Rainbows displayed across NL in support of Springdale GaySexuality Alliance
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – When Kayla Hearn heard a small Newfoundland community had voted down a motion to paint the rainbow symbol on a crosswalk, she swiftly joined in the diverse outpouring of support for the high school students who proposed it.In Hearn’s instance, it’s a plan to work with her business partner, Mark Adams, to design a new T-shirt print in support of the LGBTQ community in Springdale.The St. John’s resident imagines a design with a text reading “Springdale is for lovers,” with the “O” drawn as a rainbow heart.“I grew up queer in a small town, I know what it feels like to be different,” said Hearn, who recently started an online T-shirt company, Hard Case Tees, with designs that reflect the LGBTQ experience in Newfoundland and Labrador.Her move is just one of a barrage of tweets, municipal motions of support and public statements coming in the wake of the controversial vote in the town on the province’s north shore.The town council in the community of close to 3,000 people voted earlier this month against a motion of the Indian River High School’s Gender-Sexuality Alliance to paint a rainbow crosswalk.The crosswalks have become commonplace symbols of municipal support for diversity in towns and cities across the country.Elsewhere in the province, municipalities are seizing the moment to send out visual statements of inclusivity and support.On Tuesday, Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove’s town council voted unanimously to install two rainbow crosswalks, one in front of town hall and one at the entrance of Kelly Park.Mayor Bert Hickey said the decision in Springdale kickstarted a discussion that town leadership should send a message of its own.“To put it simply, we just felt it was the right thing to do,” said Hickey.Hickey said he’s received heartwarming comments from residents and youth leaders in response to the decision. Council is discussing painting a third rainbow in the parking lot of the school.“We want to certainly send a message to that community, to parents of those children, that this is our stand here and this is how we feel and I suppose we want to distance ourselves from any other town or community that feels differently,” Hickey said.The presence of rainbow crosswalks is hardly a new phenomenon in the province.In St. John’s, city council voted to paint a rainbow crosswalk in front of city hall in advance of the pride parade in 2016, and plans to do so every year.“The City of St. John’s is committed to celebrating diversity in our community and we strive to be a welcoming place. All are celebrated in the City of St. John’s,” mayor Danny Breen wrote in an e-mailed statement.The town of Gander has had a rainbow crosswalk installed since 2016.Meanwhile, there has also been an outpouring of comments on social media.Becky McDonald, a teacher in Chapel Arm, posted a photo of children standing at a rainbow chalk coloured crosswalk, writing “Holy Family Elementary in Chapel Arm stands with @IRH_wildcats.”Other high profile Newfoundlanders like comedian Mark Critch and musician Alan Doyle have tweeted their support.Peg Norman opened her business Travel Bug in downtown St. John’s 13 years ago and has flown a rainbow flag for much of that time.The 54-year-old grew up in rural Newfoundland and says she’s seen positive changes across the province since she was a high school student in the 1980s.The activism of the Springdale youth and response from other communities disproves the common perception that rural Newfoundland is homophobic, she said.“Unfortunately, the leadership within the community and the council are not in the same place that the kids and students and teachers are in that school,” she said.Still, Hearn said she was “disappointed” to see hear of the decision out of Springdale.“It highlights the stigma around queer people that still exists,” she said. “I’d like to see a discussion of the impact it’s having on those kids.”In Springdale, Mayor Dave Edison, who cast the deciding vote, has said he isn’t discriminating against people of different gender identities or orientations, but is concerned over the conflicts the crosswalk might cause.“I am just worried that, while they are asking for this to show inclusion, I think it is actually going to create a division,” said Edison.The students presented their case again at Monday night’s council meeting, and are still awaiting a response.Follow @hollerdoller on Twitter.
