Apart from this pandemic to end that has cost so many lives already, what do we most wish for these days? Apart from the stuff that we can buy with money I think, the angels Christmas message in the Bible puts it pretty close to what every other religion in the world makes their claim, too. Peace on Earth.

These days, we are entering another period of holiday frenzy. In some parts of this nation, there are lockdowns in place. And between the limitations we experience and the holiday stress, political rifts and traditional prejudices, the nerves of many of us lie in tatters. Although we SHOULD experience the joy of Christmas whether we are believers or not. Instead, we hear of armed clashes between groups of what I dare call individual whims, of police having to interfere, of harsh words against people of a different opinion. And the Christmas message seems to fall on a lot of deaf ears.

How can we change this? How can we achieve this mighty not-to-be-bought peace?

I think we need to slow down a lot and ponder what creates happiness for us and what creates stress. Could we simply not overthink the outer appearance of Christmas or any other holiday we might be celebrating? Is it really about lights, glitz, and making ones bank account scream? Can simpler work? Could we take ourselves down a notch and not try to be perfect for our family and friends? I think perfect people are rather intimidating, by the way. We dont have to clean the house while baking a dozen different kinds of cookies, designing the perfect Christmas decoration, and getting the most luxurious gifts in the now most crowded stores.

How about we take a breath and sit back? Take a walk in the winter air? There are such beautiful areas around. Only recently, my husband and I discovered another park in the area and enjoyed an afternoons sunshine, walking through woods and wetlands. Or take up a book and read maybe even to somebody else? Or sing along a CD or play an instrument even better: perform music together with our family? Light a candle and think of childhood Christmases? Share these memories? Write them down for our family?

Taking speed out of the holiday preparations removes a lot of stress which again creates a much friendlier atmosphere. Everybody needs friendliness. Love. If we think outside our individual selves, do we like others enough? Love them enough? Cherish them enough? When was the last time that we praised somebodys work genuinely? Or told them they looked nice? Or how much we appreciate them in our lives? Its a small gesture that may cause another person to feel warm. And that person might feel encouraged to hand that good feeling on to others.

Indeed, if we cared that everybody else wants to be loved and cherished just like we are, that might make for a strong beginning. A friendly hello to a passer-by on a sidewalk instead of glaring at them because they are walking too slowly or wear clothes that dont fit our bill or A smile that crinkles your eyes above your mask. A helping hand to reach something for somebody too small or disabled in a supermarket. A Thank you, and Merry Christmas to those who deliver our Christmas mail. Im sure, everybody could make a list of how we can spread friendliness that doesnt cost us more than moving a few facial muscles or a supportive hand.

And if we remember that what we deem our rights might diminish the rights of others, maybe we can compromise and find ways of communicating again instead of blasting obdurate slogans into each others faces. Or insults. Or even arm ourselves to our teeth.

We all want and need peace. And it starts in ourselves. So, lets relax and look for the true meaning of Christmas. We can do it if we let everybody be a little less perfect and feel a little more loved.

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Across the Fence: and Peace on Earth - The Suburban Times

A spiked fence in Cameron Heights on which several deer have impaled themselves is being retrofitted with a flat rail.

"City contractors are currently installing retrofit rail along the top of the privately-owned and city-owned portions of the fence in Cameron Heights so they no longer pose a danger to wildlife in the ravine," City of Edmonton spokespersonKaren Burgess said an email to CBC News.

Thework was delayed due to COVID-19, the need for consent from affected homeownersand a decision to "expand the area of eligible properties that could participate in the fence modification program," Burgess said.

Burgess said the work began earlier this week and shouldtake about two weeks.

"The city also installed orange snow fencing to the topof the fence as a temporary measure to reduce the danger to wildlife by helping them better see the limits of the fence until the permanent retrofits could be completed," she said.

The news comes as a relief to homeowner's association president Melanie Wilson who believes at least five deer and one moose have died after becoming impaled on the fence.

