A timeline of the Patrick Brown resignation saga
TORONTO – A timeline of the tumultuous events that followed the resignation of former Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown last month, and his bid to reclaim that post:Jan. 24: Patrick Brown calls a last-minute news conference to deny a pending news report about sexual misconduct, and decry them as “categorically untrue.” Minutes later, CTV News airs a story in which two unnamed women make allegations of sexual assault and other misconduct against Brown dating back to his time as a federal member of parliament. CTV said one woman, who is now 29, claimed she was still in high school and under the legal drinking age when Brown allegedly asked her to perform oral sex on him at his home after she’d been drinking. Another woman said she was a university student working in Brown’s constituency office when he allegedly sexually assaulted her at his home, CTV reported. The allegations have not been independently verified by the Canadian Press.Jan. 25: Brown issues a statement in the early morning hours saying he will step down as party leader to focus on clearing his name.Jan. 26: The PC caucus names Tory legislator Victor Fedeli as interim leader. Fedeli vows to root out the “rot” from within the party. The caucus further recommends that Fedeli carry the party through to the election, but the party executive announce that a leadership contest will be held instead.Jan. 29: Former Toronto city councillor Doug Ford, brother of the notorious late mayor Rob Ford, becomes the first person to declare his candidacy for the party leadership. He says he plans to rest control of the party from elites and give a voice to the grassroots members.Feb. 1: Former Ontario legislator Christine Elliott announces her bid to contend for the party leadership. Elliott came second to Brown during the last contest to select a new leader in 2015. Elliott is the widow of late federal finance minister Jim Flaherty.Feb. 5: Toronto lawyer Caroline Mulroney, daughter of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, ends days of speculation by announcing her candidacy for party leader.Feb. 6: Brown breaks his silence in a tweet reaffirming his denial of all sexual misconduct allegations and saying “the truth will come out.”Feb. 8: Social conservative and parental rights activist Tanya Granic Allen announces plans to join the leadership race.Feb. 9: PostMedia publishes the first interview with Brown since his resignation, in which he says he’s contemplating legal action for what he calls the “absolute lies” said about him.Feb. 11: Brown publishes the first of several Facebook posts in which he vows to clear his name and questions the credibility of the women who brought allegations against him. He openly challenges the veracity of CTV’s reporting on the original story and points out discrepancies in the women’s accounts that he says prove their accusations are false.Feb. 13: CTV reports one of Brown’s accusers has altered the timeline of her story but stands by the core events of her allegation. The network says the woman, who claimed she was still in high school at the time of the incident, was in fact of legal age.Feb. 15: Brown announces his intention to sue CTV for its reporting of the allegations against him.Feb. 16: Interim Progressive Conservative leader Vic Fedeli says Brown has been kicked out of the caucus. With less than an hour to go before the deadline for candidates to register for the leadership expires, Brown joins the race. He says his name has been cleared and he wants to focus on getting Ontario back on track.
Twitter Facebook Movie World in Stony Plain is still doing well despite the rise of streaming apps. LEAVE A REPLY Cancel replyLog in to leave a comment Advertisement Login/Register With:
Advertisement Advertisement Despite popular streaming services and on-demand networks that allow movie-lovers to download a film from the comfort of their own home, Movie World still has customers.Its shelves are full of DVDs and even some VHS tapes that can make for a nostalgic browsing experience.“It’s still a good business,” Davis said in an interview with CTV Edmonton. “All the time there’s people walking in and it’s like, ‘Ah, I haven’t been in a video store in forever.’”Movie World outlasted big chain rental companies such as Blockbuster, Rogers Video and Movie Studio, which all closed in the Alta. region between 2011 and 2015.Stony Plain resident Ray Gaultier says he prefers to watch movies the “old school way,” regularly stopping at Movie World.“Going online is nice, but we haven’t grasped that technology yet,” said Gaultier.Others in the area still have to watch DVDs because th Wi-Fi is not as strong for those living outside of town for internet downloads.“You’re sitting at 6, 7 p.m. and you don’t want to see buffering going on your TV while you’re waiting for your movie,” said Davis.Davis says his video rental store still has customers because he offers something his clientele can’t get anywhere else: the types of movies that are not available on streaming apps.“[There is] better variety,” Movie World customer Maysen Lubbers said. “The people are great… It’s a small town thing.”With files from CTV Edmonton Movie night used to require a trip to a store like Blockbuster. Now, Canadians can watch any movie or TV show with the click of a button.But a video rental store west of Edmonton is still managing to keep business going in today’s digital world.Shawn Davis — owner of Movie World in Stony Plain, Alta. — believes he has the last “full service” video rental store in the region.
