Mahershala Ali and Ramy Youssef in Ramy season two. Photograph: Hulu

Ramy, a sharp, POV-based comedy by Muslim-American Ramy Youssef, was one of 2019s most original and promising new shows. The joint Hulu/A24 production spent most of its 10-episode first season upending, with a wink and plenty of heart, both the audience expectations of idiosyncrasies within a Muslim family in New Jersey, and the protagonists bumbling attempts to live a more spiritually enlightened life.

The first season was a boon for critics an underrepresented perspective, daring, underseen, worthy of a major Golden Globe win but its second season, which premiered last week, lifts it to a must-see: an ambitious, contradictory and refractive exploration of one mans sisyphean trek toward meaning and spirituality in a deeply profane, messy and sometimes wondrous world. And, more pointedly for viewers in the fractious summer of 2020: a portrait of the many ways self-improvement turns self-serving, apologies mask as empty pleas for absolution, and enlightenment serves as exploitation of another.

Ramy is a contradictory character, a spiritual jester attuned to both Friday prayers and Friday night Im like at both. I wanna pray, I wanna go to the party, and Im breaking some rules, Im following others, he tells his cousin in Egypt in one of his many attempts to justify spinning his wheels.In the first seasons final two transfixing episodes, Ramy travels to Egypt, a country he has romanticized but not visited in years, in search of a magic clarity pill on who to be, but instead of a Muslim panacea finds a real country of complicated people naively Trump-supporting relatives, alcohol. His one moment of communal release and transcendence, at a Sufi center in Cairo, manifests as an attraction to his cousin.

For its second season, Ramy recruits two-time Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali to play a Sufi sheikh leading a mixed congregation at an adapted church picketed by Islamophobic locals. Reeling from his problematic tryst in Egypt, called out by his friends for skipping prayers and masturbating too much, Ramy seeks the sheikhs mentorship with the energy of a skittish puppy dog. I feel like I have this hole inside of me thats always been there, this kind of emptiness, and Im always trying to fill it with something, he unspools to the sheikh. His comedy lies in small justifications and mundane excuses he had sex with a married woman during Ramadan, but I just want you to know, he reassures, that it was during eating hours. Ramys intent seems straightforward enough: to kill the ego. But the application proves harder, the glitch of the whole season. Ramy commits to honesty, then dodges the truth on the last time he masturbated with a technicality.

Ramys enduring at times, too enduring passivity in the face of consequences defines the whole second season, which like the first contains several side-character capsules in which he disappears entirely (Hiam Abbass, as his brittle yet deeply sympathetic mother Maysa, once again delivers a standout turn). The sophomore outings 10 episodes are darker and more damning of Ramys self-justifying antics each thrust into the journey of enlightenment, leavened by good intentions and his flirtatious charm, only digs deeper into a mountain of self-obfuscating deflection and deception. (Im sorry, I feel like this is all my fault, is one of his fallbacks, guilt relief masked as a probing apology). His recruitment of an Iraq war veteran struggling with PTSD to the Sufi center models being a good Muslim, but ultimately serves more to impress the sheikh; likewise with his attempt to amend for his disastrous outreach with a fever-dream fundraising trip to a rich Emiratis Connecticut estate.

But the most egregious deception is his earnestly enacted delusion that hes in love with the sheikhs daughter, Zainab (MaameYaa Boafo), a wary, if underwritten, spitfire deeply committed to her faith, including saving oneself for marriage. The relationship goes (stop here to avoid spoilers) foreseeably awry, and when Ramy wakes to an empty marriage bed, hes greeted with the sheikhs death stare. The scene is a masterclass in flailing appeals to likability filling a bottomless hole of deferred personal responsibility; swaddled in a sheet as if an overgrown, diapered toddler, Ramy pleads before the sheikh for unearned forgiveness, for an explanation, for opportunity as a place to grow from. Under pressure, guilt-ridden and exposed, Ramy mistakes using someone as reciprocity. The rest of the world exists so you can reflect on it and perfect yourself, is that it? responds the barely composed shiekh. Fuck you, Ramy you little fuck, you little fucking boy. You hurt people.

Ramys second season dropped on 29 May, as protests over the killing of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and of racist police brutality in the United States erupted across the country. Obviously, the show was not made in that context and, of course, it is a show firmly rooted in one mans perspective of Islam and his self-serving attempts to adhere to it but, as a white person, its hard not to view the characters unworked attempts at introspection and their resulting damage in the second season as depressingly timely. In the past week, white people across the country belatedly woke up to systemic racism with a series of, often, performative posts, barrages to black people asking for educational resources and well-meaning but silent black tiles crowding out critical space on the Black Lives Matter hashtag (I am not exempt from this).

To be clear, Ramy is a brilliant show for many reasons, especially the space devoted to its female and middle-aged characters; nor is the new season unimpeachable (see: acapsule episode for his sister Dena (May Calamawy), which does little to expand her character beyond the first season). But perhaps the most potent insight in this second season is the leads amenable but pathological defiance of personal responsibility, his well-meaning and winsome brew of good intentions and self-obsession. Ramys perspective might be hyperspecific, but that complex is not.

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Ramy: the smartest, darkest TV comedy that you're not watching - The Guardian

Ravangla in South Sikkim is dotted with pretty villages surrounded by alpine trees, and jaw-dropping views of the Himalayas. Khanchengdzonga, Pandim, Siniolchu, and Kabru are the major peaks that are visible from various points in the area. It is also home to some of the most stunning monasteries and Buddhist temples in Sikkim. Here are some that you must not miss on your next visit.

Buddha ParkThis vast complex with manicured gardens features a 130ft statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha. It was consecrated by the Dalai Lama to mark the 2550th birth anniversary of Gautama Buddha. The imposing figure is depicted in the Dharmachakra mudra symbolising the Wheel of Dharma which was set in motion when the Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnaths Deer Park after attaining enlightenment. Hence, this park is also called Tathagata Tsal or place of enlightenment. About 60 tonnes of copper, and some 4kgs of gold, was used for this statue built in the repouss technique (one of the oldest metal-working practices in the world). You must check it out after sunset, when it is lit up and visible for miles around.

