sports Reference data. Each team was ranked according to their lowest position in the final Associated Press poll conducted before that season’s March Madness. Ties were broken using Sports Reference’s Simple Rating System.

    “Blue blood” teams—the elite of the elite, including Connecticut, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Villanova—routinely land near the top of the AP and SRS rankings. The AP poll, updated weekly, is an ordered list of 25 teams based on the opinions of sports media, while the SRS combines average point differential and strength of schedule.

    During March Madness, viewers relish watching blue bloods lose to unheralded teams, which are often programs with small student bodies and recruiting budgets. It happens surprisingly often, much to the delight of fans. The exception, of course, is when a blue blood alma mater loses to a Cinderella. That really makes a fan’s blue blood boil.

    A chart showing the teams with the most national championsips since 1983

    ATS.io

    6 teams account for 24 of the last 41 NCAA championships

    Fans and journalists revere blue blood teams because they routinely post excellent regular-season records and are almost always in the mix to win the national title. While the chart above shows the winningest men’s programs since the 1981-82 season, Indiana, Michigan State, and the University of California, Los Angeles, are also regarded as blue bloods by some because of their histories of success.

    As you can see, six teams account for much more than half of all the titles won in the last four-plus decades—and curiously, two are located only 10 miles apart (Duke and North Carolina). The Blue Devils (in 1991 and 1992) are the only team on this list to win back-to-back titles since 1982 (Florida also did it in 2006 and 2007), though Kentucky came within one game of a threepeat from 1996 to 1998.

    University of Arizona coach Lute Olson addresses the crowd while holding the 1997 NCAA Championship trophy.

    NCAA Photos // Getty Images

    #5. University of Arizona, 1996-97

    – Final AP poll rank: 15
    – Record: 25-9
    – SRS rating: 21.66

    With only two of the six leading blue bloods not on the East Coast (Kansas and Kentucky), it’s no wonder fans of those programs don’t think much of teams from the West. When the University of Arizona Wildcats clawed their way to the Sweet Sixteen in 1997, most figured they were overachievers doomed to cough up a furball. Arizona had finished just fifth in the Pac-10, but it was led by legendary coach Lute Olson and five players who went to the NBA.

    The fourth-seeded Cats improbably upset three #1 seeds to take the title. After an 85-82 shocker against powerhouse Kansas, they won an overtime squeaker against Providence and eliminated North Carolina. Arizona won the championship over defending champion Kentucky (who also won the following season) 84-79 in overtime, and Miles Simon was named Most Outstanding Player following his second 30-point game of the tournament.

    Head coach Jim Valvano of the North Carolina State Wolfpack walks off the court with a player after winning.

    Focus on Sport // Getty Images

    #4. North Carolina State University, 1982-83

    – Final AP poll rank: 16
    – Record: 26-10
    – SRS rating: 15.26

    It took a furious comeback in the championship game for North Carolina State to topple Houston. The Wolfpack needed six straight points to tie it and then a dunk before the buzzer by Lorenzo Charles over future NBA superstar Hakeem Olajuwon to win it—one of the maddest moments in March Madness history.

    NC State nearly turned the ball over twice in the final 12 seconds, and Dereck Whittenburg was 27 feet from the hoop when he launched the desperate shot that fell short but right to a wide-open Charles, who grabbed it and stuffed it home.

    It was all possible only because sixth-seeded NC State had upended three other tournament opponents in one- or two-point games, including first-seeded Virginia in the regional final. Legendary coach Jim Valvano, nicknamed “Jimmy V,” was no less enthusiastic than his players and fans in a wild postgame celebration of the first Cinderella to win the tourney, the “Cardiac Pack.”

    The Connecticut Huskies with the trophy after winning the NCAA Men's Final Four Championship.

