Disabled Office Needed

From Disability Scoop:
"Federal Disability Policy Office Proposed"

Federal policy is often implemented with little consideration for how it will impact people with disabilities, but that could change under a new proposal. A bill introduced this month in the U.S. Senate calls for the creation of an Office of Disability Policy. Housed within the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office, the proposed entity would be specifically tasked with reviewing legislative and regulatory plans to assess how they would affect Americans with disabilities. If established, members of Congress would be able to request reviews looking at how legislation, guidance and regulations might impact those with disabilities and the individuals who support them, much like lawmakers can already seek input from GAO on matters generally. Additionally, the legislation calls for the office to produce an annual report evaluating the impact of enacted bills and regulations on the disability community. “The Office of Disability Policy Act would provide people with disabilities and the general public with unbiased information about how proposed bills could affect them,” said Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., chief sponsor of the proposal. Aside from Casey, the bill is co-sponsored by Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. 

^ This is desperately needed. The US Federal Government often makes laws, including those that directly-affect the disabled, without getting any information, statistics or opinions on how those laws would affect the disabled. I really hope the Office of Disability Policy is created and used to help disabled Americans across the country. ^

https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2018/07/31/federal-disability-policy-proposed/25336/

Soldiers' Cards

When I was in school I had to start writing Christmas cards to unknown soldiers as part of a school project. Every year for decades now I have kept up that tradition of sending Christmas/Chanukah cards to unknown soldiers and veterans.

Yesterday, I received 500 cards in the mail from Europe. I ordered them months ago knowing it would take them a long time to get to me, but 500 cards for only $4.98 with shipping included is a great price. I have until September to send them to several organizations that will then read them (some people are idiots and abuse this program to send hate messages and threats) and then they will send them to every branch of the US Military both within the US and around the world- including warzones. They will also send them to soldiers in military and civilian hospitals and to veterans in veterans’ homes. Those that know me know that I don’t just sign my name to a card, but always write a personal message and I do that with each of these cards too. I don’t always get a reply, but at least I know that someone who is risking their life for me will get a “thank you.”

Amazon's Romanovs

From the MT:

"Amazon Getting Ready to Launch “The Romanoffs”"

Amazon Studios’ much-anticipated original anthology series “The Romanoffs” will hit the world stage on Oct. 12, initially available in 200 countries simultaneously. Departing from the traditional television format, “The Romanoffs” will be presented in the Amazon Prime platform both in English and foreign languages, announced Matthew Weiner, its creator, writer, director and producer to a group of entertainment journalists here. The initial launch will be the English-language original, with dubbed versions set to be released in early 2019. “The Romanoffs” has been the season’s most talked about production since it went before the cameras almost a year ago — and one of the most secretive. Virtually nothing is known about the story lines. What is known: The anthology series is set around the globe, featuring eight separate stories about people who believe themselves to be descendants of the Russian royal family. History buffs might be disappointed since the episodes take place in the present.  “The Romanoffs” was shot on location on three continents and seven countries in collaboration with local productions and creative talent across Europe , the Americas and the Far East. Showrunner Weiner, the creator of the immensely successful “Mad Men” television series and winner of nine Emmy awards, still refuses to divulge the plot lines other than revealing that “each story takes place in a new location with a new cast.” From the day the project was announced almost two years ago Weiner has been playing his cards close to his chest, although at one point during pre-production he had hinted that the series might feature Grand Duchess Anastasia since her “whereabouts had long been thought a mystery.” The cast members include actors with prestigous television credits and co-starring roles in major movies. They include Noah Wyle (“Falling Skies”); Jay Ferguson (“Mad Men”); Griffin Dunn (“Imposters”); Annet Mahendru (“The Americans”); Aaron Eckhart (“Sully”); and John Slatery (a “Mad Men” veteran), just to name a few of the scores of players. Amazon’s Prime Video is a premium subscription streaming service that offers customers a collection of digital videos, including movies and old television programs. “The Romanoffs” project originally included The Wienstein Co. as a partner until its co-founder Harvey Wienstein was charged with sex crimes and arrested. Subsequently the company was auctioned in bankruptcy proceedings, resulting in Amazon’s taking over the whole ownership of the series. The Weinstein company’s participation was considered to be quite important because of its significant foreign distribution reach. The project reportedly costs in excess of $50 million dollars.

^ I'm not really sure how good this series will be since it is about those that claim to be descendants of the Romanovs (I prefer this spelling over Romanoffs)  - especially with all the hype that is surrounding it since that tends to disappoint in the end. I am curious enough to watch it though. I watched a Russian-made (in Russian) TV series about the Romanovs not too long ago. This was actually about the history of the Romanov Dynasty. I thought it was really well made and informative. ^

https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/amazon-getting-ready-to-launch-the-romanoffs-62382

Ukraine Out-Ranks

From UNIAN:
"Ukraine ahead of Russia in passports rating"

Visa requirements for Ukrainian citizens

  Ukraine

  Visa free

  Visa issued upon arrival

  Electronic authorization or eVisa

  Visa available both on arrival or online

  Visa required prior to arrival

Ukraine is ahead of Russia in a rating of passports of the world according to the number of countries their holders can travel to visa-free. As of today, Ukrainian citizens may visit 128 countries without a visa, while Russian citizens do not need to apply for a visa for traveling to 118 countries, as reported by Deutsche Welle's Russian Service referring to the data of the International Air Transpo Association (IATA). The list of countries to which Ukrainians may travel without visas has significantly expanded after the introduction of a visa-free regime with the EU in June last year. Now citizens of Ukraine who have biometric passports may travel without a visa to 26 out of 28 countries of the European Union, they still need a visa to enter the United Kingdom and Ireland. Citizens of Latvia and Lithuania have the most powerful passports in the post-Soviet space for traveling around the world as they have a visa-free regime with 179 countries. Estonia is behind as its citizens may travel without a visa to 178 countries. According to the association, citizens of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan an Turkmenistan have the least powerful passports out of the 15 former USSR republics. They need a visa to travel to most countries of the world. They have a visa-free regime only with 59, 58 and 53 countries, respectively. The passport index and its contents are based on data provided by IATA and supplemented, enhanced, and updated using extensive in-house research and open-source online data. The index includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations. It is updated in real-time throughout the year, as and when visa-policy changes come into effect.