The climb up to the statue is quite strenuous, but the remarkable murals and paintings inside the temple beneath the statue are worth the effort. You can get battery-powered vehicles (for a fee) to go around. Ask for one at the ticket counter. Inside the temple is a spiral gallery of stunning artworks which showcases scenes from the Buddhas life. A glass-encased cylinder in the middle has murals containing holy relics from different countries. Look out for the hundreds of miniature Buddha statues in various mudras scattered around the periphery. Outside the temple are water fountains which function much like wishing wells. At the Tongchoe Lhakhang, you can light butter lamps in memory of your loved ones for a nominal fee.The site is within the complex of the centuries-old Rabong monastery, an interesting piece of traditional Buddhist architecture.

Close by is Ralang Monastery, another key religious place for Tibetan Buddhism. You can also walk to the Cho Djo Lake located within the complex. The park is about a kilometer from Ravangla town, so you can make this into a day outing. Make sure you are wearing sensible walking shoes when you visit because you will be doing a lot of walking and climbing. After all that walking (the complex is really huge), you can recharge at the eateries located inside the complex. You can also catch up on your gift buying list at the shops here.

Bon Monastery, KewzingContinue the Buddhism trail with a visit to one of the two Bon monasteries in India the only other one is in Himachal Pradesh. Until the advent of Buddhism, Bon was the religion of Tibet. The founder, Lord Tonpa Shenrab, holds a prominent position in Bon culture. The monastery at Kewzing is built in an Indo-Tibetan style, and is decorated with paintings of deities, and the Bon Buddha. Its around 6km from Ravangla along the Ravangla-Legship route.

Mangbrue MonasteryAbout 2kms from Kewzing Bazaar is Mangbrue Gompa which follows the Nyingmapa sect of Buddhism. Look out for the ruins of bunkers and outposts from the 19th century, when an invading Bhutanese army had used this as a strategic location.

Ralang Monastery

About 13km below Ravangla, is the new Ralang Gompa, also known as the Palchen Choeling Monastic Institute. Set up in the mid-90s, the gompa is home to about 200 monks of the Kagyu order. It is famous for elaborate sculptures. Inside the main hall is a 30-ft statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha. About 1.5km downhill, on the same road, is the smaller Old Ralang Gompa. Established in 1768, it is one of the most important monasteries in Sikkim following the Kagyu tradition. The old monastery was built in 1768 AD and legend has it that the 9th Karmapa, head of the Kagyupa sect, blessed the site of the monastery with grains of rice thrown from Tibet. It hosts festivals like Pang Lhabsol and Kagyed Chaam (generally around AugustSeptember and December). The famous Mahakala Dance takes place every year in the month of November.

If you feel up to it, hike to the monastery it takes approximately two-and-a-half hours from Ravangla market. Look out for Titanic Point after Ralang its a rock that juts out, shaped somewhat like a ship. You can get a good views of the valley, and West Sikkim.

Doling MonasteryAround 6m from Ravangala is the Doling monastery the old one and the new one are opposite each other. The old Doling monastery is a haunting and peaceful place, with faded prayer flags and a sacred lake with fish bobbing up and down in it. The fish (it is one of the eight lucky signs in Buddhism) are released into the pond as a form of worship. The monastery follows the Nyingmapa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. What draws people here are the footprints on stone one of the deity Khanchengdzonas horse and another of Lama Dorjelingpa.

More here:
On The Monastery Trail In Ravangla - Outlook India

One of the images shared by Mumbai Police on Instagram. (Instagram/Mumbai Police)

If you are a fan of The Simpsons, then you need no introduction to Barts blackboard scene. For those who are yet to catch up, it is an animated American sitcom. Credit scenes of most of the episodes of this show open with Bart, the character of the son in the show, writing something on a backboard at school presumably as punishment for his antics. What he writes changes from episode to episode, and now Mumbai Police has used that scene to put forth some important messages on cyber safety.

Doh! The Simpsons are going to follow these guidelines on cyber safety. You should too, the department wrote and shared four images. They show Bart writing that how he will verify facts before sharing WhatsApp forwards or wont share OTP or password with anyone.

Check the entire post to know what else Bart has in store for you:

Great work. Enlightenment is key, wrote an Instagram user, and we cant agree more. As for the other people, they shared all sorts of comments on the post. While some praised the Mumbai Police for their creativity, others expressed that theyll follow the rules diligently.

Brilliant idea! wrote an Instagram user. To do list! expressed another. Looks like I need to hear the Simpsons and change my passwords now, wrote a third.

What do you think of Mumbai Polices post?

Also Read | Can you solve Bengaluru Polices riddle tweet? It has an important message

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Mumbai Police uses Barts blackboard scene from The Simpsons to put forth important messages on cyber... - Hindustan Times

Art Industry News is a daily digest of the most consequential developments coming out of the art world and art market. Heres what you need to know on this Friday, June 5.