She's been pushing for the change for almost four of the eight years she's lived in the community.

"Oh my gosh, we're totally excited that this has finally happened," WilsonsaidThursday. "It is definitely a Christmas miracle, that's for sure."

Despite the good news, Wilson has concerns with the city's handing of the issue.

"They actually suffered quite severely and suffered for quite a long time before they were shot and killed," she said. "There was definitely no way that they would have made a recovery after their injuries."

City councillor Sarah Hamilton, who represents the community, praisedcommunity members who spoke up and kept pressing the issue

"The community has been a great supporter in terms of holding not just me, but the city to account on when this is going to get done," she said. "I think they did so out of the goodness of their heart, it's pretty awful to see this happen to wild animals."

Hamilton said this type of spiked fence isprevalent throughout Edmonton, but seems to really be an issue in Cameron Heights.

"It just so happens that in this particular neighbourhood it doesn't really work for the wildlife."

Burgess said an update to the City of Edmonton's design and construction standards to be completed by the end of the year, will exclude spiked fences.

"In the meantime, a moratorium has been placed on picket-style subdivision perimeter fences to prevent new fencing from conflicting with wildlife," she said.

Thecost of the retrofit won't be knownuntil the jobis complete, Burgess said.

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City fixes Cameron Heights fence after deaths of several deer and years of complaints - CBC.ca

A view of construction progress at 44 East Avenue. Image: Flintco

Construction outfit Flintco, currently putting up developer Intracorps 44 East Avenue condo tower in the Rainey Street District of downtown Austin, is giving us another episode of its documentary series Beyond the Fence providing an unusually inside look at the kitchen-sink process of developing a 49-floor building.

Image: Flintco

Episode 2 of the series, Harmony by Design, spends its more than 15-minute runtime exploring the many connections between local firms, individuals, and designers to eventually create a residential building that responds to its surrounding downtown environment particularly the social life of the adjacent Rainey Street entertainment district and the budding parks and trail connections surrounding its site. Catch the whole documentary in the video below:

Produced by Flintco marketing directorTim Garbuttand videographerJohn Whitton of SteadyBuilt Productions, each episode of the series includes an original song, also written and recorded by Garbutt. We are particularly enthralled by this auteur-esque addition to what might otherwise risk being a dry piece of promotional material its honestly one of the more full-tilt strange and wonderfully human marketing decisions weve ever seen from a company associated with a project of this magnitude.

This episodes original song is entitled Every Road I Take, and serves as a posthumous collaboration between Garbutt and his brother Billy Garbs, an Austin musician who wrote the song in the 1990s but died in 2001 without ever releasing it. Garbutt recorded the track for the documentary again, this is an unusually personal choice for Flintcos marketing director, and its endlessly fascinating to us as tower enthusiasts and fans of interesting, dare we say weird, Austinites. If you like looking beyond the fence around town as much as we do, this series is must-see TV.

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See Austin Condo Tower Construction Up Close With 'Beyond the Fence' Episode 2 - TOWERS Austin

She points to the attention around the death of 13-year-old Evan Frustaglio, a healthy Toronto minor hockey player who died of H1N1 in 2009. The case galvanized once-skeptical parents, prompting Toronto to launch public vaccination clinics early.

Information alone is not sufficient, said Dub. Stories are important because they are authentic, they contain a narrative and they are from someone whom patients can identify with.

Social media has made it possible for vaccine skeptics to find like-minded people and amplify their messages. Those who completely reject vaccines are a small but vocal slice of the population about two per cent, she said.

Vaccine skeptics have borrowed personal freedom rhetoric and language from other groups, said Mai. With COVID-19 vaccines at hand, they are pivoting to focus more squarely on sowing doubts about the necessity for COVID vaccines and their safety.

Public officials always have to look behind them to see what misinformers are saying. They will have to think like them, in a way.

