Canada's Rules

From the CBC:

“As Ontario, Quebec loosen COVID restrictions, here's what's open across the country”

Millions of Canadians are once again able to dine indoors at restaurants and access services that were closed or reduced as Omicron took hold in December, as Quebec and Ontario begin to loosen some public health restrictions. But with hospitalizations from COVID-19 infections and transmission rates still high in many provinces, gathering and capacity limits are still in place.  What follows is a brief overview of the measures currently in place in some of the main sectors. In most — if not all — public spaces, it is understood that masking and distancing guidelines are in place. People are also required to show proof of vaccination in many businesses, such as restaurants, gyms and personal service providers.

Public health guidelines by province and territory: British Columbia: Measures in place were last updated Jan. 28.  Alberta: Current measures have been in place since Dec. 24, 2021.  Saskatchewan: The province has few restrictions, but these measures around masking and vaccination will be in place until at least Feb. 28. Manitoba: Current measures are in place until at least Feb. 8. Ontario: Several changes to restrictions came into effect Monday. Quebec: Measures imposed in December were loosened as of Monday. Newfoundland and Labrador: The province remains at Alert Level 4. Nova Scotia: Measures will remain in place until at least Feb. 14.  New Brunswick: The province moved to Level 2 of its alert system on Jan 28. Prince Edward Island: Measures in place were loosened as of Monday. Northwest Territories: Modified its restrictions effective Jan. 30.   Yukon: Temporary measures were put in place Jan. 18.  Nunavut: Measures put in place Jan. 25 apply to all regions, except Igloolik, which recently re-entered lockdown.

Restrictions at a glance

Restrictions on private gatherings

B.C.        Household + 10 visitors, those aged 12+ must be vaccinated

Alta.       10 adults; unlimited for kids

Sask.      No restrictions

Man.     Household + 10 vaccinated; household + 5 unvaccinated

Ont.       Up to 10 people

Que.      4 people from 2 households

N.L.        10 people within your Tight 10

N.S.        10 people (household + people in your consistent group)

N.B.       Household + 10 from consistent group

P.E.I.      Single household + consistent 10

N.W.T.  10 people with maximum of 5 from outside your household

Yukon   10 people from 2 households if all vaccinated

Nunavut              Household + 5 people

Restrictions on retail operation

B.C.        Open

Alta.       1/3 capacity

Sask.      Open

Man.     50% capacity in Southern Health Region; 100% everywhere else

Ont.       50% capacity

Que.      50% capacity

N.L.        Open with reduced capacity

N.S.        50% capacity

N.B.       50% capacity

P.E.I.      50% capacity

N.W.T.  Open

Yukon   50% capacity

Nunavut              Open

Restrictions on restaurants

B.C.        6 per table

Alta.       10 per table, if restaurant following proof of vaccine/negative testing rules

Sask.      Open

Man.     50% capacity, 10 per table

Ont.       50% capacity

Que.      50% capacity, 4 per table from 2 households

N.L.        50% capacity, 6 per table

N.S.        50% capacity, 10 per table

N.B.       50% capacity

P.E.I.      50% capacity, 10 per table

N.W.T.  25 person capacity, unless by approval

Yukon   6 per table from 2 households

Nunavut              Takeout only

Restrictions on gyms and fitness facilities

B.C.        Open, with some limits

Alta.       Open, but no group classes

Sask.      Open

Man.     50% capacity, or 250 people

Ont.       50% capacity

Que.      Closed

N.L.        25% capacity, or 50 people

N.S.        50% capacity

N.B.       50% capacity

P.E.I.      50% capacity

N.W.T.  No group classes

Yukon   Open

Nunavut   Pools closed

Restrictions on cinemas and other event venues

B.C.        50% capacity

Alta.       No limit under 500; max. 500 for venues sized 500-999, 50% capacity for 1,000+

Sask.    Open

Man.     50% capacity, or 250 people

Ont.       50% capacity, or 500 people

Que.      Closed until Feb. 7: Will then be 50% capacity or 500 per room

N.L.        Closed

N.S.        25% to 50% capacity, depending on venue

N.B.       50% capacity

P.E.I.      Closed

N.W.T.  Theatres, cinemas open, with capacity limits

Yukon   50% capacity or 25 people

Nunavut              25% capacity or 25 people

Restrictions on spas, salons and personal care

B.C.        Open, with safety plans in place

Alta.       Open

Sask.      Open

Man.     Open, under specific public health guidelines

Ont.       50% capacity

Que.      50% capacity

N.L.        Open, under specific public health guidelines

N.S.        Open

N.B.       50% capacity

P.E.I.      Open, under specific public health guidelines

N.W.T.  Open, under specific public health guidelines

Yukon   50% capacity or 25 people

Nunavut              Open, under specific public health guidelines

^ With so many restrictions that are always changing it’s nice when you get a simple summary like this one. ^

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/covid-restrictions-by-province-territory-1.6328805

No Women Universities

From VOA:

“Taliban: Afghan Public Universities to Begin Reopening Wednesday”

The Taliban announced Sunday they would start reopening all public universities in Afghanistan from this week, more than five months after the Islamist group retook control of the war-torn country. Abdul Baqi Haqqani, the minister for higher education, said by video that students in Afghan provinces with a warm climate would return to classes on Wednesday, while universities in the colder areas, including Kabul, will reopen February 26. Haqqani did not elaborate, but in his earlier statements the minister had announced that gender segregation would be enforced in public universities in line with Sharia or Islamic law before reopening them. He also said at the time that hijabs would be mandatory for female students. Sunday’s announcement comes as the Taliban face pressure from the international community to respect the human rights of all Afghans, especially those of women, and allow all girls to receive an education.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres renewed his call for the Taliban earlier on Sunday to uphold pledges to respect human rights. “In Afghanistan, women & girls are once again being denied their rights to education, employment & equal justice,” Guterres tweeted on Sunday. “To demonstrate a real commitment to be a part of the global community, the Taliban must recognize & uphold the basic human rights that belong to every girl & woman.” In mid-September, the Taliban allowed female students to resume classes in some 150 private universities under a strictly gender-segregated classroom system.

Afghan public and private universities were co-educational before the Taliban takeover, with males and females studying side by side, and women didn’t have to abide by a dress code. In elementary and high schools, however, girls and boys were taught separately until the Islamist group regained power last August. “Co-education is in conflict with the principles of Islam and with national values and it is against the traditions of Afghans as well,” Haqqani said in a September news conference in Kabul. While the Taliban’s male-only caretaker government opened secondary schools for boys in early September, most girls across Afghanistan are still waiting for official permission to continue their education. The Taliban have pledged that all girls will be allowed to go back to the classroom in March when the new school year begins in the country. Leaders of the ruling Islamist group have repeatedly rejected as false propaganda that they oppose education for women, saying financial constraints and a lack of an “Islamic environment” in educational institutions were preventing them from letting women resume their studies.