The UK Art World Sues Insurers UK art organizations are preparing to file a class-action lawsuit against insurers for failure to pay out as the lockdown era continues to decimate their bottom lines. The group of more than 50 claimantsall of whom remain unnamed for nowincludes art galleries, museums, and individual proprietors who claim losses ranging from50,000 ($63,498) to 35 million ($45 million). The dispute may come down to whether the public-health situation and the resulting shutdown are covered by the wording of specific policies for business interruption insurance. (The Art Newspaper)

Steve McQueen Dedicates Films to George Floyd The artist and Oscar-winning filmmaker has dedicated his two films selected for the Cannes Film Festival to George Floyd and all the other black people that have been murdered, seen or unseen, because of who they are, in the US, UK, and elsewhere. The films, Mangrove and Lovers Rock, were scheduled to be shown at the prestigious festival before its cancellation due to the public-health situation. The films are both part of McQueens Small Axe anthology, named after a quote from the protest singer and reggae artist Bob Marley: If you are the big tree, we are the small axe. (BBC)

Brooklyn Museum Opens Its Bathrooms to Protesters The Brooklyn Museum is the first major art museum to join a group of New York institutions and theaters in opening up their lobbies and bathrooms to protesters. The museumwhich is located near a frequent gathering site for protests in the boroughwill make itself available between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. A representative for the Brooklyn Museum told Artnet News that staff will be on hand to direct protesters to the bathrooms and help maintain social distancing. Over the past week, demonstrators have been bottlenecked by police and trapped without access to water or bathrooms; public rest points also give people the important chance to charge their phones. The Twitter account Open Your Lobby is recording theaters around the country that are opening up their spaces to demonstrators. (Instagram)

V&A Curator on the Role Enlightenment Thinkers Played in Creating Racism In a must-read post on the V&As blog, Gus Casely-Hayford, the British curator and director of V&A East, ruminates on a work by Yinka Shonibare illustrating a black Victorian dandy in the context of the protests sweeping the United States and beyond. These men who defined the Enlightenment, constructed its hierarchies and categories, these intellectuals who laid out the framework of modern law, morality, and its identified metaphysicslooked upon Africa, a well-populated and varied-cultured continent, and saw in its peoples nothinga void, a cultural tabula rasasilence, Casely-Hayford writes. It made colonialism, and the imposition of Western cultural norms, seem like a kindness. Shonibares image challenges the hierarchy, and, Casely-Hayford writes, we must do the same. (V&A)

Dealer Daniel Katz Makes $2.9 Million at Sothebys The London art dealers collection brought in 2.3 million ($2.9 million) in an online auction at Sothebys, easily surpassing the 1.2 million low estimate. The 144 lots ranged from Egyptian bronze antiquities to Modern British art. But despite the encouraging result, reporter Colin Gleadell writes that, with many objects priced under 40,000 and some offered without reserve, the sale felt more like a backroom clearance. (Art Market Monitor)

Swiss Museum Deaccessions Impressionist Works to Finance Itself The Langmatt Museum in Baden is selling up to three French Impressionist works from its collection in order to raise funds for operations, an extremely controversial move in the museum world. The president of the museums foundation, Lukas Breunig-Hollinger, says that the decision pains the institution but that it is ultimately the only way to save it. (NZZ)

Tunisia Controversy Halts Paris Auction The Paris auction house Coutau-Bgarie has withdrawn 114 19th-century lots belonging to Tunisian royalty from a planned sale after critics said they had been smuggled illegally out of their country of origin. Following an official denouncement from the National Heritage Institute, the auction house has temporarily suspended the sale in order to investigate whether the heirs to the artifacts illegally exported the goods in order to sell them on the international market. (Le Monde)

Brain Dead Collective Calls on Corporations to Support Black and LGBT Organizations The Los Angeles-based creative collective has called on its previous collaborators, including North Face, Converse, and Carhartt, to show their support for black and LGBTQ organizations. Match our donation or work on a project with or without us to raise money or awareness for this cause, they said in a call to action. (Complex)

First New Media Art Museum Will Open in the Netherlands The Nxt Museumthe Netherlands first museum dedicated to media artis opening on August 29 in Amsterdam. The first exhibition will feature large-scale, multi-sensory installations by acclaimed artists and academics including Marshmallow Laser Feast, Lucy McRae, and United Visual Artists. (Press release)

Adam Pendleton on Americas Protests The New York-based artist has penned an essay about how he is processing the trauma brought up by the protests sweeping the US. I realized that I am not safe, and this country is not kind, he writes. The article is illustrated with a new sketch by Pendleton, SEE THE SIN, and his closing statements illuminate that message: I took a breath and then realized that I needed to have a conversation with youthat I needed to reach out but that there is no moving on or next page until we SEE THE SIN. I realized the impossibilityand thus the poeticsof my plea. (ARTnews)

The High Museum Will Open for Summer Art Camp Children from first through eighth grades in Atlanta will be the first visitors to the citys High Museum when it reopens on June 8. The museum is organizing a summer art camp that lets children explore the galleries and create their own art at a time when the fate of such camps for many children across the country is unclear. (TAN)

The Twin Cities Black Arts Organizations Need Your Help The contribution of artists and creatives will be essential to the future of the Twin Cities, whose inhabitants must figure out how to move forward after the police murder of George Floyd on Memorial Day. Here is a list of underfunded and grassroots local arts organizations, including Arts-US, which cultivates young cultural leaders from the African Diaspora, and Juxtaposition Arts, a teen-run art and design center. Beyond the Twin Cities, there is no shortage of arts organizationsto support dedicated to building the careers of aspiring black creatives. (MPRnews,Artnet News)

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Art Industry News: The Brooklyn Museum Has Opened Up Its Lobby to Protesters as a Place for Rest and Relief + Other Stories - artnet News

1 Kazakhstan's Order of the Golden Eagle

The medal shimmers with gold, diamonds, and rubies. The award has been given to more than a dozen foreigners, but only two Kazakh citizens have received it: Nursultan Nazarbaev and Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, the only two presidents of Kazakhstan.

2 Order of the Star of Romania The medal comes with the unusual reward of a free burial site and a military salute when the recipient dies.

3 Hero of Ukraine In 2017, Belarusian Mikhail Zhyzneuski posthumously became the first foreigner awarded the title. Zhyzneuski was shot dead in 2014 during the Euromaidan protests. Many countries' medals come with miniature versions of the honor (seen here on the right) that can be pinned to clothing.

4 The United States' Presidential Medal of Freedom The medal rewards Americans, and occasionally non-Americans, for "exceptional contributions to the security or national interests of America, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors."

