Monday, April 12, 2021

 


Lightning strike destroys tree outside Wisconsin high school

April 9 (UPI) -- A security camera at a Wisconsin high school captured the moment a lightning strike destroyed a tree right outside the building.

Jennifer Johnson, the principal at Wautoma High School, said lightning struck the tree just as students were sitting down to take the ACT Aspire test at 8:25 a.m. Thursday.

"Initially, the students and staff were startled by the event; however, after realizing what had just happened, they were fascinated by the rare incident that occurred just feet from them," Johnson told WBAY-TV.

A video recorded by a school security camera shows the moment the tree was illuminated by the bolt of lightning before crashing to the ground in pieces.

Johnson said no one was injured and there was no damage to the property other than the destroyed tree.

RATHER AMAZING THE LIGHTENING ACTUALLY DISINTIGRATES THE TRUNK LEAVING THE BRANCHES TO FALL TO THE GROUND.

WE HAD LIGTHENING HIT AN ELM ON OUR BOULEVARD,. THE CRACK WAS SO LOUD IT SHOOK THE HOUSE AND KNOCK THINGS OFF SHELVES 

SURPRISINGLY THE TREE LIVES!



Dig uncovers 'Lost Golden City';

largest ancient city ever found in Egypt



An archaeological discovery, named the "Lost Golden City," is seen in Luxor, Egypt. Scientists say the city is 3,000 years old and excavation work to uncover it began last September. Photo by Zahi Hawass Center For Egyptology/EPA-EFE


April 9 (UPI) -- Archaeologists in Egypt have uncovered a 3,000-year-old city that dates back to the era of ruler Amenhotep III, one of the country's most powerful pharaohs who reigned for almost four decades in the 1300s B.C.

Egyptian officials, who announced the find on Thursday, are calling the discovery in the southern province of Luxor the "Lost Golden City." The city is also known as Aten.

Betsy Brian, a Johns Hopkins University egyptologist, calls the significance of the find second only to the discovery of King Tut's tomb in 1922.

"The discovery of the Lost City, not only will give us a rare glimpse into the life of the Ancient Egyptians at the time where the Empire was at its wealthiest but will help us shed light on one of history's greatest mystery: Why did Akhenaten and Nefertiti decide to move to Amarna?" Brian said, according to ABC News.

RELATED Analysis of King Tut's treasure shows aesthetic influence of Levant

After seven months of excavation, the mission led by former Egyptian antiquities chief Zahi Hawass found neighborhoods of the city. The mission's initial objective was to find a mortuary temple of King Tut.

Hawass said the find was the largest ancient city ever uncovered in Egypt. The dig revealed archaeological finds, such as jewelry, colored pottery and mud bricks bearing seals of Amenhotep III, who ruled during the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt.

"What they unearthed was the site of a large city in a good condition of preservation, with almost complete walls, and with rooms filled with tools of daily life," Hawass said in the ABC News report, adding that discoveries included a residential area and a bakery.

RELATED Museum staff in Egypt facing charges over failed King Tut beard job

Many foreign missions have previously searched for the city, but none were able to locate it. Hawass said his team expects to uncover tombs filled with treasures.

Excavation work to uncover the Lost Golden City began in September.

Sunday, April 11, 2021

RIP
Ramsey Clark, attorney general under Lyndon Johnson, dies

APRIL 11, 2021 


Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark walks on Pennsylvania Avenue as thousands of protesters gather nearby to demonstrate against the Iraq War in Washington on September 15, 2007. File Photo by Alexis C. Glenn/UPI | License Photo


April 11 (UPI) -- Ramsey Clark, the attorney general under President Lyndon B Johnson for 22 months then became a civil rights attorney, has died at his home in New York City. He was 93.

Clark died on Friday, a family member, Sharon Welch, told The New York Times and The Washington Post.

In 1977, Supreme Court Justice Tom Clark swore in his son. Clark served until 1969, and then became a private practice attorney. His clients included former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, and the Harrisburg Seven, antiwar activists led by the Rev. Philip Berrigan, the radical Roman Catholic priest, and several followers of the Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh.

As attorney general, Clark prosecuted Benjamin Spock, a pediatrician and best-selling author for conspiracy to aid draft resisters during the Vietnam War.

He later became a vocal critic of the war and other U.S. policies, including conflicts in Grenada, Libya, Panama and the Gulf War. In 1972, Clark met with Communist officials in Hanoi, the capital of North Vietnam.


He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas and a law degree from the University of Chicago, according to a Department of Justice biography.

Clark was appointed assistant U.S. attorney general of the Lands Division by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, when Clark was only 33 years old.