CALGARY – Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. is downplaying the potential negative impact on its operations from a trade war between the United States and China.China accounts for 12 per cent of North American revenues, with direct business between the world’s two largest economies coming in at less than five per cent, analysts were told during a conference call Thursday about its third-quarter results.“We’re just a business that’s getting tossed around a bit with this China connection being overemphasized in the marketplace,” said chief executive Keith Creel.Chief marketing officer John Brooks said trade tensions and the imposition of hefty import tariffs by both sides have prompted international customers to start to pull forward some of their business.The impact is mainly felt from some Vancouver imports and U.S. grain exports from the Midwest.“But outside of that, we’re pretty resilient in that space. And again, it’s a total percentage, it’s not giant numbers,” Brooks said.Creel said the Calgary-based company aims to ramp up crude shipments over the next few months to a run rate of about 100,000 carloads a year as it looks to generate higher profits after posting record revenues and adjusted earnings in the third quarter.CP Rail earned $622 million or $4.35 per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, compared with $510 million or 3.50 per share for the same period a year earlier.Adjusted earnings rose to $589 million or a record $4.12 per diluted share, two cents better than it forecast earlier this month. The earnings marked a 42 per cent leap from $2.90 per share or $422 million a year earlier, beating the expectations of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters Eikon.The quarter showed the success of the railway’s operating model, stated CEO Keith Creel.“It was a record by almost every measure and sets us up well for the remainder of the year and beyond.”Third-quarter revenues grew 19 per cent to $1.9 billion from $1.6 billion.It was led by a 58 per cent growth in currency-adjusted revenues for energy, chemicals and plastics.Creel stressed “crude was a large contributor to this growth,” with more than 23,000 carloads moved in the quarter, but added that the category shot up 23 per cent even before factoring in crude.Adjusted revenues also grew 24 per cent higher in potash, 20 per cent in automotive, 18 per cent in intermodal, 12 per cent in forest products, seven per cent grain, five per cent metals, minerals, consumer, four per cent coal and two per cent fertilizers and sulphur.Brooks acknowledged that wet weather and an early winter in the Prairies could potentially hurt shipments.But crops such as canola are “pretty resilient, as long as they’e not beaten down to the ground.”The company reported a record-low quarterly operating ratio, which measures its efficiency, of 58.3 per cent, compared with 61 per cent a year earlier.Creel said the railway foresees continued and sustainable growth across all lines of business.“We have the foundational underpinnings, and the room to grow, in the weeks, months and years ahead,” he said in a news release.CP Rail said it expects adjusted diluted earnings per share to grow more than 20 per cent this year, up from an earlier guidance of low double-digit growth.Edward Jones analyst Dan Sherman recommended investors buy stock in the 137-year-old company, but cautioned that “trade disagreements with U.S. export partners may also affect the volume of shipments.”Companies in this story: (TSX:CP)
Goldman Sachs did a massive survey of its Gen Z interns and found they like pot, but ignore influencers Mercedes-Benz will join the electric scooter wars with its own model in 2020 10 things you need to know before the opening bell Many of them were on their way out. If they had anywhere else to go, they’d be there.While Marcin’s project ended in 2011, homelessness and the makeshift camps have remained a chronic issue in the Baltimore area, leading to the establishment of The Journey Home, a 10-year program seeking to end the problem in Baltimore.Marcin shared some photos of the homes and you can see the rest at his website. Marcin is running a new project on America’s new urban high-rises at the Detroit Center of Contemporary Photography.Marcin came across the first homeless settlement he encountered while hiking in the wilderness surrounding and in Baltimore.The more he explored, the more camps he found. Because Baltimore’s numerous green spaces are rarely used, homeless people found them an ideal place to set up camp.Most of the homeless people live in tents or under tarps, which they buy from Walmart or Target.Some of the homeless even have jobs but simply cannot afford, or be approved for, a house or apartment.Others move into the wilderness to avoid Baltimore’s homeless shelters, saying that it is “safer” for them to be in the woods.