Our global coal review article in the August issue comments on the buoyant metallurgical coal market. New World Resources (NWR), Central Europe’s leading hard coal and coke producer, has reached agreements with its customers for coking coal and coke sales for the third calendar quarter of 2010 that underline this strongly. Quarterly priced coking coal, which represents 20% of the total expected sales volume for 2010, amounts to approximately 300,000 t for delivery in the third calendar quarter of 2010 and comprises mostly semi-soft coking coal. The average price agreed for these deliveries was EUR158/t, 17% higher than the average price for the second calendar quarter of 2010.The average price agreed for coke sales during the third calendar quarter of 2010 was EUR362/t, an increase of 42% compared to second calendar quarter prices and 143% higher than the 2009 average price. The expected sales volume for the period is approximately 250,000 t.80% of NWR’s coking coal in terms of tonnage is sold on a Japanese Fiscal Year (JFY) basis, all coke is sold on a quarterly basis and all thermal coal prices are agreed for the calendar year. The price for JFY 2010 coking coal sales and thermal coal prices for the calendar year 2010 remain unchanged at an average of EUR163/t and EUR65/t, respectively.“The coking coal and coke prices we have agreed for the third calendar quarter of 2010 are encouraging and are evidence of the continued solid demand for our products this year,” commented Mike Salamon, Executive Chairman of NWR’s Board. “We are happy with our current sales structure, thanks to our decision to settle 80% of our coking coal sales volumes for JFY 2010. However, given the continued uncertainty regarding the prospects for the steel industry, we remain cautious about predicting the outcome of future pricing negotiations as they will be driven by the market dynamics at the time.”During calendar year 2010, NWR expects to sell externally a total of approximately 5.5 Mt of coking coal, 5 Mt of thermal coal and 1.1 Mt of coke. Production targets for calendar year 2010 remain unchanged at 11.5 Mt of coal and 1 Mt of coke.
Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram Alpha Bank, Eurobank EFG, National Bank and Piraeus Bank, the country’s four major commercial lenders, are expected to announce combined losses of more than 22 billion euros for 2011.This is due to the 53.5 per cent haircut on Greek bonds through the private sector involvement (PSI) process as well as the deterioration of the quality of their loan portfolios as recorded during inspections by BlackRock Solutions.With amassed losses of 19 billion euros between them during the first nine months of the year, the country’s four main banks are expected to present fourth-quarter losses of some 3.6 billion euros, according to sources, taking their total losses to over 22.5 billion euros for the whole of the year. Source: Kathimerini
Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram Briton David Bulmer-Rizzi, 32, died in an Adelaide hospital after a tragic accident while honeymooning in SA with his husband Marco, 38.David fell down a set of stairs at the estate the couple was staying with friends, cracking his skull.Last Friday he was confirmed as brain-dead by the Royal Adelaide Hospital doctors last Saturday.Both David and Marco are UK citizens, where same-sex marriage is legal. They married in June last year in south London, before a second full ceremony in Santorini, Greece with all friends and family present. As same-sex marriage remains unrecognised in Australia, David’s death certificate carried the status: “Never married” and Marco was not recognised as next of kin.“It was a personal attack on David, on our memories, it was the most humiliating moment of my life,” Marco told ABC 730“David was my safe place. David was everything I wanted to wake up to every morning for all sorts of reasons, that I don’t think … I can’t even try to explain.”David’s father Nigel Bulmer, who had to fly from London to receive his son’s remains also told ABC he was shocked by what had happened.“I didn’t think anything could hurt me more than I was hurting at the time and that really did. That was just — putting the knife in and twisting it,” he said.South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill took to Sate Parliament and social media to ensure the certificate will be changed to remove the description of ‘never married’.“I felt deeply ashamed that these things happened in South Australia. A man’s just lost someone he loves, his husband, someone he’s legally married to and he’s treated with disrespect in my State, and it caused me to feel very sad and I… I reached out to him and contacted him and offered an apology for what he’d experienced here in South Australia and obviously offered my condolences for his loss,” he told the news.Marco and David’s father Nigel have organised for David’s organs to be donated. They have collected David’s ashes and left Australia yesterday.Source: ABC, In Daily