The United Nations General Assembly awarded in 2008 Clark its Prize in the Field of Human Rights, given every five years to human rights defenders.

IN GEORGIA A JAPANESE GOLFER WINS THE MASTERS 
Hideki Matsuyama wins 85th Masters golf tourney, first major title

With the victory, Matsuyama made history as the first male golfer from Japan to win a major championship. He is only the second man from an Asian country to win a major


Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama of Japan celebrates while wearing the Green Jacket after the final round of the 2021 Masters Tournament on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

April 11 (UPI) -- Japan's Hideki Matsuyama held off an erratic Xander Schauffele for a one-stroke victory at the 85th Masters Tournament on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, claiming his first major title and the Green Jacket.

With the victory, Matsuyama made history as the first male golfer from Japan to win a major championship. He is only the second man from an Asian country to win a major, joining South Korea's Y.E. Yang, who beat Tiger Woods at the 2009 PGA Championship.

"Hopefully, I'll be a pioneer and many other Japanese will follow," said Matsuyama, who received the Green Jacket from 2020 winner Dustin Johnson.

Matsuyama, who is now a six-time winner on the PGA Tour, won more than $2 million in prize money for his improbable triumph at Augusta.

RELATED Masters golf: Matsuyama takes 4-stroke lead into final round

Before the tournament, many sportsbooks listed him at 60-1 odds to win the Masters, making him one of the biggest long shots to win the event since Danny Willett in 2016.

The 29-year-old Matsuyama, who shot 65 in Saturday's third round, closed with a 1-over 73 on the final day to finish the tournament with a 10-under 278. He built a six-stroke lead on the back nine, but watched it disappear after a series of mistakes and a late surge from Schauffele.

Holding a four-shot advantage, Matsuyama went for the green in two on the par-5 15th hole. Instead, he found the water and bogeyed the hole.

RELATED Corey Conners sinks hole-in-one at 2021 Masters

Schauffele, meanwhile, made his fourth consecutive birdie on hole No. 15 to cut Matsuyama's lead to just two shots with three to play.

Schauffele's next swing all but ended his comeback attempt. His tee shot on the par-3 16th bounded off the hill and trickled into the pond. His third shot from the drop area traveled into the gallery, leading to his triple-bogey 6.

It was the first triple-bogey of Schauffele's major championship career. Before his blunders on the 16th hole, he carded birdies on Nos. 12, 13, 14 and 15 to make it interesting.


Hideki Matsuyama of Japan hits out of a greenside bunker to the 18th green in the final round of the 2021 Masters Tournament on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo


RELATED Masters: Justin Rose enters weekend with one-shot lead at Augusta

On the front nine, Schauffele sank three birdies, but also had two bogeys and a double bogey, finishing at even-par 72 in what proved to be an inconsistent final day for the American.

"I was pretty wild, I'd say," Schauffele said. "I fought hard and I felt like I made it exciting at the end. I hit a really good shot there on 16. I committed to it and hit a perfect shot. We thought it was down and left to right, it was not down and left to right. And the rest is history."

Despite bogeying three of his last four holes, Matsuyama held on to become the first Masters champion with a final round over par since Trevor Immelman's 75 in 2008.

Five-time Green Jacket winner Tiger Woods congratulated Matsuyama on social media after his historic victory at Augusta, saying it would "impact the entire golf world."

"Making Japan proud, Hideki," Woods wrote on Twitter. "Congratulations on such a huge accomplishment for you and your country. This historical [Masters] win will impact the entire golf world."

Will Zalatoris, the 24-year-old Masters rookie, took advantage of Schauffele's struggles and finished behind Matsuyama at 9-under 279, earning more than $1.2 million in winnings. It was the best finish by a first-timer at the tournament since Jordan Spieth was runner-up in 2014 to Bubba Watson.

Spieth and Schauffele tied for third at 7-under 281.

Jon Rahm had a final-round-best 66 to jump 16 spots and share fifth with Marc Leishman. Justin Rose, who entered the weekend as the leader, came in seventh at 5-under for the tourney.

Anti-mask advocate added to no-fly list in Canada
Jane Stevenson 
TORONTO SUN
4/11/2021

© Provided by Toronto Sun Chris Sky (Saccoccia), 37, from King City, is shown at a speaking engagement.  ANTI MASK PROTEST IS NOT JUST ANOTHER SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT

A no-fly list designation is the latest wrinkle to befall high-profile anti-mask advocate Chris Sky, of King City, Ont.

Sky, who’s real surname is Saccoccia, said Sunday that while recently attempting to get on a Flair Airlines flight at Toronto Pearson Airport — en route to speaking events in Calgary and Edmonton — he was barred from checking in.