    Tom Pennington // Getty Images

    #3. University of Connecticut, 2013-14

    – Final AP poll rank: 18
    – Record: 32-8
    – SRS rating: 17.23

    Considering UConn is tied for the most national titles since the 1981-82 season, it’s counterintuitive that their 2013-14 triumph was a big surprise. But the Huskies didn’t play close to the level of most of their other championship squads during the regular season. Half of their eight losses came to unranked teams, and they were drubbed 81-48 at Louisville, in the final game of the regular season.

    Connecticut turned it on during March Madness, however. The Huskies, seeded seventh, beat four higher-seeded teams (Villanova, Iowa State, Michigan State, and then first-seeded Florida) to reach the national final against another Cinderella blue blood, eighth-seeded Kentucky. They never trailed in a 60-54 victory.

    Shabazz Napier led the way with 22 points, winning the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award. It was a remarkable run for a team that had been banned from March Madness the year prior because it failed to meet academic standards.

    Kansas celebrates its victory at the Final Four basketball championship.

    Rich Clarkson/NCAA Photos // Getty Images

    #2. University of Kansas, 1987-88

    – Final AP poll rank: Outside the top 20
    – Record: 27-11
    – SRS rating: 15.71

    The sixth-seeded Jayhawks knew they weren’t in Kansas anymore when they faced second-seeded Duke in the Final Four and then first-seeded Oklahoma in the national final. But at least they didn’t have to venture far from the Sunflower State—both games were played just across the border in Kansas City, Missouri.

    The Jayhawks almost didn’t make it that far. Their three final March Madness opponents had beaten them five times before the tournament started. The Jayhawks, however, initiated a revenge tour with a victory against rival Kansas State and then sealed the deal with a 66-59 win over the Blue Devils and an 83-79 nail-biter over the Sooners.

    Credit the turnaround to Larry Brown, who later became the only coach to win an NCAA title and an NBA championship (Detroit Pistons, 2003-04). Kansas’ on-court contingent, led by national player of the year Danny Manning, was nicknamed “Danny and the Miracles” and still holds the record for most losses by a championship team.

    Coach Rollie Massimino of the Wildcats looks on during the Championship game.

    James Drake // Getty Images

    #1. Villanova University, 1984-85

    – Final AP poll rank: Outside the top 20
    – Record: 25-10
    – SRS rating: 12.03

    The beauty of college basketball is that five good players are all you need to excel, so a hefty athletic department budget and a huge student body aren’t prerequisites. Still, nobody thought Villanova—with their 10 losses, including four to unranked teams in the regular season—would go far during March Madness in 1985.

    The Wildcats didn’t just go far—they edged #1-ranked Georgetown 66-64 in one of the biggest upsets in sports history to claim the national title. The Hoyas, led by Patrick Ewing and four other future NBA players, were the defending champions, had mostly steamrolled their first five opponents, and had also beaten Villanova twice in Big East play, though the games were close.

    Villanova’s triumph was sparked by the confidence of coach Rollie Massimino, and the Wildcats remain the lowest seed at #8 to ever win the title. Ed Pinckney, who went on to play for seven NBA teams over 12 seasons, was named Most Outstanding Player.

    Story editing by Mike Taylor. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Clarese Moller.

    This story originally appeared on ATS.io and was produced and
    distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.

    Source

  • With solar, we can solve non-profit hospitals’ carbon and community benefit problem simultaneously 

    Hospitals account for a significant amount of health care’s enormous 550 million metric ton greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint. That is largely because hospitals are remarkably energy inefficient.  

    In 2023, just 37 — substantially less than 1 percent — were Energy Star certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Scope 1 and 2 energy efficiency. The innumerable and unrelenting health harms associated with GHG emissions disproportionately harm Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and minorities. They pay the greatest climate penalty.  

    Nevertheless, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has failed to issue regulations to reduce and eliminate health care’s greenhouse gas emissions by, for example, reforming Medicare and Medicaid Conditions of Participation. On its own, the health care industry has not taken meaningful steps to decarbonize, much less publicly report their emissions or divest from fossil fuels. To appreciate the impact of health care’s carbon footprint, per recently published data from the EPA, the social cost of just three industry greenhouse gas emissions conservatively equals upward of $3.6 trillion annually. 

