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Muhyiddin Yassin has been sworn in as the new prime minister of Malaysia. Many people were surprised because 94-year-old Mahathir Mohammad, the oldest prime minister in the world, was widely expected to be reappointed for a third time.

Muhyiddin outfoxed the wily Mahathir, because Mahathir made two fatal errors. First, he had resigned, thus creating a vacancy. Second, he made a miscalculation about the kings discretion. The Malaysian king appoints a person he thinks can command the majority in parliament it has nothing to do with election results or how many MPs support you. In Australia, its called the captains pick.

The king picked Muhyiddin over Mahathir, and thats that. The only way now to remove the new government is via a vote of no-confidence in parliament, which will take months.

Muhyiddins new ruling coalition consists of three parties: United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Parti Islam Malaysia (PAS) and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM or United Indigenous Party).

UMNO and PAS were the defeated parties in the historic 2018 general elections that produced Malaysias first regime change since independence. UMNO had been the ruling party for nearly six decades before losing to PPBM and Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope). Mahathir had established PPBM specifically to beat UMNO, and almost the entire PPBM leadership was ex-UMNO.

Read more: Mahathir Mohamad crops up again in bid to lead Malaysia with Anwar on the same side

So now we have an interesting combination. UMNO and PPBM are essentially the same parties with similar ideologies, Malay nationalism, combined with PAS, which wants to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state.

But what about the non-Malay and non-Muslim Malaysians who make up 38% of the population? Dont they count?

The short answer is no. While the new administration will appoint a few non-Malays to the administration, make no mistake, this is an all-Malay government and its focus is on the Malay and Muslim community.

UMNO is still sore at the Malaysian Chinese and Indian population for voting en bloc against UMNO in 2018, which led it to lose government. Now its payback time. Expect more Malay-centric policies that will punish the Chinese and Indians.

Many are worried about the direction Malaysia may be heading in the short term.

First, there is concern that corruption trials relating to the infamous 1MDB scandal involving ex-prime minister Najib Razak may now go nowhere. Najibs wife is also charged with corruption in a different case, along with several other ministers in the last UMNO-led government.

In fact, the UMNO president, Zahid Hamidi, who is facing 47 charges of money-laundering (the legal term for corrupt money), is trying to get a cabinet post in the new Muhyiddin administration. The attorney-general has resigned and his replacement will probably not go after high-profile UMNO individuals now that UMNO is back in government.

High-level corruption was one of the main reasons UMNO was defeated in 2018 and UMNO has not reformed. Now its back in government, most people expect business as usual. There is credible fear that Muhyiddin cannot stand up to UMNO as UMNO is now the largest party among the three core parties. UMNO and PAS also have a political pact, which means PPBM will definitely not be able to stop the senior coalition partner if it insists on certain public policy.

Read more: What Najib Razak's corruption trial means for Malaysia and the region

Second, people are extremely worried about PAS. Since its founding in 1951, PAS has advocated the idea of turning Malaysia into an Islamic state. It has introduced huhud (Shariah) law at the state level in Kelantan and Terengganu, but cannot enforce the law because it conflicts with Malaysias federal constitution.

Now that PAS is one of the troika in power, will PAS push the new administration to amend the constitution? There is already talk that PAS will get the government to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act, or RUU355. This will indirectly allow for hudud to be implemented.

Third, and perhaps most worrying, the new government has broken the political convention that it always has a significant number of non-Malay voices to represent the diverse population. This government was built purely on the concept of ketuanan Melayu Islam (Malay Islamic supremacy). Non-Malays to be appointed to the new administration will know exactly where they stand as window dressing.

Despite its racial and religious tensions, Malaysia has always been seen by the international community as a modern, moderate Islamic country with strong Westminster institutions. It was always understood that the political elite would choose the middle path at the end of the day, no matter how heated the politics became.

This may no longer be the case.

If there is a lesson to be learnt here, it is that regime change does not guarantee progress. In May 2018, there was joy that Malaysia had finally joined the club of newly democratising countries via the ballot box. Almost two years down the road we are seeing a complete reversal via an elite game.

If there is one thing about Southeast Asia, it is that the votes of the ordinary people do not matter when it comes to power games. Power here is a zero-sum game and, in this case, the non-Malays and non-Muslims in Malaysia are the losers.