No country has yet recognized the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan. The global community has been watching closely to see whether the Islamist group might rule the country differently from its first time in power in the late 1990s, when girls were banned from attending schools and women from leaving home unless accompanied by a close male relative.

^ This is another example of why no country should officially recognize the Taliban. They care more about discriminating against Women and Girls rather than feeding or giving basic things to the Citizens under their control. Until they actively show the world that they have changed in the past 20 years then no nation should help the Taliban. ^

https://www.voanews.com/a/taliban-afghan-public-universities-to-begin-reopening-wednesday/6419122.html

KSAR: 2 Jobs

From the Kabul Small Animal Rescue’s Facebook:

This awesome young man just brought in a cat he’d spotted with a nasty injury. He came and got a live trap from us and successfully caught the injured cat. Our vets are treating him now and expect him to make a full recovery.

While we are busy here, the team in Ankara, Turkey is still on the plane helping all the animals, as they are delayed a couple hours before departing for Iceland. The Iceland team has just landed and are setting up to get airside and meet our wonderful animals as soon as they arrive. So many people have come through as we deal with these last minute changes; it’s wonderful to see our animals get such love and care during this long-awaited evacuation.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-ksar-ongoing-operations?fbclid=IwAR3-ArZlwDB9vEWnn2qkc7DK-PB_jft3x8WssKuNsSNN19NakUeYJOIaXXc

^ This one post shows the 2 different jobs KSAR is doing. Job #1: Getting around 300 cats and dogs out of Afghanistan and to Canada where they can be reunited with their Owners or adopted out. Job #2: Continuing to help the abused and abandoned in Kabul. ^

NZ's Failure

From the BBC:

“New Zealand responds to pregnant reporter helped by Taliban”

(Kiwi journalist Charlotte Bellis with Taliban officials on their iPhones after surveying Hamid Karzai International Airport.)

New Zealand journalist Charlotte Bellis said she was unable to return to her home country to give birth. New Zealand has defended its border controls after a pregnant journalist said she had to turn to the Taliban for help after not being able to fly home. Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said there was a place for "people with special circumstances" like Charlotte Bellis. Her story has cast a renewed spotlight on Wellington's tough border measures designed to keep out the coronavirus. Others took issue with her privileged relationship with the Taliban. The Taliban has been regularly criticised for brutally clamping down on women's rights by arresting, torturing and even killing activists and campaigners.

What did Charlotte Bellis ask the Taliban? In a column written for the New Zealand Herald newspaper, Ms Bellis said the New Zealand government had last week rejected her application to return home to give birth. Currently, Wellington allows citizens and permanent residents to enter, but only if they spend 10 days isolating in quarantine hotels. As there is high demand for such facilities and a limited number of spots, many New Zealanders wishing to return have effectively been shut out of their country. She compared that experience to the way she was treated by the Taliban, whom she had contacted to ask if she would be welcome in Afghanistan as an unmarried pregnant woman. Ms Bellis and her partner, a Belgian photojournalist, had been in Afghanistan last year covering the withdrawal of US troops, and it was the only place she and her partner had visas for. "You can come and you won't have a problem. Just tell people you're married and if it escalates, call us," Ms Bellis quoted the unnamed officials as saying in response to her request. "When the Taliban offers you - a pregnant, unmarried woman - safe haven, you know your situation is messed up," she wrote. Single Afghan mothers have reported being frequently harassed by Taliban officials, pressured to give up their children, and having their custodial rights threatened.

What has the response to her column been? Since Ms Bellis' letter was published, there have been calls for New Zealand authorities to adjust the emergency quarantine allocation criteria to specifically cater for pregnant women. Mr Hipkins defended the policy saying the system had "served New Zealand exceptionally well, saved lives and hospital admissions and kept our health system from being swamped." He added however that New Zealand officials had invited Ms Bellis to apply for a visa again under a separate emergency category. Ms Bellis says she has also been offered asylum in another unnamed country since going public with her struggle. However, her story has also come under criticism from observers, rights activists and Afghans themselves.

^ I have said it many times before: New Zealand has, and continues to be, the prime example of what NOT to do. Their Prime Minister has mishandled the whole Pandemic. If one person coughs then the whole country shuts down and she refuses to allow her own Citizens to return home. Being allowed to come home and then quarantined is smart, but not allowing Citizens to come back home because you don’t have enough quarantine hotels is not smart. It is the sign of an unprepared nation that is so stoked with fear that their everyday lives end for no good reason. New Zealand and their Prime Minister have lost in being a Stable and Modern Democracy thanks to their Covid Mistakes. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-60150544

Visa Price Increases

From VOA:

“Significant Nonimmigrant Visa Fee Increase Expected by September”

The Biden administration has proposed raising the fees on almost all nonimmigrant visas. While U.S. officials say the move is needed to better align visa prices with what it costs to provide them, critics worry that if the administration does not address visa wait times, the cost increase could mean even fewer travelers and students coming to the United States. According to a Federal Register notice, the State Department expects the new prices to go into effect by September, and it is accepting comments on the proposed increases until February 28. “All of the fee increases are happening at a time when tourism and travel to the United States is already at an all-time low, and the State Department is imposing waits of six months to a year in many places for a tourist- or business-travel visa,” David Bier, an immigration policy expert at the Cato Institute, told VOA.

State Department figures show the visas with the highest numbers of applications are tourism, business, and study. A nonimmigrant visa allows the holder to travel as a tourist or live, work or study temporarily in the U.S. under certain conditions. Visa applications for tourism, B1 and B2, and student visas, F, M, J, will increase from $160 to $245, a 54% increase. While employment-based visas, H, L, O, P, Q and R, are going from $190 to $310, a 63% increase.  “The most important thing is whether visas are issued promptly. If the administration increases costs, but there’s not a vast improvement in service from the State Department, then the result will be far fewer travelers,” Bier added. U.S. airport traffic has fallen in recent years, counting both domestic and international travelers. According to the Transportation Security Administration, it screened a total of 1.1 million people on January 26. On the same date in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic, that number was more than 2 million.

Promises Addressing America’s immigration system was one of President Joe Biden’s key campaign promises. On his first day in office, he unveiled the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, sweeping immigration reform legislation that included an eight-year path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., a plan to clear employment-based visa backlogs, and a plan to prevent dependents of employment-based visa holders from “aging out” of the system, among other changes. But the legislation stalled in Congress and is largely viewed as all but dead. “Immigrants have done so much for America during the pandemic — as they have throughout our history. The country supports immigration reform. Congress should act,” Biden said. Immigration experts say that while Biden reversed many of his predecessor's policies often described as anti-immigration, a Trump administration executive order that limited legal immigration and the issuance of temporary work visas contributed to longer wait times for nonimmigrant visas.