^ This shows just how hard the Ukrainian Government is working to give it's people a good life and all of this with part of its country annexed by Russia and another part of its country in a war-zone for 4 years.

https://www.unian.info/society/10206345-ukraine-ahead-of-russia-in-passports-rating-infographics.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Ukrainian_citizens

Quiet Skies

From the BBC:

"US airport security secretly monitors US citizens on flights"

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is facing criticism for secretly tracking Americans on flights, US media report. The "Quiet Skies" programme reportedly uses an unknown algorithm to flag flyers without any criminal record for surveillance on domestic flights. Air marshals tasked with carrying out surveillance have pushed back against the programme, according to US media. TSA denies any racial profiling and says it is a "practical" method. With routine reviews and active management via legal, privacy and civil rights and liberties offices, the programme is a practical method of keeping another act of terrorism from occurring at 30,000 feet," the agency said to the BBC in a statement. Under "Quiet Skies", federal air marshals have been shadowing travellers on their flights and reporting any suspicious behaviour to TSA, the Boston Globe first reported on Sunday. These travellers - who are in some cases American citizens - are not part of terrorist screening databases nor are they suspected of any wrongdoings, according to the newspaper.  Travellers are not notified when they have been added to the "Quiet Skies" list, which US media report contains fewer than 50 people. The programme had been a previously undisclosed TSA operation, but has been in place since 2010. The programme first uses an algorithm to analyse a passenger's travel pattern and any potential affiliations, according to US media.  Officials then look at the data and determine whether the passenger should be observed by air marshals. "The purpose of this programme is to ensure passengers and flight crew are protected during air travel," TSA said in a statement to the BBC. "The programme doesn't take into account race and religion, and it is not intended to surveil ordinary Americans."

According to TSA internal documents published by the Boston Globe, air marshals observe passengers for a number of behaviours including:

- Excessive fidgeting

- Excessive sweating

- Cold penetrating stare

- Wide open, staring eyes

- Face touching

- How much they sleep during a flight

- Using a smartphone

A spokesman for the agency said that if a passenger's behaviour is uneventful and the flight goes smoothly, they will not be approached or arrested. TSA maintains that it does not look at race or religion.  However, the criteria for choosing "Quiet Skies" passengers appear to be unclear in internal documents, according to the Globe report.  Sources told the newspaper that in the past, air marshals have shadowed a businesswoman, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant and even a fellow law enforcement officer. The TSA likened "Quiet Skies" to a beat cop on a neighbourhood street corner in an emailed statement to the BBC. "This programme's core design is no different than putting a police officer on a beat where intelligence and other information presents the need for watch and deterrence." TSA has not offered information regarding the success rate of this programme in foiling criminal plots. TSA was founded in 2001, shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania that left nearly 3,000 people dead. The agency falls under the Department of Homeland Security, and lists its mission as protecting US transportation systems "to prevent similar attacks in the future". In 2018, TSA set a screening record - scanning 72 million passengers from 15 March to 15 April. On average, TSA screens 2.1 million passengers and crew. Air marshals, who are armed federal law enforcement officers, are also a part of TSA. The Federal Air Marshal Service is tasked with investigative work to "detect", "deter" and "defeat" terrorist acts. TSA has been repeatedly criticised over complaints of improper and intrusive screenings. US media report several sources have said "Quiet Skies" has sparked criticism within TSA. John Casaretti, president of the Air Marshal Association, said in a statement that the programme "does not meet the criteria" of "acceptable" missions. "The American public would be better served if [air marshals] were instead assigned to airport screening and check in areas so that active shooter events can be swiftly ended, and violations of federal crimes can be properly and consistently addressed," he told the Globe. Hugh Handeyside, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union's National Security Project, said the surveillance was "a big waste of taxpayer money and raises a number of constitutional questions".  "These concerns and the need for transparency are all the more acute because of TSA's track record of using unreliable and unscientific techniques to screen and monitor travelers who have done nothing wrong," he said.  

^  This really shouldn't surprise anyone. With that said I don't put much in the observations from the air. I know when I fly (especially on cross-country or cross-continent flights) I am not usually like how I am at home due to the stress of air travelling nowadays (delays with the TSA, flight cancelations/delays, over-crowding at airports and on planes, layovers, etc.) ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45011347

Pulkovo Train

From the MT:

"St. Petersburg Announces $400M Competition for First Railway to Pulkovo Airport — Reports"

The St. Petersburg city administration has reportedly launched a competition to build a high-speed railway connection to Pulkovo Airport that has been in the works for at least six years. Located some 20 kilometers from the city center, Pulkovo is currently only accessible by car or by bus. Efforts to establish a rail terminal connecting Russia’s fourth-largest airport to the city center have stalled as investors searched for government support in financing the project. The St. Petersburg investment committee has placed a 25-billion-ruble ($400 million) tender to connect Pulkovo to one of the city’s four railway stations, the Vedomosti newspaper reported Sunday. The city is willing to subsidize up to 10 billion rubles in the project, with the chosen investor expected to invest at least 15 billion rubles, according to competition documentation cited by Vedomosti. The project entails the construction of 8 kilometers of new rail routes to connect to the 16 kilometers that already exist, according to an anonymous St. Petersburg administration official. Although the St. Petersburg administration has reportedly signed a letter of intent with railroad operator Aeroexpress, Vedomosti cites other companies voicing interest in the auction. These include Russia’s VTB Capital, a shareholder that took part in Pulkovo’s expansion in 2013, and Russia’s VIS Construction Group, which is building a railway connection above the Arctic Circle. According to the auction page, the bidding will be open between August and October, and the results announced on March 12, 2019.