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Malaysia takes a turn to the right, and many of its people are worried - The Conversation AU

NewsLynn Davidson confronted Boris Johnson's right-hand man at a meeting of special advisers

Tuesday, 3rd March 2020, 6:46 pm

Lynn Davidson was sacked as a special adviser to Defence Secretary Ben Wallace in the latest sign No 10 is exerting more control over the machinery of Government. But senior Conservative sources claimed her departure was unconnected to the argument she had with Mr Cummings, Boris Johnson's most powerful aide.

At a meeting of all special advisers on 14 February, Ms Davidson accused Mr Cummings of being "out of order" for telling aides they were at risk of losing their jobs in the Cabinet reshuffle.

No 10 subsequently tried to move her from the Ministry of Defence to the health or education department, but after Mr Wallace blocked the move she was unexpectedly fired this week.

Spad shake-up

Ms Davidson previously worked as a journalist for The Sun, before moving into the Government to work for then-Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt. She is one of a number of special advisers to be sacked or moved in the wake of last month's reshuffle.

A Tory source said the move was planned before she confronted Mr Cummings and insisted there was no link between the two events.

In the Home Office, Priti Patel remains embroiled in a row over claims she bullied Sir Philip Rutnam out of his job as permanent secretary. On Tuesday the Home Secretary sent a memo to all staff co-written with Shona Dunn, who is Sir Philip's temporary replacement.

The pair said they "both regret Sir Philip's decision to resign", adding: "We both deeply value the work that every person in this department does and care about the wellbeing of all our staff. It is therefore a time for us all to come together as one team."

Court fight

The Government is currently being sued by Sonia Khan, a former aide to Sajid Javid, after she was frogmarched out of the building and accused of leaking information.

See original here:
Government aide who spoke out against Dominic Cummings is fired from her job - inews

A councillor at the centre of a previous row over the future of a Lichfield leisure centre could be axed from a task group looking to develop a replacement facility in the city.

Cllr Jamie Checkland had been earmarked as a member of the cross-party group put together by Lichfield District Council.

But his position is now in doubt after questions were raised over his involvement by another member, Lib Dem representative Cllr Paul Ray, at a meeting of the overview and scrutiny committee.

The six-person group has temporarily been reduced to five members while a decision is made over the councillors involvement.

Cllr Tim Matthews, chairman of the leisure, parks and waste management (overview and scrutiny) committee, said:

At the meeting we discussed who should be on the task group and confirmed the membership of five councillors.

Following a recommendation by a committee member, we decided to delegate the decision about filling the sixth place to the task group.

We also acknowledged the huge role the task group will have to play in the development of a new leisure facility in Lichfield, and how crucially important it is that we fully capture community need as we seek to shape the future provision of leisure in Lichfield.

Cllr Checklands initial appearance in the task group had raised eyebrows after comments he made during the original battle to save Friary Grange Leisure Centre.

The Conservative member had claimed at a public meeting about keeping the facility open that The Friary School of which he was a governor wanted their facilities back.

Ive been fighting on behalf of The Friary School to get a fair crack of the whip in relation to the facilities and the income that comes in to the school and the way in which the pool and other elements are managed.

My priority is the children of the school. They are there to be educated and the money that comes into The Friary School should be used for their education.

For a number of years now, because of the contract signed in 1971 when it was just a sports centre the county council was paying a third and the district council paying two thirds. In 1978 a pool was built on the side and the contract was not changed.

As time has eroded the school has been picking up the county council bill. As it stands, around about 70,000 a year goes towards supporting the sports centre and school thats your pupils money.

We gave notice that the school wanted their facilities back. They do belong to the school and they create an income. They were built by the county council as a sports centre and astro turf pitch as part of the school.

The Friary Schools move to become an academy had been central to the reasoning behind the original plan to shut the neighbouring leisure centre.

Cllr Checklands dual role at the council house and as a governor led to another councillor asking whether there was a conflict of interest with the Conservative representative later apologising for breaching the code of conduct after a debate about the facility.

He eventually opted to step down as a school governor, before resigning from senior roles at the local authority too.

I do this to ensure the good work that needs to be carried out by these committees is not distracted any further.

I was grateful for the chance to meet with you where I was able to prove to you my integrity over my past three years involvement concerning the issues at the Friary Grange Leisure Centre.