“Most of these guys were not muscular guys. They were smaller, a little bit off the wall, and afraid of getting assaulted at the shelter,” says Marcin.Some of the camps are more permanent. This homeless man made his structure completely out of doors. A Pittsburgh doctor says Antonio Brown once repeatedly farted in his face during a consultation, and that he owes him $11,500 in unpaid bills ACCORDING TO RECENT reports in Baltimore, the problem of homelessness in the city is “intractable”.Thousands of people remain homeless and compounding the issue is their fear of staying in shelters provided by the city.Makeshift homes, some made from used materials such as doors and milk crates, began to crop up a few years ago but authorities took action against them. They claimed that the camps, located in woods and under bridges, were dangerous to those residing in them.During the spring of 2011, social security administration software engineer Ben Marcin began a photography project with a focus on the plight of Baltimore’s homeless.On finishing the day job, he would head to the woods to photograph people who have fallen through America’s safety net.Over the course of a year, Marcin stalked through the area, meeting homeless people and seeing where they called home. When he returned 12 months later, he found all of the dwellings were gone.“This was their last stand,” Marcin told Business Insider in a recent interview. This man used milk-crates to make his structure. Marcin says that those with more permanent homes tended to be more meticulous about creating their space.This ex-felon collected numerous amenities, including a grill and weights for exercise.This man even built an outhouse bathroom.Most of the camps are less elaborate. Many only have a dirty mattress and use a tree for shelter.Most of the homeless leave in the winter to head south for warmer weather.Many of the camps are set up near the railroad tracks, so they can easily hop on a train to leave. Others are along the water, under bridges, or around Interstate 495.The majority of the camps are so deep in the woods that, if things went bad, it wouldn’t be easy to call for help.This man was the only one who claimed to stay year-round, having been in the same shack for four years. He had a propane tank and a grill inside for cooking and warmth. When Marcin returned a year later, he found the shack burned down.According to Marcin, the majority of the homeless camp far away from other homeless. When others do come upon their area, they tend to be very territorial.All of the original settlements that Marcin photographed have since been either abandoned or destroyed.The city routinely bulldoze the homeless camps when they find out where they are.Camps continue to sprout up in different areas.Kate Briddell, the director of homeless services at the Baltimore Mayor’s office, told the Baltimore Sun recently that new camps and tents have formed near Interstate 83. They are currently discussing a plan for how to deal with the new camps.All images: Ben MarcinWith reporting by Sinéad O’CarrollDecide: Which one of these photos is worth €35,000?GALLERY: 18 brilliant winning images from the World Press Photo contestBefore They Pass Away: 12 incredible photos of the world’s disappearing tribes
Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram Greek property prices continued to fall in the first quarter of 2014, even though the economic recession eased, as squeezed household incomes, record-high unemployment and tax increases still took a toll. Property accounts for a large proportion of household wealth as Greece has one of the highest homeownership rates in Western Europe – 80 per cent versus a European Union average of 70 per cent – according to European Mortgage Federation data. Bank of Greece figures showed that apartment prices fell 7.5 per cent in the first three months of 2014 from a year earlier, after an 8.6 per cent decline in the previous quarter. Higher property taxes to help reduce budget deficits, coupled with tight credit from capital-strapped banks and a jobless rate near 27 per cent have pressured the market. Based on Greece’s central bank data, apartment prices have plunged 34.7 per cent from a peak in 2008, when the country’s recession began. The property market could start to see some relief if the economy pulls out of a six-year recession this year. Source: Reuters
