Incarnate Word beats East Texas A&M 38-24 to finish undefeated in conference play
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Ek Hain to Safe Hain is New Mantra of India, Says ModiHutson scores 20 as Northern Iowa defeats Southern Illinois 78-67Declassified files show the note to former MP John Spellar also said the republican party had ignored the “visceral component of sectarianism” in responding to a new government good relations strategy. Mr Spellar, then a Northern Ireland Office minister, had launched a consultation on the “A Shared Future” document, an attempt to address community divisions, segregation and sectarianism in the region at a time when the devolved powersharing institutions were suspended. A file at the Public Record Office in Belfast shows that OFMDFM official Chris Stewart wrote to the minister in July about a response to the document from Sinn Fein representative Bairbre de Brun. Mr Stewart told Mr Spellar that Ms de Brun’s letter had been critical of the document and was clearly intended to “mark your card”. He said among a number of points raised by de Brun was that “the promotion of equality is the key to improving community relations”. His memo adds: “Sinn Fein is clearly seeking to position or align the issue of community relations within its equality and human rights agenda. “This general Sinn Fein position has resulted in a simplistic analysis of community relations, which is flawed in its description of the causes and necessary policy response. “There is of course, no doubt that a lack of equality has been a contributing factor to poor community relations. “However, Sinn Fein ignores the many other factors, not least the violent conflict that resulted in over 3,000 deaths. “Sinn Fein also portrays poor community relations (for nationalists) as being a purely rational response to the political situation. “This ignores the more visceral component of sectarianism, which is all too prevalent in both communities.” Mr Stewart continues: “To suggest, as Sinn Fein does, that the promotion of equality should be the key component of good relations policy is to ignore the key message in A Shared Future, that indirect approaches alone are insufficient to deal with sectarianism and the abnormal relationship between sections of the Northern Ireland community.” The official recommended the minister invite representatives of Sinn Fein to a meeting to discuss the policy. The file also contains a note about Mr Spellar’s meeting with DUP representatives Maurice Morrow and Peter Weir the following month to discuss the document. The note says: “Morrow said he had no problem with sharing the future and suggested that the first step to that would be an election to decide who spoke for whom – though he was quick to say he didn’t want politics to dominate the meeting.” It adds: “Weir said that the biggest step towards improving community relations would be the creation of a political environment that had the broad support of both unionism and nationalism, and the GFA (Good Friday Agreement) could not create that environment.”
Canada got back in the win column at the world junior hockey championship. It wasn’t pretty. Oliver Bonk, Caden Price and Mathieu Cataford, into the empty net, scored as the wobbly host country picked up an unconvincing 3-0 victory over Germany on Sunday in Ottawa. Carter George made 25 saves to register the goaltender’s second straight shutout for the Canadians, who were coming off Friday’s stunning 3-2 upset loss to Latvia in a shootout. Nico Pertuch stopped 33 shots for Germany, which dropped its Group A opener at the men’s under-20 tournament to the United States 10-4 before falling 3-1 to Finland. Canada entered with a 17-0 record all-time and a combined 107-26 score against Germany at the world juniors, including last year’s 6-3 victory in Gothenburg, Sweden, and an 11-2 drubbing at the 2023 event in Halifax. Despite another sub-par performance, the victory sets up a New Year’s Eve matchup against the U.S. for first place in the pool after the Americans fell 4-3 to the Finns in overtime earlier Sunday. Canada suffered one of the powerhouse nation’s worst defeats in tournament history Friday when Latvia — outscored 41-4 in four previous meetings at the event — shocked the hockey world. And while the plucky Latvians were full marks for their victory, the Canadians were largely disjointed and surrendered the middle of the ice for long stretches despite firing 57 shots on goal. There was more of the same Sunday. Head coach Dave Cameron made a couple of changes to Canada’s lineup — one out of necessity and another for tactical reasons. With star defenceman Matthew Schaefer, who could go No. 1 at the 2025 NHL draft, out of the world juniors after suffering an upper-body injury against Latvia, Vancouver Canucks prospect Sawyer Mynio drew