I submit this and offer my continuing full support for the future and the progress you going to make.

Lichfield Live understands Cllr Checkland will be interviewed by council leader Doug Pullen and cabinet member Liz Little to decide whether he should take up a place on the task group.

Cllr Steve Norman, leader of the Labour opposition group at the council, has criticised a lack of decisive action by the overview and scrutiny committee on the issue of Cllr Checklands involvement .

The decision on who should or should not be on the group should have been decided by the scrutiny committee there and then, but it was left for the leader and cabinet member, to interview Cllr Checkland and report back.

To be fair to the leader, Cllr Doug Pullen, I think he was trying to leave that to the scrutiny chairman, but I got the impression that the cabinet member was in charge of this.

Its scrutiny at Lichfield District Council but not as I know it.

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Councillor at centre of controversy during campaign to save Lichfield leisure centre could be axed from task group - Lichfield Live

ST. JOHN'S, N.L.

David Maher

The Telegram

Former Liberal MHA Neil King has accepted a temporary position with the Department of Transportation and Works without a job competition.

Conception Bay South Progressive Conservative MHA Barry Petten raised the hiring in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, after filing an access to information request.

On the form it says: recruit from a previous competition, which means there were people there that were interviewed, went through the proper process that could have been hired, just scored a bit lower. There were people ready to take this position. Instead, it was scratched out and it was: hire 13-week temporary employment, said Petten.

Obviously, this was done to avoid a job competition, which don't make sense because there's already someone there waiting to take the job.

Transportation and Works Minister Steve Crocker says the practice of hiring temporary employees to 13-week positions without competition is not rare within government.

He's referring to a former MHA who actually took a temporary assignment, a short-term assignment, a 13-week assignment on an as-needed basis, said Crocker.

We do this all the time, Mr. Speaker, as MHAs and people who represent people put forward names for positions that come forward.

Crocker says a competition for a full-time replacement has already begun.

The hiring of workers on temporary contracts is within the right of ministers, according to legislation.

Clause 5.01 cc of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees' collective agreement, for example, specifies an employee can be put into a higher or lower position for up to 13 weeks without any competition.

Petten says the issue isnt the legislation, but putting a Liberal insider into the job when others had been interviewed.

We're talking about a former Liberal MHA being put in a public-service job, bargaining unit job, that someone is more qualified to do, he said.

They will show you the person that should have got called for that job. They never got called. Instead, their friend, the former MHA, got called. That's our issue. Simple.

Crocker denied the charge of cronyism.

If he wants to talk about cronyism, how about the 2015 appointment of a former minister to the chair of the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation, he said, referring to the appointment by the Tory administration of former cabinet minister John Ottenheimer.

Let's think about what he's saying over there today.

david.maher@thetelegram.com

@DavidMaherNL

Link:
Former Liberal MHA given government job without competition: Petten - The Telegram

Did you know TNW Conference has a track fully dedicated to exploring new design trends this year? Check out the full Sprint program here.

The largest explosion ever seen in the history of the Universe ripped through a plasma cloud hundreds of millions of years ago, creating the most powerful explosion seen by astronomers since the Big Bang, a new study reveals.

The eruption, centered on a supermassive black hole (SMBH) in the Ophiuchus galaxy cluster (roughly 390 million light-years from Earth) produced energetic jets, ripping a mammoth hole, 15 times larger than the Milky Way Galaxy, in the cloud of plasma surrounding the galactic cluster.

Weve seen outbursts in the centers of galaxies before but this one is really, really massive. And we dont know why its so big. But it happened very slowly like an explosion in slow motion that took place over hundreds of millions of years,Melanie Johnston-Hollittof the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) stated.

Read: [Why this 2019 Nobel physics winner says we should stop calling it a Big Bang]

Every major galaxy houses asupermassive black holenear its center, and powerful eruptions have been seen before around these enigmatic objects, but not like the one recently found in this new study.

This was the largest explosion known in the Universe, five times as powerful as a similar event in the galaxy cluster MS 0735+74, the previous record-holder. This smaller event would have required theSMBHthere to consume 300 solar masses of material over the course of 100 million years, Chandra X-Ray observatory officials calculate. However, even those incredible figures are dwarfed by the eruption at the center of this new study.

