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EU’s hopes of using Azerbaijan as a gas station at risk of exploding

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:51:27 GMT

Gas and oil from Azerbaijan are crucial to the EU’s effort to replace Russian fossil fuels — but that’s in danger of becoming entangled in the bloc’s bid to become a power player in the war-torn South Caucasus.The EU has sent a civilian mission to help police the Armenian side of the tense mountainous border between the two countries, which has Azerbaijan warning of foreign interference in its affairs.At the same time, a European Parliament report condemning Azerbaijan’s human rights record is sparking howls of outrage from the country.All of that is casting a shadow over the EU’s high-profile deal with Azerbaijan to double its annual gas deliveries to the bloc to 20 billion cubic meters by 2027.Speaking to POLITICO on condition of anonymity, a senior official in the EU’s diplomatic service bemoaned the fact that the monitoring mission seems to have soured relations. “We were hoping for a different scenario with Baku. We are sharing all relevant informa...

Editorial: Nursing workforce needs more men

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:51:27 GMT

In less than two years, the U.S. could face a shortage of up to 450,000 nurses. The health-care system won’t be able to fill this gap with half the potential workforce on the sidelines: More must be done to recruit men into nursing.Men currently comprise about 12% of nurses, up from less than 3% in 1970. Boosting their number would not only ease shortages, but offer a pathway to good jobs for a demographic that has been exiting the workforce in alarming numbers in recent years. Employment growth in some traditionally male sectors, such as manufacturing, has all but vanished.Yet men traditionally haven’t entered nursing because, much like teaching, it’s stigmatized as a female profession — the term “male nurse” is a case in point. Men in nursing tend to be career-switchers, and often include former members of the military, police officers and firefighters. In short: civic-minded workers drawn to the six-figure salaries, career progression and flexible schedules, with the added bonus ...

Hit Hollywood writer Anthony McCarten takes on spyware in ‘Going Zero’

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:51:27 GMT

After scoring spectacularly writing hit movies, Anthony McCarten ventures forth with a new novel, the surveillance state thriller “Going Zero” (Harper, $30).In a beta test of a new, all-encompassing level of spyware, 10 Americans compete for a $3 million prize – if they can ‘Go Zero.’ Be off-grid and elude the super-sophisticated tracker dubbed Fusion for 30 days.  The hunt, held in cooperation with the CIA (naturally!), is run by a slightly unstable CEO.It was in 2016 when McCarten was inspired.  He’d left a store without buying anything — and his mobile immediately pinged to buy something similar.  He was targeted.Is “Going Zero” a wake-up call for people to realize what dire straits personal privacy is in?“Yeah, it started off about the all-pervasive reach of surveillance technology.  We’re all old enough,” the native New Zealander, 61, said, “to remember a time when you could very easily disappear off the map. When I was a teenager I used to escape for days at a time...

McCaughey: Trump’s trial needs to be televised

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:51:27 GMT

Last week, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg presented his bag-of-tricks indictment charging former President Donald Trump with 34 counts of false entries in business records. Bragg managed to slice and dice two payments to former hookers into what sounds like a big deal — 34 felonies. Don’t be fooled. As former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr, no fan of Trump, said of Bragg’s case, it’s “an abomination” held together “by chicken wire and paper clips and rubber bands.”The judge in the case, Justice Juan Merchan, set the next court date for Dec. 8, 2023, with a trial likely some time in 2024. That’s smack in the middle of the campaign for the presidency, and will stick Trump in a courtroom with daily press coverage as “the defendant.”After Trump’s arraignment, Bragg released a statement saying he charged Trump because “everyone stands equal before the law.” Bragg’s lying. No one else would have ...

Strategies to improve your ability to focus

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:51:27 GMT

Distractions have never been harder to resist. According to Deloitte’s “2022 Connectivity and Mobile Trends Survey” (third edition), the average household in the United States now has a total of 22 connected devices. The prevalence and accessibility of devices can make it difficult to focus, but tablets, smartphones and other technologies are not the only culprits that can compromise the ability to concentrate. Harvard Medical School notes that underlying medical conditions, the side effects of medication and excessive alcohol consumption can each make it harder to focus.That’s a significant detriment, as an ability to focus can help individuals be more efficient and perform better at work and in school. Each individual is different, so efforts to improve focus might require a little trial and error until a person finds what works for them. In the meantime, the following are some effective strategies that can help people sharpen their focus and reap all the r...