Past outbreaks have shown that communication has to be a two-way street, said Alison Thompson, a researcher in ethical issues in public health at the University of Toronto.

Peoples concerns about vaccines must be listened to, because not all concerns come from the extreme fringe of the anti-vaccine movement. There are legitimate concerns about how much we will know, what will happen if people are injured by vaccines, and who stands to profit most from COVID-19 vaccines.

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Vaccine hesitancy and COVID-19: How many will stay on the fence? - Windsor Star

Al Mezan condemns the act and calls for international intervention

On Wednesday morning, 16 December 2020, Israeli military bulldozers crossed the perimeter fence into the Gaza Strip, east of Khan Younis, reaching up to 200 meters into agricultural lands in Abasan al-Kabira, Khuzaa, and al-Fukhari. For hours, Israeli troops razed and leveled Palestinian lands and cropssome of which had been prepared for plantingand eventually left placards written in both Arabic and Hebrew demanding that the Palestinian farmers uproot their crops in the area within a certain time frame otherwise the military is going to remove them.

During a similar incident on Thursday, 17 December 2020, farmers in the Rafah district also reported that they had found similar placards on their farmlands located 100 meters from the perimeter fence.

Israel, the Occupying Power, continues to carry out land incursions and to maintain its closure policy over the Gaza Strip even against the backdrop of the COVID-19 global health crisis and related concerns for the financial situation and food insecurity in the Strip, directly violating its obligation to protect the human rights of civilians in the occupied Gaza Strip.

These regular incursions and movement restrictions in the Israeli-imposed buffer zone in Gaza are not only life-threatening, but they also severely harm the livelihoods of thousands of Palestinian farmers. For instance, Israel periodically conducts aerial spraying of herbicides over Palestinian farmlands to destroy vegetation adjacent to the perimeter fence and has often employed lethal force to ward off farmers. At a time when families across the whole Gaza Strip are at higher risk of food insecurity and poverty, the impact of Israels relentless attacks on farmlands in the buffer zone has increased.

Al Mezan strongly condemns Israels targeting of Palestinian farmers and warns of the grave repercussions it has on their lives, most notably, the role such attacks play in stifling the Strips economic development and exacerbating the dire living conditions of Gazas population, especially during the pandemic.

Accordingly, Al Mezan calls on the international community to uphold its moral and legal obligations towards the Palestinian people by exerting pressure on Israel to cease all the attacks against Palestinian farmers and lift the blockade and closure unilaterally imposed on the Gaza Strip, in addition to ensuring accountability for all suspected violations of international law perpetrated in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Continued here:
Israeli forces carry out a land incursion and threaten to remove Palestinian farmers' crops - occupied Palestinian territory - ReliefWeb

Tributes have been paid to a dad-of-four who died after his car crashed into a fence in north Manchester.

Jeff Beaumont, 67, is thought to have suffered a medical episode whilst driving his Volkswagen Golf on Crescent Road in Crumpsall.

Emergency services were called to the junction of Duchess Road at around 1.40am on Monday, 14 December.

Mr Beaumont, who lived in the Cheetham Hill area, was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead a short time later.

Police believe he suffered a medical episode before the crash.

A post-mortem examination to determine exactly how Mr Beaumont died is yet to take place.

Manchester Coroner's Court confirmed they had received a file relating to Mr Beaumont's death. An inquest is due to take place at a later date.

Tributes have poured in for the dad on social media, following the tragic news of his death.

One friend wrote: "Rip Jeff you were always so kind to me we would talk for hours on the front your with your wife now but have left us broken. RIP to the best next door neighbour ever.

Another said: "Was such a lovely man. Hes with his wife Jackie now. RIP the both of you. Thinking of their children and grandchildren at this heartbreaking time.

Another wrote: "Rest in peace Geoff [sic] now reunited with Your Lovely wife Jackie a beautiful couple, going to miss our chats about football when you came in shopping rest easy Geoff [sic] thinking of all your family at this sad time."