^ In the 2nd half of the 21st Century any international airport that does not have both public transit to/from the airport and the closest city and a people-mover in the secured zones is not modern. It seems that St Petersburg wants to modernize itself and that is a good thing. ^

https://themoscowtimes.com/news/st-petersburg-announces-400m-competition-first-railway-pulkovo-airport-reports-62384

Hidden Badge

From the BBC:

"Blue badge parking permits to cover 'hidden disabilities' in England"

Blue badge parking permits are to be made available for people in England with "hidden disabilities" such as autism or mental health problems. The Department for Transport said people with non-physical disabilities would have an equal right to free parking from next year. Currently the rules do not explicitly exclude hidden disabilities, but councils' interpretations can vary. Similar changes have come into effect in Scotland and Wales.

When the changes to the blue badge scheme in England are introduced, they will extend eligibility to:

- people who cannot make a journey without "a risk of serious harm to their health and safety" or that of others, such as young children with autism

- people for whom travel causes "very considerable psychological distress"

- and those with considerable difficulty walking, meaning "both the physical act and experience of walking.

About 2.4m disabled people in England currently have a blue badge. The scheme, first introduced in 1970 to make access easier for disabled people, costs £10. It allow holders to park for free in pay-and-display spaces across the UK and for up to three hours on yellow lines. The blue badge concessions do not apply to privately-run car parks. They also can not be used in central London, where residents need to apply for a special permit, although they do provide an exemption from the congestion charge.  Transport Minister Jesse Norman said: "Blue badges are a lifeline for disabled people, giving them the freedom and confidence to get to work and visit friends independently."  The change follows a consultation launched in January which saw 6,000 responses. Three in four disabled people say they would go out less often without the parking permit, the DfT said. Jane Harris, director of external affairs at the National Autistic Society, said the change would "make a massive difference to the lives of many of the 600,000 autistic people in England, and their families". Many autistic people experience major challenges in travelling, making detailed preparations and suffering "overwhelming anxiety" about things going wrong, she said. She said that some can be unaware of the dangers of the road while others can feel panic in busy or loud environments.  Siobhan Fairclough, from Edgware in north London, said she had been refused a blue badge for her daughter Jenny, 21, who is autistic with learning disabilities and rheumatoid arthritis. She welcomed the change. "We wouldn't have to worry," she said. "When we're walking and there are too many people around, she gets overwhelmed and it's likely to cause a meltdown." People with other disabilities and their carriers also said easier parking would have a significant impact on their lives. Jenette Kingsbury in south Norfolk said her husband, who has 50% vision loss, auditory processing issues and cancer of the bone marrow, had been rejected for a blue badge because he is physically mobile. But she said his disabilities put him at risk in traffic and she hoped he would benefit from the rule change. "Just small things make big differences when every day poses a challenge," she said. Scotland and Wales have already changed their eligibility criteria for the Blue badge scheme to include some mental impairments, where people cannot follow the route of a journey without assistance, but the rules are yet to be altered in Northern Ireland.

^ It's important to realize that there are physical and mental disabilities. Some people have physical impairments, some people have mental impairments and some people have both physical and mental impairments. Once you realize that then you need to address the differences of the disabilities and give equal protections to them all. This new change in England (and that have already been implemented in Wales and Scotland) seems to do just that. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-44993036

Dog's Summer

Free CO Parks

From the Stars and Stripes:

"Servicemembers, veterans to get free admission to Colorado state parks in August"

Veterans and active-duty military will get free admission to all 41 Colorado state parks for the month of August. “We greatly appreciate our active-duty servicemembers and veterans for their service to our country,” said Kris Middledorf, Colorado Parks and Wildlife area wildlife manager. “We also recognize that it goes beyond the individual servicemember or veteran, it also includes the spouses and children who spend their lives supporting their family members who may be in harm’s way or serving in an essential role in the defense of our nation.” All eligible park-goers can pick up their a hang-tag pass for their car starting Aug. 1. The pass admits all passengers in the car. CPW plans to continue offering a free month of park access. Servicemembers and their families will have access to activities including archery, boating, fishing, hiking, kayaking and wildlife-viewing.s every year as long as general fund dollars are appropriated by the Legislature. 

Veterans and active-duty military personnel can get their hang-tag pass by showing parks staff one of the following:

- Active or retired military identification

- DD Form 2

- DD Form 2765

- DD214

- Veterans Affairs medical card

- A current Colorado driver’s license or state issued identification card with the veteran seal printed on it

“There is no easy way to thank our military members for their selfless service,” added Middledorf. “One thing we are proud to do is invite our veterans and active duty service members and their families to enjoy the outdoors with us at our State Parks and State Wildlife Areas.” CPW will offer free entrance to everyone on Aug. 6, in celebration of Colorado Day.

^ It is always great when anyplace shows it's appreciation to soldiers and veterans. ^

https://www.stripes.com/news/veterans/servicemembers-veterans-to-get-free-admission-to-colorado-state-parks-in-august-1.539916

New DC Exhibit

From Disability Scoop:

"Smithsonian Puts Spotlight On Special Olympics"

With a new exhibit, the Smithsonian Institution is highlighting how athletics have helped to dramatically change the lives of people with intellectual disabilities over the last 50 years. The display “Special Olympics at 50” was unveiled this month at the National Museum of American History in Washington just as the international sporting movement is celebrating a half-century “Founded at a time when people with intellectual disabilities (ID) were often institutionalized or hidden away, Special Olympics changed attitudes about the abilities and talents of children and adults with ID — giving them the chance to train their bodies, build confidence, meet new people and share skills through sports,” the Smithsonian said.  Located in the museum’s “of note case,” the exhibit showcases how Eunice Kennedy Shriver evolved a backyard camp for young people with intellectual disabilities into Special Olympics, which hosted its first international games in 1968 in Chicago. The Smithsonian display also features the stories of four well-known Special Olympics athletes — Marty Sheets, Ricardo Thornton, Loretta Claiborne and Lee Dockins — with a pennant, jersey, medal and other mementos from the athletes’ experiences at various games over the decades. In addition, visitors can engage with the exhibit by jumping between agility lines and see the height of the uneven parallel bars, Smithsonian officials said. The Special Olympics display will be on view through June 2019.