Un million d’années pour former le désert de NamibLes scientifiques ont à présent la preuve que les grains de la mer de sable du Namib en Afrique sont là depuis au moins un million d’années.L’analyse des déserts pourrait nous renseigner sur les changements climatiques survenus il y a de cela des milliers d’années. Le vaste désert de Namib qui occupe environ une surface de 340.000 kilomètres carrés, le long de la côte de Namibie, est l’un des plus vieux au monde et des plus importants. Cependant, les origines de ce désert sont encore mal connues. “Pendant qu’une grande partie de la recherche climatique est focalisée sur les régions polaires, les déserts et particulièrement ceux de sable restent encore des sujets peu étudiés, en dépit du fait que des millions de gens vivent dans des régions arides, ou des zones menacées de désertification”, explique à la presse le Dr. Pieter Vermeesch, géologue rattaché à l’université de Londres. À lire aussiUne plage disparue il y a 33 ans réapparaît après une forte marée en IrlandePour traquer les mouvements des grains de sable à travers l’étendue du désert, ce géologue et son équipe ont mesuré les niveaux d’uranium, menant les chercheurs à ce qui pourrait être leur origine : l’Orange River située à la bordure sud du désert de Namib. Ils ont aussi analysé les isotopes radioactifs produits par les rayons cosmiques (des particules énergétiques qui atteignent la Terre depuis l’espace), ce qui a permis d’estimer le temps passé par le sable dans cette région.Tous les échantillons étaient collectés sur des crêtes ayant une altitude supérieure à 200 mètres, des dunes, un travail long et fastidieux d’après le Dr. Pieter Vermeesch mais qui a permis d’établir qu’il a fallu au moins un million d’années aux vents pour éparpiller le sable à travers l’étendue cette mer de sable. Le 21 novembre 2010 à 10:07 • Emmanuel Perrin
NASA Says 2 Asteroids Will Safely Fly By Earth This WeekendHubble Captures Saturn’s ‘Phonograph Record’ Ring System Stay on target Want to take your own small step for man? Then this super-rare prototype Apollo A7L lunar boot created for Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 mission might just be your ticket.The boot, posted by RR Auction in Boston, was manufactured by International Latex Corporation (ILC) in Dover, Delaware, around late 1968 or early 1969, not long before the Apollo 11 mission took flight, in July 1969. It has an inner liner featuring a stitched Beta cloth name-tag marked “Armstrong.” It’s estimated to go for more than $40,000.Measuring approximately 8 inches tall, 12.75 inches long, and 5.5 inches wide, the prototype boot includes its light blue silicon ‘moon boot’ tread marked inside in faded red felt tip, “177.”Photo Credit: RR AuctionIt’s constructed with aluminized Mylar insulation layers and studded with gold-tone Kapton tape, the same kind the International Space Station crew used to temporarily repair a slow leak in a Soyuz spacecraft attached to the Russian segment of the orbital complex in August 2018.Photo Credit: RR AuctionThe boot is considered incomplete due to the absence of outer Beta cloth, the Chromel-R fabrics, and the various snaps and straps necessary for secure fitting and closure, according to RR Auction. It was likely intended for a primary flight, backup, or for training activities.It’s not clear why the boot was rejected and never forwarded for final assembly, but the ILC certainly had strict inspection regulations.Photo Credit: RR AuctionWorried about authenticity? The boot will be accompanied by a letter of authenticity from ILC historian Bill Ayrey, in addition to a custom presentation. The presence of the Armstrong name-tag also further confirms the likelihood that this prototype was designed and constructed to support the Apollo 11 mission, the only moon-landing mission to involve Armstrong.But if you’re looking for Armstrong’s real moon boots, you’re out of luck. They are still on the moon, along with other pairs of boots worn during the Apollo missions. Armstrong and his crew mates had to abandon the boots to offset the additional weight from the moon rocks and samples they collected.More on Geek.com:NASA Responds to Steph Curry’s Bizarre Moon Landing Comments63 Incredible Images of Earth from SpaceChina Launches Lunar Probe to the Far Side of the Moon
Bus owners and workers of Patuakhali and Barguna districts on Tuesday called an indefinite strike from Wednesday morning on 17 routes of Barishal division demanding a quick resolution of conflict between two bus associations of the region, reports UNBBus Owners and Workers Co-ordination associations of the two districts declared the strike after forming a human chain at Patuakhali bus stand area around 11:00am.Protesters alleged that bus owners of Mirzaganj upazila of Patuakhali and Jhalokathi district formed two different associations and often forcefully put off passengers from buses and also harass passengers.Some associations of bus owners and workers of Barishal, Barguna, Pirojpur, Bhola and Bagerhat districts also formed human chains protesting the conflict, said Golam Maola Dulu, general secretary of Patuakhali bus owners and workers association.
Madaripur map.young woman and her minor boy were found dead at their house of Char Kachikata village in Shibchar upazila of Madaripur on Wednesday night, reports UNB.The deceased were Reba, 28, wife of Laltu Miah, and their son Raihan, 3.On information, a team of police went to the spot and recovered the bodies from the locked house, said officer-in-charge of Shibchar police station Zakir Hossain.He said they found Reba hanging from the ceiling while Raihan’s body on the floor.It was suspected that the woman committed suicide after killing her son, he added.