Also, the State Department temporarily suspended routine visa services at all U.S. embassies and consulates in 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions. They are reopening under a phased resumption of visa services, but about a fourth are partly or fully closed, according to the Cato Institute. U.S. consulates around the world are a major component of the immigration system, processing visas "that authorize travel to the United States, but many consulates remain closed, and the open ones are reporting record wait times — [more than one year] in dozens of locations,” Bier wrote in a recent analysis. A State Department official told VOA that U.S. embassies and consulates have online information on operating status and which services are currently offered. According to Bier, in January most consulates reported waits of 202 days for a visa appointment for business travelers and tourists, up from 95 days in April 2021. For students and exchange visitors, the wait was about 38 days, up from 25 days about a year ago, and 62 days for everyone else, including skilled temporary workers, up from 40 days in April 2021.

Effect on students, workers A State spokesperson explained that the department’s consular operations are largely funded by fees for services and the proposed fee increase is to ensure the agency is fully recovering the costs of providing these services. “Visa fees charged by the Department are generally based on the cost of providing visa services and are determined after conducting a study of the cost of such service,” the spokesperson told VOA by email. “The assessment of the actual cost of service in combination with demand projections over many years determined the fees published in the proposed fee schedule.” Increased fees need to translate into better service, especially shorter wait times, which is particularly important for students, said Jill Welch, senior policy adviser to the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. “We're still evaluating the potential impact of the proposed rule on international student flows to the United States. … It's important for [the State Department] to have adequate resources to process visa applications, particularly for those students and scholars who are on tight timelines for obtaining their visas in order to arrive on time for the academic term,” Welch said. International students at U.S. colleges and universities contributed nearly $41 billion to the U.S. economy and supported 458,290 jobs in the 2018-19 academic year, according to a study by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. In the 2020-21 academic year, international students contributed $28.4 billion to the U.S. economy, a decline of nearly 27%, or $10.3 billion, largely because of the pandemic.

But not everyone believes higher visa costs will have a big impact. Marcelo Barros, an international student career expert in Washington, told VOA that although the fee increase was “unfortunate,” it wouldn't stop people from coming to the U.S. “This is not going to have any meaningful impact on [student] enrollment or on [employment-based visas]. This will not have any meaningful impact on the desire of companies to hire talent outside the U.S.,” he said, adding that if travelers, students or high-skill workers want to come to the United States, they will pay the new fee.

^ The US Visa, like everything else, is going to get more expensive. I don’t know how that will affect Tourism and Business Visits to the US – which are already affected by Covid. ^

https://www.voanews.com/a/significant-nonimmigrant-visa-fee-increase-expected-by-september-/6417424.html

157th Birthday!

 

Happy 157th Birthday Vodka! You don't look a day over 150. My favorite Vodka is the Cranberry Vodka that is only made in Yaroslavl, Russia. It helped me become fluent in Russian and has given me a lot of interesting and funny stories.

Clean-Up

From News Nation:

“100K+ without power in Northeast after powerful blizzard”

(People cross Congress Street, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, in Boston. Forecasters watched closely for new snowfall records, especially in Boston, where the heaviest snow was expected late Saturday.)

Gusty winds and falling temperatures have plunged the East Coast into a deep freeze as people dig out after a powerful nor’easter dumped mounds of snow, flooded coastlines and knocked out power to tens of thousands. Dangerous wind chills have fallen below zero in many locations across the region on Sunday after the storm dumped snow from Virginia to Maine. Philadelphia and New York had plenty of snow, but Massachusetts bore the brunt of the storm, with the town of Sharon getting more than 30 inches of snow before the storm moved out. The wind continued raging as over 100,000 lost power, mostly in Massachusetts, hampering crews’ ability to work on overhead lines. No other states reported widespread outages.

Winds gusted as high as 83 mph on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. It scoured the ground bare in some spots and piled the snow into huge drifts in others. Coastal towns flooded, with wind and waves battering North Weymouth, south of Boston, flooding streets with a slurry of frigid water, according to video posted on social media. Other videos showed a street underwater on Nantucket and waves crashing against the windows of a building in Plymouth. Forecasters watched closely for new snowfall records, especially in Boston. The Boston area’s modern snowfall record for a winter storm is 27.6 inches, set in 2003. The city tied its record for biggest single-day snowfall on Saturday, with 23.6 inches, the National Weather Service said.

Boston resident Jesse Ledin owns a home-goods rental business startup. He was out walking his dog in the storm, wearing ski goggles Saturday as he navigated gingerly through huge snow drifts and painful wind gusts. “It’s pretty intense with the winds getting up to 70 miles an hour. As for the depth, it’s pretty deep in spots with the wind and the snow drifts, but it’s pretty nasty out and I definitely wouldn’t want to be driving. So it’s nice to be able to walk through these huge snowdrifts and in pretty tough conditions,” Ledin said. Climate change, particularly the warming ocean, probably influenced the strength of the storm, atmospheric researchers said. Much warmer ocean waters “are certainly playing a role in the strengthening of the storm system and increased moisture available for the storm,” said University of Oklahoma meteorology professor Jason Furtado. “But it isn’t the only thing.”

The storm had two saving graces: Dry snow less capable of snapping trees and tearing down power lines, and its timing on a weekend, when schools were closed and few people were commuting. Parts of 10 states were under blizzard warnings at some point: Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, along with much of the Delmarva Peninsula in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. The National Weather Service considers a storm a blizzard if it has snowfall or blowing snow, as well as winds of at least 35 mph that reduce visibility to a quarter-mile or less for at least three hours. In many areas, Saturday’s storm met those criteria. Rhode Island, all of which was under a blizzard warning, banned all non-emergency road travel. Hardy New Englanders took the storm in stride. Dave McGillivray, race director for the Boston Marathon, jokingly invited the public to his suburban Boston home on Saturday for a free snow-shoveling clinic. “I will provide the driveway and multiple walkways to ensure your training is conducted in the most lifelike situation,” he said. Washington and Baltimore got some snow but were largely spared. The worst of the nor’easter was expected to blow by Sunday morning into Canada, where several provinces were under warnings.

^ We are now starting to dig out. ^

https://www.newsnationnow.com/weather/100k-without-power-in-northeast-after-powerful-blizzard/

KSAR: Customs

 From the Kabul Small Animal Rescue’s Facebook:

Bea and her 285 travel buddies are through customs and off to the tarmac for some guided Tetris. She’s a lot bigger than the last time we came here together.