    Considered an unrelated problem, federal health care policymakers have for decades questioned whether non-profit hospitals — that today number approximately 3,000 — are meeting the IRS’s community benefit standard to qualify for or maintain their federal tax-exempt status.  

    Since 1969, the IRS has required non-profit hospitals to meet organizational and operational tests that demonstrate that they are promoting the health of the community they serve. In 2008 the IRS added a Schedule H worksheet to Form 990, filed annually by tax-exempt organizations, that categorizes community benefits. These include “community building activities” that result in “environmental improvements.” In 2010 the Affordable Care Act added additional community benefit criteria that includes conducting community health needs assessments with accompanying implementation strategies.  

    The community benefit standard is, however, just that. The IRS doesn’t have the authority to specify community benefit activities or community benefit spending. This means that non-profit hospitals have, as the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded in 2008, “broad latitude to determine the services and activities that constitute community benefit.”  

    Research findings have repeatedly shown non-profit hospital community benefit spending does not approximate the value of their tax exemption; a 2023 Kaiser Family Foundation study concluded the federal tax exemption-to-community benefit ratio was 3:2. And because aggressive debt collection raise human rights questions, last August Senate Republicans Bill Cassidy (La.) and Chuck Grassley (Iowa) and Senate Democrats Raphael Warnock (Ga.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) wrote to the IRS and the Treasury Dept. stating they were “alarmed” that non-profits were exploiting an “overly broad definition of ‘community benefit’ and engaging in practices that are not in the best interest of patients.”  

    They cited a 2023 Lown Institute study that concluded 1,700 non-profit hospitals spent 77 percent less on charity care than the estimated value of their federal tax exemption and were “denying care from patients who have unpaid medical bills.” Citing 2020 work by the GAO that showed Schedule H reporting failed to specify funds used to improve facilities, equipment and patient care, the senators urged the IRS to prioritize Schedule H reviews.  

    As noted, Schedule H allows non-profit hospitals to include “community building activities” that “improve the community’s health or safety.” This includes, Schedule H instructions state, addressing “environmental hazards that affect community health, such as … air pollution.” Schedule H prohibits “expenditures made to reduce the environmental hazards caused by, or the environmental impact of, its own activities … unless [emphasis added] expenditures are for an environmental improvement activity that is provided for the primary purpose of improving community health, addresses an environmental issue known to affect community health, and is subsidized by the organization at a net loss.”  

    Community health is clearly improved by reducing greenhouse gas emissions into the environment. Today, the burning of fossil fuels annually accounts for 350,000 U.S. deaths and 10 million total globally. Hospitals could readily argue a net loss would be realized via reduced healthcare utilization. For example, lower GHG emissions would likely reduce spending on Medicaid inhalers, which, between 2012 and 2018, increased by 120 percent. Reasoning aside, disallowing 3,000 non-profit hospitals from reporting reduced GHG pollution as a community benefit defies logic.  

    Possibly the best way for non-profit hospitals to achieve these goals simultaneously is by developing shared or community solar projects. The Department of Energy (DOE) defines community solar as either an on- or off-site solar array installation serving a defined geographic area that benefits multiple customers — for example a non-profit hospital, a community health clinic and a patient population.  

    The DOE estimates there are today over 2,5000 community solar projects operating in 43 states and the District of Colombia in part because more than half of these states have enabling legislation and 17 have low-income community solar legislation. In an effort to create more energy independence and resilience, FEMA just announced it will begin subsidizing hospitals to install solar power in response to worsening climate-charged disaster events. 