How Designers Achieved the Sci-Fi Sound Magic of ‘The Orville’The Orville Brings a Much Better Trailer to SDCC Stay on target We’re aways into the first season of The Orville now, and it still feels like we’re only just now getting to know these people. I’m O.K. with that, though. The show got off to an uneven start because it had to figure out what kind of show it wanted to be. As the season’s gone on, we’ve seen The Orville become much more comfortable with itself, and the result is a much better show than anyone was expecting. Some episodes are funnier than others. Others tell a more serious story and only have one or two jokes. That’s one of the show’s biggest strengths. The jokes never get in the way of the plot. Even when they’re truly groan-worthy, they’re over in a second, and we’re already onto the next story beat. The show has figured itself out. Now, it just needs to properly introduce us to its characters.That was the major letdown of last week’s episode. Despite having the story completely centered around John LaMarr, we learned nothing new about him. The story happened to him, rather than him driving the story. And because the show did such a bad job of giving him a character beyond Malloy’s dick joke buddy, it was hard to really care about his fate. As a result, I was disappointed when the show kept him on the ship in favor of Isaac this week. The show needs to take another crack at developing his character soon. After watching the whole episode, it’s clear why they did it. Isaac and Dr. Claire Finn also needed fleshing out, and this episode did that perfectly. Claire especially benefits from having a story centered around her. As the ship’s medical officer, she’s an important character. It’s about time we really got to know who she is.Penny Johnson Jerald, guest star Kai Wener, Seth MacFarlane and Adrianne Palicki (Cr: Michael Becker/FOX)Isaac has also been underused. Introduced to us as “crazy racist,” the show thankfully didn’t go there and instead just gave him a superiority complex. He doesn’t deal in stereotypes; he just believes artificial beings are superior to biological ones. Still not a great attitude, but it’s way better than it could be. Especially since the superiority complex manifests itself as a curiosity. It’s his job to study biological lifeforms so his species can better relate to others. They may have some problematic attitudes towards other species, but at least they recognize that they all have to coexist in the same galaxy. At least they try to make it work. It all makes for some well-done insensitive robot jokes. He doesn’t understand peoples boundaries, or how to comfort a kid when they’re scared. His awkward interactions with Claire and her kids are funny and endearing. It’s this exact kind of character work this show needs to be doing right now.The episode opens with Claire about to take her kids to a theme park planet for a family vacation. The younger one is excited about it, the older one is entering those surly teen years and doesn’t want anything to do with his family. Lamarr is going to take them, but he has to stay behind and upgrade the Orville’s navigation systems. Isaac goes instead, and the friction between his reserved, emotionless exterior and the chaotic nature of a family road trip (or space trip, rather) is where most of the comedy in this episode comes from. On their way to the planet, the kids’ fighting causes the ship to veer off course into a wormhole. They end up thousands of light years away with a cracked hull. They’re forced to crash-land on a war-torn moon, and Claire gets separated from Isaac and the kids. She’s taken prisoner by a doomsday prepper who won’t let her leave. Meanwhile, Isaac and her two kids search for her.Guest star Brian Thompson (Cr: Michael Becker/FOX)The premise of a logical being confronted with illogical children has been done before. I think Star Trek has done it a few times. The Orville pulls it off really well, though. The slow build of Isaac’s annoyance is fun to watch, and Mark Jackson can play it surprisingly well with his face completely covered. The biggest laugh the episode got from me is when the kids are fighting over a handheld game while Isaac leads them through the woods. You can see him try to ignore their arguing before he finally snaps and shoots the game system. “The game is never to be spoken of again.” It’s all in service of a really sweet story where the kids, despite/possibly because of their arguing, grow on Isaac. They teach him how to show sympathy and comfort another person. That advice comes in handy when Claire’s youngest, Ty gets sick after drinking contaminated water. Isaac sees her terror and offers his hand in comfort. It’s a weighty, touching moment that the show pulls off really well.The episode is also paced really well. Stakes are established early on when Claire’s captor tells her about the war and the bioweapon released into the moon’s water. He tells her that the people outside have resorted to cannibalism. The danger her kids and Isaac are in is immediately clear. There’s even a bit of uncertainty about if the Orville can rescue them in time. They learn that Claire’s shuttle never reached its destination, and go looking for her. But since they’re still in the middle of an upgrade, they can only rely on their most rudimentary systems and star charts to navigate space. Fortunately, they’re able to figure out what happened pretty quickly. The show does a good job of justifying how they piece the events together. It doesn’t feel too easy; it’s just an intelligent crew putting the evidence together. Even the glory hole joke was pretty funny.Guest star BJ Tanner, guest star Kai Wener and Mark Jackson (Cr: Ray Mickshaw/FOX)Once again, The Orville focused on its characters, and the episode is so much better for it. We got to spend some real time with Dr. Finn, learning where she’s coming from and how she handles tough situations. After last night, she just might be the coolest character on this show. The way she escaped the prepper and taught her son to stun enemies in the middle of a battle certainly made me want to see more from her in the future. It also helps that Penny Johnson Jerald is far and away the best actor on this show. It was also interesting to watch Isaac grow fond of her family. As the series goes on, I can easily see him taking on a Spock or Data like role. The closer he studies human society, maybe his ideas about artificial superiority will change. That would actually make for some really interesting stories down the line. For now, the baby steps in that direction are well-written and seriously adorable. He tells Claire that he children are loud, disrespectful and insubordinate, and that he’s very fond of them. It’s a nice little moment, and I’m excited to see where the show takes his character from here. Especially since it just got renewed for a second season.Let us know what you like about Geek by taking our survey.
Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court Monday extended by one week an interim protection from arrest granted to former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with a CBI notice, asking him to appear before its officers for assisting into a multi-crore chit fund scam probe. The protection from arrest and coercive action, which was to expire on Monday, was extended by Justice Madhumati Mitra for a week or until further orders. The court also adjourned till Tuesday hearing on Kumar’s prayer for quashing a notice to him in May by the CBI to appear before it, for assisting the investigation into the Saradha chit fund case. Also Read – Rs 13,000 crore investment to provide 2 lakh jobs: Mamata The former Kolkata top cop’s lawyer had last week alleged before the high court that the CBI was indulging in a pick and choose game by summoning him in the Saradha ponzi scam case among 121 officers of the SIT, which probed the fraud on lakhs of investors. Kumar is now an additional director general of the West Bengal CID. He was the commissioner of Bidhananagar Police when the multi-crore Saradha ponzi scam broke out in 2013, and oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Special Investigation Team (SIT). Also Read – Lightning kills 8, injures 16 in state The Supreme Court had on May 9, 2014, ordered transfer of all cases related to ponzi scams, including the one involving the Saradha Group, to the CBI. A vacation bench of the high court had on May 30 granted Kumar protection from arrest and any coercive action till July 10 in the Saradha chit fund scam case. The protection from arrest was later extended to July 22. The bench had directed Kumar to cooperate with the CBI investigation into the Rs 2,500 crore scam. Kumar’s counsels had earlier told the high court that he has been interrogated by the CBI for 39 hours and 45 minutes in Shillong, and claimed that the probe agency was now seeking to take him in custody out of “vendetta”. They maintained that Kumar has neither been named as an accused nor as a witness in the seven charge sheets the CBI filed in the case so far. On May 17, the Supreme Court had withdrawn protection from arrest to Kumar, which it had granted earlier. The apex court had on February 5 prevented the agency from any coercive action against Kumar, while directing the former top cop to appear and cooperate in CBI questioning at a “neutral place”. He was then questioned by the probe agency for nearly five days in Shillong from February 9. The CBI had told the Supreme Court in April this year that Kumar’s custodial interrogation was necessary as he was not cooperating in the probe, and was “evasive” and “arrogant” in answering the queries put to him. The Saradha Group of companies duped lakhs of customers, promising higher rates of returns on their investment, the agency has said.
Next month, I’ll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people.— President Obama (@POTUS44) February 18, 2016 Related posts:Obama promises human rights talk with Castro Obama, Castro hail ‘new day’ for US-Cuba relations US opens greater channels for trade, air links with Cuba Obama addresses the Cuban nation in historic Havana visit DifferencesA presidential visit will be the capstone of Obama’s policy of engagement, but it is also a gamble. Raúl Castro’s government has shown a willingness to open the economy, but Cuba’s political system is still dominated by the regime. Human rights groups say that detentions have actually increased in recent years, reaching around 8,000 a year even as longer-term prisoners have been released.The White House said that during the visit Obama would meet civil society leaders, who remain under intense pressure from the regime. He is unlikely to meet long-time U.S. nemesis Fidel Castro, a top aide said Thursday.“I wouldn’t expect him to meet with Fidel Castro, Raúl Castro is the president of Cuba,” deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said.“We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly. America will always stand for human rights around the world,” Obama added.Obama’s visit will come at a crucial time, just weeks before a crucial Cuban Communist Party congress.The meeting could decide who becomes the first non-Castro to control Cuba since the brothers came down from the Sierra Maestra mountains and ousted Fulgencio Batista on New Year’s Day 1959.Obama will want to prod Havana into opening up politically, but the White House is betting that opening Cuba to U.S. tourists and business is the fastest way to bring change.Cuba lost its chief economic benefactor in 1991 as the Soviet Union collapsed and is likely to suffer the same fate again as tumult in Venezuela turns off the spigot of heavily subsidized crude.For now the United States and Cuba are treading cautiously, taking incremental steps to facilitate trade and investment. The Obama administration has focused on regulatory changes to ease travel and trade between the two countries, which have close family ties. There are 1.8 million Cuban Americans and Cuba has a population of 11 million.On Tuesday, the U.S. and Cuba signed an agreement authorizing daily U.S. commercial flights to the island for the first time in more than 50 years.Photo gallery: Cuba as it was – A glimpse of life before the US arrives A young girl walks down San Ignacio Street in Old Havana as the sun sets. A real estate market is emerging in Cuba for the first time since the 1960s, and properties in this neighborhood, with its proximity to the ocean and historic plazas, are desirable. Cubans are renovating and selling, but so far, U.S. citizens are prohibited from buying. Washington Post photo by Sarah L. VoisinOpposition at homeCuba’s leaders will try to manage economic reform in a way that does not threaten their political power or vested