^ I would really like to go back to DC and see this exhibit. ^

https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2018/07/27/smithsonian-special-olympics/25323/

Legal UK

From the BBC:

"Medicinal cannabis products to be legalized"

Specialist doctors in the UK will be able to legally prescribe cannabis-derived medicinal products by autumn, the home secretary has announced. Those that meet safety and quality standards are to be made legal for patients with an "exceptional clinical need", Sajid Javid said. As it is a devolved matter, it will require legislative change before it is enforced in Northern Ireland. Legalisation follows high-profile cases involving severely epileptic children. Many had previously been denied access to cannabis oil. Others forms of cannabis will remain illegal. Mr Javid's decision was made after the chief medical officer for England, Prof Dame Sally Davies, and the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs said patients with certain medical conditions should be given access to the treatments. Their advice was part of a review into medicinal cannabis launched by the home secretary following an outcry over Billy Caldwell and Alfie Dingley being denied access to cannabis oil. The parents of the boys, who have rare forms of epilepsy, say it controls their seizures.  The Home Office recently granted them licences to access the treatments.  Mr Javid said: "Recent cases involving sick children made it clear to me that our position on cannabis-related medicinal products was not satisfactory.  "That is why we launched a review and set up an expert panel to advise on licence applications in exceptional circumstances. "This will help patients with an exceptional clinical need but is in no way a first step to the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use."  Billy Caldwell's mother, Charlotte, said Mr Javid's announcement had been made on her son's 13th birthday. "For the first time in months I'm almost lost for words, other than 'thank you Sajid Javid'," she said.  "Never has Billy received a better birthday present, and never from somebody so unexpected... "But, crucially, my little boy Billy can now live a normal life with his mummy because of the simple ability to now administer a couple of drops a day of a long-maligned but entirely effective natural medication."  A Department of Health spokesperson said: "The rescheduling of cannabis-derived medicinal products is a devolved matter and requires legislative change. "The Department of Health notes the advice provided by experts during the two-part review commissioned by the Home Secretary.  "Consideration will be given to rescheduling cannabis-derived medicinal products in Northern Ireland in line with the rest of the UK  "In the interim, clinicians may still apply to the Home Office Expert Panel should they wish to use a cannabis-based medicine in the treatment of a patient."   Cannabis is classed as a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it is judged to have no therapeutic value but can be used for the purposes of research with a Home Office licence. The decision by the Home Office will put certain cannabis-derived products into Schedule 2 - those that have a potential medical use - and will place them in the same category as cocaine and heroin, among other drugs.  The Department for Health and Social Care and the Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will now develop a clear definition of what constitutes a cannabis-derived medicinal product so they can be rescheduled and prescribed, the Home Office said.  In the meantime, clinicians will still be able to apply to an independent expert panel on behalf of patients wishing to access these products.  The home secretary said licence fees for applications made to the panel will be waived, and those already granted will not be charged.  The home secretary's decision was welcomed by campaigners and health experts. Donna Kinnair, from the Royal College of Nursing, said the decision was "very welcome". Dr Tom Freeman, senior academic fellow at King's College London, said Mr Javid's decision would have a "substantial impact on research by facilitating the development of safer and more effective medicines". Former justice minister Sir Mike Penning, who was among those appealing for Alfie Dingley to be given a special licence for medicinal cannabis, welcomed the announcement but said there were still unanswered questions about which treatments would be rescheduled. "Any move to restrict medical cannabis in the UK to a very narrow range of derived products, each requiring full pharmaceutical trials, thereby blocking out the many products available overseas, will lead to great disappointment and be a missed opportunity."

^ Hopefully this will help the sick throughout the UK. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-44968386

Remains Returned

From the BBC:
"Korea remains: Pyongyang returns US troops slain in Korean War"

North Korea has returned remains believed to be of 55 US troops killed during the Korean War, bringing renewed hope to families who have waited decades for closure. The return of the remains, brought to a US base in South Korea, is the latest move in the cautious diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang. The repatriation was agreed at the June summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong-in. It is hoped more will follow. "It's hard to live your life not knowing what happened to your loved one," the daughter of one missing serviceman told the BBC ahead of Friday's news.  The Singapore summit, where Mr Trump and Mr Kim agreed to work towards the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula", has been criticised for a lack of detail on when or how Pyongyang would renounce nuclear weapons.   But the return of US remains was one of four points actually listed in that June declaration, and comes on the 65th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War. It is believed that 55 soldiers have been returned this time, but their remains will need to be forensically tested to ensure they are indeed slain US troops - and it's possible the identification process could take years.  John Zimmerlee, the son of a US serviceman who is among the missing, told the BBC there was no guarantee these were the remains of American soldiers. Mr Zimmerlee, the founder of the Korean War Prisoners Of War and Missing In Action Network, said: "Keep in mind that these 55 remains that are coming back, these are people that they [North Korea] suspected were their enemy during the (Korean) war - not necessarily Americans.  "They could be British, they could be Australians, Belgians - could be a lot of different people."  The small wooden caskets were draped in the UN flag and carried carefully one by one from the aircraft onto US soil.  Hundreds of US soldiers and some of their families from the Osan base came to salute and line the route of their final journey.  Before the ceremony they'd been told they would be watching a key moment in history. They stood silently and watched.  Earlier I'd asked Korean War veterans from the US and the UK what this meant to them. Amazing news, they told me. "This is an emotional and symbolic gesture," said another.   More than 326,000 Americans fought alongside soldiers from South Korea and a UN coalition during the war to support the South against the Communist North.  Thousands of US military personnel from the Korean war remain unaccounted for and most of them - about 5,300 - were lost in what is now North Korea.  The missing US soldiers are among around 33,000 coalition troops still unaccounted for.