Sky said he was told his name was on a no-fly list, adding no one provided him any explanation as to why.

He documented the entire incident on video and posted it on his Instagram account.



“I was not happy about it,” said Sky on Sunday. “Obviously, the government doesn’t like it when I go speak places so they try to stop me any way they can.”

Zarah Malik, a spokesperson for Public Safety Canada, said on Sunday he couldn’t specifically comment on Sky’s case.

However, generally, Malik said: “There are many reasons unrelated to Canada’s Secure Air Travel Act (SATA) List that could cause delays or prevent someone from boarding a flight. For example, airlines and other countries may have their own security lists and rules to screen travellers. The SATA list contains the names of individuals who may pose a threat to aviation security or who may travel by air to commit a terrorist act.”
Malik added anyone “will receive confirmation in writing from Public Safety Canada at the time of the denial of boarding that explains their right to apply for recourse.”

Sky, who said he had yet to hear the reason, had other plans.

“I’m going to use every resource I have to get that friggin’ illegal, disgusting, communist-style, lawless, dictatorship, piece of crap, no-fly list taken off my good name and I’m going to hold the federal government accountable,” he said.

In the meantime, not flying has led to another transportation option for him.

“I’m driving across Canada as we speak!” said Sky. “I just left Manitoba, and I’m on my way to Saskatchewan, and then I’m going to go all the way to Vancouver, and I’m going to come all the way back! They ain’t going to stop me from speaking!”



Protesters defy curfew in Old Montreal, setting fires, breaking windows
CBC/Radio-Canada 1 hour ago

© Giuseppe Valiante/The Canadian Press Some protesters lit fires in garbage cans and on the street, while others set off fireworks and chanted slogans deriding Premier François Legault.

Demonstrators lit fires and shouted slogans in Old Montreal Sunday evening in defiance of a new 8 p.m.curfew that went into effect to prevent the spread of COVID-19 cases.

A large crowd blocked off a street near Montreal's Place Jacques-Cartier. Some lit fires in garbage cans, while others set off fireworks and chanted slogans deriding Premier François Legault and demanding more freedom.

Garbage fires were lit at many intersections and protesters picked up what they could find on the street and threw it at store windows, shattering many.

Many of the demonstrators were not wearing masks.

Dozens of police, some in riot gear, arrived on the scene around 8:30 p.m., at which point some protesters began to disperse.

The provincial government announced the earlier curfew on Tuesday. Premier Legault said it was a necessary "preventative" measure to stop people from gathering indoors, and avoid an explosion of COVID-19 cases.

A curfew was first imposed across Quebec on January 9. It required Quebecers across the province to be in their homes from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. unless they had a valid reason to be out. The curfew was later moved back to 9:30 p.m. in some regions, including Montreal.

Hundreds defy Montreal's 8 p.m. curfew in violent, destructive protest

MONTREAL — Hundreds of protesters set fires and smashed windows through a swath of downtown Montreal on Sunday in defiance of a newly adjusted curfew intended to stem surging COVID-19 case numbers in the city.
© Provided by The Canadian Press

Police responded with tear gas in a bid to control the crowd, who were purportedly protesting Quebec Premier Francois Legault's decision to roll the city-wide curfew back from 9:30 to 8 p.m. The move, previously replicated in other COVID-19 hot spots across the province, took effect in Montreal and nearby Laval on Sunday.

The protest began in relative calm, with a mostly young crowd dancing to music from loudspeakers while lighting fireworks and chanting, "freedom for the young."

But the festive atmosphere quickly turned violent as a few protesters lit a garbage fire in Montreal's Jacques Cartier Square, which was met with tear gas from riot police.

Police soon rushed the crowd, prompting dozens of protesters to scatter and cause mayhem down the cobblestone streets of Montreal’s tourist district.

They lit garbage fires at many intersections and seized projectiles from city streets, hurling them at nearby windows and shattering many.

A spokeswoman for Montreal police said she couldn't offer any comment on the protests, describing them as an ongoing situation. She said that more information would become available as things stabilized and police on the scene could file their reports.

Marwah Rizqy, a Liberal member of the provincial legislature that represents a Montreal riding, tweeted her disapproval of the protestors' actions.

"Chanting freedom while ransacking windows of stores that are already just getting by. It’s disheartening / outrageous," Rizqy tweeted in French.

A few protesters were still out on the streets at around 9:30 p.m. throwing glass, breaking city infrastructure and running from police.

Sirens rang through the streets as firefighters put out the many small blazes lit along Old Montréal’s alleys and narrow roads.