^They are now leaving Afghanistan and heading to Canada. ^

50: Bloody Sunday 2

 Bloody Sunday 1972

Bloody Sunday occurred on January 30, 1972, in the city of Derry when the parachute regiment of the British army opened fire on a Civil Rights march killing 13 people, another victim died later from his wounds. By 1969 Northern Ireland was spiraling out of control and rioting became more fierce such as The Battle of Bogside. In response to the unrest, the British decided to deploy the British army onto the streets under Operation Banner. At first, Irish Nationalists welcomed the arrival of the new troops thinking their communities would be protected from Loyalist mobs and a sectarian police force. Their welcome was very short-lived.

The Civil Rights March of January 1972 The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) organized a march to start at 3 PM from the Bishops Field area of the Creggan on Sunday 30 January 1972. The authorities banned the rally but despite this their decision was ignored by thousands of protesters. Due to a previous Civil Rights march being attacked at Burntollet by police and Loyalist mobs the January 30 rally was expecting a similar occurrence. The plan by NICRA was to have the march on Jan 30 start from the Creggan estate, make its way down to the Guildhall Square via William Street walk. Sunday was just like any normal Sunday, people dressed for church and afterward sat down for family dinner. Once dinner was finished people made their way to the Bishops field in Creggan. Approximately 10,000 – 15,000 people joined the rally and stated by many everyone was in good spirits and it was a carnival-like event. The British army, heavily armed and prepared, blocked the parade from making its way to the Guildhall Square. They blocked Williams Street with barbed wire and armored vehicles.  The parade organizers decided to divert the rally from William Street and into the Bogside to the Free Derry Corner.

The trouble begins at the army barricades A number of youths broke away from the main march that was turning into Rossville Street. They hurled abuse at the British troops along with stones and in turn, the troops fired back with rubber bullets, tear gas and a water cannon. Skirmishes between the youth and army weren’t uncommon so nobody was surprised when they heard some stone-throwing at the army was taking place. The majority of the parade-goers ignored what was going on in William Street and continued to follow the rally towards Free Derry Corner.

Paratroopers Storm The Bogside The somewhat small riot in William Street was a typical affair often seen in various areas. The army would stand firm at their barricades and youths would throw stones and bricks at their lines. CS Gas was deployed and filled the air around William Streets. The air in William street was full of C.S. gas, people made their way to the meeting point at Free Derry Corner to avoid the confrontation at the barricades but it was then they heard the distinctive sound of the armored Saracens. Within a matter of minutes, the British Paratroop Regiment jumped from their  Armored vehicles and opened fire into the fleeing crowds. They gunned down unarmed civilians, most of who had their back to the soldiers as they tried to run.  Statements from witnesses described how the Paratroopers fired indiscriminately into the crowd.

One eyewitness statement was from Father Edward Daly, a highly respected priest who went onto become the Bishop of Derry. “It was utterly disgraceful. They were firing lead bullets in all directions. There was nothing fired at them, I can say that with absolute certainty because I was there. The people were running in all directions. Most of them had their backs to them and they just opened fire.” As Father Daly and 17 years old Jackie Duddy tried to flee from the violence Duddy was killed instantly after being shot from behind. A number of eyewitnesses state the Paratrooper took up firing position and shot Jackie from behind. The iconic footage of Father Daly waving a blood-stained white handkerchief escorting one of the fatally injured past British troops reflected how bad the situation had become in Northern Ireland and would fuel anger for many generations.

Civilians Murdered On Bloody Sunday

When the shooting stopped 26 unarmed civilians were shot. 13 were killed instantly and John Johnston would later die from his injuries.

Bernard McGuigan (41)

Gerard V. Donaghy (17)

Hugh P. Gilmore (17)

John F. Duddy (17)

James Mc Kinney (34)

James J. Wray (22)

John P. Young (17)

Kevin McElhinney (17)

Michael G. Kelly (17)

Michael M. McDaid (20)

Patrick J. Doherty (31)

William A. McKinney (27)

William N. Nash (19)

John Johnston (59)

The events of that day had been caught on camera by the press who had witnessed the tragedy first hand. Images sent shock waves around the world and also seen the fall of the Northern Ireland parliament, Stormont. Direct rule from England was brought in after the events of Bloody Sunday and the British Government set-up the Widgery Tribunal to find out about the events of that day. The tribunal was quickly seen as a farce with many of the facts & statements being overlooked. The people of Derry never accepted the Widgery Tribunal and every year since 1972 they marched the same route as those did on Bloody Sunday. Each year pressure was put on the British Prime Minister for a new inquiry but was refused year after year. It wasn’t until 1998 that Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister at the time, agreed to an inquiry are facing pressure from John Hume and 29 January 1998 U.K Prime Minister Tony Blair made a statement to the House Of Commons “that a Tribunal be established for inquiring into a definite matter of urgent public importance, namely the events on Sunday 30 January 1972 which led to loss of life in connection with the procession in Londonderry on that day, taking account of any new information relevant to events on that day.”

The Saville Inquiry The Saville Inquiry was established and by 15 June 2010 they released their final report The firing by soldiers of 1 PARA on Bloody Sunday caused the deaths of 13 people and injury to a similar number, none of whom was posing a threat of causing death or serious injury. British soldiers had concocted lies in their attempt to hide their acts. Civilians had not been warned by the British soldiers that they intended to shoot No stones and no petrol bombs were thrown by civilians before British soldiers shot at them, and that the civilians were not posing any threat. After the publishing on the report the new British Prime Minister, David Cameron, stated in the House of Commons: Mr Speaker, I am deeply patriotic. I never want to believe anything bad about our country. I never want to call into question the behavior of our soldiers and our army, who I believe to be the finest in the world. And I have seen for myself the very difficult and dangerous circumstances in which we ask our soldiers to serve. But the conclusions of this report are absolutely clear. There is no doubt, there is nothing equivocal, there are no ambiguities. What happened on Bloody Sunday was both unjustified and unjustifiable. It was wrong.

The aftermath of Bloody Sunday The events of Bloody Sunday is seen as one of the biggest political and military blunders the British ever made in Ireland. The result turned hundreds, if not thousands, of young men from all over Ireland to join the IRA. This would result in taking Northern Ireland into a bloody 30-year conflict.

https://www.yourirish.com/history/20th-century/bloody-sunday-1972#:~:text=Bloody%20Sunday%20occurred%20on%20January%2030%2C%201972%2C%20in,more%20fierce%20such%20as%20The%20Battle%20of%20Bogside.