Les 8 actus sciences que vous devez connaître ce 31 marsUn désert qui s’étend, une pleine Lune un peu particulière et un bébé tyrannosaure qui sort de terre, voici votre concentré d’actualités scientifiques pour ce 31 mars. – On vous parlait récemment de la résistance aux antibiotiques. En voici un cas préoccupant. Au Royaume-Uni, un homme a contracté une souche super-résistante de la bactérie responsable de la gonorrhée. Un traitement combinant deux antibiotiques normalement efficaces a échoué à venir à bout de l’infection. C’est la première fois qu’un tel cas est rapporté.- Le Sahara est en train de s’étendre. Selon une récente étude, le plus grand désert chaud du monde a grandi de 10% comparé au siècle dernier. L’expansion des déserts est un phénomène naturel rythmé par les cycles saisonniers. Mais elle serait bien plus prononcée pour le Sahara, faute au changement climatique, d’après les chercheurs.- Ce soir, pensez à jeter un coup d’oeil au ciel. La pleine Lune sera un peu particulière puisqu’il s’agira d’une “lune bleue”. Non, la Lune ne sera pas réellement bleue. Cette expression signifie qu’il s’agira d’une pleine Lune supplémentaire, plus exactement de la seconde pleine Lune de mars. Un phénomène qui ne se reproduira pas avant 2020. – Un nouveau dinosaure vient de sortir de terre aux Etats-Unis. Dans le Montana, des étudiants ont mis au jour les restes de ce qu’ils pensent être un bébé tyrannosaure. La mâchoire supérieure, de nombreuses dents et même des morceaux du crâne ont été identifiés. Une découverte rare mais l’identité du dinosaure doit encore être confirmée.- Les abeilles n’ont pas fini de nous étonner. En étudiant des colonies de butineuses, des chercheurs ont fait une fascinante découverte. Pour prendre une décision lorsqu’elles sont en groupe, les abeilles se comportent de façon similaire aux neurones d’un cerveau humain. Elles interagissent entre elles via leur mouvement pour faire un choix collectif. À lire aussiInfection, gaspillage et Facebook, les actus sciences que vous devez connaître ce 29 août- Envie de vivre plus longtemps ? Alors levez le pied sur les calories. Selon une récente étude, diminuer son apport calorique de 15% permettrait de ralentir le vieillissement et le métabolisme. Ceci protégerait également contre des maladies comme la maladie d’Alzheimer, de Parkison, le cancer ou encore le diabète.- Un nouveau télescope sera bientôt lancé à la poursuite des exoplanètes. La NASA a annoncé le lancement le 16 avril prochain d’un télescope spatial baptisé TESS (pour Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite). D’une durée de deux ans, sa mission consistera à poursuivre l’oeuvre engagée par Kepler dans la détection d’exoplanètes inconnues. – Les tortues n’ont pas l’air d’être les animaux les plus habiles du règne animal et pourtant. Une étude vient de révéler que leurs nageoires ne leur servent pas qu’à nager. Si elles n’ont pas été conçues pour, les tortues les utilisent aussi pour manipuler des proies. Une découverte qui surprend les chercheurs et pose la question du caractère inné ou acquis de ce comportement. Le 31 mars 2018 à 00:15 • Maxime Lambert
Load More Genting’s Resorts World Las Vegas names five key additions to executive team Strong VIP growth sees Okada Manila GGR climb 72% in August MGM China Ltd has seen its revenue rise 23% year-on-year and 7% sequentially to US$734 million in the three months to 31 March 2019, buoyed by a full quarter of operations at MGM Cotai, the addition of new gaming tables and improved main gaming floor win rates.Ongoing ramp at its flagship Cotai property, which opened in February 2018, saw Adjusted Property EBITDA grow 26% to US$191 million, compared to US$152 million in the prior year quarter, and Adjusted Property EBITDA margin up from 25.5% to 26.0%. Lack of premium mass strategy begs questions of SJM’s Grand Lisboa Palace launch: analysts Despite MGM Cotai adding junket rooms in the second half of 2018, it was the mass market segment contributing most of the growth for MGM China, including a 16% year-on-year increase in mass table drop to US$1.99 billion. A win rate of 22.3% pushed main floor table games win to US$444.4 million, up 35% on 1Q18 numbers, while the addition of 25 new-to-market gaming tables on 1 January 2019 contributed net revenue of US$301 million, MGM China said.VIP rolling chip grew 1% across MGM’s two Macau properties to US$10.01 billion, with win rate holding steady year-on-year. However, the company says it is confident the segment will show improvement in the future following the launch of its ultra-luxury Mansion VIP enclave at MGM Cotai in late March. MGM noted that 80% of its gaming profit in 1Q19 came from the mass market.Parent company MGM Resorts, which holds a 56% stake in MGM China, saw its net revenue rise 13% to US$3.2 billion and Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA up 5% to US$740 million. However, net income fell from US$223 million to US$31 million due to various tax charges including the extension of its Macau sub-concession until 2022.Chairman and CEO Jim Murren highlighted the company’s new MGM 2020 business optimization initiative during an investor presentation, with MGM Resorts targeting consolidated Adjusted EBITDA of between US$3.6 billion and US$3.9 billion by 2020. RelatedPosts