One person said: "So sad r.i.p sweet heart fly high my heart goes out to your family and friends at this sad time."

An investigation into the incident has been launched, and police are urging for any witnesses to come foward.

Sergeant Matt Picton, of GMP's Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "Our thoughts are with the man's loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.

"Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the collision - I'd ask anyone with information or dash cam footage to contact us."

Anyone with information should contact police on 0161 856 4741 quoting 137 14/12/20 or the independent charity - Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

The rest is here:
Tributes paid to 'lovely' and 'kind' dad who died after his car crashed into a fence - Manchester Evening News

On Sept. 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitution was signed. As dictated by Article VII, the document would not become binding until it was ratified by nine of the 13 states. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the document, and it was subsequently agreed that government under the U.S. Constitution would begin on March 4, 1789.

Although the Constitution starts with We the people, it initially gave men the right to vote, but not women. The womens suffrage movement began in 1848 with a group of women meeting to discuss womens rights. This wasnt something that was changed overnight.

On Nov. 3, 1896, via Senate Joint Resolution 2, by a vote of nearly two to one in favor (12,126 to 6,282), Idaho changed history, long before the 19th Amendment to the U.S. constitution was passed on Aug. 18, 1920. Idaho, and the western states of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Washington, led the country in the effort of womens suffrage.

These last few months I have heard too many people ask the question: Why should I vote? And then they explain: My vote wont count anyway. I dont like one of the candidates and the other one probably doesnt have a chance.

Voting is a privilege, an honor, a right and maybe even an obligation that not every country gives its citizens the opportunity to do. We may not agree with the candidates nor with what they stand for, but we do need to vote. Then we will have the right to complain.

Do we become apathetic, showing or feeling no interest, enthusiasm or concern? Do we think we have no power to do anything, therefore we wont do anything such as vote or attend meetings or even do personal study of people running for offices? Maybe we as a country have become so apathetic and laid back, thus we are willing to let our government, and therefore ourselves, be governed by people who have no business doing such.

We mock candidates, we search their backgrounds for things they did when young to prove that they are not worthy of holding an office and therefore we are saying they are not capable of overcoming weaknesses yes even addictions to become good and honest people to rule over us. We watch as candidates become contentious, arguing over controversial subjects rather than working together to understand each other. In doing this we also become controversial, almost seeming to enjoy public disagreement and bringing these disagreements up whenever in a group.

Our country is in a state of unrest, of disunity, but by not voting we are not going to cure that. We need to get strong men and women involved in the politics and then support them and keep in touch with what they are doing.

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Voting doesnt take much time, but preparation is probably something that needs to be considered before going to vote. This is difficult in this day and age when there is so much negativity on television and other medias about any candidate that is running for an office. However, there are usually articles in newspapers and magazines that give pertinent information, though even that too can be biased.

So why should we vote? Voting is actually having a say in who will be making laws and regulations that will govern us. If we dont vote do we have the right to criticize those who are voted in? Im afraid many people are voted in because the silent minority decided not to vote. It is a sad time in our country when people feel that their vote doesnt count!

Because so many women worked hard for the opportunity to vote, we as women should feel proud that we are able to vote and to voice our thoughts on the issues that face this country. We need to be aware of things going on in our communities, in our counties, our states as well as in our own country. We need to hold our heads up high and say, Yes I voted! Then when the voting is finished, whether the candidates we voted for won or lost, we need to get behind and support the winners. We need to keep in touch with them, let them know through emails and attending town hall meetings if we disagree with what they are doing and why, and we need to do those things in a civilized manner!

But first WE NEED TO VOTE!

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Straddlin' the Fence: Why should I vote? - Idaho Press-Tribune

Visalia youth remove Black Lives Matter signs from St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Sunday after Visalia Code Enforcement said the signs were in violation of a local ordinance.(Photo: Joshua Yeager)

Visalia youth and parishionersremoved dozens of signs from a prayer fence at St Paul's Episcopal Church on Sunday after city officials said the signs were in violation of a local ordinance.