5 Hero of the Russian Federation This award is usually bestowed for "heroic feats of valor." Two recent recipients were the Ural Airlines pilots who in 2019 guided their seagull-stricken passenger aircraft into a cornfield. There were no fatalities or serious injuries among the 233 people aboard.

6 Japan's Order of the Rising Sun The handmade medal represents a dawn sun made from a polished garnet stone surrounded by a star made of gold and enamel which is suspended from the leaf of a Paulownia tree.

7 Order of New Zealand The number of ordinary awardees is limited to 20 living people. After a holder of the medal dies, the badge must be handed in and it is then "passed to another appointee to the order."

8 The United Kingdom's George Cross Among the hundreds of recipients of this award "for acts of the greatest heroism," perhaps the most unusual is the island of Malta, which was awarded the cross in 1942 for heroism and devotion during the Nazi/Italian siege of the British colony in World War II. The cross was later incorporated into the top left corner of independent Maltas flag.

9 Order of Pakistan This award is usually announced each year on August 14, Pakistan's Independence Day. The latest recipient of the award was St. Lucian cricketer Darren Sammy for his "invaluable contribution to Pakistani cricket."

10 Bulgaria's Stara Planina The spiky medal was previously reserved for foreign dignitaries but is now also awarded to Bulgarians who have given "outstanding services" to their country.

11 Jewel of India The platinum-rimmed medal is in the shape of a leaf from the Bodhi tree -- the same type Buddha is said to have achieved enlightenment under. The Hindi script says "Bharat Ratna" (Jewel of India). A maximum of three people receive the award each year.

12 Albania's Honor of the Nation This medal is awarded by Albanias president to Albanians or foreign nationals "as a token of gratitude and recognition for those who by their acts and good name contribute to honoring the Albanian nation."

Continued here:
Our Highest Honor: Top Medals From Countries Around The World - Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty

The original, held by the National Archives, is a large and predictably yellowing sheet of parchment with the inked head Congress of the United States, then, Begun and held at the city of New-York, on Wednesday the fourth of March, 1789 the first Congress.

It is the bill of amendments to the Constitution that James Madison introduced in the House of Representatives that year on June 8.

It has 12 articles. Ten of them, articles three through 12, will, through a laborious process filled with essential debate, become the Bill of Rights when they are added to the Constitution in two years time.

People often speak of constitutional rights today. It is a quintessentially American pastime. Yet the Constitution in its original, unamended form was not meant to do almost any of the things the Bill of Rights does. It was a compact among the states describing how the federal government was to be organized and duties apportioned.

On the matter of rights it was nearly mute. It largely did not contemplate limiting the powers of the federal government, as the Bill of Rights does, because the framers were intent on creating any national government against steep odds. That meant investing the new national government with powers to own land, for example, or assume debts. Yet getting it ratified was a near thing because so many actors in the founding generation such as Patrick Henry look askance at such a beast. They did not want a government that did not come with limits.

What they wanted was an enumeration of rights they maintained were universal, or that at least ought to apply to all free-born white men of property such as themselves. They wanted freedom of conscience, thought, religion, speech, publication. They wanted the specific freedom to assemble and protest. They wanted freedom from arbitrary arrest or seizure; freedom from the state they were asked to make. They wanted autonomy within this collective and they wanted it enshrined and sworn, like the Magna Carta but with every man a baron.

Who had heard of such a thing? It was almost utopian; an enlightenment plan, another grand experiment. Could a people with so many rights even cohere? How was a nation to balance, as Washington put it at his first inaugural, the characteristic rights of free men and a regard for public harmony?

We are still looking for that answer.

Madison was a member of the new House from Virginia, where anti-Federalist feeling ran strong. He won the seat by besting James Monroe, his future presidential successor, and by promising to bring a bill of rights to the new Congress. It was either that, Madison believed, or risk another constitutional convention that could undo the sectional and sectarian compromises of the first Constitution and bring on disunion and everyones bte noire then, anarchy.

He drew on a range of historical sources, including the English Bill of Rights of 1689, which stipulated the right of Protestants to keep and bear arms, as well as the new state constitutions and the Virginia Declaration of Rights of 1776. He incorporated many requests from the states, although one that was popular and he eschewed was an amendment to make all tax assessments voluntary. It was a compromise.

Madison was clear about his hopes for the amendments he introduced on June 8, that they would acquire by degrees the character of fundamental maxims of free government. He was farseeing in that.

He also wished that as the Bill of Rights became incorporated with the national sentiment, it would counteract the impulses of interest and passion and there lies the other great unsettled question.

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Our view: Happy birthday, Bill of Rights - The Durango Herald

Our attention has been drawn to a recent misleading petition, signed by one Mr. Needam Promise Gogorobari, Owner, Prodest Hotel and dated 24th May 2020, to the effect that the convicted Manager of Prodest Hotel, Mr. Bariledum Job Azoroh, who recently tested positive for Covid-19 disease amongst 27 others, in a result released by the National Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, may have allegedly been infected on the instructions of the Rivers State Government.

Much as we had restrained ourselves from responding to previous similar publications by this same person, since the subject matter was still before a court of competent jurisdiction, we are now compelled to reply this obviously spurious, deliberately misleading and intentionally provocative petition with a proper response, to set the records straight and caution the sponsors of this action from further pedlling such falsehoods in the public space.

For the avoidance of doubt and for the information of the general public, let us state categorically here that the FACTS of this matter are very clear, viz:

1. A Port Harcourt Senior Magistrates Court on May 18th, 2020 CONVICTED Mr. Bariledum Azoro, Manager of Prodest Hotel, Eleme and sentenced him to a fine of N50,000 for contravening paragraphs 3 and 4 of Executive Order RVSG 07 2020 on closure of hotels, guest houses and related outfits and provision of manifests in the state.

2. The Senior Magistrates Court also ordered that th convict,Mr. Azoroh should be quarantined at the Isolation Centre in Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Elekahia for 14 days to ascertain his coronavirus status.