Oxfam logoThe chief executive of scandal-hit British charity Oxfam announced his resignation Wednesday, saying that someone else should help “rebuild” the group following a prostitution scandal in Haiti.Mark Goldring had resisted calls to resign when the crisis hit in February, following revelations that Oxfam aid workers used prostitutes while working in Haiti following a devastating 2010 earthquake.But he announced that he would now be leaving at the end of the year, after five years in the job, saying in a statement: “I think the time is coming for a new leader.”He added: “Following the very public exposure of Oxfam’s past failings, we have redoubled our efforts to ensure that Oxfam is a safe and respectful place for all who have contact with us.“We are now laying strong foundations for recovery. I am personally totally committed to seeing this phase through.“However, what is important in 2019 and beyond is that Oxfam rebuilds and renews in a way that is most relevant for the future and so continues to help as many people as possible around the world build better lives.“I think that this journey will best be led by someone bringing fresh vision and energy and making a long-term commitment to see it through.”The reputation of Oxfam Great Britain, part of Oxfam International, was shattered and its funding hit by the scandal, with three of its global ambassadors, including South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu, pulling out.The claims were not confined to Haiti-subsequent claims were made about aid workers in Chad, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines-prompting the charity to launch an action plan against sexual harassment and abuse.Deputy chief executive Penny Lawrence resigned but Goldring refused repeated demands to follow her-even after he said in one newspaper interview that the outrage was “out of proportion” to what happened.“Mark faced the test of a lifetime managing the crisis which hit us in February and related to events before he joined,” said Oxfam chairwoman Caroline Thomson.“He rose to the immense challenge and his leadership has been invaluable through it. It is testament to his integrity and humility that Mark will see through the next few difficult months.”
Residents take a look at the Woolsey Fire burning brush and trees on 9 November 2018 in Agoura Hills, California. Photo: AFPWildfires raged on Friday across California, where five people died in their cars while trying to escape flames engulfing a mountain town, and residents were forced to flee the upscale beach community of Malibu in the face of a monster firestorm.Hundreds of homes were believed destroyed in Paradise, California, some 90 miles (145 km) north of Sacramento, and officials feared the death toll could rise once crews put out the flames and inspect destroyed properties.In Malibu, some 500 miles (800 km) to the south, flames driven by hot Santa Ana winds gusting up to 50 miles per hour (80 kph) raced down hillsides and through canyons toward multi-million dollar homes.Thousands of residents packed the Pacific Coast Highway to head south or took refuge on beaches, along with their horses and other pets.Among those force to flee the Woolsey Fire, which had charred some 35,000 acres (14,164 hectares) as of Friday afternoon, were celebrities, including Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian, who said on Twitter flames had damaged the home she shares in nearby Calabasas with Kanye West.”Fire is now burning out of control and heading into populated areas of Malibu,” the city said in a statement online. “All residents must evacuate immediately.”Malibu and Calabasas, west of Los Angeles, are home to hundreds of celebrities and entertainment executives attracted by ocean views, rolling hills and large, secluded estates.The blaze, which spewed massive plumes of thick black smoke, also threatened parts of the nearby town of Thousand Oaks, where a gunman killed 12 people earlier this week in a shooting rampage at a college bar, stunning the bucolic Southern California community with a reputation for safety.The Woolsey Fire broke out on Thursday and quickly jumped the 101 Freeway in several places. On Friday, it climbed over the Santa Monica Mountains toward Malibu.Authorities were forced to shut down the 101, a major north-south artery, as well as the Pacific Coast Highway. Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said a “significant number” of homes had been destroyed by the flames but that an accurate count could not yet be made.In Northern California the Camp Fire, has more than tripled in size to 70,000 acres (2,838 hectares) since erupting on Thursday and leveling parts of the town of Paradise, with a population of 26,000 people.In addition to the five people found dead in their vehicles, many were forced to abandon their cars and run for their lives down the sole road through the mountain town. In the aftermath, a school bus was among several abandoned vehicles left blackened by flames on one road.About 2,000 structures were destroyed in the area, officials said.The death toll is expected to climb, said California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) spokesman Scott McLean, because flames have blocked search and rescue crews from looking for victims in destroyed homes.”The only reason they found the five is because they were still on the road,” McLean said.California Acting Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday declared a state of emergency for areas affected by the Woolsey and Hill fires in Ventura and Los Angeles counties.The Hill Fire in Ventura County’s Santa Rosa Valley has charred about 6,000 acres (2,428 hectares), according to Cal Fire.In Los Angeles, another, smaller fire in Griffith Park forced the Los Angeles Zoo to evacuate a number of show birds and some small primates on Friday as flames came within less than 2 miles (3 km) of the facility, zoo officials said in a statement.