in. Cameron also sat forward Porter Martone in favour of Carson Rehkopf. Canada opened the scoring on the power play, which also had a new look after going 1-for-7 through the first two games, when Bonk scored from his normal bumper position in the slot off an Easton Cowan feed at 9:40 of the first period. Sam Dickinson then chimed a one-timer off the post on another man advantage before George, who was in goal for Canada’s 4-0 opener against the Finns, made a couple of stops on the penalty kill inside a red-clad Canadian Tire Centre. Petruch made a big stop off Tanner Howe in the second before also denying Calum Ritchie from the slot on a power play, but the Canadians again looked completely out of sorts against what was a decidedly inferior opponent on paper. Berkly Catton hit another post for Canada early in the third. Tanner Molendyk also found iron. Unable to register a 5-on-5 goal against either Latvia or Germany through more than 120 minutes of action, Price scored on a shot that caromed off the end boards and went in off Pertuch with 4:58 left in regulation to make it 2-0 before Cataford iced it into the empty net on another nervy night for the 20-time gold medallists. The U.S. beat Latvia 5-1 on Saturday, less than 24 hours after the Europeans’ upset of Canada. American captain Ryan Leonard said the Latvians were impressive — even on short rest. “That team’s no joke,” said the Washington Capitals prospect. “You can’t really treat anyone different, especially in this short of a tournament.” Germany will meet Latvia on Monday in a crucial game at the bottom of the Group A standings. Canada now turns its attention to Tuesday’s clash against the U.S.WWE Host Cathy Kelley Looks Stunning In Workout Outfit
Not very often do you come across a political leader who doesn’t take himself seriously. Boris Johnson, the former UK Prime Minister, is one such. Whenever I have met him, first when he was the Mayor of London (he came cycling into one event) and later as Prime Minister (at his Diwali dinner for the Diaspora), his sheer chutzpah made a dramatic impression. At first, I was intimidated by his over seven-hundred-page memoirs, Unleashed, but found the book to be quite an easy read. It’s a no-holds barred account of contemporary political history of the UK told in his brash, inimitable style. With breezy text supported by a very good collection of photographs, Johnson wonderfully chronicles his life at work as a journalist at the Telegraph, as the Editor at the Statesman, as an elected Member of Parliament, as the unforgettable Mayor of London, as a serious foreign secretary, and a noisy Prime Minister who won a landslide victory on a Brexit mandate only to be felled by Covid-triggered political hubris. Even if you don’t follow British politics, this ringside fast-paced account of his public life is an enjoyable read. It doesn’t feel long or verbose and Johnson adds colloquial style commentary to his journalistic ability to keep you fully engaged. Right from the get-go, the book is a delight. Beginning with his sudden nomination for a mayoral role in London, Johnson rapidly lists the various initiatives he launched to make London more livable including tackling the traffic, making it cycling friendly and setting about immigrant controls. Johnson recounts how he had convinced the head of Barclays Bank to pay 25 million pounds to sponsor the cycles in London, by offering, in his trademark jest, to change his name to Barclays Johnson! Johnson admits that he’s been branded as a gaffe-prone scandal magnet who used slander and dangerous language to incite people to react badly. By his own admission, early in his career, as a host of the satirical game show, I’ve Got news for you, he gained a reputation as a brash cowboy with a delectable repartee, which he’s not been able to shake off. One theme that runs through the book is his idea of ‘Levelling Up’ - or uplifting people, cities and towns from their status, a sort of ‘Let’s make Britain great again’. Citing the practice that graduate females seek to marry graduate males, he wonders if ‘assortive mating’ to encourage social mobility amongst the people will reduce the social class gap. In his initial days as a mayor, Johnson realised that the UK was an imbalanced economy with London being 56 per cent more productive than Wales, unlike in the US or in the EU which have a homogenous productivity level across their states. He aggressively participated in the Brexit movement to reduce dependence on the EU and bring jobs and income to the counties outside London, more so in the North and Southeast of the UK.To create jobs, he flagged off the indigenous manufacture of the iconic red London buses. He was in his second term as Mayor when London hosted the Olympics and he leveraged it greatly to prove himself as an able administrator. Johnson