interests behind state-run firms, following a lead from Vietnam and China. Average wages are $20 a month and Havana frets about any opening undoing its social progress since 1959. And the Cuban government’s baby steps on opening their economy clearly have not convinced those voting with their feet decisively since the past year’s improvement in bilateral ties.Thousands of Cubans have left in recent months over concerns that the diplomatic rapprochement will prompt Washington to drop its policy of giving them automatic residency and the right to work when they set foot in the United States. Obama faces significant opposition to his Cuba policy at home, where the Republican-controlled Congress has made it clear it does not intend to end the embargo. For that to happen requires that Cuba move toward direct elections and begin to settle some 6,000 compensation lawsuits for U.S.-owned property seized during the 1959 revolution. Those suits are estimated to be worth about $8 billion.Cuba is likely to become an issue in the 2016 presidential race, particularly in the battleground state of Florida. Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio, a son of Cuban immigrants, said he would not travel to the island “if it’s not a free Cuba.”“They are a repressive regime. There’s no elections in Cuba. There is no choice in Cuba,” argued Rubio, who grew up in Las Vegas and Florida. Facebook Comments
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Barack Obama will become the first U.S. president to visit Cuba in almost a century next month, a symbolic visit that will cast off one of the last vestiges of the Cold War.The White House announced that Obama and First Lady Michele Obama will travel to the Communist-controlled island March 21-22.“Next month, I’ll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people,” the U.S. leader said in one of a series of tweets.The White House hopes that the trip will be a “Berlin Wall” moment, crowning what they say is one of the biggest foreign policy achievements of Obama’s presidency.The last U.S. leader to visit the island while in office was Calvin Coolidge in 1928.For generations in the U.S., Cuba has been synonymous with crisis and threat, from the disastrous CIA-backed invasion of the island at the Bay of Pigs in 1961, to the Missile Crisis the following year.Since coming to office in 2009, President Obama argued that engagement would bear more fruit than embargoes and isolation.In December 2014, Obama made a shock announcement that he and Raúl Castro had been in secret talks on a rapprochement. The pair met in April 2015 in Panama, making Obama the first sitting U.S. president to meet a Cuban leader since Dwight Eisenhower in 1956.Diplomatic relations were restored in July, allowing the red, white and blue flags of Cold War foes to fly over Washington and Havana for the first time since 1961.
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One key member of the Cardinals coaching staff who could help Floyd achieve his fitness goals is strength and conditioning coach Jon Lott. “I’ve seen him here on the visit. He’s an energetic guy and that’s what I really liked,” Floyd said. “But I heard that he can get a little tough and that’s what I need.” Floyd seems ready and willing to do the work necessary to take his game to the next level. The young wideout recognizes the competition in the NFL is fierce and if he wants to compete with the best, he’ll have to practice that much harder.“You’re in the NFL now. You know everyone is good,” Floyd said. “Week in and week out, in the future you’re playing against some of the best in the world. I just got to make sure that I am up on my game and I am doing everything I can to be the best player I can be.”Floyd also cites the speed and quickness in the league as an area he’ll need to improve upon in order to be able to go toe-to-toe with the game’s elite.“It’s a lot faster now,” Floyd stated. “You got to pick up on things a lot quicker or you get left behind. So right now I am just going to make sure I go in the film room, see what I did wrong, see what I did right and just make corrections.” Top Stories “I am really excited and I am glad to be here. Blessed that I get this opportunity to play for the Arizona Cardinals and I am just working every single day,” Floyd told members of the media after practice. “The first practice went well for me, little tweaks here and there, but I watched them in the film room and I am making adjustments off of that.”Some of those adjustments might adhere to the Cardinals’ playbook and familiarizing himself with playing a different scheme. Still, Floyd isn’t a stranger to the offense the Cardinals run, which made the first practice less daunting.“It’s not bad,” Floyd stated. “It’s kind of similar to my first two seasons at Notre Dame, a coach [Charlie Weis] offense. It’s very similar in some aspects but some a little different, but I am adjusting to it. I am good to go.”Floyd did express a desire to get into better playing shape before the season starts.“I feel pretty good but I can, for sure, cut weight and I think that’ll be an adjustment for me that I need to do to make sure I’ll be able to keep my stamina and my endurance up,” Floyd said. Cardinals expect improving Murphy to contribute right away D-backs president Derrick Hall: Franchise ‘still focused on Arizona’ The Arizona Cardinals got their initial look at highly-touted first-round draft pick Michael Floyd at the inaugural rookie minicamp Friday.The Cardinals drafted the Notre Dame wideout 13th overall at April’s NFL draft and his selection garnered praise from franchise receiver Larry Fitzgerald, among other members of the team. This is the first rookies only minicamp held under Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt, and the team’s newest wide receiver took center stage.