Baltimore City mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake speaks at a press conference announcing the formation of a working group to consider the implementation of a body camera program in the city. (AFRO Photo/Roberto Alejandro)A working group will study possible implementation of a body camera program for Baltimore police, and will provide recommendations to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Police Commissioner Anthony Batts within three to four months.The creation of the working group was announced by Rawlings-Blake and Batts at a press conference at City Hall on Oct. 17.The announcement came almost two weeks after the mayor and police commissioner released a report on reforming Baltimore Police Department practices. The report called for the convening of a panel to consider implementation of a body camera program in the city. Prior to the release of the report, Baltimore had been rocked by a series videos of BPD officers assaulting citizens.“Baltimore can only become a safer city if the community and the police are working together, hand in hand, to rid our streets of violence,” Rawlings-Blake said at the press conference. “That means we have to work every day to bring more transparency and accountability to policing in Baltimore.”Concern over relations between residents and police was at the center of the conference, and Batts spoke of the need for greater trust in Baltimore’s police force.“Our ability to be successful in the crime-fight is directly linked to the trust that the public has in the Baltimore police department,” said Batts. “That trust comes not only from our ongoing community engagement, but also from the way the officers in this department interact with the community that pay our salaries on a daily basis.”The work group will be co-chaired by James Benjamin, Jr., an area attorney, and Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant, pastor of Empowerment Temple. The group will look at a number of issues including costs of implementation, policies and procedures related to the use of the cameras, as well as issues related to storage of the data captured.ralejandro@afro.com
Current chief executive of Tour East Australia Simon Bernardi will likely take the chair of Chris Rankin at Qantas Holidays not long before Mr Rankin has left it, according to e-Travel Blackboard sources.It was announced last week that Mr Rankin will head up Cruise1st as general manager, leaving his position as Qantas Holidays Commercial General Manager up for grabs.e-Travel Blackboard understands from Qantas Holidays staff that Mr Bernardi is tipped to take the role and were told that he will not be returning to Tour East Australia upon his return from annual leave.Qantas Holidays were unable to officially comment on the alleged move.Qantas veteran, Mr Bernardi was head of Qantas Holidays from 2001 to 2006. Source = e-Travel Blackboard: G.A
by The Associated Press Posted Sep 11, 2018 2:44 pm PDT Last Updated Sep 11, 2018 at 3:20 pm PDT AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to RedditRedditShare to 電子郵件Email CBS’ King calls on CBS to make report on Moonves public NEW YORK, N.Y. – CBS News anchor Gayle King says the network should release its report on sexual misconduct allegations against former chief executive Leslie Moonves, who was ousted on Sunday.King, speaking Tuesday on “CBS This Morning,” said that “I don’t know how we move forward if we at CBS don’t have full transparency.”A law firm is investigating reports that Moonves forced women to perform oral sex and retaliated against people who resisted his advances. The former executive has denied the charges. Its report is central to a determination of whether Moonves gets severance.It hasn’t been determined whether that report will be made public. Documents show that Moonves and CBS agreed to keep that confidential unless the board determines it’s in the best interest of the company to release it.
FILE – In this Feb. 13, 2018 file photo, “CBS This Morning” anchor Gayle King attends a special screening of “Black Panther” in New York. King says the network should release its report on sexual misconduct allegations against former chief executive Leslie Moonves, who was ousted on Sunday. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) 