We found that the X-ray structure is, in fact, a giant cavity in the X-ray gas filled with diffuse radio emission with an extraordinarily steep radio spectrum. It thus appears to be a very aged fossil of the most powerful AGN outburst seen in any galaxy cluster, researchers describe in an article published inThe Astrophysical Journal.

Black holes are best-known for drawing matter in toward their centers through their massive gravitational field. However, these bizarre objects can also redirect matter falling toward them into powerful jets that race away from the region surrounding the black hole, deep into space.

What is special about this example is that its one of the cases where we are looking at a host galaxy embedded in a galaxy cluster and the jets have carved out an enormous cavity in the hot X-ray plasma that fills the cluster. There are about 50 of these cavities known, which might seem like a lot, but given the enormous number of AGN in the Universe, thats actually not many, and the example in Ophiuchus is the most energetic, professor Johnston-Hollitt toldThe Cosmic Companion.

Astronomers utilizing X-ray telescopes had seen this gaseous crater before but rejected the idea that the feature could be the result of an explosion due to the behemoth size of the crater.

Using NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory, the XMM-Newton from the European Space Agency, the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in India, and the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) in Western Australia to examine the artifact inradio waves, astronomers realized that what they were looking at was, indeed, the product of an explosion of unfathomable proportions.

The radio data fit inside the X-rays like a hand in a glove. This is the clincher that tells us an eruption of unprecedented size occurred here, saidMaxim Markevitchof NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center.

Major eruptions ingalaxiescan release vast amounts of energy, but a majority of solar systems in the vicinity of such an event would escape direct impact from such an event, unless they were in the path of one of the powerful jets produced during an explosion.

If you happen to be in the way of one of these radio jets, youd be blasted with highly energetic particles and strong magnetic fields. However, when the emission starts deep within the galaxy its actually very narrow and so it wouldnt hit too many things. The jets broaden as the move away from the black hole and outside of the host galaxy, Johnston-Hollitt explained.

Energy from this eruption has now subsided as the gas feeding the SMBH at the center of the explosions has (likely) moved away from its homegalaxy. The gas may have been lost from the force of the explosion, like wine spilling from a glass when it is shaken, astronomers speculate. No signs of further activity are seen by radio astronomers, suggesting the eruption has now ceased.

Several mysteries still remain about how the event changed thiscluster of galaxies. For instance, why does this object only show one area of radio emission, while other (smaller) events of this type show two such locales? One possibility is that gas one the other pole of the eruption may have been thinner than its partner, dissipating more rapidly than the remnant we see today, but the answer calls for further research.

As in an explosion, I would erupt with all the wonderful things I saw and understood in this world. Boris Pasternak

Future instruments may show us new, even more powerful, events like the one seen in Ophiuchus.

This is the most energetic event like this yet detected. It happens to be in a cluster that is relatively close and so is in some sense easier to detect with current telescopes as we get more powerful low-frequency radio telescopes we may indeed see larger and more energetic events, Johnston-Hollitt describes.

As telescopes and instrument scour the skies in the coming years, we just may find evidence for even more powerful eruptions in the distant past. But, at least for now, this is the most powerful explosion we know of in the history of theUniverse.

This article was originally published onThe Cosmic Companionby James Maynard, an astronomy journalist, fan of coffee, sci-fi, movies, and creativity. Maynard has been writing about space since he was 10, but hes still not Carl Sagan. The Cosmic Companionsmailing list/podcast. You can read this original piecehere.

Read next: Satoshi Nakaboto: Bitcoin hash rate hits all-time high

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New research sheds light on the big bang that was bigger than the Big Bang - The Next Web

The breadth and intensity of this weeks coronavirus-fueled selloff in U.S. stocks has some analysts scratching their heads.

Thomas Lee, founder of Fundstrat Global Advisors, may be one of the few to acknowledge that something isnt right with a market that was just enjoying a record close days ago.

This is not normal, and the market is clearly indicating to us a change, Lee said in a research report on Friday.

Read:S&P 500 tumbles from record finish to correction in just 6 trading days as stock-market rout accelerates

Lee said the oddities playing out in the market, including two and potentially three days of 1,000-point drops in the same week for the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +4.52% , signifies four things (though his tongue may be planted firmly in his cheek on the last item):

At last check, Dow Jones Industrial Averagewas closed down more than 360 points Friday, and the S&P 500 index SPX, +4.22% was off less than 0.8%, while the Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, +3.84% finished the session virtually unchanged. Still, the three major benchmarks notched their worst weekly declines since the 2008 financial crisis.