50: Bloody Sunday 1

Beforeigners

From Yahoo:

“‘Beforeigners’ Is Time-Traveling TV Sci-Fi with a Fascinating Present-Day Twist”

TV is littered with “what if” stories — worlds that take our own and add one huge change. Often, that means organizing a show around one massive mystery or event and following the people left to parse the aftermath. The main thing that separates “Beforeigners” from other shows like it is the massive time jump it takes in its very first episode. After introducing its inherently hook-y premise — groups of people from centuries, and even millennia, past pop up in the water outside present-day Oslo — the show immediately chooses to spend its time in a world where that new reality isn’t as unfamiliar. Tensions still run high in certain corners, but the intervening years have brought new institutional changes for daily life in the Norwegian capital. Runes appear on public signage, new terms (both preferred and derogatory) emerge to describe the newcomers, and there’s a fresh bureaucratic infrastructure designed to help acclimate these transtemporal visitors to their new home.

It’s a home where they don’t always feel welcome. “Beforeigners” is able to tap into its immigration themes without resorting to purely an on-the-nose, manipulative metaphor. The scene-to-scene details indicate real effort to understand what these groups of “multi-temporal” people might mean for society at large. Their arrival wouldn’t be without trauma and pain and loss. Some would feel more comfortable living in an era hundreds or thousands of years beyond the one they knew, while many others would try their best to carve out a world as if nothing much had ever changed. It’s why the show almost doesn’t need the murder-mystery that weaves its way through the opening season. Even in dimension-bending realities, though, there are still dead bodies on shores and detectives with substance abuse problems to crack the case. Luckily, “Beforeigners” has a pair of compelling characters at its center, with detective Lars Haaland (Nicolai Cleve Broch) learning how to work with new recruit Alfhildr Enginnsdóttir (Krista Kosonen). Through Alfhildr, the audience gets to see someone who was once a Viking-era soldier do her best to help bring about justice in a much different way.

In addition to demonstrating how this world shows different levels of hospitableness to those arriving through mysterious underwater time portals, it also pinpoints a very recognizable reaction to commodify the inexplicable. Even for a process marked by tragedy for those who find themselves unwittingly at the center, this version of Oslo is no stranger to niche industries that pop up in its wake. Though “Beforeigners” has an understanding of why certain people might find it appealing to fully commit to a 19th century lifestyle alongside those cloistering themselves from the rest of the city, there’s a nod to the fact that some of that process is designed for a different kind of more cynical gain. What co-creators Anne Bjørnstad and Eilif Skodvin (who also served the same role on “Lillyhammer” back a decade ago) manage to zero in on are the ways that people compartmentalize what they can’t explain. It’s a lot easier for most people in “Beforeigners” to try to ignore the implications of time travel (in a similar way to how those in present-day Seoul face the unthinkable in “Hellbound”). Yet, even in “Beforeigners,” when faced with what amounts to a significant humanitarian crisis, there’s also a prejudiced, NIMBY-like underpinning that a lot of the ancillary characters feed into in both casual and more organized ways.

With most of the story delivered through the lens of law enforcement tasked with figuring out the various abuses and crimes that grow out of such an unexpected cosmic tear in reality, there’s still plenty of other reasons that “Beforeigners” stays eminently watchable. Most of them play out in the series’ opening credits, with Lars (and sometimes Alfhildr) driving through Oslo with Bobby Bland’s “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City” playing over a montage of kids playing, people in animal pelts walking around business centers, and graffiti expressing either solidarity with or animus toward thousands of new neighbors from throughout history. The rest, as hinted in the closing sequences of Season 1, is all the more reason to be excited about where the show can go next.

^ This may be from 2021, but it really sums-up “Beforeigners” well. I just started watching this show and really like it. I like how it shows the issues we faced in the past and the issues we face now in a new and interesting way. ^I really hope there’s a Season 3. ^

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/beforeigners-time-traveling-tv-sci-220503582.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

Saturday

 

Landstuhl Finally Starts

From Military.com:

“After Years of Delays, Construction on the $969 Million Landstuhl Hospital Replacement Is Starting”

Nearly eight years after the Defense Department held a groundbreaking ceremony in Germany for a new hospital to replace Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, construction on the building is set to begin, Defense Health Agency officials announced Jan. 19. Despite the event in October 2014 that heralded construction of the Rhine Ordnance Barracks Medical Center Replacement, no walls have actually been built. And the original goal to complete the facility in 2022 has been pushed to 2027. According to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokeswoman, the groundbreaking represented "the beginning of the overall campus project," and since then, more than $200 million in infrastructure has been built, including an access control point, bridge, utilities, roads and environmental impact mitigation.

The 1950s-era Landstuhl Regional Medical Center is renowned for being the first stop for service members wounded in Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere. Patients across the years have included the wounded from the 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon; those injured on the guided missile destroyer Cole in 2000; and the wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan. Civilians also have been sent to Landstuhl: Its surgeons famously treated ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt when the vehicle they were filming in struck a roadside bomb near Baghdad in 2006.

The new facility, roughly seven miles from Landstuhl, will employ roughly 2,500 people and also house the 86th Medical Group clinic, now at Ramstein Air Base. Design of the center also has been underway for several years, a "complex process that required multiple design submittal iterations to resolve code conflicts prior to construction award to ensure a modern, world-class facility," said Catherine Bingham, medical program manager at the Corps of Engineers' Europe District. "We are very proud of the hard work and collaboration between the U.S. and German partners," Bingham said in an email. "The whole team is focused on delivering this world class healthcare facility for our service members and their families." The Defense Health Agency announced Jan. 19 that a $969 million contract has been signed with the companies Zublin and Gilbane under a joint venture.

The 985,000-square-foot facility is expected to serve roughly 200,000 service members, families and American civilians in Germany and throughout the region, with nine operating rooms, 120 exam rooms and 68 beds with a surge capacity for 25 more. When work began on the replacement in 2014, its expected completion date was 2022. The timeline was revised in 2018 to December 2023, with a goal to be operational by 2024. Now, according to the Defense Health Agency, the expected completion is in late 2027.

There had been concerns that the construction funds for the Landstuhl replacement project would be diverted for President Donald Trump's project to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, part of $21 billion in unobligated military construction funds that were marked for projects but not spent. The DoD ultimately shifted $3.6 billion to help pay for the wall and later was to contribute an additional $6.4 billion, but the Landstuhl funds were not included. President Joe Biden canceled funding for the border wall project on Jan. 20, 2021, allowing the DoD to reinvest $2.2 billion back into its planned projects. Zublin is a construction company in Stuttgart that has built other U.S. military facilities in Germany; Gilbane was responsible for building Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Virginia.