was, undoubtedly, the most visible face of Brexit. He used the ‘Get Brexit Done’ slogan to power his way to an unprecedented victory in the British Parliament leading his party to a landslide win, not seen since Margaret Thatcher. With ample humour, Johnson peppers his narrative with terms like Brexity, Brexchosis, Brino (Brexit in name only), Brexiteers, No deal Brexit and Brexit juice (a wine) that had caught popular imagination and why implementing the referendum to leave the EU seemed so tough. His Wodehousian descriptors tickle many funny bones. Sample this- The UK had a chief Brexit negotiator in David Frost, a former Don and Diplomat, as aesthete and expert on medieval German poetry, whose mobile screensaver, for some reason, is the Adoration of the Blessed Lamb by Jan van Eyck. Frosty presented his case to the EU with clarity and logic; and yes, he got a frosty reception. Sir Keir Starmer, the current UK prime minister, has been described at various points in the narrative as the bone headed, anti-Brexit Remainder, a human bollard, pointless traffic cone, rapist releaser, human weather wane (since he changes direction on policy so often), a boxy headed Barrister, a republican who wants to get rid of the queen and drop the Union flag, a leftie who dwells in a stacchoed Islington Palazzo. At one point in the narrative, he even takes off on Teresa May’s twitchy nose. His other oft quoted life principle is Cake-ism – that is, having your cake and eating it too. He claims much credit for the plan to lay high speed train tracks and beef up infrastructure in the UK. His belief that he did no wrong and that he’s compelled to tell it like it is, flows through the book. But to say that he deserves credit for initiatives in infrastructure, connectivity, NHS, education, and climate issues that he drove when in power is a bit unbelievable. From his travels to over 150 countries as foreign secretary, Johnson has many learnings - he laments about the decline in the spirit of British adventurism that had led Britain in its days of glory and the need to rework on a plan to regain some of the earlier halo. Quick chapters give us the diplomatic strategies used to overcome dictators in Libya, Kosovo, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Lebanon. Using self-deprecating humour, Boris sets out how the liberal interventionism is being used by the western world to control what they assume is an abuse of power by autocrats against their own people with devastating consequences. Almost out of a film script, Johnson made an overnight, clandestine train trip to Ukraine and besides the photo-op, pledged much military and political support to Zelensky. As if he was attempting to avenge the Salisbury acid attack carried out in London by Russians a few years earlier. These are the most serious chapters in the book, describing the arms deals, the filth and squalor of developing countries and the price of war people pay. Johnson does a bit of hyperbolic self-praise for his singular achievement for creating a home-grown vaccine for covid in a record time in the UK with Astra Zeneca and immunizing nearly the entire population over a few months. While he draws sympathy in the chapter about his own hospitalisation during Covid, it was the partying he did under the lockdown rules that got Labor into mounting an attack that put an end to his tenure at 10, Downing Street. He blatantly names, blames, and shames his party colleagues and the fact that he couldn’t meet the 109 first time MPs in parliament physically due to covid restrictions resulted in a sort of alienation that eventually brought him down. He condemns his own complacency during this PM’s tenure to have not watched the back-benchers plotting against him. Must admit I haven’t read any of Johnson’s previous books. The autobiography makes me feel like picking a few of his earlier books, especially his biography of Winston Churchill. One thing that he copies from the great man is an afternoon nap on his sofa in the office. You can’t resist a chuckle on his anecdote of how when Prime Minister Teresa May went to meet President Donald Trump, he asked her bluntly why Boris Johnson is not the PMof UK yet! The book comes at a time when his conservative party has just lost the elections to Labor after nearly fourteen years in power and Johnson may be using the book to airbrush a part of history to plot a comeback. Something tells me there’s possibly another eight-hundred-page book yet to be written about the things he’s going to do in the years ahead. Read this one, it’s an absolute delight. (Naveen Chandra runs 91 Film Studios, that produces, markets, and distributes regional language feature films. ) Title : Unleashed Author : Boris Johnson Publisher : William Collins Price : ₹686 Comments
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