Investors are worried that the outbreak of COVID-19, the infectious disease that originated in Wuhan, China, late last year, will hurt global economies and supply chains if the illness isnt contained.

Check out: Coronavirus update: 83,861 cases, 2,867 deaths, global events in question

Lee said fear surrounding the uncertain impact of the virus is a credible issue but added that he believes investors may be overreacting. Because of the idiosyncratic nature of a potential pandemic, it is really difficult to know when it is priced in," he said.

He made the case that markets are bottoming this week even heading into a weekend where uncertainties could deliver a fresh wallop to confidence. He is forecasting a so-called V-shaped, or sharp, recovery for the market.

He also noted that his optimistic forecast could be impeded by further negative reports of the viral outbreak but said that he wouldnt be surprised if the government kicks in surprise plans to help stanch the bleeding in markets. Those might include:

A health-care action plan

An announcement of financial support by the Treasury Department

Other fiscal stimulus packages

An emergency interest-rate cut by the Fed

He also speculated that the Federal Reserve could announce a special facility to support stocks Yes, I realize they dont have legal authority at the moment, but has anyone heard of Presidential Executive Order ? he asked.

So far, Fed officials on Friday didnt seem ready to reduce already-low benchmark interest rates from a current 1.50%-to-1.75% range or enact a fresh batch of stimulus, though they seemed to leave the door open. The 10-year Treasury note TMUBMUSD10Y, 0.998% rate was at 1.12% on Friday, trading at a fresh record low for the benchmark debt.

Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan said Friday he will be ready to make a judgment about the need for a rate cut when the Feds interest-rate committee meets again on March 17-18. St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said interest-rate cuts are a possibility if a global pandemic actually develops.

However, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell delivered a rare, unplanned statement on Friday in support of the economy amid the outbreak.

Read:5 reasons stocks are seeing their worst decline since 2008, and only one is the coronavirus

Also read:Stock market slammed by fears coronavirus will deliver a supply shock that central bankers cant fix

Read more here:
Stock-market expert says what many are thinking after Dow sheds 3,600 points in a week: This market is not normal - MarketWatch

Bernie Sanders was declared the winner in California just moments after polls closed but his final haul of delegates could remain uncertain for days, or even weeks, as election officials tally the millions of provisional votes and mail-in ballots.

And while triumph in the Golden State will help Sanders remain competitive in what has become essentially a two-person race between him and Joe Biden, the eventual delegate math could indicate a decidedly shakier path to the nomination than the Vermont senator expected last week.

Voting on Super Tuesday in Los Angeles county, the states most populous, was marked by chaos after a $300m new voting system resulted in hours-long lines that kept people waiting even as midnight approached. Meanwhile, nearly half the states ballots still remain uncounted, estimates Paul Mitchell, with the campaign research firm Political Data Inc, which tracks ballots as they are returned.

Its like theres this black box of how many ballots are at the post office right now, said Mitchell. So far, about 5.3m ballots have been counted, according to Mitchell, just over 50% of the 10m he expects have been cast in this election. The x-factor really is: do we see some big surging coming with the uncounted ballot results? he said. Its just a huge unknown.

Many voters dropped off or posted ballots at the last minute, and election officials are required to count mail-ins that arrive as late as Friday, as long as they are postmarked by 3 March.

After all the volatility, withdrawals and endorsements leading up Super Tuesday, many California voters said they felt torn as they headed to the polls and even after theyd voted.

Stephenie Smith, 31, told the Guardian she had made a last-minute decision to vote for Warren. After a lot of conversations, I was kind of leaning toward Bernie, she said. I had such mixed feelings. But on election night, she was worried shed made the wrong choice. I like Warren slightly better, but I didnt want to have split the progressive vote, she said.

Voters who had their hearts set on Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, or other candidates who dropped out before the election were left scrambling as well. Andrew Byrnes, 47, said he settled on Joe Biden, because I think hes the most likely to defeat Trump, he said. I was torn between him and Warren, but it doesnt seem like she has a chance of winning.