    Simply explained, a non-profit hospital would work independently or in partnership to identify a solar array location. If not located on the hospital’s property, warehouse roofs are commonly exploited via lease agreements. The hospital can own the installation or not. The hospital-led community solar subscriber organization, under contract with a local utility, would feed community solar energy into the utility’s distribution grid. The utility would deliver electricity from its mix of resources to community solar subscribers. Community solar subscribers would receive from the utility monthly credit as compensation for their share of the total solar generated. In turn, solar subscribers would make a monthly payment to the community solar subscriber organization to cover operating costs.  

    Likely the most innovative and unprecedented use of community solar to improve community health is Boston Medical Center’s recent DOE proposal. The largest safety net provider in New England proposed developing rooftop solar to pay its Medicaid patients’ utility bills. High energy burden affects more than two-thirds of low-income households but less 5 percent of solar capacity nationwide is dedicated to low-income communities. Boston Medical Center’s proposal would exploit Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) renewable energy tax credits that can amount to roughly 50 percent of installation costs. (The IRA makes available to non-profits or tax-exempt entities tax credits in the form of direct payments.) Additional savings are realized via solar kilowatt hour prices that are superior to fossil fuel-generated electricity. These factors combined allow for community solar subscribers to profit and helps explain why community solar has grown 121 percent year-over-year since 2010. 

    There are additional reasons for non-profit hospitals to mitigate their emissions. Among others, the means by which hospitals provide care should not cause or exacerbate the health harms they seek to treat or cure. Because the health harms from greenhouse gas emissions are largely foreseeable, absent decarbonizing healthcare’s business model can be described as reckless and negligent — the worst sort of moral hazard. Healthcare should not inherently beg patient safety concerns.  

    This is particularly true since the economics of renewable energy are far superior to fossil fuels. As a technology — not a commodity — renewable energy is abundant, is far more efficient, has no marginal costs, demonstrates exponential price declines, increasing investment returns, and has a negligible impact on the environment. Use of renewables consequently leaves non-profit hospitals more financially and environmentally sustainable, and enables them to meet current and pending climate-related regulations (for example, California’s climate accountability legislation). Use of renewable energy would encourage hospitals to participate in the EPA’s Energy Star program, or the IRS could stipulate a Schedule H “environmental improvement” requirement.  

    Considering public health is “at the mercy of fossil fuels” and the fact the healthcare industry remains uncommitted to reducing its greenhouse emissions, federal healthcare policymakers should spend far less time questioning or threatening non-profit hospitals’ tax-exempt status and far more time working with the IRS to persuade non-profit hospitals to make “community building” investments in renewable energy.  

    David Introcaso, Ph.D., is an independent healthcare policy consultant specializing in climate crisis-related healthcare policy reform. He has conducted environmental and healthcare policy research for the U.S. Congress and the Department of Health and Human Services. He also is the creator and host of “The Healthcare Policy Podcast.”  

    Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

    Source

  • The USA Is In A Crisis Of Tyranny


    The authoritarians are operating in the open

    Chris Kuehne – a 22-year veteran who received the Purple Heart, a Navy Commendation Medal with Valor, and a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Valor for actions in combat – was sentenced last week to appease the Biden Administration’s war on its own citizens in the massive government setup falsely dubbed the insurrection of January 6th.

    When Chris was 9 years old and a Cub Scout he was awarded the Boy Scouts of America’s highest honor, the Medal of Merit, for saving his young sister from a burning car.

    On January 6, 2021, Chris did go inside the Capitol after many others had been waved in by Capitol police. Instead of causing any damage Chris cleaned up trash, aided to stop theft of government property, asked Capitol Police how he could help, and asked people to leave the building.

    In the 12 degree early morning of February 11, 2021 in Olathe, Kansas. Chris, his four-year-old child, and his pregnant wife Annette were raided by the FBI.

    Chris’ wife Annette described the scene later went public about the raid, “There were three large armored tactical vehicles parked on my front, side and back yard, and police vehicles that extended throughout the entire community. I open the door, and for a second, I didn’t realize that there were about twenty FBI SWAT Team members with semi-automatic rifles pointed at my son and I. We were covered by the bright red lasers pointed at our faces, chests, and various points on our bodies.”