The signs had messages such as "Black Lives Matter," "Racism is an illness" and "Love Conquers All." The signs were meant to promote equality and send a message that Visalia is inclusive of all, organizers said.

"These are issues that the community should be praying about. My church offered what we thought was a sanctuary for young people to put their signs up," Rev. Suzy Ward said. "I had no idea it was something not to be allowed."

Visalia Code Enforcement recently sent a letter to the church, saying that the signs are in violation of the city's sign code. According to the ordinance, the signs are considered "snipe," a legal term that refers to signs placed on fences, trees, light posts, and public right of ways.

Dozens of Black Lives Matter signs hang on a fence at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in October.(Photo: Joshua Yeager)

So-called snipe signs are forbidden under the ordinance, whether the fence is on private property or public. The ordinance does not discriminate based on the content of the signs.

"The removal of signs (these or any others)is in keeping with our standard sign ordinance. The content of the signs is irrelevant. They could be campaign signs, garage sale signs, or Grateful Dead Forever signs," Visalia City Manager Randy Groom said in an email.

Code enforcement officers have removed1,991 snipe signs in public places in 2020 so far, according to city data. The department has had seven violations on private property.

Melissa Flores and her daughter Jocelyn Flores, 4, browse Black Lives Matter signs along the El Diamante campus Monday, June 29, 2020. Supporters took some signs down Monday afternoon amid concerns opponents were planning do so before Visalia Unified. They hope to find a new home for the signs. Jocelyn watched family members make some of the signs and wanted to see them displayed.(Photo: Ron Holman)

Many of the church signswere previously displayed on a fence at El Diamante High School. Visalia Unified School District officials removed the signs following repeated incidents of vandalism and a confrontation with an adult.

The signs were then moved to College of the Sequoias before they were vandalized again and security declined to intervene, organizer and recent El Diamante graduate John Piper said. He picked up the posters before he noticed they were covered in urine.

That's when Ward offered St. Paul'sprayer fence as a "sanctuary" for the signs and the youth, she said.

"I'm disappointed that this kind of opportunity for young people to express their thoughts about things that are happening across the country have been repeatedly, more than once, denied to them," she said.

Visalia youth and activists echoed that disappointment Sunday morning.

Rev. Suzy Ward removes signs from St. Paul's Episcopal Church's prayer fence on Sunday after Visalia Code Enforcement said the signs were in violation of a local ordinance.(Photo: Joshua Yeager)

"It's a little bit frustrating because here we are trying tobring awareness to important things that are going on in our own city, and yet we keep getting pushed out," said Andrea Navarrette of Visalia. "Where do we go from here? Where is there a safe space for us to be able to express how we feel?"

Organizer Lisa Alvarado said she wants to see more from Visalia city leaders to promote equality.

"I wish that our leadership would be leaders in regardto justice, because now I feel that we're left with a solution that paints our city in a certain way," she said. "It feels a little prejudiced to see other snipe throughout the city not being taken down."

Snipe signs on other church fencesand nearly every Visalia school fence remain up.

City officials said the sign ordinance is enforced frequently regardless of their content, especially during a heated election year.

"We enforce the sign ordinance daily.We are constantly dealing with sign violations, particularly during campaign season when people have too many signs, signs put in the public right of way or on public property, etc." Groom said."This week we have dealt with many, many campaign signs in addition to the other usual variety of signs."

Ward says a neighbor complained about the signs that had hung on her fence since July, sparking the letter from code enforcement. It's unclear who filed the complaint but other neighbors on Main Street Sunday said they supported the signs' message.

"I think they'reamazing and great. It shows unity in our community," Raul Garcia said outside his home next door, adding that hewas confused by the city's action. "After all this time, why (remove them)now?"