Traditionally, the demographics of late voters tend to resemble the types who would favor Sanders, Mitchell said. In California, the Sanders campaigns early outreach to a dedicated coalition of young, liberal and Latino voters appeared to dull the impact of Bidens momentum. Exit polls across the country, however, suggested that late deciders tended to side with Biden.

As more votes are counted, support for Mike Bloomberg who is currently in third place is likely to wane, Mitchell said.

Whatever the final numbers, Sanders, who has long dominated in state polls, is sure to retain his strong lead in a state where his progressive politics resonate with a Democratic electorate that skews left, said Erick Schickler, the co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

Progressive voters have also helped boost down-ballot candidates, including Shahid Buttar the San Francisco activist and attorney challenging the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, for her congressional seat. He earned just over 12% support compared with her 73%, but it was enough to put him in second place, with a shot at challenging the 33-year incumbent in November.

At an election night watch party in San Franciscos Mission district, Sanders supporters cheered and clapped as bar TVs blared news of the lefty candidates resounding victory.

Kyle Schmolze, 30, said he felt better about progressive politics than Ive ever felt in my life. Sanders sweep in California was heartening. It feels like we can actually win, he said.

But his candidates losses in the east and south worried Schmolze. I would feel safer if Bernie had dominated which is what I had expected, he said. Im feeling all the emotions.

Read this article:
Millions of uncounted California ballots to shed light on Sanders' future - The Guardian

Over the past few years, Bendt has made a name for itself performing around the Capital Region. You might have seen the four-piece rock outfit last summer at Schenectady County SummerNight opening for Smashmouth or at The Linda, Little Pecks or Desperate Annies.

This week, fans will finally have access to the songs theyve been hearing with the release of the Albany-based bands first full album, Brightness in the Barrens.

Consisting of members Carl Blackwood, Matt Plummer, John Longo and Cody Bingham, Bendt arose from a few different bands about five years ago.

Carl and John have known each other for a long time, said Plummer, who is the groups lead singer/guitarist. Cody and Carl knew each other, too. We [had] all been playing music with people we know, who we are good friends with. [Its] a very tightknit community.

Back in 2017, the band released a self-titled EP with five tracks. It was also the year they won the Schenectady County Battle of the Bands.

While they wrote and performed many new songs after they released the EP, they held off on recording them.

Fans and family members were always asking why they couldnt listen to the new tracks on Spotify, Bandcamp, iTunes, etc.Now its finally coming to fruition, where a lot of these tunes that people have been hearing live for the last couple years are now going to be able to be heard in a studio format. Its cool for a lot of people whove been listening to us for a while now, Plummer said.

Bendt recorded Brightness in the Barrens last year during what felt like a sprint-turned-marathon two and a half days at Sonelab in Easthampton, Massachusetts.

[It was] blisteringly fast, Bingham said.

Under the direction of sound engineer Justin Pizzoferrato who has worked with the likes of Pixies and Dinosaur Junior, etc. the band captured the 90s sound they were aiming for with Brightness in the Barrens.

We recorded very old-school, like they recorded in the 90s. Its still digital, but we tracked all in one room. We all played together versus doing everything separately. The reason why the album feels like us is because we did it live, Blackwood said.

They also produced for vinyl, which helped capture the sound they were hoping for, a sound informed by a mix of bands like Soundgarden, Primus, Nirvana and Pink Floyd.

While many bands have one or two main songwriters, Bendt tends to divide songwriting fairly evenly. Each side of the album features songs by every member, some written in the past two years and others written well before the band even formed.

One of the songs is called Thirteenth, and its 13 years old. It just ended up fitting this band so well. Theres parts from songs [on this record] that have been all over the history of my musical career, which is exciting for me to finally have a final form on some of these things, Blackwood said.

Many of the songs band members have written over the years seemed to fit perfectly together. One can hear certain melodies and themes echoed in different tracks on the album.

The musical themes and motifs are moving in and out of one another. You might hear something from a song before, a little bit of a melody from something else. Those songs really worked out well together, said Blackwood.

The first side of the album is aggressive and upbeat, while the second takes on a more ambient sound.

[Its] nine songs not only [on] vinyl, but were doing the complete digital package. Everything from Spotify to iTunes, all that. For me, at least, this is not only the first time Ive released a full album with these guys, but with any project. Its pretty damn exciting, Plummer said.