3. That while in the Court Ordered Quarantine, competent health officials carried out mandatory tests on all suspected Coronavirus individuals at the centre, including Mr.Bariledum Job Azoroh, to ascertain their Covid-19 status. It is important to state here that COVID-19 tests undergo World Health Organization, (WHO) and NCDC guidelines and are conducted under strict established medical protocols.

4. That prior to the publication of the test results, the owner of PRODEST Hotel Eleme, Mr. Gogorobari Needam had published one of his misleading petitions in an attempt to preempt the outcome of the test and the question we want to ask is: Why did the hotel owner try to preempt the outcome of the test. Was he trying to cover up something?

5. That on Sunday, 24th May, 2020, the NCDC announced that Rivers State had 27 recorded positive cases including Mr.Bariledum Job Azoroh, from tests carried out in the state.

6. That following the official announcement of the result and confirmation of his Managers Covid-19 positive status, the PRODEST Hotel owner has once again released another statement and this time is now calling for a state of emergency in Rivers State because his manager tested positive for Covid-19.

7. Rivers people will recall that on May 19, 2020, we raised an alarm intimating the world of a clandestine plot by some Abuja politicians hiding under the cover of Covid-19 to instigate a State of Emergency in the state. Today, a hotel owner in Eleme, who lives in Lagos is also now calling for a State of Emergency. Is there any wonder therefore as to who is beating the drum for him?

8. Indeed there seems to be more to this than meets the ordinary eye and we are calling on all well-meaning people to see the need to interrogate this man and know that he is acting out a script. Infact, the entire petition sounds and reads like something lifted directly from the copy book of those who have been desperately trying to run down the Rivers State Government. This is desperation taken too far.

9. We even recall vividly that Mr. Needam Promise Gogorobari had, in an interview published in the Punch Newspaper of May 15, 2020 titled: No ill feeling towards Wike for demolishing my hotel Gogorobari, actually stated categorically that he holds no grudge against Governor Wike for demolishing the hotel. His words: Who am I not to forgive him? I dont hold any grudge against him. I just feel that Godwanted it to happen that way. So what happened to make him change his mind? Is it not obvious that the agents of evil and those who do not mean well for Rivers State have reached him and are now beating this drum of dissent for him?

10. Again, We want to state categorically here that Government doesnt conduct Covid-19 tests. Trained Health professionals follow the relevant medical protocols set down by WHO, the Federal Ministry of Health and the NCDC, to conduct these tests.

11. The claim therefore that the PRODEST Hotel manager, Mr. Bariledum Job Azoroh, was infected while in detention is not only laughable and preposterous, but sadly and dangerously exposes the amazing ignorance and naivety of Mr. Needam Promise Gogorobari and those sponsoring him about the deadly nature of the Covid-19 disease. How does one even carry such a deadly virus around and infect people with it?

12. Rather than commend the Rivers State Government for stemming the tide of infection that would have arisen if the Hotel used forclandestine parties was not demolished and the Manager arrested, the owner is crying wolf where there is none.

13. We also want to caution Mr. Needam Promise Gogorobari to be very mindful of his claims that his hotel Manager has been framed up by an unorthodox hired medical officers recruited by Governor Wike with a report that he has tested positive to COVID-19 whilst in detention with the Rivers State Government. This is a clear accusation and indictment of the reputation and authority of the NCDC.

14 We also want to call the attention of Mr. Needam Gogorobari that we take exception to his description of the Isolation Centre in Port Harcourt, as an illegal detention facility in Stadium, Elekahia, Port Harcourt and to inform him and his sponsors that the Director General of NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu and a team from the World Health Organization, were in Rivers State on a working visit in April this year and not only praised Governor Nyesom Wike for his leadership and handling of the Covid-19 outbreak. but also applauded his medical health team and all the facilities put in place in response to the Coronavirus.

We will therefore be keen to know how the NCDC will react, when they read your description of a facility they approved, as a detention centre.

15. Finally, we want to assure the good people of the state that the Rivers State Government remains resolute in its fight to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in the state and we will not be deterred by cheap blackmail and misleading propaganda.

16 Governor Wike is determined to employ and deploy appropriate strategies to keep Rivers State safe.

17. We call on all residents to work together with the Governor to defeat Covid-19 in Rivers State and by the Grace of God we will be victorious.

Paulinus Nsirim Commissioner for Information and Communications May 26, 2020

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COVID-19: Wike Committed To Saving Lives Of Rivers People Nsirim As 2nd Phase Of Street To Street Enlightenment Campaign Begins - The Tide

REGIONAL CORONAVIRUS DIFFERENCES: But still no regional health guidelines.

Gov. Asa Hutchinsons daily coronavirus update included a new peak on the number hospitalized and he said he wasnt ready to announce a regional approach to easing of state guidelines on business operations.

Hed indicated last week he might have an announcement this week. Today, he was more cautious.

He said the regions of the state are different and their trend lines are different. But he said the future spread of the coronavirus is not predictable. He said he doesnt believe the rise in cases being experienced is related to past easing of restrictions. But he said increased testing is important. He said self-discipline and social-discipline still must be practiced. And he emphasized again that the economy must keep moving. He said these factors will influence future decisions on easing restrictions.

But nothing today. Were leaving the options open, he said. The weekend numbers clearly were a disincentive. He said hed thought earlier the state was on a decline on the whole, but circumstances changed. The options he considered Friday had some weaknesses. He said, What might be a safe region today might not be tomorrow.

The daily COVID-19 count

The state reported 314 new cases today, increasing yesterdays total of 9,426 to 9,740. Deaths rose by one, to 155. Hospitalizations increased by 26 to 171, a record so far. The rise inc ases followed increases Saturday of 450 and Sunday of 325.

4,131 tests were done over the last 24 hours.