Silverglate: Libraries take hit in college budget squeeze

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:51:27 GMT

It was recently reported that in order to deal with a major structural budget deficit, the seemingly desperate leaders of Vermont’s public colleges have made the radical decision of removing physical copies of books from the colleges’ libraries.While the administrators seemed to feel that eliminating library books was a reasonable and effective way to save money, many students and professors decried this intellectually damaging decision. The loss of physical books would be detrimental to the education of those who need to read in print, such as the disabled and people who are unable to access books online. Besides, many people find it easier to read a printed rather than a digital book.Nor is Vermont alone. Similar problems are plaguing state universities in Maine, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. The problem is clearly destined to get worse.The importance of books available to students on the spot – the function of a campus library – is essential. It was widely thought that Amazon, which...

Business confidence slips but remains positive as signs of recession ease

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:51:27 GMT

Confidence among the state’s employers saw a downturn in March, reversing slight gains seen in February and following the failure of several banks and while inflation continues to push prices and wages higher.“Business confidence fell precariously close to pessimistic territory during March as Massachusetts employers managed challenges ranging from inflation to rising interest rates to banking disruptions,” the Associated Industries of Massachusetts wrote in their March Business Confidence Index.According to the survey of Bay State employers, confidence fell from February to March by a full 2-points, slipping from 53.5% confidence to 51.5%. According to AIM’s math, that means businesses are feeling optimistic, but just barely, and that’s the lowest confidence the index has shown since October of last year.Sara Johnson, who chairs AIM’s board of economic advisors, said with the release of the index that improving economic activity elsewhere can account for retreating fears of a...

Dear Abby: Man disdains dad’s parade of wives

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:51:27 GMT

Dear Abby: I am a 23-year-old child of divorce. For nine months, my father has been dating a woman he was seeing while still married to my stepmother. My youngest brother (age 19) and I have yet to meet her. If they marry, this will be Dad’s third marriage.While I love him, he deeply hurt not only my former stepmother but also my mother, because he cheated on them both multiple times. He excuses it by saying he had no other choice.I recently moved back to my hometown after living in New York for 16 months. At some point soon, the three of us, as well as my middle brother, will likely have dinner together. I’m afraid I’ll lash out at her and possibly lose my father in the process. I feel like a child when he tries to explain his behavior in an indirect way. Must I accept this new woman as my father’s partner or risk him dropping out of my life? — Revolving DoorsDear Revolving Doors:  If you want a relationship with your father, it’s important that ...

Board of Supervisors to vote on call for Nathan Fletcher's immediate resignation

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:51:27 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego County Board of Supervisors will be holding an emergency meeting on Tuesday to vote on a resolution of no confidence for Nathan Fletcher and to call on him to resign immediately, Supervisor Jim Desmond's office said in a statement Sunday night.Fletcher, who has been accused of sexual assault and harassment in a lawsuit by a former Metropolitan Transit System employee, announced his resignation late last month and that would be effective at the end of his medical leave on May 15.The vote of no confidence resolution would be a symbolic measure to pressure the Supervisor to step down as soon as possible, according to Desmond's office. Lawsuit against Supervisor Fletcher alleges sexual assault "While the Board of Supervisors does not have the ultimate power to remove Mr. Fletcher, this resolution will serve as a powerful statement for him to resign," the statement from the District Five representative said. "Mr. Fletcher has let his constituents down and sho...

Nashville council to vote on restoring ousted state lawmaker

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:51:27 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nashville officials are poised to vote Monday to reinstate one of the two Black Democratic lawmakers expelled by Republican colleagues for their gun control protest on the Tennessee House floor after a deadly school shooting — essentially, sending him back after a long weekend.Nashville’s metro council has called the meeting to address the vacancy left by the expulsion on Thursday of former Rep. Justin Jones. Many councilmembers have publicly commented that they want to send Jones back to the statehouse. The vote will happen as state lawmakers hold their first floor sessions since last week’s expulsion votes.Expelled Memphis Rep. Justin Pearson, meanwhile, could be reappointed at a Wednesday meeting of the Shelby County Commission.Special elections for the seats, which have not yet been set, will take place in the coming months. Jones and Pearson have said they want to be reappointed and plan to run in a special election.At the Statehouse, meanwhile, it’s unc...