Theyve already released one single, Symptoms, with a performance video filmed by Chromoscope Pictures at SkyLoft.

[Its] heartwarming to see how well-received the music video for the single has been. I think just having something tangible and visible like that has really helped out a lot. Overall Ive been very happy with how its getting received, and like any band whos underground and independent, were trying to get as many ears to hear it as possible, Plummer said.

To celebrate the albums release, Bendt is performing Saturday at Lost & Found in Albany with a few other friends.

We have our friends Bad Mothers opening up for us. Theyre also a four-piece rock outfit that has played some really big shows here in the area. Then our friend Michael Gregg, whos the banjo player in Zan and the Winter Folk. Hes the humor and the comedic factor to it. We wholeheartedly want this to be not just really a show, but a celebration, Plummer said.

After that, the band is heading outside the Capital Region, playing shows in Oneonta, Burlington, Ithaca and New York City.

Saturdays show starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $30 for admission plus the album (on vinyl), $10 for admission beforehand and $12 at the door. For more information, visit Bendt on Facebook or visit bendtmusic.com.

Saturdays show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 for admission plus the album, $10 for admission beforehand and $12 at the door. For more information, visit Bendt on Facebook or visit bendtmusic.com.

Read more here:
'Brightness' sheds new light on local Albany-based band Bendt - The Daily Gazette

It has finally come to this: our two major parties politicizing a potential health epidemic in America. Of all the things an average person would think would not be politicized and would be off limits, even the coronavirus epidemic has succumbed to the rabid partisanship that continues to worsen in Washington.

Alan Calandro

The Democrats say that President Trump is pathetic and incompetent, has botched planning for the epidemic, and is more interested in the performance of the stock market than peoples lives. The Republicans say that that the Democrats are trying to panic everyone, including the markets, so that the economic advantage that Trump happens to enjoy will disappear, setting the stage to capitalize on any bad news resulting from the virus.

Trump has tried to downplay it by saying on Feb. 25, among other optimistic messages, that it is very well under control. Trump later appointed Vice President Mike Pence to coordinate the virus response which mirrors what President Obama did with the Ebola outbreak in 2014.

It is certainly understandable that strategically these positions make political sense. But that has nothing to do with what is right. Quite the opposite. It is noise intended to shift the fortune of the parties, not your fortune, or that of America. These parties main concern is not you and your welfare. Their main concern is the party.

Individually, these people are not bad people. Most of them are genuinely good and likable people. But that is a sideshow to the real purpose of a partisan professional existence: advance the party so it will pay back with professional aggrandizement: power, jobs, influence, fame, money, and get some policy goals accomplished within the party structure. For many pols, but certainly not all, the last goal is the reason they entered politics to make a difference. But the party holds the power to their future and they soon are forced to learn subservience.

You see it every day in the news, The party comes first, almost every time, regardless of what an individual pol may believe. The party line votes that are routinely taken both here and in Washington serve the party not the best policy solution to a particular problem. Party line votes now make up about 90% of votes in Washington and are routine in Connecticut. Those who buck the party line, will lose favor with the party, and risk losing their seat because the money and party machinery (another form of currency) needed to get elected will be turned off. Maybe it wouldnt be so bad if we didnt have to see the puppet cable news guests every night supporting their party at any cost of honesty. This is no secret, most of us know this. But again, this has nothing to do with you and your welfare. That is secondary nothing personal.

The political system is essentially rigged. Who can get elected without the support of one of the two parties? Almost no one. The entire current Connecticut General Assembly of 187 members has only Democrats and Republicans. The U.S. Congress, made up of 535 members, has a total of two independents (not including Bernie Sanders who is a declared independent but must affiliate with a party machine when running for President to have any hope of success). And by the way, the party machine includes all of the various non-office holding special interest constituencies that benefit from the largess of the party they support with money and time.

But what REALLY makes the system dominate politics the way it does? Well, I hate to say it, but its the majority of us: those that advance the parties with donated time, money and affiliation whether they be from concerned citizens or the individuals behind a Super PAC.

According to Gallup people are wising up to this nefarious domination. In 2004 (the beginning of the polling data), independents sometimes outnumbered either of the two parties and sometimes did not. But since about 2010, the number of people identifying as independent was consistently larger than those identifying as Republican or Democrat, often by fairly wide margins. In the two polls taken in 2020 so far, the average for those identifying as independents was 43.5%, which beat Republican identification by 15 points and Democrat by 16 points.