Joshua Yeager covers water, agriculture, parks and housingfor the Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register newspapers. Follow him on Twitter @VTD_Joshy. Get alerts and keep up on all things Tulare County for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.

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Visalia orders church to remove Black Lives Matter signs from 'prayer fence,' citing ordinance - Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register

The Confederate monument in Albertville that has been the focus of protests since August will be getting a new fence placed around it, according to Marshall County Commission chairman James Hutcheson .

The chairman told The Reporter a fence will soon be placed around the flagpole area, which contains the Confederate monument and a separate war memorial. Hutcheson said installing a barrier was a matter of safety.

All of your monuments have got some type of fence around it to keep people kids from climbing and falling, he said. Its a safety issue for me Weve seen kids out there climbing on it, and I dont want somebody to fall off and get hurt.

The style of fence would match the black railing already present at the courthouse and will cost approximately $3,000. The money would come out of the Courthouse Budget Fund, Hutcheson said.

Marshall County Sheriff Phil Sims said he had received requests to install a barrier around the monuments, so he began discussing the idea with the chairman.

It was suggested that a fence or something be put around it to keep the area more secure and keep it from being damaged, Sims said.

Aside from the Confederate monument, he said he was concerned about the other war memorial and flagpoles located there getting damaged or vandalized.

Im not worried about just that one monument that everyone is focused on, Sims said. Right next to it, you got your other military monument The last thing I want to see is anybody throw paint on it, ram into their car or take a sledge hammer to it.

Sims said he initially recommended cordoning off the area with posts and police tape during any future protests, but Hutcheson said he wanted something more permanent that would add to the aesthetics of the courthouse in addition to providing security.

Anything I do to the courthouse, I want it to look presentable to the public, Hutcheson said.

The chairman said hes done a lot to spruce up the courthouse since taking office including extensive landscaping and tree removal, replacing the front awning, refinishing the front stairs, applying a new paint job and adding a new, paved handicap ramp.

I try to take pride in anything I do to [the courthouse], he said. This handrail around the monument, its really nothing compared to what weve done.

Read the original here:
Fence to be installed around monuments in A'ville - Sand Mountain Reporter

Gov. Ron DeSantis rallied Florida Republicans on Wednesday with a baseball-themed social media pitch urging them to get out and vote.

Its game time, DeSantis said in a Republican Party of Florida ad. Bottom of the ninth and Florida Republicans are on deck. Florida is the nations most important swing state and the Republican Party is counting on us to deliver a win in November.

The Governors rally cry comes less than two weeks before Election Day and at a time when Republicans dramatically trail Democrats in vote-by-mail ballots.

More than 2.3 million vote-by-mail ballots have been returned to the state as of Wednesday, according to the Florida Division of Elections. Of those ballots, over 1.4 million are registered Democrats, 900,828 are registered Republicans and 589,892 have no party affiliation.

While DeSantis once a Yale baseball captain conceded the difference, he called on Florida Republicans to help turn the tide with early voting.

We know this election will come down to the wire, he added. Liberal Democrats like Michael Bloomberg and George Soros have run up the score on Republicans with vote-by-mail ballots. But our big hitter just stepped up to the plate and thats you.

Florida is widely considered a must-win swing state for President Donald Trump. After being sidelined with a COVID-19 diagnosis, Trump returned to the campaign trail with a particular emphasis on Florida. It was his first campaign stop after leaving Walter Reed Medical Center and he revisited the Sunshine State days later.

The President is expected to hold another Florida rally at The Villages and in Pensacola on Friday. The following day, Vice President Mike Pence is slated to visit Tallahassee and Jacksonville.

Republicans across America are counting on you, DeSantis concluded. With your help, we can even the score and win this ball game. Florida, lets knock this one out of the park.

Link:
Gov. Ron DeSantis swings for the fences with early voting message to Florida Republicans - Florida Politics