The curfew ostensibly at the heart of the protest was imposed to curb COVID-19 infection rates that have spiked in several regions in recent weeks.

Quebec reported 1,535 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, as well as five additional deaths linked to the virus.

Hospitalizations jumped by 25 to 608, with 139 patients in intensive care.

Health Minister Christian Dube tweeted that the numbers are concerning given that 58 per cent of new cases involve people under the age of 40.

"While vaccination accelerates, we must continue to adhere to the measures if we want to defeat this pandemic," Dube wrote.

"Let's show solidarity."

Legault said last week that he was imposing the health order in Montreal and Laval despite a relatively stable case count as a precaution, due to the heavy presence of more contagious virus variants.

Residents in those regions who leave their homes between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. without a good reason could face fines of over $1,000.

Legault extended the curfew in Montreal and other red zones from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in mid-March, but said last week that the evolving COVID-19 situation gave him no choice but to reverse course.

Legault previously placed Quebec City, Levis, Gatineau and several municipalities in Quebec's Beauce region under the earlier curfew.

The government also closed schools and non-essential businesses in those areas, and Legault announced Thursday that the measures would be extended until at least April 18.

The province also gave 59,447 doses of vaccine on Saturday, and has currently given a shot to just over 22 per cent of the population.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 11, 2021




Expert says gathering outside Alberta church attended by many conspiracy theorists

SPRUCE GROVE, Alta. — An expert investigating hate groups says a weekend gathering outside an Alberta church charged with violating COVID-19 regulations is exemplary of the increasing number of far-right groups and conspiracy theorists who've latched on to the anti-lockdown and anti-mask movement.
© Provided by The Canadian Press

Up to 500 people gathered outside GraceLife Church west of Edmonton on Sunday, four days after Alberta Health Services shut down and fenced off the building. The health agency says it will remove the fences when the church shows it will comply with public health measures meant to contain the spread of the virus.

Dozens of police officers monitored the crowd as some sang hymns, read from a Bible and prayed for the church to reopen. Several others were heard yelling that the pandemic is not real and is made up by the government, which are all conspiracy theories.

In the afternoon, some tore down fences, but RCMP immediately intervened and put the metal guards back up. Police said in a statement they will only use the level of intervention necessary to maintain peace, order and safety.

"It would be accurate to say that the event attracted far-right and right-wing conspiracy-minded individuals for sure," said Elizabeth Simons, the deputy director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, who was monitoring the crowd.

"We're hugely concerned."


GraceLife Church and its pastor, James Coates, are charged under the Public Health Act for holding services that break health restrictions related to capacity, physical distancing and masking. They have a trial set for May.

The church said in a statement that members of its congregants were not at the Sunday gathering, and that it has no control of the building or its grounds at this time.

"The closing of the Grace Life facility has understandably resulted in significant public outrage and caused even larger crowds to gather in one place. Albertans have a constitutional right to assemble, associate, and worship," the statement said.

Simons agreed many of the people participating in the demonstration were not associated with the church and it included a familiar set of characters from Canada’s hate movements and their supporters.

She says she saw many holding signs warning of tyranny and communism, and many also falsely said mosques were allowed to hold services without restrictions, and only churches are being attacked.

"We feel that the anti-lockdown and the anti-science movement is one of the biggest threats that we're facing."


Simons says everyday people who may be vulnerable and lack critical thinking skills or media literacy are more susceptible to far-right messaging.

Alberta's Premier Jason Kenney was asked during a news conference on Saturday what his message would be to people who might plan to attend the gathering at GraceLife Church on Sunday.


"My message for any Albertan would be to take COVID seriously and to keep people safe," Kenney said.


"My message to people of faith in particular would be that if you believe in the sanctity of human life, please act accordingly. This virus is real, it's taken the lives of 2,000 Albertans, of millions of people around the world, and we are right now in the midst of what is likely the biggest wave of infection that we've experienced to date."

Simons says far-right people attending anti-mask and anti-lockdown protests is not new in Alberta or the rest of Canada.


Two months ago, hundreds of anti-mask and lockdown protesters marched the streets of Edmonton and chanted “no more fake news" and “no more fake science", Simons said.

Some even carried tiki torches, which many say is a symbol used by white supremacists.

Simons says the amount of misinformation being spread about COVID-19, and what is believed by so many people, is something she has never seen before.

"It's something that is really unprecedented. We have not dealt with something of this magnitude before."


This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 11, 2021.