Comments Share But don’t expect any nerves on the field from Floyd during rookie camp, who feels at ease playing among his equals.“A lot of the guys out there are new,” Floyd explained. “I think the butterflies possibly will come when the [veterans] get here and I feel like they’ll be pushing you a lot harder than where I am now but that’s how I’d like it to be so I can be the best player I can be.” Nevada officials reach out to D-backs on potential relocation What an MLB source said about the D-backs’ trade haul for Greinke
Whisenhunt and the Cardinals most certainly did, and nothing the coach did was able to turn things around or solve the team’s problems at quarterback. Kevin Kolb, who like Skelton is still under contract for next season, provided some stability early in the season, but went down in Week Six and the team never recovered.Then again, there were times during what ended up being a nine-game losing streak that the Cardinals appeared capable of getting a win. Skelton points to what happened in Atlanta — where he was pulled from the game with a 13-0 lead — as something that still irks him to this day. “That one hurts,” Skelton said. “Getting the pull that early, that kind of sucks. “I haven’t forgotten; I don’t think I’ll forget it anytime soon.”Skelton appeared to be not fond of the decision-making by his head coach, and even though the QB struggled this year, it’s easy to see why. Being in and out of the lineup would not be easy for anyone to handle, and Skelton admitted this season has led to some resentment.“There’s some animosity, I think, sometimes it’s just the way the business is,” he said. “You can’t always have it your way, you can’t always have a good time, so you’ve got to take the good with the bad and just roll with it.” TEMPE — John Skelton began the 2012 season as the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals.A third-year pro, the former Fordham star appeared to be on a career path that was trending upward, with a chance to establish himself not only as a solid QB in the NFL, but as the Cardinals’ quarterback of the present and future.Skelton finished the 2012 season as a healthy scratch, inactive for the team’s final two games as passers Ryan Lindley and Brian Hoyer shared the reps. Former Cardinals kicker Phil Dawson retires “It was disappointing,” Skelton said Monday as he and his teammates cleared out their lockers. “To start as high as I did to be named the starter and then that first week to go down (with an ankle injury), then it kind of just up and down from there.“These last few weeks have kind of just been a nosedive, I guess.”Skelton finished the season completing just 109 of 201 passes for 1,132 yards and two touchdowns. He was picked off nine times and compiled a quarterback rating of 55.4.His numbers were not good — they were not even mediocre — which could lead one to wonder how a young player could get worse from one season to the next.Yet, that’s what happened, and Skelton said the great thing about the NFL is that he’ll likely get another opportunity to prove himself.“Next year and this offseason is a chance at redemption.”Redemption may not come in Arizona.Skelton admitted there were times he felt he “got the short end of the stick” with regards to how head coach Ken Whisenhunt handled things, but figured it’s just part of the business. “When you’re losing eight or nine in a row, everyone’s going to be grasping for straws,” Skelton said. “And I think there’s times that we did that here in Arizona.” Grace expects Greinke trade to have emotional impact Comments Share 
Derrick Hall satisfied with D-backs’ buying and selling The 5: Takeaways from the Coyotes’ introduction of Alex Meruelo Skelton, who said he would welcome some kind of change at this point, knows that very well could lead to him being with a different team next season. It may have to.“I think it’s going to be hard to continue if things stay the same here, with me getting the short end of the stick,” he said. “But we’ll see what happens. It’s a long offseason, there will be a lot of changes.” – / 22 Top Stories 
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