^ This is long over-due and hopefully there are no more delays. ^

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/01/28/after-years-of-delays-construction-969-million-landstuhl-hospital-replacement-starting.html

Joshua Stevens

From the BBC:

“Essex Police: Station visit a dream for man with Down's syndrome”

The family of a man with Down's syndrome said his dream had come true by becoming a police officer for the day. Joshua Stevens, 19, from Kirby Cross, had been waiting to meet police officers for two years due to coronavirus restrictions. On Wednesday his parents surprised him with a visit to Essex Police officers in Clacton-on-Sea. He had a tour of the station and was shown the cells and police cars. He was also allowed to sit in a police car and use the lights and sirens. Joshua's mother Rachel Kidby said: "He has been excited about meeting the police since the first lockdown; he has done so well to wait two years. "This was like a dream come true. "He loves to watch The Bill and likes to pretend he is Smithy and arrests me and his dad."

^ This is a really cool story. I’m glad he got to do this. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-60167702

1: Coup

From Reuters:

“Factbox: Most prominent people being held by Myanmar junta”

Myanmar's military seized power last year in a Feb. 1 coup that abruptly ended a decade of tentative steps towards democracy. According to rights group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, more than 11,000 people have been arrested since the coup and around 8,000 remain in detention, while about 1,500 people killed by security forces. read more The junta says those figures are exaggerated. Here are some of the most prominent detainees:

AUNG SAN SUU KYI Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi led the elected government overthrown by the military and was arrested in an early morning raid on Feb. 1. She is on trial in more than a dozen cases that carry combined maximum sentences of more than 100 years in prison. She denies all charges, which include breaching the colonial-era Official Secrets Act and corruption. She has been sentenced for incitement, breaching COVID-19 rules and possession of walkie-talkies. Her trial is ongoing. Suu Kyi spent 15 years under house arrest during the last era of military rule.

SEAN TURNELL Suu Kyi's Australian economic adviser, Turnell, was arrested five days after the coup and is also charged under the Official Secrets Act, which carries a 14-year prison sentence.

WIN MYINT Myanmar's ousted president and head of state, Win Myint, was also detained early on Feb. 1 when, according to his court testimony, he was threatened if he refused to relinquish power. He was found guilty, together with Suu Kyi, of incitement and breaching coronavirus rules. His trial related to a corruption charge is ongoing.

WIN HTEIN A close aide to Suu Kyi and senior member of her political party, Win Htein, 79, was sentenced in October to 20 years in prison on charges of high treason. He was a longtime political prisoner during decades of campaigning to end army rule before 2010.

^ Not much focus is on Burma (Myanmar) anymore so I’m trying to fix that. ^

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/most-prominent-people-being-held-by-myanmar-junta-2022-01-29/

Aganist Hamas

From the BBC:

“Palestinians vent against Hamas in rare online event”

(Hamas security forces beat Palestinians to prevent them reaching the border with Israel)

Hundreds of Palestinian activists have been taking part in a rare online event strongly criticizing Hamas governance of the Gaza Strip. They Kidnapped Gaza began as an audio discussion on Twitter on Thursday. "Imagine your one-month-old son dies because of the cold. Imagine your son dying because there is no electricity, no money, no wages and no home," said Mahmoud Nashwan. "Injustice will fall and every oppressor will fall," added the 32-year-old engineer from Gaza, who now lives in Belgium.

The three-hour long, live conversation was organised by five Gazans who left the Palestinian territory after joining the We Want to Live protests which were violently suppressed in March 2019. Living conditions in Gaza are dire. There is a severe lack of water, poor sewage treatment and long daily power cuts. Some 67% of the youth workforce are unemployed - with the highest figures among graduates. The economy has been badly hit by the pandemic and an 11-day conflict between Israel and Hamas militants in May 2021. However, it is unusual to hear residents voice any complaints about those in charge out of fear. "Hamas has billions of dollars in investments in many countries, while people [in Gaza] starve to death and migrate in search of work," said another activist, Amer Balosha, during the social media event. He highlighted the plight of more than 100 Gazans, now imprisoned in Turkey after trying to travel illegally to Greece in search of new lives in Europe. "Hamas, which is responsible for their efforts to emigrate due to its policies, did not intervene to release them," continued Mr Balosha, a 29-year-old law graduate of Al-Azhar University. He now lives in Istanbul after being arrested by Hamas police for his role as an organiser of the 14 March Movement, which was instrumental in the protests in 2019.

The Palestinian Islamist group, Hamas, took full control of Gaza in 2007, ousting Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces in days of bloody fighting, a year after Hamas won the Palestinians' last parliamentary election. Following its takeover, Israel and Egypt imposed a tight blockade against the militants which has squeezed the Palestinian territory. Internationally, Hamas is widely seen as a terrorist group. About two-thirds of the 2m people in Gaza are aged under 25. Most have never left the strip - which is just 25 miles (40km) long and up to seven miles (11km) across - because of tight travel restrictions.

Demonstrations suppressed 

(Critics say Hamas is not spending its money on rebuilding Gaza after the war with Israel last year)

In 2019, demonstrations over the high price of food and lack of jobs brought hundreds of Gazans out on the streets of city centres and refugee camps. They were of a scale and intensity that had not previously been seen under Hamas's iron rule. Videos shared online showed security services hitting people and shooting live ammunition into the air to disperse the crowds. Hamas accused its political rival, Fatah, which dominates the PA, of being behind the protests. However, many young Palestinians criticise both factions, accusing all of the Palestinian leadership of ignoring their daily strife.

A Hamas spokesman did not respond directly when the BBC asked for his reaction to the They Kidnapped Gaza virtual event and hashtag still being used on Twitter. Instead, he pointed out that a new hashtag being used in criticism of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), which began circulating in reaction, had been more popular. The PLO is headed by PA President Mahmoud Abbas. Supporters of Hamas have also been quick to attack its critics. "They Kidnapped Gaza and made it a centre of resistance and challenge to the largest power in the world," a loyalist, Wael Abu Omar, wrote in response on Twitter. "They kidnapped Gaza and it became a hotbed for striking Tel Aviv, Haifa and occupied Jerusalem with rockets. They kidnapped it and Gaza became the defending champion of Jerusalem and Sheikh Jarrah [a politically contentious district in Jerusalem linked to the outbreak of the May war]." Gaza analysts say Hamas officials are unlikely to have been badly rattled as the latest criticism has been concentrated on an online platform not widely used by Palestinians. But it shows the voices of protests still have a way and a means of getting out.