The growth in new cases continued in Washington County (86) and Benton County (41). The governor said 41 of the cases in Washington County were clustered in 15 households. He also said the average age of those infected was fairly young, perhaps a hopeful sign that theyll overcome the illness more easily.

Health Director Nate Smith said only 2 percent of new cases had visited a restaurant in the last 14 days; 1 percent to a barbershop; 1 percent to a church, and less than 1 percent to a gym or hotel.

He said the growth in hospitalizations was concerning, but he said the state was not near its capacity. He said that, with the growth in cases, it wasnt surprising hospitalizations would grow. He said the same could be expected of deaths, a lagging indicator.

Protest news

The governor opened remarks with news on the demonstration front. He confirmed the announcement earlier that he was deactivating National Guard hed called up in support of State Police and local police.

He said the unified command structure created by his executive order remains in place, though the number of State Police dedicated to the job will be reduced. He said the Little Rock police will remain at work protecting property and demonstrators. The governor praised local demonstrators, but he said some outliers whod come in to cause trouble had been discouraged and deterred.

He also said hed been meeting with protest leaders and planned to deliver at 11 a.m. Tuesday an executive order hed promised them. He gave no details, but he said it would deal with police training, certification and standards.

Economic recovery

Steuart Walton, the billionaire Walmart heir appointed by Hutchinson to lead a recovery task force, said Arkansas is doing better than some neighboring states in economic recovery. He said his groups website is now available in Spanish. He said the group was trying to encourage businesses to get people to follow guidelines on wearing masks (they could be more effective than a vaccine in preventing contraction of the disease, he said.) and following other social distancing guidelines. He lauded the governors targeted approach to balancing health and economic concerns.

The Q&A session didnt cover much new ground, with some discussion, but little enlightenment on whether the mass demonstrations were a potential breeding ground for virus cases or whether any new cases had been reported as a result.

More here:
Coronavirus today: 314 new cases and a record number hospitalized. No regional easing yet, governor says. - Arkansas Times

Instead of an optimally integrated global economy, anchored by Chinese technology and infrastructure, the world is facing the One Road, One Plague phenomenon, which underscores how Beijings systematic deficiencies could easily spread across beneficiaries and beyond.

In their groundbreaking Dialectic of Enlightenment (1944), Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno meticulously analyzed how the best intentions of modernity have descended into the horrors of the twentieth century. While the Enlightenment project is understood in the widest sense as the advance of thought, which is aimed at liberating human beings from fear and installing them as masters, they explain, the wholly enlightened earth is radiant with triumphant calamity.

A similar theme runs through the works of other intellectual luminaries of the time, from Karl Poppers The Open Society and Its Enemies (1945) to Georg Lukacss The Destruction of Reason (1952), which placed these monstrous perversions of Fascism and Stalinism as a symptom of totalistic understanding of truth, namely the idea that fallible men could politically superimpose a contrived utopia on complex human societies.

In many ways, the globalization project is the manifestation of a similar form of totalistic understanding, whereby the compression of time and space through advanced technology and economic interdependence would supposedly guarantee the greatest possible peace and prosperity on earth. Though the West, particularly the United States, served as the torchbearer of globalization in the twentieth century, China has emerged as its latest and most enthusiastic advocate. Through the trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Communist China has sought to present itself as the vanguard of globalization, albeit with new characteristics.

But the ongoing global crisis due to the China-originated pandemic is a forestate of the inherent risks of greater integration under Beijings umbrella. Instead of an optimally integrated global economy, anchored by Chinese technology and infrastructure, the world is facing One Road, One Plague phenomenon, which underscores how Beijings systematic deficiencies could easily spread across beneficiaries and beyond. With greater integration into a Sino-centric global order, the world will also be more vulnerable to systematic deficiencies, if not pathological patterns of governance, in the Chinese political system. Thus, much-needed reforms in the BRI projects external implementation should go hand in hand with internal reforms in Beijing.

Xi Must Be Obeyed

Speaking at the 2017 Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping triumphantly declared, [W]e should build the Belt and Road into a road connecting different civilizations. The following year, during a high-profile speech before leading scientists and engineers in Hainan, the Chinese leader went so far declaring: [W]e do not need to chase [after other countries]we are the road.

To be fair, the BRI is far from a monolithic national project. Studies have shown that its origins were actually private-sector driven (think of Hewlett-Packard) and accelerated by entrepreneurial local government units. Soon, other local governments in eastern and coastal regions of China joined in, seeking to take advantage of expanding infrastructure connectivity across the Eurasian landmass. The communist regime in Beijing simply hitched its wagon to the private-sector and local government-driven infrastructure projects.

Despite its eventual consolidation as a Chinese national blueprint, the BRI mega-infrastructure development project has been messy, fluid and uncertain both in its conception as well as policy direction, not too dissimilar from the unruly U.S. transcontinental railways project in the nineteenth century. Far from just serving as an overarching imperialist project, careful analysis shows that its more self-protective in nature, primarily driven by anxieties over the security of Chinas vital and expanding communication lines across the world.

Above all, the BRI is multidimensional, marking the convergence of multiple forces and interests, from facilitating Chinas long-term plans of developing landlocked hinterlands and underdeveloped region to outsourcing internal productive glut and infrastructure overcapacity amid a slowdown in global demand for its exports, and assisting and promoting troubled State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), which employ tens of millions of workers, through the provision of lucrative projects overseas.

Not to mention, globalizing Chinas technological standards, developing trading partners basic infrastructure to enhance their trade absorption capacity with China, and enhancing access to rare commodities across the developing worldfactors that are crucial to the countrys long-term economic development. In short, the BRI is arguably much more about addressing domestic economic imbalances, upgrading national champions, and internationalizing Chinese techno-industrial standards to escape the much-dreaded middle income trap than a clear-cut, aggressive project of world domination.