    • Save 40% on DNA Force Plus NOW! Try it today and see why so many listeners have made it an essential part of their daily routine!

    The FBI then forced a young pregnant woman and her little child to freeze outside in the cold morning air.

    Annette miscarried their baby the next day.

    The lack of self awareness during an election year is astonishing. As Biden’s Federal Government tyranny is on overdrive. Even reporters aren’t safe from this tyrannical regime. Blaze reporter Steve Baker reported in December that he will be charged for his actions that day for merely reporting live on the event.

    What the Biden Administration is obviously jailing Baker for is exposing the setup and perjury committed by Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and Nancy Pelosi’s security detail, Special Agent David Lazarus. A manufactured narrative used to throw the Oath Keepers in prison. As the Pelosi setup unravels.

    Meanwhile The Federal Bureau of Prisons has barred J6 prisoner Joseph Biggs – a decorated war veteran and former Infowars reporter, from legally speaking to the American public, lawyers and other sources close to Biggs tell WND.

    According to WND, with the FBI employing the Bureau of Prisons to essentially torture the political hostages, speaking out with a comment for publication could result in a brutal beatdown by correctional officers and Biggs’ return to isolation in solitary confinement.

    Biggs refused to incriminate Donald Trump and paid a big price. Locked in solitary confinement in a 6-by-8 freezing cell and practically starved for 17 months in the Alexandria Detention Facility.

    Last October, Biggs was “black-box” cuffed for weeks and stranded on a bus while being transferred from a Philadelphia jail to prison, a haunting journey that the government is prohibiting him from telling the world about.

    Meanwhile Jake Lang has been moved to a gang infested Federal prison in Brooklyn, New York. Apparently punished for relentlessly revealing the criminal hypocrisy of the events of January 6th.

    Just a few of hundreds of tragic stories that reflect the brutality of a tyrannical overreach by the criminals occupying the highest offices of our Government that the Founders warned us about with with prophetic vision.

    Source

  • Lagos Gov’t Notifies Motorists As FG Begins Repair Works On Lagos-Shagamu Expressway

    The Federal Government has announced plans to carry out repair works on the damaged expansion joints of Long Bridge along the Lagos-Shagamu Expressway

    According to the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Olukorede Kesha, the planned repair works would commence on Monday.

    As a result, Kesha said all traffic inward and outward Lagos through the long bridge would be narrowed to two lanes on both sides of the bridge.

    This, she said, is to enable the contractor handling the repair works to begin works on the other two lanes of the carriageways.

    The controller advised road users to be patient, urging motorists to cooperate with the traffic management officials deployed to manage traffic on the axis.

    Kesha said: “The Federal Ministry of Works wishes to inform the motoring public that repair works for the damaged expansion joints on the long bridge will commence by Monday, March 4, 2024, simultaneously on both bounds of the bridge.

    “Consequently, traffic leaving and entering Lagos through the long bridge will be narrowed to two lanes on both sides of the bridge to enable the contractor handling the repair works to commence works on the other two lanes of the carriageways.

    “Thus, all road users are advised to be patient and adhere to lane discipline on both approaches to the Long Bridge and around the narrowed sections on the bridge.

    “The earth road beside the Shagamu bound carriageway will be made motorable, to serve as complimentary road. Other road users are advised to use alternative routes.

    “Motorists are further advised to cooperate with the traffic management officials deployed to manage traffic and ensure hitch-free movements to minimise discomfort during the duration of the repair works.”

    According to the notification, the repair works will begin by 7.00a.m. on Monday, and last till March 25.

    Lagos Gov’t Notifies Motorists As FG Begins Repair Works On Lagos-Shagamu Expressway is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

    Source

  • Fact Check: Did Biden confirm blue roofs are spared in wildfires? No, that’s False

    After the recent wildfires in Texas, social media users resurfaced a conspiracy theory that blue structures are immune to flames. This time, they’re claiming President Joe Biden knows about this, too.