^ Hopefully this is only just a start to get the Hamas Terrorist Group to stop attacking Israel and to either give up control over Gaza or at least rebuild it to help the people that are suffering there. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-60173481

KSAR: Plans

From the Kabul Small Animal Rescue’s Facebook:

I've avoided making our departure date public because I don't want to jinx anything, given that we are operating in a fluid environment and trying to mitigate potential hiccups that could come from a worldwide pandemic, a burgeoning conflict involving a few superpowers, and for all I know an alien invasion of giant jellyfish,  but because of the misunderstandings and anxious questions we're seeing, I'll give some clarity and cross my fingers while Abby here 'helps' with the packing.

Our flight departs Kabul on Sunday, January 30th, early afternoon and lands in Vancouver about 48 hours later to be received by the SPCA International-led group of rescues. The plane is a total beast, an Ilyushan 76-TD, basically built for flying into Siberia in the middle of winter, so we do not expect winter weather to cause any delays or disruptions. There are two crews and three loadmasters to help manage the safe loading of our animals. It's non-palletized loading, which means the crates are packed directly into the plane and strapped in, not first put onto pallets and netted down. This allows for way more efficient packing, and the load plans we've been shown are incredible, with stacks of crates back to back in rows that allow the fronts of crates to be viewed so we can constantly check on the animals and safely and easily move them to clean crates, provide fresh food and water, and address any health problems. We have two animal handlers flying with them out of Kabul and accompanying them the whole way: KSAR staff member Derick Stone and Jeff Beri, a volunteer on loan from No Dogs Left Behind . At each refueling stop there will be crew rest, and veterinary teams will come do full checks on each animal, crates will be cleaned, food and water refreshed, and lots of cuddles given. We will be traveling with about a metric ton of supplies, and hundreds of people have put their concerted efforts into planning for every contingency. We are not depending on luck for this one, but have instead embraced the 7 Ps: Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

We have about 36 hours til takeoff here and will be busy with the well choreographed movements and prep of the final day, but we have gotten permission from the airport to film the take-off, and I will find someone more technologically capable than myself to set up a link where you can track the plane.

^ Fingers crossed all goes well. ^

50: Cameron

From the BBC:

“Bloody Sunday: David Cameron wanted 'no doubt' over apology”

David Cameron has said his apology for Bloody Sunday made it clear there was no doubt what happened was wrong. When the Saville Inquiry was released in 2010, he apologised for the "unjustified and unjustifiable" deaths. Ahead of the 50th anniversary, the ex-prime minister said that was a "proper apology" that left no room for doubt.

Thirteen people were shot dead when soldiers opened fire on civil rights demonstrators in Londonderry on 30 January 1972. After reading the Saville Inquiry into the day's events, Mr Cameron considered how he felt about what he had read, he told BBC Talkback's William Crawley. "It seemed to me that those words [unjustified and unjustifiable] best summed it up," he said. "You couldn't leave any doubt. "Unjustified and unjustifiable means let's not go on arguing about this, what happened was wrong, full stop, end of and let's make a proper apology. "Sometimes with these sort of events politicians - and I can be guilty of this - qualify the apology or shade around the edges. "On this occasion it needed to be absolutely direct and clear."

'One of the darkest days' Mr Cameron made the remarks in the House of Commons and said he was unsure how they would be received in Derry. He added: "I remember watching the news later that day and being very moved by the scenes and understanding how much this had meant to people." Mr Cameron said he understood why the Bloody Sunday families continued to seek justice. "Obviously one feels incredible sympathy for people who have been through that appalling experience," he said. "Then it's really a double jeopardy, of having your relatives suffer in that and for so long not having a faithful account of what actually happened, and taking so long for the truth to come out and of course you understand why those people want not just the truth but the justice that should follow."

Meanwhile, Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin has said the events of Bloody Sunday were indelibly imprinted on the minds of families across the island of Ireland. On Sunday he will lay a wreath at a memorial service in Derry - the first serving taoiseach to do so. "It was a huge turning point in some respects and remains on as an enduring injustice at the heart of the Northern Ireland Troubles," Mr Martin told BBC Radio Foyle. He paid tribute to the "persistence, dignity, and resilience" of the Bloody Sunday victims' families, some of whom he will meet privately on Sunday. He added: "The journey of justice was a long one, but I think it now stands as a monument in itself and an inspiration to others around the world. "They got the truth, they got a state apology from the British prime minister and they got support from subsequent Irish governments but it went on too long". Politicians, he added, must learn from the past and save future generations from violence.

An anniversary mass was held in St Mary's Church in the city on Friday, at which Bishop Donal McKeown said the people of Derry had shown "great dignity and courage" in the intervening 50 years. "The suffering endured has borne the seed of solidarity and not merely of anger," he told those gathered. "It takes a wise heart to look at the rubble of what has been shattered in the past and to make it into a foundation for the future."

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson also paid tribute to the Bloody Sunday victims' families during Prime Minister's Questions. Mr Johnson described it as "one of the darkest days in our history" and said in the run up to the anniversary "we must learn from the past, reconcile and build a shared and prosperous future". Two public inquiries have been carried out into the events of Bloody Sunday.

The Widgery Tribunal, which was announced shortly after Bloody Sunday, largely cleared the soldiers and British authorities of blame.

The Saville Inquiry, published in 2010, found none of the casualties were posing a threat or doing anything that would justify their shooting. The then Prime Minister David Cameron issued an apology on behalf of the state in the House of Commons, saying the killings were "unjustified and unjustifiable".

Following the publication of the Saville Inquiry, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) began a murder investigation in 2010. It took a number of years to complete and detectives then submitted their files to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) towards the end of 2016. Having weighed up 125,000 pages of material, prosecutors said on 14 March they would prosecute a soldier, known only as Soldier F, for the murders of James Wray and William McKinney on Bloody Sunday.

Soldier F also faced charges for the attempted murders of Patrick O'Donnell, Joseph Friel, Joe Mahon and Michael Quinn. On 2 July 2021, it was announced Soldier F would not face trial following a decision by the PPS. The PPS said after "careful consideration" the decision had been taken due to another recent court ruling which found evidence being relied upon in the prosecution of Soldier A and Soldier C for the killing of Joe McCann was inadmissible. This was due to the circumstances in which the evidence was obtained. The decision not to proceed with the case is now the subject of live judicial review proceedings following a legal challenge brought by a brother of one of the Bloody Sunday victims.

^ I was in Northern Ireland in June 2010 when the British Prime Minster apologized for the murder. That same day we left Belfast for Derry/Londonderry (Catholics call it Derry and Protestants call it Londonderry.)

Sadly, 12 years after the Official Apology none of the Soldiers in the 1^st Parachute Regiment of the British Military (that committed the murders) have been brought to justice. They continue to have their names officially withheld by the British Government and keep the Awards and Medals (some from Queen Elizabeth herself) they received for their “service” – that service was the murder of unarmed, peaceful Civilians who were targeted and murdered because they were Catholic.