One Road, One Plague

Recent years have also shown Beijings willingness to make adjustments in its global strategy, underscoring the dialectical nature of its foreign policymaking. Heir to both ancient political strategic and Marxist-Leninist ideology, the leadership in Beijing continues to think in dialectical terms, taking into consideration the correlation of forces and overall balance of power in the international system in crafting its global strategy.

Encouragingly, China has shown a degree of sensitivity to global feedback, from its (partial) concessions in the decisionmaking layout of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), foregoing absolute veto powers, to greater focus on debt and environmental sustainability in the BRI projects. As a result, we no longer speak of the AIIB as a direct rival to existing International Financial Institutions (IFIs), while a growing number of experts are touting the birth of BRI 2.0 following Beijings admission of imbalances and deficiencies in its recent infrastructure projects overseas.

During last years BRI summit, the Chinese president emphasized high quality growth, good governance, and the need to protect the common home we live in.

Operate in the sun and fight corruption together with zero tolerance, a visibly sober and less-triumphalist Xi said last year. Building high-quality, sustainable, risk-resistant, reasonably priced, and inclusive infrastructure will help countries to fully utilize their resource endowments.

Nonetheless, the Chinese vision of globalization has been hounded by countless risks and challenges. Last year, Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad told me how even middle-income countries are susceptible to debt trap, since [If] [w]e borrow huge sums of money, if you cannot pay money, you'll become under the influence or the direction of the lender... If you cannot pay your debt, you find yourself subservient to the lender.

Aside from the more extreme cases of Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the vast majority of countries, however, deal with another kind of dilemma. There is the risk of China chimera, namely the yawning gap between Chinas rhetorical promises of large-scale investments and the reality of its minimal, substandard investments. (It remains to be seen how the so-called BRI 2.0 addresses this.)

This allows China to get maximum geopolitical bang out of its largely imaginary buck, allowing the Asian powerhouse to extract huge geopolitical concessions by overawing supposed beneficiaries with large-scale offers of technology and capital. Not to mention, co-opting authoritarian and/or corrupt clients in the developing world as well as leveraging increasingly asymmetrical trade relations between Beijing and its neighbors.

As a Turkish expert shared during a BRI conference in 2018, one big concern of Chinas trading partners is the One Road, One Way phenomenon, whereby the upshot is ever-larger importation of Chinese products without corresponding increase in the productive capacity of partner nations. As the recent China-originated pandemic shows, however, the challenges and risks ahead are far greater.

The coronavirus pandemic, which has hit countries across the ancient Silk Road hardest, has revealed a new layer of risks in Chinas BRI project. As Minxin Pei explains, the coronavirus pandemic is, in many ways, a symptom of a governance deficit in Beijings increasingly authoritarian system, where pathological secrecy hobbles the authorities capacity to respond quickly to epidemics.

Chinas systematic cover-up during the crucial phase of the crisis as well as its unwillingness to be transparent about the origins of the pandemic doesnt bode well for its BRI vision, which has already been hobbled by a fundamental lack of transparency. The threat we confront is beyond just debt trap, but instead proliferation of corrosive practices and deleterious results of authoritarian patterns of governance with potentially disastrous consequences.

Thus, the future of Chinas globalization vision will be determined not only by the BRIs evolving structure and actual implementation overseas, but also domestic patterns of decision-making. How China responds to the current crisis will tell us a lot about how it will shape the next wave of globalization.

Richard Heydarian is an Asia-based academic and author of, among others, The Indo-Pacific: Trump, China, and the New Struggle for Global Mastery.

Image: Reuters

Excerpt from:
China's One Road, One Plague Tragedy - The National Interest

Corona Virus has comes to push America and the world ahead and not backwards. The Lubavitcher Rebbe of blessed memory called America a nation of kindness. America has open arms to people of all races, creeds, ethnic groups and religion. America welcomes new immigrants which have entered the country legally. America offers a stable government with a stable economy. It also has the most powerful military in the world.

It is great to say that America is the safest country in the world. America has been hit hardest by Corona of all nations in the world. The truth is that no place in the world can be called perfectly safe. There has never been a completely safe place in the world. Besides being conflicts between nations, national disturbances such as civil wars, crime and disease; there are also natural catastrophes hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, earthquakes which are unpredictable. Today the whole world is being warned about global warming dangers. Depending on America or any other nation for security, depending on the security of money, there are always dangers which are unexpected. For this reason there is a need for faith in God and religion.

There are ways of limiting the dangers that are in life. One way is through insurance, life insurance, health insurance, fire and liability insurance etc. The main way is through education. Children need to be educated to distance themselves from these dangers. Children should be educated to appreciate the importance of life. Life is an opportunity and challenge for everyone.

America offers the best in material life. America is a democracy giving the freedoms which makes life more pleasant. One of these freedoms is freedom of religion. America does not force a particular religion on its citizens. America was established as a nation under God, but in America there is written in the first amendment separation between church and state. The Declaration of Independence all men are created equal, they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among them are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. America according to the Declaration of Independence has received life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness from their creator, God Almighty. America does not have one religion as did the Byzantine Empire or the Ottoman Empire but has freedom of religion which is the Universal faith.

Freedom of religion gives each person the right to choose his religion according to his needs. There are three major religions which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam. These religions have in them many sects. In Judaism there is reformed Judaism, Conservative Judaism and Orthodox Judaism. Orthodox Judaism divides up into Modern Orthodox, Chassidic Orthodox and fundamental Orthodox. Christianity has in it Protestant and Catholic which divide up into many types of Christianity. Islam divides up into Sunni and Shiite with its branches. Each American has a choice which church, synagogue or mosque to attend. He may not want to be active in any religious activities. He may be atheist, agnostic and strictly secular. Freedom of religion is the Universal faith of every American whether he chooses it or not.