----

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press
Hundreds rally outside Alberta church closed by health officials
ARREST AND QUARNTINE THEM TILL END OF PANDEMIC

CBC/Radio-Canada
© CBC The demonstrators carried a variety of messaging, much of it in opposition to public health restrictions.

Hundreds of people demonstrated Sunday outside the shuttered GraceLife Church west of Edmonton.

Alberta Health Services closed the church last week after it repeatedly defied public health orders, with hundreds of people attending services. Chain link fences were set up around the site in Parkland County.

The crowd began gathering along the road adjacent to the church early Sunday morning as hymns played over loudspeakers. Demonstrators carried signs with a variety of messages, some decrying vaccines, public health restrictions and communism.

An increased police presence by the RCMP included additional traffic enforcement officers deployed to the area.

Police said in a statement they would only use the level of intervention necessary to ensure safety and maintain peace, order and security.

Dozens of police vehicles shut off access to roads around the church while a helicopter flew overhead. A large line of at least 30 officers faced the outer fence.

There was a tense moment around noon when a group splintered from the crowd and tore down part of the fence. RCMP and others from the crowd pushed back the group and re-established the fence.

About 150 of the protesters trespassed on Enoch Cree Nation land across the road from the church site, parking their cars and vandalising Enoch Chief Billy Morin's vehicle, said Enoch spokesperson Tanya Cardinal.

One trespasser attempted to assault an Enoch councillor, the First Nation added in a statement released Sunday.

"Although I respect GraceLife protesters' right to protest, right to worship, and right to free speech, I strongly condemn their illegal trespassing on our land, their vandalization of a Nation member's vehicle, and their blatant disrespect of our sovereignty as a proud First Nation," Morin said.

An RCMP spokesperson could not immediately confirm any arrests or tickets issued during the protest when reached by CBC Radio-Canada Sunday afternoon.

The crowd began to disperse shortly before 2 p.m. The trespassers had mostly vacated Enoch land by 4 p.m., the First Nation said.


In a statement released Sunday evening through the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, GraceLife church stated that its congregants were not at the protest.

© Jordan Omstead/CBC RCMP deployed additional officers during the demonstration at GraceLife Church on Sunday.

In a media statement Wednesday, AHS said it had "physically closed" the church and would prevent access until the church "can demonstrate the ability to comply with Alberta's chief medical officer of health's restrictions."

"With COVID-19 cases increasing and the more easily-transmitted and potentially more severe variants becoming dominant, there is urgent need to minimize spread to protect all Albertans," AHS said.

On Sunday, the province reported 1,183 new cases of COVID-19 and 942 new cases involving variants of concern. There were 7,217 active variant cases, about 50.5 per cent of active cases in Alberta.

Between July 10 last year and Tuesday of last week, AHS said it has received 105 complaints from the public about the church.

AHS said inspectors have conducted 18 inspections at the site since July 10, 2020, and violations were observed at each visit.

GraceLife's Pastor James Coates was charged in February with violating COVID-19 public health orders.

After he was charged, Coates was jailed for refusing to comply with a bail condition that he only hold services in compliance with public health orders. In early March, his lawyers appealed with the argument that it would go against the pastor's conscience before God not to lead worshippers.

Coates spent 35 days in custody before pleading guilty to a charge of breaching bail and was fined $1,500. He returned to the pulpit on March 28.

The church was also charged as an entity for exceeding allowable capacity at Sunday services in February

Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_Centre_for_Constitutional_Freedoms

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) is a Canadian legal advocacy organization specializing in Canadian constitutional law, specifically in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The organization describes itself as non-partisan but it has partnered with several right-wing backers in the United States.




Federal Bill to adopt UNDRIP is useless, dangerous, and ...

https://www.jccf.ca/federal-bill-to-adopt-undrip-is-useless-dangerous...

2021-04-09 · OTTAWA: The Justice Centre 

Leftist candidate Pedro Castillo leading 

LIMA (Reuters) - Leftist candidate Pedro Castillo is leading in the Peruvian presidential election with 15.8% of votes, according to a first official release of results with 11.4% of votes counted
.
© Reuters/VIDAL TARQUI/ANDINA Presidential and parliamentary elections in Peru
© Reuters/VIDAL TARQUI/ANDINA Presidential and parliamentary elections in Peru

Castillo was followed by liberal economist Hernando de Soto with 14.48% of the vote, followed by ultra-right candidate Rafael Lopez Aliaga with 13.13% and Keiko Fujimori with 12.19% of the vote, electoral officials said in a live broadcast.

© Reuters/VIDAL TARQUI/ANDINA Presidential and parliamentary elections in Peru

(Reporting by Aislinn Laing; Editing by Himani Sarkar)