The remains are believed to be located at:

- prisoner of war camps - many perished during the winter of 1950

- the sites of major battles, such as the areas around Unsan and Chongchon in the north-west of the country - said to contain approximately 1,600 dead

- temporary UN military cemeteries - China and North Korea returned about 3,000 dead Americans in an effort called Operation Glory in 1954, but others remain

- the demilitarised zone that separates North and South Korea - said to contain 1,000 bodies

Between 1990 and 2005, 229 sets were returned, but this halted as relations deteriorated with the development of North Korea's nuclear ambitions.   A US military aircraft took the remains to the US base at Osan in South Korea where, according to the White House, a repatriation ceremony will be held on 1 August after some initial testing. The remains will then be brought to the US to undergo thorough forensic testing.   The White House said it was "a solemn obligation of the United States Government to ensure that the remains are handled with dignity and properly accounted for so their families receive them in an honorable manner".  The US government said it was "encouraged by North Korea's actions and the momentum for positive change". The return of the dead soldiers was "a significant first step to recommence the repatriation of remains from North Korea and to resume field operations in North Korea to search for the estimated 5,300 Americans who have not yet returned home".  The repatriation will be welcomed by relatives who have waited decades for progress.  But Bill Richardson, a former UN ambassador who secured the return of six bodies in 2007, remains skeptical. He told the Washington Post: "They'll give a certain amount of remains for free right away, but then they'll say, 'The next ones, we need to find them, locate them, restore them.' And then they'll start charging." It is thought North Korea has about 200 sets of remains collected already.

^ Regardless of the reasons for the remains being returned now the fact is that they are being returned and it is a good thing for the US Military and the families of missing or dead soldiers. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44976947

New Memorials

From the BBC:

"Munich replaces 'disrespectful' Holocaust memorials"

                     

The authorities in Munich have begun installing new Holocaust memorials to replace brass cobblestone reminders of the Nazis' victims. The cobblestones are considered disrespectful by Bavarian Jewish leader Charlotte Knobloch and some other critics, mainly because they get dirty and are trodden on. They also exist in more than 1,000 places in Europe. In Munich they are being replaced with new plaques and steles. These are being installed at the last known addresses of Holocaust victims. However this initiative is so far only taking place in Munich. The city says the new memorial system will commemorate 10,000 Munich men, women and children murdered by the Nazi dictatorship in 1933-1945. In December Bavaria's supreme court backed the city's 2015 decision to replace the cobblestones, or "Stolpersteine" ("stumbling stones" in English), which lie in the pavement outside victims' former homes or workplaces.  But the stones, created by the German artist Gunter Demnig, also have many supporters in Germany and elsewhere. A petition to stop Munich removing them has collected more than 100,000 signatures, Deutsche Welle reports. A plaque installed on Thursday commemorates Tilly and Franz Landauer. Tilly died in Auschwitz death camp in 1944, and Franz in Westerbork camp in the Netherlands, in 1943.  Franz was the brother of former Bayern Munich football club president Kurt Landauer, who fled to Switzerland in 1939. The first steles, coloured gold and silver, also went up on Thursday. They commemorate philologist Friedrich Crusius, who was mentally ill and murdered by the Nazis in 1941, and Jewish couple Paula and Siegfried Jordan, also murdered in 1941, who were art curators. In the heart of Berlin a memorial consisting of almost 3,000 stone blocks commemorates the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis.

^ I think these new memorials are better then most because they not only memorialize the victim but also educate the younger generation on what happened - especially in their hometown. While the "stumbling stones" are good most people don't notice them since they walk over them and so aren't as effective as when you can see a memorial at eye level. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44979359

No Light Town

I like how some people describe their town as small by saying it only has 1 traffic light. My town is so small (how small is it?) that we don't even have 1 traffic light. We had a temporary traffic light for a few months when the State was fixing a bridge in town, but it is long gone now.

Carrying American

From USA Today:

"American Airlines: Carry-on bags will be OK for basic economy tickets"

American Airlines is taking some of the sting out of buying its cheapest tickets. Beginning Sept. 5, the carrier will allow passengers buying its "basic economy" tickets to bring a free carry-on bag and not just a personal item that fits under the seat in front of them. American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said Thursday on the airlines earnings conference call that the tweak is designed to allow the airline to "become more competitive.'' President Robert Isom said American's basic economy revenue has fallen short of expectations. Delta Air Lines already allows passengers buying basic economy tickets to bring a free carry-on. "We put this product out with a slightly different model than others had done in the past,'' Parker said. "We think the right thing to do is to get in line with the competition.' American's no carry-on bag policy has confused and angered many passengers, even though American clearly spells out the fine print during the booking process. Passengers are often caught unaware at the gate when American agents require those with a standard carry-on bag to pay a fee to check it. There has been a $25 surcharge at the gate on top of normal bag fees for those flying on a basic economy ticket Even with the change, customers flying on America's basic economy fares shouldn't necessarily expect to make it onboard with a bag that must be stowed in an overhead bin. Basic economy customers are the last group to board, meaning there's a good chance that most of the overhead bin space will already be full.  Parker elaborated further about the change during the call.  “For the price-sensitive customers who are the buyers of this, there is another big airline that doesn’t charge for carry-on," Parker said. "There are now filters on things like Google search that ask you if you want to bring a carry-on, and if you say yes, the American flights don’t show up nearly as high as they did before because it adds $20 to our fare," he added. "Nothing wrong with that. It’s accurate. But when you get yourself in a position in this business where price sensitive customers find themselves with lower fares on truly competitive airlines like that, we have to take that into consideration."