All of this may sound surprising, but you have to remember that the United Kingdom (like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc.) are officially a Protestant Country and so the murder of non-Protestants (like Catholics) and the decades-old British Government and Military Cover-Up means little to them. If Protestants were murdered then that would be a different story. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-60157409

Nor"Easter Coming

From Reuters:

“U.S. Northeast braces for blizzard bringing up to 2 feet of snow”

A powerful Nor'easter storm is expected to hammer New England and the Middle Atlantic region this weekend with blizzard-like conditions and up to two feet of snow, making travel treacherous and bringing flooding to coastal areas. The National Weather Service (NWS) on Friday issued a blizzard warning for the Boston metropolitan area, which has a population of nearly 4.9 million residents. About 24 inches of powder (60 cm) and wind gusts of 70 miles (112 km) per hour were forecast starting on Saturday. Southeastern Massachusetts, including Cape Cod and the island of Martha's Vineyard, were expected to get the highest snow totals. "We’re declaring a snow emergency starting tonight," Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said in a Tweet. "Residents are encouraged to stay home."

Winter storm advisories and warnings were also in effect from the Carolinas up through Maine, where at least a foot of snow was forecast to start falling Friday afternoon and continue on Saturday, the NWS said. Wind gusts could reach 50 miles per hour. "It will make travel pretty much impossible," said Patrick O'Hara, an NWS meteorologist based in New Jersey. "It is the first very big storm of the year. Every few years we get one. It's not extremely unusual." The storm was approaching 44 years to the day after a monstrous blizzard crippled New England. Striking with little warning and dumping more than 27 inches of snow on Boston, the 1978 storm shut down major highways for a week, trapped residents in their homes and killed dozens of people. On Friday morning, more than 2,000 Saturday flights had already been canceled, including 230 out of Boston's Logan International Airport.

New York City, the nation's biggest metropolis, may see nine inches of snow, forecasters said. "As we head into the weekend, please closely follow local forecasts, stay off the roads, and avoid unnecessary travel," New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on Twitter. Local media throughout the region reported that grocery stores were crowded with shoppers trying to stock up on essentials before the storm hit. "I just spent over $100 for groceries ahead of this alleged “storm.” Snow girl, if you gon’ do it, do it big," Twitter user ChelsLynne17 posted on the social media platform.

The weather service warned that blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility and strong winds could bring down tree branches and knock out power in parts of the region. Libraries, churches, clinics and various retail stores in the region said they were closing on Saturday. "We will be closed tomorrow, Saturday the 29th, for the snow storm. Call us wimps, if you dare..." said RiverRun Bookstore, a Portsmouth, New Hampshire, retailer, in a Tweet. Some parts of coastal Atlantic were also facing the possibility of flooding in low-lying areas and vulnerable roadways, the NWS said. The storm system will push temperatures down. Highs will range from 15 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit below average across the eastern third of the U.S. on Saturday.

^ The brunt of this storm is supposed to stay south of us, but we are still expecting 6-12 inches of snow and power outages from the 35-50 mph winds. ^

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/winter-storm-blast-us-northeast-with-blizzard-like-conditions-2022-01-28/

50: Scars

From Reuters:

“'Bloody Sunday' still scars Northern Ireland 50 years on”

(People stand outside the Houses of Parliament to commemorate the victims of the "Bloody Sunday" shootings ahead of the 50th anniversary, in London, Britain, January 27, 2022.)

Five decades after British soldiers killed 13 unarmed Catholic civil rights marchers on one of the defining days of the Northern Ireland conflict, relatives are still searching for the justice they believe is needed for a scarred society to heal. Family and friends of the 13 Catholics who died in Londonderry on "Bloody Sunday", Jan. 30, 1972 - and of a 14th who died later of his wounds - gathered this week for a series of commemorations to mark the event that helped fuel three decades of bitter sectarian and political violence. While a judicial inquiry found in 2010 that the victims were innocent and had posed no threat to the military, the commemorations come just months after prosecutors announced that the only British soldier charged with murder will not face trial.  "Our generation are very slowly dying off... and we would like to see it [justice] when we're still alive," said Jean Hegarty, whose brother Kevin McElhinney was shot dead aged 17. She supports legal action to bring the soldier to trial. "My head would say no, but my heart would still like to believe that we can see at least some soldiers face a court," she said.

BITTERNESS Northern Ireland's 1998 peace process has been hailed around the world for its success in largely ending a conflict in which more than 3,000 people were killed. Irish nationalist militants seeking unification with the Republic of Ireland faced off against the British Army and loyalists determined to keep the province British. But nearly a quarter of a century after the peace, the bitterness lingers. A number of flags of the British Army's Parachute Regiment, whose members shot the protesters, were hung from lamp posts in the city in the run-up to the commemorations, something that has become an annual ritual. The regiment condemned the action. A leading member of Northern Ireland's pro-British Democratic Unionist Party complained that "countless words" had been written about Bloody Sunday but little about two soldiers shot dead by Irish nationalist militants a few days earlier. While the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was responsible for about half of the deaths in the conflict, nationalists argue the violence was spurred by a repressive state that denied them their rights - and rarely more vividly than on Bloody Sunday. "I'm disappointed by the belligerence of politicians," said Hegarty. "In some respects there has not been a lot of change. In some respects there has been tonnes."

Commemorations this weekend will include a memorial service on Londonderry's main square and a play centred on a famous photograph of priest Edward Daly holding up a white handkerchief to British soldiers as men tried to carry a dying man to safety. The play will be performed entirely by locals in a city where January 30 retains a "real deep poignancy", said director Kieran Griffiths, who worked closely with the relatives. Gleann Doherty, whose father Patrick was among those killed on Bloody Sunday, believes the relatives have been given more closure than most impacted by the conflict. The detailed inquiry led Britain's then-Prime Minister David Cameron in 2010 to apologise for the "unjustified and unjustifiable killings".

The current British government last year announced a plan to halt all prosecutions of soldiers and militants in a bid to draw a line under the conflict - a move that angered relatives and has been rejected by all the main local political parties. "We're sort of one of the lucky - if you can call it lucky - ones to have some sort of answers to what happened," said Doherty. "It's fairly difficult to get any sort of reconciliation... when you have the British government trying to close the door on any possibility" of justice, he added.

^ The British Government continues to cover-up the crimes of the British Military by not bringing any of the Soldiers, who shot and killed or wounded unarmed, peaceful people simply because they were Catholics, to justice. Add Brexit to all of this and 50 years on and things are not much better than they were back in 1972. ^

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/bloody-sunday-still-scars-northern-ireland-50-years-2022-01-28/