    A Feb. 29 Instagram post shared a clip of Biden speaking at the U.S.-Mexico border. In the video, Biden said, “If you fly over these areas that are burned to the ground, you’ll see in the midst of 20 homes that are just totally destroyed, one home sitting there because it had the right roof on it.”

    Text on the video read, “Remember the blue roofs during the Lahaina fires? Biden just seemed to confirm our suspicions.”

    (Screengrab from Instagram)

    This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

    The wildfire that broke out across the Texas Panhandle is the largest fire in the state’s history, engulfing more than 1 million acres of land and killing at least two people. Hot weather, dry land and high winds fueled the fire’s spread. Authorities are still investigating how the fire started.

    The Instagram post takes Biden’s remarks out of context. In a longer clip, Biden talked about climate change and rebuilding after disaster strikes.

    “My administration is going to keep building on the progress we’ve made fighting the climate crisis, and we’re going to keep (helping) folks rebuild themselves in the wake of these disasters. And we rebuild to the standards that are up-to-date standards and building codes and the rest,” Biden said.

    The president was saying some roofs were intact because the structures were up to code, not because they were blue.

    Last year, when wildfires devastated Maui, Hawaii, social media users claimed that directed energy weapons were used to start the fires and blue cars, homes and other structures were the only things spared. However, these claims also are unfounded.

    We rate the claim that Biden acknowledged that wildfires spare homes of certain color False.



    Source

  • Bryce Dallas Howard, think outside the box

    CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Bryce Dallas Howard, 43; Method Man, 53; Daniel Craig, 56; Jon Bon Jovi, 62.

    Happy Birthday: Learn as you go, and you’ll achieve all you set out to do this year. It’s important to give yourself the freedom to think outside the box and to take the road less traveled. Use your intellect and imagination when dealing with earning or handling money matters. Oversee any life changes that require you to deal with institutions, experts and authority figures. Your numbers are 4, 15, 23, 26, 34, 37, 48.

    ARIES (March 21-April 19): Weigh the pros and cons before you sign up for something. Your generous nature will get you in trouble if you are too accommodating. Take time to nurture yourself and meaningful relationships instead of trying to impress an outsider. Romance is in the stars. 3 stars

    TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You can achieve what you set out to do if you are practical and use your talents, experience and knowledge skillfully. Don’t let temptation lead you astray or allow someone’s manipulative tactics cost you. Stick to your original plans. 3 stars

    GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Target what you want to accomplish, and don’t stop until you reach your goal. Refuse to let anyone obstruct your plans or tempt you using false information. It’s up to you to believe in yourself. Put your energy where it counts. 3 stars

    CANCER (June 21-July 22): Control your emotions. Don’t waste precious time getting upset over trivial matters. Walk away from unsavory situations and toward people who offer new possibilities. Create what you want to happen and leave the past behind. 3 stars

    LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You can have fun without overspending. Participate in something that allows you to use your physical and mental skills to impress someone you want to get to know better. A job offer looks promising, and a financial improvement is within reach. Love is in the stars. 5 stars

    VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You’ll encounter someone or something that gives you hope for a better future. Discussions will encourage you to learn something new or hone a rusty skill. Don’t let criticism stand in your way. Turn something you enjoy doing into a lucrative pastime. 2 stars

    LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Put more time and effort into making your home welcoming. Entertaining or participating in something that brings you in contact with people you enjoy being around will offer insight into new opportunities. 4 stars

    SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Common sense, patience and handling matters yourself will pay off. Take it easy, stick close to home and find novel ways to lower your overhead or make some extra cash selling off things you no longer need. Avoid no-win situations. 3 stars

    SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Protect your assets, health and emotional well-being. Don’t let anyone dictate how to proceed. Don’t fold under pressure when it’s up to you to put your plans in motion and do what’s best for you. Put yourself first. 3 stars

    CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Use your connections and intelligence to get what you desire. Stop saying yes when you want to say no. Live up to your expectations, not someone else’s. Rid yourself of dead weight and empty promises. 4 stars

    AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Decide what’s best for you instead of letting someone dictate what you do next. Overloading your roster with projects that don’t interest you to please someone else will set you back and cause frustration. Choose the path that excites you most. 2 stars

    PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Don’t hesitate. You have plenty to gain if you trust your instincts and voice your opinion. Don’t let anyone tamper with your confidence or talk you into doing something that benefits them more than you. Advocate for yourself. 5 stars

    Birthday Baby: You are alert, equipped and intuitive. You are helpful and encouraging.

    1 star: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes. 2 stars: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others. 3 stars: Focus and you’ll reach your goals. 4 stars: Aim high; start new projects. 5 stars: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.

    Visit Eugenialast.com, or join Eugenia on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn.

    Want a link to your daily horoscope delivered directly to your inbox each weekday morning? Sign up for our free Coffee Break newsletter at mercurynews.com/newsletters or eastbaytimes.com/newsletters. 

    Source

  • Garfield Bulldogs Secure Semifinal Spot In State 3A Girls’ Championships

    By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium

    The Garfield Bulldogs (#1 in 3A Metro League) and the Everett Seagulls (#6 in 2A/3A Wesco District) played in a high-stakes matchup last night at the Tacoma Dome, where both teams were vying to advance to the semifinal round of the State 3A Girls’ Championships.

    As the 3A State Championships draw near the end, the intensity on the court heightens. Teams are evenly matched and games are closely scored. The first quarter saw a lot of back-and-forth play, making it difficult for either team to score, as both were locked in on defense.

    The two teams kept the score close, trading baskets throughout the quarter. Everett’s Alana Washington set the tone early for the Seagulls, scoring 8 of her team’s 13 first-quarter points. Meanwhile, Garfield’s unstoppable trio of Jayda Lewis, Sarah Lessig, and Katie Fiso worked seamlessly together, ending the quarter trailing Everett by one point, 13-12.

    In the second quarter, Garfield took control. Led by Fiso’s 9 second-quarter points, the Lady Bulldogs outscored the Seagulls 15-6. Lewis was a key contributor, always in the right place at the right time for rebounds, and her teammates were busy intercepting passes for steals.

    The Bulldogs ended the half on a high note, as Fiso got a steal and a layup in the closing seconds, helping Garfield extend their lead to 27-19 at halftime.

    Coming back from halftime, Garfield initially struggled to regain their first-half momentum. The opening minutes of the second half were quiet for Garfield as Everett went on a 10-0 run to get back into the game. Fiso broke the Seagulls’ run with a layup, bringing the score to 30-29.

    The last 30 seconds of the third quarter were eventful for Lessig, who was sent to the free-throw line three times, making four out of five shots, pushing the Bulldogs ahead by 6 at the end of the quarter.

    In the final quarter, the Bulldogs took control of the game, maintaining their lead over the Seagulls. Fiso and Lessig worked hand-in-hand, continuously scoring points.

    Everett began to show signs of defeat as their chance of heading to the semifinals started to slip away. Still fighting to keep her team in the game, Alana Washington continued to score, rebound, and aggressively pursue the ball until the final buzzer.

    Despite the defensive efforts of Washington, Emily Barton, and Mae Washington, the Lady Bulldogs remained unstoppable, beating the Seagulls 54-43 and securing their spot in the semifinal round of the 3A State Championships.

    With the victory, Garfield will play Lakeside on Friday, Mar. 1st at 9:00 p.m. to either advance to the championship game on Saturday or to a consolation game for 3rd and 5th place. Everett will play North Thurston in a loser-out game on Friday, Mar. 1st at 2:00 p.m. at the Tacoma Dome.

    Pictorial Highlights

    Source