^ People should at least be allowed to bring a carry-on that fits under the seat in front of them no matter what price they pay for the ticket. I'm glad American Airlines decided to change their policy. ^

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2018/07/26/american-airlines-basic-economy-tickets-free-carry-ons/840313002/

Double Troop Price

From the Stars and Stripes:

"Postal rate hike doubles costs for many packages sent to troops overseas"

In January, Dave Silver logged onto the U.S. Postal Service’s online portal for calculating postage for Priority Mail packages. As president of the all-volunteer Operation Yellow Ribbon in southern New Jersey, Silver had tallied postage for thousands of care packages he had sent to servicemembers in Afghanistan and Iraq over the years. But something was way off on this one. “I hit enter, and all of sudden I’m looking at $60 postage instead of $30 or so,” said Silver, who assumed there was a glitch in the USPS’s website. There wasn’t. He subsequently learned it arose from a quiet change made by the USPS that doubled the shipping costs for many Priority Mail packages sent to overseas military addresses. That roughly translates to an annual postage hike of $50,000 for Operation Yellow Ribbon, Silver said. “It has totally thrown a curveball at us,” he said of the nonprofit that sent out about 1,900 care packages in 2017. “We know nonprofits that have just shut down and stopped because of it.” Silver and others have pinned their hopes on a bill introduced in Congress this month that could provide some relief. For about a half-century, the USPS had used hubs in New York City, San Francisco and Miami to route packages mailed to Army Post Office, Fleet Post Office or Diplomatic Post Office addresses. The cost of mailing to APO, FPO or DPO addresses was uniform, regardless of how many of the USPS’s 10 regional zones a package crossed. In 2013, the USPS consolidated the processing of packages being sent to APO/FPO/DPO addresses in a single center in Chicago, but the one-zone postage rate was maintained. In January, the rates for shipping such packages was changed to reflect how many of those zones were crossed. For an organization based in New Jersey, such as Operation Yellow Ribbon, it has meant paying extra to send through several zones to Chicago. “The post office went rogue,” said John Couch, one of the co-founders of ShipitAPO, which helps overseas servicemembers receive packages from retailers that won’t send to APO addresses. Couch had submitted a formal protest over the USPS’s proposed rate change, which he said was “buried” in a notice published in the Federal Register in October 2017. “I’m representing the military people who are my customers,” he said. “They’re paying me more because I have to pay the post office more. They’re the ones suffering. I make the same amount of money because they pay me a handling fee.” In a statement provided to Stars and Stripes, the USPS said it receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and must rely solely on postage, products and services for funding “Changes to improve our operations are being made so we can reduce costs and remain competitive in the marketplace, to be able to continue to serve the public in the most efficient, cost-effective way possible.” The USPS offered no financial analysis for the ratio of senders who would pay less or more. Couch points out that the nation’s population hubs are on the East and West coasts, far from Chicago.

^ This is beyond stupid. As someone who once received mail via an APO address and today continues to mail to APO and DPO addresses around the world I find it appalling that the USPS is charging so much more to ship things to the men and women who serve our country (especially when you consider how mismanaged the USPS is  - it recently had to pay millions of dollars because they created a postage stamp of the Statue of Liberty and used the one in Las Vegas and not the one in NYC - no wonder the USPS is going broke.) That mismanagement though should not affect American soldiers or their families. ^

https://www.stripes.com/news/us/postal-rate-hike-doubles-costs-for-many-packages-sent-to-troops-overseas-1.539517

Special Ed Fail

From Disability Scoop:
"When It Comes To Special Ed, States Largely Deficient"

Federal officials say that fewer than half of states are adequately meeting their obligations to serve students with disabilities under special education law. Just 21 states received the “meets requirements” designation in an annual compliance review conducted by the U.S. Department of Education. The remaining states were labeled “needs assistance” with the exception of Michigan and Washington, D.C. which were classified in the more dire category of “needs intervention.” The results from the review released this month are based on how well states served students with disabilities ages 3 to 21 during the 2016-2017 school year. The annual assessments are mandated under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. States are evaluated based on a number of factors including student performance, functional outcomes of students with disabilities and fulfilling IDEA’s procedural requirements. IDEA requires that the Education Department step in if any state fails to receive the “meets requirements” designation two or more years in a row. In such situations, federal officials can choose to withhold funds, develop a corrective action plan or, in extreme circumstances, refer cases to the agency’s inspector general or the Department of Justice. The number of states found to be meeting their obligations under IDEA is down slightly this year from last when 22 states were placed in the top category. States considered to meet requirements include Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming. The Education Department did not assign any state to the lowest designation of “needs substantial intervention.”  

^ This is just wrong it should be 100% of every US State and US Territory meets the Federally-mandated Special ED requirements. There is no reason that any state or territory fails this requirement and thus fails providing a good education to the disabled. ^

https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2018/07/25/when-sped-states-largely-deficient/25317/

Land Of The Free

I am often asked (especially by foreigners) why the United States is called the land of the free and while I could use what I majored in in college (International Relations, History and Politics) and go on about how from the very beginning people from every corner of the world have always dreamed about coming to the US because it has always been the land of opportunity I won't.

The US is the land of the free because, unlike most of the world, we give you:

- free drink refills in restaurants/fast food places
- free public bathrooms
- free condiments in restaurants/fast food places
- free television, radio and Internet (there is no government license fee)
- free from a compulsory national identification card and the need to carry it at all times
- free from the Draft/Conscription
- free to be a hypocrite (like those people who decry bullying and then become the bullies themselves or those against violence who are the most militant)
- free to re-post every meme or post you get even without having a clue what it means or if it is correct
- free to post what you ate the minute you ate it
-free to be either ultra-liberal or ultra-conservative even when being too much of one thing is never good
- free to change words to suit your views (like calling someone an "undocumented immigrant" instead of the correct term of "illegal immigrant")
- free to get your 15 minutes of fame
- free to stretch your 15 minutes of fame into a bad reality show