So do America a favor and shed your party affiliation. (You can still vote for whoever you want to). Its easy and its free. It will actually save you money if you currently donate. Although it might make policy positions less clear since there wont be as automatic one-stop shopping for opinion formation. Or keep your affiliation and watch the parties descend even further into the abyss dragging all of us with them.

Alan Calandro lives in Burlington.

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Excerpt from:
Finally time to shed your party membership? - The CT Mirror

At first, capital controls cut off funding. Now the coronavirus gets in the way of the money-losing sale it could finally line up.ByWolf RichterforWOLF STREET.

The twisted saga of Chinese money in US commercial real estate takes on another twist; this time the coronavirus is blamed.

Back in October, after months of rumors about funding problems, property developer Oceanwide, a division of Chinese conglomerate Oceanwide Holdings Co. Ltd., admitted that it had halted construction indefinitely on a 54-story 605-foot tower in San Franciscos Transbay district. This is the shorter of two towers in the same project. Two years behind schedule and way over budget, it may no longer be commercially viable.

At the time, the company said that construction of the other tower, at 910-feet the second tallest in San Francisco, would continue. The project the largest currently under construction in the City, with 1 million square feet in office space, a 169-room Waldorf Astoria, and 265 condos was already two years behind schedule. At the time, Oceanwide said it was looking for an investor.

Then on January 23 this year, Oceanwide disclosed in a regulatory filing with the Shenzhen stock exchange, reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, that it had made a deal to sell the unfinished project to SPF Capital International, an affiliate of Beijing-based SPF Group, for $1 billion. But the sale came at a price: Oceanwide disclosed in the filing, according to The Real Deal, that it would take a loss of $276 million on the $1 billion sale.

San Franciscos Oceanwide Center was the second mega-project by Oceanwide in California where, after Oceanwide ran out of money, construction was halted.

The first one was Oceanwide Plaza in Los Angeles, an even larger three-tower project of with over 500 condos, a 184-room luxury Park Hyatt, and another desperately needed 166,000 square-foot, you guessed it, brick-and-mortar mall. In January last year, Oceanwide abruptly halted construction. The unfinished and way-behind-schedule project, which is mired in scandals and tangled up in an FBI corruption investigation, is now apparently for sale.

Oceanwide also has a project in lower Manhattan, at 80 South Street, a planned condo tower as high as 1,436 feet. Work hasnt even started yet. Oceanwide acquired the site from the Howard Hughes Corp. in 2016 during the heyday of Chinese money in US commercial real estate, for $390 million. Last June, Oceanwide put it up for sale, with pricing talk at around $300 million. If it can get this price, it would mean another big loss. But no sale has been announced yet.

And Oceanwides current major project in China is in the Central Business District of Wuhan.

Alas, the $1 billion sale of Oceanwides San Francisco project, on which Oceanwide would lose $276 million, has now run into trouble and this time, the coronavirus got blamed.

Oceanwide disclosed in a filing with the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, reported by The Real Deal, that it and the buyer, SPF Capital, have agreed to delay the deal by about a month due to issues related to the coronavirus lockdowns in China. The deadline for due diligence would be pushed from February 19 to March 25, and the delivery deadline would be pushed from March 5 to March 31.

Oceanwide just cant catch a break. At first, Chinas capital controls and crackdown on fund-flows to foreign real estate projects made funding of its US projects impossible. And these projects ran out of money. But selling these unfinished far-behind-schedule and over-budget projects San Franciscos Oceanwide Center may require another $1 billion is tough. And now the coronavirus is not only getting in the way of its Wuhan project, but also tangling up the sale of its San Francisco project.

The real fear in San Francisco and in Los Angeles has been for a while now that these mega-money-pits will remain unfinished lifeless construction eyesores in prime spots in the center for years to come.

The charts are brutal. Read Chinas Non-Manufacturing & Manufacturing PMIs Show to What Unfathomable Extent the Economy Has Collapsed

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Out-of-Funds Chinese Property Developer Oceanwide Tries to Shed its Mega-Money-Pits in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Manhattan at a Loss, But it's...