Almost every person is born with a connection to some religion. Before Democracy came into the world and before was founded America in 1776, the world was ruled by theocracies. Judaism was the first of the theocracies. After Judaism came Christianity centered in Rome. The Byzantine Empire also called the Roman Empire almost conquered the whole world. The people were forced to adopt their religion which was Christianity. In opposition to Christianity was the Islamic movement centered in Constantinople the Ottoman Empire. Through these three faiths almost every human being in the Western world and the Middle East come from families which have once adopted one of these faiths. The Jewish people are the remnants of the Biblical Nation of Israel which was conquered by the Romans. The Jewish people were scattered throughout the world practicing their religion in foreign lands.

Theocracies Byzantine Empire and Ottoman Empire pressured the people in foreign lands to adopt their religion. Theocracies are generally one religion, one party nations. They may not give free choice and threaten the lives of people of foreign lands to adopt their faith. Jews practiced Judaism in many of these lands under the pressures of people of other faiths.

Today America and the world have changed over to democracy which offers freedom of religion. Freedom of religion can also be called the universal faith. Immigrants come to America with a religion which they inherited from their forefathers. They may be Christians, Jews, or Muslims. America is the land of the Universal faith with freedom of religion. Orthodox religions are derived from theocracies without the freedoms which are in democracy. Orthodox religious people have a battle controlling their children from assimilating into the Modern Society which offers them freedom. The universal faith revealed in the Free World is not a religion; it is a faith connected to all religions. Israel is also a democracy with freedom of religion. European nations are democracies with freedom of religion.

Religions are theocracies based upon scriptures which are against conversion to other faiths. The Universal faith may be more dangerous to Orthodox religions than the pressures of other Orthodox faiths. Children assimilate easily into Universal faith. National religions emphasize family purity. Education of children needs an Orthodox approach. An Orthodox approach will prepare their children for marriage without promiscuous sex. Public Schools do not educate children in the traditional way like religion; to prepare for marriage and to build a family.

America was once the safest of all countries. America was called a Nation of Kindness by the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Freedom of religion the Universal faith is the highest ideal equality free of racism. When it comes to education of children is needed practical discipline which is offered by Orthodox religion. Orthodox day schools very often separate sexes. Public schools have almost always mixed sexes which leads to premoscuity. In America people have a choice where to send their children to school. They can choose a private school of their own faith which may cost money, or send their children to Public School for free. Jewish immigrants came to America from Europe without money and sent their children to Public Schools. In America Jews have assimilated the most in Jewish history. The Universal faith, freedom is a great danger to Jewish heritage. The same danger is also to Orthodox Catholics and Islamists living in a free country with the Universal faith.

The same dangers exist in America for Jews and the children of other Orthodox faiths through intermarriage. America courts will not discriminate between faiths and marry interfaith people. These interfaith marriages assimilate American immigrants to become Americans connecting to the Universal faith. The Universal faith is a great ideal to make America a nation without racism. When it comes to education of children it can end up creating sexual promiscuity if it separates from religion. The roots of the Universal faith is in religion. The Lubavitcher Rebbe recommended to Americans to study the Seven Laws of the Children of Noah. He also recommended for Public Schools to institute interfaith prayer A moment of silence.

The model of the Universal faith given in Bahai was to unite democracy and theocracy. Theocracy is important in child education. The Universal faith and democracy is an ideal for each person to reach love of his neighbor without hated and free from racism. When democracy separates from religion it loses its true purpose. Religion and private religious schools are important for the survival of America.

Religions differ conflict in many of their customs but all religions agree that sex is prohibited until marriage. They all agree about the importance of procreation. The Universal Faith cannot discriminate between one religion and the other but can teach those morals and ethics in which all religions agree. These morals and ethics can be taught in the name of the Universal Faith in public schools. Liberal democrats have taken control over the American educational system rebelling against religion.

Corona has taught the world the importance of quarantine. Quarantine is separation from the evil of disease. Returning to normalcy requires protecting Americans from a future virus. America and the western world were not prepared for Corona virus and were struck hardest in the world. America brought freedom to the world which was abused when people separated themselves from religion. Freedom can be destructive to the family unit. Pope Francis in one of his messages said, Family is the cradle of life. America needs to protect their families from diseases which can come from sexual promiscuity. It can only be accomplished through proper education in the old traditional values taught in religion.

Civilization wants to go ahead. Going back to theocracy is not the answer. Americans and people living in the Modern Society will not give up freedom. Corona virus called by Madonna the American entertainer and guru on her website the great equalizer has united the religions of the world together in interfaith prayer in Jerusalem to reveal the Universal Faith.

Corona has also taught mankind the importance of quarantine separation from evil which is emphasized especially in child education by Orthodox religious faiths. There are two parts to the Universal Faith as taught by Bahai and Progressive Jewish Spirituality, the Universality of Faith and education of children in the morals and ethics of religion.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe called by his students The Messiah of the religion of Moses, recommended to the USA and the world, education in the Seven Commandments of the Children of Noah. In the United States was established Education and Sharing Day in honor of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

The Kabballah Esoteric Jewish Mysticism divides up education into three levels which are nursing, child education and adult education. Many movies today are restricted to children called Adult Movies. Before you can learn to run first is important is to learn to walk. Civilization has reached the highest level of unity through democracy, freedom of religion. The foundations of democracy come from theocracy. Democracy developed from theocracy. These foundation should not be forgotten. The importance of child education should not be forgotten. The danger of freedom is when is forgotten the importance of child education in the way of the Bible.

Internet has united the world. It is part of the Universal Faith. However internet may be dangerous for children if it is not supervised properly. Adults can browse as they please, but children need supervision on the way to become adults. The goal of President Trump is MAGA. He wanted to unite America with religion through weakening the Johnson Amendment. The opponents of President Trump were Liberal democrats who wanted to separate America from its ancestors. Democracy comes from theocracy. Democracy can be an improvement to the theocracies of the past. Corona has come to push America and the world ahead and not backward. Ahead does not mean divorcing from religion but incorporating religion with freedom in the Universal Faith.

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Corona Enlightenment - The Two Sides of Truth Unity and Separation - Communal News