-free to be sarcastic
- free to be the world's scapegoat (because let's face it the world has always blamed us for any and all problems yet at the same time the world wants everything we have - from our culture to our language)
- free to be a Super Power for the past 73 years
- free to be the world's ONLY Super Power for the past 27 years

^ The fact is that the United States has been and continues to be the land of the free because of the brave and despite any issues or problems we had/have that has not changed in 242 years. ^

Further Wages

From the MT:

"Wages in Belarus Go Further Than in Russia, Study Shows"

Real wages in Belarus have surpassed wages in Russia, according to new research by Russia’s Higher School of Economics (HSE). The HSE presented data last Friday on real wages across the post-Soviet region known as the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) between 2011 and 2017. Real wages use purchasing power, rather than income, to judge how much money an individual earns.   “The results showed that in the CIS group, only Belarus reached the level of average wages comparable to Russia in purchasing power parity,” the school’s Institute for Social Policy said in a press release.  Last year, Belarusian real wages of $1,648,  adjusted for price differences, exceeded Russia’s average real wage of $1,640.  

^ This is surprising considering how isolated Belarus has been throughout the past 2 decades, but I guess with Russia facing international sanctions due to it's annexation of Crimea and the war in the Donbas the wages of ordinary Russians is not going up despite what Moscow says. ^

https://themoscowtimes.com/news/belarusians-earn-more-than-russians-study-shows-62324

Vasily Kovalyov

From the BBC:

"Rare witness to horror of Stalin's Gulag prisons dies"

A rare survivor of the harshest Stalin-era labour camps has died aged 89 in Russia's far east. Vasily Kovalyov had survived icy punishment cells and beatings in the USSR's notorious Gulag prison system.  During an escape attempt in 1954 he spent five months hiding in a freezing mine with two other prisoners. Kovalyov's story was featured in Vesma, a news site based in Magadan. The communist regime shipped thousands of "enemies" to prison camps via Magadan. In 1950 Kovalyov, aged 20, was found guilty of anti-Soviet sabotage - one among the millions of victims of Stalinist terror. An old sabre that he had used to chop vegetables was enough to condemn him. First he was sent to Norilsk, in the Russian Arctic, he told Vesma. But he ended up in Kolyma, a notoriously harsh network of labour camps north of Magadan, after guards uncovered an escape plot. In 1954 he and two other inmates hid in a mine and prepared an armed uprising, but someone tipped off the guards, who then came looking for them. "Miners who knew the place inside out accompanied them and said we wouldn't be able to stand the permafrost there longer than a week," he told Vesma. "They blocked all the entrances with grilles... We spent five months underground, in the dark, starving. After three months we had eaten all our food, and in the end we were chewing wood shavings."  He said they managed to dig a way out through the permafrost and emerged "half-blind, like moles". They made it to a nearby town, but were arrested there. During a punishment beating the guards let loose a huge sheep dog on him, he said. "It leapt at me, but I had protective metal studs on my boots, and kicked the dog down. In a flash I dived at its throat and bit hard. I heard a crunch and the dog shuddered then died." Millions died during Joseph Stalin's dictatorship - in deportations, famine, forced collectivisation, executions and prison camps.  The terror he unleashed involved massive purges of the Communist Party and state institutions. Kovalyov was released in 1957, when Stalin's successor Nikita Khrushchev declared an amnesty for Gulag prisoners, in the post-Stalin "thaw". He stayed in Magadan, where he worked as a heating engineer. And he took a Vesma reporter, Yevgeny Radchenko, on a tour of the grim prison - a ruin still reeking of cruelty.  He died of a stroke in a Magadan hospital on Monday. According to Vesma, "until his last breath he never forgot what the Soviet Union did to millions of people, who endured the camps, leaving their best years, their health and their lives there". "He told the story of his trip back to Odessa region, where he met the people who had put him in prison. He did not forgive them. The cruelty and torment of camp life taught him to survive, but at the same time to stay human." Very few Kolyma prisoners from the Stalin period are still alive, a Russian historian told the BBC. Alyona Kozlova, chief archivist at the Memorial documentation centre, said "I know of three in Moscow, and it's possible that he was the last one in Magadan". But about four million ex-Soviet citizens are alive today who spent some time in Stalin's prisons, she said.  

^  Millions upon millions of innocent men, women and children from within the Soviet Union and throughout Eastern Europe were imprisoned in Gulags. The Soviet Communists' Gulags were the same as the German Nazis' Concentration Camps in everything but name only. Most of the people throughout the former USSR want to return to the days of repressions and lack of everything from food to freedom. That just shows how good the Communist brainwashing was back then and how deep in denial those same people are today. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44936736

School Tracking Devices

From the BBC:

"French school in row over tracking pupils electronically"

A private Catholic-run school in Paris says its pupils will have to carry Bluetooth tracking devices to make sure that they turn up for classes. More than 3,500 people have signed a petition against the plan. The tracking is due to start in September at the Lycée Rocroy Saint-Vincent de Paul.  A pupil called Louise tweeted a plea to sign the protest.  She said she was "not even sure it's legal" for the school to use its so-called "connected key fobs".  The fobs will be linked via an app. The device has been developed by a French tech start-up called NewSchool. French BFMTV news says the devices will enable teachers to check quickly if all pupils are present, instead of each class having to go through the register orally - a time-consuming tradition.  The school's new rule says the devices will also help teachers to check pupils' presence for sports, library sessions, emergency drills and school outings. The new rule was introduced without consulting parents, according to reports. The school will fine a pupil €10 (£9; $12) if he or she loses the fob or forgets to carry it.

^ This seems morally and legally wrong. I went to a Catholic school for a while and was taught to trust. This Catholic school obviously does not believe in trust (especially in their students.) ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44925391

The View Attacks

"If you want to understand what is wrong with things nowadays then just watch 'The View.' That show is such a hot mess that they can't seem to put away their 'Help Wanted' signs for co-hosts because of the unprofessional attitudes of Behar and Goldberg." - - I don't watch "The View" but have followed all the drama over the years on the news and it does seem that Behar and Goldberg (who are ultra-liberal) do nothing but attack their guests and co-hosts and then try and play the victim themselves. I wonder what the real reason Barbara Walters left the show was.

Heathrow Trial

From the BBC:
"Heathrow scanner trial could bring end to airport liquid ban"

A trial of new scanners at Heathrow Airport could herald the end of hand luggage liquid restrictions in the UK.  The machines take a 3D X-ray, allowing security staff to check items without requiring them to be removed from bags, and can detect explosives. The worldwide rules began in 2006 after a terror plot was stopped by UK police. The Department for Transport said a "small number" of trials was set to last between six and 12 months. A DfT spokesperson said: "The UK has some of the strictest security measures in the world, and we are leading the way in using new technology to improve security screening and provide a better experience for passengers. "If successful, this could lead in future to passengers no longer needing to remove items from hand luggage for screening." The DfT added: "We continue to work closely with our international counterparts to harness the latest advances in technology." The new computerised tomography (CT) scanners have also reportedly been tested at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport and John F Kennedy airport in New York. It comes five years after the European Commission said it hoped the restrictions across Europe could be ended through "technological screening".  The current rules specify that containers of liquid must hold no more than 100ml and fit in a small transparent, resealable plastic bag, which needs to be removed from hand luggage during pre-flight security checks. They were introduced amid fears transatlantic flights could be brought down by terrorists hiding liquid explosives in small drink bottles.  But it has resulted in longer security checks, and has coincided with the rise in travel on low-cost airlines where many passengers only carry hand luggage. Security policy for all UK airports is set by the DfT. The DfT said the new technology allows baggage screeners "to use 3D imagery to look at objects from all angles". It said while the the trials take place, the rules remain the same and passengers should expect to remove items if requested during the security screening purposes. A Heathrow spokeswoman confirmed the airport was "looking at new technologies that can both improve the passenger experience and strengthen our security". 

^  I remember the days of flying out of the UK and only being allowed 1 small carry-on when you could have 1 carry-on and 1 personal item at every other airport around the world - even flying into the UK. Hopefully these trials will work and allow passengers to carry liquids on-board again. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-44925635

Family Tree

Aussie Studies Dogs

From MSN:
"Dogs to be trained to support war veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder"

For Australian war veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the loyalty and friendship of assistance dogs can help them on the path to recovery. Now evidence of the special relationship between dogs and veterans will be scientifically examined for the first time in Australia.  La Trobe University in Bendigo, Victoria, is training 20 PTSD assistance dogs to help support veterans. The Department of Veterans' Affairs has put almost $2 million in funding towards the project. Associate Professor Pauleen Bennett, from La Trobe's School of Psychological Science, is the head of the university's 'dog lab', Australia's first laboratory dedicated to monitoring interaction between humans and dogs. Dr Bennett said dogs shared a connection with humans dating back about 50,000 years.  "They can almost tell what we're thinking, and we can read them very well. It's almost like a symbiotic relationship," he said.  Integral to the project are students and staff, carefully selected from the university's many campuses, who will raise the puppies before pairing them with a suitable veteran.  While projects in Canada and the United States have paired up dogs and veterans with PTSD, Dr Bennett said there was a need for an evidence-based program in Australia. "We can take what's been done in other countries and not replicate that, but build on that and do something a bit different," Dr Bennett said. Lead researcher Tiffani Howell said the study was unique because it was looking at the early stage of the relationship between the veteran and the assistance dog. "[We will] consult [veterans] on their needs and provide them with individualised training with existing therapy dogs while their assistance dog is being trained," Dr Howell said. Working alongside the university are staff from the Centre for Service and Therapy Dogs Australia (CSTDA), who identified breeders throughout the country to develop lines of dogs particularly suited to veterans with PTSD. The preferred breeds were Labradors and the Lagotto, an Italian water dog known for being placid and liking people, as well as the standard poodle and smooth-coated collies.  "Of course, it has to be the right Lagotto and the right Labrador, depending on what suits the person," Dr Bennett said.  The four-year pilot program will begin at the breeders' properties with an eight-week socialisation period for the puppy. Twelve months of preparation will follow, during which university staff and students will bring the puppies to their campuses. "While they're at work every day, they will be doing the socialisation training with the puppies," Dr Bennett said. PhD psychology student Dac Loc Mai is involved in the project and is a foster parent of four-month-old Abbie the Labrador. He said there were strict guidelines to be followed each week. "There's a list of dos and don'ts. It's not like raising normal pets," he said. Crucial to the dogs' training is a three-month bonding period for the dog and the veteran.   "After that, if all goes well, they get to keep their dog. So we're not going to take dogs off people," Dr Bennett said.  Dr Bennett said dogs were unique in their social intelligence and incomparable with any other animal. She said dogs were particularly good at social cognition, or in other words, "they get us". "They can look at a person and tell what that person's feeling," she said. "Just through our body language, they can pick up whether we're unhappy or happy. Dogs are amazing." The PTSD assistance dogs will receive specialist training to handle a range of scenarios.  "These are dogs that have to cope with people having meltdowns; they have to cope with loud noises," Dr Bennett said. "For our veterans, we think it [the assistance dogs] will be mostly about getting them out into the community, so being able to act as a security blanket." Over the next six months, the university will find suitable veterans from across the country to take part in the project. Dr Bennett said it would require a lot of work from the veterans, who would have to learn how to train and maintain the dog, and report back for research purposes. "It's not something that will suit everybody. We're talking about a really serious commitment in terms of time, energy and activities," she said.

^ Australia has been fighting terrorism around the world for a long time now and their soldiers returning from active duty in warzones get PTSD just like the soldiers from the UK, Canada, the US, etc. Hopefully, this study will help the veterans and the service dogs. ^

https://www.msn.com/en-nz/health/medical/dogs-to-be-trained-to-support-war-veterans-with-post-traumatic-stress-disorder/ar-AAy9hnl